Blog Archives
“Religious learning is the greatest learning, the only permanent learning. All else is transitory and changing. Religion is the knowledge of the soul. God Siva created your soul. Your mother and father created your body, brought you into this world. But you create your own experiences in this life from the sum total of experiences in your past lives. You came to this Earth for one purpose: to learn of your religion. You are on this Earth for the evolution of your soul. You are not here to earn money. You are not here to gratify yourself through excesses. You are not here to fight with each other. You are not here to accumulate material conveniences. You are here to learn of and then to fulfill your religion. It is knowledge of religion in your life that makes the soul evolve. So, learn your religion fully, properly, intelligently, and it will guide you through this life into a better birth or on into moksha, liberation from earthly existence.”
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End of Phase Notice
This is the last day of a short, 4-day phase.
This edition of TAKA will remain posted until:
Dvitya Tithi, Sun One, Sunday, March 21st
Kulapati Deva Rajan from California is one of our senior members and has been with Gurudeva for over 30 years. He is a veteran Innersearcher and another of our “elders” on this trip. Deva in his capacity as a high-end building contractor, has from the beginning of Iraivan been there to help advise and perform innumerable services for the temple construction. He has also donated quite a bit to the Aadheenam buildings themselves through the years and advised the monks on important structural issues. He was instrumental in helping us discover and coordinate the work of Dr. Metha formulated the “miracle” fly-ash concrete foundation for Iraivan. Deva is also continually active in Iraivan fund raising. For everything you do Deva, we thank you from the depth of our hearts to the top of our heads!
Bodhinatha’s next journey is brief, on the weekend of April 3-4 in the San Francisco Bay Area of northern California. He will visit with Saiva Siddhanta Church members and Himalayan Academy Students.
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Here is another great sevak and dedicated soul: Gowri Nadason from Malaysia. Gowri is a brahmacharini and does a lot of seva for Gurudeva’s mission in Malaysia. For years she has been helping with the distribution of Hinduism Today and Gurudeva’s books side by side with our beloved sister Brahmacharini Chudikadevi who has recently left this world to be with Gurudeva in the Devaloka. Gowri can always be seen at our booths and fund raising events in Malaysia. She is also a veteran Innersearch and India traveler who helped support all the new comers during our Innersearch.
At home, today is the last day of this phase and we had a really big group for the tour today because 15 came from an annual nurses convention being held on Kauai.
A bright day and a joyous crowd….
Our photographer takes a quick tour of the Ganapati Kulam early this afternoon. Here is Paramacharya Palaniswami, reading articles for the next issue of Hinduism Today that have been turned in to him by the rest of the team for final editing. In front of him there is a small plaster statue of Gurudeva, that he has been painting by hand himself.
Sannyasin Natarajnathaswami reviewing some articles he has done and printed out.
Our managing editor, Sannyasin Arumugaswami working on an article about art work from the Himalayas.
Sannyasin Sivakatiswami is working on a book review of Howard Lyman’s “Mad Cowboy, Plain Truth From the Cattle Rancher Who Won’t Eat Meat.”
It’s another one of those utterly beautiful, peaceful days on Kauai, cool, bright, sunny with the temple off in the distance.
The light accentuates the colors of these remarkable plants.
Yogaswami once said, by way of teaching indirectly his often stated dictum of “Summa Iru”– “Just Be Still!”
He said “I once sat so still, for so long, that a bird came and sat on my head.”
Easy to do if you are a granite statue of Saint Tirumular….
Actually this pigeon is standing by, looking over the courtyard to see what might be left over after the monks have left from lunch.
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Himalayan Academy Travel Study Programs |
2004 Indian OdysseyJanuary 19, 2004 – February 5, 2004 |
A fun shot from Dhasan Mahadevan’s collection. This is the strong minded, every delightful and deep thinking Gerard Linsmeier from California. Gerard is part of a very successful business which involves transport for otherwise incapacitated people who need to get from their homes to the hospital or from here to there to avail themselves of medical services. A veteran traveler, he’s taking a break with Innersearch to get a look at India in the company of the monks and other seekers. Ever a cheerful, compassionate, indefatigable spirit…
One of the always uplifting experiences is showing young people in India their own just-now-taken pictures in the monitor of a digital camera. This, for some reason, always brings shrieks of delight, wonder and laughter.
A typical plate of rice and curry, served just so, with each item in its properly assigned placed on the banana leaf. Small portions. Good, you’re thinking, naively, “Oh gee, finally, a light lunch!”
Ha…. a few minutes later, the second course comes… rice next… the chapati was just the first course, and two more curries and another dal. (You are thinking… oh, that must be it… that’s seven different dishes already.)
Ha! Wait! There’s more! What’s this “Oh, this is a different kind of rice, curd rice… here… and there’s payasam.”
Smiling sweetly, trying to be gracious, “No… that’s ok, I’ve had enough, thank you…” hands over plate, leaning forward, desperately making sure there is no way the spoonful of rice can reach your banana leaf.
You think, “Great, he got it, no more….” but wait, there’s someone else coming with another bucket of food! Aiyo! Quick! fold over you banaga leaf… !
The final photos from our correspondent in Malaysia on our last day there….
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All the excitement of the ice-breaker games made us so hungry…Its lunch Time!
Satguru & Swamis with the Sadhaka’s enjoying their lunch
A nice peaceful atmosphere to enjoy a quiet lunch…
Our newly wed couple joined us for the picnic too! Puvana & Sivanathan Batumalai with Satguru…
Bhavani Param, saying good bye to the fishes and tortoises in the lake..
Back in the hotel….Time to Check out from the hotel..
Satguru is ready to leave….
At the airport…members waiting to send off the Satguru and the Innersearchers…
Waving goodbye to all of them…
and Satguru too as he makes his way to check in…
Back at the center to discuss the outcome of the event…
Taking note of every detail that needs to be upgraded to put on a better quality of event in the future…
A note to all Innersearchers:
We hope all of you had a good time in Malaysia and we look forward to having you again with us!
Greetings with Love from Malaysia!!!
Aum Namasivaya!
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2005 Indian Odyssey
The 2004 Indian Odyssey was a great success. Ninety pilgrims spent 21 days together with Bodhinatha in Malaysia and South India. Our next Himalayan Academy Travel Study Program is planned to be a 10-day cruise on the South side of the equator, with ports of call in New Zealand and Australia, and events with local Hindu communities there. We expect this to be held in the fall of 2005, in October or November, depending on ship routes. There have been three Innersearch cruises, all very focused on classes. If you would like to get to know Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Gurudeva’s remarkable metaphysical teachings first hand and explore the Hindu spiritual tradition with Gurudeva’s monks and with others on the path, start saving now to join us. Send a message to our coordinator, Sadhaka Dandapani, to put your name on an advance notice list to make sure you get details as soon as they are out. |
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From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.
