A Drizzly Morning, Wishing You a Peaceful Day
This morning the Aadheenam woke to light rain and a misty sunrise. A brief downpour swept through, decorating our flora with its crystal droplets. The misty atmosphere is loved by our plants and makes for a cool and quiet start to our day.
God is with you all the time. There is no work to be done. Move in conformity with changes within your environment. Be steadfast in truth. Natural forces are countless. Be you, your own self, while at the same time recognizing all these. That is wisdom. We do not do anything. Everything happens of its own accord. Siva Yogaswami
HHE 2nd Quarter Meeting
Golden Gate Mission August Satsang
The Golden Gate Mission's August Satsang was hosted at the home of Janaka and Bhavani Param.
Yogaswami Padapuja
This is a charming 6 minute film of the anniversary Yogaswami Padapuja in Jaffna. From the Guru Chronicles: Swami’s teachings explore the mysteries of yoga, disclose the divine experiences on the path and praise Chellappaswami and the Mahadevas, especially the supreme Lord, Siva—avoiding the intricate complexities of the Tamil language, but instead using charmingly simple vocabulary and phrasing. In all, Swami’s compositions consist of 385 Natchintanai songs, twenty letters, called tirumuham, and about 1,500 sayings, or arul vachakam. “Our Gurunathan,” the very first song in Natchintanai, relates the teachings of Chellappaswami and projects to everyone who sings it the depth of Yogawami’s affection for the soul who brought him into the light and into deeper realizations. It begins: He made me to know my self, our Gurunathan. On my head both feet he placed, our Gurunathan. Father, mother, guru—he, our Gurunathan. All the world he made me rule, our Gurunathan. Previous karma he removed, our Gurunathan. Even “the three” can’t comprehend our Gurunathan. He sees neither good nor bad, our Gurunathan. As “I am He” he manifests, our Gurunathan. Yogaswami worked intuitively, responding to those who came according to “inner orders.” In explaining this process, he once said, “I do nothing. I can do nothing. Everything you see, that is done by what comes from within.” Another time he said, “When you come here, what will happen was settled long ago. We go through it; you bring it, but it all happened long ago. Sit and be a witness.” Swami explained the process: “When you are pure, you live like water on a lotus leaf. Do what is necessary, what comes to you to do, then go on to the next order you receive, and then to the next that comes.” He advised, “Boldly act when you receive orders from within. You need not wait until all details are in order. If you wait for everything to be worked out, you may miss your chance. Have faith and do the work that comes from within. Money will trail after you if you are responding to divine orders. Helpers will come. Everything will come. You have only to follow carefully that which comes from within.” When asked how to find one’s inner voice, he said, “Summa iru. Be still! Be still, and what you need will come to you.” “Summa iru!” was his constant command. He practiced it and heeded the answers that came. Someone would ask him a question and he would wait to feel his orders. If he felt no orders, he would do nothing until orders came. Once a man drove up to Swami as he was walking through town and asked if he could drive him anywhere. “No orders,” Swami replied and waved the man on. A few minutes later the driver came by and stopped again. “Now I have my orders,” Swami said, and got into the car. Sometime in the 1930s, two elderly German matrons set sail for India in search of truth, light and the good path. For months they endured arid austerities and boiled water as they searched out and spoke with every sadhu and holy man they could find. Their itinerary included Tiruvannamalai, the popular destination for seekers, where the renowned mystic and master of Advaita, Ramana Maharishi, had lived for decades on the sacred Arunachala Hill in a humble ashram. Traveling south, they eventually crossed the Palk Strait and entered Ceylon. From Colombo they made their way north to Jaffna where, it was said, one of the Great Ones lived. Locals stared unabashedly as the pair navigated dusty roads in long, frilly dresses, lace gloves and sun-thwarting parasols of dubious design. They found Yogaswami in his small thatched hut. Offering their obeisances, the two seekers sat on the woven mat he offered and drank dark Ceylon tea with the dark-skinned master who listened to the story of their pilgrimage and to their queries about the nature of Truth. “So, you asked these same questions to others?” Yogaswami inquired. “Yes, Swami,” they replied. “What did Ramana Maharishi tell you, then?” Intrigued that Swami knew of their visit, the elder responded, “His only words to us were ‘One God. One World.’” “I can do no better than that. You may go,” Yogaswami said abruptly. With that, the two departed, cherishing the darshan of one of their century’s enlightened souls.
Recent visitor, longtime student
Sanjiva and Tiya Thielamay chat with Yogi Jothinatha, during a recent visit. Sanjiva was just a boy when he took Himalayan Academy classes in Mauritius in 1983—in Beau Vallon, near Mahebourg. He has since traveled the world and become a well-known and accomplished IT consultant for large institutions. He and Tiya live in Chicago. Lately, he has reconnected with Himalayan Academy and has become a dedicated student of the Master Course, Supervised Study. Tiya is originally from Kazakhstan and following in Jiva's footsteps. She says that the original religion of Kazakhstan is still very widely practiced and very much similar to Hinduism.
Satsang in Chicago at the home of Sharad and Namrata Haldwania
On Monday, May 19th in the evening we held a satsang at the home of Sharad and Namrata Haldwania.
Bodhinatha visits the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago
On Sunday morning, May 18th, Bodhinatha and the swamis visited the Hindu Temple in Lemont.
An Outing with Bodhinatha and the Swamis at the LA Zoo
About 15 people visited the Los Angeles Zoo with Bodhinatha and the two swamis.
From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.
