A sishya writes-- We were blessed with another event with our beloved Satguru Bodhinatha....
The Aloha Dinner at the Pullman Hotel was held for the students and members of SSC...
The evening was stunning...well organized..
The event was coloured with variety of programmes and performances..
Dinner followed with time for members to socialize and have good time with each other...
Thank you Satguru for this great event!!!

Click here for more photos of the event (SSC sishyas are invited to login to SSC website for posting comments)

Click here for additional photos (SSC sishyas are invited to login to SSC website for posting comments)

And click here for a video of a excellent skit at the dinner based on our youth storybooks (SSC sishyas are invited to login to SSC website for posting comments in the videos section)

A sishya writes-- We were blessed to have spent the whole day with Satguru at the Pullman Hotel, Putrajaya, Malaysia...
The 1 day seminar had 4 different sessions on Practising Hinduism, My friend Lord Ganesha, Colour meditation and Letting go of past and future..
Each session was accompanied by Satguru's videos on these subjects followed by question and answer session with Satguru..
We had a short walk to the man-made lake located in the hotel itself...simple and satisfying lunch....chats...laughter...
After lunch, Shanmuganathaswami conducted the session colour meditation, filled with humour and jokes...
Upon leaving, all of us definitely felt rejuvinated, spiritually uplifted...I personally felt so light...and heavenly...just by being around my Satguru!

Click here for a few photos (SSC sishyas are invited to login to SSC website for posting comments)

This morning the monastery held a sacred fire ritual to begin the new phase. Satguru Bodhinatha is traveling in Singapore and Malaysia, so Sadasivanathaswami burned the written prayers and gave a short talk in his stead. He discussed the Iraivan carvings that are on their way from Bangalore, which include Hanuman and the statues of the satgurus. He then gave insight into the world of microbiology and the many amazing new discoveries and understandings coming about in new science, in which the microcosm echoes the macrocosm in infinite complexity and inestimable intelligence.

Cycads and their close relatives the Encephalartos are among the ancient plants of the world, found in fossil remains some 280 million years old. Plus, they are known to live as long as one thousand years. So they are a natural choice for the monks to plant near Kadavul Temple where our giant mango tree had to be removed. So Sadasivanathaswami, Arumuganathaswami and Adi Srikantha visited a cycad nursery yesterday and selected dozens of the species, to be delivered in July.

These plants create giant cones that weigh up to 60 pounds. In tribal days in South Africa, the cones were used as a food source, so it may not surprise that the name Encephalartos means, literally, "bread in the head" since there is a lot of high-quality starch in the crown head at the top of the trunk.

During this last retreat, Acharya Arumuganathaswami, Sadhaka Tejadevanatha and task-forcer Adi Srikantha, traveled across the river to the monastery's Noni feilds to harvest fruit. It will be fermented and later pressed to resupply the monk's dwindling stores of this incredibly medicinal juice.

Over the retreat several of the monks spent some time in the wood shop working on individual projects. Here Sadhhaka Jayanatha has hand carved a natural base for a crystal lingam. In the background Nirvani Nilakanthanatha is on the lathe turning a wooden bowl from our own harvested tree.

Satguru Bodhinatha and Shanmuganathaswami visited the home of Vijay and Umayil Eswaran in the hills of Petaling Jaya. They enjoyed watching the 24 minute Annual Update of the monastery and Iraivan Temple building progress on the iPad. After lunch they visited the Eswaran's new home a few hundred feet down the hill, which by the way, is the same hill upon which the Gasing Sivan Temple is located. Bodhinatha presented the Eswaran's with a wooden "Aum Sweet Aum" plaque for their new house, laser etched by the monks from a Kokee cypress wood tree. Their new "smart" home is full of state of the art equipment, and at the same time there are art pieces hundreds of years old, including some very old doors.

Congratulations to Gunasegaran and Mohana Chitravellu for Vishesha Diksha. Congratulations to Eesan and Rajeswari Pasupati for Mantra Diksha and Congratulations to Sivanathan Batumalai for Mantra Diksha. Aum Namah Sivaya!

Today was tour day at the monastery. With an increasing number of guests, this was the second tour day to take place this phase. Over a hundred people arrived today and had an opportunity to see the monastery gardens and have a guided tour of the Iriavan temple site. One recent guest expressing their amazement, commenting at how peaceful and powerful the monastery felt to them.