Aloha all,

Please enjoy this Gurudeva mediation we recently removed some of the painful-to-listen to background sound from using the Audacity audio editing software.

Short Meditation from 1996

Aum Namah Sivaya!

Today we wanted to show our cyber cadets some of the wonderful vegetables growing in our greenhouse. We started green snap peas a few months ago, most of the plants are flowering and some are even starting to fruit. Hopefully they can be harvested soon so the monks can enjoy them on their banana leaves! We also wanted to showcase our tomato plants, particularly the rare, yellow beefsteak variety that we are growing for the first time. All of our tomato vines (that were planted a few months ago) are fruiting and the first harvest will happen within the next month or so.
Aum Namah Sivaya!

Satguru Bodhinatha answers many questions today, in relation to how we can keep our mind crystal-clear, living without any fear, and keeping the subconscious garage neat, clear and full of cheer!

The team installing the Iraivan floor in the second prakaram is gaining momentum. It has taken weeks to map out the puzzle (65 different sizes of tile) and prepare the surfaces. And now tiles are going down. Even today, which is Saturday, the team is on the job, pushing hard, arriving at 6:30am in the dark to get a quick start on the day. See a retro slideshow that goes back to tile arrival and floor prep.

Aum Aum, As you know the Silpis have been hard at work preparing the Nandi Mandapam for the installation of the new stone bases. Well, yesterday, the Silipis along with support from the Siddhidhata kulam moved the stones into place along the Mandapam where they will soon be installed in their final resting place! Look forward to the updates! Jai Ganesha!

Jai Ganesha!

Over the past year the monks of the Siddhidatta Kulam of been quietly and gradually working on a special project–the construction of a new shop area to work in. Currently, when a tractor bucket is in need of a good sledge-hammering, or a weed whacker is in need of fixing and testing, the location available is near the main monastery buildings. It's a little small for the amount of work it's used for and it also happens to be within an audible range of Satguru's office. After months of careful planning, the concrete foundation for a new structure has been poured! The monks of the Siddhidatta Kulam made sure to bless the area beforehand and to give a shawl and offerings to the team doing the cement work. The excavator then broke ground and the team successfully created a flawless foundation for the new building. Aum.

Introducing Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami's Publisher's Desk editorial for the January/February/March, 2023 issue of Hinduism Today Magazine:

"I know a spiritually awesome individual. He is able to quickly calm himself when upset, to transform unhappiness into happiness, to inspire those who are discouraged, and always finds time to listen to the stories and concerns of family and friends. Would you like to be introduced to this amazing person? It’s easy. Just look into a mirror. Yes, that awesome person is you. But it is not the outer you—the body, the intellect or the emotions. It is the spiritual part of you, the soul, the atman, the immortal presence you can sense by looking into your eyes...

A team has been pushing hard to establish a perimeter of grass 8-12 feet wide next to Iraivan, right up to the lava rock plinth. Much preparation has happened, starting with a bulldozer sloping the land, installing a substrate support grid, filling with compost, seeding and more. After a couple of months, we are seeing the results, bright green grassy area on which future pilgrims will walk barefooted to read the 35 bronze plates on the perimeter wall. Just this morning Tandu Sivanathan covered the entire area with a special fertilizer designed to encourage root growth (high in potassium). See the slideshow for progress.

The ancient Silpashastras describe the archway that is one of the ornaments of the Deity in a temple or shrine. It is called Tiruvasi, and it represents the Cosmic Sphere in which Siva dances or another deity abides. The flames are consciousness and the fierce face at the top is Mahakala, Lord of Time who ultimately devours all.

The two tiruvasis in Kadavul were made many years back under the supervision of Jiva Rajasankara. Since he is on pilgrimage here, he undertook the refurbishing of the hammered metal arches, which had become a bit worn and weary, as this do over time. It took several days and they were reinstalled last night. See the slideshow for the short story.