A photo at the Convocation of Hindu Spiritual Leaders, taken with the banner we designed and hand-carried to Melbourne. The Balinese priest in the center gave a powerful final blessing, and when he sprinkled the water around, almost all of it came onto Bodhinatha who was standing in front of the table at the time!

Useful and important conversations took place, not in the official councils, but in the halls and lobbies of this huge, brand new convention center. Here Bodhinatha speaks with Swami Chidanand Saraswati “Muniji” who is his host next year for the holy bathing in the Ganges during Kumbha Mela.

On our final day a limo was parked in front of the convention center. A 40-foot Hummer? Must have been the Climate Commission execs!

So many wonderful swamis attended.

We were impressed with the presence, purity and eloquence of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji from Andhra Pradesh.

Bodhinatha waits for his talk, with Swami Maheshwarananda from Austria who knew Gurudeva well and once visited Kauai.

These two Korean Buddhist nuns held a silent vigil in the giant concourse, attending the Divine in All without moving, speaking, thinking.

This is Dadi Janki, Chief of the Brahma Kumaris. Though 92, she gave a rousing talk at the Parliament. Here is an excerpt:

“God’s hope for humanity is for each and every soul to experience truth, love and mercy and to be responsible to share that vibration with the rest of the world. To do this we need the practise of performing elevated actions, of experiencing God’s power. To take power from God, we need a relationship with Him. Taking light and might from God is taking our inheritance from the Divine, the inheritance of happiness, bliss, peace and love. This is not only for oneself, but also for donating to others. God is our Mother, Father, Teacher, Friend and Guru. With such a companion there is no need for any worry. I keep myself safe from worry and also make sure that others are free from worry and experience peace. Om shanti.”

Never know who you will meet in the hallways.

The Dalai Lama was gracious in our brief encounter, asking of our native place and offering his blessings.

We also met with the Chief Rabbi of the European Union, Rabbi Moshe, a young and witty man. Palaniswami softly mentioned in the conversation that the Jews and the Hindus are natural allies throughout history, and he quipped, “Supernatural allies!”

Don’t miss ordering your Saivite Calendar for 2010 with the fine artwork of S. Rajam that you see in the books produced by the monks. a href=”http://www.zazzle.com/Skandadeva*” target=”blank”>http://www.zazzle.com/Skandadeva*
Partial Proceeds to Iraivan Temple Building fund.
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END OF PHASE
Today is the last day of our phase.
This edition of TAKA will remain posted
over our coming two-day retreat,
until Dvitiya Tithi, Sun One, Thursday, December 17th.