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The Great Night Of Siva

Maha Sivaratri has arrived. It is the time of deep contact with our Great Lord, a time of spiritual renewal and a re-focus on the spiritual goal of life. Bodhinatha sent us some words of wisdom as quotes from Gurudeva, see below.

Durvasa and Tandu Decorating Kadavul

Hanging flags is a fun job.

Bright yellow Tamil Aum flags for the Nandi Mandapam.

Siva Is All and in All

Hundreds of millions will worship Lord Siva tonight, many will fast and observe silence, many will gather to worship the Sivalingam in temples and ashrams, homes and forest retreats. Tonight we will fall at His feet in love and reverence, then soar within to His central Being, our being, your being. We honor this night with our dear Gurudeva's description of God Siva, lilting and lucid:

Truly, God Siva is everywhere. He is the energy within our mind manifesting thought. He is the thought thus made manifest. He is the light within your eyes and the feel within your fingers. God Siva is the ignorance which makes the One seem as two. He is the karma, which is the law of cause and effect, and He is the maya, which is the substance of evolution in which we become so deeply immersed that we look upon the outside world as more real than God. God Siva is all this and more. He is the Sun, the Earth and the spaces between. He is the revealed scriptures and those who have scribed the scriptures. He is all who seek the wisdom of scripture, too.

Siva dances in every atom throughout this universe. Siva dances energetically, ceaselessly, eternally. Siva is perpetual movement. His mind is all-pervasive, and thus He sees and knows everything in all spheres simultaneously and without effort. Siva is the Self, and He is the energy we put forth to know the Self. He is the mystery which makes us see Him as separate from us. He is the energy of life, the power in the wind. He is the dissolution called death, the peace of motionless air. He is the great force of the ocean and the stillness on a calm lake. Siva is All and in all.

Our great God Siva is beyond time, beyond space, beyond form and form's creation, and yet He uses time and causes form. He is in the sky, in the clouds, in the swirling galaxies. Siva's cosmic dance of creation, preservation and dissolution is happening this very moment in every atom of the cosmos. Supreme God Siva is immanent, with a beautiful human-like form which can actually be seen and has been seen by many mystics in visions. Siva is also transcendent, beyond time, cause and space. Such are the mysteries of Siva's being. Read the holy scriptures and contemplate their description of our great God Siva. They explain who Siva is. They tell us that Siva has three perfections: Parashiva, Satchidananda and Maheshvara. As Parashiva, He is the Self, beyond time, form and space.

As Satchidananda, He is all-pervasive love, light and consciousness flowing through every atom of existence. As Maheshvara, He is the Primal Soul, the Supreme Being who creates, preserves and destroys what we term existence. They tell us that our Supreme Being has a body of light and a mind and will that reigns over His creations. They tell us that Supreme God Siva created our individual soul, which is a body of light in which His uncreated mind resides. Lord Siva's mind is called Satchidananda. It is the all-pervasive, inner state of mind inherent in every person on this Earth, but to be realized to be known.

Maha Sivaratri

Tonight is the great night of Siva, the cosmic inbreath, the darkest moon: when all is and nothing seems to be. Tonight is a night to realize the Self.

Bodhinatha sent these quotes to all the monks today:

Gurudeva describes Nirvikalapa Samadhi thus: “The inmost center of consciousness–located only after the actinic forces dissolve concepts of form and even consciousness being conscious of itself–is found to be within the center of an energy-spinning force field. This center–intense in its existence, consciousness only on the perimeter of the inside hub of this energy field–vitalizes all externalized form.”

“Losing consciousness into the center of this energy field catalyzes one beyond form, time, space. The spinning hub of actinic energy recreating, preserving and dissipating form quickly establishes consciousness again. However, this is then a new consciousness, the continuity of consciousness having been broken in the nirvikalpa samadhi experience. Essentially, the first total conscious break in the evolution of man is the first nirvikalpa samadhi experience. Hence, a new evolution begins anew after each such experience. The evolutional patterns overlap and settle down like rings of light, one layer upon another, causing intrinsic changes in the entire nature and experiential pattern of the experiencer.”

Here is the inspired talk from Gurudeva that the monks and the guests at Kadavul will listen tonight. Its is profound. It is simple. It is accessible — it is like the Self. Listen to it, again and again, tune into Gurudeva’s voice and then meditate. Make this the night of your deepest realization. Aum Namasivaya. (right-click to download)

Devotees Representing our Monastery at Arizona Festival

Banu Devi and Chellappa Deva made their yearly display at Phoenix’s Discover India festival, recently. It is always a success for them and the people who come by their table. 

“It is very uplifting for us to do this Siva Thondu, explained Banu Devi, “because a lot of people who have been to Kauai or subscribe to Hinduism Today tell us of their experiences and what a great temple and wonderful magazine it is. And we show them and tell them about the newest publications and monastery events. This year, I informed many people of Bodhinatha’s coming to Phoenix in April, something we are all looking forward to.”

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