Aum Namah Sivaya

The Aadheenam is heading into two days of retreat, so we'll see you all on Monday. For, please enjoy these photos of a recent sunset over Kadavul Temple along with this passage from Merging With Siva, lesson 98:

It is one thing to talk; it is another thing to demonstrate what is declared. Demonstration is a result of your awareness flowing through the super­con­scious area of the mind. The super­con­scious mind is actinic or radiant force, whereas the conscious and subconscious states of mind are manifestations of odic force, or magnetism. Excessive talk arises out of confused conscious and subconscious states of mind. Find your actinic spiritual destiny in this life. Learn to live fully each instant, completely in the eternity of the moment. Become refined by constructive, rather than abusive, practices. Become positive through the generation of good deeds, rather than those uncomplimentary experiences we react to and reenact. Yours is a new and positive destiny, one that is true, constant and free from want or dangers. Life ahead for you can only become one of fulfillment and radiance as you adjust to dharmic principles. On and on through the mind we travel daily, once awareness has become detached from the limited area of mind it has been trapped in. The journey seems endless! It is. Seek on, seek on. Look in, look in. And on that solid foundation of good character, move into that place in the mind and live there, seeing no difference between the inner and the outer states of fluctuating awareness. Be that now for which you have been striving. The search is within. Go within the mind. Go in and in and in and in and make fathomable the unfathomable depth of Being. You can do it. It has been done countless times over the past several thousand years. Give yourself the great benefit of believing in yourself and flow inward, inward—to the totality of it all.

Today Natyam Jayanatha and Yogi Rajanatha set up for and filmed Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami's Publisher's Desk editorial from the April 2017 issue of Hinduism Today Magazine. It takes about 40 minutes for the team to set up the lighting, sound and the camera in order to produce a quality video. In the coming weeks the video will be edited and posted online along with the April Digital edition of Hinduism Today. For now, here is a short preview of the article:

For those on the spiritual path, it is not terribly difficult to avoid backbiting, gossip and hurtful humor. But controlling and refining our speech on more subtle levels is a lifetime sadhana.
Three virtues we can focus on are courtesy, tact and sensitivity. Courtesy is being polite, respectful and considerate of the needs and feelings of others. Tactfulness is being diplomatic and skillful in dealing with people and situations, responding to disagreements judiciously, and maintaining harmony by seeking solutions that offend no one. Sensitivity is holding a delicate appreciation of others ideas, attitudes and natures, listening carefully in conversations and not interrupting, striving to uplift rather than dominate. The Tirukural warns, "Not knowing the companionable art of cheerful conversation, men estrange even friends by divisive discourse" (verse 187).

Several days ago the monastery observed Ashram Sadhana Day. While the monks do at least half an hour of cleaning each day already, on this monthly day the monastics work all morning to clean the monastery buildings and temples. This time the monks began with a focus on cleaning Kadavul Temple, before heading to clean their offices and the many other areas around the monastery that they are assigned to clean. One wonderful feature of this day (which the monks always look forward to) is that lunch is prepared by local mission members, who are excellent cooks. This way all the monks can focus on cleaning, which includes our kitchen. A clean and uncluttered environment keeps the energies moving in our lives, so if you ever feel like things aren't flowing for you, get out a bucket and some fresh rags and start scrubbing! Aum Namah Sivaya.