 Satguru Siva Yogaswami Jaffna, Sri Lanka  Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami Hawaii, USA |
|
 Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami Kauai's Hindu Monastery, USA 
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
April 06, 2003
April 6: Rohini Until 10:08PM HST April 7: Mrigasira Until 12:56AM Tue HST Hindu Year 5104: Chitrabhanu, the "Year of Varied Splendors" |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
    
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sadhu Paksha Day SixNOTICE: Our T1 line to the internet was down for a few days due to some problems on the part of our Internet provider. As a result we were not able to upload an edition of TAKA for April 7th, the last day of last phase. Then, we entered a 3-day retreat... but, all is well at Kauai Aadheenam."I will be all around this place, 24 hours a day!" was Gurudeva's assurance to us. And we can affirm from our inner experience that indeed this is the case. Sometimes he comes in our dreams with such a vivid presence as real as if he were present in standing right in front of us. Always the message behind the messages is, "Don't worry. I am still guiding you if you just tune in..."
Our Beloved and Revered Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cybertalk: Saivites worship God Siva as the Supreme Being. One popular misunderstanding is that Siva is the Destroyer. While one of God Siva's five actions is destruction, He is the Supreme Being who also creates and preserves the universe and delivers the paired graces of concealing and revealing. Here Bodhinatha clarifies these five actions of Siva.
" For more information about listening to Gurudeva's talks online and to hear them in other formats, click here.
And click here for an Index to All Past CyberTalks.
Study Gurudeva's teachings
every day. Visit the Master Course site!
Bodhinatha will be happy to hold "Prasnottara Satsang" -- "Questions and Answers" over the telephone with any Hindu religious societies, Hindu youth groups, Radio talk show hosts etc. All you need is a phone with a speaker and an enthusiastic audience. Arrangements may be made in advance by sending email to Yogi Mahadevan
If you are experiencing any problems listening to the audio, please to go our Audio FAQ page for sound geeks and follow the directions there.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
||||
These are the very beautiful rudraksha malas being created by Gurudeva's shisya here on Kauai. Don't hesitate to get some for your, your family and friends. All proceeds go to help Iraivan.
Though our temperatures don't fluctuate like those closer to the poles, we do have cool winters and the plants are responding now to our tropical spring. These sego palms produce giant new fronds followed by a giant unusual inflourscent (head with tiny flowers) that is so fragrant that you can smell it yards away.
 The Remarkable Vision |
Iraivan Temple Progress Update |
Join this historic undertaking. Please contribute generously. Sponsor a stone today! |
| Order Rudraksha Malas from Siva's sacred Hawaiian groves; and also single rudraksha beads ready to put on a chain around your neck. Great for Gifts! All proceeds go to the building fund. | ||
A good look at the fine joining carving between courses.
The light areas show the recent work.
Out front above the main temple sanctum door: Lord Nataraja, flanked by images representing the line of Gurus.
Very close work.
Raman is concentrated... soon he will be home in India with his family.
Karuppaiah
Looking up...
Pillar symbols
Meditator in the grip of a deep kundalini experience.
| FULL INDEX OF 650+ CYBERTALKS  |
|
|
Date: March_28_2003
Title: Darshan Goes Both Ways
Category: The Guru
Duration: 7 min., 29 seconds
Date Given: February 10, 2003
Given by: Bodhinatha
Good Morning, everyone!
Reflecting on the picture of Gurudeva over there and it looks to me this morning, like he is thinking about the future. Something that we can all do more of. We usually suffer from lack of planning in our lives, adequate planning in different departments of our lives. Gurudeva was a master at encouraging others to step beyond our comfortable limit of planning, be it a month, a year, 5 years and go further and come up with positive plans for all aspects of our life and go about manifesting them in systematic ways.
We are giving thought to our next issue of 'Hinduism Today'. It happens every three months. One possibility is doing a center section on the Kularnava Tantra which, of course, is about the Guru.
I was struck in reading yesterday's lesson in preparing for this talk, on Gurudeva's upadesa on darshan, which I thought might make a nice sidebar in the center section article. It is so insightful and we will see once we get halfway through, there is a very interesting twist to it going way beyond just the idea of darshan, the sight of the Deity, which is the usual, simple interpretation of it.
I will read from it.
"Little is known of the guru's grace or the power of darshana in Western culture. Darshana (more popularly darshan) is a Sanskrit word meaning 'vision, seeing or perception'. But in its mystical usage, it is more than that. Darshan is also the feeling of the emotions of a holy person, the intellect, the spiritual qualities that he has attained and, most importantly, the shakti, the power that has changed him and is there constantly to change others. Darshan encompasses the entirety of the being of a person of spiritual attainment. In India, everyone is involved in darshan. Some at a temple have darshan of the Deity. Others at an ashram have darshan of their swami or on the street enjoy darshan of a sadhu. And, most everyone experiences durdarshan. That's the word for television in India, meaning 'seeing from afar'. Even this seeing, through movies, news and various programs of mystery, tragedy, humor, the fine arts and culture, can affect our emotions, intellect, pulling us down or lifting us up in consciousness. Seeing is such a powerful dimension of life, and it affects us in so many ways, inside and out. Darshan, in the true meaning of this mystical, complex and most esoteric word, conveys all of this."
Now the twist, are you ready?
"The concept of darshan goes beyond the devotee's seeing of the guru. It also embraces the guru's seeing of the devotee."
I will read that again.
"The concept of darshan goes beyond the devotee's seeing of the guru. It also embraces the guru's seeing of the devotee."
So, it is two directions. The guru seeing the devotee is also a part of this mystical experience of darshana.
"Hindus consider that when you are in the presence of the guru that his seeing of you, and therefore knowing of you and your karmas, is another grace. So, darshan is a two-edged sword, a two-way street. It is a process of seeing and being seen. The devotee is seeing and in that instant drawing forth the blessings of the satguru, the swami or the sadhu. In turn, he is seeing the devotee and his divine place in the universe. Both happen within the moment, and that moment, like a vision, grows stronger as the years go by, not like imagination, which fades away. It is an ever-growing spiritual experience."
This next one is nice.
"The sense of separation is transcended, so there is a oneness between seer and seen. This is monistic theism, this is Advaita Ishvaravada. Each is seeing the other and momentarily being the other."
Isn't that beautiful? The whole side of it, that you normally don't hear about, Gurudeva's special insights into darshana that it is two-sided.
"Darshan embodies shakti. Darshan embodies shanti. Darshan embodies vidya, perceiving on all levels of consciousness for all inhabitants of the world. It is physical, mental, emotional, spiritual perception. Hindus believe that the darshan from a guru who has realized the Self can clear the subconscious mind of a devotee in minutes, alleviating all reactions to past actions and alter his perspective from an outer to an inner one. Darshan is the emanating rays from the depth of an enlightened soul's being. These rays pervade the room in which he is, penetrating the aura of the devotees and enlivening the kundalini, the white, fiery, vapor-like substance that is actually the heat of the physical body in its natural state.
In the Orient, whenever the cloud of despair covers the soul of a devotee, the darshan of a guru is sought. Whenever it becomes difficult to meditate, his grace is hoped for to lift the veil of delusion and release awareness from the darker areas of mind to soar within. Consciously merge into the inner being of yourself, and you will know your guru when you find him."
Isn't that beautiful? So, anyway I am submitting it to the HT editorial staff to see if it would make a good sidebar on the Guru's darshana.
| MORE UPLIFTING THINGS |
2004 Indian Odyssey Join Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami on an 18 day Innersearch to South India, from Jan 19 to Feb 5, as we pilgrimage to ancient monasteries, magnificent 1,000 plus year old sacred temples and meet with India's holy men in a life-transforming adventure. Click on the above link for more details. |
|
|
Check our children and youth section for new items for the young and young at heart! | |
| 1. SIGN OUR GUESTBOOK and receive a FREE GIFT | ||
| 2. Newest Book: LIVING WITH SIVA | ||
| 3. Visiting KAUAI'S HINDU MONASTERY | ||
| 4. Contribute to THANK YOU, GURUDEVA FUND | ||
This page is updated every day by 6:30 PM Hawaii Standard Time.
Himalayan Academy. All rights reserved. Hosted on ServePath Dedicated Servers | ||||||
