Today at Kauai Aadheenam

It is the last day of a six-day phase. A bright sunny day full of wondrous light and new things at Iraivan.

~~~~~~~~~~~
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 Dasami Tithi, Sun One, Thursday, June 12th.

Today we take a short tour of the Iraivan Temple, to see the two containers that arrived from India with floor stones in rose granite.

As we move around the temple, we draw from Gurudeva's "Toolbox for a Spiritual Life." With so many issues facing the world, including human survival, and all the awful possibilities that futurists are positing, we thought to explore Gurudeva's idea that it is a perfect world and how we can deal with Worrying About the Future.

"My satguru, Yogaswami, made the bold statement once, "There is not even one thing in this world that is not perfect! Some of us look around at the world, and we find plenty of things that are wrong with it. I never have.

I have always thought this is a wonderful planet. I wouldn't have missed it for anything. It is a great time to be alive, even though some of us don't think so, even though the planet is somewhat polluted, and some people have a myriad of complaints.

We have to straighten ourselves out in the exterior world first before meditation and inner life can really be successful. Sometimes we worry about our job, our business, our family or even that we are not living as spiritually as we think we should.

This is my advice: gain the perspective first that it is a wonderful world, that there is nothing wrong in the world at all. Then ask yourself this question: "Am I not all right, right now, right this instant?" And answer, "I'm all right, right now."

Declare that. Then a minute later in another now ask again, "Am I all right, right now?"

Just keep asking this one question for the rest of your life, and you will always feel positive, self-assured and fine.

This attitude eliminates fear, worry and doubt. I started doing this at the age of seven, and still today I am convinced that I am all right, right now!

By realizing that you are all right this instant, that light of your soul has a chance to shine through the surrounding layers of the mind just a little, enough to calm your future. For your future is made in the present, in the eternal now.

The mystic doesn't go into the future and live emotionally experiences that may or may not happen to him. The mystic remains in the present, right now, using the catalog of the experiences of the past and a planning book for his future.

It is one thing to say "I am all right, right now, and it is another thing to feel it. Can you feel that you are all right, right now? Can you really believe it? Can you hold that feeling, so that this affirmation becomes permeated through your subconscious mind?

Let this feeling permeate so deeply through your subconscious mind that it begins working within you, the same way your involuntary subconscious keeps your heart beating and the other processes of your body going.

Every time you abide in the luxury of worry, and the luxury of worry is one luxury you cannot afford, say to yourself, " I'm all right, right now," and forget about where you are going, forget about where you have been and just be where you are, where your physical body is, in its immediate surroundings.

Be free from the past; abide in the present.

Detach yourself from the future; and live in the eternal now.

It is our past that colors and conditions, actually creates, the future.

We purge the past in the present, and we fashion the future in the present."

AUM NAMA SIVAYA!

Here are a few photos from the Wailua mission camera from our gathering to wish Silpi helper Kumar, a fond farewell upon his departure from our community back to India the day after tomorrow.

Before the silpis arrived, Wailua Mission members look at photos from Tandu and Uma Sivanathan's recent trip to Japan.

Before the silpis arrived, Wailua Mission members look at photos from Tondu and Uma Sivanathan's recent trip to Japan.

We gathered in a circle to offer our appreciation to Kumar.

Here our intrepid TAKA reporter, Br Shama Kumaran, takes a photo to share with the world.

Each of us offered a lei to Kumar, as is the custom on such occasions, like birthdays, graduations and other special events in Hawaii.

The silpis are recording this event too.

We were fortunate to have Gowri Sankara, originally from Malaysia, visiting Kauai from CA to help interpret our thoughts to Kumar in Tamil.

Kumar opening gifts from the community.

It was a joyous evening and we thank Kumar for all the service he has done in the past 5 years!