Blog Archives

Be surprised! No new audio today.
Take this opportunity for an adventure.
Close your eyes and click to get a message
picked at random from our vast audio archives

Click to send Gurudeva a spiritual question he will later answer for all to benefit.

transcription begins

Date: September_30_1998
Topic: Energy, Willpower, Effort, Discipline
Category:
Duration:
Date Given: September 28, 1998

Today at Kauai Aadheenam, it is September 30. Our Shingon Buddhist priest came with a group of his devotees in the neighboring temple, to teach us the secret of pickling radishes in the monastery way, with cultures that are over a 100-years of age. We videoed it, hoping to put the video for you to see here on the internet at 'Kauai Aadheenam Today'. We just received our video camera, a digital one. So, keep looking. We'll soon be there.

We had a wonderful meeting of our 'Vision Kauai' group, consisting of community leaders, the Mayor, Head of Council and everyone who motivates this island on to the future. We decided that everyone on this island, in the unity and diversity coalition, is called 'Kauaian'. This is a new thing for this garden island, to be a Kauaian. We are printing big posters, pamphlets and bumper stickers. We are looking forward to a 20-year vision of the island of Kauai, which will go into the General Plan Update of the core Council of this island. We are also, asking every resident of the island to give his vision and what he wants to see in the next 20 years. It is a chance to hear his voice.

Concensualocracy. We all agree on the Vision of the Island of Kauai. We are moving ahead to a glorious future.We have been meeting for over a year and a half. Many changes have taken place. Economy has improved. We are very grateful for the Divine energies that come through this group, that prays to the Divine for inspiration to know the direction for guiding the people of Kauai into the next millennium.

Paramacharya Bodhinatha in India has attended a great parade and function of Sri Sri Sri Balagangadharanathaswami. A four mile parade, celebrating the twentieth year of his mission in lifting up the people of his community, in establishing over 200 centers, of stabilizing homes for the aged, homes for the blind, hospitals, training centers and much, much more.

Sri Sri Trichiswami received our pilgrims and gave his words of wisdom. He is one of the great saints of India.

I would like to tell you today, that you can be a saint also. It is not that difficult these days. You have to do a few miracles, of course. But, you also have to be a very good and kindly person.

One of the miracles that you can do is to change yourself. Only you can do that. All the saints of all the ages of all religions of all the worlds cannot change you. Only you can do that. That is a miracle, if you can do that in this lifetime. When you do transform yourself, it is not by what you know intellectually, not by your emotional experiences. It is not as an adolescent changing into a mature person, through sexual experiences, through educational learning or through the unexpected. No. That is not changing.

Changing you is lifting your consciousness. In other terms, transforming yourself by regular, disciplined, spiritual practices at the same time every day, relentlessly, never giving up, never letting down. It takes effort to be a great ballet dancer. It takes effort to be an opera star. It takes effort to hold a position in Hollywood, year after year after year until you are playing adult parts of 70-year, 80-year old, 90-year old person, having started at 14 or 12 or even 6 years of age. That takes willpower and commitment. That takes an energy that you can awaken within yourself. You can be famous. You can be a saint.

This does not mean you have to run a spiritual organization. This does not mean you have to be on TV. This does not mean you have to be in the newspaper. This has to mean that you can make a difference in yourself by creating a miracle within you, by paying attention to yourself. Give yourself a break! Pay to attention to others, if you want them to change. You have mental arguments with others that are never-ending. Nobody wins. You hope that you will, but you don't. Give yourself a break.

Change yourself by disciplining yourself physically, emotionally, mentally. You will become a saint. The first miracle of becoming a saint is to transform yourself into saintliness. Give it a try.
transcription ends

Newly weds, Ritesh and Indu Tolia received a blessing from Gurudeva. They had come to Kauai yesterday, not knowing any temple was here. They mentioned to a local person that there "weren't any Indian people around," and were told "Actually there is a Hindu temple here...." They came yesterday and were astounded to find hiding behind our humble front office and banyan tree walkway a "wonder world" of Hindu culture in full swing for Guru Purnima. They came back today for Gurudeva's blessings. He gave them his traditional "shawl of reconciliation" where he says: "Now, if there is any disharmony, you spread this shawl out on the floor, you sit on one side, you sit on the other and don't get up until it is resolved!" Then he asked Ritesh, the groom "Will you promise me anything?" Ritesh said "Yes," Gurudeva laughed, "He has a lot of faith to promise me anything and he doesn't even know what I am going to ask.... OK, promise me this, you give your wife Indu everything she needs and everything she wants and then her shakti will flow through you and make you strong and successful." Ritesh and Indu went away overjoyed and also overwhelmed to find such an amazing place. Indu said "There is no way we could have planned this, it must be a divine coincidence."

Meanwhile today was the long awaited "open house" where we had invited all our island friends, neighbours and collaborators in our mutual endeavors to make a better Kauai community, to come and view the early stages of the temple building. Early arrivals gather under the cool banyan tree near our front entrance.

Our monks are posted along the path to guide the arrivals along their way to the Iraivan temple site.

We counted at least 380 souls that passed through out gates. Adding to this the monks, local devotees and Guru Purnima pilgrims we had a crowd count of about 450 people....our kitchen staff was hard at work all morning with monks from other kulams pitching into to do all the necessary preparations. In the wheelchair is our dear "Grandma Nanaka", elder (97 years old) of the Shingon Buddhist community.

Jothi Sendan videos the days events as Gurudeva awaits the group to parade to the temple site.

Sadhaka Thondunatha is our tour day coordinator and pilgrim guide... he stands waiting with Gurudeva as the guests arrive.

Now we are off. The tavil drummer leads the way and the nagesvaram follows. They lend an authentic touch to the event.

It was a remarkable gathering of young and old from all walks of life, ethnic backgrounds and cultures that joined together today under the "light of Iraivan" temple and Gurudeva and his monastic order. "We are all Kauaians."

Coming up onto the foundation, our friends finally get a hands on, up close look at what we have been talking about and working to manifest all these years.

It was a great day for kids as there were more than enough things to see and do to satisfy the curiosity and energy output of any youthful spirit.

We had our temple model on display near the actual temple site so everyone could visualize the final building.

Up on the foundation everyone watched as the silpis performed some of the tasks of their trade.

Here everyone is treated to a view of the finer ornamental carving in progress.

The honorable Mayor of Kauai, Maryanne Kusaka was present, wearing an Indian Sharwal Kameez outfit that was gifted to her by the ladies of our congregation.

Next...a demonstration of "moving the stones," which included the chant that is made as the silpis work in unison with iron bars to move the stones into place. Tomorrow we will continue with more pictures of the events of the day.

12 Glorious Days, 8 Enchanting Countries and One Chance in a Lifetime! Imagine spending 12 days with one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami will be leading this exotic educational and spiritual voyage himself combining the mystical path of Indian spirituality with a superlative retreat from it all. Take advantage of this one chance to be in close proximity with a living master. Come with us on an inner and outer voyage to Northern Europe and Russia. www.innersearch.org