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--Gurudeva, Living with Siva

Today is Sun Five and in the morning after meditation we all sit and listen to audio CDs of talks that Gurudeva gave early in 2001 with instructions for the Mathavasi. Afterwards before departing the Guru Peedam Bodhinatha reminded us that the next three days are "Subha Sivaloka days" when the opening between the three worlds if very clear. "It is a good to spend some extra time in the temple as the devas can see you easily during such days."

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END OF PHASE ANNOUNCEMENT:

Today is the last day of this phase and this edition of TAKA will remain up until Monday, evening, October. October 14th. In the meantime we encourage you to get your 2003 three Iraivan Calendar soon. Click here to take a look at another of the pictures you will get in big bright beautiful printing to brighten up you house throughout the year--the lovely "Bali Hai Falls"

No Audio Today

				Live Web Cam Pix!

We had a bright and diverse group of guests today, the last day and tour day of this phase. One dedicated older couple from Canada said they traveled all the way to Kauai for the sole purpose of coming to the temple.

At the sixteenth course, the temple main sanctum will begin to interlock with beams stretching out to form the roof. A lot of precise work has to be done to make the puzzle all fit perfectly

Guests strolling down from the temple site to the river.

Sanjay and Seema. Though American born they visit Bangalore every couple of years to get connected with their parent's original home in India. Sanjay said that he has been reading Hinduism Today since it was in newspaper format. Both of them appreciated the mission that Gurudeva started in inspiring Hindus worldwide through Hindusim Today magazine. He also added that Gurudeva's books on Hinduism were clear and concise and that it makes it very readable. Happy first year anniversary of your wedding, Sanjay and Seema!

Today we had a wonderful visit by about 25 members of the Roadworks Construction section of the Public Works Department of the Counties of all major Hawaiian islands. Led by Russell Sugano of the Kauai County group, they wanted to visit Kauai's Hindu Monastery partway through their Overseers Convention which they hold once a year, rotating through each island.

These are earthy, men-of-the-land, so it was pleasantly surprising to watch Russell raise his hand upon their arrival and say "I can already feel the peaceful aura here."

They were fascinated with various aspects of the Iraivan Temple construction because it all related to their own field. They could hardly believe we are not using steel rebar, modern hydraulic leveling devices and other machines.

Only one or two of them knew about fly ash, the powder we used in the foundation concrete mixture. One of the men actually used to haul it on the mainland US.

Asked about how they level the stones, Shanmugam Sthapati explained that traditional water levelers are used and also had two silpis demonstrate using a bamboo stick leveling system

It is really quite amazing that this kind of construction is being done without digital transits or any other such equipment used in modern building. Sthapati quickly make some drawings and demonstrates the use of the plub bob. (hanging pendulum) which gives the silpis a perfect straight line, exactly perpendicular to perfect level in any situation.

Art for Dancing with Siva. Hold your breath (for at least six months or more.) and you will be able to get a copy of this fabulous book rich with color art..

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News Clippings From
Not-Photographed Events
And the World Mission Front

• This phase Sadhaka Tyaganatha completed making a full set of clothes for our beloved elder Swami Buaji Maharaj, which we mailed off to him in New York. Gurudeva had the monks make sure swamii had some good outfits and Swami Bua loved having things from the Aadheenam to wear.
• Nitya Nadesan has been on a pilgrimage to Kauai and came to the Aadheenam to do some karma yoga.. He painted one of our new storage containers... not sure how we missed photos of that!
• All the giant posters from Color Wise have arrived. A really magnificent gift from Surya Kumar to the monastery. We will share with you images of these in the days ahead.
• More of the S. Rajam, Parampara Art which was commissioned for the Elephant Pass book, arrived from India
• Asha Sharma, wife of Pandit Sharma write from Texas today saying: "I have also received the Mystic Mouse books. I am starting the classes. They will be 6 weeks total and I will let you know of my progress I am very excited about this book. In service Asha"
• Tara Katir of our Kauai Mission has added a new seva to her Sivathondu: formatting the stories for Hindu Press International If you are not subscribing to HPI, you really should... you will get great news daily in your email box... not super long either... stories re "pre-digested" and in five minutes you can stay plugged into the global Hindu world, wherever you are.`

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That's it for today... have a wonderful retreat!

transcription begins

Date: September_11_2002
Title: Responsiveness
Category: Good Conduct
Duration: 4 min., 34 seconds
Date Given: August 16, 2002
Given by: Bodhinatha

Responsiveness is also related to this. In the monastery, the monks try to be responsive to the suggestions they receive from the Talaivar about how they are living. In the home the parents are giving suggestions to the children, until they become adults, on how they are living.

Sometimes when we get a suggestion, we don't want to do it. "Why do I have to do that? That is a rule in 'Living with Siva'. I don't like that. Why do I have to do that?" We respond in a rebellious way to some things we don't like for some reason. Of course, that is not the ideal.

The guideline is there for some reason. It is trying to make us a more cultured person. It is part of Hindu culture. Otherwise, it would not be there. So there is a reason for it. If we can overcome any sense of rebelliousness or reluctance when these ideas are expressed to us in the monastery or the home, that is a good step toward the purpose of the Jivana ritau, to make small adjustments in our life, become more cultured in how we express ourselves.

Sometimes, new students in encountering 'Living with Siva' wonder why it is so specific on items like diet. "We shall follow an Indian diet, traditional, ayurvedic, vegetarian Indian diet", I think is what it says. Why isn't just being vegetarian enough? Has anybody ever asked you that? Or have you ever wondered that? Why is it so specific here? We are not in India. We are in the US. What is wrong with an American veggie diet or Chinese veggie diet? They have lots of interesting dishes. Why did Gurudeva make something so specific? Well the answer is, he wanted to create a global congregation that was homogenous, that was the same. So that members that were living in Malaysia would come and stay with members in the US, lunch would be served, they would not notice a difference. Members here would go over to Malaysia, sit down for lunch, it would be the same. Go to the shrine rooms, it would be the same. He was trying to create a global oneness, a global shared culture so that no matter what country you were in, if you were a sishya you lived the same way. Just like we were all living in the same community.

So when it comes to dress and it comes to food, that is the reason for all these small details . He wants to have everyone feel like they are the same. You visit there, they visit here, everyone comes to the temple, it all feels like a one family, one big group because we are doing these small things the same way. We are cooking the same foods, wearing the same clothes, doing the same pujas, the house looks the same, that is the idea behind it - to create a oneness.

If anyone ever asks and you were not aware of the reason before or you had other reasons, you can add this to reasons, as to what is the thinking behind this kind of specific guidelines, being so specific. Indian, ayurvedic, vegetarian diet. To create this one global family. It feels like a family.

Have a wonderful Jivana ritau. We are going to go out to raise the flag and impress our mind that it is a new ritau.

transcription ends

MORE UPLIFTING THINGS		Innersearch 2003-4 in India! We just completed the July 17-23 Kauai Innersearch, 2002. Bodhinatha will lead the next Innersearch to India, between Dec 2003 and Jan 2004. We will visit Bangalore and the Iraivan Carving Village, and settle in the South in Tamil Nadu, Click on the above for details on what will be an inspiring journey to our holy land of Bharat!
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