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Bodhinatha at work in the Mahogany room at the same desk Gurudeva used. Behind him is Gurudeva's picture which is filled with light. Oh... someone just tapped me on the shoulder and said "Its the flash! [;-)

Recently the island leaders held a special lunch for all the families who have sons or daughters in the armed forces serving in Iraq. Religious leaders came to offer their prayers and thoughts. Each only had three minutes to give their benediction. Most read passages from their Bibles. We are told Bodhinatha's was the only one that spoke directly to the issues of the day. We will share his speech with you along side captions of our ashram sadhana day activities today.

Bodhinatha's Sun One Video. Most Recent update: May 2, 2003, "Bodhinatha shares a question from an email on the confusion between various Gods in Hinduism and then continues presenting his insights on the Hindu Yama (a guideline for conduct) called: "Arjava," "Honesty." (posted today). Opens in separate Window. Quicktime 6.0 required to view this 30 minute MP4).

No Audio Today

				Live Web Cam Pix!

Bodhinatha met today with some pilgrims, Hindus who originally came from Gujarat and now live in New York. They were all physicians.

Dipika and Dilip Doctor from New York. (Yes, their last name is "Doctor."

Krishna and Meena Jhaveri also from New York

It is Sun Three on the phase before the full moon and everyone is doing house cleaning. The day is broken up into segments, during one part each monk cleans his own Guha (private sleeping and meditation quarters--a 10' X 10' square room made of concrete blocks with no electricity), next he takes time in his individual area of housekeeping responsibility, be it the laundry area, showers, kitchen, etc. Then, as a team under the Talaivar's direction they work on special areas assigned to the kulam and also in their offices and buildings. Today Paramacharya Palaniswami has his Ganapati Kulam complete the installation of the four sages that were uncrated last week. Using the silpis tricks of bar and lever, help from the tractor and a team of muscle, the goal was to get all the statues situated and the place cleaned up.

Bodhinatha's Benediction on
The Occasion of

KAUAI HAWAII INTERFAITH BREAKFAST
Honoring Those from Kauai
Serving in the Armed Forces

"Conditions in the world today are certainly troubling. Wars between countries, wars within countries plus a serious threat of international terrorist acts.
"One of the immediate consequences of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was the presence of television coverage depicting people in a number of countries who strongly hate the United States, some to the point of wishing violence upon it. Watching these shocking reports on television, we were quite impressed by the extent and seriousness of the problem of prejudice in the world today.

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Left: It sprinkled as we began work, but the sun soon came out. All four sages are in place and the team begins clean up.

"Attitudes of prejudice toward those who are of a different race, nation, or religion can start simply as distrust which can then deepen into dislike and deepen further into hatred which can turn into a desire to inflict injury. Are we born with these attitudes? Certainly not. We are taught them at home, at school and elsewhere.
"The solution for greater peace in the world, though a longterm one, is that humanity needs, in the century ahead, to teach its children tolerance, openness to different ways of life, different beliefs, different customs of dress and language.

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Left: The sages seemed really happy to be finally resting again after their long journey from the bedrock of India to the Feet of Lord Dakshinamurthy at Iraivan.

"Humanity needs to stop teaching its children to fear those who are different from themselves, stop teaching them hatred for peoples of other colors and other religions, stop teaching them to see the world as a field of conflict and instead instill in them an informed appreciation and a joyous reverence for the grand diversity we find around us. I
"It is in the home that we can change the world for the better. It is the qualities we cultivate in our children that create the world of the future. Therefore, the most effective form of protest to the violence in the world today is for parents to raise their children to be tolerant of those who are different from them. Parents indeed are the ones who are empowered to bring more peace into the world.

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Left: Clean up.

"Instead of teaching children to be intolerant and to dislike and distrust, hate and inflict injury on those who are different, parents can teach them to be tolerant and like and trust, befriend and help. Secondarily the efforts of parents can be further strengthened by religious leaders in our houses of worship.

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Left: Washing the pedestal. Future pilgrims will have a powerful experience sitting down to meditate with these sages, facing the Silent Teacher, the First Guru who "breathed out the Vedas."

"Kauai already sets an excellent example for the rest of the world of a tolerant multi-ethnic society in which the various communities function well together. We pray today that it continues to do so by raising future generations of its children with a prejudice free consciousness. As the granite sign installed at Lydgate Parks says so wonderfully: "One Island, May Peoples, All Kauaians."

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Left: Hauling away the crates.

"Indeed, by being a living example of tolerance, the Kauai community can influence other communities to be more tolerant and in that way help change the world into a more peaceful one."

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Left:

The job is done...
Waiting for you to come...

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