Blog Archives
November 25, 2003 
"Santosha is the goal; dharma, good conduct, remains the director of how you should act and respond to fulfill your karma. This goal is attainable by following the ten Vedic restraints: not harming others by thought, word or deed, refraining from lying, not entering into debt, being tolerant with people and circumstance, overcoming changeableness and indecision, not being callous, cruel or insensitive to other people's feelings. Above all, never practice deception. Don't eat too much. Maintain a vegetarian diet for purity and clarity of mind. Watch carefully what you think and how you express it through words. All of these restraints must be captured and practiced within the lifestyle before the natural contentment, the santosha, the pure, serene nature, of the soul can shine forth. Therefore, the practice to attain santosha is to fulfill the yamas. Proceed with confidence; failure is an impossibility. "
-- Gurudeva
Our Beloved and Revered Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
Attained Maha Samadhi on November 12th, 2001
Click to read for Details.
We are pleased to announce the web release of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's monumental work on Hindu culture and lifestyle:
Living with Siva.
Click here for the entire text and artwork, now on-line!
Today was the bright beginning of a new phase. Bodhinatha gave a short but powerful talk encouraging everyone to take the last few weeks of the Jivana Ritau to fulfill the sadhana of this season which is to deal with difficult situations and straighten things out instead of sweeping difficulties in our relationships under the carpet.
Bodhinatha's Sun One Video. Most Recent update: September 12, 2003. Bodhinatha speaks on Ahimsa, noninjury, yama #1, which is noninjury in thought, word and deed. The law of karma decrees that it is wise not to harm or hurt others, for we will then receive harm and hurt in exchange in the future. 12 minutes, 29 seconds.
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It was a bright homa that took us all within.
A classic look at the Kadavul temple from the temple doorway.
Thambynathan Girish Samugam is helping today.
Lighting the camphor lamp
Final arati...
The homa aftermath... a few flames, purified ashes surrounded by Yogi Mahadevan's decorations.
Lord Hanuman presiding over the homa....
The giant crystal is sitting in sanctuary in Kadavul. One day it will come to life as the Maha Spatika Siva Lingam of Iraivan.
On the side of he temple the wooden image of Nada Buddhuke... which we are holding for them while the Lawai Shingon Buddhist temple undergoes renovation.
We had a stream of guests today, .... only capture pictures if this happy young family from Savanna, Georgia. Krishna Kumar, with his wife Gita Kumar, Sapna, their daughter.
Now we take you on a tour with our Siddhidata Kulam. Here is their field office. It is a really long well equipped mobile office with computers meeting room and its really very uplifting inside. Each day the team meets to plan all the many tasks they are responsible for from seeing to the building or Iraivan, coordinating contractors and servicemen, taking care of the vehicles and equipment and themselves doing a lot of nursery and yard work.
Today we feature "Anna Purna Gardens" which, for those who were watching last year, is where the Siddhidata Kulam has been preparing raised beds... working on these for nearly two years now.
The garden is laid out with about 90 beds and all but 9 of these have been "double dug' by hand. Many others are in production, some are fallow, some are growing crotelaria juncia which is a nitrogen fixing plants that is later turned into the beds.
The cool season is here and the focus is on vegetables that don't like the hot weather. Cabbage is doing well.
Small heads beginning to form.
In a few weeks we will pick these. No machines or inorganic fertilizer or toxic pesticides are used in this garden.
A large variety of greens
more beds....
A fresh set of green beans that will flower and bear fruit and provide the monastery with delicious, nutritious green beans.
Seedling protection is put over beds just planted with tiny seedlings to protect them from the chickens...
A small shrine in the middle of the garden.
Lord Ganesha presiding.
That is Okra in the background. "Lady Finger" wish is considered excellent brain food by Ayurveda.
Cabbage and Bok Choy.
Collards
Mustard Greens
A lush bed of kale, one of the most nutritious foods you can eat.
This is a rotating water sprinkling head that disperses water from the nearby stream.
We have lots of greens!
This is our compost operation, which was developed to handle all the kitchen waste. The face of each section is a slotted wall of 2 X 4's that can be easily removed. The vegetable cuttings and left-over food is returned here, covered with mulch that is delivered by tree trimmers who dump their trucks by our garden. When one bin is filled up it is covered with mulch and then the next one is started. it takes about 8 or 9 months to go through the rotation of six bins, by which time the first one is ready to be applied to the garden. This is a very low maintenance system that does not require a lot of turning.
Seedlings are started here in this little green house, in pots and then transferred into larger pots and finally moved out to the garden when they are sturdy enough to withstand heavy rain and sun.
Yoginathaswami is the Talaivar of the Siddhidata Kulam and he does a great job juggling all the many demands on him and his team. Here he confers with Paramacharya Ceyonswami as they usually have much to coordinate together for the temple construction and the management of our team of silpis.
Gurudeva watch over the meeting...
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Yogi Mahadevan performs a small blessing on materials to be used in the temple.
These natural clay bricks will fill the space between the inner and outer wall of the Vimanam. The are able to "breath"... absorbing and releasing moisture in accordance with the humidity of the outside.
From a distance now we are beginning to see the vimanam take shape.
The silpis at work ....
Dakshinamoorti presiding in silence under the banyan tree.
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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. |
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