Retreat Day Walkabout

Right before the whirlwind of spiritual activity hits the monastery, there is a sort-of calm that sweeps in. If you aren't looking you will miss it, move too fast you won't even know it came, it lasts an eternity but it's gone in an instant.

We rarely do these type of posts, but they are often the most desired. The farniente, or "do nothing", of the monastery doesn't happen much on the outside but we caught a glimpse for those who have begged the monk-papparazi--you know who you are.

We start at the very edge of the property, one side of it anyway. A large hydroponic food factory is being built by the lovely Siddhidata Kulam monks. Their passion for innovation, healthy products and production output is uncanny.

More details to come on this fascinating project...

Yoginathaswami shoots some laser-lines for the waterline going into the hydro-den

Let\

s keep going and see what we find as we go closer and closer in to the heart of this soul-body we call Kauai\'s Hindu Monastery'

We approach an opening that has recently been cleared. This is the magical wood-mill area.

A double tree row existed here in the past, now a faint memory as one row stands making enough room for the monks to work and work and work until they can work no more

The elevation has been raised and a road has been paved for clear and even access to and fro\

'

I stopped and decided to take a photo of this tree. It begged appreciation as if to say \"I exist, therefore I am.\"

These trees used to cover the property\

s main entryway. As time went on the entry changed, but it seems to be curving back around again. '

Imagine the fearlessness of a tree. It can hover over cliffs, submerge itself in water, stand against the most furious winds--all in its own stillness. It doesn\

t run from the stress placed upon it, it just keeps on going. The tree is a great teacher. '

A bit further and we stumble upon Gurudeva\

s old hut where he spent some of his time diving within and bringing out gems of wisdom. A new roof has recently been installed for preservation. '

Our two workhorses of the monastery sit patiently while their masters are away. A great deal of labor has come from these two and we thank you.

A quiet woodshop also waits for its sculptor. Nothing is happening here, but you can sense the movement. Infinite possibility in a space of emptiness, sounds like something within all of us...as us.

Tools lay still, undisturbed. Like a docked ship or a landed plane, these bowl turning chisels wait for what comes next.

Our new tractor for Himalayan Acres has arrived! Arumuganathaswami has been going over the details before this machine begins its mission.

The Nataraja Niliyam is always a hive of activity. Breads, tempeh, tofu, curries, rice, dals, cookies, laughs and old stories get shaped in this very room. We see Natyam Dayanatha showing some specs about the oven to Sivanathaswami.

Notice the griddle...Dayanatha knows how to clean a griddle.

We are in the process of getting our Range oven repaired, there are some minor inconveniences happening with this metal tank

There\

s a joke here somewhere...How many monks does it take to...? '

Natyam shows us a dish being prepared for dinner

Some of us don\

t stop working. There is a continuous stream of worship going on in our work. Nirvani Haranandinatha works tirelessly throughout the day making sure the pantry is stocked, Iraivan accounting is accounted for, donors are being listed and relisted...the list goes on. We recently reached 92,000 names in our database from years of visitor entry. Sometimes you can quiz Nirvani on a random name and he will pause, then say who they are and when they first visited. '

Lord Muruga shines brightly in all yellow these days. Auspiciously he seemed to turn yellow right around the time we got our new yogis. This deity is known for its happy face. Don\

t let his smile fool you, this God of inner-battles can vanquish a sour aura with his razor-like vel. '

Homa prep has begun for Sun 1, today. Funnily enough, one can be in the temple and not even know who is setting up, so soft and silent are these monks going about the hallways of the temple.

Shanmuganathaswami his right in the middle of doing his Siva puja. I decided to snap a rare photo of a monk doing his vigil-puja and it might never happen again...

Lunch is served

Swamis three: Kaivalyanathaswami, Sadasivanathaswami and Kumarnathaswami. I left as more soldiers of the within barreled in.

Back outside we found a plant sculpture, formed and shaped by our visiting brother and sister

This is the fine creation of Devi and Larry on their last day here

Aloha everyone. I hope you enjoyed the slideshow. Don\

t be afraid to comment and let us know you are there. The all-knowing comment section lets us know who and how many are watching, and if any refinements can be made, don\'t be shy. The monks don\'t reply as much as normal blogs, but we are making sure you are heard. '
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