Kauai Aadheenam

Satguru carries the lamp which will ignite the maha dipam

Earlier in the afternoon Pravin Kumar begins the puja

Satguru, monks and devotees are present as afternoon turns to evening

diyas are lit

Nandi received an abhishekam hours earlier, during pradosh

Night begins to fall with a full moon in the sky

The flame is carried around the sanctum and then brought outside

Smaller lamps are lit for the acharyas to carry

The flame is lit, and burns brightly

Aum Namah Sivaya

Last night, Iraivan Temple came alive with the radiant celebration of Sivalaya Dipam, a sacred festival honoring Lord Siva as the infinite light of consciousness. This festival commemorates Lord Siva’s boundless nature as an endless pillar of light. Devotees gathered at sunset for the enchanting ceremony. A collection of oil lamps encircled the temple sanctum, casting a serene glow. After a puja to Mahalingesvara, the flame was carried by Satguru out to the front of the temple. The event culminated in the lighting of a grand fire in front of Iraivan, mirroring the traditional hilltop beacon lit at Mount Arunachala in Tamil Nadu.

The lighting of lamps symbolizes the victory of wisdom over ignorance and the illumination of the soul’s inner light. This deeply spiritual evening offers a moment for reflection and renewal, inspiring all to nurture Siva’s eternal presence within, as the sacred flames merge with the starlit sky. Aum Namah Sivaya!

A slightly over-saturated sunset is actually quite natural around here. Can you spot the moon?

Happy butterflies frolic in the foliage

Some fun with black and white

A staghorn fern. But how big is the rest of the plant?

Really. Quite. Big. As it turns out

Inside the layers of a fern

How has our Pillar Banyan been doing?

Yep, it’s still eating large pieces of stone

Fan palms reach to the sky

A grove of construction bamboo challenges the depth-perception of those that peer inside

A very special little flower that looks like a glowing paper lantern. It probably has a special name too…

Aum Namah Sivaya

This week the monks begin there two-week-long retreat known as Sadhu Paksha. This is the time leading up to our official change of seasons, from the Jivana Ritau we will enter the Moksha Ritau. Essentially, Sadhu Paksha involves more stringent rules regarding guests’ entry to the monastery grounds during this time, as well as our monastics change in their morning sadhana—performing their practice alone and often out in nature, rather than our usual group routines. During their extra time in our sacred gardens, monks can enjoy the many natural wonders of these sacred lands. The above photos include some recent images from our jungle-gardens, along with a little photo-editing freedom to play with colors.

‘The smallest thing in this world is an allegory for the whole universe”

“Chaos is just another pattern, one that’s too grand for our minds to interpret”

Vel Mahalingam visits Iraivan Temple

“The mind indeed IS this fleeting world; therefore it should be purified with great effort.”

Kavi Cat asks for a head-scratch

Freshly harvested, picture-perfect, bananas

A green gecko peers out from a tree trunk

Bubbles, our uninvited pet duck, enjoys the stream

“There’s no scripture that surpasses what you’ll find inside yourself” – Bodhinatha

“Desire is life, and the reason we desire things is because we are alive. Desire is energy expressing itself.” – Gurudeva

“The easiest way to create big things, is to plant little seeds”

“All that is perishable, is only a symbol of an inner form that is truly lasting”

Yali Cat finds guests to pet him..

“God can be discovered only by God.” – Yogaswami

Aum Namah Sivaya

Today is the last day of our six-day lunar phase (our aloha-Friday, if you will…). Tomorrow, the monks enter a two-day retreat—our lunar weekend—and then begin two weeks of Sadhu Paksha, a time when we observe some variation in our personal morning routines, followed by our official change of season. Until then, we wish you all a good weekend, and hope you enjoy these photos from around the monastery today, along with some words of wisdom. Aum.

“When heart and mind are freed of baseness, when desires have been tempered and excesses avoided, dharma is known and followed, and good conduct naturally arises.” – Gurudeva

“To accept one’s karma and the responsibility for one’s actions is strength. To blame another is weakness and foolishness.”

“It is wise to have a free mind, a clear, serene and relaxed attitude toward life before partaking of food. That is why people on the inner path traditionally meditate for a moment, chant a mantra or say a prayer before a meal.”

“Sacred is secret in all religions because if you talk about your inner experiences, you make them outer experiences and you stop the process.”

“We’re here to realize the Self, to have that one dramatic experience where everything that we thought was things is turned upside down, and our whole perspective afterwards changes. That is the purpose for living on this Earth.”

“The whole mind is finished, all complete, in all stages of manifestation. Man’s individual awareness flows through the mind as the traveler trods the globe.”

“The most important rule of honesty is to be honest to oneself, to be able to face up to our problems and admit that we have been the creator of them. To be honest with oneself brings peace of mind.”

“Have a view of the direction in which your mind is going, and you will have a good control over the direction of your life’s circumstance.”

“Siva is the God of love and nothing else but love. He fills this universe with love. He fills you with love. Siva is fire. Siva is earth. Siva is air. Siva is water. Siva is ether.”

“That goal is to realize God Siva in His absolute, or transcendent, state, which when realized is your own ultimate state—timeless, formless, spaceless Truth.”

Examine the word “I” and honestly see what it means to you.

There is a great wisdom in cultivated affectionate detachment. Let go of the past. Let go of the future. Be a being right now.

The energy within our body is the same energy that pervades the universe, and it’s all emanating right out of Lord Siva.

You don’t discipline yourself to attain the feeling of love. You attain the feeling of love and then you want to discipline yourself because you love the discipline, because it brings more love.

Jai Gurudeva!

During today’s chitra nakshatra, we observed our monthly padapuja to Gurudeva Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. Monks and local members gathered in Kadavul Temple at 6:00am for the puja which was performed by Mayilnathaswami and Sadhaka Shankaranatha. Aum.

It’s easy to live in the now if you work with yourself a little every day and concentrate on what you are doing each moment.

– Sivaya Subramuniyaswami