In a couple weeks a contractor will come and replace the aged monier roof tiles of the Guru Peedam room with composite roof shingles. The wood A-frame ceiling rafters inside the room also have termite damage, so multiple rafters will be replaced at the same time. Here are Vishvanathaswami and Arinien starting to mill some of our redwood for this project.
Preparing for Guru Peedam Roof Replacement Read More »
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Satguru Śivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Śiva.
“So many in the world are unaware of the great joys that are the reward of a religious life lived well. They seek their fulfillment outside of themselves and fall short time and time again. One day they will conclude, as you all have, that it is the inner life, the spiritual life, that alone brings eternal, unchanging happiness. This outer world and consciousness can never bring the soul real contentment, real fulfillment. Oh, you can find a temporary happiness, but it will be followed by its opposite in due course. The outer consciousness of the material world is by its very nature a bondage. It binds one through karma. It binds one through māyā. It binds one through āṇava, or ego identity and ignorance. That is the nature of the world, to bind us. “
Jnanis & the Path They Teach, Part One Read More »
The Siddhidata Kulam has been steadily crafting a beautiful wood edge to wrap around the top of their fish tank for providing a balance to the base and cabinets underneath. Nityashankaran Mogan from Malaysia helped when he was here in March/April. Well, it’s finally been completed and is now installed on top of the tank, looking stately.
Fish Tank Top Border Completed Read More »
The road construction is complete! Two sections were added to tie it to the road coming down from the main Aadheenam buildings. Drainage pipes were also installed underneath in strategic locations. The concrete contractor team did a great job and persevered despite the challenge of persistent rain on one day. For their good work, they were given a bonus and a case of noni juice, for which they were very thankful.
Within a few months, a second team will begin installing quartzite tile on top of the concrete.
Iraivan Temple Circumambulation Road Completed Read More »
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Satguru Śivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Śiva.
“We have been walking through the path of the many Śaiva saints on our garden temple lands. Together we have looked back through history and seen real people living real lives, doing pragmatic things, sometimes foolish things, some even hurtful. There were workers among them, royalty, housewives, yogīs, businessmen, a spiritual community divided by caste but with one thing only in common. They all loved Śiva. That is their heritage. That is their message: that there is hope for all of us on this path to Śiva, hope of attaining His grace. These men and women will be remembered as they were for thousands of years. On this path, you don’t have to be a great ṛishi or a highly trained yogī. You don’t have to be a great philosopher. You don’t have to know Sanskrit. Just love God, which is the Life of the life within everyone. And to realize that God is the Light of the light within everyone, you have to be very simple, very uncomplicated, so that obvious realization can manifest through your conscious mind, through your subconscious mind, through your superconscious mind.“
How to Realize God, Part Four Read More »
The contractor team is close to two thirds done with building the eight-food-wide road around Iraivan Temple. They started at the front entrance with the apron connecting hillside steps to the granite staircase, and have since been working their way around both sides of the temple at once. Three concrete trucks came a couple days ago, four yesterday, two more tomorrow, and some more will come several days after that.
Road Around Iraivan Temple Progressing Well Read More »
