It is the last day of a six-day phase. A bright sunny day full of wondrous light and new things at Iraivan.

~~~~~~~~~~~
END OF PHASE
Today is the last day of our phase.
This edition of TAKA will remain posted
over our coming two-day retreat,
until Dasami Tithi, Sun One, Thursday, June 12th.

Today we take a short tour of the Iraivan Temple, to see the two containers that arrived from India with floor stones in rose granite.

As we move around the temple, we draw from Gurudeva’s “Toolbox for a Spiritual Life.” With so many issues facing the world, including human survival, and all the awful possibilities that futurists are positing, we thought to explore Gurudeva’s idea that it is a perfect world and how we can deal with Worrying About the Future.

“My satguru, Yogaswami, made the
bold statement once, “There is not
even one thing in this world that
is not perfect! Some of us look around at
the world, and we find plenty of things that
are wrong with it. I never have.

I have always
thought this is a wonderful planet. I wouldn’t
have missed it for anything. It is a great time to
be alive, even though some of us don’t think so,
even though the planet is somewhat polluted,
and some people have a myriad of complaints.

We have to straighten ourselves out in the exterior world first before meditation and inner life can really be successful. Sometimes we worry
about our job, our business, our family or even
that we are not living as spiritually as we think
we should.

This is my advice: gain the perspective first
that it is a wonderful world, that there is nothing
wrong in the world at all. Then ask yourself
this question: “Am I not all right, right now,
right this instant?” And answer, “I’m all right,
right now.”

Declare that. Then a minute later
in another now ask again, “Am I all right, right
now?”

Just keep asking this one question for
the rest of your life, and you will always feel
positive, self-assured and fine.

This attitude
eliminates fear, worry and doubt. I started doing
this at the age of seven, and still today I am
convinced that I am all right, right now!

By realizing that you are all right this instant,
that light of your soul has a chance to shine
through the surrounding layers of the mind
just a little, enough to calm your future. For
your future is made in the present, in the eternal
now.

The mystic doesn’t go into the future
and live emotionally experiences that may or
may not happen to him. The mystic remains in
the present, right now, using the catalog of the
experiences of the past and a planning book
for his future.

It is one thing to say “I am all right, right
now, and it is another thing to feel it. Can
you feel that you are all right, right now? Can
you really believe it? Can you hold that feeling,
so that this affirmation becomes permeated
through your subconscious mind?

Let this feeling
permeate so deeply through your subconscious
mind that it begins working within you,
the same way your involuntary subconscious
keeps your heart beating and the other processes
of your body going.

Every time you abide in the luxury of worry,
and the luxury of worry is one luxury you
cannot afford, say to yourself, ” I’m all right,
right now,” and forget about where you are going,
forget about where you have been and just
be where you are, where your physical body is,
in its immediate surroundings.

Be free from the
past; abide in the present.

Detach yourself from
the future; and live in the eternal now.

It is our
past that colors and conditions, actually creates,
the future.

We purge the past in the present,
and we fashion the future in the present.”

AUM NAMA SIVAYA!

Here are a few photos from the Wailua mission camera from our gathering to wish Silpi helper Kumar, a fond farewell upon his departure from our community back to India the day after tomorrow.

Before the silpis arrived, Wailua Mission members look at photos from Tandu and Uma Sivanathan’s recent trip to Japan.

Before the silpis arrived, Wailua Mission members look at photos from Tondu and Uma Sivanathan’s recent trip to Japan.

We gathered in a circle to offer our appreciation to Kumar.

Here our intrepid TAKA reporter, Br Shama Kumaran, takes a photo to share with the world.

Each of us offered a lei to Kumar, as is the custom on such occasions, like birthdays, graduations and other special events in Hawaii.

The silpis are recording this event too.

We were fortunate to have Gowri Sankara, originally from Malaysia, visiting Kauai from CA to help interpret our thoughts to Kumar in Tamil.

Kumar opening gifts from the community.

It was a joyous evening and we thank Kumar for all the service he has done in the past 5 years!