To end last phase with a bang, the Siddhidata Kulam worked all afternoon to create a feast for their brother monks in honor of Thai Pongal. The harvest festival was decorated with a grand shrine in the middle of the kitchen, sugar-cane arch and as many fresh fruits and veggies plucked from the gardens as possible. Of course sweet rice and vadai overflowed in abundance, with colorful dal and veggie dishes as well. We hope you had a sweet Pongal and that your rice boiled over in the auspicious direction.

Founded in 1927 by Earnest Holmes, the CSL and their philosophy is known as the Science of Mind— something Gurudeva spoke of often in the early years. They share so many of our beliefs, most importantly the teaching that God is Everything and Everyone. They were deeply interested in the discussions with Sadasivanathaswami in the three perfections and had many questions about this. This is the fifth year they have visited the monastery as part of the annual journey together.

You can read their creed below: Religious Science credo, adapted from Ernest Holmes "What I Believe":

1. We believe in God, the living Spirit Almighty; one, indestructible, absolute, and self-existent Cause. This One manifests Itself in and through all creation, but is not absorbed by Its creation. The manifest universe is the body of God; it is the logical and necessary outcome of the infinite self-knowingness of God.
2. We believe in the individualization of the Spirit in Us, and that all people are individualizations of the One Spirit.
3. We believe in the eternality, the immortality, and the continuity of the individual soul, forever and ever expanding.
4. We believe that heaven is within us, and that we experience it to the degree that we become conscious of it.
5. We believe the ultimate goal of life to be a complete freedom from all discord of every nature, and that this goal is sure to be attained by all.
6. We believe in the unity of all life, and that the highest God and the innermost God is one God. We believe that God is personal to all who feel this indwelling presence.
7. We believe in the direct revelation of truth through our intuitive and spiritual nature, and that anyone may become a revealer of truth who lives in close contact with the indwelling God.
8. We believe that the Universal Spirit, which is God, operates through a Universal Mind, which is the Law of God; and that we are surrounded by this Creative Mind which receives the direct impress of our thought and acts upon it.
9. We believe in the healing of the sick through the power of this Mind.
10. We believe in the control of conditions through the power of this Mind.
11. We believe in the eternal Goodness, the eternal Loving-kindness, and the eternal Givingness of Life to all.
12. We believe in our own soul, our own spirit, and our own destiny; for we understand that the life of all is God.

Gurudeva’s Russian follower, Dinanatha, is touring India with a group of Russian Saivites, and in a shop in the temple town of Somanath ran into this advertisement. Seems Gurudeva has become an icon of Rudraksha sanctity.

Check out the SSC Website for descriptions and photos of the January homa at our Spiritual Park in Mauritius