This morning, the monks began their new phase after a two day retreat. It is a five day phase followed by a 3 day retreat. Today, Satguru Bodhinatha, Shanmuganathaswami and Siddhanathaswami left on a two week journey to the mainland for the Aloha Luncheon, and on Sun five we will celebrate our monthly Gurudeva padapuja in Kadavul Temple.

Following today's havana, Bodhinatha discussed yoga and meditation. He first defined yoga with Patanjali's second verse which states that yoga is to still the patterning of consciousness. Bodhinatha expressed that commonly the understanding of the restraint of thought, is that it is a forced process, when really it is a quieting which comes about through proper techniques such as correct posture and even breath.

Waves rise in the ocean; so waves of thought arise in the mind. Yoga is to control thoughts as they arise. Great ones say that Yoga means union. If you want to take hold of something, all the fingers must join together; similarly, in order to reach God, the mind must become one-pointed.
It is not a simple thing to control the mind. It cannot be done in a day, or even in a year. Through constant effort thoughts can be controlled a little. In this way the uncontrollable mind can finally be brought under control. This is the supreme victory. Siva Yogaswami

"God is with you all the time. There is no work to be done. Move in conformity with changes within your environment. Be steadfast in truth. Natural forces are countless. Be you, your own self, while at the same time recognizing all these. That is wisdom. We do not do anything. Everything happens of its own accord." Siva Yogaswami

Today is Sun Six, the last day of our phase, and the monks busy with their many daily tasks. In the temple, the bells are ringing for the 3pm Ganesha puja.

The Siddhidata kulam is doing their weekly office cleaning and changing out their plants which they do each week to keep their flora happy and healthy.

Today in the Lambodara Kulam office, Nirvani Harinanandinatha arranged for a pallet of organic dry goods (rice, lentils, etc) to be shipped from our health food wholesaler in California. Nirvani also made some arrangement for a few archanas to be done in Kadavul Temple over the next few days, and he started collecting news for the next monthly newsletter.

The Monastery is also gearing up for the re-roofing of a part of the main monastery buildings, which will create a nice new look, while matching the Media Studio's new roof.

Dasan here on the island, and he has spent the last few days helping the Ganapati Kulam in the Media Studio, preparing for the floor installation. While the installation has seen some delays, it now has an official installation date at the end of this month. Dasan is helping to make to floor spotlessly clean for the vinyl flooring.

Walking along San Marga, one encounters many living creatures, not the least of which is this Grammatophyllum orchid, a baby that will grow to be a giant in the decades ahead. It has an interesting rooting habit, grabbing onto the tree's trunk and forming a nest of white, upward thrusting roots which trap the debris from the tree and feed on it. They do not like to live on the ground.

Today is Ardra Nakshatra, a time each month when Siva's effervescent energy can easily be felt by all who worship Him. In Kadavul temple, Nataraja receives a bountiful abhishekam. Accompanied by a host of ancient and powerful mantras, Lord Nataraja is bathed in water, milk, yogurt, honey, panchamritam, vibhuti, rose water and other rich substances. Throughout the several hour puja, the prana from these offerings (as well as the devotional energy projected from those present), is absorbed into the Murti. Upon the final arati, Siva releases that energy from the 3rd world, out through the second world and into the first world. In this way He blesses all those who are present. The more attentive and absorbed one's mind is on Siva's grace, the easier it is for a strong connection to be made, through which Siva sends fourth His Love and Light. Aum Namah Sivaya. Sivaya Namah Aum.

This morning at about 6AM a new bull calf was born to his mother, Salute (AKA Namaskar). His name is Kashi, the Bull. He is happy, healthy and strong. As the monastery's past ownership of bulls resulted in some dangerous experiences, we will be raising him until he is eating grass. At that point, a local farmer will take him and continue and raise him for local breeding purposes. Kashi the Bull is a purebred Jersey with a prized paper trail to prove it. He his now staying in the newly built Mini Goshala (a tent for the new calf.)

A few weeks back the organizers of a Hindu History Conference reached out to bring two of our swamis to a conference in San Jose, California, near San Francisco. Since we have been involved in the US history textbooks for sixth grade, and since we had just finished a movie on those lessons, Bodhinatha felt it was useful to respond.

Off flew Sadasivanathaswami and Arumuganathaswami, who has been the pointman for these projects and was eager to show the 22-minute film to an audience who could understand its merits.

The two-day event focused on a dual agenda: Hindu historiography, with scholars from India, Canada, Europe and the US present. It had the potential to be less than scintillating, but in fact turned out to be amazingly informative for the swamis.

Sadasivanathaswami gave a 10-minute Keynote introducing the main event, an annual lecture in honor of the life and writings of Indian scholar Sita Ram Goel, whom Gurudeva knew well and visited often in India. Sita Ram came to the monastery in 1986. He also blessed two book releases with Rudraksha malas from Kauai.

Acharya Arumuganathaswami gave the most fascinating and graphically-rich of all presentations, the movie preceded by a history of the California textbook controversy. Both got high praise and abundant applause.

Then the swamis were taken to Freemont to the home of Sivaram and Devika Eswaran for a delightful satsang with members and a gourmet (15-course) dinner.

A traditional welcoming arathi at the doorway, was followed by pradakshina of the home and the Gods within. An arati was followed by Natchintanai singing lead by Amma Bhavani Param and Yatrika. The home's pure and perfectly clear Siva Linga was passed to Paramacharya to carry and place it on the special shrine set in the living room for the Siva puja. Sivaram and his son, Arunesh, then conducted a splendid, Deity-invoking Siva puja. After more singing to the Gods and a short "Ganesha sloka" by Arunesh, a Carnatic song "Devathi Deva SadaSiva – composition of Sage Thyagaraja" by Devika & Yatrika, all joined to sing the famed "Money Bags Song."
 
Paramacharya's was asked to speak and he talked of the conference, of the science of rituals and the new science of consciousness, then expounded on Gurudeva's teaching that everything is energy, and that even negative energies, if responded to with wisdom and trust, can turn out to be a blessing in life. "We are not in full control of all that comes our way in life, but we are in control of how we react and respond to what comes." He gave some great stories about how Gurudeva taught this lesson to the monks when real challenges came to the monastery over the years.

Acharya then spoke of the conference and the movie and the work he has been doing with the textbook controversy. He shared that the conference was in part about the Hindu-Christion nexus, and how that went.

Paramacharya offered vibuthi prasadam to all present. A grand confluence of perfect souls, reminding us of the days when devotees gathered in the evening at Yogaswami's humble hut, to sing, to hear Swami's words of wisdom, to sit in silence and enjoy Siva's presence in all things. Aum Namasivaya!
 

Yesterday was tour day at the monastery. It acts as a chance for regular guests to see more of the Aadheenam grounds, as well as Iraivan Temple. It offers our visitors not only beautiful sights, but also something of an education about Hinduism, which is often lacking in the Western education. This wonderful group thoroughly enjoyed their tour, ending it with a trip to the Mini Mela where Satguru Bodhinatha sat to answer questions and sign books.

The host who, caring for guests, watches hopefully for more, will himself be a welcomed guest of those whose home is Heaven. Kural 86

Jai Ganapati!

Today the monastery begins its new phase. As usual, Sun one morning starts off with a powerful Siva homa. This is a six day phase, with Kadavul Ardra Abhishekam on Sun four. Tomorrow is Akshaya Tritiya, a very auspicious day as the Sun and the Moon are both exalted, giving them full power, an excellent day for meditation and growth.

This morning Satguru Bodhinatha gave a delightful talk about the nature of attachments. He reminded us that anything that regularly claims our awareness, whether we desire it our have an aversion to it, is something of the past or future, which we must let go of as we endeavor to live in the present. He read from Merging With Siva's lesson 23:

Affectionate 
Detachment
Meditate on a river. Follow it as a visual image from its source to the end where it merges into the sea. You can now clearly see where you have been clinging to the bank of life's river. You will plainly see just how long you have been clinging to various attachments by holding on to fears, worries, doubts of the future and regrets about the past. Looking at attachment, we see how it holds the mind down, how it submerges personality. Attachment is a stationary thing. Attachment creates the personality. The popular concept of the intellect at this point would be to say, "Well, then, according to this, we are not supposed to be attached to anything, or even have a personality." But I take this one step farther and tell you, become affectionately detached, for by becoming affectionately detached you absorb all the power of the spiritual force within you. When you absorb the power of the spirit through the body, you will be able to feel it flowing through your most subtle nerves. This vibrant spiritual force within you, vibrating through every cell of the body, quieting the emotions and bringing the mind into effortless concentration, is born of affectionate detachment. Affectionate detachment is stronger than any attachment could possibly be, because attachment is created through unfulfilled desire, salted and peppered with fear. Fear of loss, fear of the unexpected, fear that life may not have much more to offer than what has already been offered, fear of old age, fear of harm, fear of accident--these are the fears which salt and pepper the unfulfilled desires. This is attachment. To be affectionately detached--that is a power. That is a wisdom. That is a love greater than any emotional love, a love born of understanding, a love that merges you into the river of life and allows actinic force to flow within you so that you realize God. We all still have those little attachments--the good ones, the need for love, acceptance and security. These attachments form the positive aspects of the subconscious. We want to free ourselves of all negative attachments, then use the subconscious positively, as a powerhouse directed by our superconsciousness. There is a great wisdom in cultivated affectionate detachment. Let go of the past. Let go of the future. Be a being right now. Being detached does not mean running away from life or being insensitive. It makes us extremely sensitive. When we have the ability to let go, we are warmer, more friendly, more wholesome, more human and closer to our family and friends.