We continue to take each of the books that Gurudeva authored and create a audio version using his cloned voice. How to Become a Hindu is now complete and available here.
Sadhaka Shankaranatha standing next to the completed project
rough lumbar being sanded
here we used our new shaper machine to create different profiles
stiles and raises being cut on the table saw
bandit the cat, in the shop for moral support
here we laid out the 4 front panels to see what design we like best
rough layout of one of the doors
gluing side parts together
first installed door
we oiled the panels before assembling it
after many coats of tung oil this is how it looks
another photo of the front frame
laying out the side pieces
assembling the horizontal pieces
laying out the doors
gluing the bullnose to the horizontal boards
Sadhaka using our sliding table saw
sadhaka drills domino holes for joinery
right side of the cladding
both side pieces are oiled and drying
all our pieces are drying from the most recent application of oil
here we glued the side components and top bullnose to the front frame
the Siddhidata Kulam delicately bring the cladding to the shop
fully assembled cladding
Over the past six months, Acharya Kumarnathaswami and Sadhaka Shankaranatha have been crafting wooden cladding to go around the existing fish tank frame in the Hale Hana office space. They used ear pod wood grown on the island, which had been chainsaw-milled many years ago and left to dry in our sawmill. This was the monks’ first time working with this lumber.
After milling it in the sawmill, the wood went through jointing, planing, shaping, sanding, and finally oiling. The project was then installed by the monks. The assembly went very smoothly thanks to Acharya’s extensive planning. It was quite a challenge, as the existing frame was not near the shop, so all measurements had to be exact.
In recent weeks, as many of you have seen, we wrapped up the project. We used tung oil sealer followed by a tung oil hard oil for the topcoat. It was an amazing experience for Sadhaka Shankaranatha, who is just beginning to learn finish carpentry. The cladding blends beautifully with the koa vinyl flooring in our new office space.
Sadasivanathaswami and Tillainathaswami fly off today on a 25-day mission to California, New York, London and Mauritius. As they pack to depart, the Songs of Tayumanavar book is taking shape, a work of some three years. You will hear more about it in the months ahead, but for now we share the graphic spreads that introduce the five cantos which are the organizational structure of the Tamil poet’s 1,454 songs. Amazingly, and not without climbing a steep learning curve, the five works of art were created by DALL•E, the AI partner of CHATgpt. Tayumanavar, we hear, is to be a major theme for the various satsangs, workshops, temple talks and seminars planned for the journey. Aum Namasivaya!
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.
“If you were to travel through India on a spiritual pilgrimage, you would undoubtedly hear much about the Sanskrit word darshan. The religious leaders of the Orient are categorized according to the darshan they give, for there are various kinds of darshan. Darshan is the vibration that emanates from the illumined soul as a result of his inner attainment, be he a yogī, pandit, swāmī, guru or a ṛishi. Usually the yogī, swāmī, saint or sage attracts his following not so much by what he says as by the darshan he radiates. Hindus travel for miles to receive the darshan of an illumined soul established in his enlightenment. Perhaps he doesn’t even speak to them. Perhaps he scolds some of them. Perhaps he gives the most inspired of talks to them. In any case, they feel the darshan flooding out from him.“
A collection of photos that Senthilathiban took while here at Kauai Aadheenam on our taskforce program
Senthilathiban takes a stroll through the rudraksha forest
One of his projects while here was to help clean this entry arch
He also enjoyed attending pujas at Iraivan Temple
Sadhaka performs the daily San Marga puja. Our wild chickens are very devoted to this daily event.
He got to see a wonderful event, the sea turtles coming to shore at the beach
Many islanders gather for this event
In another act of Seva, Senthilathiban cleaned these granite bonsai stands
It’s longan fruit season here, and the trees are loaded
Aran returns Senthilathiban to the airport
Aum Namah Śivaya
Aum Namah Śivaya
Yesterday, Senthilathiban Rajasankara finished his several week visit on our taskforce program. He has been doing some temple construction projects on the US mainland, and was able to take some time to come here. While at the Aadheenam he helped the monks of the Siddhidatta kulam with a variety of tasks, such as helping in the gardens, doing cleaning an maintenance projects, and much more. Aum.
On last retreat, Sannyasin Mayilnathaswami and Sadhaka Shankaranatha took out taskforcer Senthil and our Iraivan Temple priest Pravinkumar and our Head Chef Subramanium for an outing. They went to mahogany forest, located in the town of Kilauea on Kauai’s lush North Shore. This moderate 5-mile circuit meanders through Wai Koa Plantation, a working farm on 500 private acres. They had a relaxing walk and a wonderful time. Aum