9
S hivaratri in Madanapalle is celebrated in the presence of Sri M, our beloved Guru and Master. This year it was on 24th February. I arrived one day in advance and hence could witness the hard work of the vol- unteers and the meticulous planning that goes into organising the divine day for all of us. The Peepal tree area where the celebra- tions were planned, was already being cleaned. The new Dhuni receptacle was ready. The temples were looking so beautiful with the flower decorations. The entire atmosphere looked very festive and yet so calm and serene. It seemed like everything was happening in a very synchronised manner, being orchestrated by the Divine. Satsangis from all over the country had started pouring in with majority of them to arrive the next morning. Some were sit- ting in meditation near the temple, peepal tree, meditation hall and a few in Babaji’s room. On 24th morning, a few fellow Satsangis and I were fortunate to get the oppor- tunity of decorating the peepal tree and the Dhuni area with flowers. Around the same time, at 8 am the registration desk had opened and people were seen happy and joyous to be in Madanapalle on this auspicious day. All of us assembled near the peepal tree area at the designated time in the evening and patiently (read eagerly) waited for our beloved Guru to arrive. Everyone’s faces lit up once Sir came and took his seat under the peepal tree, amidst everyone. The celebrations began with bhajans sung by the students of The Satsang Vidyalaya, an initiative of The Satsang Foundation. I was told that the school children really look forward to performing in front of Sir and the Satsangis and they start practicing well in advance. This was followed by the Satsang for which people had gathered there from all over the country. In the Satsang, Sir explained the meaning of Shiva and Shivaratri. He said that the concept is very ancient and in the pan- theon of Hindu Gods, Shiva is called the Mahadeva. He explained that the basic meaning of the word Shiva is ‘Auspicious- ness.’ Excerpts from the Shivaratri Satsang: “But how do we associate auspiciousness with a Being who is always sitting in the shamshaan with vibhuti all over, which is from the dead bodies, who wanders in the shamshaan, whose followers are ghosts and ghowls. In the Nath Paranmpara, you are supposed to carry a whistle, so they say when Shiva, Adinath blows his whistle, im- mediately from all over the place, all kinds of ghosts and ghowls gather together. So what does this mean? Does this mean that Shiva is a terrible being living in the shamshaan with all ghosts and ghowls? And what are ghosts & ghowls? The fact is that all of us are ghosts & ghowls and we realize our true identity when we realize that deep inside us resides Shiva, who is auspiciousness. The concept of Shiva is auspiciousness Shivaratri at Madanapalle SATSANG by Shalini Kalra Newsletter from the Satsang Foundation May 2017 For Private Circulation Only www.satsang-foundation.org

For Private Circulation Only May 2017 SATSANGsatsang-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter.pdf · point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: For Private Circulation Only May 2017 SATSANGsatsang-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter.pdf · point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha

S hivaratri in Madanapalle is celebrated in the presence of Sri M, our beloved Guru and Master. This year it was on 24th

February.I arrived one day in advance and hence could witness the hard work of the vol-unteers and the meticulous planning that goes into organising the divine day for all of us. The Peepal tree area where the celebra-tions were planned, was already being cleaned. The new Dhuni receptacle was ready. The temples were looking so beautiful with the flower decorations. The entire atmosphere looked very festive and yet so calm and serene. It seemed like everything was happening in a very synchronised manner, being orchestrated by the Divine. Satsangis from all over the country had started pouring in with majority of them to arrive the next morning. Some were sit-ting in meditation near the temple, peepal tree, meditation hall and a few in Babaji’s room. On 24th morning, a few fellow Satsangis and I were fortunate to get the oppor-tunity of decorating the peepal tree and the Dhuni area with flowers. Around the same time, at 8 am the registration desk had opened and people were seen happy and joyous to be in Madanapalle on this auspicious day. All of us assembled near the peepal tree area at the designated time in the evening and patiently (read eagerly) waited for our beloved Guru to arrive. Everyone’s faces lit up once Sir came and took his seat

under the peepal tree, amidst everyone. The celebrations began with bhajans sung by the students of The Satsang Vidyalaya, an initiative of The Satsang Foundation. I was told that the school children really look forward to performing in front of Sir and the Satsangis and they start practicing well in advance. This was followed by the Satsang for which people had gathered there from all over the country. In the Satsang, Sir explained the meaning of Shiva and Shivaratri. He said that the concept is very ancient and in the pan-theon of Hindu Gods, Shiva is called the Mahadeva. He explained that the basic meaning of the word Shiva is ‘Auspicious-ness.’

Excerpts from the Shivaratri Satsang:

“But how do we associate auspiciousness with a Being who is always sitting in the shamshaan with vibhuti all over, which is from the dead bodies, who wanders in the shamshaan, whose followers are ghosts and ghowls. In the Nath Paranmpara, you are supposed to carry a whistle, so they say when Shiva, Adinath blows his whistle, im-mediately from all over the place, all kinds of ghosts and ghowls gather together. So what does this mean? Does this mean that Shiva is a terrible being living in the shamshaan with all ghosts and ghowls? And what are ghosts & ghowls? The fact is that all of us are ghosts & ghowls and we realize our true identity when we realize that deep inside us resides Shiva, who is auspiciousness. The concept of Shiva is auspiciousness

Shivaratri at Madanapalle

SATSANGby Shalini Kalra

Newsletter from the Satsang Foundation May 2017For Private Circulation Only

www.satsang-foundation.org

Page 2: For Private Circulation Only May 2017 SATSANGsatsang-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter.pdf · point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha

2 Satsang Newsletter, May 2017

and Shivaratri is celebrated as his Dance of Destruction. Have you heard of any-thing being created without something else being destroyed? So the concept of Shiva especially the Taandav Nritya is when the old is replaced by the new…. actually it’s a sign of Rebirth, Revival and Auspicious-ness.” “From the Vedantic as well as from the point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha Shivaya is Shivoham Shivoham. As great a vedantin as Adi Shankara has sung in his Nirvana Shataka ‘Chidananda Roopam Shivoham Shivoham’… which means ‘I am of the nature of consciousness and Bliss. I am Shiva… I am Shiva.”“This whole commotion which is a kind of pralaya, is the dance of Shiva. In this

world you cannot clear anything without some kind of commotion, contradiction and conflict. Its part of life…prakriti. Because prakriti is always two. It cannot be one. That which divides is called prakriti. Now in the midst of all this, if there is some being who sits unaffected…..Ma-hadeva…..now don’t think that this Shiva is sitting up there in Kailash. This Shiva is siting in everybody’s heart. In the core of our consciousness, there is this Shiva which is auspicious, peaceful, calm, the only island of bliss and tranquility in this midst of this nritya, this dance of con-flict and destruction and everything that’s going on. That is Shiva. So to understand that, one has to slowly free onself from these conflicts. Understanding that deep inside there is one part of us, which is

absolutely free. If this is understood, then the message of Shivaratri is fulfilled.”After the Satsang, we all got the opportu-nity to offer our respect and pranams and seek Sir’s blessings. I am sure each one of us felt Lord Shiva sitting right in front of us when we bowed down. There were a considerable number of satsangis so the pranams took time. After the pranams the Dhuni was lit by Sir. Pandit Sadashiv Bhat and his team pre-sented the recital of the Soundarya Lahari, which created a very pious and beautiful atmosphere. Thereafter, we all sat around the dhuni till midnight, chanting the man-tra and meditating on Lord Shiva.

Om Namah Shivaya.

We take the pledge to sow a plant or seed todayWe shall nurture it with warmth and love everydayWe will watch over it like a babyWater and protect it till it’s sturdyTrees are the life-giving part of creationTo which we give very little attention! They exist just to give and give without measureOxygen, fruit, flowers are their gifts – our trea-sure;From us they ask for absolutely nothingAnd accept whatever we feel like offering;From today I will learn from My TreeThe true meaning of Maitri! - Bhavani

Monkeys do swing from its branchesIts trunk we use for our ranches;Up, the birdies make their nestDown, the yatris sigh and rest;While one man cooks with twigs on fireThe other himself burns on pyre.The leaves cry out ‘Don’t leave us outWe too want to reach you,’ they shout;‘Gather and bury us and leave us to yieldRich manure to sprinkle in your field!’It is still with us long after it is goneAs door, table, chair from its branches sawn.O Tree! I share a cherished secret with

thee!‘That peepal will crack the wall’ hears UmiWho feels elated to see the brave shoot -A peepal popping up and firmly taking rootIt wants to say ‘hello’ to the bird that dropped its seed And spread its branches for its birdie friend to swing and tweet! - Uma

Maitri by Bhavani and Uma Singh

www.satsang-foundation.org

Page 3: For Private Circulation Only May 2017 SATSANGsatsang-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter.pdf · point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha

3 Satsang Newsletter, May 2017

I t all began in June 2006 with Sri M planting a sapling of a Peepal Tree. There were just 23 children in the first year and 9 excited and nervous

teachers ... and oh yes.. plenty of birds, insects and reptiles for company.As The Peepal Grove School completes a decade, let us hear it from two of our Alumni:

Here is Meena Chokhalingam who is now pursuing a degree in humanities from IIT Chennai: “Joining The Peepal Grove School after tenth grade, I had no idea how much this place would transform me. I chose a fancy combination of subjects – History, Economics, Literature in English and Biology – and enjoyed learning them thoroughly. PGS has a strong Human-ities faculty and the perfect atmosphere to pursue it.” She goes on : ”Learning from textbooks and classes was nothing in comparison to my other experiences. For a proud rule-follower, explicitly being asked to question rules and break them if necessary came as a shock. PGS inculcated in me the spirit of questioning and taking nothing at face value. As I resisted, accept-ed and struggled through ideas and values, I developed a perspective that has guided me immensely after school.”“Surprisingly, one of my happiest mo-

ments in PGS is that of preparing for, participating in and emerging second in a 1500 metre race in the Athletics Meet. For someone who has never been into sports, the emphasis that PGS places in providing a holistic education was much in need.”She concludes by saying: “The joys of hostel life, reading life-changing books late into the night, the bond in the girls’ block and insightful conversations with teachers make up some of the best memories of PGS. To be fair, PGS is not perfect. It is just the closest thing to it.” Ganesh Karapakula joined the school as a 12 year old in the 7th grade and graduated from the 10th grade in 2010.In May 2016, Ganesh graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Colorado College, Colorado Springs, USA, with bachelor’s degrees in economics and mathematics, both with distinction. He received the Robin Satterwhite Thesis Award for having done “Most outstanding innovative independent research” towards his economics thesis titled “Income Elas-ticities of Intra-household Health Gaps in India.” In addition, he received the Ken-neth Curran Award in Economics and the Thomas Post Rawles Prize in Mathematics.Regarding his experience at The Peepal Grove School, he says, “The environment and teachers at PGS nurtured my creativity

and constantly challenged me to expand my horizons. The academic and non-ac-ademic skills and values I learned at PGS help me to strive to excel in my endeav-ours.”He now works in Chicago as a Research Professional at the Center for the Eco-nomics of Human Development, which is directed by Dr.James Heckman, who received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2000. Ganesh intends to eventually pursue a Ph.D. in economics. Today, The Peepal Grove School contin-ues to explore ways and means to fulfil the vision of its founder, Sri M, which is best reflected in the school motto, Samvo Manamsi Jnanatam - “With our minds put together, may we understand.” In Sri M’s own words, “While I am satisfied with the progress the school has made so far, let us not be complacent”.

-----------------------------------------------------

Peepal Grove School (PGS) is a co-educational, residential school (ICSE Syllabus), nestled in an enchanting valley in South India near Chittoor. The School believes education is founded upon the acquisition of core skills and knowledge taught through integrated experiences. In every area, it stresses on critical thinking and an open approach to explore diverse dimensions.

The Peepal Grove Schoolby Viraj Naidoo

Ganesh Karapakula Meena Chokalingam

www.satsang-foundation.org

Page 4: For Private Circulation Only May 2017 SATSANGsatsang-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter.pdf · point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha

4 Satsang Newsletter, May 2017

The Many Nuances of Retreat

A retreat can be undertaken by oneself or in a group; it can be a time for solitude or be a part of a community experi-

ence. It can be lived in silence or in com-munication with others: in prayers, or a reflective meditation. Whether undertaken under the guidance of a spiritual teacher or as a self-retreat, it is to connect with the deeper recesses’ of the Consciousness. Responding to the often inarticulate as-pirations of the consciousness, a spiritual Master leads the retreats according to his individual makeup and that of the aspi-rants gathered around him, he triggers and answers queries, guides the initiates into supportive practices and in the process

shares the Presence that has been cleansed of the shackles of egoism. At times he also identifies physical spaces for the aspirants to assimilate and to search within. In the same spirit, Sri M has been leading spiritual retreats not only in India but in different parts of the world and even supporting the retreat centers to meet the aspirants need for solitude. The unconditional love of Beings such as him cannot be contained in the boundaries of any formal arrangements; however, from time to time they work out suitable arrangements. Thus at present two Retreat Centres are being supported through the infrastructure of The Satsang Foundation. At the Madanapalle Centre apart from the celebrations on Gurupurnima and the Shivratri, the aspirants can avail the space to live in solitude. Whether the Master is physically present there or not the place

has the fragrance of his presence; it is pal-pable. After a visit to this place someone wrote – “O Seeker, come here even when the mystic is not around. Come here, be alone and don’t be afraid. You will be amazed by what you could find here”. One has witnessed the young and the old carry out their spiritually supportive practices and live out their emotions in the privacy of necessary seclusion, while ben-efiting from the caring and yet unobtrusive presence of other Satsangis.

Riverview Retreat Centre

In December 2014, less than a month before embarking on a fourteen month long Padayatra – a Walk of Hope, Sri M came for a three day retreat to Panchgani,

along with his wife Sunanda Ali. Tucked away in Taighat Wadi, the house here faces the Krishna Valley, around 20 kilome-ters away from the source of the River Krishna. The rooms of the house provide the privacy and the promise of solitude, at the same time, there are spaces for coming together to share, such as the small library, the dining room, and the trees located on different parts of the land. It is located on a small half an acre of land but for some reason it has been much blessed by the saintly Beings. While it was being constructed in the year 2006-2007, Sri Vimala Thakar had blessed it to be a place for Satsang. Sri Bejon Desai, a spiritual being and a great educationist, is known to have laid many a prayers in the foundation of this place. He had men-tioned that when the time comes this place will unfold its destiny. Thus one was not

surprised that the Yogi M had come to re-treat here, to fulfill their prophecy and his own, made some two and a half years ago, that one day he will come here. Before taking leave, Sri M took the decision that the place will be run as a Retreat Centre on behalf of The Satsang Foundation.Since May 1st, 2015, the place is being retained as the Riverview Retreat Centre by the Foundation. In the last two years, as a care taker of this place, I have witnessed many aspirants come and live here. While a few sought stay for longish periods like 2-4 weeks, others came for 2-3 days. Some relished the small collection of books and others came to listen to the audio-video recordings of Sri M’s talks, wanting to solve some contentious point in the quiet, away from the responsibilities of daily

routines. They shared with one another, laughed, and cooked together and even humored one another. But none of these interactions took away from the palpable silence reigning the space.“While browsing through the bookshelves the silence of the space engulfed me and instead of browsing I just decided to ‘Be’. …post our discussion I returned back to the stillness that permeates the space here. Back in the city we try hard to be still, but here there is no effort. As they say ‘just be’, it just seems to be a natural way of being in this space here”. These remarks join the observations of a ‘Sadhak’ who told us that “one does not have to do meditation, it just happens here”. The walks around the area and to some remote temples in Mahabaleshwar and the spectacular Sun rise on the second largest plateau in Panchgani, add to the

Riverview Retreat Centreby Tejinder Walia

www.satsang-foundation.org

Page 5: For Private Circulation Only May 2017 SATSANGsatsang-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter.pdf · point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha

5 Satsang Newsletter, May 2017

need to connect with the Self. However we discourage the ones wanting to stay at this Centre as tourists to this well known hill station of the Western Ghats. Without any judgment on anyone and without a wish to label the place as a Spiritual Centre there is a wish to protect the place from the onslaught of usual tourism.

Education Workshops and Camps for Students and Educators

A visitor to this place will notice two signboards at the entrance. Apart from the one of The Satsang Foundation, there is another one of Vidyadan Foundation for Education. Since the past six years Vidyadan Foundation for Education has been conducting seminars, workshops and camps, seeking the meeting ground between education and spirituality. The Experiential Camps at the Riverview Retreat are organized typically for students in the age group of 7 to 16 years. Depend-ing on the age group and the interest of the students, the camps and workshops include nature walks, storytelling, painting, chanting, trekking and project work. Most

of these camps are organized in consulta-tion with school managements but occa-sionally a keen educator decides to bring a group of students together to experience the joy of learning. Another interesting possibility to be fur-ther explored is the internship programme for the students. Last year three students from Delhi University and the year before four students from IIIT-Hyderabad, in-terned here from one - two months. Three French students and one American stu-dent of Indian Culture have also interned here in the last two years. They came to discuss and explore different approaches to education and seemed to add to the dialogue between education and Spiritu-ality. The Indian students even joined the Padayatra in some parts of Maharashtra and Delhi. In a search for alternatives in education, increasingly we are feeling the need to con-nect with the educators and the parents to try and make a difference. In this context we are glad to share that the first Educators Workshop is being planned from 4th to 6th May 2017.

Women Empowerment Project

The Retreat Centre is located in the middle of a village and the Satsangis belong to the category of spiritual seekers who have been exhorted time and again that if you meditate for long hours but are not sensi-tive to the needs of those around you then your spiritual practices are in vain.In this spirit we have been reaching out to women from the surrounding villages for the past few years to explore their tradi-tional skills and to enhance their capacity to generate income. This effort not only encourages harmonious, aesthetic modes of earning but also helps to preserve traditional skills. A small group of women from the adjoining villages have been trained in basic tailoring skills, embroi-dery work, and their traditional practice of making ‘Godadis’ (handmade quilts) out of old clothes has been enhanced to craft handmade quilts and bedspreads. We need to support this work by organizing more resources for this project as more women from other villages want to join in this move towards ‘Swavalamban’ (self reliance).

I n a tea break during the Walk of Hope in April 2016 in Amritsar, Sri M was asked by two German friends and part-time padayatris,

Franz and Peter, if he would like to come to Berlin and bring the Walk of Hope to Europe.The situation was escalating with the war in Syria and the mass exodus of refugees to Europe and the increasing terror attacks of ISIS. A Walk of Hope seemed very much needed to create awareness and tolerance among people with different backgrounds, color, race and religious belief systems also in the Western society.After almost a year the Walk did happen in Berlin. Sri M arrived in Berlin on March 17th, 2017 and after a good rest he was ready to give a speech in the evening at the Sri Aurobindo Centre in Berlin about “Progress on the Path”. It was well attend-ed and most of the people who attended had come to join the Walk. On the next day Sir M was invited for a sight seeing tour through the whole city of Berlin

where great places of past and recent his-tory could be seen including remnants of the wall and places reminding of the cold war and the rigid Communist system. Also, the great changes that have taken place in shaping this Eastern part of Berlin again into a vibrating, colorful cosmopolitan city. In the afternoon Sri M gave a talk at Urania about “Meditation and Inner Peace” where people from all walks of life attended.On the next day, 19th of March, the Walk of Hope started at 12 noon at the famous Brandenburger Tor - once dividing East and West for decades but now a great symbol of unity. It was raining and about 11 degrees, yet in spite of the weather condition more than 100 people gathered at the Bandenburger Tor. People from many different countries, faiths and colors joined the walk. The Walk was guided by a police car as in Germany every public demonstration has to be registered. With a big banner in front and Sri M behind it, the Walk moved on and reached many

places of historic impact. Even though the rain was getting stronger more people and passers-by joined and everybody felt a powerful presence and dynamic atmo-sphere while walking. After two hours of walking in the pouring rain the finishing point was reached at the Gedaechtni-skirche and the crowd gathered in silence at the place where 12 people had been killed during the terrorist attack last year and where hundred of candles were lit. Sir M gave a small speech honoring the victims and praying for peace. On the next day Sri M visited a Hindu Temple in Berlin and in the morning of the following day, Sri M departed for Switzerland for talks, a small retreat and another Walk of Hope in the Hague in Holland. Everybody felt that another Walk of Hope should happen in Berlin in the near future or even a Walk from Berlin to different cities in Germany.

Amritsar to Berlin: Walk of Hopeby Peter and Franz

www.satsang-foundation.org

Page 6: For Private Circulation Only May 2017 SATSANGsatsang-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter.pdf · point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha

Sri M’s Visit to Switzerlandby Anastasia Bitzos

www.satsang-foundation.org

Page 7: For Private Circulation Only May 2017 SATSANGsatsang-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter.pdf · point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha

7 Satsang Newsletter, May 2017

S ri M’s premiere in Switzerland took place at the capital Bern, in the historic environment of its old medieval town, protected by UNESCO for its wealth of architec-tural heritage of the Bernese aristocracy.

The established venue at Casino Bern with its longstanding and rich cultural tradition, offered a dignified frame for Sri M’s first talk on “Spiritual challenges in daily life and Peace in times of radical change”. The evening was characterised by a wonderful atmosphere created by the full and sincerely interested audience. It was a lovely pre-lude to the later Retreat and spiritual highlight of the tour.On the next day, an elaborate Puja for local Tamils was per-formed by Sir at the Hindu temple of the House of Religions - an inter-religious institution for dialogue of cultures, in a modern complex representing major global religions. Here, on the last day, an extended visit to its Christian, Buddhist, Muslim and Alevi sanctuaries was followed by a Talk by Sri M on “Peace and Har-mony - the Essence of all Religions”. Then it was time to shift to the mountains!In the hilly region of Bern’s lower alps, situated at the village of Wilderswil near Interlaken town, lies the renowned professional Retreat Center Villa Unspunen. An oasis of calm and peace at the foot of the Swiss Himalayas, the ‘Villa’ is set serenely in beautiful nature. It offers not only spectacular vistas of majestic surround-ing mountains, but a truly nourishing spiritual energy conducive for inward directed focus and work. Sri M was welcomed here by a dedicated, experienced team and their spiritual leader Annette Kaiser, the initiator of the one weeks ‘Walk of Hope through Switzerland, from July 16th to 23rd, 2018.The much anticipated 2 days retreat was attended by over a hun-dred participants from Switzerland, six other European countries and some Indian guests. It was truly a resounding success.A concentrated and genuinely deep spiritual atmosphere prevailed on both days, with people gradually opening up to Sri M’s tran-scending wisdom and guidance. To Sir’s and everyone’s absolute delight, the main retreat day was crowned by sunshine and the crisp air allowed us to enjoy a clear, unobstructed panoramic view of the magnificent Swiss alps!While the retreat at Villa Unspunnen was undoubtely the spiritual highlight of the tour, the grand finale was to occur at The Hague, on the last leg of Sri M’ first European Tour. In an intense sequence of events, a first public interview at the modern University of Amsterdam on “Political and social media-tion”, conducted by two engaged and well prepared students, was followed by seven attractive programs at The Hague, the interna-tional City of Justice. In the course of several, well attended and animated panel discus-sions at various venues, topics like “Can we still strive towards a

united Humanity in today’s World” or “Why is Peace not yet real-ized by Humanity” were explored by Sri M as main guest speaker, by Sufi Sheikhs and Mr. Adama Dieng, United Nations-in charge for Prevention of Genocide, as international co-guest speakers. The main action, however, was performed with a Walk of Hope by an odd six hundred students from two International Schools at The Hague. On a blessed sunny day, they realized the grand finale: In a general atmosphere of great joy and excitement, Sri M led the enthusiastic Dutch youth in a symbolic Walk for Peace and Oneness of Humanity thru their city. At the culminating end point, the Peace Palace and world famous International Court of Justice, the congregation was applauded, received and emphatical-ly addressed by it’s Director, Sri M and Adama Dieng.After the Walk, the engaged students were main actors again during the following ‘Youth Conference’, a conference also attended by the Deputy Mayor of the city. Previously discussed topics formed the social-political backdrop for the highly moti-vated and prepared young adults. Acting as monitoring anchors, they proved intent on questioning and probing the speakers on subjects dear to their mind and heart - the relevance and efficacy of today’s generation’s official efforts for Peace on Earth.. It was these students with their mature and evolved consciousness who ended up driving the points home!Moreover, at the closure of the conference, they offered a “Walk of Hope - Joint Declaration” as an impressive trumpet call: In five self-authored Chapters, read out by selected students, they presented a program for a united, inclusive world. Their postu-lates challenge our society to take responsibility, initiative and accept all differences. It is a powerful and deeply moving state-ment. A modern, mind and heartfelt invocation to the universe; a call for radical change to our world!The fact that they had even collected funds among themselves for Sri M’s School at Madanapalle just goes to show the true attitude, the spirit of solidarity and will to act - not stopping short at pro-ducing powerful words!While Sri M’ s Tour in Europe has not yet attracted huge crowds or made the big splash, it planted many more seeds in a genuine personal way. They reached sincere minds and open hearts - a fertile soil for peace and reconciliation. As Sir remarked at the end of the momentous last day : “The Walk of Hope has gone deep in Europe...”As it happened so by the Grace and Blessings of the Masters, we can be sure and rely on the steady growth of a future “Europe Tree of Hope”.May it manifest - Inshallah !

www.satsang-foundation.org

Page 8: For Private Circulation Only May 2017 SATSANGsatsang-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter.pdf · point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha

The much awaited sequel to Sri M’s ‘Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master’, ‘The Journey Continues’, was launched in the last week of April in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bengaluru.Launching the book, Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Law & Justice, and Electronics and Information and Technology opened this speech saying that he was there purely as a ‘bhakth’ of Sri M. Complimenting the book he said, “Sri M, through his book, brings before our eyes the great tradition of India’s spiritu-al heritage, where seekers of truth and knowledge have been calibrating their lives for the last thousands and thousands of years, maintaining a continuity. The biggest contribu-tion of Sri M is that he articulates that extraor-dinary journey in simple language”.Prof. P. J. Kurien, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, who was the Chief Guest at the event, shared his views on the book in his capacity as an ex Profes-sor of Physics and said, “I must tell you that the book isn’t just about having faith, it’s also very scientific. When Sri M explains how he could not take a photo of his master, he also goes into how a photograph is tak-en and states Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle”. On a lighter note, he request-ed Sri M to teach some of the scientists to travel in their subtle bodies and find out if extraterrestrial life really exists. So their curiosity finally ends.Justice M. N. Venkatacha-laiah, former Chief Justice of India, who Sri M affectionately referred to as ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ said, “Here we have a book where we have first hand information of M’s own life in the past. The examples of the previous birth given in the book are very disturbing and one of them is mind-blowing but it shows that

every sinner has a future. The sin is not of the soul it’s of the body in transience. This is the message the book gives and we are extremely fortunate that we live at a time when M is on earth”. Mr. Ashok Haranahalli, senior advocate and former advocate general of Karnataka who was also present at the event said, “Having been in touch with an ‘avadhoota’ myself, I can safely say that whatever expe-riences Sri M has written in the book are

100% true, only that you should have the necessary faith. The two books that Sri M has written will become a bible to anyone who wants to do spiritual ‘sadhana’. Mr M has been able to realize the truth for which our Vedanta and Sanatana Dharma stands”.

Mr. Deepak Shah, Director, Sapna Book House who has been closely associated with Magenta Press said, “Sri M’s message brings true reformation and change in hu-man minds for a better and more inclusive and a truly united world”.Finally, speaking about his book ‘The Journey Continues’, Sri M said, “There are some parts that I have written after a great deal of deliberation. If you read the first of those chapters, some of my good

friends, old friends, who have been with me, know-ing that I wouldn’t be telling a lie, would think that finally this guy has gone bonkers. Because there are some parts which are difficult to grasp. As we are talking about a large time scale, not just to do with this life and this death”.“There’s nothing that I have written which I personally do not believe or haven’t experienced. So take it with a pinch of salt if you like, but don’t put too much salt”, he said. He explained how the chapters have no chrono-logical sequence. Explaining why he chose to write it this way, he said, “If you ask me why it’s written like that, in fact, that’s how the mind thinks. You see the ‘Streams of consciousness’ that James Joyce used when he wrote the book ‘Ulysses’. It means, in our mind, there is no chronological sequence. It’s only later that our mind arranges it in a chronologi-cal sequence. So I am trying to stick to that, as it is. Instead of artificially twist-ing it into a structure and a shape. Because ultimately to reach the supreme, is to break through all the struc-

tures and to be free. This is the intention of the book”.Before ending his speech, Sri M thanked Kaizer who typed out his manuscripts, the editors, Mr Menon who brought this into proper shape, and to Mr. Balaji of Magen-ta Press for having brought out this book.

The Launch of ‘The Journey Continues’

www.satsang-foundation.org

Page 9: For Private Circulation Only May 2017 SATSANGsatsang-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter.pdf · point of view of the Nath Sampradaya, the ultimate meaning of Om Namaha

9 Satsang Newsletter, May 2017

Forthcoming EventsDate Event Venue

9th july 2017

29th june 2017

july - sep 2017

5th to 9th october 2017

21st to 24th november2017

14th to 16th july

guru purnima celebrations

Launch of ‘The Journey Continues’ in delhi

Sri M’s visit to the usa

Himalayan camp with Sri M

By the ocean with Sri M

Retreat on the topic of ‘The true meaning of med-itation, the inner and the outer.’

for more details please visit www.satsang-foundation.orgall artwork by freepik.comFor suggestions, feedback and contributions please write to [email protected]

madanapalle

iic, new delhi

usa

Harideep Vatika, Vil-lage Bijni, Pouri Gar-hwal, Uttara Khand.

Mahabalipuram, Chennai

bay area

19th to 20th july informal satsang portland, oregon

9th august public satsang austin, texas

21st to 23rd july retreat breitenbush, oregon

19th august public satsang atlanta, georgia

26th to 27th august group meetings new york

7th to 8th august group meetings dallas, texas

21st august public satsang st. louis, missouri

1st to 3rd september retreat new york

9th september public satsang livingston, nj

www.satsang-foundation.org