Sahaj Sandesh No: 2007.35 - Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Dear Sister / Brother: 

Contents of this newsletter:

1) Rev. Master’s visit to Satkhol and centres in North India
18th September to 10th October, 2007

 Rev. Master left Kolkata on 18th September and visited Lucknow, Shahjahanpur, Rudrapur and Naukuchiatal before reaching Satkhol on the 23rd morning. In Shahjahanpur, Master inaugurated the new cottage and stayed for a day. Br. Ajay Bhatter and around 20 abhyasis accompanied Master.

The day he reached Satkhol the weather was good and he was welcomed with a fantastic view of the Himalayan mountain range. The next two days the weather changed and it rained continuously and Master was confined to the limits of the cottage. He would occasionally peep out to greet visitors who waited patiently for Him, standing in the rain.

Master was in good health and as soon as the weather cleared He was back to sitting in the verandah of the cottage talking to abhyasis. He enjoyed the daily ritual of feeding the two dogs Jack and Jill. He met abhyasis who had come from near and far spreading love and cheer amongst all.

Master condoned the plight of women in our society in India. He said that even though Swami Vivekananda spoke about the status of women so long ago, nothing much had changed because of the presence of the caste system and communities. This is now changing because of the growing economic independence of women.

Master said we should become more deserving of grace and be truthful. This truth means ‘I am a Sahaj Margi’ and having nothing to do with caste and community.

While clarifying a question, Master explained about the three kinds of Deeksha given by a Guru. The first is Sparsh Deeksha, wherein the Guru touches his disciple. It is like a hen sitting on its eggs to help them hatch. The second one is Netra Deeksha, where by the look the Guru gives deeksha to his disciple. It is similar to the case where a fish lays its eggs and keeps a watchful eye while moving around it. The third type is called Manas Deeksha where the heart is involved. It is like a tortoise which lays its eggs on the shore and then goes back into the water but maintains contact with its eggs mentally. And Master said ours belongs to the third category.

In response to an abhyasi’s question he said the three reasons for the selection of the place for the Satkhol ashram was because of the name of the place which means ‘Opening the Truth’, the purity and taste of the water and the view of the Himalayas.

He got some treatment done at the Dental Clinic in Satkhol ashram and was in good cheer throughout in spite of the pain and discomfort.

It was soon time to leave and the last day was a treat for all with clear skies and an absolutely picturesque view of the entire valley below and the white snow capped mountains in the distance. Being in Satkhol with Master was absolutely divine and as Master says, “It is Heaven on Earth”!

Master left Satkhol on 1st October for Naukuchiatal for a night’s stay and from there to Rudrapur where he stayed until the 3rd of October. He visited Kashipur and Moradabad en route to Delhi where he stayed until the 10th and then returned to Chennai.

Some pictures taken during this period may be viewed at:

http://srcm.info/gallery2/v/sahajsandesh/2007/satkhol1.jpg.htm
http://srcm.info/gallery2/v/sahajsandesh/2007/satkhol2.jpg.htm
http://srcm.info/gallery2/v/sahajsandesh/2007/satkhol3.jpg.htm
http://srcm.info/gallery2/v/sahajsandesh/2007/satkhol4.jpg.htm
http://srcm.info/gallery2/v/sahajsandesh/2007/satkhol5.jpg.htm
http://srcm.info/gallery2/v/sahajsandesh/2007/satkhol6.jpg.htm
http://srcm.info/gallery2/v/sahajsandesh/2007/satkhol7.jpg.html

2) Constant Remembrance – October 2007 issue released

The October issue of Constant Remembrance is now in print and will be distributed to various centres shortly.

The cover and an excerpt from the October magazine can be seen at:

http://www.srcm.org/bookstore/newreleases/071001_cr.jsp

This issue will focus on the July 24 Birth Anniversary celebrations. Included are Revered Master’s Message of the 24th, his address to the Americas on the 23rd, reports, photos and articles about the event. There is also a special photo essay of the celebrations. The topic section this time delves into ‘service’. Other articles include an interview of Br. Ajay, an inspiration from CREST, poetry, a Sufi story, and the beautiful continuation of Master’s autobiography in the Children’s Corner.

Subscriptions / renewals of annual subscriptions can be made at http://www.srcm.org/bookstore/subscriptions.jsp.  

Kindly note that subscriptions for the USA can now be made on-line.

3) Report on the 5-day Sadhana Program at CREST, Bangalore

Information on Sadhana Programs and the application process can be found at
http://www.sahajmarg.org/welcome/crest/index.html

The Experience of CRESTing
Report by a Delegate at the Sadhana Program #16, which concluded on the 7th October.

The guidance given to us was very clear. “Get down at Subhash Chandra Bose School bus stop. Walk ahead. See the Golden Yellow signboard of CREST. Walk half a kilometer and you will be in CREST. The lightly cloudy sky, the nip in the air, the sun going in and out of the clouds, the greenery around seemed to make a divine potion. As I stood at the gate and saw the distant meditation hall, my spirit soared. They seemed to be waiting for me.

“The CREST team will treat you as honored guests of our Master”, told the Director in the briefing. Everything was arranged that way. A sparkling cleanliness and order in every place. “You have a responsibility too”, said the Director, “You have come here for Spiritual Sadhana”, that being the focus of the Sadhana Program.  The Sadhana Program went in strict conformity with the spirit of the briefing. I felt abundance in everything, a constant presence of our Master.

The Sadhana Program opened with a discussion on “The Goal”. It was followed by facilitated discussions on Meditation, Cleaning, Prayer, Ten Maxims, Constant Remembrance and Role of the Master in Human Evolution. The facilitators covered every aspect of our Sadhana.

There was time for everything in the program, time for walk, meditation, cleaning, prayer, discussions, contemplation in the Golden Silence. In the midst of all these there was time for eating, laughing, working in the garden and watching videos.  There were delegates from all over India, the true spirit of brotherhood was felt right through the program.

The time given for reading in the library was a little too short. But then any amount of time would not be enough for such a library where each book has been hand picked by our Master during His tours.

Every event has a time and every event in its time seems to be the guiding principle of CREST.

Five days passed very soon. I am taking back a lot of good memories and a firm wish to do the Sadhana systematically, with dedication and with a sense of purpose. Last but not the least the group photo with all the delegates and the CREST team.

Some photographs of the CREST, Bangalore campus may be seen at:
http://srcm.info/gallery2/v/sahajsandesh/2007/CREST+Pictures+008.jpg.html
http://srcm.info/gallery2/v/sahajsandesh/2007/CREST+Pictures+016.jpg.html
http://srcm.info/gallery2/v/sahajsandesh/2007/CREST+Pictures+041.jpg.html