Couchiching Seminar Recollections (Late September 08)

Toronto area collective organizes 4 or 5 "Going Deeper" seminars for their newly established seekers (as 'young' as 2 weeks). This is not the International Toronto Seminar that happened in early August ,when Mother was expected to visit Canada. 

The best part is that they make the Sahaj vidya teaching (treatments, Sahaj culture) a fun experience! Here is a quick rundown of some nice things we observed:

How to make an alter: Instead of a "talk-by-yogi" two yogis used a role-playing improvisation skit to educate and entertain everyone on all aspects & principles of making a decent alter at home. The audience was forced to participate as the 'actors' made well rehearsed 'mistakes'. Being an instructional person, I was amazed at the power of skits to impart Sahaj concepts.

There were some men-only sessions (head massage) and women only sessions (how to wear a sari) and combined sessions (how to clear house of negativities.) 

The evenings started with talent shows - skits, music etc by yogis. After a tea break, the bhajan group would break out their well polished bhajans which alone make the trek to toronto worth it. 

These are two day seminars. Recent synergy has resulted in Toronto and Detroit collectives to think about supporting programs in the border cities of Detroit/Toronto. More on that later.

Bullesha's Master, Shah Inayat - On Love

The nature of life on earth is illusory and in the Sanskrit tongue it
is called Maya or illusion, and every soul having the spark of the
divine love, forgets the use and the purpose of that spark and begins
to love itself most.

By a keen study of human life, man will find that as a rule, when he
claims that he loves, in reality he loves himself, he loves his own
benefit in life, he loves another for the help that other gives, for
his goodness, for his kindness, for his service, but in all this he
surely loves himself, and it is for himself all the while he thinks he
loves another.

It is a very high stage in the path of love when man really learns to
love another with a love that asks no return, when he does not seek
love for the sake of love in return, then love becomes pure, the lover
gives, and gives and gives, but even that is not the purpose of life,
it is still greater. The Perfect One who is the source and origin of
the whole creation, is the Perfection of Beauty. All beauty on earth
or in heaven belongs to Him, and the purpose of the creation of every
soul is to progress in the path of love until the soul arrives at a
stage where it may find the Perfection of Beauty.

The development of love is often hindered by different obstacles in
life. The first obstacle is ourselves. We begin our life with
selfishness, and all that we want is for self, and if there is a
tendency to love, it is for one's own happiness, and one's own joy.
When the question comes, 'How much do you love me, and how much do I
love you?' it has come to be a trading in love. 'I love you, but you
do not love me' is as much as to say, 'I have bid so much, and I
expect a return of love'. This is trading in love, and trade cannot
lead anywhere, because it makes one think of the self, and love is
beyond that. To love is to give; it is not to take at all. The true
lover never speaks of what he has done for his beloved, for he loves
for love's sake, not for the sake of a return.

Bullesha's Master, Shah Inayat

If: Rudyard Kipling (High School Time Inspiration)

If 

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

                                                                                                                                                     - Rudyard Kipling    

Centered, in some respects...

Ganesha Puja in Cabella Part 4/4

The Ganesha puja started after Mother's joyous arrival.

The welcome program was unique as birthday delicitations from the state of Connecticut, president George bush and CA governor Arnold
Schwazzeneger. 

In the entire puja Mother radiated smiles, bathe all in pleased attention and gave detailed instructions to the pujari and others. Always smiling, acknowledging like what we've seen many years before. She talked and joked with the children at length, smiling laughing and attending to their every word with expressions, gestures and words.

She talked in detail, almost 10 - 15 minutes to all gift presenters, taking it back to many years before. She talked to USA yogis for almost 20mins. Hope the presenters can share what Mother's advice for America was. We desired Mother's words could be heard by everyone. When the Chinese came on,  she was given a mic and we could hear her concern for china to approach it's manufacturing in a different way. To direct production to silk and handi crafts.

From memory, Mother's comments about China are reproduced roughly at the end.

But first, to share a twist in the tale. After the hosting countries and a couple of gifts, the end of the ceremony was announced with the vote of thanks for puja in closing. But Mother.indicated that She would like to go on with all the country gifts that evening! The pendal broke into thunderous applause as the program continued with Mother pleased beyond anything seen before. And then this happened again, and we went into a third round of gift giving!

Mother's presence was almost 7.30p to 11p local time.

China comments, not exact:

Handicraft and handmade goods are great in china. In this country
(Italy) you can buy a lot of Chinese silk, but in china you cannot get
it! [laughter]

It (production.of artistic and handicrafts) should all come back
through sy. There is no demand for nonsensical things.

As communists you can progress if you understand what is important(to
manufacture), and that you can produce. You have so many things you
can develop, handi craft.

I am very much for handicrafts' but people have lost faith for handi
crafts. But if you make it in your country, they wil buy here at a
good price.

Make artistic things. Handi crafts.

I've been in china twice. Very nice people, very good character.
Should take to something artistic, that's very important.

The rest of the gifts continue without audible comments. However, Her
keen interest in all gifts and presenting countries is evident.

Ganesha Puja in Cabella Part 3/4

Sunday, Puja day afternoon

The camp slipped into a happy sahaja panic at 3PM, when news came of puja being at 5PM, about right now. (noonish in usa).

We were away in the clouds of camp daglio, where an American yogini gave us first timers a comprehensive walk down the memory lane of children at Camp Daglio. We hurried back at a slow pace stopping to admire mother's house before coming back to camp cabella. Now settled in the pendal we await the beginning of puja.

Turning off my phone, much love and happy puja wishes to our USA family.