• Table of Contents
  • Kalyana Mitra Lecture #1 by Swami Veda Bharati
  • Svadhyaya by Swami Rama
  • Cultural Activities by SRSG Children by Chandramani
  • Yoga and Science Retreat by Rajah Indran
  • TTP Students' Sangha by Beatrix Dekkers and Jim Fraser
  • The Hazel Diaries V by Roxanne Currie
  • A Labour of Love by Michael Smith
  • Musing by Jyoti Gerlitz
  • The Gifts of Silence by Aditi M Gaur
  • Gayatri Marx, a Dear Friend Moves On by Randall Krause
  • Go-Shala at SRSG Campus by Swami Veda Bharati
  • 2014 Events and Beyond
  • Full Moon Meditation Dates
  • Location of our SRSG ashram
• AHYMSIN Newsletter Archive

A Labour of Love

by Michael Smith

A Report on the Archiving-Publishing Initiative in Minneapolis

[Editor's note: There is a call for volunteer transcribers here.]

Namaste Everyone! 

Here is a brief description about what has happened and is happening with the Minneapolis-based archiving and publication of Swami Veda’s talks. It is only a fraction of what has happened and is happening world-wide, so please look at it as a peek through a keyhole in the door and with apologies for the omissions of the many projects going on and the many people who are contributing

One way of looking publishing would be in a very broad sense, meaning all the steps leading up to formal, marketable publications, such as recording, transcribing, scanning, editing, revising and so forth.

Also included in “publication” would be all of the audios, videos, booklets, books, newsletters, websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook and so forth, not only from AHYMSIN-based people, centers and organizations.

And also included would be all the teaching that has come from the other swamis, pandits and senior teachers in the Himalayan Yoga Tradition.

First, a little history to put everything in context:

In 1969 Swami Veda met Swami Rama and received a very high initiation. In that same year he founded The Meditation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA, and began lecturing to packed houses. Soon afterwards all his lectures were recorded on audio cassettes, and the person in charge was Dan Richey / Pandit Ananta / Swami Ritavan. For hundreds of seminars, during the day, Swami Ritavan managed events, tended to Swami Veda’s needs, and faithfully recorded his lectures onto master cassettes, and then at night – usually all night – made albums with audio cassettes for people. For a major portion of Swami Ritavan’s life (well over 40 years) he has duplicated cassette tapes and digitized audios at night, while everyone else is sleeping. Since that time it has been estimated that about 5,000 hours of talks have been processed – nearly all by Swami Ritavan himself.  Like Hanuman, Swami Ritavan’s devotion and service to his teacher and his Guru has been exceptional. 

Some things to keep in mind as we look at publishing:

• Swami Veda has had hardly any time in his life to sit down and write, so almost all his formal teaching has come through his lectures. These lectures, when transcribed and edited have formed his books.

• Swami Veda’s early talks are immensely valuable and often what he has said in the earlier lectures from the 1970s are as “advanced” and profound as what he has said in recent years.  “The Tradition,” says Swamiji, “does no new thinking.”

• Much of what he has said, and says, in his lectures is not coming from him, as a personality, but from him as a conduit for the Teachings of the Lineage. Sometimes, after a lecture, he does not remember what he said. Such is the Tradition. In a talk in 1989 Swamiji said, “I am personally a very ordinary person, but when I sit on this meditation seat and speak, you had better listen.”

A few significant things which, over the years, have moved the Archiving-Publishing Initiative forward:

• There was a time in the 1970s and 1980s when The Meditation Center people could not keep up with the demand for Swami Veda’s lectures even though there were people working at it 24/7.  Thousands of cassette albums were produced during those years.

• A Home Study Program (HSP) was developed for people who wanted a sequential way to work with meditation and yoga philosophy at home.

• Twenty years of Swami Veda’s talks (1970-1990) were classified and put together in a 75-page in conjunction with the Home Study Program (HSP).  In each of these areas below there are many lectures:

Home Study Program Index

• Cherie Bjustrom, transcribed and edited all of Swami Veda’s 108 commentaries on Patañjali’s Yoga-sutras (1976-1978) along with Swamiji’s revisions to produce what has become perhaps the definitive commentary on the subject. She also transcribed and edited the material for many other books, such as Mantra and Meditation. Also, for over ten years (1986-1996), Cherie transcribed nearly a thousand talks by Swami Veda’s Guru-brother, Swami Nijananda on various spiritual texts. Thirty-four lectures, given by Swami Nijananda in 1991-1992 on the book, Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence, have been published in book form. It contains the essence of Christian theology and stands by itself as a beautiful guidebook to spiritual life.
• Vimala Sandstrom, over a 25-year time span faithfully transcribed hundreds of Swami Veda’s talks. 

It is because of the long-term, sustained effort of Cherie and Vimala that much of Swami Veda’s wisdom is available in writing.  Sadly, neither of these dedicated women is with us in the body now, but as servants of the Guru, they have left a legacy of light and a lesson in love.  

• Since about 2000, the master cassettes of Swami Veda’s talks, thanks to the work of Dan Prideaux, Tom Prideaux, Stephan Hodges and Swami Ritavan, have been digitized. Also the hard copies of old transcriptions have been scanned and digitized. 

So . . . all this is what the Archiving-Publishing Team in Minneapolis is working with at the present time.

What’s happening now?

The Archiving-Publishing Team got started about two years ago. The Team is led by Lila Rucker, who works closely with Stephan Hodges for technical support, and with Swami Ritavan and Michael Smith for information about the archives and what has happened in the past. 

Although transcribing is definitely a major part of its efforts, the Archiving-Publishing Team’s task goes far beyond that, as it is trying to clean-up, transcribe, edit, and eventually organize all of Swami Veda’s lectures. 

If there are current things to transcribe (like Swami Veda’s talks at the 2013 Sangha Gathering) the Team takes those first, but then, when the urgent task is finished, it returns to working with Swami Veda’s talks from 1975 to 1990, most of which were given in Minneapolis at The Meditation Center.

Currently the effort is to edit 274 old transcriptions which were scanned by Tom Prideaux.  Many of these old transcriptions were done on a typewriter. When they went through Tom’s scanner, the letters and formatting sometimes got scrambled, so the task now is to fix up those scans. When they are fixed up, Lila Rucker organizes them into a data base. 

A critical point here is that although all of Swami Veda’s talks have titles, the titles cannot tell people the full extent of what is actually in the lectures — and people will never know the extent of what is contained in the lectures until they are transcribed, summarized and organized. 

So, three of the ultimate goals in the Archiving process would be to (1) transcribe all of Swami Veda’s talks, (2) summarize them, and then (3) supply the lectures with key words so particular topics in the lectures can be easily accessed – all of these steps eventually leading to quality publications (“publications” again in its broadest sense) and a source of revenue to maintain Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama and carry on Swami Rama’s Mission of disseminating the teachings of the Himalayan Masters.

Would you like to join the Team

and help with the editing and transcribing?

Currently there are 26 people who are editing and transcribing from all around the world: Canada, Costa Rica, Hungary, India and the USA, and their task is to clean up the 274 scans from the old typewritten transcripts. If you would like to help, contact Lila Rucker at lrucker@usiwireless.com. She will then send a project to you, which would consist of a scanned document that needs cleaning up along with a photograph of it and sometimes an audio file. Lila will also give you some directions. There might also be a certain talk to transcribe, in which case you would be sent and audio recording.

Joining the Archiving-Publishing Initiative is definitely a winning proposition all the way around: It helps Swami Rama’s Mission by broadcasting the teachings in the Tradition; it helps publicize Swami Veda; it helps maintain SRSG; it helps the people who read or listen to what has been published; and it helps the transcriber/editor.

Invitational Letter (October 4, 2011) from Lila Rucker,

(asking for volunteers to help with editing and transcribing)

Namaste, Dear Friend on the Spiritual Journey,

Our beloved living Tradition needs our assistance. 

When Swami Veda announced that he would soon be going into silence, he also said that there were many of his talks and teachings that were available to the AHYMSIN community, but that it required a sustained effort by his students to get them transcribed and organized. 

There are over 5,000 hours of Swami Veda’s talks which have been recorded.  While some of the material has already been published, the vast majority has been lovingly transcribed yet needs three more levels of “fine tuning” before being sent on for publishing.

This is where you come in.  We need you to join a grand effort so that together we can make available to the world Swamiji’s teachings.  Our joint efforts will be invaluable to the Lineage, Swami Veda, Sadhaka Grama, Yoga teachers, Yoga students and you.  What better way to be of service!

This is what we need.  We have organized three groups.  One group will “clean up” transcripts that have been scanned electronically into editable files.  A second group will receive the cleaned up transcripts, write a summary, and identify key words.  A third group will clarify Sanskrit terms.  The second group will then pull everything together and make recommendations about how best to use each transcription (e.g., audio package, consolidate with other manuscripts for special topical area, stand alone, book, etc., etc.).  With many of us sharing this task, the goal will be accomplished, one transcript at a time.  Where do you see yourself fitting in to the groups? 

To assist, you will need a computer, good word processing skills, a basic knowledge of yoga, and a willingness to make a “do-able” time commitment, keeping your own work schedule in mind.  In addition, the second group will require good summarizing skills and a more advanced knowledge of yoga.  The third group will require all of the above plus knowledge of Sanskrit.  Browse through the attached document, “Guidelines & Procedures for Transcribers,” to get a sense of the project. 

Please let us know if you can join us.  After we hear from you, we would like to call you to touch base with you personally as we start this joint venture together. 

Love, 

Lila Rucker

What team members have said

about their transcribing/editing experience:

•  “I have found many benefits from transcribing Swami Veda's articles, here are few to name: Not only, do I feel privileged to have the opportunity to read and edit an unpublished article, they have also served as great companion early in the morning when I want to center myself before starting my work day and there are themes and advice that stay with me during my hectic day and give me broader perspective. I also feel Swamiji's presence, as if he is talking to me. I have learned more about yoga, meditation, Sanskrit and their historical aspects. If you are inclined to make a contribution, I would highly recommend transcription project as an option. I have found it to be a win-win experience.”
• “It has been a special privilege to be able to help a little bit with the Transcription Project. Being able to read and listen to such wonderful lectures by Swami Veda, and our other knowledgeable teachers has touched my life in so many ways. Sometimes it comes as wonderful inspiration, and sometimes it's the "kick in the pants" I may have needed to keep me going LOL. One special privilege was to be able to transcribe one of Margo (Maya) Balog's last lectures. She was phenomenal and sorely missed. We have such wonderful teachers in the Tradition that work tirelessly to help keep us inspired. The Transcription Project is such a wonderful way to stay connected. The benefits are exponential. They are such a great reminder of how to practice this beautiful philosophy very simply every day.”
• “At the 2013 Sangha we were each asked to sign up for a service area that reflects our passion: for me this is the publishing group and so I was assigned to the Transcription Project. I love writing and editing so much that I chose journalism for my career.  But I would want to do this labor of love—helping to bring all of Swami Veda’s lectures and publications to modern electronic format by editing old transcriptions—whether seva was asked of me or not, because it is a joy and a privilege to have such access to Swamiji’s wisdom. It’s like a free education in all the things I most want to know, or like having a personal visit with him every day. I also learned a few new skills, such as how to transcribe from old voice recordings using modern technology, and sharpened up some old ones like the rules of grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. Anybody can do this work, at least at the level I am working which is called “clean-up” of the old files, and I heartily recommend it. While doing seva is not really supposed to reward the doer, in this case I have gained far more than I have given.”
• “The transcription project has allowed me to learn from Swamiji's lectures as well as refresh my understanding of the philosophy that underlies our tradition. I have found that I try and get more clarifications by further reading on certain aspects of the lecture that were not clear to me and thereby get more involved with my practice. After finishing a transcription, I am always eager to work on the next one as it is a rewarding experience and I would encourage others to get involved.”

ADDENDA:

At the 2013 Sangha Gathering on March 5th there was a meeting of people interested in publishing:

Coordinators

• Lalita Arya (SRSG / USA)
• Bhola Shankar Dabral (SRSG)
• Jay Prakash Bahuguna (SRSG)
• Michelle Kinsey (Canada)
• Michael Smith (USA)

Translators / Transcribers / Editors

• Caroline Thomazeau (France) 
• Susi Stefanini (Italy)
• Daniele Belloni (Italy)
• Litsa Martzoukov (Greece)
• Dowlat Budhram (Costa Rica)
• Veena Maitra (India)
• Shi Hong (China)
• John Gage (USA)
• Nancye Belding (USA)

Publishing Process / E-Books / Graphic Design

• Dowlat Budhram (Costa Rica)
• Jim Whiting (USA)

Discussion Items:

• The Publication Process as seen by Dowlat Budhram (criterion, logos, costs, etc.)
• Steps to Publication (Books, Audios, Videos). Present “Guidelines”
• Translating — Which book has priority in Greece, France, Italy?    Night Birds?
• Constructing a Common Data Base between SRSG & The Meditation Center (USA).
• Archiving, Categorizing, Summarizing, Referencing, Retrieval, Generating Key Words etc.
• Editing, Cleaning up Scans, Basic Editing, Revising for Publication, Sanskrit/Hindi.
• Access to digitized transcripts and MP3 audios though Email, Dropbox etc.
• Basic Work Presently — SRSG: Publishing through AHYMSIN Publishers.
• USA: Archiving, Cleaning up old manuscripts, AHYMSA audios.
• Keeping regular communication so as to help each other and not to duplicate efforts.
• Possible communication between Dowlat, James & Wesley van Linda about publishing formats.

Since this meeting there have been four developments:

• Lalita Arya is looking into which of Swami Veda’s published works might be translated into French, Greek and Italian.
• Lila Rucker has the names and Email addresses of transcriber-editors: John Gage, Nancye Belding, Veena Maitri, and Dowlat Budhram for on-going work.
• Wesley van Linda has been given Email addresses for Jim Whiting and Dowlat Budhram for possible conversations about graphics and publishing.
• Swami Veda’s 10 lectures from the 2013 Sangha Gathering have been transcribed along with David Frawley’s lecture on March 5th.

Where do we go internationally from here?

A possible start:

There are undoubtedly a lot of things going on internationally with publications, but the people involved do not know what is going on with other publication groups. The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.  The suggestion has been made to have more C’s: That is, more Communication, Cooperation, Coordination and Collaboration.  It would be good to have a monthly AHYMSIN PUBLISHING/ARCHIVING NEWLETTER to let everyone who’s involved in transcribing/editing/archiving/publishing know what’s happening in other places so we can

1. Make sure not to duplicate efforts and also
2. Help each other with particular projects

Steps:

1. Find out who’s involved in publishing.
2. Contact everyone involved and ask them to send a short Email to an AHYMSIN Newsletter coordinator and tell her/him what they’re doing.
3. Every few months, the coordinator could collect all the responses and present it in the AHYMSIN NEWSLETTER.

Editor’s Notes:

Transcripts of Swami Veda’s lectures at the 2013 Sangha Gathering can be found at: http://ahymsin.org/main/swami-veda-bharati/swami-veda-bharati-s-lectures-at-the-2013-sangha-gathering.html

A list of “Standard Reading List: Self-Study Readings, Recordings and Videos of Swami Rama and Swami Veda Bharati” can be found at http://ahymsin.org/main/himalayan-tradition/standard-reading-list.html

In addition to publishing books and booklets, AHYMSIN Publishers has been working to present audio materials of Swami Veda Lectures; please see http://www.ahymsin.org/docs2/News/1305May/02.html

Audios are available for download at http://swamiveda.com/ 

Audios of both Swami Rama and Swami Veda are available for download at CD Baby;

Swami Rama at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SwamiRama and Swami Veda at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SwamiVedaBharati

CD’s and DVD’s are also available at the online bookstore of The Meditation Center http://www.themeditationcenter.org/jnana/index.php? And at http://www.yogaineurope.eu/store/

Some books and articles have been translated into a variety of languages including German, Hungarian, Chinese, Korean, Hindi, Italian, and Thai.