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| AHYMSIN NEWSLETTER, ISSUE - December 2017 | ||||||||
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Mauni Amavasya[Editor's note: Updated from this article from 2016. See below for additional references.] Mauni Amavasya (Silence Day) is an annual observance. The observation of Silence Day is a practice that Swami Veda Bharati invited us to practice. It is observed wherever you are.
Swamiji wrote:There is an annual silence day in the traditions of India. It is called Mauni Amavasya. Mauni means ‘of or for silence’, and amavasya means ‘no-moon day.’ It occurs on the no-moon day of the Maagha month in the Hindu calendar when sun and moon are both supposed to enter the sign of Capricorn (makara rashi). It is held in the tradition as the day when Manu, the Archetypal Man first appeared on earth; he wedded Shata-roopa (She of a Hundred Beautiful Forms) and generated humankind. ...Whether you accept the story or Manu or not, we do need to institute a day of silence every year. On the other hand, if you prefer to be true to some western tradition you may research if there was a day sacred to Harpokrates, the Greek god of silence whose statues have been found as far away as the Gandhara country (present day Afghanistan). Harpokrates was derived from the Egyptian god Harpa-khruti, the child Horus, representing the daily new born sun, the source of light. Of course, there is an amplitude of Christian saints who have taught silence and there are numerous monasteries of various orders dedicated to silence. ...I would like many of my friends to set aside at least one day to share the silence with me just as you have shared the full moon day for an hour each month for more than a decade now. ...If you plan from now, you can arrange your worldly affairs in such a way that they do not interfere with your one-day vow of silence. On that day, no driving (except for emergencies), no TV, no conversation, just self-observation, contemplation, japa and learning (1) to give love in silence while (2) learning to love silence. May I ask all our swamis, initiators, spiritual advisers, teachers, centre leaders to kindly popularize this concept and take this year to prepare the people to undertake this one-day vow of silence. Motto for All Future Silence Days by Swami Veda Bharati Motto for all future silence days (from some old lecture of mine):
The second Sanskrit sutra here is left untranslated to keep it secret. Those who are true practitioners will find out and learn. Many sadhakas say: I am anyway silent most of the day. However, it is not silence if you are silent because you just happen to be alone! Silence is silence when you have the intention, make the sankalpa, to keep a spiritual silence and then your mind is filled with spiritual contemplation and mantra, whether sitting, eating, bathing, lying down or running. Mauni Amavasya Retreats at SRSGThere will be Mauni Amavasya Silence Retreats 7th - 16th January 2018 or 16th - 25th January 2018 at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG), in Rishikesh, India. Swami Radha Bharati will be the Silence Guide for these retreats. Come for either 10 days or 20 days. Please plan to arrive a couple of days before the starting date and plan to stay at least one day after the silence retreat. This is with approval of the silence guide. Approval for the full 10 or 20 days of silence may be contingent upon prior systematic silence practice and/or experience in the basic practices of the Himalayan Tradition. Contact ahymsin@ahymsin.org Editor's Note:More history of this day in the original article "Silence Day 2013" by Swami Veda here. A Chinese translation here.
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The Himalayan Tradition of Yoga MeditationPurification of Thoughts Dhyana Mindfulness Japa Dharana Shavasana Breath Awareness Qualified Preceptor Guru Disciple Relationship Unbroken Lineage Silence Full Moon Meditation Copyright © 2009-2017 by AHYMSIN ® |
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