Swami Veda’s first three public lectures in Trinidad took place at very different venues but his powerful message was the same. The common thread of course was “meditation.” At all three lectures, the practicum set the tone. At the Chinmaya Mission, there was a very large crowd. As Swamiji entered, we all saw that the audience was fully participating as Savitri led gentle stretches and postures with breath-awareness. At the University of the West Indies, Swamiji’s topic of “Unifying Streams in Religion” was very well received. As he went through a series of examples of how similar the important themes are, there were nods of assent and smiles from the audience
At the Raja Yoga Center, Swamiji voiced his observation that he was very happy to see changes in Trinidad and that members of the community seemed more spiritually aware. He congratulated all on the progress made on that quest. In his opening remarks, he wished that in this very life all come to personally know God. Swamiji’s lecture was so philosophical, poetic and inspiring!
After the first three public lectures finished, there was a beautiful dinner on the balcony of the Raja Yoga Center in San Fernando. Sister Hemlata and all of the Brothers and Sisters 
were so gracious, warm and welcoming and happy to be able to host Swamiji. Everyone in Swamiji’s group received a little book of thoughts and affirmations.
On Friday, September 11th, there will be a Symposium entitled Wanam: Traditions in Conversation. The book launch is hosted by the Dept. of Behavioural Sciences at UWI. There will be three panels each of four members and a moderator. The first panel represents the voice of academics and the second panel represents the voice of women. The third panel represents the voice of religious practitioners. The book launch for Wanam will be on Saturday 12th September. These events have been widely publicized in the local newspapers. Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo and a group of 16 arrived from Guyana for the Book Launch today. Swamiji was very pleased that Guyana is represented.
Everyone tries to ensure that Swamiji takes as much rest as possible. Today, Thursday is supposed to be a rest day but we are expecting two separate but short interviews from the press, and also for the Indian High Commissioner, who also served in Mauritius before, to visit, possibly for dinner. Tomorrow, it is planned that Swamiji would see the Bird Sanctuary so we are all looking forward to this.
Aunt Dolly is busy in the kitchen today making black eye soup (here it is called sancoach and has black eye peas but in Guyana it is called metagee), boiled corn and fresh vegetables. Yesterday she made dumplings from whole wheat flour and the day before she made the delectable ‘bake’ which Swamiji enjoyed very 
much. The milky drinks are the highlight of his day especially the soursop and babbadeen. The milk is so fresh that thick cream forms after being boiled
As always, this link should take you to the pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Preadarshni/
Trinidad09#5378492902061020882
In Service,
Priya
Editor’s note:
Personal Reflections by Priya
Experience the wonder and mystery of India through tours and pilgrimages arranged by SRSG staff. Trips include a stay at SRSG to learn about the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition, the practice and benefits of pilgrimage and cultural sensitivity. These journeys are designed to not only expose participants to new places and people but to create an opportunity for individual insights and spiritual experiences.
I live on a small island called Mauritius, situated in the Indian Ocean off the East coast of Madagascar and East Africa. The population of Mauritius is a melting pot of all the races and religions of the world.
The theme of the month-long July programming sponsored by The Meditation Center was “The Song of Silence.” It included our own HYT-TTP and a Prana Vidya course. These courses allowed the Level 1 and the 200 hour students to complete their contact hours required for their certifications. Among the other events that the TTP students attended were the VERY well attended Yoga Nidra weekend with Swami Veda and the Interfaith Spiritual Weekend.
Students and Faculty
This summer, for five days, three hours a day, ten excited young yogis and yoginis from across the Twin Cities attended the first TMC yoga camp in the Center’s stately brick building in Northeast Minneapolis, Minnesota (
finished at six in the evening.
and my friend, Dr. David Frawley (who was also accompanying me), for a brief “darshan.” After a few moments, he fixed his hypnotic gaze on me and said, “You should meet Swami Veda.” The meeting was over with these words. He asked someone to bring us both to Swami Veda.
clue about this vision. I also had no clue about the big king cobra who greeted me, standing eye to eye ten feet away, when I first went to see this land.
The “few minutes” stretched to a couple of hours, and then a couple more hours at dinner that night. The next day I was blessed to receive my initiation. The connection from the past life was re-established. I again found my Lama.
Before his departure from the Ashram in May, Swamiji asked all students and ashramites to visit three special places in the mountains to practice silence and deepen their sadhana. They were: Tarkeshwar, Vasishtha Cave and Kalimath.
go for our sadhana after the end of the main tourist season. The only noises disturbing the silence were the occasional beats of the local traditional drums and the soft roaring of the Kali Ganga River flowing right behind our rooms.