AHYMSIN Full Moon Illuminations - June 2023

AHYMSIN Full Moon Illuminations - June 2023

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Annual 40-Days Spiritual Festival

~ Plan now for what spiritual improvements you will make
in the next 40-days, in the next one year, in the next five years...

Each summer during the 40 days that precede Guru Purnima, sadhakas are invited to participate in the 40-Day Spiritual Festival, to expand and refine one’s sadhana.

In 2023, the 40-Day Spiritual Festival will begin on 25th May and will end on 3rd July, which is Guru Purnima.

These 40 days are celebrated wherever you are.

40-days-Spiritual-Festival

We are all here for a purpose; it is an on-going spiritual process. We are all here for spiritual liberation and serving that mission. For that purpose we are purifying ourselves of our pride and ego. For these reasons we train ourselves in constant self-observation: to see oneself, to hear oneself to develop this internal dialogue. I have used one criterion for all my thoughts, my words, and my actions: ‘Is this conducive to spiritual liberation.’” – Swami Veda Bharati

It is a time to contemplate (and talk with others about) the many ways you can participate.

In reviewing the guidelines and making your own commitments, please keep in mind your own capacity. Success with a series of smaller goals will lead to greater purification and capacity for next year. Assess your own capacity and do not try to push to complete “on time.” Accommodate for your family responsibilities.

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30 Goals for 30 Days

~ Swami Rama

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Even the worse experiences in the world can teach you something. Sometimes, however, even the best experiences in the world cannot teach you because you are not ready, and you have not prepared yourself. You should work with yourselves constantly, and remember that you are working with yourself.

You should develop thirty goals for thirty days, and pick one goal for each day. Practice this yourself, it is a very simple thing. For example, you may decide that today you are not going to lie. That does not mean that you will redouble your lies tomorrow, but rather, that today your whole thinking process is about this: that you are not going to lie. You never claim that you will be able to speak the total Truth, but simply decide that you are not going to consciously lie.

Then, the next day, you may resolve, “I will not be unkind to anyone,” and the day that you decide to do that, everything challenging will come to you. You decide, “I will not lie,” and suddenly many occasions will present themselves that you could lie. This happens because you are trying to conquer your nature, the part of your nature that you have built unconsciously for a long time. All your actions in life have unconscious results, as if you are digging a hole and therefore making a heap of dirt somewhere else, but you do not understand that. Suddenly, when you stop digging the hole, you discover that you have created both a heap and a hole.

The day that you resolve, “I will love everyone and not hate anyone today,” you will find that all your enemies are coming to you. They come via telephone calls, or in letters, or you may hear someone talking about you. Once, when I was young, this happened to me and I became very upset. Someone had written something very nasty to me, and my Master noticed and asked me what has happened to me. He used to tell me that I was like mercury, so he called me “Thermometer.” He said, “Thermometer, what has happened?”

I said, “Look at this nasty letter.”

He replied, “Do you want to become more nasty yourself by replying to it in a nasty way? That is not the way to deal with it; read the letter six times, and eventually you will not find anything nasty in it.” And that happened: I read, reread, and reread the letter again, and my Master told me not to reply to it immediately, so I waited, and then six days later I replied to it very calmly.

When you become accustomed to witnessing certain things in yourself, you may still feel bad, but you do not feel so very bad, and if something good happens, then you do not feel so incredibly good. You can develop the habit of being more balanced, or of losing your destructive sensitivity and reactivity to both positive and negative things.

If you adopt thirty points to work on for thirty days, mark them on your calendar and do not tell anyone what you are doing. Just watch the calendar, and see what you have accomplished in thirty days’ time. The point is not, for instance, whether you have lied or not lied: it is that you have built your willpower. This is the real process of building willpower. After thirty days, you will conclude, “Yes, I have done what I wanted to do.” But do not choose big principles that you cannot fulfill –that is destructive. Instead, select little things.

If you decide that for one day you will speak very little – only that which is accurate, purposeful, and non-hurting, you may continue to talk to everyone, but in setting this goal you will be building your willpower. After you develop willpower, you will have greater self-confidence.

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Practice for the Next Five Years and
the Rest of Your Life

~ Swami Veda Bharati

For your next five years and for the rest of your life,
whatever mālās you do,
whatever mantras you do,
whatever breathing you do, do continue these, and,

in order to avoid getting trapped by
ego,
vanity,
feeling of power, feeling of position,
feeling of your worldly station – identifying too closely with it, and then dealing with other people on that basis of your assumed station,

to avoid all of that, you need to do these practices as taught in Sadhana in Applied Spirituality.

These are not practices that you do sitting down. These are what you do in your daily emotions,
feelings,
voice quality,
communication,
relationships.

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Invitation to the
Decade of Loving Transformation

~ Swami Ritavan Bharati

Our dear Swamiji has often told us, “One must run one’s life by a spiritual plan.” Swami Ritavan now invites all to engage in listening to the inner call of the Self during our ‘Decade of Loving Transformation’. Swami Ritavan has described the process and purpose of Transition and Transformation, and has lovingly offered the below message to all the AHYMSIN sadhakas world-wide.

Decade-of-Loving-Transformation

Swami Rama has said in “Sadhana, the Path to Enlightenment”, that when a person is on the path of self-transformation (Sadhana), she/he comes in touch with the higher potentials within. Throughout life, the lessons one has learned are a process of refining the personality. This preparation through discipline and practice awakens the inner urge of moksha-enlightenment. The signals for these life-transitions and transformations come in many forms.

For all the students, initiates, and devotees of this great Lineage, who are in the student (Brahmacharya) or householder (Grhastha) stage of their life:

Prepare a spiritual plan for your life. As Swami Veda has said, “Examine your life, examine your choices in life. Plan your spiritual life as you plan your worldly life. You plan for your finances; you plan for your business; you plan for what kind of house you will buy; you plan for what kind of car you will buy; you plan for what kind school you will send your kids to; you plan what kind of clothes you will buy for Christmas or Diwali; [now] plan for your spiritual life.” Plan in your own way, in a very practical way, what you can do out of compassion to purify yourself. You have duties and you have needs for financial earnings.

As Swamiji has said, “During [this] time what can you do spiritually? How much time you can spend? When will you go to a silence retreat? When will you go to an ashram? Which day of the week you will keep half a day of silence? Which particular day of the week you will keep more intensive meditation, will put aside if you are sitting only half an hour maybe on that day of the week you will sit for two hours? Normally that day is either Thursday or a Sunday or full moon day and the day of the new moon or the first day of the lunar fortnight.”

Think about what spiritual texts you want to study in the next 10 years. Which mantras you will have done how many times in the next 10 years. Plan how much japa you will finish in these 10 years. Plan for how you can increase the time you sit for your daily meditation. Take it seriously.

Swamiji has emphasized again and again, the importance of creating a personal spiritual plan, - “The spiritual plan means study, japa, or spiritual practices, silence, reduction of sensuous involvements, calculating them, controlling them. Swami Rama always spoke of four fountains of life. Mastering the sensuality, not abandoning it but mastering it so it will be in your control. Mastering sleep. These are all part of your spiritual plan and the most difficult, emotional purification. Hard job. Your angers, your impatience, your jealously, your vengefulness, your criticizing others, your getting upset all the time over small things. So, which one of your weaknesses you will take in hand and start really observing and controlling them? Some of these carry on all the way through life but at least start on the short term. Include that in your journaling, in your self-analysis.”

For the senior members of AHYMSIN Global Family, those who have been blessed with mantra initiation a long time ago, are getting ready for their aging years…:

Swami Veda has very lovingly guided us, “Plan for when you retire. There is no end to worldly involvements. If you live to be a hundred, you will still be worrying about how you are babysitting your great grandchildren. Enough, done. Serve them, help them, guide them but don’t be so attached. So, what you will do, what spiritual work you will do on yourself.”

To begin this decade of Transitions and Transformation, you may commit to purpose-filled living and request to receive a vow of Vanaprastha for a period of 1,3,5 years or a lifetime period. Please share your contemplations remembering the source of your question can be found within. Share a paragraph of your renunciation-diary with us so that we can share the inspiration as a way of nurturing the call of your inner-self now in your aging years of life.

Your entries on sadhana and life transformations serve a purpose for internal dialogue, reflection, and introspection and can be used to measure one's progress on the spiritual path during this decade-long aspiration and sankalpa. Plan now for what spiritual improvements you will make in the next 10 years. If you need help, we can help. Our goal is to help one in making decisions that form a life-plan and take the next step and enter their stage of life with purpose. Over these coming years, you will be inspired to make choices and decisions with regard to non-attachment, aparigraha, renunciation, and other ways of spiritual progress.

Send your emails to: SwamiRitavanBharati@gmail.com and they will be replied to and if selected for sharing, added to our Decade of Loving Transformation Blog.

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The True Treasure

~ Mokshadeva (Randall Krause)

During the Covid pandemic, I began to order needed items online and have them delivered to my home, so I didn’t have to go out and chance exposure to the virus. But it’s so convenient to order in that I’ve kept the practice up to this day. A lot of parcels come to my home every day.

Each time one comes, for a moment, I feel a flash of excitement: Oh boy, a parcel! Something has come for me! Then I open the parcel and it’s always a letdown: these are just items that I’ve ordered. Yes, they are things I want or need and that are useful. But they don’t bring any fulfillment. Even when the parcel contains something extra special, like a new cellular phone or computer, not even then do I have the anticipated joy.

So, I’ve concluded that those boxes do not and cannot contain what I really want. The reason for this is what I really want is not a thing, nor even the fleeting pleasure that comes from reaching a goal, from eating delicious food, etc. Rather, what I want is complete, unending joy and peace. But where to find that?

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Swami Rama Dhyana Gurukulam
Admissions Open for 2023-24 Session

Gurukulam

We are so delighted to bring this news to you all. We are now able to accept Gurukulam students from our entire global family. Applications are open for the one-year long Gurukulam program that begins on the Vijayadashami (Ashwina Shukla Dashami/Dusshera) 2023, which would be on the 24th October, 2023.

The ‘One-Year Residential Program in the Himalayan Yoga Meditation Tradition’ will harmoniously hold an integrated study and practice of all the paths of yoga, including bhakti, jnana, karma, and raja yoga. The students will be taught the philosophy, science, and practices of hatha yoga, breathing awareness and pranayamas, subtle body relaxations, and meditation. Ancient scriptures including selected Prakarana Granthas, selected sections of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, the Samkhya darshana, and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali will be taught. All students will also be taught Sanskrit and Vedic Chantings.

Medium of Instruction: English
Cost/Fees: A loving and committed heart. Donations/Dakshinas towards one’s stay are welcome.
Eligibility: All seekers, irrespective of religion, nationality, gender, caste, etc. who can commit to a year-long stay at the Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama ashram in Rishikesh, India.
Age Limit: 25-40 Years

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Global Meditation Reminder

Full Moon Meditation
is on 3 June 2023

New Moon Meditation
is on 17 June 2023

Full Moon New Moon

You are invited to sit in meditation for an hour wherever you are, in your home or with friends. Total beginners and longtime practitioners, non-initiates and initiates are welcome. If you cannot sit for the entire hour, sit as long as you are able; as Swami Veda has said, “Let the quietness of the mind continue even after you rise...”

Global Meditations Schedule

Full Moon New Moon

Upcoming Events

~ Specialty Retreats with Senior Teachers

HYT-TTP Level 1 & 2 Retreats with Senior TTP Faculty

Sun Salutations as Worship with Pt Priyadarshan (Pierre Lefebvre)

HYT-TTP Level 1 & 2 Retreats Sun-Salutations-as-Worship

Mauni Amavasya Silence Retreats at SRSG with Swami Ritavan Bharati

Intensive Meditation Retreat with Swami Ritavan Bharati

Mauni-Amavasya-silence-Retreat Intensive-Meditation-Retreat

Entrance to the Subtle Body Retreat with Swami Ritavan Bharati

HYT-TTP Level 1 & 3 Retreats with Senior TTP Faculty

Entrance to the Subtle Body HYT-TTP Level 1 & 3 Retreats

~ Dive Deeper into Philosophy with these Retreats

Life: A Sacred Journey Retreat with Rabindra Sahu

Sacred-Journey

Guru Disciple Relationship with Rabindra Sahu

Art of Spiritual Learning with Rabindra Sahu

Guru-Disciple-Relationship Art-of-Spiritual-Learning

Introduction to the Brahma Sutras with Rabindra Sahu

Art of Joyful Living Retreat with Rabindra Sahu

The-Brahma-Sutras Art-of-Joyful-Living

Navaratri Retreat – Cultivating the Divine Feminine with Swami Ritavan Bharati and Rabindra Sahu

Choosing a Path with Rabindra Sahu

Cultivating-the-Divine-Feminine Choosing-a-path

Narada Bhakti Sutras - Treatise on Love and Surrender with Rabindra Sahu

Navaratri Retreat – Cultivating the Divine Feminine with Swami Ritavan Bharati and Rabindra Sahu

narada-bhakti-sutras Navaratri Retreat – Cultivating the Divine Feminine

~ Retreats for Beginning, Refining, and Advancing in your Practices

What is Yoga? International Yoga Day (IYD) Retreat

Hatha Yoga Retreat: From Movement to Stillness

IYD hatha-yoga More Events

Yours in service, AHYMSIN Office

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