From 16 to 28 March, Swami Veda visited Holland for a series of events. There was a two-day International Congress on Cultural Diversity, a Yoga Youth and Children’s gathering and a Retreat on “Meditations from the Upanishads”. There were also some interviews and television recordings made during the children’s retreat.

During the retreat a foundational Ahymsin-meeting Europe was held, to which eight countries with 16 members participated and contributed.

The Hague Dialogues

Swamiji’s visit to Holland started with a conference “The Hague Dialogues”
in the Hague. The theme was “Cultural Diversity as Catalyst for Citizenship,
Creativity and Communication – enabling sustainable lifestyles”.
Swami Veda went into a lively dialogue with other distinguished speakers like quantum physicist, Dr. Amit Goswami.

Swami Veda and Prof. Amit Goswami (Quantum physicist)

Yoga Youth and Children’s retreat

On Saturday, March 21, Swamiji’s focus was on teaching the first steps of the spirituality of the Himalayan sages to children and young people. The location was a spacious sports hall in The Hague.

Swami Veda is very keen about getting the next generations involved in authentic yoga.  He says: “If we populate the next generation with children who know compassion, love and the art of caring for others, we will have given the world a great gift.”

For this reason, he plans a children’s and youth retreat in his Rishikesh Ashram in the Christmas holiday time of December 2011.Swamiji’s interest in teaching children is not new. Yearly family retreats are a well established tradition in the Minneapolis Meditation Centre. About 90 children and teenagers attended the seminar.

They were split up into 2 groups. Uta and Shailendra guided the very young in the ‘animal- asanas’. It was great fun watching 4 and 5 year old children going into the lion’s pose accompanied with a lot of terrifying roars at the end or stretching out into the position of the cat. It is a great strategy to use items from the natural world to get children into yoga.

As a group, the opening and the closing of a huge flower were imitated. Another yoga game was letting the children run free until Uta signaled to stop. Then they had to stand really still and observe their deep breathing.

For the adolescents, the approach was more high tech and cognitive with a Power point presentation on the basics of yogic living.

And then there was Swami Veda. Entering the hall unobtrusively, he sat quietly on his seat. Spontaneously, children started to come up to him. He put them on his lap and sprinkled them with drops of water and rose petals.

Gently Swamiji covered them with his meditation blanket. Then, the tone shifted to one of deep quietude as he whispered the first mantra into the right ear of each child. Of course, they each recieved some goodie when their turn was over. It was simple, profound and very moving.

Swamiji also thanked the parents for granting him the joy of having their small ones for 30 seconds on his lap. He said this is one of his greatest satisfactions.

Swami Ritavan told me that the children were not supposed to sit regularly in meditative posture while reciting the sacred sound they received. But since children like to imitate, whenever they see mommy or daddy meditating, they might crawl on to the lap and be gently touched by the serene mind-field of their quiet parent.

In his talk, Swami Veda stressed the huge responsibility of the parents in educating their children.  He said that the training of the child starts 3 years before the actual conception. The couple, especially the mother, has to prepare for the being that would share the body as well as the emotional and mental states of the mother-to-be for 9 months. The age up to 5 is also very important. Children are extremely sensitive. They react to disharmony and restlessness; in a way, they are the mirrors of their parents’ emotional ups and downs. After the fifth birthday, the process of educating is over…

The retreat started with Swami Veda’s 76th  birthday celebration

A quiet, dignified monastery near the Belgian border, that once belonged to the friars of Saint-Franciscus, was the setting of an international retreat with Swami Veda.
The theme was ‘Meditations from the Upanishads’.

When we arrived, attendants from all over Europe started checking in, their joy and laughter lighting up the dark alleys of the convent.

Organizer Willem Meijer spoke warm words of welcome at the beginning of Swami Ritavan’s opening session.

It was party-time tonight! The 24th of March is indeed the birthday of Swami Veda and we had to prepare for it! Quite a few came in well prepared: groups from Florence, Athens and the Dutch Surinam community had been already through numerous rehearsals of their cultural birthday gift to their teacher

                              
Swami Veda’s entrance in the old chapel where the celebration was held was a feast for the eye and the ear. Flower petals were showered on him while a Vedic shloka wishing him a healthy life span of 100 years was chanted.

Swamiji was blossoming. He thanked everybody for such a hearty welcome.

The cultural programme started with Swamiji reading some of his poems in English. Afterwards, Margriet read her skillful Dutch translations.

With these readings, the muses goddesses were awakened and would not leave us alone until the end of the evening.
The Italian group presented a classical dance led by a professional ballerina and they all, person by person, proclaimed a part of a message of love they had for Swamiji.
The dance seamlessly integrated a joints and glands sequence into a stunning classical dance. All were visibly moved.

 

Greece would not live up to its great heritage if it would come up with something mediocre. Luckily, we were not disappointed. The Greek ladies presented Swami with a cappella part-singing which was a medley of classical Greek folk songs and they sang without the slightest false note or tremble in their voices. So beautiful.

With the Indian Surinam community we were in for a big surprise. Apart from a joyous folk song they came with a recent CD recording of patriotic songs in Surinam Hindi, written decades ago by a young pandit who is presently known as Swami Veda!
A mixed Holland- Mumbai bhajan band brought the evening to a grand finale with Hindu bhajans and a Moslem chant. When Swamiji returned to his room, he took the flower petals from the ground and scattered them joyfully on the heads of those standing nearby….

RETREAT  “MEDITATIONS FROM THE UPANISHADS”

The retreat was a real European get together, with 100 participants from 8 countries.

(not everybody is in the photo, the other half were taking the pictures)

The Isavasya Upanishad: a series of workshops by Wolfgang Bisschoff

In the first afternoon session, Swami Ritavan gave an introduction to the Upanishads Many of the students may have been aware of the conventional translation of the term  Upanishad.
Swami Ritavan did not object to the definition of upa :’nearest’, ‘ni’: ‘down, or at the proper place’ and ‘sad’: ‘that which makes you reach out to know’, i.e. the teacher.
So, the popular translation of the word Upanishad is ‘sitting very near down at the feet of a knowing one’.

However, as Swami Ritavan explained, the oral tradition of the Masters comes with a different explanation:

                                     upa: ‘coming very close in one’s mind’,                                      ni: ‘the Totality’,
                                     shad: ‘to loosen, to let go’

This shows how the Himalayan tradition provides us with a yogic definition of the term.

Studying the Upanishads implies coming very close with a receptive mind to the Totality by loosening up all tensions and blockages and letting go of attachments and habit patterns.

And thus we were warned: Upanishad means practice. For this reason, we started the days with stretching, exercises for the joints and the endocrine system and yoga asanas.

In the morning before workshops, Swami Veda led us through his unique guided meditations, introducing some special kriyas of focus and relaxation. Like the children who were covered by his meditation shawl, we were enveloped by his serenity which made the hour fly by.

For his first class, Wolfgang Bischoff gathered us intimately around him. To make our minds calm and open, Wolfgang taught a two minute exercise which has even proven efficient all around the world in the down-to-earth professional meetings he supervises.

Afterwards, in eloquent Sanskrit, Wolfgang started to recite the invocation and the 18 verses of the Isavasya Upanishad. Since the Upanishads are shruti, ‘that what is heard’, their full value can only be evoked by reciting them out loud. As such, this practice becomes a part of svadhyaya, the study of the Self according to Patanjali. Soon, we were reciting with him. Afterwards, an English translation of the text was read out.

In his explanations, Wolfgang linked the vibration and the content of this small text to the present economic crisis. “Reciting and studying this text is a great antidote to fear”, he said. He advised us to regularly read the mantras to see which verses really reverberate within us.

The anonymous sage of this Upanishad experiences how everything is covered or permeated by Divinity. Nothing belongs really to us. So he advises us to ‘enjoy with renunciation.’ Doing these first verses provides us already with a perspective and a practice to proceed through life.

The Isavasya Upanishad is a text full of paradoxes.

“That (the Self) moves and moves not. That is far of and very near. That is inside all and outside all” (verse5).

“Those who worship avidya (ignorance) enter into blinding darkness, but into even greater darkness enter they who are engaged in vidya( knowledge).(verse 9)

These are just two examples. Off course one can delve into the multiple commentaries starting with Shankara and up to Swami Rama but, like with a Zen koan, the true insight has to rise up from the depths of our meditative minds.

Wolfgang is a great storyteller.

One afternoon he disclosed us how his master broke his selfish arrogance so that he could be open and more receptive. Swami Rama had urgently asked him to come over to his ashram in Rishikesh for an extremely important mission. Upon arriving, Wolfgang, who really felt very important, was promptly told that he was really needed to paint the 15m high walls of the Ashram. Wolfgang painted for 9 long months…but once the job was done, he was able to put his brushes aside with a less turbulent mind and a more humble attitude…

The Mandukya Upanishad – a series of workshops by Swami Ritavan

Years ago, when I had my first experience with the way Swami Ritavan guided his classes into profound depths of relaxation and into the exploration of our prana and mental bodies, I was wonderstruck by the magic that seems to happen when one allows him to be the navigator of one’s inner dimensions.

Only now I became aware that he was skillfully presenting the first steps of the experiential wisdom of the Mandukya Upanishad.

This Upanishad is the shortest of all, but possibly the most profound. It is one of the key texts of the Himalayan lineage. In his commentary on it, Swami Rama agrees with the traditional conclusions which hold that the practice of the vidya of this brief text suffices to reach enlightenment.

Its name mandukya alludes to the immobility of a frog. As we all know, meditation practice starts with stillness and stability of the body.

Mandukya is a meditation on the states of consciousness which correlate with the 3 matras or sounds of AUM, leading to the amatra of transcendental consciousness.

By his 32 points shavayatra and other practices like shitali karana, Swami Ritavan led us to a conscious exploration of taijasa, the lucid dream state and brought us to the borders of prajna, deep sleep. It was a pity that time did not allow him to open up the further reaches of yoga nidra, conscious sleep.

It is a great help that his masterful guidance on the Mandukya Upanishad is recorded on MP3- CD.

Swami Veda’s Lectures on some Upanishadic gems

Swami Veda started his first class with a comment about the academic approach to Upanishadic study.  “It is not possible to set dates, there are so many different styles of language within one Upanishad. They come from the rishis, the founders of Brahma Vidya, the Wisdom of the Absolute.”

To be able to understand the perspective of those seers, one has to contemplate the infinity of the physical universes. Swami Veda used the concept of anantkoti
Brahmanda, translated by him as “trillions upon trillions of universes each with its own space-time-causation warp.”

Our teacher said that one can only rise to the level of Brahmavidya, “when one walks in this consciousness, the consciousness that anantkoti Brahmanda fills only the tip of a needle in the vast Ocean of Brahman.”

Now the moment was right for Swami Veda to open his treasure chest, a huge volume of Upanishadic texts. True to the traditional approach, Swami Veda would first chant the verses before translating them.

He started to sing the first verses of the Isavasya Upanishad. From Wolfgang we had heard that the word isavasya stands for ‘that what is covered by the Lord’; but Swami presented us right away with a glimpse of his profound scholarship: he gave us the following alternative translation: ‘that which carries God’s fragrance.’
He relates the term to the yogic concept of vasya –vasana: ‘the smell of the inclinations of your mind’ as well as the well known word for Divinity vasu-deva.
(In his discourse on the final evening, Swami Veda spoke about another sensory metaphor for the Absolute which we find in these ancient texts: raso vaisaha (Brihad Aranyaka  Upanishad)  meaning ‘Brahman is Sweetness incarnate.’

The maxim “Enjoy the world with renunciation” implies the art of giving. “Gather with a 100 hands, scatter with a thousand hands. Don’t have greed, don’t hang on to things!” was Swamiji’s practical lesson on this verse.

Then Swamiji turned to the well know story from the Katha Upanishad of the young Nachiketas who was given to Yama, the Ruler of death by his angry father.
Upon arriving, the boy had to wait 3 nights and days before Yama returns because as we all know but seldom ponder about, Death is very busy.

In ‘Life, Here and Hereafter’, Swami Rama’s commentary on this text, he links this part of the story with the traditional preparation for sannyas where the candidate may be asked to spend 3 days and nights at the burning ghats.

Swami Veda says it describes an important landmark in one’s spiritual evolution.
As is it illustrated in the well known story of Ramana Maharshi’s awakening, the advanced disciple is led to the conscious experience of dying.

When Yama returned, he felt very sorry for his lack of hospitality. To make up for this grave transgression, Nachiketas could ask for three boons.

Swami Veda explained that all three boons were very important.

The first boon which was granted was to take the anger away from his father.
Swamiji emphasized that one cannot tread the path of higher knowledge until everyone you know is happy with you! Not only your own anger, but another person’s anger as well can block your growth.

The second boon is highly esoteric. Nachiketas asked death for the knowledge of the Fire that leads to heaven but that, in the same time, is also the support of the universe.

Swami Veda commented that, basically, the Upanishads teach two paths: the way to the Transcendent Brahman beyond space-time and the route to Cosmic Knowledge which is the wisdom of the Virat Purusha, the Divine presence in and as the universe. Swamiji said that this same knowledge of Virat Purusha was imparted by Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield. Everything is a manifestation of Fire and there are identities between the Fires in the human microcosm and the universe, like the Fire in the sun. The technology to harness these Fires was very advanced in Vedic times. Homa-kundas were built in certain geometrical shapes and with specific numbers of bricks.

“Fire offerings are gateways to Cosmic Knowledge. By using the sacraments of fire, one can control spaces, times and get all siddhis. It is a science which is related to the ‘fires’ and the ‘bricks’ which were there at the beginning of the universe. ”

Most of this sacred knowledge of the fire altars which represent cosmic patterns is now lost. However, as Swamiji said:”If you jump to the higher knowledge, the lower knowledge will also come. One who has knowledge of Brahman will also get the knowledge of Virat on its macro -and micro levels and with all its vibrations.”

The next evening Swami Veda chose not to delve into the third boon. Instead, he
opened up the Kena Upanishad.

“Sent out by whom does this mind fly out….”
Swamiji recited and translated all those verses which point to the Mystery of the Self as the support and activator of all our faculties.

But the true knowledge of this mystery will only come in a kshana. Swamiji defined a kshana as an infinitesimal short span of time. So this ‘flash’ of knowledge is intuitional and can only come to a completely silent, pacified, focused mind. “Only such a mind can become a gateway to Infinity.”

Swamiji gave quite some attention to the second chapter of the text. In the ongoing ‘star wars’ between the Forces of Light and the Forces of Darkness, the Shining Beings won due to the help of Brahman. However they became puffed-up and thought it was all there own doing. Brahman decided to teach them a lesson. He took the form of a yaksha, an ethereal being,

The nature spirit was holding up a little straw. Neither the god of Fire was able to burn it, nor the god of Wind could blow it. When Indra, king of gods, who according to Swamiji represents the individual soul approached the yaksha, he disappeared. So Indra became humiliated as well. Then the Divine Mother appeared revealing to Indra that it was Brahman who was behind the drama. Uma, the Goddess, disclosed the truth of Brahman in relation to the powers of nature and man.

Swami Veda tried to bring home the grandeur of Brahman.”Brahman is satchidananda. This doesn’t mean that Brahman has the qualities of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss but that these make out his very being. So, don’t imagine the infinite bliss that we may be able to taste as knowing Brahman. It is only an experience of our anandamaya kosha, our sheath of bliss. This is only a minuscule fraction of the Ananda Brahman. It is like equating the taste of the orange juice left over in the pulp with the real juice in the glass. We have to be ambitious and go for the real juice. Brahman is ‘bhuma’, a Plenitude in which any concept of smallness cannot appear.”

With these magnificent words, Swami Veda sent us into the night…

On the final day, there was room for a lively question-and-answer session.

Following one of the questions which was related to an experience of a lady during the seminar, Swamiji concluded with a meditation whereby he guided us to enter the Cave of the Heart where we could pay mental homage the Divinity shining within.

I am sure that all participants, one way or other, got what they came for, or even more: a glimpse of the purnam, the Fullness in which everything abides.

This report seems rather lengthy but it is not. I was only able to give a few highlights from the profound satsangs that were given.

Meeting and greeting each other at the AHYMSIN Europe sessions

Apart from the full schedule that also included an in-depth analysis of the mantra science of the Himalayan tradition, an exposé on the historical context of the Vedic civilization, a session on the right way of sitting to practice meditation and a class on Ayurveda by an Italian professional vaidya, some of us gathered together after lunch in a ‘meet-and-greet’ session.

With the encouragement of Swami Veda, Willem Meijer organized these meetings where teachers and students from 8 countries gathered together. Attendants presented themselves; they spoke of their experiences, viewpoints and aspirations.

The sessions were quite intensive. All shared the need and the vision of establishing a strong and professional structure to disseminate the wisdom of the Himalayan Tradition through Swami Veda and his coworkers.

The participants were asked to put their ideas on cards. The following day, Sonia Van Nispen gathered the cards according to issues. This exercise in mind-mapping proved quite successful: it took Sonia 7 full pages to write a résumé of all proposals.

The report will be published on a website. The ideas and inspirations will serve as seeds to be nourished by all of us.

Yearly European conferences in a retreat setting will be organized where we will meet again and bring initiatives into manifestation.