As our week at Shanti Mandir comes to an end, there have been many wonderful experiences. Each day of the week is devoted to a different expression of ritual worship and Friday in particular is dedicated to the Divine Feminine. Appropriately, the morning session included a ritual of invocation and gratitude to the Shri Yantra, the geometric representation of the Divine Feminine in Her form known as Tripura Sundari (the splendor of the three worlds), or alternately, Lalita.
The Shri Yantra is a complex and very esoteric sacred geometric form that represents the whole of creation from subtle to dense. It is usually available as a two-dimensional engraving on paper or copper plate. There is however, another form of the Shri Yantra which is three-dimensional and is known as the Meru Shri Yantra or Shri Yantra in the form of a mountain. The Shanti Mandir ashram has a very rare large sized Meru Shri Yantra carved from a single block of Himalayan quartz crystal that is used in this ritual.
This morning worship also included the recitation of the “Thousand Names of God as Mother” known in the traditional language as “Shri Lalita Sahashranam”. It is recited in call and response format with the Guru and the participants taking turns chanting each stanza. The mantras of the Shri Lalita Sahashranam are very ancient and empowering and just to sit in the temple while the recitation is happening is a very potent entrainment.
On Saturday, January 26th, the entire ashram participated in celebrating “Republic Day” the anniversary of the independence of India from colonial rule. To mark the occasion, we traveled to two nearby primary schools that are supported by the ashram and witnessed performances and speeches by the students and administrators. They took the occasion to express their gratitude to Swami Nityananda and Shanti Mandir for his charitable support. Sweets were distributed to all in attendance as is traditional. The children are beautiful and very open and aware.
In all, spending time in an authentic Vedic / Tantric ashram with Master Charles and Mahamandaleshwar Swami Nityananda Maharaj has been a wonderful experience of holistic lifestyle in the traditional context of India. Tomorrow, we return to Mumbai to begin preparations for our first series of Synchronicity programs. Details to follow…
India Blog 1/24/08
On Monday, January 21st, we arrived at Shanti Mandir Ashram, the home of Mahamandaleshwar Swami Nityananda Maharaj, in Magod, Gujarat State. This rural sanctuary is located in a lush and very peaceful part of India and presented a welcome relief from the noisy chaos and smoky air of Mumbai.
Swamiji has created an authentic Vedic / Tantric ashram that includes a boarding school with students who study the usual range of school subjects along with a profound immersion in Vedic studies and spiritual practice. Ashram life is rigorous and highly disciplined and each day unfolds according to a set routine that provides a balanced holistic lifestyle with an emphasis on positive spiritual values and behavior. At the center of the ashram of course, is the Master, who is personally available throughout the day and serves as the spiritual authority as well as personal mentor and guide for all who participate.
Shanti Mandir is modeled on the ashram of Swami Muktananda and, as such, at the center of the main temple is a life-sized bronze statue of Bhagwan Nityananda, Muktananda’s legendary Guru. In this tradition, the Guru is considered to be far more than just a mere physical form, and, after he or she has passed on, the energetic presence and grace continues without interruption. Ritual worship of the Guru is at the center of the spiritual practice of the ashram and every ashramite bows in front of the statue whenever entering or leaving the temple. Of course, the same respect and reverence is expressed for the living Guru as well and all bow to him numerous times each day.
In addition, a specific ritual bathing of the Guru’s statue known as abhishekam is performed each morning starting at 5:15am. Following the abhishekam, there is chanting of the sacred scriptures for another ninety minutes leading up to breakfast at 7:30am.
There are various chants performed throughout the day, at meals and numerous other times. Accompanying the chants is traditional music including drums, cymbals and other instruments. School and selfless service fills the remaining hours of the day.
India Blog 1/23/08
Following four blissful and event-filled days in Mumbai, it was time to embark on another chapter in our India journey. Months prior to leaving for India, Master Charles had spent time with Mahamandaleshwar Swami Nityananda Maharaj at his American ashram in Walden, New York. At that time, plans were initiated to include a visit to his Indian ashram in Magod, Gujarat. Now it was time for us to make the four hour drive north from Mumbai. After stopping along the way for lunch, we were headed for a stopover at an historic destination – the samadhi shrine (burial site) of Bhagwan Nityananda, the legendary Guru of Master Charles’ teacher, Muktananda.
Such a “living shrine” is a most potent source of empowerment, as the Master’s spiritual power does not cease to function after the body dies, but rather continues and can even increase in relation to the accumulated energy of all those who visit the site and empower it with their devoted focus. Such is the case with Bhagwan Nityananda and to make such a pilgrimage is a rare and precious opportunity.
Master Charles was obviously most blissful and celebratory as we arrived in the small village of Ganeshpuri where the shrine is located. It had been thirty-five years since he last spent time here when he lived in the ashram of his teacher, Muktananda. We purchased some flower garlands and entered the shrine where the priest placed the garlands around the neck of the life-sized statue of Nityananda that marks the burial spot. The energy was dizzying and hallucinogenic, to say the least. After receiving prasad (consecrated remains of the flower offerings), we sat on the floor to meditate in the sublime presence of this great sage. It was a most intoxicating experience and was very challenging to get back on our feet when it was time to move on.
Adjacent to the shrine and still extant are hot sulphur spring baths where Nityananda used to bathe. After a brief tour of the baths, we proceeded down the road to the ashram building where Nityananda gave darshan to countless thousands over many years and spent the vast majority of his time. Having seen photos of this building in a variety of books, it was quite remarkable to experience it all in person. Master Charles recalled his days with his teacher, when he walked back and forth from the ashram to the Ganeshpuri shrine on a daily basis
Leaving the Nityananda shrine area, we then visited the Vajeshwari temple, devoted to an expression of the Divine Feminine. It is a beautiful temple with surrounding grounds just a three minute drive from the Nityananda shrine. We again made traditional offerings and received small coconuts as prasad. Touring the temple grounds from a high vantage point overlooking the valley below, Master Charles pointed out a river clearly visible in the distance which was the site at which he was formally initiated into monkhood. Those few of us in attendance felt blessed beyond words to have the opportunity to experience some of the profoundly sacred history that brought Master Charles and Synchronicity into being.
India Blog 1/22/08
Many months of planning, networking and witnessing the manifestation of what would, under normal circumstances, be considered impossible, has resulted in Master Charles’ historic return to India. Along with two staff members and one additional long-time associate, a long journey from the U.S. via Frankfurt, Germany finds us in an apartment in one of Mumbai’s (Bombay) many suburbs, a bustling area known as Lokhandwalla.
From here, after a day of unpacking and catching up with jet lag, we begin participating in a series of public gatherings at a nearby ashram with a number of highly regarded Spiritual Masters known as Mahamandaleshwars (literally “Lord of the Great Circle), a title roughly equivalent to a cardinal in the Christian tradition. Master Charles’ inclusion in these events at a level equal to the Mahamandaleshwars is extremely rare, especially for a westerner, and is the result of their acknowledgment of his authentic holistic state of Being as well as the fact that they all belong to a common lineage via Master Charles’ teacher, Paramahansa Muktananda.
Another very important factor in Master Charles’ close association with the Mahamandaleshwars is the fact that they recognize and acknowledge that the traditional orthodox approach to spirituality, even here in India, is losing ground among the newer generations who are looking for a spiritual holistic model that is congruent with the times in which we are living. As such, they are keen to collaborate with Master Charles and bring the Synchronicity Experience to their constituency. Also key in this association is Mahamandaleshwar Swami Nityananda Maharaj whose friendship with Master Charles dates back to their days together with Muktananda.
The first event was the conclusion of the 64th anniversary of the founding of the Sannyas Ashram of Mahamandaleshwar Swami Vishveshwarananda, a long-time friend of Master Charles. Each of the attending Mahamandaleshwars spoke for about ten or fifteen minutes as did Master Charles, who was introduced to the Indian audience by Mahamandaleshwar Swami Nityananda Maharaj (photo below). The following day, a bandhara (feast), was held to mark the completion of the anniversary celebration. Many hundreds of monks were served a full meal by the ashram, a very traditional and celebratory occasion.
The photos below were taken at the ashram of Mahamandaleshwar Swami Vishveshwarananda at which the public gatherings described above were held. Also included are some photos taken at the Mumbai home of Mahamandaleshwar Swami Nityananda Maharaj during a weekly satsang (spiritual gathering).
