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| AHYMSIN Newsletter, Issue - September 2013 | |||||
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We Are Only VisitorsBook to Benefit Sriverm, A Non-Profit Educational Institute Serving Poor Himalayan Communities  We Are Only Visitors by Daniel Hertz was published in August! The book presents contemplations on many topics of life and spirituality. Daniel takes us on a journey of both inside and outside travels, and in the process offers us a gentle questioning and a wisdom concerning many of our own common life situations. One of the new essays is about Swami Hariharananda Bharati, and is titled Back to India. It recounts Daniel’s 26 night stay in the remarkable Himalayan holy Shiva shrine called Tarkeshwar. The previously unpublished excerpts from Swami Hari’s lectures and the letters from the students at SRIVERM quickly became the heart and soul of the whole project. The rest of the essays and poems cover these topics: gratitude, forgiveness, birth, death, meditation, nature, attachment, the mind-body relationship. teaching yoga, Swami Hari, India, and more They are rooted in Daniel’s yoga practice and are seen through the eyes of someone who has practiced for more than 20 years. He is on the faculty of The Meditation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The book is offered out of a place of peace and great gratitude for the way things are. “All profits from the sale of the books go to the school” Daniel tells us. SRIVERM, INC. is a non-profit organization with the mission of communicating yoga instruction including meditation, breathing and relaxation practices in the Himalayan tradition and uplifting the poor especially through education. The Swami Rama Institute of Vocational Education and Research, Malethi, India was established by Swami Hariharananda Bharati in 2005 to give literacy, vocational and socio-economic development to the significantly underprivileged and underserved sections of the society in the district of Pauri Garhwal, Uttarkhand, in the Himalayas. The Public School, following CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) pattern, is presently servicing village children from nursery school through eighth grade. Students come from about 30 villages. There is a scholarship fund to enable the poorest of these children to have clothes, shoes, school books , transportation and tuition. Vocational training is also provided in Computer Operator and Programming Assistant Certification, Electrical Wiring Certification, and Plumbing Certification. Visit the SRIVERM website at http://www.sriverm.net Swami Hari sustained the school through the donations he received during his travels. Five years ago, however, he died and the funding slowed down. “Then I started writing,” Daniel says. “All profits from the sale of the books go to the school.” We invite you to read the article Proceeds from MPS counselor’s new book fund school for poor in India by Ibrahim Hirsi at http://www.minnpost.com/community-sketchbook/2013/08/proceeds-mps-counselor-s-new-book-fund-school-poor-india We Are Only Visitors is now available on Amazon for $8.98 in paperback and for $2.99 in Kindle. Please see http://www.amazon.com/Are-Only-Visitors-Daniel-Hertz/dp/1491030054/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377908295&sr=1-1&keywords=daniel+hertz Comments at Amazon.com include the comments below and other words of praise not quoted here: “We Are Only Visitors by Daniel Hertz is a wonderful book. It causes readers to look gently and quizzically at aspects of their impermanent existence as a member of the human race on this planet Earth. What is important? What is not so important? How best to spend our time here? How to learn from and teach those we love; how to love those we love and everyone else? Daniel's years as a yoga teacher, meditator, world traveler, and friend to many, ends with an ode to gratitude: be grateful for one's life and in so doing, give back to others and the earth during the wondrous and brief time we have here.” “I found this collection to be a great way to see the life choices we have every day. To live a life intentionally, with purpose, love and gratitude in each step. These essays share day to day learning experiences that give us all permission to be exactly where we are and accept it- but to strive to expand from there. The author shares his life process in such a humble way allowing for all paths of learning to be accepted. And, the poetry is exquisite. I enjoyed this book very much!” “Reading "we are only visitors" I am struck by the love and selfless service Daniel is modeling as a human visitor on planet Earth. He shares his contemplative thoughts, feelings, and insights his journey has revealed to him. We can recognize ourselves in these pages of poetry and prose, issues that are perennial. I especially was moved by the photos and interviews of six SRIVERM students. The proceeds from selling this book will go to furthering the education of these students and the hundred some more that live in Malethi, Indian Himalayas.” This is the second book that Daniel has written. The first SWAMI HARI: I AM A SIMPLE FOREST MONK was nominated for the 2011 Minnesota Book Award. It is available in both Kindle Format and Paperback. Please see: http://www.ahymsin.org/docs2/News/1308Aug/13.html All profits from both books go to Sriverm. “People were thanking me for writing,” Daniel says. “But it’s really me thanking them, Swami Hari and the school, because I wouldn’t have a reason to write otherwise.” Editor’s Note:In Discussion: Swami Hariharananda can be watched at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz_53kdwXiI A review of this book can be found here.
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