• Table of Contents
  • Mastery of Meditation Method by Swami Veda Bharati
  • Three Categories of People by Swami Rama
  • Self-Regulation and Stress Management by Daniel Hertz
  • AHYMSIN Board Meeting, September 2019 Reported by Rajini Prakash
  • Dear Yoga Mentor, My Question Is
  • 2019 Events and Beyond
  • Full Moon Meditation Dates
  • Location of our SRSG ashram
• AHYMSIN Newsletter Archive

AHYMSIN Board Meeting, September 2019

Reported by Rajini Prakash

“Please continue to work together honouring the motto of our beloved Swamiji - Collaboration, Co-operation and Consensus. Let the 3 Cs of commitment be the currency of community and contentment in your city [and throughout the globe].”
                                                                                                         – Swami Ritavan Bharati

Although the AHYMSIN Board Meeting is a formal occasion, it was heart-warming to be with family members. In September, the deliberations were on various aspects that would enhance the mission of AHYMSIN, and deepen ties amongst members of our Sangha.

The meeting began with Swami Ritavan invoking the grace of the Divine Mother, and by the rendition of Akhanda Mandalakaram… Swami Ritavan said,

‘thus the Divine Mother who we all approach, who is difficult to reach, the blessed one with all benevolence who is the very embodiment of love with a deep interior smile, a smile that proceeds from Her voice – what did She say – She remained in silence for we must receive, we must hear, we must feel to receive the message of Her smile having from within dedicated our minds to that form of the Divine Mother in whatever form who takes us across as para, and with devotion a deep perfection, an allegiance of hope.

‘We gather here together, be it day or night, we are together as one, as Swami Veda has reminded us that when we look at our lives, whatever instabilities of the situations are not because of the circumstances themselves, but because our minds have reflected this instability – so how to stabilise? Stabilise such that the personal mind becomes a life that becomes stabilised, steady. When people stabilise their minds, it becomes part of the larger mind field. A mind field thus brought into equanimity, peacefulness, stability is called community, is our Sangha. Tonight, we gather as a Sangha, honouring the presence of each and every one of us as listeners – listeners of the divine message by way of Mother Divine.
Thank you and greetings to all of you.
We invite each and every one of us as listeners.
OM.’

Shi Hong, Senior Vice-President AHYMSIN addressed the meeting reminding everyone that if we have harmony within, we will have harmony outside. Equanimity, peace is the message.

The SRSG team shared information and challenges on the ongoing building projects. After feedback from guests that the Meditation Hall must be only for meditation purposes, additional space for classes is being created. There are also other matters such as rain water harvesting, which is mandatory under government regulations, being put in place. These are major projects and will cost approx. $300,000.

Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG) is our spiritual home on this physical plane. Initiatives for making SRSG more conducive for spiritual practice, for sadhana, are being undertaken. Support from the Sangha is needed to take these important projects forward. If you wish to contribute, please write to ahymsin@ahymsin.org for details.

SRSG awaits your presence. Program offerings are being enhanced. Soon, Superconscious Meditation series Levels 1, 2, 3 will be offered. There are regular six-day Maunam (Silence) retreats, during which sadhakas will be guided by senior ashram teachers. The Yoga-Sutra program in 2020 will be the start of more offerings on Yoga-Sutras in the following years.

To book your places on the programs, please visit Upcoming Events.

Discussions were held on suitable avenues to reach out to Sangha members. Centre leaders are encouraged to strengthen ties with AHYMSIN at SRSG, thus deepening bonds with their spiritual home. AHYMSIN also plans to further nourish ties with centres and welcomes ideas towards this from centre leaders.

Yoong, the Adhyatma Samiti (Spiritual Committee) representative, drew the attention of members to messages of our beloved Swami Veda – we are the centre, leaders should focus on their own spiritual development. Excerpts from Swami Veda’s messages from nearly two decades ago were read in which Swamiji said, “….for the past twenty-seven years our Gurudev has publicly and privately charged me with the overwhelming task of completing his work. With that he has granted me a vision of its dimensions which is very vivid and definite, with clarity about the steps needed to be taken to complete it.”

Swami Veda's instructions have always been very clear that the ashram is for the practice of meditation and silence and, with that clarity, he was implementing the instructions of Gurudeva Swami Rama.

Swami Ritavan said, ‘[there is] need for understanding and compassion, this understanding of the essence of love begins with each and every one of us - that is the teaching and through that teaching as teachers by way of simply caring with compassion with a sense of understanding this message will no doubt be yoga. Be that which unifies and harmonises and brings seeds of hope – smriti to peoples’ lives.’

Swami Ritavan closed the meeting with a blessing and a rendition of the nightly prayer: Yajagrato…tan me manah, shiva sankalpam astu.