Wonderful Music and a Thousand Acts of Kindness

As the sun went down and the air cooled, the musicians at the Hindustani Classical Concert yesterday at Divine Art of Yoga Center performed music that transported you, even transformed you...

But behind the scenes, dozens of volunteers performed a thousand acts of kindness to help make the event happen.

With the inspiration of Mahatma Rammurti Baiji and Mahatma Gautam Baiji, a crew of devotees generously donated their time and resources to cook delicious homemade Indian food, set up chairs and tables, facilitate parking, and more, all for a good cause: proceeds would go to the ashram in Kathmandu for orphans and the elderly. We all worked together as one. 

Aside from meditation, I don't know any better way to experience oneness than working together with an exceptional group of people to create such an experience for 350 people. Seva is giving, but it's also a gift we give yourselves for our own spiritual path.

If God is love, then we surely experienced both for the duration of the event.

- Scott Ware

"To Serve and To Love" - Reasons People Come to the Ashram

 

Divine Art of Yoga Center = DAYC Ashram = Gyan Yoga + Karma Yoga + Bhakti Yoga.

Fortunately, I have been associated with the Divine Art of Yoga Center (DAYC Ashram) and the Baijis for almost over 25 years. Nothing happens by accident; everything and everyone we encounter in life, the people and circumstances are opportunities for us to serve and to love. This ashram started with a handful of devotees seeking spiritual growth on this land of opportunities. Rakesh and I were blessed to serve the Ashram in the early 90’s and our daughter Suryanshi was born here as a miracle child. The Ashram is a spiritual hermitage where we perform yogas, music study or religious instructions. Baijis at the Ashram are living examples of Yoga in threefold. They both live a yogic lifestyle and inspire me to attain higher goals to be a Yogi in true sense. Suryanshi loves to come with me to the ashram and enjoys her stay with the baijis. Baijis connect with the youth with their unique perspective and love for the children. Their way of teaching inspires youth to be Yogis and attain focus and goals in their lives as well.

Peace of mind is difficult to attain because our minds are always changing. We restlessly pursue happiness outside of ourselves, preoccupied with our own self-interests, egoistic ambitions and opinions. Caught up in this cycle of seeking fulfillment everywhere but within, we fail to perceive or remember our true nature, which is already Blissful and Perfect. This human condition of striving to find peace externally is depicted in Vedanta philosophy as a condition of darkness and ignorance. Besides the theory of karma and reincarnation, which describes that we are here to learn from our mistakes and will repeat the same life lessons until we learn the correct way to think and to see ourselves, Vedanta philosophy, Yoga and Ayurveda offer us valuable guidance on how to progress towards peace of mind.

The formula is simple and can be described as a way of working with the three gunas or qualities of nature: 

1) break through the tamas

2) calm down the rajas

3) nourish the sattwa. 

By practicing these three steps I can fill my life and the lives of those around me with peace, joy, contentment, harmony, and balance.

I come to DAYC to seek guidance in my spiritual path= Gyan Yoga = Meditation. Meditation helps me to reflect and take part in something meaningful, to empower myself with knowledge of the self and understand that what I do matters. I have a calling to seek knowledge of a higher way of being in this world. I want to give back to a community that is changing the lives of so many people who are also seeking. Coming to DAYC helps me to continue learning about disciplining the mind and strengthening my connection with the divine. What I hope to achieve during my stay is mindfulness, unconditional love for all things, and happiness as that is what we truly are and to get in touch with my higher self!

karma yoga=Selfless Seva

It is a service performed to bring one in union with God or their higher self. Personally, I feel there is no better way to burn the ego and have total appreciation and gratitude for one’s life, than to serve others. The practitioner forgets their finite self through their service for others and the universe. Yoga for me is freedom. When I come to DAYC and serve, I can continually open my heart, and connect to those around me, I am doing the selfless act of giving my complete self to whatever is in my immediate presence. I believe karma yoga to be a path towards true happiness. I learn more about karma yoga to figure out how I can be most useful in changing the world for the better. I seek every day to become selfless—that is, to lose myself, and to experience everything as it is, as One.

Selfishness arises from us failing to realize that we gain more from giving than from taking. Our mistaken belief that we are separate from others leads us to behave selfishly. We fail to consider the deep interconnectedness and oneness of all life, and act from the small perspective of our own egos or personalities, creating more separation. Yoga teaches us to open up our awareness beyond our small and limited perspectives, and to begin to recognize the divine Self that is in all. Yoga teaches us that we are far more than our ego and the stories we assemble about who we are and what we like or don't like.

It teaches that we are happier when we begin to move out of our egoism and away from these thoughts, beginning to serve others, regardless of whether the mind likes it at first. Through this service, one begins to experience an expansion of his or her sense of self, feeling the deep joy that comes from moving beyond separation.

In life we often strive to define ourselves through our personalities, seeking to stand out in an egoistic way; but this is a mistake that leads to suffering. We forget that the way to get love is to offer love, not to try to be loved based on the limited personality. The more love we give, the more our lives will fill up with love. At DAYC We perform various offerings to God like singing bhajans, preparing bhog, reading and understanding various scriptures. This is called Bhakti Yoga which imbibes inner stillness that I believe brings true peace and fills my entire being with love and compassion. We all know this great feeling when we manage to let go of our individuality and feel a sense of oneness with another person or a group, and we also know the feeling of separateness that leads us to feel of isolated, unsupported or unloved. Therefore, the secret to happiness is to love selflessly. This love in action that leads us beyond selfishness is called Karma-Bhakti Yoga, or the Yoga of Selfless Love in Service.

Every Sunday, I feel like I must go. The universe has been pulling me on this path for many years—to open up my full heart to give my offerings to God, expansion on the deepest level. The power and knowledge within me can serve a community. It only needs ignition. My reasons for wanting to come to the ashram are for personal growth, learning, and exploration into deeper waters than I have been exposed to thus far in life. I consider this a unique and welcome opportunity for a weekly tune-up” in mind, body, and spirit. I think the ashram provides the perfect space for reflection, renewal and a platform to lessen my ego while working with a smile and an open heart.

Jai Sat Chit Anand to you all. May Peace and Harmony Prevail.

Seeker, Saint, Seva, Salvation - Satsang by Rakeshbai Pandya, Part 1

Saint Rammurti Baiji asked Rakeshbhai Pandya to give satsang about his experience with spirituality, part 1: 

Shiva and Shakti, what we believe:

One is the supplier, the wealth, who gives you energy, and the Shiv is the protector.

When you see Lord Shiva always meditating, day and night, remember that before the Universe was created, if he says, "Okay, I'm on vacation," think about it: the sun will stop, the moon will stop, all jivas (living beings) will cease to exist, the whole planet will be frozen. Think about Lord Shiva doing all the hard work running the Universe, at Kailash doing meditation - he never complains about the cold weather, as he wears a mrig charma (deerskin) and a bhasma.

When we sing Om Namah Shivaya, Om is the eternal energy. It is in every one of us. When you practice here at the ashram and speak Om, it starts from the belly button, and it goes "A" "U" "M." Only the human being can experience that. Animals cannot. So we are so fortunate. And if you want to get into that energy, you have to learn the technique from the baijis.

If we sing this, we should acknowledge that Lord Shiva is doing everything, and why don't we tap into that energy? Request to the gods and goddesses, "Please accept me, forgive me..."

Spirituality is not for everyone, it's for serious seekers. Everything is s s s... you go to a saint. Then you go to salvation. But you have to work for it (seva), it cannot be purchased. For salvation, you have to work hard on it.

If you want to elevate, and go above, there are two things you can do: if you have money you can hold it, or you can give donation. If you keep holding the maya (material things), you cannot practice spirituality.

You give this way: out of the 24 hours in a day, you sleep 6-9 hours, you commute to work for a couple hours perhaps. How much time do you give your soul? After all, it's energy gives you all this!

To experience this eternal energy is the main thing.

That's what Lord Shiva is meditating on all the time. And we are blessed to have an ashram here with saints to teach us how.

Shiva/Shakti, positive and negative energy, runs the whole Universe. But if Lord Shiva stopped, the whole cosmos would be in chaos. The planets and galaxy runs with that energy and vibration, and that vibration is within us, and all you have to do is focus and tap into it. The baijis can teach you.

Lord Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Rama, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Ramtirth... if in their life they experienced God, why can't we?

You don't have to wear the saffron cloth...

We are so busy, but we have stop... and put our mind with this energy. Because when it's gone, we're not getting anything.

Get Involved and Get Fulfilled

There are many ways to be involved with the Divine Art of Yoga Center ashram, no matter where you live:

Satsang

• Spiritual discourses
• Bhajans (devotional songs)
• Community meal
• Food prep and other assistance

Yoga

• Senior and beginner
• Intermediate
• Private

Donations

• New Yoga Hall
• Ashram
• Kathmandu ashram (for the elderly and orphans)

Pranayam (yogic breathing, Om-chanting, meditation)

Group meditation sessions

Seva* opportunities

• Cleaning
• Gardening
• Repairs
• Various chores

Fundraising drive for the new Yoga Hall

JIVANTA – monthly women’s empowerment group meeting

Weekly Satsang audio recordings – get it free on WhatsApp

Ashram blog

• Enjoy & study satsangs and other posts
• Contribute your own spiritual post

Hindi language lessons (coming soon)

Bhajan (devotional song) lessons

Tabla & harmonium lessons

Children’s programs (plays & activities)

Illustrators (for Divine Stories book)

Translators (for satsangs)

Travel to Nepal ashrams for seva*

*Seva is a Sanskrit word meaning “selfless service” or work performed without any thought of reward or repayment to help one's spiritual growth and at the same time contribute to the improvement of a community

Give Until it Feels Good

  

If you’re the type who likes to give, I don’t have to tell you the benefits that come from that.

Particularly if you have a skill or a gift that benefits the community in some way, everyone is missing out until you share it.

At the ashram it’s fun to see people’s talents put to good use, from the electrical engineer who plays and teaches tabla, to the mortgage manager who makes the best homemade salsa (which she sells, then donates to Nepal relief).

There are some wonderful cooks who alternate providing dishes for the Sunday afternoon meal after satsang; there are naturopathic practitioners who can cure your neck and back pain on the spot using pressure points; even harmonium lessons are available upon request.

And where would any community be without computer experts? We have several. One person makes patterns for dresses and saris. Another is particularly handy overall, rooting out mechanical and other problems with appliances. 

Obviously there are excellent yoga and meditation instructors, as well as pranayama (breathing techniques for good health). There’s that person who writes a blog that celebrates this community… 

And there are many others who give in ways big and small that no one knows about. They don’t need thanks, but I acknowledge them here anyway.

Givers know that the reward is instantaneous if you’re doing it out of love. “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:3)

I was recently introduced to “seva,” a Sanskrit word that means “selfless service” or work performed without any thought of reward or repayment. In ancient India seva was believed to help one's spiritual growth and at the same time contribute to the improvement of a community.

Sounds perfect.