International Haidakhandi Journal Spring 2015 Death and Birth - the cycle of life 1 For On-Line version of this Journal see: www.internationalhaidakhandijournal.com Babaji 3 Fire of Transformation - by Gaura Devi 4 Theme – Death and Birth - The Cycle of Life Birth of the World - a Hindu Creation Myth 6 Play your part in life, but never forget - by Gayatri 7-8 ‘Kicking the Bucket’ - Festival of Living & Dying 9 Make friends with the Mystery that is Death 10-11 The World Child - stained glass by www.rodfriend.com 12 News from Around the World Russia 13 Holland 14-15 Italy 16-17 USA 18-19 United Kingdom 20-21 Poland 22 Germany 23 Sweden 24 Haidakhandi Samaj - News from India 25 Shri Babaji’s Charitable Hospitals and Ashrams 26-27 Last Navaratri in Chilianaula –by Kanta, Germany 28-29 Hindu Festival Dates for 2015 30 Jai Haidakhandi Outreach 31-34 Letters 35-37 Planetbabaji and Radio Haidakhan 38 Editorial 39 2 We all must offer our lives for the welfare and security of society. This is our bhajan, this is our kirtan, this is our repetition of the Name. Babaji 3 Quote from ‘Fire of Transformation’ by Gaura Devi 6 November 1981: Today there is a huge crowd of people around and Babaji looks tired, irritated and He tells many of them that they should leave. I feel a heavy presence in the atmosphere, a chaos of energies which have to be ordered, cleaned, purified. When people arrive here they think that Babaji can solve all of the problems they have in their lives; I sense their intolerable level of suffering, it is apparent to me and the situation seems inextricable. However, within two or three hours Babaji has changed the dynamics, making everybody work a lot at various tasks, not allowing anybody time to meditate or think about their personal problems. People have to move quickly, adapt their minds to the task in hand. In the evening all the people are so tired that they can hardly move and Babaji smiles with amusement, because now people’s minds are in a state of surrender and He can begin His work. He works with the energy of the heart, directly, straight and powerful, cutting through everything. We have to come to terms with all our feelings, confront the darkest and most painful aspects of ourselves, which can be distressing, and become fully aware of who we really are. He promises us tremendous joy at the end of the journey, a joy emerging from His eyes, in all of His gestures and movements. He is sure of Himself, perfect, impeccable, strong, gentle and flexible, ever changing, totally free and spontaneous, the all. Please keep Gaura Devi in your prayers. Her health is not good now. 4 Why are you looking for me here or there ? I Am the one who fulfils everything. I breathe through your breath; I speak through your voice. I Am the supreme creativity in you, I sustain and support you. I Am the one who walks with your feet, I Am the great mystery of the sweet simplicity. There is no place or particle in Creation that my Fire does not penetrate. I Am both, the seeker and the object of the search. I exist from time immemorial and I will always exist. Whatever path you seek, you will always find me. I Am the way, I Am the wanderer, the eternal flame and the Sun of the Suns. I am who I am and I will always be. 5 Theme – Death and Birth - The Cycle of Life Birth of the World - a Hindu Creation Myth One Hindu creation myth says that before time began, there was no heaven, no earth and no space between. A vast dark ocean washed upon the shores of nothingness and licked the edges of the night. A giant Cobra floated on the waters. Asleep within its endless coils, lay Lord Vishnu. He was watched over by the mighty serpent. Everything was so silent and peaceful that Vishnu slept undisturbed by dreams. Then from the depths a humming sound began to tremble… Om….. It grew and spread, filling the emptiness and throbbing with energy. The night ended, Vishnu awoke. As the dawn began to break, from Vishnu's navel grew a magnificent lotus flower. In the middle of the blossom sat Vishnu's servant, Brahma. He awaited the Lord's command. Vishnu spoke to his servant Brahma: "It's time to begin….Create the World !" And a wind swept across the waters. Vishnu and the serpent vanished. Brahma remained in the lotus flower, floating and tossing on the sea. He lifted up his arms and calmed the wind and the ocean. Then Brahma split the lotus flower into three. He stretched one part into the heavens. He made another part into the earth. With the third part of the flower, he created the skies. The earth was bare. Brahma set to work. He created grass, flowers, trees and plants of all kinds. To these he gave feeling. Next he created animals and the insects to live on the land. He made birds and many fish. To all these creatures he gave the sense of touch and smell. He gave them the power to see, hear and move. The world was soon bristling with life and the air was filled with the sound of Brahma's creation. 6 Play your part in life, but never forget that it is only a role. by Gayatridevi I have recently been hearing about various personality conflicts in our Babaji family around the world which are preventing people from working together, and so I would like to share with you a few quotes that might be helpful in dissolving the blockages that our egos construct. I don’t think it helps to hear the different justifications for any rebellion, because the reasons are unimportant. What I do feel is vital is that we each make a commitment to question our stance, our thoughts and our projections, and be willing to look deeply into who or what is actually driving the bus ! Once you attribute your behaviour to a cause outside of yourself, you are caught in a trap, and I think we can all benefit from a reminder of the underlying truth of who we are, so that we might break free of the illusions that cause so much pain to our hearts. Real compassion can be born out of discord when we realize that we’re all in the same boat, constantly faced with the paradox of being in a semi functional human suit while at the same time being the divine totality itself. The first quote that I wish to share is from a Course in Miracles: “Beware of the temptation to perceive yourself mistreated.” I love this and it has come in handy many times when I have been involved in a personal drama, because I always like to think it’s someone else’s fault. But this quote reminds me that the problem actually stems from my inability to see clearly! In other words, when the temptation this quote speaks of presents itself, if we could shift our awareness to noticing rather than reacting, we could then see the gift or possibility being offered and use the conflict as a doorway to higher consciousness rather than get trapped in the outer circumstances. I think this is what Walt Whitman was pointing to in this quote: “Have you learned lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed the passage with you?” 7 I know for myself, it was really hard sometimes when we were building the ashram in Colorado to accept the decisions made by a majority vote, especially when they weren’t my preferred choices. We had to make the harmony of the group a primary objective, setting aside our personal agendas over and over, so that progress could be made. And now, when I look back, I am grateful to the ones who seemingly stood in my way. They helped me to realize that it doesn’t matter so much what the ashram looks like, but rather the spirit of unity in which it was built. When Babaji was in physical form, we all worked tirelessly in this spirit, out of love for Him, and this is the only way we will be able to progress in peace and harmony. Here is another quote, this time from Paramahansa Yogananda, which for me is a crucial point to remember: “Do not take Life’s experiences too seriously. Above all, do not let them hurt you, for in reality they are nothing but dream experiences… If circumstances are bad and you have to bear them, do not make them a part of you. Play your part in life, but never forget that it is only a role.” In my experience, this is one of the direct teachings of Babaji, that we suffer only in as much as we are attached to this theatre and believing in the importance of our roles! He existed as the pure mirror of our divine nature, while at the same time reflecting that joyful hopelessness of the characters we all play. If we could see that this life, these positions, opinions and roles we often fight to uphold, the desired outcomes we strive to achieve, and the whole spectrum of emotions which arise, are no more or less important than what we were dreaming last night, then we could enjoy being in these human forms much more than we do, without turning everything into such a serious drama.