Free & Clear Italian Dinner

[Thanks to Karen for the guest post and the photos.]

Fifty-eight people dropped into an Italian evening of delicious food, music, and inspiration on Sunday evening. We’ve been having one fabulous fundraising event after another for many years now, and this one was splendid, indeed.

Almost exactly $30,000 was raised that evening! That leaves just $231,000 remaining of the original $1 million goal. We really are almost free and clear of any debt remaining on Ananda Palo Alto’s Temple property.

Asha spoke a bit at the end, remembering the long history toward this point. There was a small, not very well-maintained building that came with the property when we bought it. It was rented for awhile, but finally, we were able to take it down in preparation for the new school building. It was a big hole in the ground for a long time, into which we threw rose petals, prayed, and began moving forward bit by bit, whenever we had money in hand to continue the process. The lawsuit intervened, but then gradually we started up again, finishing the school against all odds. With the remarkable help of many people giving what they could over a long time.

Then this Free & Clear campaign began to raise $1 million. Within the short time, the Village announced their campaign to pay off $1 million of old debt from the lawsuits in one year’s time (which they succeeded in doing just when they said — by the end of 2012). And within that same time frame, the Ananda movie raised $2.2 million — everything it needed to finish the film. More will be needed to fully do the marketing portion, but the film is done. Amazing.

“Even though many of us are doing meaningful work,” said Asha, “the waters of time close in over you. It’s hard to leave something behind of lasting value. But when you leave a temple behind, it’s a real legacy, both individually and collectively. Every time I walk into that Temple, I feel an immense sense of gratitude. So much happens there. Each of you has divine memories of what has happened to you in that space.”

Easter Celebrations

“Vivid” is the word for Easter at Ananda. The clarity of Christ’s life and message comes through our gurus and teachers so powerfully, and then resonates throughout the deep spiritual connections in our community until its practically palpable. It brings the story to life again, for us and within us.

On Good Friday we had one of our evening services that are always so lovely and inward, and we experienced our way through the story of the crucifixion via music and readings. This is an evening that can be tricky to end well—Jesus dies on the cross, leaving us in suspense about the resurrection—but we managed to wrap it up beautifully at the “intermission.” It was clear by then that, though he had died, he hadn’t been killed. He “gave up his spirit” voluntarily, rather than waiting to die on the cross, remaining completely a master of the situation, even in tragedy.

The next day (which I’ve just learned is called Holy Saturday) we had an Easter Retreat in the temple, in which Asha treated us to a few hours of more free-form story-telling and teaching. It was a time to come to a deeper understanding of not only the events of Easter but the true spiritual significance behind them all. We had people there who have grown up with the story in Christian churches, and others who were only hearing it in its entirety for the first time, and everyone gained something very worthwhile in the experience.

And then, of course, we had the glory of Easter itself. The Oratorio pieces performed by the choir and soloists come through with even more power than usual on that day, and the story is completed in all its ever-new joy.

The Easter banquet followed service (and an Easter egg hunt), with spanikopita as the main course, several tasty side dishes, creatively lavender-flavored lemonade, and a dessert that was like pumpkin pie dreaming it was in heaven. We also had a great collection of new or seldom-heard songs for the entertainment, many of which were thematically appropriate, even if only in terms of being resurrected versions of popular or folk songs. If you missed them, or want to revisit them, check out the videos!

Hawaiiana	What Do You Do with a Blissed-Out Yogi?
My, My, It's the Spiritual Eye	Take Me Home, Babaji

The full set of photos is also worth a visit. Happy Easter!

The Life of Krishna

This year was a milestone for the Living Wisdom School Theater: their 20th annual production! Sixty-one children and a handful of supporting teachers incarnated on stage for us in the lila — the divine play — of the life of Krishna. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna himself tells us that “in whatever way I am approached, in that way do I respond. All men come, by whatever path, to me.” This play was a delightful way to approach him. His story is said to uplift all those who even so much as hear it, and surely even more blessings come to us through the incredible care and dedication of this entire, remarkable school.

As usual, the hero of our play was portrayed in turns by several different actors, representing different stages of Krishna’s life. It’s always fun to watch the effect this has, as you can come to see behind the individual representations, the same Divine source animating them all. As Nirmoha put it, you see the actors playing Krishna on the stage, and once in a while you can even see Krishna as well. I was particularly taken with the itty-bitty blond girl playing baby Krishna. Her dramatic dance of vanquishing the demons sent to slay him, and then standing triumphantly on stage with arms outstretched victoriously, was adorable, powerful, and moving, all at once. Such an unexpected confluence of impressions and feelings can just surprise you into an uplifting shift of consciousness, and God slips right into the gaps.

You can find more photos of the play here, and Friday night’s performance was filmed if you want to get a recording from the school once it’s all been put together.

Mahasamadhi Celebration

Last Thursday, March 7, was the 61st anniversary of Paramhansa Yogananda’s mahasamadhi. Though he left his physical incarnation behind, as devotees we know that this hinders a true master not a bit, and we remember his words: “to those who think me near, I will be near.” Appropriately, the celebration was very deep and inward, with generous pauses for meditation, the better to tune in to Master’s quiet presence within us.

The framework of the evening was provided by Rammurti’s reading of excerpts from Yogananda’s maha-poem, Samadhi. Each segment of the poem branched off into a related reading from Autobiography of a Yogi, a chant, a slideshow of photographs, and a choir or solo song (performed from the sidelines for minimal interruptions). Speaking as someone who was only involved in one of those branches, there was something rather magical about how it all came together. Watching it unfold through, around, and beyond that little portion was just beautiful.

There are a few photos of the altar and the slideshow you can look through. For musical accompaniment, I might suggest reprising in your mind Dr. Lewis’ song that so perfectly summed up the evening:

So silently and sweetly the Master comes to me,
His love and joy enfold me in bliss and ecstasy.
My mind is calm and peaceful, all cares are swept away,
And in his omnipresence I know that I am free.

So sweet the sound of Aum, ’tis Master’s voice I hear,
In all pervading silence he whispers “I am here.”
My heart with joy is flowing, it sings eternally.
There is no other love like the Master’s love for me.

Sharing Music and Nature and Bliss

We’ve been blessed by several visitors from other Ananda colonies recently. First, Nayaswamis Raghu and Sabari came down from Sacramento for a weekend. They led Sunday service, taught a class on moving from Happiness to Bliss, and — first but not least — Raghu led the Friday evening kirtan. It was a delightful time to indulge in a few extra Indian bhajans, as well as to enjoy a chanting reunion with Raghu, who used to lead many kirtans here before moving to Sacramento. Not only do we have a few photos of the evening, but there are even recordings of many of the chants that you can download.

This past week we’ve had Nayaswamis Durga and Vidura with us from Ananda Village. On Saturday, Vidura and Dambara organized a hike at Rancho San Antonio, which included a number of Bharat’s famous Sharing Nature games at the top of a hill with a beautiful view. (Photos from that day are here.) Durga and Vidura gave a satsang at Chela Bhavan last night, filling us in on various happenings up at the Village and elsewhere, including the plans for the new temple. They also gave Sunday service last weekend, and will again this coming weekend, so if you haven’t gotten to meet them yet, there’s still time!

This Is What Babaji Had in Mind

[Guest post courtesy of Manisha, with photos from several contributors.]

When Babaji sent Master to the United States all those years ago, he sent him to help us remember the ember of joy that we all have nestled quietly in our hearts. He sent him so we could remember how to live our lives in joy, how to bring joy into our everyday lives. How to garden with joy, how to cook with joy, how to sit in front of a computer with joy, how to sit in traffic with joy.

Swamiji founded Ananda in order to give us a place where we could live amongst friends, like-minded souls, and practice our spirituality on a day-to-day basis. He’s encouraged us to be practical in our spirituality, given us examples of how to live a perfectly normal Western life, but one infused with joy, which makes it extraordinary. This is what Babaji had in mind when he sent Master to the West.

At Ananda Palo Alto, we’ve created a beautiful mandir, a beautiful courtyard there, beautiful gardens here, beautiful edible gardens, and we’ve brought beauty and practicality into our homes. We’ve surrounded ourselves with beauty and simplicity, and that has brightened those soft embers of joy.

Master’s Kitchen is the heart of our community. It’s one of the main places where we come to be together, simply, joyfully. All day Saturday and Sunday in the midst of all the cooking and decorating, people wandered in and chatted. Some stayed for a while and then left and went about their busy days. Amy came and snipped mint leaves and coaxed pomegranate seeds out of their leathery cases. Chidambar and Dambara came and whittled away at Amara’s Cinderella pumpkin, then Joey came and someone handed him a knife, and together they turned Cinderella’s coach into 3 cm cubes, chatting and laughing together, this joyful blending of generations. Marilyn came and helped shave tiny flowerets off a sprawling landscape of cauliflower. Camella took our brimming bowls and transformed each morsel into delectable magic, every mouthful infused with our joy, with Joey’s and Chidambar’s and Amy’s. Uma Devi and D’Arcy threaded their way in and out, washing towels, emptying garbage cans, draping saris, decorating tables, creating this exotic haven. Everything was bubbling with quiet joy. Zana dropped by and we asked, “Hey! Do you want to be a server?” and she said, “YES!” Rosalva said, “That sounds like fun.” We turned to Joey, and he nodded and said, “Okay.” And there he was Sunday night serving alongside everyone else, his heart so full of beauty that it makes one weep. This is what Babaji had in mind.

On Sunday we boiled dried peas in an ancient tradition, added spices and roots, ladled it into bowls, drizzled it with walnut oil, sprinkling it with cilantro. We painted tofu with rich pomegranate molasses, thick with cinnamon and garlic, then baked it and perched it atop a dazzling winter tabbouleh. We roasted the pumpkin in garlic and allspice, tossed it with chickpeas and red onions, added a splash of tahini and sent it out to the waiting crowd. We simmered Medjool dates in espresso and cinnamon, nestled them against a scoop of thick yogurt. Next to the dates we spread orange slices sprinkled with dried rose petals and pomegranate seeds. Not to be outshone, a wedge of pistachio and almond tart, sprinkled with orange zest and crunched pistachio, completed the dessert plates. . .  everything, everything, infused with our joy. This is what Babaji had in mind.

The “House Husbands” buddied up to entertain us, sharing their homemaking tips, fueled by power tools galore. D’Arcy danced an ancient spiritual dance, which was received with cheers and riotous applause.

Throughout the evening diners chatted and laughed, receiving all that joy, making it their own, taking it home and tucking it under their pillows while they slept, sharing it with everyone they meet, the next day and the next day, and the next.

This is what Babaji had in mind. This community, that room, that meal, that moment, and the next and the next and the next.

We transform the rooms around us to reflect the joy that we feel in our hearts as we go about our day-to-day lives. We transformed the school, and the mandir, the courtyard, our temple here, Chela Bhavan, the gardens, and now we come to Master’s Kitchen. Our stoves have been loyally hanging on by a thread, heating their little hearts out, waiting until that moment, when we come together, share our joy, and create the energy to transform Master’s Kitchen into the visibly beautiful heart of our community, reflecting what it already is in spirit.

We have started moving that spirit of joy into visible beauty and efficiency. We didn’t do it all Sunday night, but we have started, taking the first step, and taking it with joy, because that is what Babaji had in mind.

Happy New Year!

Our New Year’s Eve service this (well, last) year started with a meditation and two sets of initiations. We welcomed Arthur, Amy, Debórah, and Ken as Pilgrims, and Biraj and Lahari as Nayaswamis. The Nayaswami initiation includes a fire ceremony, symbolically offering the ego up to God, and also making a nice prelude to the latter part of the service.

Some of you may remember our service a year ago, which turned out to be rather more exciting than expected due to a fire ceremony that developed into a blazing pool of wax. You will be relieved (or, in Asha’s case, disappointed) to hear that we have since developed what Master might coyly call “certain yogic techniques” to avoid conflagration, including fewer candles, and extra metal bowls to catch the burning paper. And so we were all able safely to offer our New Year’s resolutions and prayers into the fire of Divine Light.

New Year’s Eve service wraps up relatively early around here (after all, to paraphrase the Bhagavad Gita, what is 9pm to the worldly man is midnight to the yogi), but it’s not the end of our New Year festivities. On January 5th we celebrated Yogananda’s birthday, and by extension, the spiritual birthday of each one of us. In honor of the day we each had a chance to affirm or renew our commitment to the spiritual path, at whatever stage we’ve reached. The renewals even included a few new initiations: Judy as a Sadhaka, and Liz and D’Arcy as Sevakas.

We didn’t manage any photos of the evening, or of the lovely altar, but here’s one from last year, and Master hardly seems to have aged a day since then.