Dear friends
When I came back from India on Good Friday, having been there all Winter, Venetian was kind enough to ask me to share some of my experiences, which are often tied in with my attraction to the Hindu religion. A recent thread suggested that something on Hinduism would not go amiss on this forum, so here goes:
Firstly, I should say that when I started visiting India, some 8 years ago, I had an amazing spiritual experience, which I believe to have been a spontaneous kundalini awakening. (I don't believe it would be appropriate to go into details here, but would be happy to discuss this by PM or email.) This led to my meeting and becoming a devotee of, Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma - the 'hugging' Saint) and part of my time in India (I now live there for 6 - 7 months each Winter) was spent at Her ashram in Kerala. I was a complete newcomer to spiritual life when I first met Her and was completely baffled by so much of the terminology and teachings, yet found that I could absorb everything as though I were remembering it, rather than learning it for the first time. Many many times too, my questions would be answered by situations in which I found myself, or books would b e suggested by other ashramites: synchronicity happened all the time and I made many wonderful friends and we all learned and shared together.
I have to admit though that ashram life, especially in a huge ashram like Amma's, takes some getting used to - egos clash, buttons get pushed, patience has to be acquired, often painfully, anger has to be looked at and dealt with...so the rest of my time was spent on Kovalam beach (a very commercialised tourist beach, hardly India at all, but the place where my first 'awakening' had happened.
In the winter of 1998, a personal crisis led me out of Kerala and into Tamil Nadu, to a little temple town ('only' 100,000 inhabitants!) called Tiruvannamalai, which is a very holy place indeed. It had been the home for most of his life of a very special Sage called Ramana Maharshi, whose ashram still operates at the foot of the Holy Mountain, Arunachala, said to be the body of Lord Shiva. the Shiva temple in the town is huge and full of a very special energy, being the abode of Shiva in the form of the Lingam of Fire. (I posted the legend of Arunachala last Winter under the heading 'Arunachala calling'.) Well, to cut a long story short, I fell in love with Tiruvannamalai and after a couple more visits, I now rent a little house (all year round so I can leave stuff there) and use it as my base. This Winter, for the first time in 8 years, I didn't visit Amma's ashram, feeling, as many of Her devotees do, that it perhaps is more important to carry Her in our hearts, than to physically visit Her home base. (That sounds facile but needed a lot of soul searching on my part!)
So now I find that I am not following one particular teacher, or teaching, but am open to God's message from wherever and whomever it comes. When in Tiruvannamalai I go nearly every day to Ramana ashram, for meditation and to listen to the Vedic chanting and Tamil singing, but I also worship in the Shiva temple, and in the small Kali temple near my house. I have found that something in Hindu ritual worship (puja) deeply satisfies my soul, and have been accepted and befriended by the Brahmin priests at the Big Temple. So many people think that Hinduism means that one worships many gods, but in fact Hindus also believe in One Supreme Formless Being, (Brahman), while acknowledging that we poor humans often need a focus for our devotion, and that we can more easily identify with one aspect of divinity rather than with the Totality. So the Hindu pantheon offers a choice of aspects of God, and we are free to choose our 'favourite'. (Mine is the Goddess Kali, viz my avatar!)
For me Hinduism is an exciting, experiential religion in which I can spontaneously and freely offer my worship and prayers. It is a religion full of colour, flowers, flames, incense, noise - characterised by a lack of inhibition on the part of the worshi
RE: My time in India plus thoughts on Hinduism
Dear Sunanda,
Thank you very much for the post (I found it very interesting & you do yourself a diservice by suggesting that it may be boring or perhaps overly long).
Please do tell more about your experience and your thoughts on Vedic philosophy as suggested (I'm also interested in what you said about your feelings towards 'puja' and wonder if it is something akin to what Judy feels about her views on 'prayer').
I for one, look forward to your next installment.
Roger
RE: My time in India plus thoughts on Hinduism
Oh it's lovely Sundana,
I look forward to you continueing too.
Love to you
Gillyxxxxxxxxxxxx
RE: My time in India plus thoughts on Hinduism
Hi Sunanda
Really fasinating...Love to hear more.....Thank you.
Love
Annalisa
RE: My time in India plus thoughts on Hinduism
Yes, thanks Sunanda,
I'm really interested in learning what I can about other faiths - I always feel that what we all share is so much greater than the differences. Your post was certainly not long and it was very interesting - I look forward to more!
Love and peace,
Judy
RE: My time in India plus thoughts on Hinduism
Dear Sunanda
That sounds really wonderful can we all come to your house please next winter! Big smiles.
and did you find any links to Lakshimi while you were there?
Blessings in abundance
Kim xx
RE: My time in India plus thoughts on Hinduism
ORIGINAL: sunanda
I want to talk about bhakti and jnana, the two main paths of Vedic philosophy - bhakti, the path of devotion and jnana, the path of knowledge - but that will have to wait
Hi Sunanda. Bhakti and jnana, yes indeed! I gravitate more toward raja, but then I actually see that as possibly a condensation of all the other yogas and Hindu paths anyway.... and cannot imagine life without bhakti and jnana. I suppose unwittingly one is more inclined to one than the other, however I try to balance both: not this OR that, but this with that. 😉
Edited to add all below:
I obviously became rusty and forgetful on this thread! You already began it as a Part 2 to which I responded. 😀 Oh, well.
Once more, on the different paths and yogas, Vivekananda wrote what IMO are some great and handy-sized books (compact and small) on at least three: bhakti, jnana, and raja. Probably hatha too. From his works, I know that I find jnana fascinating, and personally must always 'clothe' my Path in knowledge of where I feel I am going or how to get there in the light of those who have also trodden the Way. Yet jnana alone doesn't IMO seem to work very well as a self-transforming set of techniques. It doesn't seem as transformative or as 'easy' to use as bhakti, and not even raja yoga.
But I write that partly in order to be provocative, since perhaps another can illumine me as I still know little of how jnana yoga is actually 'done'. Open to finding out....
Hari OM
Venetian
RE: My time in India plus thoughts on Hinduism
Dear Venetian
I have read Swami Vivekananda's little book on bhakti but not the others. I have never understood exactly what is meant by 'raja yoga' - over to you for illumination on that point!
All I know for sure is that no one path is superior to the others. There are many ways up the mountain. It would seem that one can dip one's toes into many oceans. Whilst I am certainly a bhakta, I have read my share of books and listened to my share of teachers - and will continue to do so. But there is a deep deep need in me for ritual and for devotion. I remembered some time ago that at the age of 11 I made my mother come to church with me every Sunday for a number of weeks - but it was a Methodist church and didn't do a lot for me. I also used to long to be a Catholic (but not to the extent of converting) because I so much wanted to genuflect and cross myself. When I first came to Amma, and then to worship in Hindu temples, I found it so satisfying to be able to prostrate and touch my forehead to the floor without embarassment or self consciousness. At Amma's ashram in Kerala, when She came down every evening to sing bhajans, (this was one of the highspots of most people's day) I would be in the little temple participating in some puja - and just loving it.
Dear Kim
Have PMd you (and have received your reply - thanks) but am just going to start a new thread about my encounter with the Goddess Mookambika.
Jai Ma!
Love as ever
Sunanda xxx
RE: My time in India plus thoughts on Hinduism
ORIGINAL: sunanda
I have read Swami Vivekananda's little book on bhakti but not the others. I have never understood exactly what is meant by 'raja yoga'
I do find raja yoga a very interesting subject, partly because the basic theory and even practice of raja yoga is useful to or links in to other spiritual practices of East and West. Since it's another subject in itself, I've started a thread for it.
V
RE: My time in India plus thoughts on Hinduism
dear Sunanda
ah...for sure past life
speak soon and looking forward to the next instalment
Love beyond measure
Kim xx