Vánoční novinky - Londýnský ašram

Hari Om dear brothers and sisters,

Vienna Satsang
As we had announced, Swamiji held a Christmas Satsang in Vienna last weekend in the new Guruji Ashram. Our Santosh and Scott went over and we gave them a card of love and greetings for Swamiji wishing Him good health from all of us in the UK and Ireland, writing everyone's name who wasn't able to sign the card personally in the short time we had to organise it. Here (after the updates) is a report of Swamiji's Guruvakyas on this special holy occasion.

Swamiji
We have received information from the Fellowship that Swamiji will go to India just after Christmas until early February. He will then return to hospital in Vienna when he comes back from India and possibly undergo further surgery for the heart. He will then rest for a few weeks in a health resort in Europe. Most programmes on Swamiji's schedule for February and March have been cancelled including the trip to the USA and Canada. He is still scheduled to come to London in September (15-17) but all plans depend on Swamiji's health. We will let you know of any programmes with Swamiji happening soon once they are officially confirmed, including anything happening before Swamiji leaves for India on the 28th of December.

London Ashram Christmas Satsang
You are warmly invited to share Christmas Satsang in your Ashram on Christmas Day, Sunday 25 December. We will have Christmas dinner together at 2pm - please bring along some traditional Christmas-time food from your own culture, or someone else's! The programme isn't fixed in a particular order, but the evening will include: singing bhajans and Christmas carols; video/film; sharing presents; meditation; prayer at 7.30pm. If everyone brings along one nice present we can put them all in a basket and have a "Lucky Dip", handing out a gift to each person. All are welcome - we look forward to seeing you : )

Saturday Evening Films
In recent weeks we have started a new tradition of watching uplifting/enlightening videos on Saturday nights in Ashram - when there isn't some other programme on such as a Concert or Workshop. So far we have seen: "What The Bleep Do We Know?" about the connection between quantum physics and spiritual principles; "Meera" about the holy life of Saint Meerabai; "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring" about life's lessons for a Buddhist monk in Korea; "What The Bleep..." again!; and we have other films coming soon such as, "Samsara", "Tulsi Das", "Saint Tukaram", "Brother Sun, Sister Moon"... You are very welcome to join us - it's an informal relaxed occasion usually starting around 6.30pm or so - sometimes with popcorn!

This Saturday 24 December we will have a surprise film with a Christmas theme - something about the true meaning and spirit of Christmas. And as it is the night that many continental friends celebrate Christmas, we will also share a meal of hearty winter soup together plus anything else you'd like to bring along. As always, everyone is invited and most welcome.


Wishing you all the best for the Christmas season - may we heed the words of Swamiji's Christmas blessing - to treat each other with love, care and sensitivity in the days and years ahead, while we have the great fortune of living here on this beautiful planet.

Om Bole Sri Deep Narayan Bhagwana Ki Jay * * * * * *
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Yours with love,
Gangadevi * * * * * * * * * * *

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Christmas Satsang – Guruji Ashram, Vienna – 10 Dec. 2005



I am very happy to see you all on this very special occasion and that you came to the first Christmas Satsang in Guruji's Ashram in Vienna. You are most welcome.



Each spiritual festival or occasion has a great meaning, not only for humans, but for the entire planet. Whenever a spiritual incarnation manifested on this globe, the benefit was not for one particular person or country but for the whole world. God’s incarnation is for everyone. The spiritual energy of that incarnation remains for ever and ever on this planet. The day of His incarnation, is the day to think of others and to bring others to the spiritual path. In ancient times it was the elderly who gave their blessings to all who had gathered together to celebrate the spiritual occasion. The whole family would then share their meal together. To give a blessing, means to forgive. These days instead of blessings we give presents. It keeps the economy flowing, the cash flow. But in reality giving means for-giving: to forgive all mistakes and make a new friendship.



Jesus was the incarnation of love, peace and forgiveness. This is what we should believe in and what we should practise. Who cannot forgive has not understood the meaning of Christmas or Diwali or any other spiritual festival.



The real sense of celebrating Christmas only can be realized, if we follow the teachings of Jesus and all holy saints.



God realization or liberation is not limited to any culture, any country or part of the world. It is universal and therefore spiritual realization, God Realization or Brahma Gyana is for every one, if we follow the principles or rules.



Spirituality needs discipline and continuity. Worldly people change their feelings many times and break their discipline due to their worldly desires.



Spirituality is very rich food that cannot be digested by everyone. In order to be successful we need discipline. First we have to become free from those negative powers that are within our phenomena: Kama, Krodha, Madha, Lobha, Moha and Ahamkara: passion, anger, selfishness, greed, attachment and ego.



If you have not purified these qualities the door is closed for you, no matter how long you have practised! It is a hard work to change one’s inner feelings and qualities. Actually Prakriti (nature) can’t be changed, but it can be purified.



Take for example a cat. Regardless if you feed it vegetarian food, as soon as a mouse appears before her eyes she will attack the mouse, kill it and eat it. But of course she does not think that she is doing something bad. This is the difference between a cat and a human.



Some say “I don’t want any thing more from this world. I only want to live a spiritual life and meditate. But when a temptation arises, when inner desires come out, then all pure actions and divine thoughts vanish. Temptations and desires have destroyed many people.



Therefore we have to observe and guard ourselves like a security guard who guards the whole house from dangers near and far.



The ATMA who resides within us is that VIP, that very important person, who must be guarded!



The guard is your Buddhi (intellect) whose main duty is to guard your ATMA from Kama, Krodha, Madha, Lobha, Moha and Ahamkara!

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Otherwise years and years of practise are destroyed. I see many people day by day cut off, because of their weakness and lack of willpower. The inner enemies attack them and they are lost, like a vegetarian cat that sees the mouse and completely forgets Ahimsa.



You cannot follow Ahimsa when you do not know what it really means. Put yourself in the position of the mouse when the cat attacks, then you will know! Therefore in the Bible it is said “Thou shall not kill” – it means, not only refrain from killing humans, but refrain from killing any living being! Suffering and pain is not easy to bear for any living being. We are already afraid to receive an injection, so just imagine how the cat bites a living mouse. That mouse may pray and suggest to the cat “Thou shall not kill!” but the cat doesn’t listen because her nature is like that. The cat does not know Ahimsa. It only acts according its nature. But God gave humans the intellect, therefore use your intellect. Use what you have between the ears – your brain!



Tell everyone: Do not eat meat! Become vegetarian! Teach them how to become vegetarian.



Bird Flu is a great warning for us. This disease does not occur due to the immigration of birds. Birds have immigrated for centuries upon centuries. Rather this disease is due to the unnatural and terrible living conditions in which they are tortured and killed. Now nature has taken revenge and the only solution for this problem is to become Vegetarian!



Spread this message everywhere! Write it on the streets, on the bus station:



Protect yourself from Bird Flu– become Vegetarian!



I tell you, it can come so far that a similar "human flu" will arise, where humans will kill humans as they are now doing with chickens. Millions and millions of chickens have been thrown into the fire and they will put humans in the fire. It can come so far!



We shall protect our self to become free!



You all know how healthy grapes are. Its juice is its essence. Wine is also the juice of the grapes, but its Prakriti (nature) has changed, and it is harmful. Similarly, when your Prakriti has changed you can become harmful for yourself and others too!



Even when on pilgrimage in India or other holy places, many people fall into the trap of temptation. They loose their path and confuse even others. This is a double sin.



Therefore we have to learn and to remember those holy souls and incarnations who manifested their divine form on this planet. They too went through great difficulties, because whoever comes into the mortal world is not physically immortal. However, it is only in this mortal body that we can achieve the Realization of immortality.



Wise are they who overcome Kama, Krodha, Madha, Lobha, Moha , Ahamkara, Irsha and Dvesha.

Irsha is jealousy and Dvesha is duality, fighting, quarrelling with hatred, which divides. If you have Irsha in your heart then all the other negative qualities are in your heart and consciousness too.



The holy festivals such as Christmas, Diwali, Raksha Bhandan, as well as the festivals of Judaism, Islam and Buddhism, all remind us about love and unity. Only love can bring unity. However, if there is Irsha and Dvesha there is no unity.



When I was in hospital now, I was thinking very much about this. Irsha is so intensive, it is like the needle that pricked my veins. When I wanted to bend my arm, this needle said “NO!” Like this, Irsha is the needle in the heart that always says “No”. For example if I ask Madhu to do something then Ganga immediately is inside shouting “Why Madhu? Why not me?” That is Irsha. If you are like that you are still on the ZERO-point, you are nowhere!

Yesterday I saw a Video about Lord Krishna – a very nice story about God, and in the first episode Bhakti is very unhappy and crying because she is lost in Kali Yuga. Her two sons, Gyana and Vairagya were suffering very much – because in Kali Yuga they have only very little place within us. Rishi Narada, the son of Lord Brahma, promised Bhakti, to make her two sons happy.



In this video you see the picture of God. It does not matter if He is male or female. Gods always looks very young, like a youthful 25 year old boy or girl, even if this God is already a grandmother. How is this possible? The answer is this: where there is spirituality there is always youth. Spiritual people never become old. However, when spirituality is lost then also the beautiful aura, the charisma is gone. Look to the aura of such persons and there is nothing, all is gone! But one who is very spiritual looks ever young and beautiful.



So, Bhakti's sons Gyana and Vairagya were suffering and crying; that means Knowledge and Detachment were suffering. Narada went in search of God Krishna to ask for his help, but in doing so Narada was full of ego and thought that “he” was a special person and very close to Krishna. So, because of these thoughts he could not find Krishna. He couldn’t find Him in the whole universe. Finally Radha told Krishna, that Rishi Narada was searching for Him. Lord Krishna answered, "Because of his big ego I gave him a punishment…”



The master always gives punishment to destroy the ego of His disciples. The right disciple has destroyed their ego, but those who have left the master and got lost – to those the master is strict; but always with love.



Finally the merciful Lord appeared to Narada and granted him to re-establish Bhakti, Gyana and Vairagya on this planet again.



Likewise you are searching the Lord in Mrityun-Loka (mortal world), searching the king of your Atma and your inner Self. But you cannot find Him, you cannot see Him because of your Agyana (ignorance), because you are full of Kama, Krodha, Madha, Lobha, Moha, Ahamkara, Raga (desires) and Dvesha.



This is the clear answer for you and me. If you have these qualities, you know the door to God is closed. But you don’t want to believe it: “I have jealousy in me? NO! How is it possible? I? Me? I am selfish? Never!”– but deep inside you know how you are!



Nobody will tell you how ugly you are. All will only tell you how beautiful you are. Only the blind one, the ignorant one asks others, if someone is jealous or selfish. You know it. Therefore ask thyself.



If you are jealous to others you only show how far you are.



On these Holy days of Christmas, on the incarnation of Jesus – and of Krishna, Lord Rama, Buddha –each gave a message for humanity, and they gave their positive energy for the entire planet, that the whole planet, all elements and all creatures be protected. God is here for every one. Therefore there is no duality, no limitation in the love of God. It is free, endless; every one can have it – like a beautiful lake gives its water for every creature.



This Christmas Paksha (Christmas time) – we do not know the exact time of Jesus’ incarnation – is the time of His light! Here it is dark, but in Australia is now summer and they celebrate Christmas in the summer time, on the beach. Did you know the largest number of Catholics live in India?



Gods name and Gods light is everywhere. You should realize that He did not come from the Occident (west), He incarnated in the East. Christianity is not a European religion, it is an Eastern religion. Sooner or later this will be realised.







The Christmas tree is a symbol of life. Already 25,000 years ago in South India the tradition of the Christmas tree began, a tree to place lights on. But this tree was made from cast iron with hundreds and hundreds of Deepaks (oil-lamps) on it. This is much better than to cut thousands of trees and destroy forests. We have imitated this tradition in the wrong way.



Chapter 15 in the Bhagavad Gita there is everything written about the Christmas tree. God Krishna clearly spoke about it as a symbol of life, of human life. This tree has its roots above and its branches below. The human brain and limbs are the roots and the branches are the Vedic mantras and hymns. The fruit is the fruit of our karmas and the light is the glory of our good deeds; to spread the light to everyone in this world. We are born to bring light in the darkness.



You are the Christmas tree! Every one who takes shelter near you should find love, forgiveness and light – not jealousy and duality. Therefore purify this Kama, Krodha, Madha, Lobha, Moha and Ahamkara.

Tamaso ma jyotir gamayah.

Mrityo ma amritam gamayah



This Mantra is from the Upanishads. “Lead us from unreality to reality”. However we can only proceed towards the Divine if we follow the teachings of those holy incarnations like Jesus. For me Jesus is a true idol and example, such a great example. No matter what happened to Him, He remained on His path. He did not change His opinion even when He had to suffer on the cross. He remained dedicated to the TRUTH. Jesus suffered to bring the message of love and unity to mankind. With His great heart and forgiveness He went through hunger, thirst, name, fame and pain. As it is said in the Bhajan “Milta he sacca…” – “Even if I have to walk on thorns and through fire, my Lord, I will be here for You, because I kno­w … !”



The message of Christmas message is very clear: We have to follow the master truthfully and not only eat sweets and cakes.



I wish you all the best for your family, your friends and your countries. God loves all creatures and in the name of God we should forgive all and let all be free.





I wish you many blessings of God Jesus and all holy incarnations,

That this day gives you Sat Buddhi (a positive mind)

To forget all enemies and to forgive all mistakes.

Love everybody and purify your heart!

Blessings for your family and your friends!

And I wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!





Of course we will see each other many times but you never know when it will be.

Let us be happy together as long as Mahaprabhuji wishes for us.





SRI DEEP NARAYAN BHAGWAN KI JAY !

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