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Recent Entries CommunityWritings by our community of readers Visit to the Prison in Wierzchowo, Poland Posted: July 1, 2010
Written by Halina Pląder,Poland One beautiful Thursday, when the sun finally started shining over our country after a period of heavy rains, Shubhraji, accompanied by a group of friends /students *), visited the prison in Wierzchowo, Poland.
Located in a picturesque landscape, at the edge of old forests and green fields, the prison is led by lieutenant colonel Andrzej Samek who serves the prisoners in a really unique way.
All the prisoners have had opportunity to meditate, practice kundalini yoga, listen to gong and Tibetan bowls concerts or have Thai Chi trainings, therapeutic lectures and workshops. Among all those events the visit of Shubhraji one could hardly treat as unusual.
The speech given by Shubhraji corresponded in a perfect way with everyday effort being put by the prison's staff into cultivating humanity among the prisoners and help to wake up their consciousness. There was pin drop silence as She spoke about the power of Love and the choice they must make with regard to their thoughts. At the end of an hour, one could see that Shubhraji's words had a profound effect on the inmates.
Before the talk, the Director of the prison took us to the forest . The trip was amazing - we all walked to a lake and then went to a Healing Indian Stone Circle located in a meadow nearby.
.jpg) As we were walking through the forest, one of our companions - Michał Papierski, put some crystals at the roots of an old dying elm tree. The idea was to help the giant to be healed. Another piece of crystal - blessed by Shubhraji and filled with her prayers - was thrown into the waters of the lake.
The “crystal action” was part of a greater project called “The Crystal Net of A New Consciousness” introduced in the area by Michał.
After contemplating at the Indian Circle and Shubhraji's lecture to a hundred listeners in the theatre, decorated with a silhuette of an astonishing great Dragon, we were invited to a vegetarian dinner prepared and served with attention by the prisoners themselves.
The spirit of freedom present in spite of all the bars, doors, uniforms and interior discipline was drifting around and above us all time we spent in the companionship of our host. Thanks to him we all could experience the truth of the words :
“The art of living is revealed in a lighthearted manner”.
Thank you, Wierzchowo, for that unforgettable visit!
Thanks you Shubhraji!
*(in order of appearance: Dariusz - Darek Witkowski – spiritus movens of the whole event, Piotr Brzozowski – the closest& faithful disciple and translator, Madzia Magdalena – all the necessary arrangements lady, Tadzio – Tadeusz Zieliński – the hidden author of spiritual Poland’s website and Shubhraji’s most reliable driver, the Papierski Family (Michał, his wife Ania and their daughter – Malwinka, one of the greatest fans of dragons), Zbyszek Stecko - our host’s friend, persistently taking photos , and finally Halina Pląder – lady in the jacket reporting these impressions.
World Peace & Prayer Day - Woodstock, NY Posted: June 30, 2010
Written by Linda Lauretta - Woodstock, NY On June 21, The Mid-Hudson United Religions Initiative held a Multi-faith Circle of Prayer,Ceremony & Song to commemorate World Peace & Prayer Day. Representatives of many faith traditions participated including Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, Shubhraji, Imam Salahuddin Mohammed, Rabbi Jonathan Kligler, Pandit Krishna Varanasi, Dennis Yerry-Iriquois composer, Reverend Gigi Conner and several others. The event was dedicated to honoring Mother Earth and highlighted a water blessing in light of the devastation taking place in the
An overflow crowd filled the garden setting in This is the tenth annual World Peace & Prayer Day, celebrated on the Summer Solstice. Vedanta Teaching Reaches the Indian Ocean February 2010 Posted: April 6, 2010
Written by Dominique Fung, Hong Kong
Shubhraji was invited to give a speech for the celebration of Maha Shivaratri in Mauritius by Mauritius Sanatan Dharma Temples Federation (MSDTF) on February 9, 2010. The evening, hosted at holy lake Ganga Talao, was broadcasted by television and radio to over 150 countries worldwide. Shubhraji was in the company of other esteemed speakers such as the Prime Minister of Mauritius, as well as senior government and religious officials of Mauritius. While at Ganga Talao, Shubhraji also perform a Shiv Abishek at the local temple. MSDTF is the administrative body of over 300 temples in Mauritius.
Celebration of Maha Shivaratri in Mauritius is especially well known among the international Hindu community for its elaborate tradition. Each year during this week, thousands of pilgrims would make day-long trips from villages all over the Indian Ocean island by foot to the remote holy lake Ganga Talao. These pilgrims carry on their shoulders their village deity, encased in heavy and colorfully decorated chariots made of wood, on the arduous journey to pray, chant and participate in Shiv Abishek at the lake. Ganga jal (or holy water) collected from the lake during this auspicious period is believed to be powerful, and the pilgrims take bottles of the water back to their villages.
In addition to speaking at the festival, Shubhraji’s teaching was also warmly and enthusiastically received by personnel of Mauritius Broadcast Corporation (MBC), broadcast a TV interview of Shubhraji’s. was This was so successful and well-received that Shubhraji was invited back for 3 additional radio interviews, and four 10 minute TV clips on topics in Vedanta, Lord Shiva and Shivaratri. The programmes would be broadcasted in the weeks to follow Maha Shivaratri and people of Mauritius will certainly benefit from the teachings.
MSDTF also invited Shubhraji to speak at Gita Mandir Temple and Mahakaleshwar Mandir. Attendees at these talks listened attentively and asked many earnest questions. In addition Shubhraji was invited to a private satsang hosted at the Tulsi Sham Mandir Temple. At the bhiksha afterwards, Shubhraji hardly had a spare moment to herself, as again, she was surrounded by eager attendees with sincere questions.
February 12 was Maha Shivaratri. Shubhraji rose early on this day to perform a Shiv Abishek at the Ganeshwar Mandir at 5 am in the morning. Later on during the morning, Shubhraji also visited a few temples around the island, including the Kashinath Mandir. The ancient temple housed the interesting legend that the stone statues of the temple deities, Lord Shiva and Pavarati, were naturally formed and rose out of the earth and were discovered by the natives some 200 years back. Over the years, the temple was built around these two statues.
Mauritius is an island steeped in tradition and rituals. Shubhraji’s trip there brought a new meaning as her talks set the tone for people to move deepr into the philosophy and inculcate spiritual teachings into their everyday life
Shubhraji at the Asia Consciousness Festival June 5-21, 2009 Hong Kong Posted: January 29, 2010
Written by Shalini Gagoomal & Shivina Harjani
On June 5, Vedanta Teacher Shubhraji was invited as the keynote speaker to the gala opening of the 1st Asia Consciousness Festival, hosted at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Along with Dr. Stuart Hameroff from the Center for Consciousness Studies in Tucson, the Venerable Hin Hung Sik from the Hong Kong Centre of Buddhist Studies and Dr. Eric Pearl, an internationally recognised healer, Shubhraji participated in a panel discussion that was driven by a range of views on the nature of Consciousness and how it arises.
During a separate address on June 7, Shubhraji was asked to expand her previous convictions by considering three questions: What is Consciousness? Is there a way to know it? Can it be experienced in a way that enhances our lives?
What is Consciousness?
Shubhraji drew from Advaita Vedanta, the ageless and universal philosophy of the Vedas which teaches the science of living. As she defined Consciousness in her delivery, she often quoted the Upanishads:
Yan mansa na manute Yenahur mano matam Tadeva brahma tvam vidhi Nedam yad idam upasate - (Kenopanishad 1/5)
Shubhraji explained the meaning of the verse in simple terms, “Consciousness is that which one cannot feel by the mind but because of which the mind feels.” Consciousness, she elaborated, is the ever-present Awareness from which the mind itself arises; it is the very source and substratum of the mind. She pointed out that this Consciousness, or Life principle, is none other than the constant centre that runs through all beings, eternally, self-luminously, and changelessly.
Shubhraji recalled an illustration from a famous story in Upanishadic literature to further these ideas. Consider a lump of clay moulded into several clay pots. “How many clays are there?” she asked. One. Undoubtedly, though the pots may be many, the clay itself is one, unifying essence. Consciousness, like the clay, she expounded, is a non-dual unity that births many forms but which is nonetheless constant and absolute despite the apparent separation of the forms it gives rise to.
Shubhraji continued, deepening her insights. Three elements are required for creation: an efficient cause, a material cause and an instrumental cause, which we may see as a potter, clay and a pottery wheel. She pointed out that Consciousness is all three causes. If Consciousness created the universe, out of what did it create if not Consciousness? If the material of creation was separate from the Creator, this would imply more than one Consciousness. There can be no such duality.
Is there a way to know it?
Is there a way to realise this all-pervading Consciousness? Is there a way for the mind to seek its own source? “You are already that which you seek” Shubhraji exclaimed, because the infinitude of joy that we endlessly search for is inherent in our own Being. It is the spiritual ignorance of our true nature and our perpetual identification with limited things such as the body, mind and intellect that provoke a feeling of incompleteness and which divert us from our blissful nature.
Consciousness alone is the Absolute Reality. It is a truth which never ceases to be. It must be conceived as the source of all things and beings, whose existence does not depend upon anything but on whom all other things depend on for their existence.
Shubhraji explained that our current concepts of ourselves amount to relative identities: son, father, brother, photographer, lawyer, comedian, Wimbledon champion. But, she persisted to ask, without such relationships, occupations or awards, who are we?
One man in her captivated audience responded, “That”. She elaborated, that we are Consciousness that is beyond words, objects, emotions and thoughts. A Consciousness which the Vedas point out through the language of negation, because any description of what it really is would be insufficient. Shubhraji expounded, our true identity rests in the Absolute Reality or Consciousness that forms the substratum of our Being. This identity by its very nature is free.
Can it be experienced in a way that enhances our lives?
So central to Vedanta is the assertion that one must abide in this Consciousness, the Absolute which is our true nature. In light of this, Shubhraji offered a practical approach to experiencing the freedom and joy that is the essence of this Self. There is no need to empty the mind of thoughts, as if often pointed out in meditation techniques. Instead, we must learn to recognise this Consciousness in spite of the torrent of thoughts that we experience. The task is not to empty the mind of thoughts, but to observe, silently and without attachment, the rise and fall of thought in our minds. Only if we find such quietude can we have a chance of acquiring a glimpse of the Truth.
Shubhraji talked us through a thought experiment: Think of a table and on it put an orange cloth. Now, place a crystal over the orange cloth. The crystal will appear orange, but its apparent orange colour belongs to the cloth and not to the crystal. In a similar way, though various qualities appear on Pure Consciousness or on the Self, they are mere appearances and are not actually there.
The recognition of Consciousness requires a subtle shift in our perception, for it is the recognition of that which we already are. Shubhraji gave yet another example. “What is the state of your mind between the fulfillment of one desire and the beginning of the next?” It is a state of silence and contentment, a state of joyfulness- that, is none other than your true Self. A state which we so endlessly seek everywhere but where it resides, that is, within our Self.
As Shubhraji often says, “Test this knowledge for yourself! If it doesn’t work, throw it out the window”, but if it does work, you know you have in your hands the tools for something great. How Badly... Posted: January 29, 2010
A Poem Written by Eliza Spackman, Age 10, Santa Fe, New Mexico USA How badly do you want it?
Hari Om The time I heard those words I felt it Hari Om
The silence of freedom I felt it Stunned into bliss The silence of freedom
Who am I? Stunned into bliss I am free Who am I?
Go beyond the mind I will be free Flowering beauty Go beyond the mind
Look through the heart Flowering beauty Speak through the soul Look through the heart
Love Speak through the soul I am unlimited Love
Liberation I don't know I am unlimited Consciousness Liberation I don't know
Happiness Consciousness Light shining around me Happiness
Soft music playing Light shining around me Never stopping Soft music playing
What should I do? Never stopping That question What should I do?
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