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Ananda
3115 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 02:51:15 AM
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Dear AYP family,
all I can say is that the mountain is still alive and Ramana's grace is as strong as ever. It was a trip of growing up in all ways... And one hell of an adventure. To those who have received the invitation spiritually I strongly suggest going there; It won't be easy but it will be all good.
There are three teachers there whom I can recommend; Two are always available in Tiru and one is always on the move.
First I'd recommend Cezar Teruel (attended 10 satsangs with him and they were all a blast) but he's always on the move and not always present in Tiru:
http://www.gurusfeet.com/guru/cesar
Second, if you want to experience the grace of silence first hand without all the talking and mind games... Go and have the Darshan of Shiva Shakti Ammaiyar:
http://www.gurusfeet.com/guru/siva-sakthi-ammaiyar
IMHO she's the real deal, but only available for 15 minutes in the morning from 10 to 10:15 am.
Third, there's Ganesan:
http://richardarunachala.wordpress....uvannamalai/
I didn't attend satsang with the fellow, but was graced to have the chance to sit and meditate next to him and have his powerful look in Ramana's ashram's big hall a few hours before leaving Tiru.
To my lucky stars I was also graced to have a glimpse of Sri Lakshmana swamy walking in the back of his ashram while I was attending satsang with Cezar at a roof top near Arunachala Heradayam where Sri Lakshmana lives. That was all by shere luck of course and from a distance because Sri Lakshmana is not accessible to anyone and is 85 years old now I think and very rarely does anyone except the close circle around him see him...
All in all, i've got from this trip what I needed and not what I wanted and for me it was all a big blessing :-)
Glory to Arunachala Ramana[img]icon_heart.gif[/img]
Love,
Ananda
P.s: Still on my AYP practices but with better results |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 03:37:15 AM
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Dear Ananda
a Saint always leaves a Presence after leaving His/Her physical body..and this Presence is always felt...this is what i feel in Swami Sivananda and Swami Chidananda ashram...similarly in Arunachala and Bhagavan's Grace ...
thank you for sharing the names of the 3 teachers...i checked them out ..very intresting...looking at their pictures is uplifting...they radiate...i particulary liked Ganesan  ...would like to go to Ramanashram that is for sure
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i think you are very lucky for doing that trip and especially getting a glimpse of Sri Lakshmana swamy...i want to get the book No mind i am the Self soon...when i finish all the pile of unread books that i have...that i recently bought in my last india trip... ...we are avid readers but Advaita needs time to sink deep down into the
subconscious,it is very condensed so it is better to read slow and assimilate then reading fast and move on .
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i think i am talking toooo much
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ps.the results of the trip on your practice will keep on unfolding for several months...you will see
tc |
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swaha
Lebanon
88 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 04:33:27 AM
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thanks for sharing Ananda...
when i look at Shivashakti's face, i again get the same instant overwhelming feeling that i felt when i was waiting for her to appear for the morning Darshan.. on my last day in Tiru, and that was the only day She didn't come!
but her presence was felt anyway..
sure next time i go there, i will visit her first!
(sighs)
love to u |
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Jaycee
United Kingdom
48 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 05:06:25 AM
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Sounds as if you had a wonderful time, Ananda. Thanks for reporting back and recommending some teachers. I have come across videos of Ganesan before and his words certainly resonate with me. |
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Yonatan
Israel
849 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 05:48:26 AM
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LOVE!! |
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amoux
United Kingdom
266 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 06:20:14 AM
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| It sounds wonderful, Ananda - thank you One day I shall get to India. |
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senthil
India
25 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 07:22:33 AM
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Dear Ananda,
where do we find these gurus at Arunachala?
Are there any contact numbers to get their location and schedule?
Thanks,
Senthil |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 07:58:55 AM
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| Thanks for sharing, Ananda!!! |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 08:30:13 AM
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Hi Ananda,
Sounds like you had a great trip, would love to visit too one day! |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 09:19:44 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ananda
...all I can say is that the mountain is still alive and Ramana's grace is as strong as ever.
Ananda
I hear you my friend.
Last week I was gazing at photographs of that mountain and feeling the awesome energy. And I gazed into the eyes of Ramana as a young man (when he looked oddly to me like the man who goes by Cosmic here at AYP Forum) and then as he aged, and then the last photo before he died, and when I saw that I was in tears. In retrospect, I feel like I was with you in a way.
I found the collection of photographs in video here:
http://www.spiritualteachers.org/ra...maharshi.htm
Love,
Be |
Edited by - bewell on Mar 01 2011 09:28:38 AM |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 09:27:27 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ananda
Second, if you want to experience the grace of silence first hand without all the talking and mind games... Go and have the Darshan of Shiva Shakti Ammaiyar:
http://www.gurusfeet.com/guru/siva-sakthi-ammaiyar
Ananda
Thank you! I gazed at the the photo of Shiva Shakti Ammaiyar and now I a feeling such sweet love-energy, such gratitude.
Be |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 11:07:32 AM
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Thank you all for your lovely replies and yes Arunachala is Grace manifested.
quote:
Originally posted by senthil
Dear Ananda,
where do we find these gurus at Arunachala?
Are there any contact numbers to get their location and schedule?
Thanks,
Senthil
Dear Senthil,
in the links I shared about each saint exists the locations and schedules plus the websites.
And you can also find it all out just by telling the rickshaws who wait outside Ramana Ashram to take you to these teachers whereabouts.
Wish you all the best.
Love,
Ananda |
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 1:17:22 PM
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| thank you for sharing! |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 11:38:56 PM
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 5:04:31 PM
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Hi Ananda
Thank you for sharing this.
The timing of it is great - I have had "pullings" from India again these past couple of weeks.
When living in the cave in Spain for a month last winter I had a vision of India....
It came through as a cross going through a spiral of energy (the whole mountain vibrated as this spiral - and it was energetically connected to Arunachala - I recognized the vibration from the front cover of a book about "Arunachala - the mountain of light" ...a friend gave me the book a year before as a thank you for helping her translate Papaji's "This" into Norwegian. When she rang my doorbell...instead of her face ....she held up the book with Arunachala on the front cover.......and that day the book "Talks" by Ramana Maharshi was on my kitchen table.......so the mountain came to him and both lay on the table radiating presence for several weeks.....
During the vision in the cave......I saw that "india" is everywhere....and that the presence of Arunachala....once we connect to it, it too is everywhere. There are places in nature where energy vortexes cross......sort of like earth chakras. There must be many more of them....the vision explained the incredible silence in the barranco where the cave was situated....I used to sit on the ledge behind the fire..playing my low Irish whistle and meditating........when walking to and from the little town I could always feel where the start of the presence begun....right around a particular bend in the trail.......
Here is a video my Irish musician friend Aidan made when he stayed by himself in the same cave (we found the cave in December of 2009 and we both had separate retreats there later)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NHjzRujC94
If I am ever pulled to go to India like you did, it will be good to have your references, so thanks for this post.
Cezar was in Dublin last year. I did not manage to see him, but the ones who did all thought he was amazing :) |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 5:36:14 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Katrine
During the vision in the cave......I saw that "india" is everywhere....and that the presence of Arunachala....once we connect to it, it too is everywhere. There are places in nature where energy vortexes cross......sort of like earth chakras. There must be many more of them....the vision explained the incredible silence in the barranco where the cave was situated...
Katrine and all,
The sense of connection by energy vortexes fits with the experience I had one fall in the late '90s when, based on intuitive guidance, I consciously decided to "go to India in Mexico."
Due to my energetic attunement, and the power of intention, I found India in many places in Mexico. Here is one quick example. I went to visit a Mexican sister of my Lansing neighbor. The Mexican sister lived a life of relative Mexcan poverty. She was on Mexican government assistance which gave her a swipe card to purchase bread daily. When I got to her house my first day there, she was gone, but her next door neighbor let me sit in his house. The first thing I saw when I entered his house was a statue of Ghanesh. It turns out his wife had made two pilgrimages to India. Soon, the "rich" family welcomed me as a friend, and I enjoyed learning about India through many conversations. I also was welcomed by my "poor" Mexican sister. For a month, I did Satyananda yoga twice daily and found many more connections with India right there in Matejuala.
Peace,
Bewell |
Edited by - bewell on Mar 02 2011 5:40:43 PM |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 11:08:06 AM
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Really enjoyed the vid
Thank you for writing and sharing both of you Katrine and Bewell, and yes I totally agree India is everywhere
Cezar also called Arunachala and places like it as vortexes, I am calling it ego/karma vacuum...
We also have some great places here in Lebanon, a special one where the perfume of silence and saintliness is very materialized and present as in Arunachala is in Anaya at the monastery of beloved Saint Charbel: http://www.saintcharbel.com/
But what I experienced in Arunachala is different from here or any other holy place i've been to before I must admit that. It was like being thrown into the frying pan of purification and ego destruction.
Never been into a trip or something which emptied me and woke me up from my identification like when I was in Arunachala...
As for the spiritual invitation, you're welcome of course dear Katrine if you want references to Tiruvannamalai. But as I said earlier you should keep in mind that it won't be an easy trip (India is a very poor country) and you will see some things there which will make your heart melt... And this is coming from someone who lives in a third world country.
Peace be with all.
Love,
Ananda |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 12:38:02 PM
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Hi Ananda and Bewell
Thank you for St. Charbel.....I had never heard of him.
When seeing him....he reminded me of the energy of St.Francis of Assissi. I am going to Toscana (a retreat) and Assissi (holiday) over Easter.....will be in Assissi on Good Friday.....I loved the song...the voice on the website, thank you.
Bewell - thank you for sharing your India experiences, it is simply amazing how we manifest....through our thoughts and motivations/intentions. It never ceases to amaze me....how nothing is "unnecessary"......how the intelligence of it all plays out :)
quote:
As for the spiritual invitation, you're welcome of course dear Katrine if you want references to Tiruvannamalai. But as I said earlier you should keep in mind that it won't be an easy trip (India is a very poor country) and you will see some things there which will make your heart melt... And this is coming from someone who lives in a third world country.
Yes - that is why it has taken so long for me to get there. It is just as difficult as actually being here...present in this body ....in this life. Not somewhere else. I cannot go to India until I am called. Only then will the readiness be there. Also - I have known for a while that I am not allowed to go there by myself. So whomever it is that I am going with when the time comes...that too has to be ready :)
But - since there is no "in the mean time" - the energy of it is already here.
Thank you so much Ananda. I am not surprised that Arunachala had that effect on you. If Arunachala on the front cover of a book can do what it did....then who knows what the impact of the mountain itself will be......
Oh......
There was just an insight.......yes.....that is why "India is everywhere".......that is why it is coming through like that. It is not India........it is the result of India. Before - during - and after.
Thanks much Ananda - and may all hearts melt gently and in good time [img]icon_heart.gif[/img] |
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 1:52:27 PM
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That video Katrine, opened up such a longing inside that it is very hard for the body to bear it. I am weeping, and raw. I know that I am not meant to do a trip like that for a very long time, which is partially why this longing is so difficult to bear. My sadhana is here, with my family, and I accept and embrace that. But that does not decrease this longing for solitude and no obligations other then meeting the basic human needs and sitting in Silence. AAAAHHHHHHH!!!! It is almost too much to bear. 
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 2:01:35 PM
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@Katrine [img]icon_heart.gif[/img]
@Carsonzi: I think you can manage a day or two in the mountains once every while brother Carson... At least that does the trick for me and I live one very busy life...
Love,
Ananda |
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 2:07:54 PM
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Hi Ananda and thank you for opening this thread. Very wonderful to hear of your experience in India.
Unfortunately, the summers are very short here in Canada. Comfortable camping weather here only lasts for two months a year at maximum. And with a new baby, an ongoing house reno, two jobs, and all my vacation time for the year booked (for teaching AYP retreats) it is not going to happen any time soon. But I think that is the point. I am meant to sit with this longing. Nothing is an accident and me watching that video was no exception. This longing is here for a reason, and I believe that reason is to learn to be with it.
Thank you again for opening this topic.
Love!
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 2:15:55 PM
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Dear Carson
My heart goes out to you....
Please also know that my month in the cave was challenging on many levels. Very hard physical work (with many miles to drinking water and food), a lot of physical discomfort (rats, moschitos, lizards, storms), and also emotional purification beyond what I had experienced until then. Nowhere to go......just survival.
Yes - it was beautiful - but it was far from easy.
Let me also share something else:
When the Bhakti is firing up inside like what you are experiencing right now.......in a split second before I am taken over by it....I have a choice not to drown in the longing. It took me a very, very long time to see that Bhakti too can be an attachment. So......today.....when aware of my tendencies.....if I recognize something like that trying to work itself up....like a kind of drama.....I stop it. I see it, then move my attention away from it, and simply go about my daily business...whatever it may be. I do not let that fire drag me out of my kitchen....out of my ordinary activities...out of the life given by that which is before the fire.
Because if I do.....then clarity and calm is lost........and clarity and calm is everything. Without it I am blind.
Blessed be your house, your family, the earth, your dogs, your job and all the nature surrounding you.. Blessed be your Heart [img]icon_heart.gif[/img] |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 2:19:11 PM
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| We cross posted Carson |
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 2:29:11 PM
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Hi Katrine and thank you for your wisdom
The longing is not for "ease." You know me well enough, I think, to know that I rarely if ever take the easy road. Sometimes to a fault. The longing is for space I think. Knowing full well that that space exists inside already. But still, there is a longing for .... something. And that video stoked the fire for sure. I am through the weeping now (which is good as my boss is due to show up back in my office any minute now ) and it has been replaced with peace once again.
Thank you for sharing yourself, and that video too.
Blessed be.
Love!
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 2:46:58 PM
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Hi Carson
Yes - - my longing was for space too. It was written all over my diaries.."I need space"...
But.....it was not true.
I needed to be where I was. That is why I was there.
When I don't want to be where I am.....I always chose the "difficult way"......I was always a horse head in front of myself.....like a ...tie.....standing out in the wind doing it's best to follow the running flesh....
i am not saying you are like this. I cannot know that. But it certainly is in my nature to be like this
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 3:51:49 PM
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@Katrine and Carson:
Beautiful wisdom dear Katrine and I understand your longing a lot dear Carsonzi.
If something benefited me best from them 10 satsangs with Cesar and being in Tiru is that the seeker in me kind of dropped and I realized there's no me to begin with to seek anything... Including the fear, the bhakti the boredom of emptiness which is what I am... Nothing to be or do all is already destined to happen and is just happening anyways...
I am reminded now of the words of Jesus when he said: Not a piece of hair falls from our head without the will of God.
All is as it should be, we are not the body nor anything. Just awareness point blank and self inquiry is a great tool to remain in that and cut through the fear and boredom and seeking and the tool of self inquiry itself.
I know that this might seem like pure advaita but it works and within it is immense freedom, peace and tranquility... I've been where I am at now years before going to Tiru and I ruined it because of the fear and the seeking and bhakti. Lost my peace at the price of doing sadhana and being so serious about my spiritual path and longing toward God/Truth. Guess I had to go to Arunachala and be awakened from all this non sense and be aware of this peace/reality that is always present once and for all...
Just being and inquiring to whom is this seeking/longing boredom fear all kinds of emotions or thoughts are rising to. And staying with the unknowing and the emptiness from the answer to the question who am I?
Just staying in the gap and watching, letting all samskaras rise and burn in the light of awareness.
Just being at peace with myself and everything else.
@Dear good old Miguel: I like the thought of what you just shared and spending a week there (if the time allowas it) as in an AYP retreat seems like a great idea.
Love,
Ananda |
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Quick feedback on my trip to Arunachala Ramana
