the Goddess

July 24, 2001

>> The Goddess has many faces. One of them is Sarswati. <<

Dear Harsha ~ I appreciated much your clarification of the word,

"chela," and your brief mention of Saraswati. Since I stand as an

"outsider" to a culture that has given us Sanata Dharma, I am always

appreciating the thoughts of those who have come from inside the

culture (and, before I get in trouble, let me add that, yes I realise

all cultures are part of dualism and that there are really no cultures

at all...on the other hand, I love the colorful play of difference!).

Saraswati is one of my favorites, and I often think of Her as a

patroness, since I am an artist and musician. I love her association

with the Swan (Hamsa) and the pictures of her playing the vina

(spelling?). Shree Maa plays the vina ~ at least I think it is a

vina, perhaps you can tell me. It is a very long stringed instrument

with a rounded base and when played makes a sustained encapsulating

vibration of sound. I know the faces of the Goddess are many, yet my

closest ones are Kali, Saraswati and Durga. I have been reading the

Chandi, and I love Durga's honorific as She Who Tears Apart Thought.

I gladly offer Her all of mine.

This is not entirely related, however, I long to share it. There is a

Swami I have never met, Swami Jyoti. He created and has contributed

to a wonderful magazine, "Light of Consciousness." I have issues

dating back to 1995 and I read them over and over again. Since he has

an ashram in Tucson, and I am moving to southern NM, to Silver City,

which is about 3 hours from Tucson, I have been very excited,

thinking now I will get to meet him and maybe attend a satsang or

retreat. Today I called the ashram publication office to find out if

my latest issue of the magazine had gone awry (it had) and to tell

whoever answered the phone about my move. When I asked about being

notified of retreats I might attend, the woman on the other end

became very quiet and then said, "I have something very sad to tell

you." I said, "Okay," not knowing what I would hear, but hearing the

tears in her voice. "Swami passed this summer," she said. I began to

cry. I told her how sad I was and how much his words in the magazine

have meant to me. We empathized with each other, though I know, for

her the sorrow must run deep because of her close relationship to

Swami Jyoti. She said I would be welcome to visit the ashram and to

call when I have relocated. I sat at the table crying quietly and

Doug came in and asked me what was the matter. I told him, and he

empathized because he knew I had wanted to visit the ashram this

summer when we traveled, and we never got to Arizona at all. Then he

said, "Well, you know, he still touch you from where he is," which is

exactly what the young woman at the ashram had said, but in different

words. Will he or won't he, or will I or won't I feel his presence? I

don't know. In some way, it is not really important because he has

touched me already and will continue to through the volume of taped

satsangs and the magazines, which I have been assured will continue.

In this world of maya (which I have learned to my delight was

misnamed "illusion" and means, at least according to the Chandi, the

"Great Measurement," ~ takes some of the derogatory sting out of this

word and world as represented by it, I believe), in my experiences, it

is sometimes these small touches across seemingly great distances that

break through dualism and spark connection and unity. I have also been

reading about different types of meditation or meditative awareness or

just awareness, and I have been so interested to find a kind of

progression or relationship or relationships, if you will. (You will

understand this far better than I am relating it, Harsha, and also I

hope you understand mixture of sorrow and joy I am feeling today.) As

I understand it at the moment, first there is me, you (or the object)

and the relationship between the two, then there is just me and you

(which becomes the Beloved), and then there is just...ISness,

nonduality, whatever it is that words are inadequate to reveal but

has clearly been experienced. These all have names, of course, but at

the moment I don't remember them. The explication is from a discourse

between Shree Maa and Swami Saraswati on the Kasapya Sutras. I liked

the way Swami described the individual sutras as "teacher's notes."

They are short, aren't they. ...lastly, I would like to share some of

Swami Jyoti's words from Spring/Summer '99 magazine, as I believe they

are relevant to this group (and actually are the one place where he

has spoken directly about nondualism). It is excerpted from a satsang

about dreaming ~ the dreaming within the dream and the dreaming life

as a dream:

"...unless we are born or awakened to non-dualism, to the Absoute, we

cannot really know what dualism is. We are in the dream--action and

reaction, cause and effect, form and name--and we philosophize so

much that we take it to be real. If it is Real, it should not give us

pain and misery. That is the proof. It should not give us stagnation,

miseries, a sense of separation. Death should not give us pain, if it

is real; reality should not give us pain, by its own logic. Trugh

should not be painful. That which gives us pain, makes us miserable,

frustrated and wanting, must be unreal. This is dualism...When we

awaken, we come back to our Absolute Truth: I am. Me as Awarenss, me

as Absolute, me as God, as Light, as Infinite, Absolute, Eternal,

without name and form. That unlimited Consciousness is blissful."

....and this little bit also: "One saint explained this in his simple

rural colloquialism: "I keep non-dualism in my pocket and play with

dualism."

Shanti ~ Linda

July 24, 2001

Thanks for sharing Linda. The story of Swami Jyoti is very touching

and you tell it from a pure place in your mind and heart and so it

moves us. The word "Jyoti" means light and in the spiritual context

it refers to the inner light, the light of consciousness that is

self-illuminating and illumines everything. The Jyoti or the light of

consciousness is our true Guru. We Are That. It manifests outside as

the Guru, Divine Mother, Teacher, Friend, and Guide. Sri Ramana used

to say that the outer Guru will only tell you to go within, to see

our own inner light as Being. So the Guru is Always Here. Grace is

Always Here. When we open to it suddenly, it is like a flood. When we

open slowly like a flower, it seeps in gradually, and we don't even

notice anything. Perhaps you have heard stories of simple devotees

with their pure love for the Divine Beloved. Seeing the Divine in

all, their heart has grown so big that it embraces all living beings.

For them even floods seems like gently falling tear drops

consciousness.

Yes, and the faces of the Divine Mother are many and She symbolizes

the infinite forms the energy of consciousness can take. Maha Kali,

Maha Lakshmi, Maha Sarswati, Maheshwari are some of Her

manifestations, ..........Aurbindo has written about the Mother and

the characteristics of Her various faces. Wim (our beautiful and

wonderful resident Boddhisatwa) is familiar with Aurbindo's writings

I believe. I have never taken much to Sri Aurbindo's philosophy,

although many people find him appealing and evidently have been

helped through his teachings and insights.

Love to all

Harsha

nierika (AT) aol (DOT) com

[nierika (AT) aol (DOT) com]Tuesday, July 24, 2001 8:09 PMTo:

Subject: Re: the

Goddess

Harsha wrote (in response to Angelique and her Kali poem):

>> The Goddess has many faces. One of them is Sarswati. << Dear Harsha

~ I appreciated much your clarification of the word, "chela," and your

brief mention of Saraswati. Since I stand as an "outsider" to a

culture that has given us Sanata Dharma, I am always appreciating the

thoughts of those who have come from inside the culture (and, before I

get in trouble, let me add that, yes I realise all cultures are part

of dualism and that there are really no cultures at all...on the

other hand, I love the colorful play of difference!). Saraswati is

one of my favorites, and I often think of Her as a patroness, since I

am an artist and musician. I love her association with the Swan

(Hamsa) and the pictures of her playing the vina (spelling?). Shree

Maa plays the vina ~ at least I think it is a vina, perhaps you can

tell me. It is a very long stringed instrument with a rounded base

and when played makes a sustained encapsulating vibration of sound. I

know the faces of the Goddess are many, yet my closest ones are Kali,

Saraswati and Durga. I have been reading the Chandi, and I love

Durga's honorific as She Who Tears Apart Thought. I gladly offer Her

all of mine. This is not entirely related, however, I long to share

it. There is a Swami I have never met, Swami Jyoti. He created and

has contributed to a wonderful magazine, "Light of Consciousness." I

have issues dating back to 1995 and I read them over and over again.

Since he has an ashram in Tucson, and I am moving to southern NM, to

Silver City, which is about 3 hours from Tucson, I have been very

excited, thinking now I will get to meet him and maybe attend a

satsang or retreat. Today I called the ashram publication office to

find out if my latest issue of the magazine had gone awry (it had)

and to tell whoever answered the phone about my move. When I asked

about being notified of retreats I might attend, the woman on the

other end became very quiet and then said, "I have something very sad

to tell you." I said, "Okay," not knowing what I would hear, but

hearing the tears in her voice. "Swami passed this summer," she said.

I began to cry. I told her how sad I was and how much his words in the

magazine have meant to me. We empathized with each other, though I

know, for her the sorrow must run deep because of her close

relationship to Swami Jyoti. She said I would be welcome to visit the

ashram and to call when I have relocated. I sat at the table crying

quietly and Doug came in and asked me what was the matter. I told

him, and he empathized because he knew I had wanted to visit the

ashram this summer when we traveled, and we never got to Arizona at

all. Then he said, "Well, you know, he still touch you from where he

is," which is exactly what the young woman at the ashram had said,

but in different words. Will he or won't he, or will I or won't I

feel his presence? I don't know. In some way, it is not really

important because he has touched me already and will continue to

through the volume of taped satsangs and the magazines, which I have

been assured will continue. In this world of maya (which I have

learned to my delight was misnamed "illusion" and means, at least

according to the Chandi, the "Great Measurement," ~ takes some of the

derogatory sting out of this word and world as represented by it, I

believe), in my experiences, it is sometimes these small touches

across seemingly great distances that break through dualism and spark

connection and unity. I have also been reading about different types

of meditation or meditative awareness or just awareness, and I have

been so interested to find a kind of progression or relationship or

relationships, if you will. (You will understand this far better than

I am relating it, Harsha, and also I hope you understand mixture of

sorrow and joy I am feeling today.) As I understand it at the moment,

first there is me, you (or the object) and the relationship between

the two, then there is just me and you (which becomes the Beloved),

and then there is just...ISness, nonduality, whatever it is that

words are inadequate to reveal but has clearly been experienced.

These all have names, of course, but at the moment I don't remember

them. The explication is from a discourse between Shree Maa and Swami

Saraswati on the Kasapya Sutras. I liked the way Swami described the

individual sutras as "teacher's notes." They are short, aren't they.

....lastly, I would like to share some of Swami Jyoti's words from

Spring/Summer '99 magazine, as I believe they are relevant to this

group (and actually are the one place where he has spoken directly

about nondualism). It is excerpted from a satsang about dreaming ~

the dreaming within the dream and the dreaming life as a dream: