Guest guest Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 Namah Shivaya Bros. & Sisters, I, too, had taken advantage of meeting every Indian Guru who came to the Midwest in the early 80's and practiced Kashmir Shavism (North Indian style) bhajans with my meditation teacher in the eighties. My teacher followed the Nityananda path from Baba Muktananda, then Gurumayi, then thru Rudi from New York and eventually Swami Chetanananda, now in Portland. So eventually I went to South Fallsburg 1988, once, and met Gurumayi. Her darshan que was a long meandering wide concrete path lined with floral beds to an outdoor ampi-theater.......and as she sat on her throne under an elaborate gazebo, dressed in silk from head to toe, her eye contact was powerful (less loving, very intense which struck fear in my heart) while she bopped me on the head with a fist full of peacock feathers. However her attendants, aloof, wearing $300.00 suits and each driving BMW tiny two door convertibles, the temples were elaborate. The dining hall & food were sad........so I took the 1/16th of my brain and removed myself to find sollice by the Atlantic on Martha's Vineyard, which was more refreshing. The stories of the break up with her brother after Muktananda passed were strong then............ and yet I know that when I met Ammachi in the early 90's, having experienced a brief encounters with others, I was very sure of her authenticity.........as I felt "at home in my heart" while walking into the San Ramon temple for the very first time, in pain, and having cancer of the thyroid.......I felt a burden lifted from my heart, relaxed and forgot my own sorrows, while watching her "lift chi" and soften hearts to tears. After seeing Amma bring dozens of men to tears with a single hug, I no longer felt alone, I merely knew that I was now in the presence of true love and compassion. My nervous energies were calmed, my pain was lessoned ..............and most of all, her attendants and hall monitors were the most compassionate individuals with total eye contact and focus that I had ever met in many years of spiritual searching. I will never forget the day that Hari Suddha, Meenakshi, and Rama Devi greeted me at the wide entrance of the temple..........in their white cotton sari's with a glow that was infectious, compassionate and so very calming. Their undivided attention to me, was reassuring (as I was in so much pain and unable to bend my legs or and despite my hunger I choked on peas) ..............and this love was so needed in my desire to find a "home".......................and I have never regretted that my birth family abandoned me since the love and communion I find in Amma's darshan hall is slowly healing my heart and helping me to dissolve my monkey mind. The "slowly healing" is my stubborn nature....I am sure not Amma's intent. Amma has given me the love that I needed to have faith, thus survive two episodes of cancer in a decade. I live in a university town where the Dali Lama's brother is a retired Prof. and I have met the Dali Lama many times, and multiple Tibetan monk groups at the local Tibetan Center owned by the brother and his wife. In fact we have two Tibetan monestaries in this town of 70,000. The local network of individuals on an Eastern paths over 30 years have strong Eastern connections and bring many paths, teachings and Indian gurus thru for visitations.......ie Ram Das, Shiva Bali Yoga, Sataguru Yogideva (sp ? from Tamil Nadu), Mother Meera, Chalanda Ma (Sai Baba lineage), etc. Many local TM'ers have lived in Fairfield and spent years flying the dome. These vehicles of spiritual opportunities did not sustain a permanent feeling in my heart as did Amma. So................for me, the "test drives" allowed me to know when I was moving in a safe vehicle designed by Mother.........one to protect me from harm of collision (with life) , but one that forced me to sit at the wheel and steer my course................(while often driving drunk in a time warp after Amma's darshan).......... and believe me, Mother is always in my backseat.............driving too. Om Namah Shivaya, Amritavarshini On Tuesday, August 19, 2003, at 11:43 AM, ganesh108 wrote: > I left SYDA yoga at about the time Gurumayi took over. Does this still > give me 1/16th of a brain, or do I get credit for a little more --- say > 1/8th? > Prasadini > > Mike Brooker wrote: > >>> Namah Shivaya, >>> My husband and I were both involved in Siddha Yoga >>> for several years in the late '70s and erly '80s. We >>> met Mother a >>> long time ago. >>> >>> I believe that we all should use our discrimination. >>> I have read the "leaving SY" web site and list In >>> my opinion, >>> there are no similarities between the SY and MA >>> organizations or experience. >>> >> >> Anyone with half, or even 1/16th, of a brain should >> steer clear of Gurumayi and the SYDA organization. >> Comparing Gurumayi to Amma is like comparing a Yugo to >> a Rolls Royce. >> >> I've never met Gurumayi (they probably wouldn't let me >> into the South Fallsburgh ashram even if I wanted to), >> but I've read enough about her on the >> leavingsiddhayoga.org site and in a New Yorker article >> published in 1994 to convince me that SYDA is a >> rotten, corrupt organization. I've met a number of >> ex-SYDA devotees who weren't at all sorry to see the >> last of Gurumayi. If Malti Shetty (aka >> Gurumayi)claims to be a renunciate, why does she need >> to dress like a fashion idol, with a collection of >> hats that rivals Imelda Marco's shoe collection? What >> a sham. >> >> Keval >> On Tuesday, August 19, 2003, at 06:40 PM, manoj_menon wrote: > Namah Shivaya. > > Who is a true Guru? Even more, who is YOUR true Guru? > > This is not an easy topic to understand / discuss. > > The best way of finding out a true Guru is to do a series of checks. > > First, 'check your own heart' to get a feel of how comfortable you > are around a person > > Then, see if you enjoy being with the person. > > Next check if your mind quietens considerably (or fully) while in the > presence of this person (regardless of whether he/she has been > declared spiritually potent to be a Guru or not). > > Then, check to see if you feel a sense of deep peace. > > If these answers are yes, ask yourself if you will feel 'at home' > with this person for the rest of your life. If you feel 'yes' to this > too (the huger the feeling of 'yes' the better), you have found your > guru. > > I would emphasize on internal indicators more than external ones. > > External indicators can be misleading.... a kind-looking figure may > not be totally devoid of wants and desires, and vive-versa. (this is > a big theme with many subtle points, and that can be explored across > many posts, so this is all I will say here now). > > Intuition is the barometer. > > History has shown us that there are countless 'seemingly rascally' > saint figures, but they have been proven to be genuine saints who > used their own methods to teach their students. > > Many of them used swear words, or looked like they used to get very > angry. It was upto the student to discern what was behind > such 'spiritually socially shocking' gestures.... These masters didnt > care if the students misunderstood them. But if they did understand > their masters, then all the grace and love poured out on them. > > Sounds unfair? not really. The point they were making (in my > perception) is of complete surrender. If the disciple had already > accepted the master as their all-in-all, and could unflinchingly > surrender to the crudest gestures that the master made, the disciple > was worthy of the 'final initiation'. > > While it is very difficult to know who your true Guru is (and I > should know because I had been shopping for a Guru for so many > years), the difficult reality is that only you know who your Guru is, > and that no one else can even remotely help you find him. > > The only entities that can help you find your guru are YOUR BURNING > DESIRE for liberation, and your intuition. > > Jai Ma! > > > ------------------------ Sponsor > ---------------------~--> > Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for Your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark > Printer at Myinks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & > Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 > http://us.click./l.m7sD/LIdGAA/qnsNAA/XUWolB/TM > --- > ~-> > > Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! > > Ammachi > > > Your use of is subject to > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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