Some new age, pseudo- psychology for Tom

[Guest guest]

Tom,

All I am hearing from you are lame excuses as to why you can not have a satsang group. Lame excuses make it easy to do nothing. Doing nothing is the definition of laziness, the very thing you accuse others of in not chanting the LS. Maybe I am wrong here, but you must excuse me, as I do not have a genius level intellect.

When my husband and I moved to Sedona, we had almost no money at all. We were renting a tiny apartment, and wanted badly to have a community of like minded, Amma oriented people to share satsang and sadhana with. I was able to get a list of devotees in the area from the ma center, and I also posted flyers eveywhere I could think of. It was not easy at first. Sometimes no one would show up, sometimes one to three people would show up. We would hold satsang regardless. We did the LS and eventually added homas. We did the LS prior to doing the general satsang because some people were just too flustered in the pronunciation. That is fine with me. I don't demand anyone to do something that they are not comfortable with, nor do I judge them for that. That's Amma Job. I know people who have done complex chants and homas for hours a day for years, and they remain hard hearted and shut down. Who are we to judge what is best for others? Your time is better spent

focusing on what is best for Tom. Let Amma do the rest. If we do our best to comply with Amma's wishes within the scope of our own lives, and then seek out others who you know are practicing the way you are accustomed to practicing, then you will find contentment and equiminity.

Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda have all kinds of advanced practices going on every day. You might find them very fulfilling if that is what you are looking for. But their Dharma is one which demonstrates respect for all, and this may not be comfortable for you, since for you, respect does not seem to be connected to dharma.

Anyway, we ended up having a very beautiful and sweetly devotional satsang group, and all of us grew together and supported one another. We kept ourselves simple. No politics, no demands. Just an ever deepening Love for our Mother and for each other. I really understand and respect your concern for the world, and for the the upholding of Dharma, but you are blinded by your own rigidity. The LS is certainly a wonderful way of adding peace, devotion and purification to the world. However, the LS has the power to do this BECAUSE IT CREATES A SUBTLE CHANGE WITHIN THE ONE WHO IS CHANTING, CREATING A DEEP PEACE WITHIN THAT PERSON. IT IS THAT DEVOTEE'S INNER PEACE AND DEVOTION WHICH ARRISES AS A RESULT OF THE PRACTICE OF CHANTING THE LS WHICH HAS THE POWER CHANGE THE WORLD. One can chant the most powerful prayers in the universe 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but if one does not work on relinquishing one's hold on anger, resentment, blame, judgement, separation and the

pain of old wounds, as well as all the other ways the ego manifests itself, then all the chanting in the world will do you no good, nor will it help the world. Deep innner change is the only way to transform the world. Amma Herself teaches this. Become the change you are seeking.

Beloved Tom, you have many ideas about dharma in your mind, and yet your behavior is undharmic. Hiding behind lame excuses and doing nothing, while critizing the very people who are at least trying to get things done and Insulting others, especially those who are pure hearted and have given up their lives in order to Serve, yet who don't live up to your standards, is not someting I see Amma do, ever. Yet She is the very embodiment of Dharma. She spends every moment of Her life demonstrating Dharma. You can define the Truth in a million different ways, but if your actions do not demonstrate Truth, you are no longer living in it.

How about just dropping all the excuses and accusations and getting on with it? I'm sure you could have a wonderful satsang group under a tree if necessary, and maybe with all your experience and capacity for language and chanting, you could even give lessons in how to chant the LS? If you can let go of your judgement of others and cultivate compassion, you might make a great teacher. That would be a wonderful way to serve, and I think it is very dharmic, too! Go ahead, take the plunge and stop complaining. Find the courage you are so in need of, and just do it.

May Our Beloved Mother Bless you with true courage, a silent mind and a soft heart, full of Love. After all, these are the real gifts of the LS.

In Her Love,

Sanatani

 

Tom <tomgull (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote:

Not sure if you're being fecicious (sp?) or not...

 

I just got a second copy of the small purple book this past year on

tour, but if you want to purchase copies for a "group collection" for

members, by all means get your checkcard ready.

 

Not everyone's into the great outdoors in August on the eastcoast,

due to the heat and humidity and the traffic making it unhealthy to

breathe. Plenty of mosquitos too.

 

It's Adharmic to "go-around" the structure of devotees who currently

do have places to hold satsang, or who can pool their finances to

rent a place. The outdoors is not suitable because of the

distractions and problems hearing eachother due to the lack of walls.

 

Next: Nobody wants to do the chanting. Many I've seen turn away

from going to any satsang at all, Amma or otherwise. Why?

Ineffectiveness, lack of Faith in the practices, laziness and

cheapness. There's a common belief that one shouldn't have to pay

for spirituality. Also, people don't understand that while learning

the LS takes great effort and time, it's a Lifetime Skill if you're

going to stick with Amma, so why not start now and forever be blessed?

 

tom

 

Any prasad is great, but Amma says that the plain chanting itself is

enough, not to let the lack of puja articles deter one.

 

Ammachi, "ecjensen_us" <ecjensen_us wrote:

>

> OM NAMAH SIVAYA

>

> if money is what is holding you back Tom i will help you. i assume

> you have the LS archana book if not email me your home address and

i

> will have one sent to you. it only about $5 or so right?

>

> next a place for hold satsang??... find a park near your home with

a

> big tree to sit under. the tree will protect you in case of rain

and

> visualize it as sitting under the Loving umbrella of Amma's

Divinity.

>

> next email or call whomever you want to attend the LS chanting.

that

> shouldn't cost anything so i trust you can take care of that. if

> people show up cool if not just keep doing it they will come.

>

> prasad??... i like to think of prasad as my ego offered to Divine

> Mother, and after The Names i like to visualize that i have become

> Her thru The Mantras. then when i take prasad i am eating my own

> ego. i think watermelon would be a good cost effective option.

but

> any fruit is fine. let me know if you need money for the fruit.

>

> by the time the weather changes and its too cold to be outside

> satsang will have had a couple months to get going and maybe an

> alternative to the outside location will present itself. Mother

> provides, right? i am forgetting anything? i really hate the

> thought of bothering Amma with any of this, when as you say the

> Sadhana is what is really spurs our spiritual development. besides

> She is so busy already i would gladly pay $ to relieve her burden

> even a little. let me know if this is a workable solution for you.

>

> JAI MA

>