Yantra course 2004-Impresions by Dr Ananda

[Guest guest]

GIVING BACK TO THE SOURCE-IN STYLE!

 

The Yantra Nama Dharshana course by Dr Jonn Mumford (Swami Ananda

Kapila Saraswathi) was to me a true way of giving back to the Guru

Parampara that which he has received from it with gratitude.

 

I could feel the knowledge of Pujya Swamiji Gitananda Giri flow out

generously through Dr Jonn as he regaled us with the wonderful

blessings of Swamiji's Yantric wisdom.

 

I had enjoyed Dr Jonn's Yantra course two years ago and learnt a lot

during that time. However it was only during this course that I

realised how the course by Dr Jonn was more about giving back to

Swamiji the knowledge he had received, than actually teaching us! He

was returning the Yantric wisdom to the source and it was marvelous

to see the vibrant energy of the Swamiji he knew in Canada during the

1950s come to life through his extroverted teaching.

 

Having been initiated into mathematics by Yogacharini Renuka Giri, I

had developed a great love for numbers at an early age. This love

percolated through my lessons in Mridungam and Carnatic Vocal Music

as the Carnatic arts of south India are heavy with calculations that

have to be done mentally and on the spot at concerts. This has kept

the left calculating brain of mine busy and well connected with my

right artistic one. This love for numbers (numerophilia so to speak!)

has helped me enjoy the wonderful teaching of the magnificent science

of Yantra.

 

Dr Jonn is an excellent teacher and has infinite patience (a quality

that all good teachers require in abundance). The quality that I

admire most in him however is his ability to laugh at himself

(something that most of us lack!). This ability really endears him to

all students as we learn to look at ourself without any pretence.

Numbers will never be the same to those who were privileged to attend

the course, as we can never think of say the number 3 without

thinking of a trident and similarly the number 7 will always be a

cliff for us!

 

Analyzing the different name combinations with Dr Jonn was great fun

and of great Swadyaya value. As interpretation of names of beloved

ones became more and more easy we started to see why certain people

are always late or why certain people are just bubbling with ideas.

How our name affects us is something that I had known since long but

it was great to learn the " whys " to the " hows " of my questions.

 

Of course, Dr Jonn always has tricks up his long sleeve and we

actually learnt the preliminary stages of levitation (of course it is

one arm at a time!!). We also felt the heat of Ajna Chakra (thanks to

chewing gum wrappers!) and the spine tingling awakening of the

Sahasrara Chakra. These are great tools in the hands of a master

teacher and they help keep all students awake during the class for

sure. I have learnt a lot of teaching methods by watching Dr Jonn and

thses are very useful in presenting new ideas to different people.

 

It was very interesting that at many times during the course,

Devasena came to the window to look at the class (taking a break from

feeding Dhivya) as she thought it was Swamiji speaking and not Dr

Jonn. To have that effect on a person who knew Swamiji closely is a

real blessing that Swamiji has bestowed upon Dr Jonn.

 

We learnt the 81 combinations of name just as we learnt the analysis

of the 81 combinations of different cycles during the last course. It

never ceases to amaze me how much this Yantric knowledge actually

contains for it strips all the pretences off us and shows us that the

emperor's NEW clothes are actually NO clothes!

 

I invite Dr Jonn to continue the Yantra course every year to

enlighten and enliven us with his wonderful understanding of this

unique science of number, name and form that he inherited so

studiously from Swamiji. His teachings have enabled me to renew my

links with another aspect of Swamiji that was not in abundance when I

was ready. I take this opportunity to be Swamiji's passing of this

baton to me through Dr Jonn.

 

I welcome all senior students to the Ashram during the next course

for you don't know what you are missing. You miss receiving the

wonderful Gurukula method (guru's mouth to chela's ear) of

transmitting this magnificent science that is part of the

Rishiculture Ashtanga Yoga and Gitananda Yoga tradition. May Dr Jonn

be blessed with a long and fruitful life and may he continue to

illumine us with this wonderful knowledge as he gives back to the

source in gratitude to Swamiji.