Guest guest Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 Hi y'all! I just want to offer a few words of apology to all of you who participated in the Sarva Badha mantra sankalpa. I didn't finish - didn't even come close, actually. Shree Maa and Swamiji already know my heart, but for you, especially those of you I encouraged to participate in spite of your doubts, I am very sorry to have let you down. I sincerely hope you did better than I. I am struggling with some tendencies in my personality that I have allowed to interfere with my sadhana more than I intended they would. I think I am making some progress with them - but it is slow (I'm finding the application of a little old fashioned penance helps). It turns out that I'm that guy without balance we all read about in the Kashyapa Sutras! What a surprise! Anyway, I remember once advising someone who failed to complete her Chandi sankalpa within the allotted time - I think her name was Latha - that it was better to at least finish the number of repetitions she'd committed to, than to abandon the sankalpa altogether. I think that's good advice. I'm going to finish the lakh even though the time has passed. May this new year be full of light for all of you. Jai Maa! Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Namaste Chris and everybody! Somebody asked Shree Maa late last year -- what to do, the year was almost up and they still had many more malas to do to finish the " sarva badha... " sankalpa. Maa smiled ever so gently and said, " Tell her to go on and on and on...till she gets done. " So thank you Chris for all the beautiful energy you are giving to this world with the peace mantra!! Thanks for all your inspiration to all of us too! :) Good luck and may Mother bless you with all Her strength and love and peace! Jai Maa! Om! , " Chris Kirner " <chriskirner1956 wrote: > > Hi y'all! > > I just want to offer a few words of apology to all of you who > participated in the Sarva Badha mantra sankalpa. I didn't finish - > didn't even come close, actually. Shree Maa and Swamiji already know > my heart, but for you, especially those of you I encouraged to > participate in spite of your doubts, I am very sorry to have let you > down. I sincerely hope you did better than I. > > I am struggling with some tendencies in my personality that I have > allowed to interfere with my sadhana more than I intended they would. > I think I am making some progress with them - but it is slow (I'm > finding the application of a little old fashioned penance helps). It > turns out that I'm that guy without balance we all read about in the > Kashyapa Sutras! What a surprise! > > Anyway, I remember once advising someone who failed to complete her > Chandi sankalpa within the allotted time - I think her name was Latha > - that it was better to at least finish the number of repetitions > she'd committed to, than to abandon the sankalpa altogether. I think > that's good advice. I'm going to finish the lakh even though the time > has passed. > > May this new year be full of light for all of you. > > Jai Maa! > Chris > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 chris, many thanks for encouraging me to participate. i'm unwilling to commit to this year's sankalpa because it requires a daily commitment. some days i just can't function, and if i missed a day i couldn't really catch up, which would just make me hate myself more. something i really need to work on. so i thought i would undertake something else, another total quantity, but i'm dithering. i need some encouragement. anyway, no apologies necessary, at least in my case. donna Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi Chris, it is so very good to hear from you, I've missed you:) Speaking about lack of balance; you have supported me and many others here many times when we were stumbling along and almost falling. Please don't hesitate to seek our support when you find you need it, may our Divine Mother guide you and bless you always, Henny , " Chris Kirner " <chriskirner1956@. ...> wrote: > > Hi y'all! > > I just want to offer a few words of apology to all of you who > participated in the Sarva Badha mantra sankalpa. I didn't finish - > didn't even come close, actually. Shree Maa and Swamiji already know > my heart, but for you, especially those of you I encouraged to > participate in spite of your doubts, I am very sorry to have let you > down. I sincerely hope you did better than I. > > I am struggling with some tendencies in my personality that I have > allowed to interfere with my sadhana more than I intended they would. > I think I am making some progress with them - but it is slow (I'm > finding the application of a little old fashioned penance helps). It > turns out that I'm that guy without balance we all read about in the > Kashyapa Sutras! What a surprise! > > Anyway, I remember once advising someone who failed to complete her > Chandi sankalpa within the allotted time - I think her name was Latha > - that it was better to at least finish the number of repetitions > she'd committed to, than to abandon the sankalpa altogether. I think > that's good advice. I'm going to finish the lakh even though the time > has passed. > > May this new year be full of light for all of you. > > Jai Maa! > Chris > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Dear Chris, I am happy to see your post today! I have wondered from time to time where you ran off to. With gratitude I remember how you helped me so much last summer when I was doing my first chanting of the Chandi. The enthusiastic reminders that you sent helped me to participate in that experience. I too struggle daily with tendencies that keep me from being with Divine Mother in the way that I truly want to. Daily! Recently I was doing a little reading in the Sufi tradition and came across this from Pir Zia Inayat Kahn, " We come to the aspect of prayer that relates to water, and that is repentance, which is most beautifully expressed in tears of repentance. There is the story of a Sufi who was in the habit of praying five times a day. Once, going to sleep late, he was going to miss his morning prayer, when a supernatural creature came and woke him up. You would think that must have been an angel, but it was the devil. You can imagine how surprised he was that the devil should wake him up so that he could say his prayers! The devil explained, " I saw that you were going to miss your prayer, and I knew that when you woke up you would be so disappointed in yourself that you would cry, and a tear of repentance of such grace and beauty would fall from your eye that it would wash away all the sins of the world. " Tears are the perfume of repentance. Repentance is the act of accepting responsibility for one's mistakes, one's shortcomings, one's limitation. One needs to make the vow to not repeat the mistake, and enquire into oneself to understand the condition that gave rise to that mistake so that one learns from it, and then leave the matter to Divine Mercy. " I will be chanting the Sarva Badha Mantra along with you this year. May Her Divine Peace bring you into deeper relationship with Her Perfect Mercy, ever surrounding all of us and making beauty out of our shortcomings. Jennifer , " Chris Kirner " <chriskirner1956 wrote: > > Hi y'all! > > I just want to offer a few words of apology to all of you who > participated in the Sarva Badha mantra sankalpa. I didn't finish - > didn't even come close, actually. Shree Maa and Swamiji already know > my heart, but for you, especially those of you I encouraged to > participate in spite of your doubts, I am very sorry to have let you > down. I sincerely hope you did better than I. > > I am struggling with some tendencies in my personality that I have > allowed to interfere with my sadhana more than I intended they would. > I think I am making some progress with them - but it is slow (I'm > finding the application of a little old fashioned penance helps). It > turns out that I'm that guy without balance we all read about in the > Kashyapa Sutras! What a surprise! > > Anyway, I remember once advising someone who failed to complete her > Chandi sankalpa within the allotted time - I think her name was Latha > - that it was better to at least finish the number of repetitions > she'd committed to, than to abandon the sankalpa altogether. I think > that's good advice. I'm going to finish the lakh even though the time > has passed. > > May this new year be full of light for all of you. > > Jai Maa! > Chris > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Namaste Donna, i have heard Swamiji say that our sadhana should grow organically. He has said that we each have to design our sankalpa based on our circumstances and move forward. Maa always says, " Step by step. " She makes it sound so simple and joyful!!!! We do our little bit to move towards God and God who lives in our heart knows everything! So don't worry. Do what you can - with love and joy. Feel peace in yourself and share with the Universe. that is my very humble understanding of this sankalpa - how we can use this mantra to feel peace within and give to our world! If once a day is not possible, maybe you can do once a week, or once a fortnight, or once every 5/10 days...whatever is practical without feeling pressure. Mother understands everything, She knows all! We have not need to worry! The mantra says that She will take care of us, Her little children!!! :) Jai Maa! , donna pemberton <donnola17 wrote: > > > chris, > > many thanks for encouraging me to participate. i'm unwilling to commit to this year's sankalpa because it requires a daily commitment. some days i just can't function, and if i missed a day i couldn't really catch up, which would just make me hate myself more. something i really need to work on. so i thought i would undertake something else, another total quantity, but i'm dithering. i need some encouragement. > > anyway, no apologies necessary, at least in my case. > > donna > > > > > > Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Thanks Ramya! As always, your words fill the air like a sweet perfume. I think Srini must be a very lucky man. Jai Maa! Chris , " n_ramya108 " <n_ramya108 wrote: > > Namaste Chris and everybody! > > Somebody asked Shree Maa late last year -- what to do, the year was > almost up and they still had many more malas to do to finish the > " sarva badha... " sankalpa. Maa smiled ever so gently and said, " Tell > her to go on and on and on...till she gets done. " > > So thank you Chris for all the beautiful energy you are giving to this > world with the peace mantra!! Thanks for all your inspiration to all > of us too! :) Good luck and may Mother bless you with all Her > strength and love and peace! Jai Maa! Om! > > > > > > , " Chris Kirner " > <chriskirner1956@> wrote: > > > > Hi y'all! > > > > I just want to offer a few words of apology to all of you who > > participated in the Sarva Badha mantra sankalpa. I didn't finish - > > didn't even come close, actually. Shree Maa and Swamiji already know > > my heart, but for you, especially those of you I encouraged to > > participate in spite of your doubts, I am very sorry to have let you > > down. I sincerely hope you did better than I. > > > > I am struggling with some tendencies in my personality that I have > > allowed to interfere with my sadhana more than I intended they would. > > I think I am making some progress with them - but it is slow (I'm > > finding the application of a little old fashioned penance helps). It > > turns out that I'm that guy without balance we all read about in the > > Kashyapa Sutras! What a surprise! > > > > Anyway, I remember once advising someone who failed to complete her > > Chandi sankalpa within the allotted time - I think her name was Latha > > - that it was better to at least finish the number of repetitions > > she'd committed to, than to abandon the sankalpa altogether. I think > > that's good advice. I'm going to finish the lakh even though the time > > has passed. > > > > May this new year be full of light for all of you. > > > > Jai Maa! > > Chris > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Thanks Donna. I appreciate your compassionate sensitivity. You know, Donna, if you stick with the Sharanagata mantra but choose a commitment you can live with, you can still benefit from all the shakti that's generated by the group (and Maa and Swamiji). Doing a mantra with the Guru's blessing is very different than just doing one on your own (but you probably know that). But remember too, that the amount of effort you put in also relates to the depth of your experience. I'm sure you'll find a balance between easy and too hard that's just right for you. Jai Maa! Chris , donna pemberton <donnola17 wrote: > > > chris, > > many thanks for encouraging me to participate. i'm unwilling to commit to this year's sankalpa because it requires a daily commitment. some days i just can't function, and if i missed a day i couldn't really catch up, which would just make me hate myself more. something i really need to work on. so i thought i would undertake something else, another total quantity, but i'm dithering. i need some encouragement. > > anyway, no apologies necessary, at least in my case. > > donna > > > > > > Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Hi Hennyji, you're so kind - as always. Yes, I know everyone here is compassionate and willing to do whatever they can for anyone who needs support or encouragement. I appreciate everyone's good wishes very much. I hesitate to get into too many specifics about my life and its rough edges because this is a public forum, and of course, I don't use an alias. I've heard it said that whatever you put on the internet stays there (here) FOREVER...and I'm just not willing to expose myself too much to the general public (I'm generally a pretty private sort of person). I also don't want to sow or contribute to any kind of disharmony or negativity here. Thanks for the blessing. I've missed you too. Jai Maa! Chris , " henny_v_i " <henny_v_i wrote: > > Hi Chris, > > it is so very good to hear from you, I've missed you:) Speaking about > lack of balance; you have supported me and many others here many times > when we were stumbling along and almost falling. Please don't hesitate > to seek our support when you find you need it, > > may our Divine Mother guide you and bless you always, > > Henny > > , " Chris Kirner " <chriskirner1956@ > ..> wrote: > > > > Hi y'all! > > > > I just want to offer a few words of apology to all of you who > > participated in the Sarva Badha mantra sankalpa. I didn't finish - > > didn't even come close, actually. Shree Maa and Swamiji already know > > my heart, but for you, especially those of you I encouraged to > > participate in spite of your doubts, I am very sorry to have let you > > down. I sincerely hope you did better than I. > > > > I am struggling with some tendencies in my personality that I have > > allowed to interfere with my sadhana more than I intended they > would. > > I think I am making some progress with them - but it is slow (I'm > > finding the application of a little old fashioned penance helps). It > > turns out that I'm that guy without balance we all read about in the > > Kashyapa Sutras! What a surprise! > > > > Anyway, I remember once advising someone who failed to complete her > > Chandi sankalpa within the allotted time - I think her name was > Latha > > - that it was better to at least finish the number of repetitions > > she'd committed to, than to abandon the sankalpa altogether. I think > > that's good advice. I'm going to finish the lakh even though the > time > > has passed. > > > > May this new year be full of light for all of you. > > > > Jai Maa! > > Chris > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Thank you Jennifer, for your beautiful post. It is very sweet. I enjoy reading choice bits from the writings of the sages. Thanks for sharing your reading with me. When I stop to consider, I think that the path to divinity is largely defined by struggles of various kinds, perhaps even more so than the epiphanies we (I) remember and cling to, and strive for so desperately. Sometimes, I think that perhaps I just get pooped and have to stop and catch my breath - at least I hope that's all it is... Thanks for the blessing. I will be pleased to have your company. Jai Maa! Chris , " jrholm1007 " <jrholm1007 wrote: > > Dear Chris, I am happy to see your post today! I have wondered from > time to time where you ran off to. > > With gratitude I remember how you helped me so much last summer when > I was doing my first chanting of the Chandi. The enthusiastic > reminders that you sent helped me to participate in that experience. > > I too struggle daily with tendencies that keep me from being with > Divine Mother in the way that I truly want to. Daily! Recently I > was doing a little reading in the Sufi tradition and came across this > from Pir Zia Inayat Kahn, > > " We come to the aspect of prayer that relates to water, and that is > repentance, which is most beautifully expressed in tears of > repentance. There is the story of a Sufi who was in the habit of > praying five times a day. Once, going to sleep late, he was going to > miss his morning prayer, when a supernatural creature came and woke > him up. You would think that must have been an angel, but it was the > devil. You can imagine how surprised he was that the devil should > wake him up so that he could say his prayers! The devil > explained, " I saw that you were going to miss your prayer, and I knew > that when you woke up you would be so disappointed in yourself that > you would cry, and a tear of repentance of such grace and beauty > would fall from your eye that it would wash away all the sins of the > world. " > > Tears are the perfume of repentance. Repentance is the act of > accepting responsibility for one's mistakes, one's shortcomings, > one's limitation. One needs to make the vow to not repeat the > mistake, and enquire into oneself to understand the condition that > gave rise to that mistake so that one learns from it, and then leave > the matter to Divine Mercy. " > > I will be chanting the Sarva Badha Mantra along with you this year. > May Her Divine Peace bring you into deeper relationship with Her > Perfect Mercy, ever surrounding all of us and making beauty out of > our shortcomings. > > Jennifer > > , " Chris Kirner " > <chriskirner1956@> wrote: > > > > Hi y'all! > > > > I just want to offer a few words of apology to all of you who > > participated in the Sarva Badha mantra sankalpa. I didn't finish - > > didn't even come close, actually. Shree Maa and Swamiji already know > > my heart, but for you, especially those of you I encouraged to > > participate in spite of your doubts, I am very sorry to have let you > > down. I sincerely hope you did better than I. > > > > I am struggling with some tendencies in my personality that I have > > allowed to interfere with my sadhana more than I intended they > would. > > I think I am making some progress with them - but it is slow (I'm > > finding the application of a little old fashioned penance helps). It > > turns out that I'm that guy without balance we all read about in the > > Kashyapa Sutras! What a surprise! > > > > Anyway, I remember once advising someone who failed to complete her > > Chandi sankalpa within the allotted time - I think her name was > Latha > > - that it was better to at least finish the number of repetitions > > she'd committed to, than to abandon the sankalpa altogether. I think > > that's good advice. I'm going to finish the lakh even though the > time > > has passed. > > > > May this new year be full of light for all of you. > > > > Jai Maa! > > Chris > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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