On Seva and Dakshina

February 17, 2005

Seva and Dakshina

There is a flow in the Universe that has to do with giving and receiving.

There are very basic teachings such as arriving at the Guru¹s doorstep with

an empty cup. If your cup is already full with your own ideas, concepts,

needs, desiresŠ there is no room for the Guru¹s blessings and teachings.

In the Guru Gita, it speaks of serving the Guru¹s lotus feet with selfless

loving service. ³With your actions, thoughts and words eternally please the

Guru.² In addition to serving and giving by the devotee, it speaks of the

gifts of the GuruŠ places of pilgrimage, grace, wisdom, purification.

When devotees think of seva, they often think of physical actions. Projects

such as cleaning, cooking, building, writing projects. This is fine for

those who live at the ashram or live near-by. But what about those of us

who do not live close enough to serve in that way.

Serving can also include ³offerings of the necessities of life to produce

the effect of delight in the life of the Guru.² As well as actual objects,

there is a tradition of giving money as an anonymous gift of resources

(dakshina).

I started a little habit of putting my earnings in the form of cash in a

drawer. Whenever I am able to do so I like to forward some of these

resources to the Devi Mandir to say thank you for all I have received over

the years and as a thank you for the priceless gifts that I will receive in

the future due to my Guru¹s guidance and teachings. I actually love seeing

the money "gather itself together, jump into the envelope and mail itself

off."

It is a part of my activity as a member of the Devi Mandir family. It is a

part of the flow of the Universe. I have discovered that as I give, so I

receive. Giving makes room for more blessings. Giving removes the fear of

financial uncertainty because it is so clear that the money is not mine, it

belongs to the Goddess. And I can always count on God/Goddess to provide.

If you hold onto your resources with a closed fist, that is all you will

receive. You need to open your hands and let it go. Give to others who need

it. What could be better than giving it to your Teachers so that they can

continue to serve All.

February 17, 2005

Namaste beloved Ardisji and all of our beloved family,

Thank-you so much dear Ardis for sharing these very wise words in

regards to the true meaning of Seva and Dakshina. i especially liked:

"I have discovered that as I give, so I receive. Giving makes room

for more blessings. Giving removes the fear of financial uncertainty

because it is so clear that the money is not mine, it belongs to the

Goddess. And I can always count on God/Goddess to provide.

If you hold onto your resources with a closed fist, that is all you

will receive. You need to open your hands and let it go. Give to

others who need it. What could be better than giving it to your

Teachers so that they can

continue to serve All."

i sincerely hope that these wise words will be an inspiration to all

who read them. A truly spiritual person always gives more than they

receive, and we are so blessed to have the Perfect Role Models in our

beloved Shree Maa and dear Swamiji! One of my all time favorite

quotes is: "We must be more 'for giving' and less 'for getting'."

Unforunately i don't recall who originally said these gems of wisdom.

May we all learn to live by those wise words. Thanks again, Ardis,

for YOUR gems of wisdom!

Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji! Jai Ramakrishna Deva!

muktimaa

, Ardis Jackson <ardis1@v...> wrote:

>

> Seva and Dakshina

>

> There is a flow in the Universe that has to do with giving and

receiving.

> There are very basic teachings such as arriving at the Guru¹s

doorstep with

> an empty cup. If your cup is already full with your own ideas,

concepts,

> needs, desiresŠ there is no room for the Guru¹s blessings

and

teachings.

>

> In the Guru Gita, it speaks of serving the Guru¹s lotus feet

with

selfless

> loving service. ³With your actions, thoughts and words

eternally

please the

> Guru.² In addition to serving and giving by the devotee, it

speaks

of the

> gifts of the GuruŠ places of pilgrimage, grace, wisdom,

purification.

>

> When devotees think of seva, they often think of physical actions.

Projects

> such as cleaning, cooking, building, writing projects. This is

fine for

> those who live at the ashram or live near-by. But what about those

of us

> who do not live close enough to serve in that way.

>

> Serving can also include ³offerings of the necessities of life

to

produce

> the effect of delight in the life of the Guru.² As well as

actual

objects,

> there is a tradition of giving money as an anonymous gift of

resources

> (dakshina).

>

> I started a little habit of putting my earnings in the form of cash

in a

> drawer. Whenever I am able to do so I like to forward some of these

> resources to the Devi Mandir to say thank you for all I have

received over

> the years and as a thank you for the priceless gifts that I will

receive in

> the future due to my Guru¹s guidance and teachings. I actually

love seeing

> the money "gather itself together, jump into the envelope and mail

itself

> off."

>

> It is a part of my activity as a member of the Devi Mandir family.

It is a

> part of the flow of the Universe. I have discovered that as I

give, so I

> receive. Giving makes room for more blessings. Giving removes the

fear of

> financial uncertainty because it is so clear that the money is not

mine, it

> belongs to the Goddess. And I can always count on God/Goddess to

provide.

>

> If you hold onto your resources with a closed fist, that is all you

will

> receive. You need to open your hands and let it go. Give to others

who need

> it. What could be better than giving it to your Teachers so that

they can

> continue to serve All.

February 17, 2005

Dear Muktimaa,

Thank you dear One for your kind words. I would love for my writing

to be an inspiration for others. When you said “We must be

more ‘for giving’ and less ‘for getting’, I

immediately thought of how true this is in relationships, such as

marriage, friendship or parenting.

I know that Shree Maa and Swamiji say that one definition of

spirituality is to give more than you take. Maa also emphasizes the

need to give up “selfishness.”

Namaste

Ardis

..on 2/17/05 5:11 PM, muktimaa at muktimaa (AT) aol (DOT) com wrote:

Namaste beloved Ardisji and all of our beloved family,

Thank-you so much dear Ardis for sharing these very wise words in

regards to the true meaning of Seva and Dakshina. i especially liked:

"I have discovered that as I give, so I receive. Giving makes room

for more blessings. Giving removes the fear of financial uncertainty

because it is so clear that the money is not mine, it belongs to the

Goddess. And I can always count on God/Goddess to provide.

If you hold onto your resources with a closed fist, that is all you

will receive. You need to open your hands and let it go. Give to

others who need it. What could be better than giving it to your

Teachers so that they can

continue to serve All."

i sincerely hope that these wise words will be an inspiration to all

who read them. A truly spiritual person always gives more than they

receive, and we are so blessed to have the Perfect Role Models in our

beloved Shree Maa and dear Swamiji! One of my all time favorite

quotes is: "We must be more 'for giving' and less 'for getting'."

Unforunately i don't recall who originally said these gems of wisdom.

May we all learn to live by those wise words. Thanks again, Ardis,

for YOUR gems of wisdom!

Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji! Jai Ramakrishna Deva!

muktimaa

, Ardis Jackson <ardis1@v...> wrote:

>

> Seva and Dakshina

>

> There is a flow in the Universe that has to do with giving and

receiving.

> There are very basic teachings such as arriving at the Guru’s

doorstep with

> an empty cup. If your cup is already full with your own ideas,

concepts,

> needs, desires… there is no room for the Guru’s blessings

and

teachings.

>

> In the Guru Gita, it speaks of serving the Guru’s lotus feet

with

selfless

> loving service. “With your actions, thoughts and words

eternally

please the

> Guru.” In addition to serving and giving by the devotee, it

speaks

of the

> gifts of the Guru… places of pilgrimage, grace, wisdom,

purification.

>

> When devotees think of seva, they often think of physical actions.

Projects

> such as cleaning, cooking, building, writing projects. This is

fine for

> those who live at the ashram or live near-by. But what about those

of us

> who do not live close enough to serve in that way.

>

> Serving can also include “offerings of the necessities of life

to

produce

> the effect of delight in the life of the Guru.” As well as

actual

objects,

> there is a tradition of giving money as an anonymous gift of

resources

> (dakshina).

>

> I started a little habit of putting my earnings in the form of cash

in a

> drawer. Whenever I am able to do so I like to forward some of these

> resources to the Devi Mandir to say thank you for all I have

received over

> the years and as a thank you for the priceless gifts that I will

receive in

> the future due to my Guru’s guidance and teachings. I actually

love seeing

> the money "gather itself together, jump into the envelope and mail

itself

> off."

>

> It is a part of my activity as a member of the Devi Mandir family.

It is a

> part of the flow of the Universe. I have discovered that as I

give, so I

> receive. Giving makes room for more blessings. Giving removes the

fear of

> financial uncertainty because it is so clear that the money is not

mine, it

> belongs to the Goddess. And I can always count on God/Goddess to

provide.

>

> If you hold onto your resources with a closed fist, that is all you

will

> receive. You need to open your hands and let it go. Give to others

who need

> it. What could be better than giving it to your Teachers so that

they can

> continue to serve All.

/

<?subject=Un>

Terms of Service

<> .

February 18, 2005

Dear Shiva,

You are such a great devotee Ardis. The whole money issue is

difficult in today's materialistic society. Your post reminds me of

a Swami that I occasionally see who was building a temple. One day

while visiting him and he told me that he was going to India to have

the marble murtis for the altar ordered. He said that he had

meditated on it and wanted me to be the one to donate the Shiva

murti. Only if I was interested. I was so flattered. He didn't

tell me how much to give but said if I gave 100% I would receive

100% of Shiva's blessings. Likewise if I only gave 50% I would only

receive a 50% blessing. And so on.

I thought, "OK now the game has changed. Let's get down to the

nitty gritty." I said, "Oh yeh, how much?" He wouldn't give me a

number. He said it was up to me, that he wouldn't mention it again

and just left it at that. I was very troubled. This bothered me

for weeks. Is this just a scam? How much should I give? I didn't

know what to do. On the one hand I certainly wanted to show my love

for Shiva, yet I didn't want to be a fool and fall for some give

money for God mind game. I mean why is he spending all this money

on a temple, why not give it to the poor. I thought, "Maybe you

should pray to Laksmi. That's what you would tell me." Why not go

on tour like others do to raise money? Make it a business like

Krishna Consciousness or like some of the touring Kirtan whalas. If

you are so great and work all these miracles certainly you can

conger up a little scratch for your temple needs. Then there was my

wife, who was not into it at all. What about keeping the peace at

home? I have never even seen this place anyway. I didn't want to

be naive. I mean Shiva is everywhere, right? And I already donate

to other charities. All these things ran through my mind. I was

totally confused.

Then one day this old Indian sadhu gave me the answer. He told me

to do what was in my heart out of my love for Shiva. Don't worry

about if it was a scam or for blessings I may or may not get. He

said if I feel good about it, do it. If not don't. Any

contribution would be my dharma. If it was a scam it was the

Swami's karma. I ended up giving him a comfortable contribution

that represented 100% of my devotion to Lord Shiva. Since then I

have heard nothing about it. He has never mentioned it. Neither

have I. And I won't either. I did it only out of love for Shiva.

It's between Him and me. I can tell it's the same for you, Ardis.

God accepts all gifts with love. Whether we give rocks or diamonds.

Ram

, Ardis Jackson <ardis1@v...>

wrote:

>

> Seva and Dakshina

>

> There is a flow in the Universe that has to do with giving and

receiving.

> There are very basic teachings such as arriving at the Guru¹s

doorstep with

> an empty cup. If your cup is already full with your own ideas,

concepts,

> needs, desiresŠ there is no room for the Guru¹s blessings and

teachings.

>

> In the Guru Gita, it speaks of serving the Guru¹s lotus feet with

selfless

> loving service. ³With your actions, thoughts and words eternally

please the

> Guru.² In addition to serving and giving by the devotee, it speaks

of the

> gifts of the GuruŠ places of pilgrimage, grace, wisdom,

purification.

>

> When devotees think of seva, they often think of physical actions.

Projects

> such as cleaning, cooking, building, writing projects. This is

fine for

> those who live at the ashram or live near-by. But what about

those of us

> who do not live close enough to serve in that way.

>

> Serving can also include ³offerings of the necessities of life to

produce

> the effect of delight in the life of the Guru.² As well as actual

objects,

> there is a tradition of giving money as an anonymous gift of

resources

> (dakshina).

>

> I started a little habit of putting my earnings in the form of

cash in a

> drawer. Whenever I am able to do so I like to forward some of

these

> resources to the Devi Mandir to say thank you for all I have

received over

> the years and as a thank you for the priceless gifts that I will

receive in

> the future due to my Guru¹s guidance and teachings. I actually

love seeing

> the money "gather itself together, jump into the envelope and mail

itself

> off."

>

> It is a part of my activity as a member of the Devi Mandir family.

It is a

> part of the flow of the Universe. I have discovered that as I

give, so I

> receive. Giving makes room for more blessings. Giving removes the

fear of

> financial uncertainty because it is so clear that the money is not

mine, it

> belongs to the Goddess. And I can always count on God/Goddess to

provide.

>

> If you hold onto your resources with a closed fist, that is all

you will

> receive. You need to open your hands and let it go. Give to

others who need

> it. What could be better than giving it to your Teachers so that

they can

> continue to serve All.

February 18, 2005

Jai Ram Jai Shiva

Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your story.

When I first arrived at the Devi Mandir, all the murtis had been hand

made by Shree Maa and Swamiji. After some time, they started ordering

marble murtis from India...hand carved and painted. I loved Shree Maa

and Swamiji's murtis sooooooo much. It was hard for me to relate to

these newcomers.

But after I started doing puja to them, I opened up to them and they

opened up to me. Then I could see their beauty. Jai Maa!

Your gift came from your heart. That is all that counts.

Jai Shiva Ki

Ardis

On Feb 18, 2005, at 5:48 AM, ramavihs11 wrote:

>

> Dear Shiva,

>

> You are such a great devotee Ardis. The whole money issue is

> difficult in today's materialistic society. Your post reminds me of

> a Swami that I occasionally see who was building a temple. One day

> while visiting him and he told me that he was going to India to have

> the marble murtis for the altar ordered. He said that he had

> meditated on it and wanted me to be the one to donate the Shiva

> murti. Only if I was interested. I was so flattered. He didn't

> tell me how much to give but said if I gave 100% I would receive

> 100% of Shiva's blessings. Likewise if I only gave 50% I would only

> receive a 50% blessing. And so on.

>

> I thought, "OK now the game has changed. Let's get down to the

> nitty gritty." I said, "Oh yeh, how much?" He wouldn't give me a

> number. He said it was up to me, that he wouldn't mention it again

> and just left it at that. I was very troubled. This bothered me

> for weeks. Is this just a scam? How much should I give? I didn't

> know what to do. On the one hand I certainly wanted to show my love

> for Shiva, yet I didn't want to be a fool and fall for some give

> money for God mind game. I mean why is he spending all this money

> on a temple, why not give it to the poor. I thought, "Maybe you

> should pray to Laksmi. That's what you would tell me." Why not go

> on tour like others do to raise money? Make it a business like

> Krishna Consciousness or like some of the touring Kirtan whalas. If

> you are so great and work all these miracles certainly you can

> conger up a little scratch for your temple needs. Then there was my

> wife, who was not into it at all. What about keeping the peace at

> home? I have never even seen this place anyway. I didn't want to

> be naive. I mean Shiva is everywhere, right? And I already donate

> to other charities. All these things ran through my mind. I was

> totally confused.

>

> Then one day this old Indian sadhu gave me the answer. He told me

> to do what was in my heart out of my love for Shiva. Don't worry

> about if it was a scam or for blessings I may or may not get. He

> said if I feel good about it, do it. If not don't. Any

> contribution would be my dharma. If it was a scam it was the

> Swami's karma. I ended up giving him a comfortable contribution

> that represented 100% of my devotion to Lord Shiva. Since then I

> have heard nothing about it. He has never mentioned it. Neither

> have I. And I won't either. I did it only out of love for Shiva.

> It's between Him and me. I can tell it's the same for you, Ardis.

> God accepts all gifts with love. Whether we give rocks or diamonds.

>

> Ram

>

> , Ardis Jackson <ardis1@v...>

> wrote:

> >

> > Seva and Dakshina

> >

> > There is a flow in the Universe that has to do with giving and

> receiving.

> > There are very basic teachings such as arriving at the Guru¹s

> doorstep with

> > an empty cup. If your cup is already full with your own ideas,

> concepts,

> > needs, desiresŠ there is no room for the Guru¹s blessings and

> teachings.

> >

> > In the Guru Gita, it speaks of serving the Guru¹s lotus feet with

> selfless

> > loving service. ³With your actions, thoughts and words eternally

> please the

> > Guru.² In addition to serving and giving by the devotee, it speaks

> of the

> > gifts of the GuruŠ places of pilgrimage, grace, wisdom,

> purification.

> >

> > When devotees think of seva, they often think of physical actions.

> Projects

> > such as cleaning, cooking, building, writing projects. This is

> fine for

> > those who live at the ashram or live near-by. But what about

> those of us

> > who do not live close enough to serve in that way.

> >

> > Serving can also include ³offerings of the necessities of life to

> produce

> > the effect of delight in the life of the Guru.² As well as actual

> objects,

> > there is a tradition of giving money as an anonymous gift of

> resources

> > (dakshina).

> >

> > I started a little habit of putting my earnings in the form of

> cash in a

> > drawer. Whenever I am able to do so I like to forward some of

> these

> > resources to the Devi Mandir to say thank you for all I have

> received over

> > the years and as a thank you for the priceless gifts that I will

> receive in

> > the future due to my Guru¹s guidance and teachings. I actually

> love seeing

> > the money "gather itself together, jump into the envelope and mail

> itself

> > off."

> >

> > It is a part of my activity as a member of the Devi Mandir family.

> It is a

> > part of the flow of the Universe. I have discovered that as I

> give, so I

> > receive. Giving makes room for more blessings. Giving removes the

> fear of

> > financial uncertainty because it is so clear that the money is not

> mine, it

> > belongs to the Goddess. And I can always count on God/Goddess to

> provide.

> >

> > If you hold onto your resources with a closed fist, that is all

> you will

> > receive. You need to open your hands and let it go. Give to

> others who need

> > it. What could be better than giving it to your Teachers so that

> they can

> > continue to serve All.

>

Links

>

> •

> /

>

> •

>

> • Terms of

> Service.

>

Attachment: (text/enriched) [not stored]

February 18, 2005

Thank you for sharing Ram, A beautiful story told beautifully .

Jai Maa Jai Shiva

Grace

On 19/02/2005, at 12:48 AM, ramavihs11 wrote: