Guest guest Posted April 5, 2005 Report Share Posted April 5, 2005 Dear All, This is IT! We have reached the end of our journey – the study of the theory of puja , and the beginning of a new one – the actual doing of the puja. I would like to wrap up with a few topics. I still have a few open questions from the old posts that I will get answered in a few days. Cleaning the puja area. Preparation for the next day. At the end of the day, when you are ready to wind down business, you would clear your puja area. This means you would remove flowers, any offerings, rudraksh and the cloth that you offered during puja. You would also remove the water (give it to a plant if possible), and make your altar as clean as possible. Remember we dispose old flowers and akshat under the foot of a tree on in running water if possible. If you offered fruit, you could share it with friends and family as prasad. Oh one thing, Swamiji suggests that we chant the Gayatri mantra (Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah ... pracodayat ) when we start the cleaning. This means your could either chant it once before you start OR like Maa has suggested elsewhere you could keep this mantra going while you complete this task and prepare for the next day. It is all up to you! Final Exams Write a thesis in 10,000 words (you can write it in Dutch, Henny if you prefer) on Shiva Puja Practice and its impact on World Economy from a Socio-political-religious perspective. (Alright Alright Just Kidding!) ... I was looking through Rosie's bio on the group and in that she mentions "Maa had asked me to learn Beginner Siva Puja. Then after I learned the puja, she asked me to write down WHY I do puja. I tried very hard to find a nice and concise statement that summed up their teaching, but truly, I kept feeling that I do puja because they do puja and because they asked me to too." So taking a leaf from Rosie's book, can you email me (chandimaakijai ) WHY you do puja ? I will take your responses, compile them into one post and also send it off to Maa and Swamiji. We will get their blessings to our responses, as a way of clarifying our goals and commitment to our puja. When things don’t go as planned and we want to take refuge, we can go back to our reasons why we want to do puja, And take heart in the fact that we have shared them with Maa and Swamiji and they have blessed this endeavor. So think on this carefully - WHY do I want to do Puja? - And send it to me by Friday 8th 5 PM Pacific Time. Also if you are not comfortable sharing your "WHY" with the group , do let me know and I will not include it in my post, but will forward only to Swamiji. Where do we go from here? Well, I speak from personal experience here; it is amazing how much we learn when we try to explain the practice to others. So if you benefit from your practice, I would humbly request you to try to teach/explain the Beginner Puja to a friend. You will then find your own questions getting answered in the process. So one thing you could do is to share the learning. Another thing we could all do is to expand our puja. This means learning mantras that expand our current practices. And we can give ourselves some time in the next few weeks/months - and learn intermediate or advanced techniques that we can add to our pujas. Lots of possibilities and thankfully we have our Gurus to guide and inspire us. I bow down to Shree Maa and Swamiji for making this forum available for our growth. I bow down to you, dear readers , for your satsanga. Jai Shiva Nanda Tired of spam? Mail has the best spam protection around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2005 Report Share Posted April 5, 2005 Dear Nanda, Thank you for your answers to yesterday's questions. You said it, having reached the end of our journey, we are also at the beginning of a new one: the actual doing of the puja. And this new journey brings with it new questions. So, at the end of the series, I'll slip in just one more: I have acquired some sindoor today and have tried to apply it as an offering, and this is the question: how do you avoid getting the stuff all over your clothes and how do clean your pinky (which I used to apply the dot with) so you won't get your garland and bell etc. etc. all red? Or is it just me? Anyway, at the end of the series, I want you to know I am very grateful for this wonderful seed that has been given me. And now I am going to cultivate this tender sprout that has come up: I am going to water it by practicing this puja until it is in my blood and I am going to enrich the earth by looking up all the stories behind Shiva's names and behind the names of all the deities to whom we are offering. I am going to give it air by practicing japa and I am going to let it grow in the sun's light by opening my heart and hopefully this little plant is going to surprise me with a beautiful flower one day. I bow to Lord Shiva, white as jasmine, I bow to Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati, I bow to you, Nanda, and I bow to all who have made these lessons such a valuable experience, with love, Henny And, as you do, you realize you forgot (AT) (DOT) com, Nanda <chandimaakijai> wrote: > > Dear All, > > This is IT! We have reached the end of our journey – the study of the theory of puja , and the beginning of a new one – the actual doing of the puja. > > > > I would like to wrap up with a few topics. I still have a few open questions from the old posts that I will get answered in a few days. > > > > Cleaning the puja area. Preparation for the next day. > > > > At the end of the day, when you are ready to wind down business, you would clear your puja area. This means you would remove flowers, any offerings, rudraksh and the cloth that you offered during puja. You would also remove the water (give it to a plant if possible), and make your altar as clean as possible. > > > > Remember we dispose old flowers and akshat under the foot of a tree on in running water if possible. If you offered fruit, you could share it with friends and family as prasad. > > > > Oh one thing, Swamiji suggests that we chant the Gayatri mantra (Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah ... pracodayat ) when we start the cleaning. This means your could either chant it once before you start OR like Maa has suggested elsewhere you could keep this mantra going while you complete this task and prepare for the next day. > > > > It is all up to you! > > > > Final Exams > > > > Write a thesis in 10,000 words (you can write it in Dutch, Henny if you prefer) on Shiva Puja Practice and its impact on World Economy from a Socio-political-religious perspective. (Alright Alright Just Kidding!) ... > > > > I was looking through Rosie's bio on the group and in that she mentions "Maa had asked me to learn Beginner Siva Puja. Then after I learned the puja, she asked me to write down WHY I do puja. I tried very hard to find a nice and concise statement that summed up their teaching, but truly, I kept feeling that I do puja because they do puja and because they asked me to too." > > > > So taking a leaf from Rosie's book, can you email me (chandimaakijai ) WHY you do puja ? > > > > I will take your responses, compile them into one post and also send it off to Maa and Swamiji. > > We will get their blessings to our responses, as a way of clarifying our goals and commitment to our puja. > > > > When things don't go as planned and we want to take refuge, we can go back to our reasons why we want to do puja, > > And take heart in the fact that we have shared them with Maa and Swamiji and they have blessed this endeavor. > > > > So think on this carefully - WHY do I want to do Puja? - And send it to me by Friday 8th 5 PM Pacific Time. > > > > Also if you are not comfortable sharing your "WHY" with the group , do let me know and I will not include it in my post, but will forward only to Swamiji. > > > > Where do we go from here? > > > > Well, I speak from personal experience here; it is amazing how much we learn when we try to explain the practice to others. So if you benefit from your practice, I would humbly request you to try to teach/explain the Beginner Puja to a friend. You will then find your own questions getting answered in the process. > > > > So one thing you could do is to share the learning. > > > > Another thing we could all do is to expand our puja. This means learning mantras that expand our current practices. And we can give ourselves some time in the next few weeks/months - and learn intermediate or advanced techniques that we can add to our pujas. > > > > Lots of possibilities and thankfully we have our Gurus to guide and inspire us. > > > > I bow down to Shree Maa and Swamiji for making this forum available for our growth. > > I bow down to you, dear readers , for your satsanga. > > > > Jai Shiva > > Nanda > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2005 Report Share Posted April 5, 2005 Oh Henny, Your expression is so beautiful. I am convinced that the fruition of your efforts will come about. The regular offering of this simple puja will bring you your heart's desire. It will become a part of you. Lord Shiva will manifest in your heart and life. Ardis > I want you to know I am very > grateful for this wonderful seed that has been given me. And now I am > going to cultivate this tender sprout that has come up: I am going to > water it by practicing this puja until it is in my blood and I am > going to enrich the earth by looking up all the stories behind Shiva's > names and behind the names of all the deities to whom we are offering. > I am going to give it air by practicing japa and I am going to let it > grow in the sun's light by opening my heart and hopefully this little > plant is going to surprise me with a beautiful flower one day. > > I bow to Lord Shiva, white as jasmine, > I bow to Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati, > I bow to you, Nanda, > and I bow to all who have made these lessons such a valuable > experience, > > with love, > Henny > > And, as you do, you realize you forgot (AT) (DOT) > com, Nanda <chandimaakijai> wrote: > > > > Dear All, > > > > This is IT! We have reached the end of our journey – the study of > the theory of puja , and the beginning of a new one – the actual doing > of the puja. > > > > > > > > I would like to wrap up with a few topics. I still have a few open > questions from the old posts that I will get answered in a few days. > > > > > > > > Cleaning the puja area. Preparation for the next day. > > > > > > > > At the end of the day, when you are ready to wind down business, you > would clear your puja area. This means you would remove flowers, any > offerings, rudraksh and the cloth that you offered during puja. You > would also remove the water (give it to a plant if possible), and make > your altar as clean as possible. > > > > > > > > Remember we dispose old flowers and akshat under the foot of a tree > on in running water if possible. If you offered fruit, you could share > it with friends and family as prasad. > > > > > > > > Oh one thing, Swamiji suggests that we chant the Gayatri mantra (Om > Bhur Bhuvah Svah ... pracodayat ) when we start the cleaning. This > means your could either chant it once before you start OR like Maa has > suggested elsewhere you could keep this mantra going while you > complete this task and prepare for the next day. > > > > > > > > It is all up to you! > > > > > > > > Final Exams > > > > > > > > Write a thesis in 10,000 words (you can write it in Dutch, Henny if > you prefer) on Shiva Puja Practice and its impact on World Economy > from a Socio-political-religious perspective. (Alright Alright Just > Kidding!) ... > > > > > > > > I was looking through Rosie's bio on the group and in that she > mentions "Maa had asked me to learn Beginner Siva Puja. Then after I > learned the puja, she asked me to write down WHY I do puja. I tried > very hard to find a nice and concise statement that summed up their > teaching, but truly, I kept feeling that I do puja because they do > puja and because they asked me to too." > > > > > > > > So taking a leaf from Rosie's book, can you email me > (chandimaakijai ) WHY you do puja ? > > > > > > > > I will take your responses, compile them into one post and also send > it off to Maa and Swamiji. > > > > We will get their blessings to our responses, as a way of clarifying > our goals and commitment to our puja. > > > > > > > > When things don't go as planned and we want to take refuge, we can > go back to our reasons why we want to do puja, > > > > And take heart in the fact that we have shared them with Maa and > Swamiji and they have blessed this endeavor. > > > > > > > > So think on this carefully - WHY do I want to do Puja? - And send it > to me by Friday 8th 5 PM Pacific Time. > > > > > > > > Also if you are not comfortable sharing your "WHY" with the group , > do let me know and I will not include it in my post, but will forward > only to Swamiji. > > > > > > > > Where do we go from here? > > > > > > > > Well, I speak from personal experience here; it is amazing how much > we learn when we try to explain the practice to others. So if you > benefit from your practice, I would humbly request you to try to > teach/explain the Beginner Puja to a friend. You will then find your > own questions getting answered in the process. > > > > > > > > So one thing you could do is to share the learning. > > > > > > > > Another thing we could all do is to expand our puja. This means > learning mantras that expand our current practices. And we can give > ourselves some time in the next few weeks/months - and learn > intermediate or advanced techniques that we can add to our pujas. > > > > > > > > Lots of possibilities and thankfully we have our Gurus to guide and > inspire us. > > > > > > > > I bow down to Shree Maa and Swamiji for making this forum available > for our growth. > > > > I bow down to you, dear readers , for your satsanga. > > > > > > > > Jai Shiva > > > > Nanda > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Tired of spam? Mail has the best spam protection around > > > > > Sponsor > > > > Children International > > Would you give Hope to a Child in need? > > > <332170_011805_newchildforemail.jpg> > > · > Click Here to meet a Girl > And Give Her Hope > > · > Click Here to meet a Boy > And Change His Life > > Learn More > > <l.gif> > > Links > > • > / > > • > > > • Terms of > Service. > > Attachment: (text/enriched) [not stored] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2005 Report Share Posted April 5, 2005 Dear Nanda, Why do I do puja? I suppose I started to try and do puja because it was a recommened technique as it were. However, I continue to do puja because it works. That is it brings me joy as my heart opens, and it stills my mind so that I am able experince peace, contentment, and a sense of connection with the world. I am eternally grateful to Shree Maa, Swamiji, and you, Nanda, for giving me this opportunity to learn the tools i need to become truly Self-sufficient and thusly learn to be both a deciple and a sevite. And, I look forward to learning intermediate pujas in the not too distant future. (So Nanda, I hope you are a good teacher., and keeping two steps in front of your students.) Jai Maa and Jai Swamiji, Grace Dear All, > > This is IT! We have reached the end of our journey <02.gif>– the study > of the theory of puja , and the beginning of a new one<01.gif> – the > actual doing of the puja.<07.gif> > > > > I would like to wrap up with a few topics. I still have a few open > questions from the old posts that I will get answered in a few days. > > > > Cleaning the puja area. Preparation for the next day. > > > > At the end of the day, when you are ready to wind down business, you > would clear your puja area. This means you would remove flowers, any > offerings, rudraksh and the cloth that you offered during puja. You > would also remove the water (give it to a plant if possible), and make > your altar as clean as possible. > > > > Remember we dispose old flowers and akshat under the foot of a tree on > in running water if possible. If you offered fruit, you could share it > with friends and family as prasad. > > > > Oh one thing, Swamiji suggests that we chant the Gayatri mantra (Om > Bhur Bhuvah Svah ... pracodayat ) when we start the cleaning. This > means your could either chant it once before you start OR like Maa has > suggested elsewhere you could keep this mantra going while you > complete this task and prepare for the next day. > > > > It is all up to you! > > > > Final Exams<16.gif> > > > > Write a thesis in 10,000 words (you can write it in Dutch, Henny if > you prefer) on Shiva Puja Practice and its impact on World Economy > from a Socio-political-religious perspective. (Alright Alright Just > Kidding!) <03.gif>... > > > > I was looking through Rosie's bio on the group and in that she > mentions "Maa had asked me to learn Beginner Siva Puja. Then after I > learned the puja, she asked me to write down WHY I do puja. I tried > very hard to find a nice and concise statement that summed up their > teaching, but truly, I kept feeling that I do puja because they do > puja and because they asked me to too." > > > > So taking a leaf from Rosie's book, can you email me > (chandimaakijai ) WHY you do puja ? > > > > I will take your responses, compile them into one post and also send > it off to Maa and Swamiji. > > We will get their blessings to our responses, as a way of clarifying > our goals and commitment to our puja. > > > > When things don’t go as planned and we want to take refuge, we can go > back to our reasons why we want to do puja, > > And take heart in the fact that we have shared them with Maa and > Swamiji and they have blessed this endeavor. > > > > So think on this carefully - WHY do I want to do Puja? - And send it > to me by Friday 8th 5 PM Pacific Time. > > > > Also if you are not comfortable sharing your "WHY" with the group , do > let me know and I will not include it in my post, but will forward > only to Swamiji. > > > > Where do we go from here? > > > > Well, I speak from personal experience here; it is amazing how much we > learn when we try to explain the practice to others. So if you benefit > from your practice, I would humbly request you to try to teach/explain > the Beginner Puja to a friend. You will then find your own questions > getting answered in the process. > > > > So one thing you could do is to share the learning. > > > > Another thing we could all do is to expand our puja. This means > learning mantras that expand our current practices. And we can give > ourselves some time in the next few weeks/months - and learn > intermediate or advanced techniques that we can add to our pujas. > > > > Lots of possibilities and thankfully we have our Gurus to guide and > inspire us. > > > > I bow down to <40.gif>Shree Maa and Swamiji<40.gif> for making this > forum available for our growth. > > I bow down to you, dear readers <07.gif>, for your satsanga. > > > > Jai Shiva > > Nanda > > > > > > > > > > Sponsor > > > > Children International > > Would you give Hope to a Child in need? > > > <332170_011805_newchildforemail.jpg> > > · > Click Here to meet a Girl > And Give Her Hope > > · > Click Here to meet a Boy > And Change His Life > > Learn More > > <l.gif> > > Links > > • > / > > • > > > • Terms of > Service. > > Attachment: (text/enriched) [not stored] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2005 Report Share Posted April 6, 2005 > So taking a leaf from Rosie's book, can you email me > (chandimaakijai ) WHY you do puja? Jai Maa! I do puja for two reasons primarily: 1. It is so much fun! Really, really, I think it might be the most pleasurable human activity possible. 2. I long to have darshan of my ishtadevata. Jai Maa! --Aravind Personals - Better first dates. More second dates. http://personals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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