| Sat Yoga Teaching Newsletter
March 2012
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 Sat Yoga Announcements Sat Yoga's Opera Season Begins!
Opera Movie Night: Wagner's Parsifal Parsifal is the last opera written, composed, and staged by the great Richard Wagner (1813-1883). It is his most spiritual, most philosophical, his most profound exploration of the human soul, a fitting swan song to his extraordinary career--and indeed a dying swan is one of the most chilling motifs staged in this amazing theatre of metaphysical revelation.
The myth of Parsifal is one of the central pillars of the collective unconscious of the Western world. The myth flowered as one of the Arthurian legends in the medieval period, and described with exquisite sensitivity the spiritual dis-ease of the West. By the time of Wagner, that illness had become terminal. This is why the great composer was so obsessed with the fall of the gods in his grand Ring cycle, and with the destructive power of human desire, as expressed in Tristan und Isolde, The Flying Dutchman, and other operas of his. But it is not until Parsifal that he reveals the logos of chakra two that is at the root of human degradation, and in which he delineates the inner path of redemption. Wagner syncretizes the teachings of all of the world's great religions--Parsifal can be said to depict an ashram in an idyllic forest of Germany that is simultaneously Christian, Buddhist, and Yogic. He portrays a soul's internal transformation from narcissistic idiot to compassionate and pure-hearted saint and sage, growing through a series of ordeals, first of remorse for unloving violence, then for more subtle lack of compassion for the suffering of the grail king; and finally in battle against the seductions of sexual lust and the temptation of egoic power. As such, this opera contains the core universal message that human maturity requires renunciation of the lower desires and sublimation of their energies into spiritual greatness. The opera is a profound indictment of the modern world and its fall into the quicksand of materialism, narcissism, and sexual depravity. If ever a work of art portrayed the need for a Sat Yoga ashram in the West, it is this masterpiece by the greatest musical genius the West has ever produced. Please do not miss this classic operatic presentation, filmed at Bayreuth under the artistic supervision of Wolfgang Wagner, and sung by the great contemporary master voices of the Wagnerian oeuvre, including the incomparable Siegfried Jerusalem. The opera is of course sung in German, with English subtitles. Because of its length (233 minutes), we must begin promptly at 5pm, to allow an intermission after act one, and still have time for a discussion afterward. This is probably the only time we will be able to screen this great work of sublime art. If there is sufficient interest, which will be demonstrated by your attendance, then we are considering screening Wagner's entire Ring cycle in the following months, and offering philosophical readings of that myth in our book groups. Please show us you have a real interest in experiencing the highest watermarks of the lost high culture of the West, by joining us for this masterwork of spiritual song--this is no less than the Bhagavad Gita of the West--and to celebrate the transcendent victory of divine purity over the ego's death drive, in this once-in-a-lifetime showing of the beautiful aesthetic miracle that is Parsifal! Schedule: Saturday, March 24, at 5:00pm sharp Suggested Donation: 10,000 colones (to help support the Institute and ashram) Minimum Donation: 7,000 colones
Popcorn and delicious treats from Radha's Kitchen will also be offered to celebrate this operatic masterpiece.
If you wish to attend we ask that you please register in advance, simply call our staff at 2288-3294 or send us an email with your confirmation!
____________________________________________________________________________ Sitting in a State of Grace  The spiritual guides of Sat Yoga request that everyone who is physically able to do so, please arrive on time for classes and sit in appropriate meditation posture on a zafu (meditation cushion) and/or on a zabuton (quilted pad) on the floor and reserve the couches for those who are in physical need of extra comfort or support. Not only will this help our fellow sangha members, but it will strengthen your self-discipline, deepen your meditations, and encourage dis-identification from the body. We will do our best to pre-place as many zafus on the floor as possible, but if they are all being already occupied when you arrive, then feel free to sit in a chair. If you are on a couch because no other space was available, still please be mindful if someone arrives with obvious special needs who may appreciate being offered your seat. Thank you all for your generosity of spirit. This is what makes our sangha a true refuge for souls in search of authentic love, compassion, and caring.
By the way, as long as we are on the subject of how we should sit during group meditations, the traditional etiquette, which we should uphold, requires us to keep our feet tucked in, not spread out in front of us toward the teacher. That is considered an insult to the sangha, the teacher, and the dharma. Of course, there are times when the legs must be stretched. But this should be only for a short break before returning to cross-legged posture. Thank you for your understanding and for helping us create a space of grace, beauty, and divine order.
Namaste.
We will soon be selling meditation cushion sets (zafu and zabuton) as an Ashram fundraiser. Stay tuned for more details! ____________________________________________________________________________ Sat Yoga Ashram Retreats!  Our March retreat, Ego Death and Divine Rebirth, is currently at full capacity. We are sorry that we can no longer accept any more reservations.
We invite you to sign up for our May 5-day community retreat, Seva Saves! Please sign up and make deposits soon as we are already receiving many reservation inquiries for this retreat. Stay tuned for the publication our retreat dates for the rest of 2012. |
Sat Yoga News Blog
Divine Love is All That is Real!
 The Sat Yoga "Divine Love is Real!" retreat was a clear demonstration of spontaneous beauty, of Divine Love--of a living work of art. There is a saying that the artist draws out from the sensuous realm his work of art whereas the mystic transforms his entire life a work of art. This retreat exemplified community itself as a work of art. On February 18th Shunyamurti gave everyone the task of realizing him- or herself as Divine Love. This intention was carefully followed through as the entire group received a week-long course in the aesthetics of Advaita, a decompression in the de-collapsing of the primal quantum wave, the spanda, of Ananda, and a benediction in the blossoming of Bliss.
Read the full article...
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Sat Yoga Seminar One Liberates Students from the Inner Labyrinth
 "Seminar One: Liberation from the Labyrinth," began on March 10, 2012, and delivered an entire arsenal of spiritual weaponry with which to combat the infantile ego and its death-driving unconscious and the notorious Censor, the minotaur lurking behind-the-scenes in everyone's internal labyrinth. Of course, information itself cannot take one all the way to the goal. But knowledge is power, and without the golden thread of Ariadne (the Atman), Theseus (consciousness) cannot find its way out of the labyrinth. Seminar One reminded everyone that that the golden thread has never been lost, but has been hiding in plain sight.
Read the full article...
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We hope this offering strengthens your practice and if you have any comments or questions about our podcasting your feedback is welcome and much appreciated.
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Use the links above to view the latest video recordings of Shunyamurti´s teachings, filmed at various venues in Costa Rica.
We are constantly uploading new meditation teachings to the Sat Yoga YouTube Channel, we hope you enjoy and grow spiritually from viewing these videos.
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