|
Saraswati Publications Newsletter
(sanskritmantra.com)
|
|
|
|
|
|
 | | Satyabhama |
Namaste, Divine Brothers and Sisters,
If you are interested in going to India in May 2016, please email me at satyabhama@sanskritmantra.com. The trip will be 17 days in May, because the 25% off-season discount starts May 1. The new itinerary will include seeing the 8 Ganesha Temples near Pune, as we did in 2007 and 2009, as well as several Goddess Temples in both South India and North India. We will go to Rishikesh and Hardwar at the end of the trip, which starts in the south at Chennai, Kanchi Math, and visits our gurus' Vishwa Shanti Ashrama near Bangalore.
We will be doing a Ganesha Lakshmi Puja at the New Moon, May 17th at 2 pm, PDT. If you would like to attend in absentia, please click here 
Satyabhama
|
WESAK, THE BUDDHA'S DAY
Annually, the celebration of the life and work of the Buddha (Wesak/Visak/Wisaki/Baisaki) is celebrated by Buddhists of all sects and some Sikhs and Hindus. It is supposed to be on the Full Moon in Taurus/Scorpio but is often arbitrarily celebrated in May, even when the Sun is in Gemini. This year it is May 3rd.
The esoteric Wesak ceremony is believed to be a gathering of souls high in a Himalayan valley, who chant for hours. At the moment the moon is full, the Christ and the Buddha appear together and pour out the annual blessings for the earth. Our chanting will include having a crystal bowl of water present, which will become supercharged by the chanting. At the end of the ceremony, the water will be shared with those present.
NAMADEVA ACHARYA'S TEACHINGS ON THE BUDDHA:
In Vol. II of the Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony, Namadeva Acharya/Thomas Ashley-Farrand states that the majority of Hindu priests, pundits, and scholars do not view the Buddha as a true avatar of Vishnu, as he purposefully distanced himself from the teachings of the Brahmins, even going as far as to ignore or contradict them directly.
The Buddha, according to some sects, dismissed outright the existence of the soul, insisting that only the mind exists. The end of existence, these Buddhists claim, is to become one with the Cosmic Mind, overcoming all delusions concerning our present "reality." This idea is controversial, as Gautama (the Buddha) taught different doctrines at different stages of his teachings to his students at that time. Then he would stop teaching for a period of time, and the students left him. These teachings later became different sects of Buddhism. Because of this, there are entire schools of Buddhism (Hinayana, Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana) with widely divergent teachings.
Because these teachings did not rely on Brahmin priests to act as a conduit to God through secret mantra and ritual (Hinayama and Theravada do not include any mantra teachings), it undermined the priests' job security. The fact that each individual could reach their own enlightenment through personal effort (rather than by supplication to Rama or Krishna through the person of the priest) was considered the highest heresy.
The advent of Buddhism allowed for the breakdown of what had become a corrupt priesthood, allowing the knowledge once available only to a secret cabal to become accessible to the people once again. Those who sought power through control of spiritual mysteries lost their followers once they received the message that such methods were largely unnecessary. Those who were true priests and devotees of God continued a life of service, while those greedy for more mostly left the priesthood in search of other pathways to wealth, power or fame.
There are, however, certain kernels of commonality containing valuable and important truths within each Buddhist sect.
Among the religions of the world, Buddhism is the Divine Psychology. As Namadeva Acharya/Thomas Ashley-Farrand writes:
"[Buddhism] allows for an individual to take complete responsibility for the earthly predicament in which one finds oneself and develop a strategy and a method of extrication from the predicament. The mind is directly confronted with all its vagaries. So complete is the Buddhist approach that the mind has no place
to go to escape. It ultimately confronts its own frailties, limitations, and ignorance and becomes confounded. A surrender of sorts is the only path of any logic."
Namadeva Acharya points out to us that the Buddha's approach is certainly consistent with the last two avatars of Vishnu, Rama and Krishna, who brought their divine power to earth and demonstrated it in abundance. The tenth avatar, Kalki, will be sent to gather those souls who have progressed enough to advance into humanity's next cycle. However, to "bridge the gap, humanity must be required to take responsibility" for their own actions and their own spiritual evolution. "After all," Namadeva Acharya writes, "[I]f divinity is the end point of evolution, when does that evolving divinity begin to take the responsibility incumbent upon increasing intelligence and will?" It is time, the Buddha teaches us, to stop depending on divine rescue and instead take the reins of our own morals and ethics, leading us to Love, which is the purest form of unity for our (and all) species.
The Eightfold Path and Four Noble Truths of Buddhism present the central beliefs of Buddhism and outline the approach to balance life and eliminate the attachment to desires which are at the root of all suffering.
The Four Noble Truths:
All existence as we know it is suffering.
Misery is rooted in ignorant craving or desire.
Misery can be abolished by eliminating ignorant craving or desire.
This elimination can be accomplished by following the Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path:
- Right Understanding
- Right Mindfulness
- Right Speech
- Right Action
- Right Livelihood
- Right Effort
- Right Meditation
- Right Emancipation.
Because these beliefs gained much popularity in India, some Brahmin priests adopted the idea of the Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu. They, as Namadeva Acharya writes, "wanted to hitch their wagons to a rising star."
Although the Buddha claimed in his early teachings that the tools of religion (ceremony and mantra) were not necessary (later teaching them to a small group before his long life ended,) this was likely a misdirection used to break down a corrupt system and lead to a breakthrough for the human species by forcing people to take on a new spiritual responsibility. The "roots of spiritual power," as Namadeva Acharya calls them, are unchanging. "Mantra and ceremony still are called upon when nothing but the scientifically applied use of ancient mantras and ritual power will do. The Buddha, as the ninth avatar of Vishnu, knew this, and earned his title of "The Great Deceiver." Sometimes the path of misdirection is necessary for us to reach our ultimate enlightenment.
|
|
Mantras of the month:
Om Mani Padme Hum
The Jewel is in the Lotus
This is the mantra of Avalokateshwara.
Om Namo Kuan Shi Yin Pusa
Basic mantra for Kuan Yin, the feminine aspect of Avalokateshwara.
Both bring compassion to the heart.
Gate Gate Para Gate Para Samgate Bodhi Swaha
Gone, Gone Beyond, Gone Beyond Beyond. Hail to the Goer.
Excellent mantra for developing vairagya/detatchment/dispassion.
|
|
|
Mantras for Healing the Earth
These mantras are to aid with the earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, storms, tornadoes, droughts, and the radiation from Fukushima:
All of these mantras are powerful Ganesha Mantras.
Om Vighna Nashana'ya Namaha
To relieve energy blockages especially for the Devas that work with the energies of the various species: wind, water, plant, bird, mammal, fish and human.
Om Uch'chista Ganapata'yae Namaha
To destroy negativity
Om Vakratunda'ya Hum
To correct something that is not working properly; to end corruption.
Om Dumra Ketuvae Namaha
To bring difficult circumstances under an umbrella of peace.
Om Gana Dhyaksha'ya Namaha
To bring healing to a group. In this case, the people harmed by the earthquakes and tsunami.
Om Kshipra Prasada'ya Namaha
For immediate assistance, blessing.
Note: Unlike English, the emphasis in a word is on the first syllable in Sanskrit. The ye/yae ending is a shakti-activating syllable. The ya ending brings the energy of the mantra to the heart. Sanskrit is not pronounced as 'aya' at the end of a mantra ending in 'a' before the ye/ya at the end.
|
We offer a number of pujas and fire ceremonies which may be done on your behalf for various purposes. You will find a list of them here: Pujas in Absentia
If you wish to have a puja performed for you, purchase it online, and one of the priests selected by Satyabhama will contact you to make arrangements with you as to which puja or fire ceremony/yajna you want and when.
Priests and Pujaris certified by Sanatana Dharma Satsang are available for pujas in absentia. Please click here for further details: Pujas in absentia.
|
|
The works of Thomas Ashley-Farrand (Namadeva Acharya) (1940-2010) give unprecedented, detailed instruction in how to
empower yourself using the techniques of the ancient sages and rishis. He and Satyabhama have been given the mission by their Gurus, Sadguru Sant Keshavadas (d. 1997) and Satguru Rama Mata to bring these teachings to everyone, particularly in the West.
To that end, Namadeva Acharya wrote and recorded a number of works. He also traveled to North America and the UK to teach workshops, which Satyabhama is now continuing, including writing and recording workshops.
We have lead Pilgrimage Tours of India's Holy Places, visiting with the Shankaracharayas at Kanchi Math, Vishwa Shanti Ashram (our gurus ashram), and Kanchi, among the highlights of the trip. The next trip will be May 2016.
We founded a religious organization, Sanatana Dharma Satsang, (a 501(c)3 nonprofit) which has opened a Gayatri Temple in Beaverton, Oregon. Sanatana Dharma Satsang is the organization certifying Priests, Mantra Teachers and Pujaris. The link to it is in the right column.
Bhakti Yoga House & Studio in Albuquerque, NM, is the location of some workshops and pujas, particularly the Annual Summer 5-day program. We hope to expand to the East Coast and other locations, as soon as we can.
These works are offered in a spirit of service. We sincerely hope that they will further you on your path.
|
|
Prem & Shanti,
Satyabhama (Margalo Ashley-Farrand)
Saraswati Publications, LLC
|
|
|
|
|
|
