Satsang
VOL. 29 NO. 2
NEW
ERA 58
JULY & AUGUST 2001Perform Agnihotra Heal The Atmosphere
Contents
Self-development and Homa Therapy
Healing Experiences Reported, Homa Therapy European Conference
Himalayan Excursion
24-Hour Round-the-Clock Yajnya at Tapovan
Australian Travelogue: The Rudra Yajnya Tour
Poland’s Organic Revival
Inculcate the Habit of Sharing Your Assets
Self-development and Homa Therapy
Dr. Ulrich Berk
We are witnessing tremendous changes on our planet.
This is a change of era which comes after millenniums. Everything civilization
is based upon crumbles. This time is now. As it was said, the sun has already
risen on a New Era.
The whole consciousness will be lifted. People will live their lives in harmony with others--with the animal kingdom, plant kingdom, with all nature. They will lead a happy life full of love.
How will this come about?
Some day we will hear that the ozone layer is healed without anybody doing something about it (except passing resolutions).
By Divine will lines have been drawn on this planet. Certain ancient places are being activated by doing these healing fires. Then, a sound current will be sent to cleanse the whole planet.
That time is not far off.
In different parts of the planet some children are already born with sixth sense. They will start talking wonderful things and scientists will be shocked that these children know these things.
It is said that this higher knowledge is instantaneous. It is not necessary to deal much with intellectual stuff; we can rise higher without it.
How can we prepare ourselves for this coming transition?
One basic thing is that we have to reach that stage where at the last moment of life, the time of death, no desires are left, because if any small desire is left again we have to go through new incarnations and so on--even if a little desire is left. So we have to train the mind before that moment comes.
Having no more desires means reaching the stage, “Not my will but thy will be done”.
Normally we are told that it takes many incarnations to reach that stage, and often in normal times when trying to move in this direction it is going two steps up and then three steps down. But now a time has come when all are being lifted, so self-development has become much easier. But still, a little effort of the person is always required. This means the Fivefold Path.
Yajnya we all do. Daan, Tapa and Karma most of us are also doing. These are the easier steps. More difficult is Swadhyaya, “Who am I?” What am I here for?
Let us look at our situation here on Earth in simple terms. Every one of us is in different circumstances. Some have family, some are alone. Some have money, others have money problems. Some have a good health, others have all sorts of illnesses. Many of us are not very happy with our actual situation in life.
So we have to understand that our present situation is result of the law of Karma operating. This law of Karma is the basic law in the Universe. In the Bible it was stated as, “You reap as you sow”. In Physics it is known as the law of action and reaction. So one must learn not to blame any other person about the physical, physiological, social or mental situation in which we may be, but accept that we are just reaping what we have sown.
Then there will be much more clarity in our thinking. This law of Karma is the basic law, which is valid for everybody and everything.
However, no matter what miserable condition of life one may be in (financially, socially, physically) the moment one decides to walk on the path of Light--the Divine Path, now newly explained as Fivefold Path--in that very moment another law comes into operation: the Law of Grace. This means there is an assurance that whatever bad Karma one may carry Grace can undo that.
Destiny ends where Grace begins.
If we understand this and plan our life-style accordingly, then we can say that, “I am the maker of my future”.
Now, because of the change of age, things are made extremely easy for us. So let us make best use of this life in a very special time! E.g., one must choose some discipline in life to be able to reach that state of joy which is a prerogative of every person. So why not choose the daily discipline schedule which is being followed in many Homa Therapy places?
Karma, doing good actions, is simple. But that is not enough. Every Karma which we do we have to do in an attitude of non attachment. To make this point easier to understand, Shree Gajanan Maharaj said, “Do Karma for self-purification.”
Mind is in the grip of some habit patterns which normally are difficult to break. This Agnihotra healing fire is a great help to achieve this. Practice of Agnihotra and sharing this knowledge with others who would like to learn is great Karma. When we do this without expecting anything in return, then this will help us to rise higher. Such a cheap price we pay, as doing this work of sharing the knowledge of Agnihotra in itself brings a lot of joy!
We are in the situation like someone who wants to buy a secondhand Volkswagen car.
The car dealer tells him, “I will give you a new BMW car instead as a gift, but there is one condition--you will have to accept a donation of DM 100.000 also!”
Things are made easy for us now because of the change of age. It means Liberation for the price of a candy. Let us not miss that chance!
Healing Experiences Reported,
Homa Therapy European Conference
(The following experiences were shared at the Homa Therapy European Conference held at Oasis Healing Centre in Wysoka, Poland on May 18-20th. For more healing experiences, please see Satsang May/June 2001.)
Christa Mena, representing Spain:
(Christa and Ricardo Mena operate a Homa Farm in Algodonales, Spain)
I would like to share some of the experiences of healing showing different aspects of Homa Therapy. One relates to agriculture. The most
interesting example came from the time when were able to perform total Homa
Therapy, which includes Agnihotra, four hours of Tryambakam Yajnya daily and
24-hour Homas on new moon and full moon. The production of vegetables
increased incredibly. One year, one tomato weighed one kilo and 400 grams! The rest all weighed 760 grams. It was a special type of tomato that grows large, but still it was incredible.
When we are able to perform all the Homas on our farm, the effects on production and quality of produce are incredible. When we do less Tryambakam due to lack of people, still you see that everything is nice and still better than other places, but it is something like an energy which is asleep. It doesn’t go away, but again when you start doing more fire, it awakens. Something happens immediately. You can feel it and you can see it on the farm.
One interesting thing occurred at our home. Our neighbors had parrots. These parrots were not in a cage; they were free.
Always, at about five minutes before Agnihotra, a couple of them would fly over and sit on a huge tree outside our meditation room. This went on for a period of months, so I always knew exactly five minutes before that it was Agnihotra time! Immediately after the chanting of the mantras, they would leave. They didn’t remain for meditation, only the fire, but they came every morning and evening.
Another friend of ours teaches flamenco singing. He had one student who became a very famous flamenco singer. He had organized a tour. Everything was fixed, from town to town. Then he became ill with hepatitis. He felt very bad and the doctor told him that he would have to take many medicines.
Still, he wanted to go on the tour. Alfredo went with him on this tour. Every evening before he went to sing, he took a glass of water and Agnihotra ash. Normally before the show these singers drink a glass of wine, but this time he took only ash and water! In spite of his illness, he was able to do the whole tour. He was not only able to do
the tour, but after every evening of an hour of singing, he found the power of his voice had increased. He has become a very famous singer since then.
I have also had experiences in the yoga class that I teach. Sometimes the class is held at Agnihotra time. However, when it is not, we always perform Vyahruti Homa at the start. Before knowing Agnihotra, for many years I taught Hatha Yoga without performing fires, so I have observed the difference between one and the other. If we started the class with Vyahruti, people observed the
difference. Normally people are rushed, coming in from work and offices, and
it takes some time to calm people down. With Vyrahruti, after performing the fire and only a few minutes of meditation, it’s much easier for people to disconnect from the daily life. They immediately enter a calm, quiet state and feel much more the whole effect of the yoga asanas.
Recently we had an experience with two people who come to the Yoga class. They only started two months ago. One lady couldn’t come to the classes in the last month, because she teaches and travels a lot. Her cholesterol level and blood pressure went up and she couldn’t sleep. We
invited her to come for Agnihotra about ten days ago and she came to our house. She was sitting for ten or fifteen minutes. The next day she was feeling very well and she returned for Agnihotra. She was explaining to everyone that it had been the first night for many weeks that she had been able to sleep through the whole night. She was totally relaxed.
Himalayan Excursion Anne Godfrey
In the company of Irma Garcia of Venezuela, Carola Zamudio of Peru and Donna McKinnon from Australia, I was fortunate to be whisked away to the Himalayas to take part in establishing a resonance point at the site of a beautiful healing resort which is being developed according to Ayurvedic principles.
Ayurvedic Healing Fires, Agnihotra and Om Tryambakam Yajnya, will form the basis of healing energy at this special ancient power spot which is part of the area known as Jageshwar where Adi Shankaracharya established 108 temples about 13 hundred years ago.
The trip was organized by Mr M.M.C. Sharma, Mr Dinesh Diwariye, Mr J.S. Yadav, Mr Vinay Yadav,Mr Harish Phatt and Mr Shailendra Dube, all members of Morarka Foundation.
Needless to say it was an unforgettable experience which touched us all very deeply.
At sunset on 25th March, 2001 the next stage in the unfoldment of the Divine plan on Earth took place. India and in particular Tapovan played host to the resumption of continuous round-the-clock Yajnya healing Fire to the accompaniment of Om Tryambakam Mantra. Several countries have hosted such a Yajnya over the past quarter century (Germany, Chile, Australia and notably U.S.A. where continuous Yajnya was maintained by a small group of dedicated people for approximately sixteen years from September 9, 1978). But as far as we know, this is the only Yajnya of this type on the planet at the present time.
This Yajnya is unique for several reasons. First, it is being managed under the guidance of western volunteers. And then it is totally ahimsak (i.e., no killing or violence of any kind is involved). Also there are no restrictions on caste or creed, age or gender. All people are invited and are now indeed coming to join with us in maintaining this revolutionary Yajnya. The only requirement is that they must first start regular practice of Agnihotra sunrise/sunset Ayurvedic healing fire.
Now that this Yajnya has begun, it is our intention to maintain it round-the-clock indefinitely or at least until the danger from the great Earth changes has passed.
This Yajnya has power. Its influence will be felt not only in this particular region, but also in whole of India and even on the entire planet. Anyone is able to come and sit in the hut where the Yajnya is maintained. Nothing is told and no payment is asked. They can simply benefit from the healing energies of the Yajnya. This is a great community service.
I believe this Yajnya is actually a fulfillment of the words of Parama Sadguru Shree Gajanan Maharaj:
“We had told you that greatest work is going to be done from this place, (Shivadham-Tapovan area). That time is now near. Start constructing a temple here. When things become difficult, when the planets collide, when it will be time of deluge, Shivadham will be the shelter.”
And again, at about the same time Vasant told us:
“Only through FIRE can the planet be healed. Through intense practice of YAJNYA a reverse trend can take place. IT IS A RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK. For this people need to have some discipline, some structure in their lives.
“Man driven by greed, in his crazy race for power, knowledge and domination has drilled the atmosphere and its subtle levels of Pranic energy. This is done with his aerial machines that pollute and put disorder in the subatomic particles of the subtle energy of ‘Life.’ Unconsciously man has knitted a net over the planet that distorts and disturbs the essential reception of the energies that emanate from other planets of the solar system and the Universe.
“It is therefore necessary to create a communication channel to receive the SOUND CURRENT that will be sent to save the planet from total destruction. Through continuous performance of some HOMAS and Mantras such a channel could be built.”
We now extend an invitation to all Agnihotris to come join us at Tapovan for this wonderful work. If anyone is interested or needs more information please contact Anne or Bruce:
“Tapovan”
P.O.: Ratnapimpri
Tal: Parola
Dist: Jalgaon
Maharashtra
INDIA
Tel: +91 2597 35203
or (c/- Abhay Paranjpe) +91 2562 36993
email: tapovan@angelfire.com
At sunset on 25th March, 2001 the next stage in the unfoldment of the Divine plan on Earth took place. India and in particular Tapovan played host to the resumption of continuous round-the-clock Yajnya healing Fire to the accompaniment of Om Tryambakam Mantra. Several countries have hosted such a Yajnya over the past quarter century (Germany, Chile, Australia and notably U.S.A. where continuous Yajnya was maintained by a small group of dedicated people for approximately sixteen years from September 9, 1978). But as far as we know, this is the only Yajnya of this type on the planet at the present time.
This Yajnya is unique for several reasons. First, it is being managed under the guidance of western volunteers. And then it is totally ahimsak (i.e., no killing or violence of any kind is involved). Also there are no restrictions on caste or creed, age or gender. All people are invited and are now indeed coming to join with us in maintaining this revolutionary Yajnya. The only requirement is that they must first start regular practice of Agnihotra sunrise/sunset Ayurvedic healing fire.
Now that this Yajnya has begun, it is our intention to maintain it round-the-clock indefinitely or at least until the danger from the great Earth changes has passed.
This Yajnya has power. Its influence will be felt not only in this particular region, but also in whole of India and even on the entire planet. Anyone is able to come and sit in the hut where the Yajnya is maintained. Nothing is told and no payment is asked. They can simply benefit from the healing energies of the Yajnya. This is a great community service.
I believe this Yajnya is actually a fulfillment of the words of Parama Sadguru Shree Gajanan Maharaj:
“We had told you that greatest work is going to be done from this place, (Shivadham-Tapovan area). That time is now near. Start constructing a temple here. When things become difficult, when the planets collide, when it will be time of deluge, Shivadham will be the shelter.”
And again, at about the same time Vasant told us:
“Only through FIRE can the planet be healed. Through intense practice of YAJNYA a reverse trend can take place. IT IS A RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK. For this people need to have some discipline, some structure in their lives.
“Man driven by greed, in his crazy race for power, knowledge and domination has drilled the atmosphere and its subtle levels of Pranic energy. This is done with his aerial machines that pollute and put disorder in the subatomic particles of the subtle energy of ‘Life.’ Unconsciously man has knitted a net over the planet that distorts and disturbs the essential reception of the energies that emanate from other planets of the solar system and the Universe.
“It is therefore necessary to create a communication channel to receive the SOUND CURRENT that will be sent to save the planet from total destruction. Through continuous performance of some HOMAS and Mantras such a channel could be built.”
We now extend an invitation to all Agnihotris to come join us at Tapovan for this wonderful work. If anyone is interested or needs more information please contact Anne or Bruce:
“Tapovan”
P.O.: Ratnapimpri
Tal: Parola
Dist: Jalgaon
Maharashtra
INDIA
Tel: +91 2597 35203
or (c/- Abhay Paranjpe) +91 2562 36993
email: tapovan@angelfire.com
(From The Guardian, May 9, 2001, reprinted with permission from the author.--Ed.)
The transition from communism to a free market economy has been tough on Poland’s agricultural industry but organic
farming might come to the rescue, writes Kate Connolly.
Wednesday May 9, 2001
41-year-old Jadwiga Lopata left her job as a computer programmer in the mid-1990s to return to Stryszow, the southern Polish village where she was raised, to pick up where her farming parents left off in the mid-60s.
Fearing the rapid changes taking place in the farming sector to meet the demands of the EU, which Poland hopes to join in two or three years, Jadwiga started to run her own organic farm from her parents’ land. It has since expanded into an eco-village - something of a growing phenomenon in Poland.
‘’Poland has something unique to offer and we need to protect that,” she says. ‘’If we don’t protect what we have now we’ll later have to spend 20 years trying to turn the clock back and all we’ll be left with is a memory of the culture.’’
An increasing number of Polish farmers are balking against the pressure to mass produce by mimicking western agribusiness methods, and are converting to organic farming in the hope of gaining a strong foothold in western markets hungry for eco-produce, particularly in the light of recent food scares.
Poland, where over 28% of the population of 39m still work the land on the country’s 2m farms, is finding itself at a crossroads regarding its agricultural future. Two thirds of its farms are traditional, family affairs and most of them are struggling to survive the tough transition to a free market economy.
Poland is the largest of the dozen mainly ex-communist countries hoping to gain membership of the EU within the next few years. However, first it has to bow to EU pressure to move fast on reforms to dramatically restructure its large, inefficient and unwieldy farm sector. The government has said that it wants to reduce the numbers of farms by 1.3m by 2003, when Poland hopes it will be ready to join the EU. Organic missionaries say the elect have got their priorities wrong and should be concentrating their efforts instead on trying to encourage natural methods. Most Polish farms escaped nationalization by the communists due to strong protests by the farmers, some of whom went to jail in their fight to remain independent. Now that they face a similar threat from the EU, most feel far less confident about holding their own a second time round.
The days of communism and heavy industry took their toll on the countryside, leaving it scarred by some of Europe’s worst environmental blackspots. But, at the same time, Poland has more farmland free from pesticides than most countries in Europe and a growing number of people are keen to milk the potential that could bring. As the founder and head of the Polish NGO, the European Centre for Ecological Agriculture and Tourism (ECEAT), Ms. Lopata has taken it upon herself to convert as many of Poland’s farmers to organic farming as possible before it is too late.
Her mantra is “small is beautiful” and she has so far roped over 130 farms into her fold. Last year her son Chris started an internet service from their modest farmhouse in the foothills of the Biskidy mountains to ship organic produce around the country. In cooperation with Ekoland, the association of organic food producers, which is a member of the international federation of organic agricultural movements, they aim to create more cooperation amongst the local farmers and establish a producers’ co-op as well as a strong consumer body to sell collectively to supermarkets, first at home, then abroad.
Poland is not alone: Hungary already sells 95% of its organic output abroad and exports are currently growing at a staggering 20%. Bulgaria is trying to get in on the act, as is Romania.
Jadwiga and her band of mainly female followers are convinced that Poland could lead the field in terms of organic farming in a Europe, where consumers are increasingly demanding chemical-free produce. “We have no hope of competing with large-scale chemical food giants, but with organic farming we’re streaks ahead,” she says.
Under communism, most farmers were unable to pay for chemical pesticides and fertilizers. That was once seen as a curse. But now, say experts, it means that Poles can be organic pioneers as the full transition to a purely ecological approach need not be all that difficult either practically or psychologically. The counterpoint to this argument is that many farmers are weary of organic farming, which they see as a throwback rather than a progressive move. Nevertheless, agriculturalists say that, compared with the west, where it can take between five and ten years to really clean the soil of chemicals, in Poland, on average, only two or three years are necessary.
Until now farmers have lacked the incentives to officially convert to organic farming, due to expensive registration procedures and a lack of subsidies. So far 1,300 have made the leap - more than double the number this time last year. (Organic now counts for 0.5% of the farming, compared to an EU average of 1.5%. Austria tops the scale with 10%). But fierce lobbying of the government has had an effect: subsidies to organic farms are increasing every year - this year 6.5m zloty (£1.15m) has been set aside for the purpose. And, even more importantly, in the coming months, an organic farming bill is expected to be passed, setting out strict guidelines and making it difficult for fraudsters to operate in the market.
‘’If financial aid for bio-farms increases and promotion intensifies, Poland can increase the number of its green farms by as much as 50% in five or six years,’’ Mieczyslaw Gorny, a professor at the Warsaw agriculture academy believes.
He and other analysts stress how, while the enthusiasm of farmers is a huge step in the organic direction, both financial and political help are at the core of such a project’s success or failure. The change was not a difficult one for Maria Sordyl. She lost her shop assistant’s job in the town of Wadowice, birthplace of the Pope, when the business went bankrupt in the late 90s. ‘’I had no choice but to work the land, and I wanted to be organic like my parents had been,’’ she says. Initially her husband was strongly against it (‘’Using chemicals is seen as the macho thing to do, whereas organic is sissy’’).
Despite her fears the transition was so successful that she was recruited by Ms. Lopata as a ‘missionary’ for ECAT.
She spends most of her free time travelling round the south looking for converts. Her most impressive achievement was to convert the former head of a communist-era state-run farm who had made liberal use of chemicals just a few years before.
Most Polish farms are stuck in a time warp - somewhere in the 1920s. Around about the time, in fact, that Poland’s first biodynamic farm was founded. Jordan Plackowski is one of a growing number of organic farmers who have decided to make use of the image of horse-drawn ploughs, scythes, and wells which are still to be found on most farms. Mr. Plackowski puts up the growing band of eco-tourists, mainly from Germany and the Netherlands, at his home in the village of Andrychow to subsidize his organic produce sales. He says its high time that Polish farmers mobilized forces and started realizing their potential as an organic, market force.
‘’Germans come in and buy up the organic apples at an extremely low price, and pulp them into ‘German’ organic apple juice which they sell at a premium. Decades of communism destroyed the initiative amongst farmers, but the truth is we should be doing it for ourselves,’’ he insists. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether Poland is able to enact an organic economic revival.
Inculcate the Habit of Sharing Your Assets Commentary by Vasant
(From Ten Commandments of Parama Sadguru)
Uto Rayih pmato nopa dasyati
—Rigveda 10-117-1
Purport: He who cultivates the habit of giving is assured of fulfillment of all his needs.
Commentary:
If we cultivate the habit of giving away part of our material possessions, we have learned the secret of happy life. The sharing of assets should be the consequence of a dutiful response in the heart of the donor. The action is doubly blessed. It blesseth him that gives and him that receiveth. One need not anticipate a demand from someone before giving. You give because it is your duty to give. This is DAAN, the second aspect of the Fivefold Path.
By practice of DAAN you get used to the discipline of parting with or receiving material possessions without concomitant pride or dejection. The habit begets detachment and grants you the correct perspective to look at things material. It sublimates your emotions regarding worldly possessions or lack of them. Non-attachment reduces the burden on the mind and makes you free. Then you automatically begin to “Love thy neighbour as thyself “
If you vaunt your gifts it is not the spiritual act of DAAN, but mere donation.
“Therefore when thou doest thine alms do not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do ... that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you they have their rewards. But when thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does, that thy alms may be in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”--Matthew 6:2-4
You give because it is your duty to give. Do not think that you are obliging the person to whom you give. Consider that he is obliging you by accepting the gift. He is the instrumental cause to enable you to obey a Divine command. Think of him as an instrument of purification of your mind. Consider the act of giving a privilege granted to you to worship the Divine.
“And spend something (in charity) out of the sustenance which We have bestowed on you, before Death should come to any of you.”
—Holy Quran LXIII-10
Giving in the spirit of duty serves to pull down the barricades which separate man from man. You only help yourself by practicing DAAN. A little practice of this virtue will totally change your reactions to the conditions in which you are placed and you land into peace and bliss.
“I declare that gifts offered to the perfectly virtuous bring abundant fruit. Not so to the immoral. Perfectly virtuous is he who has abandoned the five: sense desire, hate, sloth, restlessness and all doubts. Perfectly virtuous is he who possesses the five: concentration, wisdom, liberation, perfection in training and vision of one perfect in training.”
—Buddha to Vachhagotta
DAAN can be in cash or in kind. If you give money to a person and he spends it on something which you think is wrong it is not DAAN. You have not only not performed the spiritual act of DAAN but you have committed a wrong. By your action you become a partner in his guilt. You have helped him commit a wrong action and thus you involve yourself in bad Karma.
“A gift made to someone from whom we expect nothing in return, believing that such a gift ought to be made, in a fit place and time and to a worthy person, such a gift is SATVIC (pure).
“A gift given in the hope of receiving something in return and reaping any fruit therefrom or that which is given grudgingly is RAJASIC (source of pride) .
“A gift given to an unworthy person or given disrespectfully is TAMASIC (cause of self- degradation and misery).”
—Bhagavat Geeta 17-20, 21, 22
Only the first of the above three is DAAN. Such a gift leads to a detached attitude to material possessions and thus reduces the burden on the mind.
It is the inexorable law of Karma that you “reap as you sow”. The operation of Divine Law brings back to you in terms of material perquisites what you have parted with. All your needs are taken care of. Hence DAAN is a material aid to happiness.
Practice of DAAN generates non-attachment and we are better able to go through the vicissitudes of fortune in life. The cultivation of this attitude prepares us to face possible adverse circumstances in future.
To summarize, observe the following points in the practice of DAAN:
--Treat all your income and property as a trust from the Almighty and be in the habit of parting with a certain percentage of it.
--Give in secret so that your pride shall not be nourished.
--Give in a spirit of humility. You give because it is your duty to give. Since this discipline is for all people a rich man has to give, a poor man has to give. A rich man can receive, a poor man can receive.
The person to whom you give must be a proper person not given to habits which you think are wrong. You may give to a poor person who would utilize your gift for fulfillment of his needs. You may give to a rich
person who may utilize the gift in the service of society in the spirit of DAAN. You may give to a holy person who is bound to make use of the gift in the service of his fellow man.
Editor:
Lisa Powers
Publisher:
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Opinions expressed by contributors are not
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The whole consciousness will be lifted. People will live their lives in harmony with others--with the animal kingdom, plant kingdom, with all nature. They will lead a happy life full of love.
How will this come about?
Some day we will hear that the ozone layer is healed without anybody doing something about it (except passing resolutions).
By Divine will lines have been drawn on this planet. Certain ancient places are being activated by doing these healing fires. Then, a sound current will be sent to cleanse the whole planet.
That time is not far off.
In different parts of the planet some children are already born with sixth sense. They will start talking wonderful things and scientists will be shocked that these children know these things.
It is said that this higher knowledge is instantaneous. It is not necessary to deal much with intellectual stuff; we can rise higher without it.
How can we prepare ourselves for this coming transition?
One basic thing is that we have to reach that stage where at the last moment of life, the time of death, no desires are left, because if any small desire is left again we have to go through new incarnations and so on--even if a little desire is left. So we have to train the mind before that moment comes.
Having no more desires means reaching the stage, “Not my will but thy will be done”.
Normally we are told that it takes many incarnations to reach that stage, and often in normal times when trying to move in this direction it is going two steps up and then three steps down. But now a time has come when all are being lifted, so self-development has become much easier. But still, a little effort of the person is always required. This means the Fivefold Path.
Yajnya we all do. Daan, Tapa and Karma most of us are also doing. These are the easier steps. More difficult is Swadhyaya, “Who am I?” What am I here for?
Let us look at our situation here on Earth in simple terms. Every one of us is in different circumstances. Some have family, some are alone. Some have money, others have money problems. Some have a good health, others have all sorts of illnesses. Many of us are not very happy with our actual situation in life.
So we have to understand that our present situation is result of the law of Karma operating. This law of Karma is the basic law in the Universe. In the Bible it was stated as, “You reap as you sow”. In Physics it is known as the law of action and reaction. So one must learn not to blame any other person about the physical, physiological, social or mental situation in which we may be, but accept that we are just reaping what we have sown.
Then there will be much more clarity in our thinking. This law of Karma is the basic law, which is valid for everybody and everything.
However, no matter what miserable condition of life one may be in (financially, socially, physically) the moment one decides to walk on the path of Light--the Divine Path, now newly explained as Fivefold Path--in that very moment another law comes into operation: the Law of Grace. This means there is an assurance that whatever bad Karma one may carry Grace can undo that.
Destiny ends where Grace begins.
If we understand this and plan our life-style accordingly, then we can say that, “I am the maker of my future”.
Now, because of the change of age, things are made extremely easy for us. So let us make best use of this life in a very special time! E.g., one must choose some discipline in life to be able to reach that state of joy which is a prerogative of every person. So why not choose the daily discipline schedule which is being followed in many Homa Therapy places?
Karma, doing good actions, is simple. But that is not enough. Every Karma which we do we have to do in an attitude of non attachment. To make this point easier to understand, Shree Gajanan Maharaj said, “Do Karma for self-purification.”
Mind is in the grip of some habit patterns which normally are difficult to break. This Agnihotra healing fire is a great help to achieve this. Practice of Agnihotra and sharing this knowledge with others who would like to learn is great Karma. When we do this without expecting anything in return, then this will help us to rise higher. Such a cheap price we pay, as doing this work of sharing the knowledge of Agnihotra in itself brings a lot of joy!
We are in the situation like someone who wants to buy a secondhand Volkswagen car.
The car dealer tells him, “I will give you a new BMW car instead as a gift, but there is one condition--you will have to accept a donation of DM 100.000 also!”
Things are made easy for us now because of the change of age. It means Liberation for the price of a candy. Let us not miss that chance!
Healing Experiences Reported,
Homa Therapy European Conference
(The following experiences were shared at the Homa Therapy European Conference held at Oasis Healing Centre in Wysoka, Poland on May 18-20th. For more healing experiences, please see Satsang May/June 2001.)
Christa Mena, representing Spain:
(Christa and Ricardo Mena operate a Homa Farm in Algodonales, Spain)
I would like to share some of the experiences of healing showing different aspects of Homa Therapy. One relates to agriculture. The most
interesting example came from the time when were able to perform total Homa
Therapy, which includes Agnihotra, four hours of Tryambakam Yajnya daily and
24-hour Homas on new moon and full moon. The production of vegetables
increased incredibly. One year, one tomato weighed one kilo and 400 grams! The rest all weighed 760 grams. It was a special type of tomato that grows large, but still it was incredible.
When we are able to perform all the Homas on our farm, the effects on production and quality of produce are incredible. When we do less Tryambakam due to lack of people, still you see that everything is nice and still better than other places, but it is something like an energy which is asleep. It doesn’t go away, but again when you start doing more fire, it awakens. Something happens immediately. You can feel it and you can see it on the farm.
One interesting thing occurred at our home. Our neighbors had parrots. These parrots were not in a cage; they were free.
Always, at about five minutes before Agnihotra, a couple of them would fly over and sit on a huge tree outside our meditation room. This went on for a period of months, so I always knew exactly five minutes before that it was Agnihotra time! Immediately after the chanting of the mantras, they would leave. They didn’t remain for meditation, only the fire, but they came every morning and evening.
Another friend of ours teaches flamenco singing. He had one student who became a very famous flamenco singer. He had organized a tour. Everything was fixed, from town to town. Then he became ill with hepatitis. He felt very bad and the doctor told him that he would have to take many medicines.
Still, he wanted to go on the tour. Alfredo went with him on this tour. Every evening before he went to sing, he took a glass of water and Agnihotra ash. Normally before the show these singers drink a glass of wine, but this time he took only ash and water! In spite of his illness, he was able to do the whole tour. He was not only able to do
the tour, but after every evening of an hour of singing, he found the power of his voice had increased. He has become a very famous singer since then.
I have also had experiences in the yoga class that I teach. Sometimes the class is held at Agnihotra time. However, when it is not, we always perform Vyahruti Homa at the start. Before knowing Agnihotra, for many years I taught Hatha Yoga without performing fires, so I have observed the difference between one and the other. If we started the class with Vyahruti, people observed the
difference. Normally people are rushed, coming in from work and offices, and
it takes some time to calm people down. With Vyrahruti, after performing the fire and only a few minutes of meditation, it’s much easier for people to disconnect from the daily life. They immediately enter a calm, quiet state and feel much more the whole effect of the yoga asanas.
Recently we had an experience with two people who come to the Yoga class. They only started two months ago. One lady couldn’t come to the classes in the last month, because she teaches and travels a lot. Her cholesterol level and blood pressure went up and she couldn’t sleep. We
invited her to come for Agnihotra about ten days ago and she came to our house. She was sitting for ten or fifteen minutes. The next day she was feeling very well and she returned for Agnihotra. She was explaining to everyone that it had been the first night for many weeks that she had been able to sleep through the whole night. She was totally relaxed.
Himalayan Excursion Anne Godfrey
In the company of Irma Garcia of Venezuela, Carola Zamudio of Peru and Donna McKinnon from Australia, I was fortunate to be whisked away to the Himalayas to take part in establishing a resonance point at the site of a beautiful healing resort which is being developed according to Ayurvedic principles.
Ayurvedic Healing Fires, Agnihotra and Om Tryambakam Yajnya, will form the basis of healing energy at this special ancient power spot which is part of the area known as Jageshwar where Adi Shankaracharya established 108 temples about 13 hundred years ago.
The trip was organized by Mr M.M.C. Sharma, Mr Dinesh Diwariye, Mr J.S. Yadav, Mr Vinay Yadav,Mr Harish Phatt and Mr Shailendra Dube, all members of Morarka Foundation.
Needless to say it was an unforgettable experience which touched us all very deeply.
At sunset on 25th March, 2001 the next stage in the unfoldment of the Divine plan on Earth took place. India and in particular Tapovan played host to the resumption of continuous round-the-clock Yajnya healing Fire to the accompaniment of Om Tryambakam Mantra. Several countries have hosted such a Yajnya over the past quarter century (Germany, Chile, Australia and notably U.S.A. where continuous Yajnya was maintained by a small group of dedicated people for approximately sixteen years from September 9, 1978). But as far as we know, this is the only Yajnya of this type on the planet at the present time.
This Yajnya is unique for several reasons. First, it is being managed under the guidance of western volunteers. And then it is totally ahimsak (i.e., no killing or violence of any kind is involved). Also there are no restrictions on caste or creed, age or gender. All people are invited and are now indeed coming to join with us in maintaining this revolutionary Yajnya. The only requirement is that they must first start regular practice of Agnihotra sunrise/sunset Ayurvedic healing fire.
Now that this Yajnya has begun, it is our intention to maintain it round-the-clock indefinitely or at least until the danger from the great Earth changes has passed.
This Yajnya has power. Its influence will be felt not only in this particular region, but also in whole of India and even on the entire planet. Anyone is able to come and sit in the hut where the Yajnya is maintained. Nothing is told and no payment is asked. They can simply benefit from the healing energies of the Yajnya. This is a great community service.
I believe this Yajnya is actually a fulfillment of the words of Parama Sadguru Shree Gajanan Maharaj:
“We had told you that greatest work is going to be done from this place, (Shivadham-Tapovan area). That time is now near. Start constructing a temple here. When things become difficult, when the planets collide, when it will be time of deluge, Shivadham will be the shelter.”
And again, at about the same time Vasant told us:
“Only through FIRE can the planet be healed. Through intense practice of YAJNYA a reverse trend can take place. IT IS A RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK. For this people need to have some discipline, some structure in their lives.
“Man driven by greed, in his crazy race for power, knowledge and domination has drilled the atmosphere and its subtle levels of Pranic energy. This is done with his aerial machines that pollute and put disorder in the subatomic particles of the subtle energy of ‘Life.’ Unconsciously man has knitted a net over the planet that distorts and disturbs the essential reception of the energies that emanate from other planets of the solar system and the Universe.
“It is therefore necessary to create a communication channel to receive the SOUND CURRENT that will be sent to save the planet from total destruction. Through continuous performance of some HOMAS and Mantras such a channel could be built.”
We now extend an invitation to all Agnihotris to come join us at Tapovan for this wonderful work. If anyone is interested or needs more information please contact Anne or Bruce:
“Tapovan”
P.O.: Ratnapimpri
Tal: Parola
Dist: Jalgaon
Maharashtra
INDIA
Tel: +91 2597 35203
or (c/- Abhay Paranjpe) +91 2562 36993
email: tapovan@angelfire.com
At sunset on 25th March, 2001 the next stage in the unfoldment of the Divine plan on Earth took place. India and in particular Tapovan played host to the resumption of continuous round-the-clock Yajnya healing Fire to the accompaniment of Om Tryambakam Mantra. Several countries have hosted such a Yajnya over the past quarter century (Germany, Chile, Australia and notably U.S.A. where continuous Yajnya was maintained by a small group of dedicated people for approximately sixteen years from September 9, 1978). But as far as we know, this is the only Yajnya of this type on the planet at the present time.
This Yajnya is unique for several reasons. First, it is being managed under the guidance of western volunteers. And then it is totally ahimsak (i.e., no killing or violence of any kind is involved). Also there are no restrictions on caste or creed, age or gender. All people are invited and are now indeed coming to join with us in maintaining this revolutionary Yajnya. The only requirement is that they must first start regular practice of Agnihotra sunrise/sunset Ayurvedic healing fire.
Now that this Yajnya has begun, it is our intention to maintain it round-the-clock indefinitely or at least until the danger from the great Earth changes has passed.
This Yajnya has power. Its influence will be felt not only in this particular region, but also in whole of India and even on the entire planet. Anyone is able to come and sit in the hut where the Yajnya is maintained. Nothing is told and no payment is asked. They can simply benefit from the healing energies of the Yajnya. This is a great community service.
I believe this Yajnya is actually a fulfillment of the words of Parama Sadguru Shree Gajanan Maharaj:
“We had told you that greatest work is going to be done from this place, (Shivadham-Tapovan area). That time is now near. Start constructing a temple here. When things become difficult, when the planets collide, when it will be time of deluge, Shivadham will be the shelter.”
And again, at about the same time Vasant told us:
“Only through FIRE can the planet be healed. Through intense practice of YAJNYA a reverse trend can take place. IT IS A RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK. For this people need to have some discipline, some structure in their lives.
“Man driven by greed, in his crazy race for power, knowledge and domination has drilled the atmosphere and its subtle levels of Pranic energy. This is done with his aerial machines that pollute and put disorder in the subatomic particles of the subtle energy of ‘Life.’ Unconsciously man has knitted a net over the planet that distorts and disturbs the essential reception of the energies that emanate from other planets of the solar system and the Universe.
“It is therefore necessary to create a communication channel to receive the SOUND CURRENT that will be sent to save the planet from total destruction. Through continuous performance of some HOMAS and Mantras such a channel could be built.”
We now extend an invitation to all Agnihotris to come join us at Tapovan for this wonderful work. If anyone is interested or needs more information please contact Anne or Bruce:
“Tapovan”
P.O.: Ratnapimpri
Tal: Parola
Dist: Jalgaon
Maharashtra
INDIA
Tel: +91 2597 35203
or (c/- Abhay Paranjpe) +91 2562 36993
email: tapovan@angelfire.com
(From The Guardian, May 9, 2001, reprinted with permission from the author.--Ed.)
The transition from communism to a free market economy has been tough on Poland’s agricultural industry but organic
farming might come to the rescue, writes Kate Connolly.
Wednesday May 9, 2001
41-year-old Jadwiga Lopata left her job as a computer programmer in the mid-1990s to return to Stryszow, the southern Polish village where she was raised, to pick up where her farming parents left off in the mid-60s.
Fearing the rapid changes taking place in the farming sector to meet the demands of the EU, which Poland hopes to join in two or three years, Jadwiga started to run her own organic farm from her parents’ land. It has since expanded into an eco-village - something of a growing phenomenon in Poland.
‘’Poland has something unique to offer and we need to protect that,” she says. ‘’If we don’t protect what we have now we’ll later have to spend 20 years trying to turn the clock back and all we’ll be left with is a memory of the culture.’’
An increasing number of Polish farmers are balking against the pressure to mass produce by mimicking western agribusiness methods, and are converting to organic farming in the hope of gaining a strong foothold in western markets hungry for eco-produce, particularly in the light of recent food scares.
Poland, where over 28% of the population of 39m still work the land on the country’s 2m farms, is finding itself at a crossroads regarding its agricultural future. Two thirds of its farms are traditional, family affairs and most of them are struggling to survive the tough transition to a free market economy.
Poland is the largest of the dozen mainly ex-communist countries hoping to gain membership of the EU within the next few years. However, first it has to bow to EU pressure to move fast on reforms to dramatically restructure its large, inefficient and unwieldy farm sector. The government has said that it wants to reduce the numbers of farms by 1.3m by 2003, when Poland hopes it will be ready to join the EU. Organic missionaries say the elect have got their priorities wrong and should be concentrating their efforts instead on trying to encourage natural methods. Most Polish farms escaped nationalization by the communists due to strong protests by the farmers, some of whom went to jail in their fight to remain independent. Now that they face a similar threat from the EU, most feel far less confident about holding their own a second time round.
The days of communism and heavy industry took their toll on the countryside, leaving it scarred by some of Europe’s worst environmental blackspots. But, at the same time, Poland has more farmland free from pesticides than most countries in Europe and a growing number of people are keen to milk the potential that could bring. As the founder and head of the Polish NGO, the European Centre for Ecological Agriculture and Tourism (ECEAT), Ms. Lopata has taken it upon herself to convert as many of Poland’s farmers to organic farming as possible before it is too late.
Her mantra is “small is beautiful” and she has so far roped over 130 farms into her fold. Last year her son Chris started an internet service from their modest farmhouse in the foothills of the Biskidy mountains to ship organic produce around the country. In cooperation with Ekoland, the association of organic food producers, which is a member of the international federation of organic agricultural movements, they aim to create more cooperation amongst the local farmers and establish a producers’ co-op as well as a strong consumer body to sell collectively to supermarkets, first at home, then abroad.
Poland is not alone: Hungary already sells 95% of its organic output abroad and exports are currently growing at a staggering 20%. Bulgaria is trying to get in on the act, as is Romania.
Jadwiga and her band of mainly female followers are convinced that Poland could lead the field in terms of organic farming in a Europe, where consumers are increasingly demanding chemical-free produce. “We have no hope of competing with large-scale chemical food giants, but with organic farming we’re streaks ahead,” she says.
Under communism, most farmers were unable to pay for chemical pesticides and fertilizers. That was once seen as a curse. But now, say experts, it means that Poles can be organic pioneers as the full transition to a purely ecological approach need not be all that difficult either practically or psychologically. The counterpoint to this argument is that many farmers are weary of organic farming, which they see as a throwback rather than a progressive move. Nevertheless, agriculturalists say that, compared with the west, where it can take between five and ten years to really clean the soil of chemicals, in Poland, on average, only two or three years are necessary.
Until now farmers have lacked the incentives to officially convert to organic farming, due to expensive registration procedures and a lack of subsidies. So far 1,300 have made the leap - more than double the number this time last year. (Organic now counts for 0.5% of the farming, compared to an EU average of 1.5%. Austria tops the scale with 10%). But fierce lobbying of the government has had an effect: subsidies to organic farms are increasing every year - this year 6.5m zloty (£1.15m) has been set aside for the purpose. And, even more importantly, in the coming months, an organic farming bill is expected to be passed, setting out strict guidelines and making it difficult for fraudsters to operate in the market.
‘’If financial aid for bio-farms increases and promotion intensifies, Poland can increase the number of its green farms by as much as 50% in five or six years,’’ Mieczyslaw Gorny, a professor at the Warsaw agriculture academy believes.
He and other analysts stress how, while the enthusiasm of farmers is a huge step in the organic direction, both financial and political help are at the core of such a project’s success or failure. The change was not a difficult one for Maria Sordyl. She lost her shop assistant’s job in the town of Wadowice, birthplace of the Pope, when the business went bankrupt in the late 90s. ‘’I had no choice but to work the land, and I wanted to be organic like my parents had been,’’ she says. Initially her husband was strongly against it (‘’Using chemicals is seen as the macho thing to do, whereas organic is sissy’’).
Despite her fears the transition was so successful that she was recruited by Ms. Lopata as a ‘missionary’ for ECAT.
She spends most of her free time travelling round the south looking for converts. Her most impressive achievement was to convert the former head of a communist-era state-run farm who had made liberal use of chemicals just a few years before.
Most Polish farms are stuck in a time warp - somewhere in the 1920s. Around about the time, in fact, that Poland’s first biodynamic farm was founded. Jordan Plackowski is one of a growing number of organic farmers who have decided to make use of the image of horse-drawn ploughs, scythes, and wells which are still to be found on most farms. Mr. Plackowski puts up the growing band of eco-tourists, mainly from Germany and the Netherlands, at his home in the village of Andrychow to subsidize his organic produce sales. He says its high time that Polish farmers mobilized forces and started realizing their potential as an organic, market force.
‘’Germans come in and buy up the organic apples at an extremely low price, and pulp them into ‘German’ organic apple juice which they sell at a premium. Decades of communism destroyed the initiative amongst farmers, but the truth is we should be doing it for ourselves,’’ he insists. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether Poland is able to enact an organic economic revival.
Inculcate the Habit of Sharing Your Assets Commentary by Vasant
(From Ten Commandments of Parama Sadguru)
Uto Rayih pmato nopa dasyati
—Rigveda 10-117-1
Purport: He who cultivates the habit of giving is assured of fulfillment of all his needs.
Commentary:
If we cultivate the habit of giving away part of our material possessions, we have learned the secret of happy life. The sharing of assets should be the consequence of a dutiful response in the heart of the donor. The action is doubly blessed. It blesseth him that gives and him that receiveth. One need not anticipate a demand from someone before giving. You give because it is your duty to give. This is DAAN, the second aspect of the Fivefold Path.
By practice of DAAN you get used to the discipline of parting with or receiving material possessions without concomitant pride or dejection. The habit begets detachment and grants you the correct perspective to look at things material. It sublimates your emotions regarding worldly possessions or lack of them. Non-attachment reduces the burden on the mind and makes you free. Then you automatically begin to “Love thy neighbour as thyself “
If you vaunt your gifts it is not the spiritual act of DAAN, but mere donation.
“Therefore when thou doest thine alms do not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do ... that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you they have their rewards. But when thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does, that thy alms may be in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”--Matthew 6:2-4
You give because it is your duty to give. Do not think that you are obliging the person to whom you give. Consider that he is obliging you by accepting the gift. He is the instrumental cause to enable you to obey a Divine command. Think of him as an instrument of purification of your mind. Consider the act of giving a privilege granted to you to worship the Divine.
“And spend something (in charity) out of the sustenance which We have bestowed on you, before Death should come to any of you.”
—Holy Quran LXIII-10
Giving in the spirit of duty serves to pull down the barricades which separate man from man. You only help yourself by practicing DAAN. A little practice of this virtue will totally change your reactions to the conditions in which you are placed and you land into peace and bliss.
“I declare that gifts offered to the perfectly virtuous bring abundant fruit. Not so to the immoral. Perfectly virtuous is he who has abandoned the five: sense desire, hate, sloth, restlessness and all doubts. Perfectly virtuous is he who possesses the five: concentration, wisdom, liberation, perfection in training and vision of one perfect in training.”
—Buddha to Vachhagotta
DAAN can be in cash or in kind. If you give money to a person and he spends it on something which you think is wrong it is not DAAN. You have not only not performed the spiritual act of DAAN but you have committed a wrong. By your action you become a partner in his guilt. You have helped him commit a wrong action and thus you involve yourself in bad Karma.
“A gift made to someone from whom we expect nothing in return, believing that such a gift ought to be made, in a fit place and time and to a worthy person, such a gift is SATVIC (pure).
“A gift given in the hope of receiving something in return and reaping any fruit therefrom or that which is given grudgingly is RAJASIC (source of pride) .
“A gift given to an unworthy person or given disrespectfully is TAMASIC (cause of self- degradation and misery).”
—Bhagavat Geeta 17-20, 21, 22
Only the first of the above three is DAAN. Such a gift leads to a detached attitude to material possessions and thus reduces the burden on the mind.
It is the inexorable law of Karma that you “reap as you sow”. The operation of Divine Law brings back to you in terms of material perquisites what you have parted with. All your needs are taken care of. Hence DAAN is a material aid to happiness.
Practice of DAAN generates non-attachment and we are better able to go through the vicissitudes of fortune in life. The cultivation of this attitude prepares us to face possible adverse circumstances in future.
To summarize, observe the following points in the practice of DAAN:
--Treat all your income and property as a trust from the Almighty and be in the habit of parting with a certain percentage of it.
--Give in secret so that your pride shall not be nourished.
--Give in a spirit of humility. You give because it is your duty to give. Since this discipline is for all people a rich man has to give, a poor man has to give. A rich man can receive, a poor man can receive.
The person to whom you give must be a proper person not given to habits which you think are wrong. You may give to a poor person who would utilize your gift for fulfillment of his needs. You may give to a rich
person who may utilize the gift in the service of society in the spirit of DAAN. You may give to a holy person who is bound to make use of the gift in the service of his fellow man.
Editor:
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