19/02/2012: Reading of the Vignettes followed by OM Choir
It was a beautiful Sunday evening with abundant rain pouring for hours at a stretch. There is a certain bit of tranquillity associated with rain. It calms the mind (which races otherwise) and helps in introspecting and taking a step back and staying calm. There is freshness everywhere and the smell of the wet earth around is sheer bliss. With this natural ambience, we sat for the Opening Meditation. With a quiet and open mind, we formed a circle and each of us picked up a copy of “Vignettes”. Each of us present there opened a page of our choice and read out the experiences shared by people like us, those who belong to The Mother’s family. They narrate short and sweet stories which show us how close each one feels to The Mother-- innocent minds seeking answers pertaining so many things of everyday life and how The Mother ensures each of her children receives the answer that he/she is looking for. After a brief discussion, we all formed a small circle for the OM choir around a candle glowing in all its glory. We had a quick voice exercise session and then began offering our best OMs in a group. It felt like a beautiful wave had engulfed us and carried us away for a brief period of time. So strong is the power of the Om Choir.
26/02/2012 & 04/03/2012: Meditation with Savitri Video
The last and first Sundays of every month is when we have the ‘Savitri’ Reading Circle at the Centre. We were to read selected lines of Book 1 Canto 5 -- THE YOGA OF THE KING; THE YOGA OF THE SPIRIT'S FREEDOM AND GREATNESS. Huta’s pictures act as a powerful visual aid and help us absorb bit by bit the gems of ‘Savitri’.
After having watched the video, we formed a circle and read the selected lines a couple of times and shared our thoughts and ideas on the same.
11/03/2012: “Elements of Yoga” by Sri Aurobindo (Surrender)
‘Elements of Yoga’ by Sri Aurobindo was the book we were to read at the Reading Circle. “Surrender” was the chosen chapter for the day. After reading the chapter aloud, we used the ‘Commentaries on Elements of Yoga’ by the Mother as a guide to help us understand it better.
What is True Surrender? We all know the meaning of it and can define it our own words. But what is it really? It is definitely easier said than done.
A beautiful quote on this subject by a Sufi saint, Rabia Basra, comes to my mind. She says:
"O God! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell,
and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise.
But if I worship You for Your Own sake,
grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.”
To ascend to that plane is True Surrender. We should all aspire for it. Aspiration is key to True Surrender. With an interesting discussion that followed it, we ended the evening with a beautiful closing Meditation.
- Preethi
It was a beautiful Sunday evening with abundant rain pouring for hours at a stretch. There is a certain bit of tranquillity associated with rain. It calms the mind (which races otherwise) and helps in introspecting and taking a step back and staying calm. There is freshness everywhere and the smell of the wet earth around is sheer bliss. With this natural ambience, we sat for the Opening Meditation. With a quiet and open mind, we formed a circle and each of us picked up a copy of “Vignettes”. Each of us present there opened a page of our choice and read out the experiences shared by people like us, those who belong to The Mother’s family. They narrate short and sweet stories which show us how close each one feels to The Mother-- innocent minds seeking answers pertaining so many things of everyday life and how The Mother ensures each of her children receives the answer that he/she is looking for. After a brief discussion, we all formed a small circle for the OM choir around a candle glowing in all its glory. We had a quick voice exercise session and then began offering our best OMs in a group. It felt like a beautiful wave had engulfed us and carried us away for a brief period of time. So strong is the power of the Om Choir.
26/02/2012 & 04/03/2012: Meditation with Savitri Video
The last and first Sundays of every month is when we have the ‘Savitri’ Reading Circle at the Centre. We were to read selected lines of Book 1 Canto 5 -- THE YOGA OF THE KING; THE YOGA OF THE SPIRIT'S FREEDOM AND GREATNESS. Huta’s pictures act as a powerful visual aid and help us absorb bit by bit the gems of ‘Savitri’.
After having watched the video, we formed a circle and read the selected lines a couple of times and shared our thoughts and ideas on the same.
11/03/2012: “Elements of Yoga” by Sri Aurobindo (Surrender)
‘Elements of Yoga’ by Sri Aurobindo was the book we were to read at the Reading Circle. “Surrender” was the chosen chapter for the day. After reading the chapter aloud, we used the ‘Commentaries on Elements of Yoga’ by the Mother as a guide to help us understand it better.
What is True Surrender? We all know the meaning of it and can define it our own words. But what is it really? It is definitely easier said than done.
A beautiful quote on this subject by a Sufi saint, Rabia Basra, comes to my mind. She says:
"O God! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell,
and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise.
But if I worship You for Your Own sake,
grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.”
To ascend to that plane is True Surrender. We should all aspire for it. Aspiration is key to True Surrender. With an interesting discussion that followed it, we ended the evening with a beautiful closing Meditation.
- Preethi
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