NKB ASHRAM - NEWSLETTER
6/2000
General
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This winter and spring have been busy here at Maharaj-ji's ashram. In addition to these changes, there has been an unprecedented amount of committee activity and satsang involvement. The Planning Committee has been meeting nearly every week and is making great progress toward defining a master plan for the ashram. The garden is back to life.... Hanuman Das |
| Bhandara 1999 |
It is my first time at Bhandara. I am excited and curious, and have so much to learn. For days devotees have prepared for the honoring of Maharaj-ji's Mahasamadhi. The ashram is scrubbed clean and the temple room is beautiful beyond words. Rainbows of flowers adorn Maharaj-ji and Hanuman. I am moved to see how devotion is given form through seva.... Annapurna |
| Report from Board of Directors |
The Board of Directors held its annual meeting on April 17th -18th. David Ternlund and Dwarka were re-elected to serve another term, and we elected four new members - Devaki Martin, Tom Lesser, Krishna Priya, and Michael McGowan. The Board discussed various needs of the ashram, such as a feeding tent for Bhandara, a drip system for the gardens and greenhouses, and an office computer upgrade. |
| Caretaker's Corner |
A
few words from the people who live at Maharaj-ji's Taos Ashram.... Written by Ashram Office Manager, Daya, and caretaker staff, Terrell and Puja. |
| Durga Puja 1999 |
Ten days of submersion in the Ocean of Milk, the Soma of the Gods, out of which the Mother becomes manifest. Durga doesn't come to us the same way Her consort does, whose long awaited visit is sudden, flashing a glimpse of a reality we cannot quite conceive and then vanishing. Durga comes with all the persistence of a mother. She is in town for a full ten days and will have as much of Her children's attention as we can muster.... Gillian |
| New Years Eve |
Spending New Year's Eve at Maharaj-ji's Taos ashram has become one of my all time favorite events of the year. As New Year's eve 2000 approached, I asked myself where I would want to be for such a historical moment in my life. The question was short-lived as I remembered how beautiful past New Years' had been in Taos. By His grace I would welcome in the year 2000 sitting by His tucket.... Greg Weeks |
| Shivaratri 2000 |
This winter, Shiva Ratri falls like a ray of light between two stormy days in the high desert of our New Mexico ashram. It is the new moon of the year when our spiritual solar being and our emotional lunar being are perfectly aligned and form a conduit for the Divine to pour through. This night we call to Shiva by his many names, inviting him to partake of the feast of our devotion, and to consume any obstacles that might stand in the way between our smaller selves and our awakened Selves. In a lavish puja, we feed the lingam all night long.... Mirabai Starr |
| Hanuman Jayanti 2000 |
For me, Hanuman Jayanti was more than just the event itself on Saturday. It was the week of seva leading up to it and all the people who gave their time and energy, in whatever capacity, to insure that it was something befitting the Son of the Wind. All week long, people were shining up the brass and polishing all the wood, scrubbing the porch and installing outdoor sinks, buying groceries, cooking meals, and washing piles and piles of dishes. It took nine hours on two outdoor stoves and at least a dozen people taking shifts stirring and preparing ingredients just to make the khir.... Baba Ananda Vyasadev |
| A Request from India |
I recently returned from another trip to the old country, where I spent time in Allahabad visiting Dada Mukerjee's family at 4 Church Lane. Although our Dada is no longer there in his body, it is still the wonderful "red house" that many of us have been visiting for almost thirty years. Maharaj-ji is as present as ever and the feeling in the house is so unchanged that it would be no great surprise if either he or Dada were to be seen in the "office" or on the verandah.... Anjani |
| Legal Update |
The good news first! By the grace of Maharaj-ji, a local devotee has bought the house and the land to the west of the Ashram property. Because of this, the lawsuit that the previous owners brought against the ashram (maintaining that the activities at the Ashram lowered their property value and constituted a nuisance) will be dropped. This is exciting news for the Ashram, not only because it puts an end to the lawsuit, but also because the house and land will be occupied by one of Baba's own, and we will be able to work together to improve the whole area. |
| Planning Committee Update |
Ever since Hanuman-ji first came to Taos, devotees have been concerned that we have no permanent home for Him, no solid resting-place for the Son of the Wind. It seems that the time has come again to design Hanuman-ji's mandir and, further, to make a conscious, comprehensive plan for the design and use of Maharaj-ji's ashram in America. To this end, the Planning Committee, whose members are Dwarka, Satrupa, Hanuman Das, Mira, Gillian, Conrad and Connie, has been meeting weekly since October. |
| Everyone's support for the ashram is a manifestation of the flow of Maharaj-ji's grace. Thank you, Maharaj-ji and your devotees who, through Your grace continue to support the ashram and Hanuman's temple. | |
| Auction, Raffle, Land Sale, Yard Sale | |
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Visit Maharaj-ji's Global Web site at http://www.neemkarolibaba.com