“What to Do After Returning Home From
the February 2007 Satsanga”

This also applies to those who were not able to come!

Swami Veda Bharati


In a separate document (“Stabilizing the spiritual mindfiels”) we have given some of the spiritual practices to be undertaken for the next three years.

This is to elaborate on the same.


SPIRITUAL

Here is a short list of endeavours which may seem to take a considerable amount of time, but actually, they are simple services one can perform easily with a little dedication, a little feeling of giving importance to them.

You do so much for yourself — now increase what you do for others. This is your action plan, a business plan for living a full life.

Let not the phrase “business plan” start alarms in your mind. This is just the contemporary language for the way you plan your spiritual life. In my life this is my fourth generation of students, in some cases fifth. With each generation, I have changed my language and my working methods. I flow along with the current language. Some people remain in the language of 50 years ago.


ONE

Increase the time and energy you spend in selfless service to others. That is the first concrete action you can begin.

As your read this, please take little time to sit contemplating and absorbing this sentence.

Let your selfless service increase, by one percent or five percent or whatever.

TWO

Popularize the full moon meditations so that many more people can benefit from them. Use your blog, use your mailing lists, create full moon groups. Remind them in advance of the next full moon meditations. The number of people meditating should increase by 100% or 500% or whatever. Let them know of the benefit and availability.


Dates for the rest of 2007:
April 2; May 2; May 31; June 30; July 30; Aug 28; Sept 26; Oct 26; Nov 24; Dec 23.

Dates for 2008:
Jan 21; Feb 20; March 21; April 19; May 18; June 17; July 17; Aug 15; Sept 14; Oct 13; Nov 12; Dec 12.


THREE

If you are a teacher, prepare your students to become linked to the Guru lineage by way of initiation, as the Korean centre and the Hungarians have done.

Prepare your students—when they take a hatha class, what is the next step?

o Give them the book Philosophy of Hatha Yoga;
o Give them our booklets on meditation and mantra.
o Have a study plan for them.
o TTP needs to impress on the teachers to be conscious that they need to prepare the students for the next step, and that is initiation.

A number of initiators are being trained and so their availability will increase from the end of April 2008.


FOUR

Refine your personal practices and include:

a) Concentrating more on exhalations. This will help you achieve 2:1 ratio of breathing without physical effort. Send to SVB brief feedback on having achieved this feat through just this concentration and how long it took.

b) Repeat the homework that was given for the period July 2005 to February 2007, that is, (1) Symptoms of weak and strong mind and how to develop a strong mind, and (2) “Marks of Spiritual Progress”, until perfected.

c) Ityukta mantra Swamiji introduced on 28 February 2007; time to start was anywhere in week from 19 – 27 March 2007 (or later for those who do not receive information on time) – Please confirm the number of maalas directly to the Adhyatma Samiti (Spiritual Committee) representative, Wolfgang Bischoff (w.bischoff@gueldenholm.de).

You can download the recording of the initiation of the new mantra and the booklet on special mantras from www.swamiveda.org or www.manniesing.nl/swamiji (for the latter: username = swamiji; password = Progress! (with capital P + exclamation mark).

Please remember that regarding this special mantra, in addition to your regular practice, you do one maala each day. If you are already doing a purashcharana, for example, 125,000 Gaayatris or 2,400,000 Gaayatris and so on, then you may do this new mantra only a few times (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, or 21) until that purashcharana is over. However, if you can comfortably add a whole maala, you may do so.

d) Start preparing for (and attending) 2010: the final fire offerings for the Ityukta mantra and the International Festival of Meditational Cultures to be held in Rishikesh, India between 16-24 March 2010. Start informing all your family and friends about this event from now.


FIVE

Prepare a study and practice plan for yourself. This month I will read this, next month I will read that, the following month I will read that. Ask for advice. There are a lot of teachers who can advise you on that, for example:

• Swami Ritavan Bharati (formerly Pandit Ananta; swamiritavan@gmail.com)
• Dr. Stoma Parker (who has now taken preliminary vows; parkpsych@yahoo.com)
• Pandit Harishankar Dabral (sadhakam@yahoo.com)
• Dr. Dinesh Sharma (an international expert on ayurveda, vaastu and jyotish / vedic astrology; dr.dineshsharma@yahoo.com)
• Brahmachari Vishnu at the ashram (brahvishnu369@yahoo.com)
• Maya Balog (mayabalog@yahoo.ca)
• We will soon circulate a list of expanded Adhyatma Samiti (Spiritual Committee) members, each of whom has special areas in which to advise.

Once again, prepare a study plan and spiritual plans.

Plan from now when you will come next for a teachers’ training program.

Also plan for a silence retreat of 3 days, 7 days, 10 days. If you are courageous, 40 days, and if you are really, really more courageous, 90 days. Come to refresh your heart, mind, and soul. Build it into your year’s plan.


SIX

Do small retreats in your regions. We have established a system of regional AHYMSINs. You do not have to have lectures all the time. Five, six, seven or any number of you can join together and go to some place of silence; you can even do it in a home if you have room for five or seven to lie down in your basement. Set a day’s program modelled on the ashram: hatha at such time; breakfast at such time; a period of silence and meditation; and listening to tapes and CDs. So, small regional retreats!

I would like to receive reports of these regional retreats at ahymsin@gmail.com.

These are some suggestions and requests for small action plans, but remember two things:

a) A plan for the last breath of your life, what will be the state of your mind at that moment, and thereby what you wish to be in your next life, what kind of life would you like to have next time. Plan for that elevation of yourself.
b) Increase the time and energy you spend in SELFLESS service of others

It is in the context of b) here that you do undertake to follow all the above suggestions.



ORGANISATIONAL

ONE

Send to the AHYMSIN office (ahymsin@gmail.com) a complete list of initiates from each centre as well as the initiates who were not associated with a particular centre. We need a full home address, phone number, e-mail address etc.


TWO

Send to the AHYMSIN office the list of all teachers
• Those who are certified and teaching
• Those who are not certified and teaching
• Those who are certified and not teaching


THREE

Send an electronic copy of the constitution or by-laws of your centre. If you do not have an electronic copy, please scan or have someone type it.


FOUR

Check the Websites regularly, and especially the newsletter that appears in www.swamiveda.org. We currently have six good websites:

http://www.swamiveda.org
http://www.bindu.org
http://www.themeditationcenter.org
http://www.meaus.com/friends-of-gurukulam.htm
http://www.yogaineurope.eu
http://www.swamiveda.org/yoga_teacher_training.htm

Each one has a little different slant.

Encourage others to go into the websites more frequently.


FIVE

The number of traveling teachers is going to increase now. Do facilitate their coming to your area.


SIX

You can also help many people spiritually, and this ashram in extending its teaching as well as financially, by forming groups to come to the ashram on a regular basis.