January 17th, a most auspicious day – Swami Vivekananda’s blessed Birthday

I arrived at the San Francisco Ashram in mid afternoon with the sun shining but still a chill in the air. Walking in the front door always reminds me of going home, a familiar smell and a warm welcoming feeling. Knowing that the shrine room is just below me sends a wave of love to and through my heart.

Today is my first class with the children and I am excited, shy and really looking forward to it. I feel that I too need the children’s class and want to soak up the teachings that I know will be presented in a simple way.

SRV Portland — 4204 SE 31st Ave.,  Call 503-774-2410:Babaji returns for 3 weekends of classes, satsangs, and worship.  View SRV Calendar Apr. 3, Fri., 6pm, Ram Navami Puja with Ram Bhajans Apr. 4, Sat., 9:30am, Class: Vivekachudamani Apr. 5, Sun., 9:30am, Class: Vivekachudamani Apr. 8, Wed., 7pm, Special Class: The Ideal of Hanuman with Anuraga Apr. 10, Fri., 7pm, First …

New Release date:  Mid SpringWe appreciate your patience and support, and are certain that you will find this next issue worth the wait.  We are extremely pleased with the content!  Scroll down for a sneak preview: Our distribution network is powered by our Readers Send us the names and addresses of centers, churches, schools, cafes – anywhere Nectar would be …

The Hawaii sangha is a strong core group of 5 intrepid students who will travel 3 hours for a Sunday class!  Since the closing of the Honoka’a ashram in 2007, our Hawaii classes with Babaji have taken to the road, meeting regularly at the homes of our sangha.

And Mother Claps Her Hands…
SRV welcomes a new initiate in Portland. She has been bestowed by Babaji with the name Paragati, which means “Supreme Goal.”  She took initiation during our Holy Mother’s Birthday Celebration. Paragati is a therapist in private practice and also teaches group classes in mindfulness training. Her primary focus is working with archetypal pattern analysis and hakomi.
Since initiation she has experienced a deepening in her practice and meditation and feels closer to Mother and a grace that burns through karmas. She says that making such a commitment as initiation brings clarity of focus that calls us to a new level of being.

Art, Poetry & Vedanta
Prashanta Prakasha/ Benjamin Cavalcanti our dear sangha brother has recently published a book of poems and drawings entitled “Drawings, Questions, and Statements.” The book is a collection of drawings and philosophical writings created over a three-year span and gathered together during a period of profound transition in the artist’s life. Prakasha left the Portland Ashram after having lived there as a resident for several months and upon arriving in Oakland found himself swirling in a maelstrom of life changes and transitions, not the least of which was impending fatherhood.

Sri Ramakrishna advised the householders to spend time in retreat, solitude, and holy company. In this way the “chronic disease” of worldliness, also described as “mundane human convention” by Lex Hixon, could be lessened, and love for God intensified. As Shankaracharya sings in Bhaja Govindam: “From the company of the good arises nonattachment, from nonattachment arises freedom from delusion, from freedom from delusion arises steadfastness, and from steadfastness arises liberation in this life.”

Spring, Summer & Fall Retreats
In 2009, SRV Associations is offering three retreats and Babaji is leading a pilgrimage to India.

Spring: Retreat on An All-Inclusive Advaita

Summer: American River Retreat over Guru Purnima

Fall: Mother Kali Retreat

December 2009 Pilgrimage: Sri Ramakrishna world headquarters in Kolkata, Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Benares, Delhi, and Rishikesh.  If you are interested please contact Babaji directly.

Elucidation from Babaji
on retreats and Jnana (spiritual Knowledge) and the blessings they confer:

Namaste and Namaskar from the timeless realm of India, and aloha from the ocean-locked lands of Hawaii,

The present issue of SRV Association’s Mundamala arrives to you in time for my forthcoming dharma visit to the mainland centers in Oregon and San Francisco, and is adequately demonstrative of all the sterling ideals which we strive to meditate upon in spiritual life.  And since selfless service and detached activity are very much a part of our life and path in the world, this email newsletter finds the mark there as well, sporting articles on the several branches of religious endeavor SRV undertakes to fulfill, all evinced from the powerful platform of sacrifice in nonduality.  And here is where life in the world and existence in the Spirit come together so well in Sri Ramakrishna’s realm.  Not content to merely act selflessly and dharmically amidst the changing stream of phenomena which plays itself out daily and yearly in physical space, SRV devotees, initiates, members, and students move to further their understanding of universal dharma and deepen their commitment and dedication to its tenets at the same time, thus transforming what is otherwise only a relative existence into a divine life of realization and spiritual expression.