SatsangLetter - April
At the beginning of the month, we celebrated Hanuman Jayanti and Easter in the presence of our Ma, as we reported in the last issue. In the course of the last month, some chela described their experiences of the weekend which we are adding below. On 12 April, some of Ma’s chelas and members of the Association of Friends organised an auction to raise funds for the small new temple currently being built in the garden of the Baba Mandir, which will hold a portion of Baba’s ashes. Two students report on this.
Last bhakti weekend in the presence of our Guru Ma it was possible for me to join the English speaking circle which is a very unique experience for me, in a way it is a different perspective of Ma and her teachings. All of us, devotees and chela, could ask Ma a heartfelt question. So I asked Ma about a teaching from long ago which Ma wrote in English in my Rambook:
☆All human beings must find a place in your heart☆
These words have accompanied me now for nearly twenty years and I verify from time to time where I am in relation to this teaching and simple instruction by Ma at first sight.
And mostly I can see how far away I am from this deep insight, very often in my behavior or perspective. While I was asking this question I didn’t expect to be touched so deeply but it was in front of my Guruma.
Ma answered in such a kind and compassionate way. In my memory she said:
But this is the goal. You can imagine that everyone is searching for this happiness and peace. Same as you. They all are searching for the same. We all are in one boat. It is not about liking a person. You cannot like everybody, that is impossible on a personal level. But you can love everybody. This is easy.
So I will continue to practice this and carry it in my heart.
Mirabhai
On Sunday, April 12th, a group of Ma’s Chela in the Association of Friends organised the auction of a picture that Ma donated for this purpose to raise funds for the new temple presently being built in the garden of the Baba Mandir. This temple is dedicated to Sri Neem Karoli Baba and will hold a small part of Baba’s ashes. The picture shows a murti of Lord Hanuman, the first murti that Ma’s husband, spiritual companion and fellow devotee of Sri Neem Karoli Baba brought to Germany in 1974. This murti of Lord Hanumanji was placed in Ma’s first ashram, Hanuman Haus, in Radelstetten and is now in a shrine in the Baba Kutir of the Baba Mandir. Ma blessed the picture with her hand-written words on the back.
We chose the American or all-pay auction where every bid is a donation that contributes to the end price. This type of auction is often used for fundraising. The minimum bid was € 5 and every participant could bid as often as he or she wanted. The auction was held online via Zoom and began at 10:08 am (almost). As soon as the bell was rung there was a wave of hands that went up with the first bids. This continued and the tension rose towards the end as fewer bids came in and a few Gurubhai transpired who really wanted to acquire this special picture. There were moments when we thought: this is it! And suddenly another hand went up. Rajani, the auctioneer, kept the tension going. It turned out to be a nail-biter and we were on the edge of our seats until the end. Finally, Bhagavan and Bharati made the last bid and were awarded the picture to their and our great joy. We wrote to Ma and sent her screenshots, and Ma was delighted with the result, €1625 that will go to the construction of Baba’s new temple, which is already in full swing. The many smiling and happy faces on the screenshots were also a great joy for Ma.
Karishma
The month of May begins with the Vesakh celebration and some chela will be writing about how they experienced the singing of the Buddhist mantra and the laying of the big flower mala. For us chela, the highlight of the month is a retreat with our Master!