Kirtan at the Ashram

♬-.¸·´`·.¸. Overview of Kirtan ·.¸·´`·.¸.-♬ 

Kirtan (pronounced KEER-tahn) is a form of yogic chanting accompanied by instruments such as harmoniums, tablas, two-headed drums called mrdanga or pakhawaj, and hand cymbals known as karatalas. It is performed in a call-and-response style, where the leader says a verse of the mantra being chanted, and then the group repeats it.

This emerged as a form of devotional practice in the bhakti yoga traditions, and is often used to worship or call upon the guidance of the gods. We find mentions of kirtan in texts such as the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Avatara Katha. This practice is found in Vaisnava devotionalism, Sikhims, Sant traditions, and some schools of Buddhism.

Though kirtan began as a devotional practice, it is thought to have the same calming effects as a yoga class or meditation practice. Some have detailed having ecstatic experiences when practicing. Due to this, I suggest doing what you can to ensure that you will be in a calm, safe environment so you can focus on the chanting while you attend. As the Kripalu website states (and I couldn't say it better myself): "For those who find meditation difficult, kirtan, which has varying effects for different people, offers the possibility for the same stillness of mind, without the struggle or striving to concentrate. This practice is one way to focus the mind. By simply repeating mantras or words, you can release your mind from its daily chatter. For some, the practice has a powerful heart-opening effect as well."

♬-.¸·´`·.¸.Kirtan at the Ashram ·.¸·´`·.¸.-♬ 

In our practices at the Ashram, we will try to share with you chants from all different traditions of the East and West. We are beginning with the Hare Krishna mantra because it is quite possibly the most popular mantra found world-wide today. With each mantra I will share a bit of background on the meaning, intent, use, etc. so we have context to supplement our practice.

Please join us at the Mind Pavilion each Friday at 10amSLT to share this beautiful practice with us.
􀀀SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Allure/171/20/22

♬-.¸·´`·.¸.More info on kirtan ·.¸·´`·.¸.-♬ 

Wiki: "The famous story of Prahlada in the Avatara Katha mentions kirtana as one of nine forms of worship, called the nava vidha bhakti[7] along with shravanam (listening), smaranam (remembrance), pada sevanam (service), archanam (offering), vandanam, (obeisance), dasyam (servitude), sakhyam (friendship) and atmanivedanam (surrender). The so-called Naradiya Kirtana divides kirtana into five parts;[8] naman (prayers),purvaranga (spiritual lesson based on old epics), chanting, katha or akhyan (exegesis) and a final prayer for universal welfare. All in all this may last from half an hour to three hours."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirtan

More resources:

http://kripalu.org/article/527/
http://newworldkirtan.com/what-is-kirtan/
http://www.krishnadas.com/chanting.cfm

Awareness Intensive Week 1 of 8 - Being In a Body

Please see below a copy of the intro notes I use for the Awareness Intensive workshop every Monday at 10amSLT. You can receive a copy of the notecard in-world at the Ashram library. Below you will find a recording of the week one session that focuses on sense awareness. Subtitles are available throughout the recording for your convenience.

Disclaimer: The text and recording found here are offered free of charge with the intent of sharing the teachings that we believe so strongly in. Please do not distribute them for profit. You are of course welcome to share it via social media and amongst your friends, but please make sure that you include a link to the original post or video. 

Namaste everyone, thank you for joining us here today, and a special thank you to those who have made it for every week leading up to now.

I will be in voice and text today, so please make sure you can hear if you'd like to, but it is not a necessity.

Please make yourselves comfortable, whatever that means for you. Find a position where you find a balance between effort and ease that you can maintain throughout the meditation. Try not to move too much during meditation, and if you do, move slowly with your breath.

I will lead us through a guided meditation to encourage a letting go of our expectations and thoughts, and coming into our experience as being in a body. Please turn off streamed music and media.

I invite you to close your eyes and begin to deepen your breath. Fill up your entire body with your air, expanding in all directions with the inhale, and letting it fall away with the exhale. I will leave you in silence for a few minutes, just see if you can keep bringing your attention to the breath.

//pause for two minutes

Welcome to Awareness Intensive. For the session today, I will ask that you come out of your mind and into experience. Step away from what you expect to notice, or what you think might or should happen, and see if you can just experience the practice. Come out of the teachings, what you might have been trained, what you believe. Let all of that take a back seat to your experience.

During these next few weeks we will work on tuning our awareness and seeing what potentials we have. Our brains are magnificent things, and the fact that we can be aware is a mystery. Let's explore what it means to be aware and have awareness. There is no right answer to any of the topics or questions posed here. We are each conscious individuals and therefore may experience the world differently from each other.

So, to begin us, I'll ask - what does "awareness" mean to you?

I'm going to ask a series of questions in voice and text. After each question we will have a few minutes of silent meditation before I pose the next question. As this is our first week, feel free to practice stream of consciousness into a notecard during the practice if you'd like, but I do encourage you to sit with your experience as perhaps it isn't quite as easy or consistent as it sounds.

If you are unfamiliar with stream of consciousness it means to write or speak or type without thinking about it too much. Don't worry about typos or even if it makes sense. It could be complete gobbledegook and that's perfect! The idea is to let the thoughts come out raw without intention.

Please keep any stream of consciousness in private during the meditation. We will open the floor for discussion after.

I will ring the Tibetan bowl once at the beginning of each meditation and twice at the end. Let us test the sound of it now. If you see particles but do not hear noise, please adjust your sound settings.

//test the bowl and make sure everyone can hear who wants to.

So please check in to your body and make sure you are comfortable, and we will begin. I invite you to close your eyes for this practice.

Sense awareness:
Can you follow the path of your breath?
Can you notice if the breath has a temperature?
Does the air stop being air and start being part of you? If so, where?
Can you feel your whole body? What is your experience of your body right now?
Can you feel the floor beneath you?
Can you feel the clothing and air against your skin?
Where does your body end and the objects touching it begin?
What can you taste?
What can you smell?
Even with eyes closed, what can you see? Are there any shapes, colours, or textures on the backs of your eyelids or in your mind?
What can you hear?
Can you feel the vibration of sound in your ears?
Can you recognize when hearing stops and it's just sound?

Take your time slowly coming out of the mind-practice. Bring your attention back to your breath. When you are ready, slowly wiggle your toes and fingers, turn your head from side to side, and then slowly open your eyes. As you are opening your eyes, try to notice what you see first.

//pause for a minute or so

Would anyone like to share their experiences? Are there any questions or comments?

Thank you all for your continual practice and support.

May all beings everywhere experience happiness and the root of happiness.
May all beings everywhere be free from suffering and the cause of suffering.
May all beings everywhere attain equality, peace, and well-being.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu. _/\_
I bow to you all with deep respect. Gassho.

Ashram Weekly Newsletter Jun 15-21

Namaste, friends! Please see below a list of Citta Bhavana Ashram events this coming week. If you would like to host an event at the ashram, please contact Chraeloos Resident.

All events are subject to change. Events may be added or changed with short notice. You may join the subscribo at any of our invite stations in-world, join the group 'Creativity; Karma', or keep an eye on our calendar for more current information:
http://cittabhavanaashramsl.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html

~~Updates~~

Wayne will be away this week so his talk on Wednesday at 10amSLT will be postponed until next week, June 24.

Dar is returning with metta meditation Wednesdays at 11amSLT.

Dani from Inspiration Island will be presenting on the first Thursday of each month an Introduction to Mantra Meditation. Beginning in July!

~~Upcoming Events~~


☯ What? Awareness Intensive w/Chrae
When? Monday @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Indoor Meditation Circle
􀀈http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Allure/22/30/22

Event in voice and text. Week 7 of 8. Join us even if you haven't been able to before!

☯ What? Talk with Tseten Thokmey, topic TBD
When? Tuesday @ 4pmSLT
Where? Ashram Indoor Meditation Circle
􀀉http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Allure/22/30/22

Event in voice with notes available.

☯ What? Metta Meditation with Dar
When? Wednesday @ 11amSLT
Where? Ashram Outdoor Meditation Tree
􀀋http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Allure/171/54/22

Event in voice and text.

☯ What? Interfaith Prayer Circle with Peter Newtone
When? Wednesday @ 6pmSLT
Where? Ashram Indoor Meditation Circle
􀀌􀀉http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Allure/22/30/22

Event in voice and text.

☯ What? Yoga and Discussion w/ Chrae
When? Friday @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Yoga
􀀎http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Allure/23/66/22

Event in voice and text.

~~~~~~~
I look forward to seeing you around! Namaste, my friends, and big hugs to you all! ♥

Looking to keep in touch outside the grid? Went to a discussion and wanted the notes or links? Check out our blog and facebook page:
http://cittabhavanaashramsl.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/creativitykarma

♥ The Ashram Team

南無觀世音菩薩 The Guan Yin Mantra (唱誦篇) - 黃慧音 Imee Ooi

Guided Metta Meditation - Ajahn Brahm October 2013

Guided Loving Kindness (Metta) Meditation with Sharon Salzberg

The Wisdom of Laozi by Tseten Thokmey

In case you missed Tseten's talk last Tuesday, you can find the original text on his blog here, or watch the video below!

The Status of Women in Ancient India and the Pali Tradition

On Tuesday we had a talk by Tseten Thokmey on the Status of Women in Ancient India and the Pali Tradition. Again, it was very kindly recorded for those who would like to listen to it but couldn't attend the event. You can find the original text at his blog, here. Or, you can watch the video below. Or maybe both!

Join us Tuesdays at 4pmSLT for other interesting topics presented by Tseten. Thank you, Tseten! And thank you KJ for recording it!

Tseten on Buddhist Cosmology

In case you missed the talk on Tuesday, as promised it was recorded and is now up on Youtube. It's also been added to Tseten's original blog post, here.

Tseten Thokmey Talk on Near Earth Realms, Fallen Angels and Human Beings in Buddhist Cosmology

Photo of Tseten Thokmey giving talk at Citta Bhavana Ashram, March 24 2015. Taken by Chraeloos Resident.

We had a new teacher today who has so graciously agreed to present here once a week. I'd like to introduce you to Damian Glendullen, whose Buddhist name is Tseten Thokmey. He is a Buddhist blogger and published writer, including books on Buddhist philosophy and poetry, and a political blogger. He lives in Deer Park, Toronto. He will be giving talks at the Ashram every Tuesday at 4pmSLT/PST at the indoor meditation circle.

Over the years he undertook an extensive comparative study of all of the major spiritual, religious, mystical, and magical traditions of humanity, including magic, astrology, the Western esoteric tradition, Cabala, Gnosticism, Sufism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, shamanism, Tantra, and Voudoun. He also studied the works of C.G. Jung, W.Y. Evans Wentz, Julius Evola, Mircea Eliade, and others.

After many years of personal study and practice, Duncan founded Chroniker Press in 2010 as a vehicle to publish his own and other’s writings on spirituality and poetry. Currently he has published eight books including two non-fiction books on Buddhism, two books of poetry, and a study of the mystic and magician Aleister Crowley.

Duncan undertook the Vow of a Bodhisattva as a self-ordained practitioner of Dzogchen Buddhism with special devotion to Padmasambhava in 2011, after which time he began to write and publish poetry, in fulfillment of a long-standing ambition, encouraged by Buddhist scholar Dr. Robert Thurman’s reaction to his poem, “The Loneliness of the Dalai Lama.” He is also engaged in an intensive study of the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead, phenomenology, Heidegger, Herbert Guenther, and the Pali Canon, the results of which he publishes online and in print. Chroniker Press has published one collection of his Buddhist essays, entitled Dharma Notes, in 2012. Additional publications are pending. Altogether, Duncan’s websites, blogs, and YouTube channels are currently being read in over 100 countries.

He has also been a teacher at the Buddha Center for several years. His book, Fundamental View, is a compilation of ten talks that he gave at the Buddha Center a couple of years ago. Tseten describes himself as a non-sectarian, univeralist Buddhist eclectic.

Today Tseten will present his talk entitled NEAR-EARTH REALMS, FALLEN ANGELS AND HUMAN BEINGS IN BUDDHIST COSMOLOGY. See the original on his blog, here. The talk has also been recorded by KJ. We will post the recording as soon as it is available!

Imee Ooi - The Chant of metta ( Lyrics: Pali & Eng) ( TY Dar :)

Om Namah Shivaya | 108 Times Chanting | Shiva Mantra

Ashram Re-Opening Party Sunday 11amSLT

Ashram Re-opening Party!!
Sunday at 11amSLT

Help us welcome the new ashram by coming to listen and wiggle to AfroIndoDesert tunes around the bonfire, followed by fireworks and then a piano performance by Sandia Beaumont!

Come get your wiggle on. Clothing is required as the new sim is PG, but wear something comfortable (and I'll be bare foot so you can be too wink emoticon )

SLURL

Sheila Chandra - Bhajan

Tri Atma - "Namaskar"

We're On The SL Destination Guide!

Hello to all of our friends and visitors!

As of this week, you can now find the Citta Bhavana Ashram on the SL Destination Guide, under Spirituality & Belief. To see the other sims that have made it on the list, please visit the Linden's post, "Highlights from the Second Life Destination Guide 2/07/2015".

They have said the following:

"The Citta Bhavana Ashram is a heavily-forested area that celebrates all things that cultivate heart and mind. The citta averages ten events per week, including philosophy discussions, music theory, meditation, and more. Visit the Citta Bhavana Ashram for thought-provoking conversation or peaceful."

If you are ever looking for a new place to explore, the Destination Guide is an excellent start. There are many wonderful communities and sims listed there.

We look forward to your visit! See you around the grid,
The Ashram Team

Ashram Newsletter Feb 2-8

Namaste, friends! Please see below a list of Citta Bhavana Ashram events this coming week as well as some exciting updates. If you would like to host an event at the ashram, please contact Chraeloos Resident.

All events are subject to change. Events may be added or changed with short notice. You may join the subscribo at any of our invite stations in-world, join the group, or keep an eye on our calendar for more current information:
http://cittabhavanaashramsl.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html

~~Updates~~

We are introducing three new events this week!
Awareness Intensive is back this Monday at 10amSLT. A new event, Theoretical Creativity, a discussion on philosophy, begins Monday at 3pmSLT. And a live reading of the Ashtavakra Gita begins Tuesday at 2pmSLT. See more details below!

We have some space for artists to showcase their work. We also have a community room where we have posters advertising friendly sims and events. For inquiries about how to take part in this, please contact Chraeloos Resident or Sunshine Szavanna.

~~Upcoming Events~~

☯ What? Awareness Intensive with Chraeloos
When? Monday, Feb 2 @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

☯ What? Theoretical Creativity with Chraeloos
When? Monday, Feb 2 @ 3pmSLT
Where? Ashram Bonfire
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/89/231/21

Event in text only, clothing optional.

☯ What? Meditation, Talks and Discussion with Swami Luminos
When? Tuesday, Feb 3 @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

☯ What? Live Readings in Indian Philosophy w/ Swami and Chrae
When? Tuesday, Feb 3 @ 2pmSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

Event in voice only, clothing optional.

☯ What? Meditation, Talks and Discussion with Venerable Wayne Ren Cheng
When? Wednesday, Feb 4 @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, straight ahead
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

☯ What? The Nature of Faith Discussion with Rhiannon Dragoone
When? Wednesday, Feb 4 @ 2:30pmSLT
Where? Forest Meeting Area
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/23/161/21

Event in text, clothing optional.

☯ What? Interfaith Prayer Circle with Peter Newtone
When? Wednesday, Feb 4 @ 6pmSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

Event in voice and text. Clothing optional.

☯ What? Meditation, Talks and Discussion with Swami Luminos
When? Thursday, Feb 5 @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

☯ What? Yoga and Discussion with Chraeloos
When? Friday, Feb 6 @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, to the right at the yoga mats
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

☯ What? The Healing Power of Storytelling with Lyle, Sedona and Chrae
When? Friday, Feb 6 @ 6pmSLT
Where? Ashram bonfire
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/89/231/21

Event in voice and text, clothing optional. This event is bi-weekly.

☯ What? Sandia Beaumont Live Piano
When? Sunday, Feb 8 @ 12pmSLT
Where? Ashram entryway, straight ahead
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

~~~~~~~
I look forward to seeing you around! Namaste, my friends, and big hugs to you all! ♥

Looking to keep in touch outside the grid? Went to a discussion and wanted the notes or links? Check out our blog and facebook page:
http://cittabhavanaashramsl.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/creativitykarma

♥ The Ashram Team

The Mysterium and Buddhism - Tip Corbett Live Piano

Today was the first time we were honoured with Tip Corbett playing live piano for us in his unique style of Mysterium. He takes the time to describe how this style of music is influenced by Buddhism. He will join us every fourth Friday at 2pmSLT. You do not want to miss his enchanting piano and commentary.

Robert Little (robert69.little) was able to film some of the performance! Thank you so much, Robert. Please see the video below:

Ashram Newsletter Jan 19-25

Namaste, friends!
Please see below a list of Citta Bhavana Ashram events this coming week as well as some exciting updates. If you would like to host an event at the ashram, please contact Chraeloos Resident or Sunshine (szavanna).

 All events are subject to change. Events may be added or changed with short notice. You may join the subscribo at any of our invite stations in-world, join the group, or keep an eye on our calendar for more current information: http://cittabhavanaashramsl.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html 

~~Updates~~

 We are introducing two new events this week, both on Friday! Join us at 2pmSLT for a live piano performance by Tip Corbett, and at 6pmSLT for the return of the Healing Power of Storytelling and Poetry with Lyle, Sedona, and Chrae! See more below.

 Creativesam India has some wonderful art up at the gallery on the second floor. Sunshine Szavanna has some of her entrancing art on the third floor. Please feel free to stop by to view it at your leisure. 􀀆http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/105/147/22

 We have some space for artists to showcase their work. We also have a community room where we have posters advertising friendly sims and events. For inquiries about how to take part in this, please contact Chraeloos Resident or Sunshine Szavanna.

 ~~Upcoming Events~~

 ☯ What? Meditation, Talks and Discussion with Swami Luminos
When? Tuesday, Jan 20 @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle 􀀊http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

 Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

 ☯ What? Meditation, Talks and Discussion with Venerable Wayne Ren Cheng
When? Wednesday, Jan 21 @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, straight ahead 􀀉http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

 Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

 ☯ What? The Nature of Faith Discussion with Rhiannon Dragoone
When? Wednesday, Jan 21 @ 2:30pmSLT
Where? Forest Meeting Area 􀀈http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/23/161/22

 Event in text, clothing optional.

 ☯ What? Interfaith Prayer Circle with Peter Newtone
When? Wednesday, Jan 21 @ 6pmSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle 􀀇http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

 Event in voice and text. Clothing optional.

 ☯ What? Meditation, Talks and Discussion with Swami Luminos
When? Thursday, Jan 22 @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32􀀄

 Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

 ☯ What? Yoga and Discussion with Chraeloos
When? Friday, Jan 23 @ 10amSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, to the right at the yoga mats 􀀃http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

 Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

 ☯ What? Tip Corbett Live Piano
When? Friday, Jan 23 @ 2pmSLT
Where? Ashram Entryway, straight ahead 􀀂http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

 Event in stream and text, clothing optional.

 ☯ What? The Healing Power of Storytelling with Lyle, Sedona and Chrae
When? Friday, Jan 23 @ 6pmSLT
Where? Ashram bonfire http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/89/231/22􀀁 

Event in voice and text, clothing optional. This event is bi-weekly.

 ☯ What? Sandia Beaumont Live Piano
When? Sunday, Jan 25 @ 12pmSLT
Where? Ashram entryway, straight ahead 􀀀http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20Crystal/40/220/32

 Event in voice and text, clothing optional.

 ~~~~~~~
I look forward to seeing you around! Namaste, my friends, and big hugs to you all! ♥

 Looking to keep in touch outside the grid? Went to a discussion and wanted the notes or links? Check out our blog and facebook page: http://cittabhavanaashramsl.blogspot.com/ http://www.facebook.com/creativitykarma

 ♥ The Ashram Team

Ashram Newsletter Jan 5-11 2015

Happy New Year to all! We at the Ashram wish you all the best of joy and love in the coming year. Namaste, friends! Please see below a list of Citta Bhavana Ashram events this coming week as well as some exciting updates. If you would like to host an event at the ashram, please contact Chraeloos Resident or Sunshine (szavanna). All events are subject to change. Events may be added or changed with short notice. Please keep an eye on our calendar for more current information: http://cittabhavanaashramsl.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html ~~Updates~~ We have redone the landscaping here at the ashram to better suit your needs! Feel free to come by any time to explore and use the facilities at your leisure. Advanced Notice: biweekly Poetry and Storytelling with Lyle and Chrae on alternating Fridays at 6pmSLT. Starting date Thursday Jan 15 at 6pmSLT (strange date due to RL, normally will be on Fridays). We have some space for artists to showcase their work. We also have a community room where we have posters advertising friendly sims and events. For inquiries about how to take part in this, please contact Chraeloos Resident or Sunshine Szavanna inworld. ~~Upcoming Events~~ ☯ What? Meditation, Talks and Discussion with Swami Luminos When? Tuesday, Jan 6 @ 10amSLT Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle Event in voice and text, clothing optional. ☯ What? Meditation, Talks and Discussion with Venerable Wayne Ren Cheng When? Wednesday, Jan 7 @ 10amSLT Where? Ashram Entryway, straight ahead􀀅 Event in voice and text, clothing optional. ☯ What? The Nature of Faith Discussion with Rhiannon Dragoone When? Wednesday, Jan 7 @ 2:30pmSLT Where? Forest Meeting Area Event in text, clothing optional. ☯ What? Interfaith Prayer Circle with Peter Newtone When? Wednesday, Jan 7 @ 6pmSLT Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle Event in voice and text. Clothing optional. ☯ What? Meditation, Talks and Discussion with Swami Luminos When? Thursday, Jan 8 @ 10amSLT Where? Ashram Entryway, to the left at the meditation circle Event in voice and text, clothing optional. ☯ What? Yoga and Discussion with Chraeloos When? Friday, Jan 9 @ 10amSLT Where? Ashram Entryway, to the right at the yoga mats Event in voice and text, clothing optional. ☯ What? Sandia Beaumont Live Piano When? Sunday, Jan 11 @ 2pmSLT Where? Ashram Entryway, straight ahead Event in stream, clothing optional. ~~~~~~~ I look forward to seeing you around! Namaste, my friends, and big hugs to you all! ♥ Looking to keep in touch outside the grid? Went to a discussion and wanted the notes or links? Check out our blog and facebook page: http://cittabhavanaashramsl.blogspot.com/ http://www.facebook.com/creativitykarma ♥ The Ashram Team

Deva Premal Aad Guray

Manish Vyas - Sarve Sham - Om Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu

Snatam Kaur - Guru Ram Das Live - Sat Nam Fest 2010

Vedanta Retreat - Part 1 - Rules in Self-Inquiry - James Swartz - ( TY Swamiji )

Snatam Kaur Suni-ai

Sheila Chandra - Nada Brahma (Sound Is Divine)

Thay sings a children's song

My Beloved Krishna - spiritual songs by Shankar Mahadevan

The Life Of The Buddha Full BBC Documentary

Full movie - Zen - The Life Of Zen Master Dogen

Chasing Bliss - Jeff Foster

CHASING BLISS

For many, spirituality is still about seeking the next blissful, exciting, dramatic, transcendent, other-wordly experience, chasing the next 'high' promised by well-meaning gurus and teachers, running after the shakti, dancing and singing down the yellow brick road of enlightenment...

But you tire of chasing bliss, friend, and this is natural and to be expected and celebrated. And in the seeker's exhaustion, a deeper invitation reveals itself: the invitation to allow ALL experience, not just the 'good' or 'spiritual' or 'blissful' experiences. You come to recognise yourself as unlimited, undivided, nondual potential, capable of holding the pain as well as the bliss, the sorrow as well as the joy, the excitement as well as the fear. How vast you are!

~ Jeff Foster

An Anthology of the Buddha’s Teachings on Nibbæna - Ajahn Pasanno & Ajahn Amaro

In today's talk we mentioned this PDF - well worth a look :

http://media.audiodharma.org/documents/2009-10-31_NibannaTheIsland.pdf

Imee Ooi - The Chant of metta ( Lyrics: Pali & Eng)

Bhavana

Below is a podcast by the Dharma Seed community that speaks a bit about Bhavana (cultivating heart-mind). I found it very interesting and wanted to share. Hope you get something from it too! Please feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or anything else in the comments :)

If you can't hear the audio below, click here to open it in a separate window.

The Bhagavad Gita AS IT IS Audiobook

Virtual Second Night Interview

We've been interviewed in the Virtual Second Night magazine on Issuu! You can fine some beautiful photography and snippets of info in the October issue. The full interview will appear in the November issue. A huge thank you to Virginia Lupindo for the wonderful opportunity and Edwardi Mosley for the beautiful photography!

Click here to read the October issue. The photos start on page 136!

Shi Wayne Ren-Cheng (venerablewayne.slacker) Talks at the ashram

Shi Wayne Ren-Cheng

I am an American Ch'an Buddhist monk with a contemporary pragmatic practice- Engaged Dharma Insight Group  - Practicing the dharma through engaging the SL community.  Honored to be a teacher at The Buddha Center, Friday at 2pm SLT, Monday at 1pm SLT.

engageddharma.com

Sites mentioned : 

• engageddharma.com
• http://pluralism.org/

Baba Nam Kevalam (Mantra) ( TY Swamiji :)

Listening to a raga in the garden with Lizzy ( of the culture and fun group ) and Terenaxo - the poem fits this raga so well :

Poem: Healing Voice by Terenaxo

So light, her voice would barely make to quiver

A spider's string and yet the stoutest shiver

And strain to hear her whisper like a river.

With melody surpassing words that speak

Yet fail to break the trance in which I seek

To stay within the closeness of her cheek.

The violin must envy, and surely so must birds,

The sweetness uttered by her cords through words,

Enchanted, I can swear an angel heard.

On hearing, unjust kings of lands repent,

while queens of scorn and wrath relent,

The war cries silenced, weaponed arms unbent.

She heals the world wherever she is sent.

Entangle me within her weave of tones

And there let me remain to call my home

Where distant echoes keep me not alone.

Eeyore's Secret Keys to Happiness (Tao of Pooh)

Ashram Opening Event - Slideshow & songs :)

Citta Bhavana Ashram Opening Speech by Chraeloos

( From : http://chraeloos.wordpress.com/2014/10/18/citta-bhavana-ashram-opening-speech/ )

The Ashram is officially open! Come visit us in world any time. Below you can read the speech that I gave after the guided meditation. Our opening address:

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for coming and showing their interest and support today! None of this would be possible without each and every one of you. A special thank you must be given to Sunshine, Swami, Rhia, and Lyle for all of their amazing work and support in making this beautiful sim come to life.

I’m going to try to make this speech as short as I can. I know how much we all want to get to the food and dancing! But, I’d like to share with you a bit of what we’re about.

I am a yoga teacher in real life, and the community that grew between the people in the training inspired me to pursue deep, raw, and pure relationships in all aspects of my life. Over the years, SL has been a big part of life for me. I’ve been able to meet the most amazing people here and form some of the strongest bonds with people from all over the world. Despite our cultural differences, the distance between us, and our philosophical or religious beliefs, we were still able to connect with each other. This is what I’m looking to provide here; a space to learn from each other in a supportive and caring environment and community.

There is a quote from Osho that I’ve always held true to my heart. It goes like this:
“My whole teaching consists on two words, “meditation” and “love”. Meditate so that you can feel immense silence, and love so that your life can become a song, a dance, a celebration. You will have to move between the two, and if you can move easily, if you can move without an effort, you have learnt the greatest thing in life.”

I built this ashram with the purpose of having a space for these two concepts – meditation and love – to grow. Both of these things take effort to start, which can also be considered action (even non-action is a form of action). All action is composed of four things: intention, awareness, method, and manifestation. We must have the intent to pursue something, an awareness of what exactly that something consists of, a method of how to do it, and finally we will be able to manifest it.

For instance, you want to have tea. Your intention is just that, wanting tea. The awareness will be of what sort of tea and when, these sorts of things. The method is standing out of your chair, going to the kitchen, boiling the water, picking the tea, pouring the water, etc. The manifestation is when you actually follow through with this action.

You may or may not know that the word ‘karma’ literally means ‘action’. Many people think of karma as a factor of fate, or determinism. But, really, karma is creative. It is unbounded. The common interpretation is when someone has something bad happen, we call it “bad karma.” But this interpretation of karma is misunderstood. Karma is really human action composed of the four things I mentioned before. It does not control us. In fact, we control it with intention, whether consciously or subconsciously. When we utilize action (and remember, even non-action is a form of action), we are influencing karma.

The term ‘ashram’, which comes from the sanskrit root ‘srama’, means “giving the meaning of making an effort towards liberation (moksha).” Liberation, in some schools of thought, is liberation from the cycle of karma and dukkha, otherwise known as the cycle of suffering. At this ashram we ask you to invite into your life what you want to share with others as well as yourself since we are all connected. If any one of us suffers, all the rest of us suffer. It is through positive, intentional action which we are able to change our perspectives and lessen our suffering. I strongly feel that as a community, we can provide the support and friendship that we all wish for along our journey. And, because of our amazing diversity, there may be something for everyone.

The name of the ashram is Citta Bhavana, meaning ‘cultivating heart/mind.’ Bhavana on it’s own means ‘spiritual cultivation.’
All the events here are organized to support this inner growth in some way or other, whether it’s through meditation, yoga, discussions, dances, music, ritual etc. Our hosts and guests come from many traditions from around the world, and are not limited to one path or another. Instead, we believe that all paths are useful and that each person will find meaning in different perspectives. All things offered here invite you to examine your self and those around you rather than telling you how things should be.

All of us come from other communities in SL, some of whom have regular events. We are not here to replace them, but rather to supplement them. You may notice on our calendar we list some events from other communities. We do this so that all of our hosts are aware of events they should not overlap with, so all of our communities can exist together in harmony. All of us here believe that each individual follows their own unique path through life, and we hope to provide space for that to flourish even more.

There are a few main areas around the sim for you to explore. Lyle was kind enough to build this beautiful waterfall for us (huge thank you!)! This is the Music and Gallery Area, where we will have regular world-music events and an art gallery. If any of you are artists who would like to take part in the gallery please contact myself or Sunshine for details. There is a forest campsite meeting area, where Rhia and various others will host philosophical dialogues. Swami has a beautiful skybox set up with a library, a video screen, and a stage for performers. And up the hill you may be able to see the big building. That is the main ashram building, with space for meditation and yoga, casual discussions and many other things. Please feel free to have a look around at your own convenience.

The next thing I wanted to share with you is our private skyboxes. We have six skyboxes set up which you can rent free of charge at the main landing point. They are intended for those of us who are homeless and need a place to change or relax or whatever it is you want to do. The very last thing I will take your time with is our events for the next week. We have at least one event planned for every day this coming week. Sunday we have the beautiful and talented Sandia Beaumont playing her piano for us at 3:30pmSLT. Monday, Swami is starting a four day series on “Reflections of South Asian Spirituality” at 10amSLT (same time every day); as well as Rhia’s discussion on the Nature of Faith at 2:30pmSLT. Sunshine will play a dharma talk over the stream on Tuesday at 12pmSLT.

Unfortunately, my RL has demanded my attention this week so I won’t be around for all of these, but any of them will be here to answer any questions and act as hosts. I have complete faith in their abilities to manage this place while I am away.

You can join the group “Creativity; Karma” for notices.

You can find our calendar on the blog which I posted in local chat.

http://cittabhavanaashramsl.blogspot.ca/p/calendar.html

Once again, thank you all so much for your support today and hopefully for many more to come! There is pie by the deck, as well as games and activities scattered around the fire. I will be walking around with tea so please feel free to grab one off the tray if you’d like.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu…May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.

Namaste _/\_ Thank you.

Form and Emptiness are the Same

( From : http://avastu0.blogspot.com/2014/10/form-and-emptiness-are-same.html )

It is critical to see the mistake we make about things and the nature of reality.  In the Buddhist Heart Sutra, they say "Form is emptiness; emptiness also is form. Emptiness is no other than form; form is no other than emptiness."

Look around you - you see lots of "things".  What ARE those things?  There is a cup, a piece of paper, a computer screen...  are these things an independent existence?  Did they come into existence independently, apart from all other things?  Do they have their OWN existence?  Does existence work that way?

If we look at the cup - it's ceramic or porcelain or styrofoam - so we know the shape "cup" - it's identifiable.  But WHAT that cup IS, is really ceramic.  So we may say "ceramic cup".  But we really have it backwards.  Isn't it actually "cuppy ceramic"?  Isn't it really ceramic, shaped into the form of a cup?  We say "cup" as if that "thing" stands alone, missing WHAT it is.  It's ceramic, expressed in the form and concept (and function) "cup".

Look at the tree.  Tree is the concept - it's an identifiable shape and function, given a name.  But what IS the tree?  It's bio-organic material, expressing in the form "tree".  And what is that bio-organic material?  Molecules - atoms - electrons...  let's say there are hydrogen atoms there in the tree and hydrogen atoms there in the cup.  At that level, where is tree and where is cup?  We don't know the "thing" at that level, only the essential "stuff" from which those things are formed.

And the hydrogen atom - what is THAT?  Well it's basically empty space with a few particles flying around - electrons (electric charge) - etc.  And what are those particles?  Quantum physics tell us the atom is of a dubious nature - with strings and quarks.  At this level the atom doesn't really exist but is a product of how those quantum particles act.

So if we keep drilling down, into the cup and the tree, we still haven't found any independent, separate existence, but really just a soup of particles and empty space.   We find "something" - something in motion - some intelligence in action.  FROM that action, from those basic ingredients, we have both cup (ceramic) and tree (bio-organic material).  If we continue to drill down, we would basically come to a point where we cannot identify anything else - we would really just have an emptiness with an infinite potential to BE any "thing".  It is really an intelligent emptiness - with the capacity to "move" or swirl - from that movement the strings and quarks take shape - those formations are also atoms and electrons - those formations are also cups and trees.

So in essence, tree IS that essence - cup IS that essence. Simultaneously, tree is essence - cup is essence.  Form is emptiness - emptiness is form.

So as we drink our coffee or tea, and look out at all the beautiful trees, we might see past the surface - past the formations and ask WHAT, in essence, are these "things"?  We might ask - do those "things" really have independent existences?  Do those "things" arrive as new existences, and when they end, does their existence end?  Or does that "essence" just stop doing "cup" or "tree"?

Once we see this, our next question will be - what am I in all this?  There is a mass of organic material, quite intelligent in fact - so much so that it provides a means of knowing - knowing all these other "things".  But once we turn that spiritual microscope upon ourselves, once we see past the surface and look toward that root essence of WHAT we really are, we might realize that this formless intelligence is actually, right at this very moment, aware of itself through this mechanism, through this intelligent organism.  Right now, the tree and the cup and this body are, simultaneously, the same IS-ness - and that IS-ness is aware of itself as tree and cup and body.

It is the mind which stays with the form and misses the essence - in that the mind identifies with that one form - body - and excludes tree and cup and universe.  The only solution is to recognize one's mistake - once realized, nothing changes.  WHAT you are is still that root essence, that intelligent emptiness, which is present at this very moment, both as the emptiness and the form.

 ( From : http://avastu0.blogspot.com/2014/10/form-and-emptiness-are-same.html )

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