I was at Chinmaya Vibhooti yesterday with four dear friends, all senior citizens about to start a group to meet regularly to discuss matters spiritual. We had been to other Ashrams near Pune on two earlier occasions and since this is so highly spoken of by many visitors, we visited to satisfy ourselves. Two of us will return to attend some camps later. I wish that I could but, my physical problems come in the way.
The Ashram is 50 kms from my home and about 35 of them are yet to be repaired fully post our very heavy recent monsoon. While the spirit was very willing, the body took a beating but the visit was fully satisfying. We visited all the places that you can read about in the link given above and were amazed at the reception from every single individual inside who cheerfully helped us in our searches. The two shops that I visited too were extremely friendly and helpful and I think that they should conduct training programmes for other retailers to be so customer friendly.
Here is me in front of a giant stylised OM at the reception hall.
It sounds great for people who need it. Happiness as a spiritual practice has worked well for me.
PS I love the picture of you and am glad you had a good time.
Thank you.
“Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti” is a Sutra quote from The RgVeda. This aphorism means: “Truth is ONE, sages call it by various names.”
Another one I learned in high school, “All roads lead to God.”
But I’m sorry the roads were so rough! They sound like some of ours going up to the land.
many parts of back country NZ are also unpaved, often windy and narrow as well – but so many of them take you to beautiful places often your own private piece of coastline….etc – I too am sorry that this state of affairs means you can’t return – although I know you will find other places
There is a saying here that if the end is interesting the path to it will be rough!
oh sean! a great picture of you. I made it larger.
now going to check out the link.
tammy j recently posted..moving on old bean
Thank you.
Its great to read this and i have found out what an OM is – after all these years!
What else did you do there? just stayed there – discussed or reached that higher plane?
There are a lot of things to do there. There is a very unique maze where you can pick up thoughts of Swami Chinmayananda and meditate on benches provided, there is an exhibition of his life story which is quite unique in its modern approach to visitor interaction, a very big book shop and two other shops selling various products from some of the social intervention activities of the mission and so on. We spent about an hour with the Manager who is not a monk but who has dedicated his life to the mission who spoke our language and helped us firm up our own plans. The five of us who had gone together have already travelled some distance in our spiritual quest and while we were not in a different plane, we enjoyed the atmosphere and the vibrations.