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The recorded worship service “The Tree of Self-Knowledge” will be offered by Srimati Karuna on Sunday, June 28, 2020 at 11:00am.
There is always a sublime message to be found in the bountiful nature that surrounds us. The tree is a living spiritual symbol and its imagery and message is found in all religions and scriptures. In the liberating expression of true knowledge of the Self, there can be no more powerful and majestic symbol than the tree of life—the tree of Self-knowledge.
The audio worship service “Holding All Together” will be offered by Srimati Karuna on Sunday, June 21, 2020.
Do we have a sense that all the world is held together by a strength, a force —something that never unravels yet we experience as variously changing? Even with the notion that the universe is ever-expanding, what holds together its constituent elements? When we turn our thoughts to life of the individual soul, what holds it together with the Soul of all?
The audio worship service “Sensitive Soul” will be presented by Srimati Karuna on Sunday, June 14, 2020.
How do we attune ourselves to be responsive to the qualities of soul inherent in every being? What will allow us to be sensitive to the need of the moment? When does intuition reveal its wisdom?
The audio worship service “Freedom from Suffering” will be presented by Srimati Karuna on Sunday, June 7, 2020.
Does our spiritual practice help us to to remove the experience of suffering, for ourselves—for others? What did Buddha say about dukkha (suffering)? What did Jesus do to alleviate pain and sorrow? How did Muhammad uplift fellow human beings? What message do great souls of all times and all lands offer in the pursuit of moksha (freedom and self-liberation)?
The audio service “Dynamic Serenity” will be offered by Srimati Karuna on Sunday, May 31, 2020.
Nature seems to find its balance, not by remaining stagnant but by constant change and movement. How do we find our balance? What does it mean to live in peace? Peace is not a passive existence. It is active. How do we remain actively and dynamically serene?
The audio service “A Celestial Song” will be offered by Srimati Karuna on Sunday, May 24, 2020.
We know the Bhagavad Gita has been translated as "The Beautiful and Perfect God's Song" or "The Song Celestial." We know the psalms of David, the hymns of the Vedas and the recitation of the Adhan, the call to prayer, attune our hearts to a higher vibration.
There is always surrounding us a divine symphony. All the universe is composed of this music of the spheres. How do we experience this divine music? Do we merely hear it with our ears, or sing it with our voice? What is the meaning of a celestial song?
The audio service “True Vision” will be offered by Srimati Karuna on Sunday, May 17, 2020.
Many of you were able to join us at the eve of this year on December 31st for our New Year's Eve Music and Meditation. You may recall that the response to that gathering was extraordinary. We had more people here in our Church for that beautiful hour of music and meditation than we had even anticipated. A large number of the people came to our Golden Lotus Temple for the first time. It was an inspiring and moving experience to realize the hunger for spiritual expression on a day that is usually observed in a more social and celebratory fashion. It gave us great hope for the new year.
You may also remember my prayer and remarks for that occasion in which I shared a message of 2020 as a year of "Perfect Vision," not with the eyes of sensory vision but with that of inner vision. None of us could have known then that this year would be met by a most "inward" practice of literally staying home and staying inside. This response by not only our country but every country on this earth has been met with countless challenges but also creative and visionary opportunities.
Let us reflect on this "true vision" of the oneness of life with all of its struggles and joys and the meaning that it carries for each of us. It is our responsibility and blessing in the life of yoga.
Srimati Karuna will share an audio recording of “Mother Earth: Nature and Nurture” on Sunday, May 10, 2020.
As Mother's Day approaches may our reflections turn to the nurturing love of the Mother of us all. The exquisite beauty of our natural teacher offers us lessons to guide and mold our lives according to her scripture. Let this Native American prayer be a beginning point for our daily meditation.
Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light. Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory. Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning. Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young. Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone. Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground. Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky. Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall. Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring. Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life. Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain. —Ute Prayer
Srimati Karuna will share an audio recording of “The Salt of the Earth” on Sunday, May 3, 2020.
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
Let them see your good works and give glory to God.
This message from the Sermon on the Mount may guide our thought, word and deed in the direction of goodness. Often, we struggle to see the good acts that people do. When we become overwhelmed by the harmful and negative actions of fellow beings on this earth, let us remember Gandhi's words:
"Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."
Srimati Karuna will share an audio recording of “A New Day Dawns” on Sunday, April 19, 2020.
During this holy month of Ramadan people around the Earth fast and pray to commemorate the first revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him. This daily spiritual practice between dawn and dusk is one of deep reverence and reflection. Though personal and individual, it is also a shared fellowship in the thought of God.
From a young age the Prophet engaged in a search for Truth and he regularly undertook meditative retreats. At the age of 40 he went to the cave of Hira at Jabal al-Nur, the mountain of light. Rather than his customary one month, he spent six months praying day and night and fasting for long periods. He felt he could not pull himself away from his meditation. It was during this time that he received a supreme revelation with the first verses of the Qur'an.
The mystics of all time and all lands have heeded the call of the inner spirit with an awakened heart and mind. With each day, there is a renewed opportunity to be worshipful and reflective. How will we meet the dawn of a new day? Will it be with a serene mind and pure heart? Will it be with a spirit of hope and joy?
In a time of solitude, do we feel sorrow? Do we feel the emotional pain of separation? Do we long for companionship?
Sometimes we do long for solitude. We desire to have a little peace and a little space, to just be. We desire to be alone with God.
What do we seek in solitude? What do we find?
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Srimati Karuna will share an audio recording of “The Power of Resurrection” on April 12, 2020.
Each morning the day is reborn. And each day we strive to resurrect every aspect of our being with a higher consciousness. If we look carefully, we may discover that the symbols of the eternal and infinite reality of creation abide everywhere. And we begin to realize the power of resurrection.
As we approach Palm Sunday let us reflect on the symbol of the ever-green palms that represent the immortal soul. Let us meditate on the one life breath that unites all of life in the perfection of soul. Let us call to mind these words of the Svetasvatara Upanishad:
"The flame of pure-consciousness is eternally ignited within this body. By the meditation of Hong-Swa, all delusion having been dispelled, the Self is revealed in its effulgent glory. There is no path other than this to the attainment of immortality...Hong-Swa leads to the realization of Sohong in wisdom and bliss."
“Awakened by spiritual hope, through devotion, we come to recognize that the whole created universe is the manifested form of God, the divine reality…Ascending in pure effulgence, consciousness reveals the universal oneness.”
Read moreAs we continue (globally now) to distance ourselves physically from one another, we have the opportunity to know our oneness of Soul with all beings in a greater and more profound light.
The absolute oneness of life may be realized both in the manifest forms of the cosmos and also in the unmanifest formlessness of divine life energy. Let us our turn our subjective meditation to this infinite, eternal source.
Once again this week, I will prepare and offer an audio recorded worship service to share with you this Sunday morning. Please continue to remain in touch with us and with each other.
Read moreWhat are the seemingly lasting impressions that affect our thinking, living and being? These impressions can only be experienced as temporary though they often appear to be long-lasting. Habits of consciousness are easily swayed by changing conditions, but true realization requires an eternal ideal and genuine effort.
Read moreKabir, the 15th century poet-weaver, weaves his way into the hearts of millions through the mystical loom of his mind and heart. His songs move the faithful to pure devotion, all the while acknowledging the work of the Creator. What is the warp and what is the weft? What is the thread with which the Master Weaver fashions the fabric of the universe?
Read moreCan we be both “of dust” and “of spirit”? With a reminder of the ashes placed on the forehead on many a faithful this week, the mortality of the body and the immortality of soul renew the question and response offered by the Persian poet Fariduddin Attar, "Which matters more, the body or the soul? Be whole: desire and journey to the Whole.”
With the expressions of the infinite and finite, the divine and worldly, as well as the sacred and secular may come this thought: “There is but one Reality that permeates thee and me and all beings…Then why does thou lose thy forbearance and become angry? Rise above the consciousness of separation and realize thyself in all and all in thee.” This universal message of Shankaracharya brings to mind an ideal to seek and uphold amidst the ever changing conditions of this earthly existence.
Read moreEvery Sunday we avow together our spiritual ideal as recorded in the Eternal Truths of Absolute Monism: “I Am Brahman, The Absolute Self.” and “Everything is the Manifestation of God, the Divine Reality.” Few of us have fully realized this lofty ideal, yet it forever guides us. Steadfast devotion to this ideal gives us “glimpses of truth” which eternally draw us upwards and onwards on our spiritual path until the ideal becomes our reality. Let us proceed with patience and perseverance. The goal is assured.
Read moreHow do we train the heart? How do we strengthen our capacity for compassion and loving kindness? How do we develop within ourselves the realization of kinship with all beings?
We begin the day by awakening from sleep all the physical and mental functions. But do we attempt to begin the day by awakening the heart?
Read moreSelf-Revelation Church of Absolute Monism
4748 Western Ave, Bethesda, MD 20816 United States of America
selfrevelationchurch@gmail.com
301-229-3871