Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi with an Intimacy of Heart

At this time of year I feel wondrous excitement – for this is the beginning of the “High Holy Days” celebration of rituals and meditations. Thirty years ago, I sat with Swami Ramananda, listening as he laid out before me the path of remembrance, purification and re-birth, celebrated in the ceremonies of the High Holy Days.

The first ceremony takes place on October Second – this is the Gandhi Puja, mostly simply pronounced (poo-ja). This is a celebration of the day of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. Laughing, more than cakes or party hats, this is a remembrance of who he was and what he taught.

In the old temple at Sadhana Society, the policy was that we never placed the picture of a person or a deity on the main altar – except, when we were performing a Puja. On October 2nd, we would place a large picture of Gandhi on the altar, with flowers surrounding him – perhaps there would be a bowl of water, maybe a stone, or even a flower petal borrowed from a shrine that houses a bit of his ashes.

The ceremony itself might even include a joyous singing of Happy Birthday! It also would include each of us selecting a stanza from his many works and reading it aloud. This selection is done with an Intimacy of Heart, so that the selected stanza resonates with the heart of my being. As I rise and recite the words; I connect with the presence of Gandhi – an inner tremble accompanies my in-breath – I speak with my exhale – my heart center resonating with the vibration of each word – I am aligning myself, my purpose, with the Soul which was the source of these words. I sit once more, my body vibrating with this new creative purpose – aligned with the intention of Mahatma Gandhi, I join with everyone else in song.

On October 2nd, I invite each of you to find a quote of Mahatma Gandhi, to print a picture of him and place it in a special way before you. Then with the creative joy of your being, to speak those words; as they vibrate within you, feel the intention of their purpose as a part of who you are. Then perhaps, you will sing Happy Birthday Gandhi!

Blessings to you all.

Embracing Security and Safety in the Wholeness of Humanity

The other day a nicely dressed young fellow came up to me in the park and inquired, “Have you been Saved?” A joyous smile rose from within me, I thanked him for his question, and walked on.

Years ago, L Ron Hubbard spoke about the primary urge of the human species – Survival. Joseph Campbell once said that for a religion to be popular, it needed to provide a sense of ‘Health, Wealth and Safety’ to its practitioners.

I am describing a fundamental need that all humans share – a need for safety and security. We build great communities, develop laws, elect officials; all in the hopes of maintaining safety and security.

In our physical and social world, we attempt to control nature, control people, control events; all with the intent of maintaining safety and security. In our spiritual world, we join groups that seem to follow similar rules as ourselves. We establish Scripture and focus on our group’s interpretation of that Scripture.

We become exclusive; we separate ourselves from the rest of humanity. We believe, “They are wrong and I am Right.” With this exclusiveness, we ignore events; we value only the words of those who agree with us – in this exclusivity and ignore-ance, we end up endangering our safety and security.

Pope John 23rd spoke about the Wholeness of Humanity. Gandhi spoke of the Power of Soul – the power of a people who are not divided. Among followers of Buddha, there is a practice entitled ‘Metta’, where Loving Kindness is cultivated and shared with all beings. Individuals of these various religion faiths have realized that Safety and Security is found in discovering what all human beings share – a desire for safety and security. Understanding this foundational, shared desire, we can begin to work together to embrace Security and Safety in the Wholeness of Humanity.