2012 New Year Celebration

Some pictures from the Yagna wich Swami Vishwananda celebrated on the first day of the New Year:

...afterwards an Abishekam with all "Ishtadev" - Murtis,

...and Aarti:

Vegetarian African Food project

In springtime this year our kitchen crew cooked 10 days very delicious vegetarian food for an international conference of African scientists and leaders of universities from Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.

As one of the main goals is to spread vegetarian, plant protein diet for the poor population of Africa they asked us to cook a balanced vegetarian menu for 10 days. „Support Africa“ is an international foundation who are supported by the European Parlament and already supported several medical clinics and social projects in Africa.

It´s been a very successful meeting as Prof. Pfeiffer mentioned at the end of the conference as they found many native wild plants with high amounts of protein. Finally the scientists set up a 5-years-program starting with collecting and growing best seeds for larger agriculture projects based on natural ecologies only.

Thanks to Swamiji and the kitchen crew to make this happen!

Project information:

Conference on the development of non-animal protein in Sub-Saharan Africa

Research Institute for Sub-Saharan African Studies, SUPPORT AFRICA STIFTUNG, Nassau, April 4 - 15, 2011

Aim

Malnutrition, caused by insufficient protein, is often the source of diseases and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since further population explosions can be expected, Africans will not have sufficient animal protein in the future. this scenario will become even more severe through climatic changes.

Scientists at African universities undertook independently extensive research on this matter in cooperation with the Research Institute for Sub-Saharan Studies. Now they would like to exchange their findings in a preparatory conference and prepare actions for further research on non-animal proteins.

Known and used vegatable proteins as well as unknown wild plants shall be researched on interdisciplinary and developed further agrnonomical and genetically as well as their cultivation and nutritional use promoted and fostered productions of new non-animal protein products.

Finally, non-animal protein products shall be promoted for home usage and farming. Development-political measures for the introduction and spreading of non-animal poor populations and their production and marketing shall be supported.

Thoughts about Gurupurnima

Give all your garbage to the Guru. ["Garbage" here means our negativity and negative qualities like hatred, envy, jeaoulsy, anger, laziness, greed.. etc] Guru makes gold out of garbage. [The Guru transforms our negativity into Love and positive qualities]

The Guru makes a fool [an ignorant person] intelligent. It is easy to make that change because everyone is made up of that one Love.

Gurupurnima is the day to feel grateful for the great knowledge you have received from your master. It is time to review how much knowledge you could ingrain in your life in the past one year. This may bring about a realization for scope of improvement which in turn will bring humility in you.

Be grateful for the way this knowledge has transformed you. Just think how you could have been without this. There is a definite change inside you. If you cannot see any change, then you haven't had a good look in yourself. Gratitude and humility together blossom a genuine prayer inside you!

So in Gurupurnima we remember all Gurus of the past.

An Acharya (teacher) gives knowledge and Guru gives height of awareness and makes you alive. An Acharya gives information, Guru gives intelligence, an awakened intelligence.

The mind is connected with moon. Full moon is completion, the pinnacle.

On Gurupurnima the devotee wakes up in full gratitude. The devotee becomes like an ocean moving in itself.

It’s the time to come in fullness. It’s a time to celebrate ! Don’t miss this auspicious opportunity.

A lovely nighttime visit!

One night, I was awakened very suddenly to hear the door handle being violently rattled! I partially sat up and realised that this was really happening! Then just as suddenly, I saw Swami Vishwananda come into the room! He had come in an energy body. It's outline of light very clear to me as was the knowing that it was him and it was all o.k. and just relax. As his energy shape reached the side of the bed he bent down and materialised his hair so that I could touch it! It was soft and beautiful. Now guru's test their disciples.....I'm sure we all know that!....and he did some testing on me there and then. I passed as he then materialised his hands for me. He held them out so that I could feel the solidity and warmth of them. I had them to myself to kiss at my leisure. Joy! Then he put me to sleep again. When I awoke in daylight and went to the door, I realised the handle that he had rattled so noisily was now mended as it had been broken before his lovely nightime visit!. Jai Guru Dev!

Bhavani-UK

Blessing

It was on the Steffenshof bottom of the stairs in front of the temple entrance. There I stood with some people when Swami Vishwananda came from outside. He greeted us with his smile, sweeten, and then went up the stairs. I thought to myself, "those were the days when he embraced us as a welcome"! Shortly thereafter, Swami came down again, walked straight toward me and with outstretched hands, he pinched me simultaneously in both cheeks as you would in India is making in children. Then he hugged me.

On the trip to Israel, it was in Jerusalem, he brought back the group because he wanted to show us a band. Every individual, he waved and most into it while he touched her. I thought to myself that this was such a blessing and that I would like to blessed by him. So what then? He touched my arm and patted me on the head twice again ..

Reka
The foto was taken 2005 in the garden of Lake Shrine, SRF, LA