India is a mystical, magical place. During my first trip in 2006, I felt as if I was standing at the intersection of time watching the past and present meet... Tuk-tuks sharing the roads with cows, oxen, trucks, camels, elephants, cars, motorbikes carrying a family of four, buses filled with people packed in like sardines, the honking horns, and the endless sea of people... And somehow it all seems to work - a flow of drivers and walkers weaving in and out of traffic seamlessly, automatically.
I think of India as the spiritual heart of humanity. Attending to one's spiritual practice is an integral part of daily life for millions. Acknowledgement of the "sacred" is a part of everyday life. That is the larger context.
The land at Oneness University is special. The Oneness Temple is located on 40 acres of pristine forest at the foothills of the Vellikonda range on the eastern coast of South India, 80km north of the city of Chennai. Now called Golden City, Sri Amma Bhagavan located the Oneness Temple there because the land itself has little or no karmic damage. Several powerful, earth gridlines or ley lines converge there. And, it has a high concentration of enlightened Beings in residence, both incarnate and discarnate.
All of these factors work together to produce tremendous energies. The Oneness Temple was also constructed using the principles of Vaastu (similar to Feng Shui) and Sacred Geometry. These sacred design principles incorporated into the Temple's structure allow the progressive increase of higher energies of Grace vital for the awakening of mankind.
The Oneness Temple is erected over ley lines that enrich the energy field and magnify the experiences each of us has. The temple is known to be on sacred ground. However, this sacred ground isn't just at the temple. It is also apparent on the residential campuses.
REASON #2
I remember walking along the pathway between the dormitories on GC2 campus and the meditation hall and being overcome with the feeling that I must stop and sit for awhile. I sat on one of the marble slab benches and as my feet met the ground, I could feel love coming up from the soil and rushing up through my body. Stopping there for the love from the soil and the grass, even for just a few minutes, became a part of my daily ritual that year.
After that I saw the towns people differently. Mostly women worked there, day after day, pulling up weeds by hand or with some small crude hand-held tool. I realized that they were sitting on that sacred ground daily, soaking up that love, and their karma had made it possible for them to be caretakers of sacred ground.
I always opt to take care of my own laundry, which means filling a bucket with water and detergent in the shower and washing clothes by hand. Hanging them to dry in the morning, after the dew has cleared and taking them off the clothesline before nightfall. One afternoon, while we were in class in the meditation hall, the sky darkened with clouds and a heavy down pour of rainfall. It had rained a lot that year making it difficult keep clean clothes.
"Oh God, please don't let my laundry get wet," I said, realizing that it was too late and wet clothes were an inevitability. Still, at the break, I hurried back to the dorm to check on my clothes. My Divine said, "you don't trust." I mumbled something back, like, "well I'm working on that and I need your help." As I rounded the corner behind the B Block, I saw wet clothes on the line, but my clothes were completely dry. "Thank you father... Thank you father," I called out as I quickly gathered the clothes and took them to my room.
Then there are the night skies. The night skies are filled with orbs, angels, and beings delighted to share the energy and the love. They also are filled with stars that respond when you speak to them. More on this topic next week. I love the fact that at Oneness University, I get a first hand experience of how this life is really quite malleable.
I think of India as the spiritual heart of humanity. Attending to one's spiritual practice is an integral part of daily life for millions. Acknowledgement of the "sacred" is a part of everyday life. That is the larger context.
The land at Oneness University is special. The Oneness Temple is located on 40 acres of pristine forest at the foothills of the Vellikonda range on the eastern coast of South India, 80km north of the city of Chennai. Now called Golden City, Sri Amma Bhagavan located the Oneness Temple there because the land itself has little or no karmic damage. Several powerful, earth gridlines or ley lines converge there. And, it has a high concentration of enlightened Beings in residence, both incarnate and discarnate.
All of these factors work together to produce tremendous energies. The Oneness Temple was also constructed using the principles of Vaastu (similar to Feng Shui) and Sacred Geometry. These sacred design principles incorporated into the Temple's structure allow the progressive increase of higher energies of Grace vital for the awakening of mankind.
The Oneness Temple is erected over ley lines that enrich the energy field and magnify the experiences each of us has. The temple is known to be on sacred ground. However, this sacred ground isn't just at the temple. It is also apparent on the residential campuses.
REASON #2
I remember walking along the pathway between the dormitories on GC2 campus and the meditation hall and being overcome with the feeling that I must stop and sit for awhile. I sat on one of the marble slab benches and as my feet met the ground, I could feel love coming up from the soil and rushing up through my body. Stopping there for the love from the soil and the grass, even for just a few minutes, became a part of my daily ritual that year.
After that I saw the towns people differently. Mostly women worked there, day after day, pulling up weeds by hand or with some small crude hand-held tool. I realized that they were sitting on that sacred ground daily, soaking up that love, and their karma had made it possible for them to be caretakers of sacred ground.
I always opt to take care of my own laundry, which means filling a bucket with water and detergent in the shower and washing clothes by hand. Hanging them to dry in the morning, after the dew has cleared and taking them off the clothesline before nightfall. One afternoon, while we were in class in the meditation hall, the sky darkened with clouds and a heavy down pour of rainfall. It had rained a lot that year making it difficult keep clean clothes.
"Oh God, please don't let my laundry get wet," I said, realizing that it was too late and wet clothes were an inevitability. Still, at the break, I hurried back to the dorm to check on my clothes. My Divine said, "you don't trust." I mumbled something back, like, "well I'm working on that and I need your help." As I rounded the corner behind the B Block, I saw wet clothes on the line, but my clothes were completely dry. "Thank you father... Thank you father," I called out as I quickly gathered the clothes and took them to my room.
Then there are the night skies. The night skies are filled with orbs, angels, and beings delighted to share the energy and the love. They also are filled with stars that respond when you speak to them. More on this topic next week. I love the fact that at Oneness University, I get a first hand experience of how this life is really quite malleable.