Sharing of Participants of March 20-24 2008 Part II, Hong Kong
During my few days of experience in silence….
I experienced the true meaning od Yoga. To be in touch with the real essence of my being and experience that very presence cannot be explained in words. I am very grateful to be here. Jai Guru Dev!
Sheryl Puterman
The first day and a half was not really enjoyable….
…, too much time on too little.
Then came the inspiration, the silence, the bonding without talking. The clarity of thoughts and letting go of thoughts was more satisfying than I have ever experienced. I have no preconceived ideas of what the course will like. And now, at the end, I must say I thoroughly enjoy the experience. Meditation brings me to another world – the euphoria!
Dorothy Sit
The meditations
….are very powerful as are the exercises. The course has inspired me to love myself more and not put off doing good things for myself.
name withheld
Letting go of my ego is a big joy.
KF
My experience of being in silence
- gain /regain clarity of mind
- back to the Self
- from disturbed / scattered mind to peace, calmness, confidence and love
- see direction ahead and know what / want in future
- more affirmative and centered
- less painful (bodily) than previous courses
- see myself grow in past years
- recollection of past life time
- appreciate and see consciousness in the nature manifest, in plants, animals
- being peaceful and self aware
- more considerate and compassionate
Thank you for all.
Have a chance for recognition of the self. Understanding of meaning of letting go.
Truly, I hope I can let go, I hope to attain new life, I also hope I can inspire others and the world. I will give my love to all.
Fern
The course gives me a chance
…to look into myself and know what is important in life. It brings inner peace and joy. I will take this course again as it is so beneficial.
name withheld
Patience, tolerance, silence, awareness
Pauline
I have attended….
…. more than 15 times advanced course. Every course is special. This time, I can go deeper into silence and calm. I can see the relationship between each process and the subtle effect on my body and emotion. The feeling and experience of “hollow and empty”. it is true and vital that each one of us should have advanced course every six months.
Angel Kwok
Firstly, I want to thank you..
…… for this wonderful experience of silence. My mind is os calm and I feel free. I loved all the meditations and it really helped to calm my mind and focus on all things I need to. I am so grateful to all of you (AoL family) and of course our beloved Guru for guiding me on the right path. I feel so fortunate and will definately continue to spread this beautiful knowledge to everyone. Thank you. Jai Guru Dev!
Urvashi
Relaxing, inspiring, concentrating…
…. in-depth, loved, peace (within and outside). I see colours. I see joyful world. I see green. I feel loved and bliss. I love myself, other people and the world more.
Rona Shum
- felt calmness
- started to observe nature (previously ignored or took it for granted)
- appreciate nature
- felt more stability / strength
- ease impact of my past bad memories
- lightened my affinity of desire
- realize how much important talking can mean my observing silence
- enjoyed the course
Thank you. Jai Guru Dev!
Venkat
I wish to share with you the joy
….peace and enthusiasm that I have right now. The past week in the Bangalore Ashram is the most beautiful experience I have had in my life. I feel so much at home there. Though I had not given my 100% throughout and had sometime allowed my small mind to take over me, I have received so much grace from Guruji. Guruji have been arranging angels around me ever since I took the Part I course, though I was not fully aware of all these before. But for this Bangalore trip, I could strongly feel and experience his grace and beautiful arrangement ever since I picked up my luggage from the baggage claim.
I went to Bangalore with one suitcase, one backpack and one body. Coming back to Hong Kong yesterday, it was still that one suitcase, one backpack and one body. But what are within are so much so much different, and so much more beautiful and treasurable. I am so much overwhelmed with gifts from Guruji !!
In the rare case that you have doubts, I wish to say it out that you have played so big part in this process….. but allow me NOT to say ‘ t h a n k y o u ‘ in words……
- Participant from Hong Kong to Pt III course in Bangalore Ashram, Feb 2008
We returned on Sunday night…
after the completion of the Part 2 course, and they had requested that we write about our experience. I was very tempted to write about my feelings/experience the same night. Not only was it a memorable experience, but there was a tremendous feeling of rejuvenation and motivation to move on in life; sharing this joy, knowledge with the world, my family, and my friends was impetus. But as I lay there in the night I came to a realization, that we, humans, are capable of being influenced very easily. Having practiced my kriya and padma sadhna almost on a daily basis, and seeing change in myself, I knew I was already in awe of what AOL courses could do for me. And so I knew if I wrote the same night as I returned, I might still be blindfolded by the positive influence the course had on me in this short time frame. I therefore made up my mind to write about my experience when some time had passed; as what I write at that time will be my true feelings. Below what I have written is true, the feelings / learning’s are there for a life time, they are not temporary.
“There are people in this world who need someone around all the time to know they are alive and to make themselves happy……….
Loneliness is a feeling that eats me up. I am an independent woman, I am a working woman, I am an educated woman and I am a confident woman.
But this loneliness eats me up…
It seems to me that I was born in this loneliness…….
HE says that okay, you can get some off days, and he sends someone for solace……. after some time they go
And this loneliness eats me up
How does one truly stay alone?
How does one really spend seconds, minutes and hours of the day alone?”
These were the thoughts in my mind when I went for the Part 2 course. All I knew about the part 2 course was that one goes into silence for 2-3 days …. and boy was I looking forward to that. All these thoughts in my mind …… I knew I needed time to be alone and be with myself. But if anyone asked me what that meant, “being with myself”, I had no idea.
It was a four and a half days course and the whole group was put up at a Retreat on one of the many isolated yet developed islands of Hong Kong called Cheung Chau. It was amazing to watch everyone’s faces; the expectations, the nervousness, the look of knowing yet not knowing what will happen to them in the next few days. To our amazement and to a certain extent, our expectation, the next few days (as in for any other AOL course), were delighted and rewarded with astounding knowledge that could be used for the rest our lives.
Over the next few days we practiced yoga, pranayam, sudarshan kria and also performed some humanitarian exercises (something we forget to do on a daily basis!). We watched videos of Guruji in which he gives us the “gyaan” or knowledge that can be used in our daily lives forever. Than, we were eventually led into a guided meditation the day we went into silence. We practiced this guided meditation for about 4-5 hours everyday while being in silence.
Silence…… a word which is not used in its right context at all nowadays! The rules were that during our silence we were not to, read, use laptops, sms family/friends, and no sign languages to other group members. We were only allowed to open our mouths to speak, rather sing, during the satsang in the evenings. There were baskets in which we could write our questions, observations and or if we need any help. We ate, walked, exercised, meditated, stared at our surroundings, and slept alone. Alone. Silence.
I had not experienced such bearable silence and had not been alone for so long. We live in a world where there is too much noise pollution; some created externally, but mostly created by us to keep us occupied. This experience was so different from the one I had earlier, where I came up with the questions mentioned above. This silence was blissful; this being alone was not equivalent to being lonely!
I remember the first day of silence being very awkward and embarrassing; also it was amazing the amount of random, unrelated and absurd thoughts one could get in their minds, their silent minds and hearts. As the seconds, minutes and hours passed, I became comfortable with me and the space around me. I became comfortable with the thoughts and questions in my mind. I became comfortable staring at the sea for seconds, minutes and sometimes hours. I became comfortable in looking at the beauty in a simple pink flower, in watching an ant in its daily routine and in talking with the trees and plants around me. I remember by the end of our days of the course, I was feeling light. As light as a leaf…..my heart, my mind were not only relaxed, peaceful and stress free but they were both very unburdened and I remember thinking it would have been great to remain in this silence for a few more days.
On one evening we got adventurous and our teacher, Jyotiji, took us all to the rocky pools, rocks on the seashore…. and we performed a guided meditation there……… all I remember is becoming one as part of the sea……. it was a beautiful experience.
As all god things do, our course came to an end. But we all had smiles on our faces and we were all laughing. We had gained a bundle of knowledge that can (if we want it to) lead us to be on the path we want to be, to be happy.
- Shruti Jain, Pt II course in Hong Kong, Autumn 2006
我的第三次高級課程
如果您問我：“生活的藝術的課程給了你什麼？”，我會回答：“每天驚奇的發現自在與快樂”。有人說這種說法太泛泛了，如果您不能接受的話，那我就換另一種解釋。聽好了哦，自從我2004年9月14日第一次接觸初級課程到今天總共252天，我個人認為有以下的獲得：
1． 抽了將近20年的香煙，戒了！（早上不再聽到咳咳咳的起床聲哦）
2． 漸漸開始改變飲食習慣，愛上素食了！（脂肪肝的指數，應該符合醫生的標準了吧）
3． 我的體重，減輕了，小肚肚，不見了！（感覺年輕了好幾歲）
4． 晚上睡得好，早上起的早，不會賴床了！（突然覺得自己好有紀律，有點害怕，呵呵）
5． 歡喜面對每天的工作壓力，把它當成是玩遊戲！（然後奇怪的升了官，加了薪！納悶中）
6． 考上國家二級考試，有了心理諮詢師的資格，帥吧！（奇怪的是，成績還優於一般人！？）
7． 結識了喜愛心靈世界，擁有博士學歷的女朋友，屌吧！（她還會彈鋼琴哦，有氣質吧！）
8． 。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
不知以上有沒有滿足您習慣用左腦的回答呢？
這252天中，我發現了另外更不可思議的事，除了順利圓滿完成工作與學業之外，我總共參加了以下生活的藝術課程，
1． 參加初級課程 （2004.09.14-2004.09.19），上海，六天。
2． 參加高級課程 （2004.09.14-2004.09.19），香港，五天。
3． 參加自然三摩地 （2004.09.28-2004.10.02），香港，三天。
4． 參加國際高級課程 （2005.02.09-2004.02.14），印度，六天。
5． 參加Sri Sri 瑜珈 （2005.04.23-2005.05.07），臺灣，15天。
6． 參加高級課程 （2005.09.28-2005.10.02），昆山，五天。
7． 組織兩期上海初級課程
8． 組織兩期上海自然三摩地
9． 組織與領隊兩次高級課程（香港與印度）
乖乖，光花在上課本身的時間就有40天之多，更別提那些行政、聯繫工作與往返旅程的時間，突然發現人的潛能真的很讓人目瞪口呆。這些不可能的任務完成後，還讓我獲得以上的收穫，您能說這不是恩典嗎！Jai Guru Dev！
好了，言規正傳。三次的高級課程有什麼收穫呢？老實告訴各位：
第一次， 全身酸痛，空空洞洞靜坐時，睡得東倒西歪，迷迷糊糊，雜念滿天飛，又不能講話，想打人罵人，確又不能出聲，悶死人了！
第二次， 劉姥姥進大觀園，進了印度開心的不得了，整天就趕著做艾育吠陀傳統治療，成天就想看看看、逛逛逛、買買買、吃吃吃、唱唱唱、玩玩玩，心還野在印度。
第三次， 自我突然沉寂安靜，進步突飛猛進。空空洞洞靜坐時，腳不怎麼酸，近一個鐘頭的靜坐不用伸腳換腿。精神注意力集中，五官的對外收攝有進步，雜念較少且淺，不容易粘粘在記憶中，如晴天氣爽的浮雲片片般，來來去去，不留痕跡。很爽！寶貴的知識，清楚記得什麼是三個懷疑（對自己，對技術，對上司）、四個支柱（明辨，不動心，六種財富與追求真理的欲望）、五S精神（靈修、服務、禁語、唱場與微笑）。
當然對Guru ji最後的VCD知識（創造界的珍珠）的最後兩句話最有感覺，也最感動。一是，這世界是完滿美好，沒有痛苦與哀傷。二是，如果有，請把您的困擾交給我。頓時，讓我們這些珍珠們，臉上掛出許多淚珠。
自己分析這次為何會有特別感受，有以下幾點：
1． 勤練習，從上完初級課程後，堅持頭100天不間斷的練習。之後幾乎天天練習，所以身體的淨化比較好，能量的補充較足夠，就像手機電池滿格，不怕收話時中斷，所以吸收知識與技巧較好咯。
2． 勤上課，每一個課程有不同的功效，雖課程設計簡單，但幽默放鬆效果好。在許多課程的知識和他人的分享之中，更瞭解有關生活的藝術的許多歷史，就像手機能從許多角度收到訊息，沒有死角，因為歷史與知識的收訊好，自然就更順暢咯。
3． 做服務，從初級課程後，陸陸續續展開AOL的服務工作，越是虔誠的奉獻，越是能得到越多。每週知識提到上帝是個精明的生意人，您越是錙銖必較，祂給得越少。但愈是付出，卻是愈加倍奉還，所以我也獲得了許多自己都想不到的收穫。
可能有人會說，我要工作賺錢錢兒，照顧家庭小孩兒，哪像你單身有那麼多的時間（哈哈，我先前對別人的懷疑也是如此反應）。但我走過，而且是抱著懷疑走過，但我畢竟完成且獲得我原本期望不到的更多與喜悅。這對我來說除了是能力的提升，更重要的是自信的提升，有了自信就有了安全感，而這安全感是我創造出來的，原本就是我的，我只是去行動，然後發現祂，釋放祂，讓祂自然的在我身上做工，如此而以。
課程中也體會欲望與渴望之間的不動心，人的五官感覺是有限的，但欲望卻是無限的。身體累的吃不消或不需要，但腦子還是覺得不滿足，還要更多更多，因此，心智就被眼睛、耳朵、鼻子、舌頭、身體的感覺帶著跑，跑到累得睡不著覺，造成擔心、憎恨與恐懼。
這次才真正感受到為什麼Vita說要三次以上高級課程，其效果才會顯現出來的真意。哈哈，以上是我個人的經驗分享，不代表每個人會有我這樣的過程或體驗，請大家不要期待，小心降低大家的喜悅。
感謝胡雯與永善悉心的行政安排，讓我們舒適的安心享受課程。
感謝Vita老師的無私奉獻，讓我體驗到自己不足與成長機會。
感謝玉鳳的每日瑜珈，讓我發現瑜珈的許多趣味與美感。
感謝大家的互動，創擊開我的許多盲點，讓我在心智與理智方面獲得提升與進化。
感謝我的家人的支持（尤其是媽媽），讓我能在感覺倍受支援的情況下，安心的投入課程。
感謝我自己，當機立斷的決定參加這個課程。
最後，引用Guru Ji的知識，囤積喜悅，喜悅是留不住的。喜悅的本性是分享，唯有在分享時，喜悅才會保留與成長。為了能長久保持自己的喜悅，在這裏，我將我的喜悅分享給大家。也希望大家如獲得喜悅後，也將之傳出去，讓歡慶與喜悅充滿人間。
Jai Guru Dev！
Paul, 2005年05月23日
