About Blessings to Treasure​

Since March of this year, the global Siddha Yoga sangham has received the invitation to participate in many “Be in the Temple” satsangs, and in so doing, to better learn and understand how to strengthen their sadhana during the global pandemic.

If you have been participating in “Be in the Temple,” you will have noticed a remarkable element at the conclusion of quite a few of these satsangs. I’m referring, of course, to the exquisite videos that convey Gurumayi’s teachings about sadhana and her guidance for how to manage all that may be taking place within you. Gurumayi has titled these videos Blessings to Treasure.

Yes—what you have been receiving at the conclusion of the “Be in the Temple” satsangs are, most certainly, teachings from Gurumayi, and they are also her blessings. They are her prasad. On the Siddha Yoga path, when we receive anything from the Guru as prasad, its fruit is manifold.

For me, every word Gurumayi says matters. And it’s not just because I’m a writer and I pay attention to language; it’s not just because I’m endlessly enthralled by the sheer beauty of Gurumayi’s teachings (though I certainly am!). It is because, in Gurumayi’s words, I experience her grace; I experience her love, her compassion, her intention for everyone’s upliftment.

So this is what I feel when I take in Gurumayi’s teachings and blessings from “Be in the Temple.” And it’s what I feel when I reflect on the title that Gurumayi has given to them. Blessings to Treasure. In the very words of this title, Gurumayi is once again giving us her blessings.

I’ve also been drawn to explore the meaning of this title. I find that Gurumayi’s phrasing implies a gentle effort, a subtle action of a particular kind. These are blessings—and they are blessings to do something with. They are blessings to treasure.

When it’s used as a verb, treasure has two related definitions. It means to regard something as precious—to cherish it, to prize it. It also refers to storing or retaining something, particularly in your mind, for future use. To treasure these blessings, therefore, is to hold them in your mind and heart, to assimilate their wisdom such that they become an anchor, a touchstone for you—especially at this time when it can feel like the very world is becoming unmoored. To treasure these blessings is to heed the direction in them and thereby gain the assurance that, yes, there is a way forward, even when things feel like they’re at a standstill. To treasure these blessings is to remember that no matter what is happening in the world around you, or what is fluctuating in the worlds within you—you are on the Siddha Yoga path. You have been blessed by the Guru’s grace. You have a support system, complete unto itself, in the Siddha Yoga practices. All you have to do is pause, and breathe, and ruminate on a teaching. And then—just watch what happens. A light is lit. The road before you is clear. Your goal is not just visible; it hasn’t just emerged from the fog and coalesced into a precise and discernible form—it’s within your reach.

I have no doubt that all of you, the Siddha Yogis and new seekers throughout the world, have been cherishing Gurumayi’s teachings and blessings, and implementing them in your sadhana. I often find myself remembering a particular phrase or stanza from Blessings to Treasure—it lingers in some recess of my mind long after satsang has concluded. And as I become aware of this happening and start contemplating the teaching in earnest, it gradually sheds light on some part of myself that I hadn’t even known was in need of illumination, exploration, rediscovery. We are in a period right now when, individually and collectively, we’re being called to do introspection. I’ve seen that by studying Gurumayi’s teachings, by receiving her blessings, I’ve been able to do the most productive kind of inquiry—inquiry into who I am; how I understand the world; what steps I’m taking toward my goal as a student on the spiritual path; and how I can make use of all that I have been given, all the tools in my possession, to truly be of service at this time.

Many people have been wishing to revisit Blessings to Treasure, so that they can be absolutely certain of what Gurumayi said and further contemplate the mandates that Gurumayi has given in these blessings. The impetus for their wish—what impels their longing—is nothing more or less than an ardent desire to live by Gurumayi’s words. If this has been your wish, then I hope you consider it fulfilled. And—I hope your heart is at peace.