Looking forward to
A Sweet Surprise 2014. This year's Message,
Mantra Japa, has advanced my
sadhana by leaps and bounds.
I love you, Gurumayi.
New York, USA
Swami Akhandananda’s letter inspired a contemplation, which culminated in this realization: Yes, I traverse the journey of my life within the realm of time. Yet through her Message, Gurumayi teaches and guides me so that I may— in this very body—reach beyond the temporal to touch the timeless.
How perfect it is at the moment when I am so aware of time's passing (another year older!) that I have the opportunity to receive my Guru's Message that will enable me to go within and experience my own eternal nature—as all her Messages have always done.
New Mexico, USA
Saprem Guru smarana.
Swami Akhandananda has so nicely articulated the glory of
Mantra Japa.
The power of the mantra keeps one connected with the Guru. I experienced this during the year, and I could understand what benefits one receives by following the Guru’s words.
Trying to implicitly obey the Guru's instructions, I was able to experience the unimaginable power of my practices. Obeying her words, I made small, specific, and scheduled steps, focused on them, and found my heart filled with joy.
We are fortunate to listen to Shri Gurumayi's Message on January 1, when we will all be united in the universal hall to participate in the Global Siddha Yoga Satsang,
A Sweet Surprise. I await that moment.
Cuttack, India
I loved having this reminder of how rich this year has been for our
sadhana—and for uniting the global Siddha Yoga
sangham through our study of Gurumayi's Message,
Mantra Japa. And I really appreciated the historical vista that Swamiji painted for us, demonstrating in telling detail just how rare and precious is every component of the Siddha Yoga path —from the eternal bond we have with Gurumayi, our
jagadguru, to the unprecedented way in which the Siddha Yoga path website facilitates the dissemination of her teachings, even to the detailed instructions on how to use
japa malas.
What a great destiny it is to follow the Siddha Yoga path in the 21
st century!
Illinois, USA
In 1989, after I had been offering
seva in Gurudev Siddha Peeth and Shree Muktananda Ashram for some time, I returned home and began to put into practice in my life what I had learned.
I began a lifelong journey of saying the mantra as often as I could remember; I took
japa walks; and I learned that I could meditate anywhere.
It has become second nature to me now to repeat the mantra while washing dishes, cutting vegetables, gardening, or even in times of stress or anxiety when I need to quiet my mind. When people tell me they have trouble sitting still for meditation, I tell them they can say the mantra in a walking meditation, which I learned when I was in the Ashram.
I am so grateful, Gurumayi, for your unconditional and all-pervasive love.
New York, USA
When I read the phrases,
Connecting us to the Guru's grace …Stilling the mind … Revealing the light of the Heart … Protecting … Leading us to liberation, I remembered that these five magnificent benefits of
mantra japa had been identified during
A Sweet Surprise 2013. And I recalled that my response was, "Wow! What else could one want?!? It's time for me to expand my practice of
mantra japa!"
From this sweet reminder of my experience on January 1, 2013, Swamiji's letter then led me to look back over the year, and to appreciate, once again, just how alive and vibrant my
sadhana has become through being able to study
mantra japa every day through the amazing, inspiring, ever-new postings on the Siddha Yoga website.
And so, when I reached Swamiji's enthusiastic invitation to show up – and be present for – the next
A Sweet Surprise satsang on January 1, 2014, there could be only one response:
Count me in!
Connecticut, USA
Thank you, Swami Akhandananda, for so eloquently expressing in your letter the gratitude I have been feeling inside. I was feeling a bit sad that the year of
Mantra Japa would be over. Yet what Gurumayi has given us is certainly not limited to this year—it is eternal.
May each of us forever cherish the exquisite gift of
Mantra Japa from our beloved Gurumayi.
Florida, USA
Thank you, Swamiji, for your sharing through this letter. Just by reading your letter, I am able to reconnect with the gratitude I experienced during the Intensive when I received
mantra diksha from Gurumayi.
I am so fortunate to have a
sadguru in my life and to be able to study and practice her teachings.
Thank you so very much, Gurumayi. Thank you for the guidance that I have received from within. And, yes, I am waiting for the first day of 2014, when I am going to receive my Guru’s Message.
Gurudev Siddha Peeth
This year, more than ever, I have come to recognize how fortunate I am to be alive and following the teachings of a
jagadguru.
I’ve experienced being exquisitely guided throughout the year. As I applied the many grace-filled ways Gurumayi gave us to understand and practice
mantra japa, I started to notice the mantra repeating itself within me. This experience has continued and grown.
I now find that every time I become still and center myself, the mantra arises from within me. And I have become more clear-minded, responsive to others, capable, and kind—more the person I’ve always wanted to be.
Thank you, Gurumayi. And thank you, Swami Akhandananda, for your lucid letter.
Wisconsin, USA