Guru Purnima Retreat – June/July 2009

Contributed by Sumanasa Daren

JAYA GURUDEV!

I sit in the Matsyendranath temple with a delicate warm breeze caressing my skin, meditating upon the clouds as they float by the most beautiful green mountains. The elements are harmonized both internally and externally and I am infused with a sense of mystery yet understanding, awe yet belongingness, love and inspiration. I am home.

My visit to Kailash Akhara during the Guru Purnima retreat proved to be one of the most expansive periods of my life. On a personal level I experienced the joy of relaxing many of the roles that I assume on a daily basis, uncovering much of the inherent freedom and fullness that lies beneath. I realized that for a Tantrik practitioner in an urban setting such retreats are paramount to one’s spiritual unfolding.

Once the formal retreat began and I eased into the practice of Guru yoga I began to understand Dharmanidhi as an icon of Essence, a real-life expression of what exists within me, within all of us, and begs for its freedom. As we lived, practiced and worked together, Guru yoga began to bear fruit. Each day that passed facilitated an emptying of my karmic limitations and a deeper harmonizing with the nature that hosted us, so that I began to experience the possibility of being filled by the grace of Guru, the Parampara, Essence itself. What ensued was more joy and more ease and the possibility of glancing into my personality display, or who I will eventually be when I am no longer led by the conditioned patterning of my karma.

One of the most special moments during the retreat was the arrival of Matsyendranath. His timely appearance sent waves of excitement through Kailash Akhara as there was some uncertainty as to the itinerary for our most honored guest. As he was carefully unpacked, step-by-step his Presence began to radiate throughout the temple. Even before the beautiful installation ceremony, performed by Sri Rami Sivan and Dharmanidhi, the aliveness and inspiration of this Mahasiddha were felt by all; Another icon of Essence urging each of us towards Self-Realization.

Finally the day of Guru Purnima radiated magic, beginning with the 5am installation, followed later that morning by Guru puja. While it is always magnificent to participate in ceremonies performed by Rami, what really made this event special for me was the presence of the local community. First of all, it enabled me to understand the universality of Tantra in a way that is not possible when practicing in our own backyards; the Thai community seemed to absorb the brilliance of the ceremony as much as we did. Secondly, it was heartwarming to be a part of the introduction of the local Thai community and our kula.

While I learned much about Guru yoga during this short retreat, one of the major lessons that I internalized is the pervasiveness of the Guru tattva and our inherent potential within it. I was honored to participate in one of the volunteer programs already active through Adi Yoga and Kailash Akhara, by teaching yoga to the nurses at the local hospital. This is only a fraction of the services that Adi Yoga will be offering free of charge, others include: training Thai nurses from all over the country to teach yoga, teaching yoga to HIV patients, teaching permaculture to local farmers, teaching English and more. As a kula we have massive global potential if each and every one of us were to mimic even a fraction of the example that Dharmanidhi has set before us, not only in Thailand, but with his many years of selfless service before that. I’m not sure that I ever really understood that while practicing Tantra in its beginning stages seems to be solely for the purpose of enlightenment, soon it instinctively inspires us to facilitate the betterment of the world and its inhabitants.

Guru Yoga is said to be the most essential practice, for when we graft with the Guru we too become Siva. Guru Purnima at Kailash Akhara lent itself to the possibility of this enlightened experience and infused in me the unequivocal inspiration to follow this path to completion.

Tat Astu! Sivo Ham! Jaya Gurudev!

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