NEWS BRIEFS

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2003/4

Christmas Celebration in Naperville
On Thursday, December 25th, 2003, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj held a holiday program at the Science of Spirituality Center in Naperville, Illinois. It featured a special Christmas discourse followed by a vegetarian dinner and holiday celebrations. The Center was filled beyond capacity with visitors from all over the world who had come to spend the holiday season with the internationally recognized spiritual Master. Two days later, the Oak Brook Marriott was the setting for a longer holiday program that extended through New Year’s Day. “Let Go and Get God!" was its theme. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj began the event with a welcome talk, in which he stated that during the upcoming year we should forgive and forget, a process that holds the key to unlocking the divine treasures within. "Let go and get God," he explained means we need to let go and be compassionate to the one we're forgiving. We have to forget their mistakes, because when we are compassionate, we get the grace of God and peace of mind.

On Sunday, December 28th, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj’s discourse began with a hymn sung by Mata Rita Ji on the verses of Sant Kabir Sahib. Discoursing on these, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj explained that we need to live according to the highest spiritual principles and spend time in meditation so that we can reach our goal of self-knowledge and God-realization in this lifetime. Each day of the program, the spiritual leader gave a talk and then put everyone into meditation. During these daily discourses, he detailed the steps that we need to take to succeed in our meditations and maximize our spiritual growth.

On Monday, he spoke about how to improve in our ethical living by changing our habits and spending time in meditation. He said we are accustomed to our bad habits, so we have to make an active choice to go to the regions of Light. On Tuesday, he spoke in detail about the importance of keeping a steady gaze in meditation. The Persian word for God, he said, is Khuda, or One who comes of His own accord. Likewise, we should wait lovingly and longingly for the manifestations of the Divine in our meditations. On Wednesday, he talked about the bliss that awaits us when we connect to the inner divine harmonies. Just as a radio can be tuned to different stations, he said, we have the choice to get entangled in the station of the world or we can listen to God's heavenly music. New Year’s Eve featured a cultural program of song and poetry. It began with a verse written by Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj: "Now is the time to heal our suffering." Talented performers from around the world presented devotional music and poetry. At the close of the evening, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj read his New Year's Message and shared the slogan for the year: "Meditate More in 2004!" He emphasized the importance of putting ethical virtues into our lives, which come, he said, when we practice "Let go and Get God." The audience then greeted the New Year by sitting in meditation. At the conclusion of the evening, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj walked through the ballroom and greeted everyone personally.

Global Internet Broadcast
On December 7th, 2003, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj's Sunday discourse was broadcast through the internet to over sixty-four centers throughout the world. Expounding on verses written by Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj conveyed their deep spiritual significance. He said the writings of Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj are embedded with the truth and knowledge of the Divine. Rather than merely understand his verses, he declared, we should realize them in our own lives. He also spoke about creation, saying that the essence of God exists in its beauty and diversity. We need to have tolerance and respect for all forms of life, for each and everything has a purpose.

Visit to Miami, Florida
From Wednesday, December 10th through Thursday, December 11th, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj and Mata Rita Ji visited the beautiful city of Miami. Miami's leading newspaper, The Miami Herald, ran a feature article that detailed Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj message of "inner and outer peace through meditation." Consequently, a large audience attended the spiritual leader’s public talk on Wednesday evening, entitled "Meditation for Peace and Happiness." This talk centered on the theme that material objects and worldly pursuits can never bring us the peace and fulfillment that we're looking for. The spiritual leader explained that true happiness can only come from our spirit or soul. He concluded the talk by putting the everyone into meditation. Recognizing the large and vibrant Latin American community in South Florida, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj’s Thursday evening talk was simultaneously translated into Spanish. The hall was filled with people as the spiritual leader spoke about the true happiness that can be found within. He exhorted everyone to spend time in meditation so that they could prove within their own selves the inner mystical truths. He reminded everyone that when such mystics as St. Paul said "I die daily," they were speaking of their inner experiences¾experiences that we too can have through meditation. Afterward, he initiated many people, connecting them with the inner Light and Sound of God.

Visit to Trinidad
On Friday, December 12th, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj and Mata Rita Ji flew to Port of Spain, Trinidad. His first discourse, given to a capacity crowd at the Hindu Credit Union Conference Center on Saturday, December 13th, was based on a hymn of Mira Bai and broadcast on radio throughout the island. In his Sunday talk, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj said when we go to school we learn that 1+1= 2, but in spirituality, 1+1=1: our soul is one, and God is one, and both together equal one.

Meeting with the President of Trinidad On Monday, December 15, the spiritual leader was invited to meet with the president of Trinidad, His Excellency President George Maxwell Richards. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj His Excellency expressed his sincere interest in Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj's work and the positive message he had for the people of Trinidad. The two shared their belief in the importance of inculcating respect for differences in culture, religion, and backgrounds.

When the president asked about Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj's spiritual message, the spiritual leader replied that spirituality teaches us there is something beyond this world. Millions of people who had near-death experiences report, after they were declared clinically dead and before they were revived by medical practitioners, they experienced something beyond this world. They all reported similar experiences: that there is a world of Light beyond this world, that there is a loving presence that embraced them, and that they can exist beyond the death of their physical body. They all came back transformed by the experience.

The president spoke of the need for people to live in harmony and the need to improve education among the young. He was impressed to learn about the period of meditation and ethical studies that Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj had established in the Darshan Academy schools operating in India. The two shared their mutual backgrounds in the field of engineering. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj explained how he was able to find similarities both in science and spirituality. He said we can use the technique of science, in which one must test the theory for one's self, as a way to test the truths of spirituality. We can carry out the experiment of spirituality in the laboratory of the human body. In both science and spirituality, we must experience the proof for ourselves.

On December 16, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj and Mata Rita Ji returned to Chicago.