NEWS BRIEFS

MAY 2007

Stop in Miami, Florida

On April 19, 2007, en route to Colombia, South America, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj stopped in Miami, Florida for a few hours, meeting with people at the nearby Marriott Airport Hotel. He reminisced about the 2006/07 New Year program in Orlando, Florida then invited spiritual questions from the audience. When asked to compare Science of Spirituality with other spiritual paths and religions, he replied in Science of Spirituality the emphasis is on having inner experience of the divine Light and Sound of God. This path is not trying to change people on the outside, he explained, but to help them experience the reality within. He concluded by emphasizing the importance of filling out a spiritual diary wherein we track our thoughts and words and the deeds we commit daily that interfere with our spiritual development. The more we meditate, he said, the sweeter and sweeter the results will be. He then put the audience into meditation.

Tour of Colombia, South America, April 19 – 25, 2007

On April 19, 2007, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj arrived in Cali, Colombia where he was greeted by a delegate from the office of the mayor of the city of Palmira who presented the spiritual Master with a decree declaring him a “Guest of Honor” to the city. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj’s first stop was at Kirpal Ashram in Cali, where he was welcomed by loving and enthusiastic crowd. His greeting, “Bendiciones para todos en Cali” (blessings to all in Cali), met with loud applause. He said although it has been nine years since my last visit, it seems like only yesterday. He then spoke about the path of Sant Mat which is understood differently by different people. He said God’s love is unlimited, and once we experience this love, we realize that it is without end. Because we live at the level of the mind and senses, we don’t realize how tremendously God loves each one of us, but when we sit in meditation, our attention is drawn toward the Lord. He explained that the journey of the soul is the mystic’s journey, and as we go on this inner voyage our real self unfolds.

MEETING WITH THE CHIEF MAGISTRATE OF CALI - On April 20th, Maria Eugenia Lozano, leader of magistrates in Cali, and seven other magistrates met with the spiritual Master. They spoke about many of the difficulties in their city and asked him for help in solving them. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj replied it is his prayer that compassion blossom in the hearts of everyone creating the difficulties, and that all people begin to understand we are all interconnected. Often, he said, we think we are different from others because our outside appearances are different; we forget we are all children of God. When we sit in meditation and experience the inner Light and Sound of God, we emanate love, not pain. First we must be peaceful—even a drop of peace will expand and spread to the whole environment.

INAUGARATION OF THE FIRST DARSHAN ACADEMY IN CALI - Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj inaugurated the first Darshan Academy in Colombia on April 20th. Held at Kirpal Ashram in Cali, the ceremony opened with the national anthems of both Colombia and India. In India, he said, there are 15 Darshan Academies. Whereas in most schools emphasis is placed only on academics and physical development, there needs to be a development of the soul. Darshan Academy emphasizes spiritual development alongside the ethical virtues of love, peace, compassion, harmony and forgiveness. Children learn to meditate daily, and as they connect with God within themselves, they realize that the Lord exists in all humanity. The Mayor of Cali, Dr. Apolinar Salcedo Caicedo, spoke next. He said, “I have been blind since childhood, but physical blindness can be overcome with Braille and a stick and a blind’s man guide. Blindness of the heart due to greed, hatred, revenge and violence cannot be overcome. I had lost hope that we could ever reach peace and harmony in our country. But God has listened to our prayers and has sent us Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj in order to light the light in the tunnel in order to overcome our spiritual blindness.” Afterward, the education supervisor from the Ministry of Education, Hector Orlando, spoke, saying with a new generation, we can bring about a new world.

TELEVISION INTERVIEW - Later that day, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj was interviewed by Prensa TV for a news program called “90 minutes” (similar to the program “60 minutes” in the U.S). When asked about the connection between his work as a scientist and his message of spirituality, the spiritual Master replied that science and spirituality are not dissimilar. Whereas science tries to unravel the mystery of life on this earth, spirituality is the mother of all sciences. He explained that in science we begin with a hypothesis and perform experiments to refute or prove our hypothesis. Likewise, in spirituality we begin with a hypothesis that God is the Creator and our true self is not the body or the mind but the soul. When we practice meditation, he said, we are performing an experiment at the level of our soul. He was then asked how to counteract violence. Through the method of meditation, he explained, we experience a stability that does not exist in this world. Once we realize that we are a part of God, we achieve a level of peace that is eternal. This peace will radiate to those we come in contact with and begin a process of transformation in our societies and in the world around us.

VISIT TO A SCHOOL - On April 23, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj visited a school where the Darshan Academy curriculum is being used and where the students have been meditating for three years. Principal Juan Guillermo Gonzales said, “We are seeing great advances in our children because they practice meditation with their families and at school.”

Speaking to the faculty and students, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj said he was pleased to see that the spiritual curriculum was being taught alongside other academic subjects. We are full of the Light and love of God, he continued, and when we connect with the love and bliss within ourselves, it flows to everyone around.

INAUGURATION OF KIRPAL ASHRAM IN MEDELLIN - Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj also inaugurated Kirpal Ashram in Medellin. He said we come to an ashram to attend satsang (spiritual discourses), meditate and do selfless service so we can grow spritually. The more we come, the more we will be focused on our spiritual goals.

TELEVISED TALK TO THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF COFFEE GROWERS - On April 25, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj again appeared on TV. He said the way to overcome our problems is to develop a new angle of vision. He explained further that we should not give up our good habits even if others don’t change their bad habits. People make mistakes, but we need to forgive and forget. He said if we learn to change, and if we are patient, then all our efforts will be rewarded. The spiritual Master spoke about how, through education, we can bring about a more peaceful world. Each one of us wants to be peaceful, he said, but we forget that others feel the same way. The future lies in the hands of our children. When children learn the art of meditation, not only does their concentration improve but their interactions become more loving. He concluded that if we teach ethical values in our schools, then in the next thirty to forty years we could begin to experience heaven on earth.

24th International Conference on Human Unity

For more information about Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj and the 24th International Conference on Human Unity, click here.

25th International Conference on Human Unity

For more information about Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj and the 25th International Conference on Human Unity, click here.

Return to Naperville, Illinois

On May 8, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj returned to the Science of Spirituality Center in Naperville, Illinois. He greeted everyone and spoke about his trip to South America. He also talked about the spiritual path and how to improve our inner spiritual experiences through meditation so that our belief will become faith. We need to experience the Truth, he said. If we read a book, we may still have questions, but once we have an experience then we know for certain.

MOTHER'S DAY PROGRAM - In the United States, the second Sunday of May has been designated as “Mother’s Day,” a national holiday which became official in 1914. This year a special Mother’s Day program was held at the Science of Spirituality Center in Naperville with Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj presiding over the festivities.

The program opened with a spiritual discourse broadcast over the internet throughout the world. When we think about mothers, he said, we think about love. Likewise, we are all in this world to experience the love of God. He then explained a verse by Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj describing the kind of love we should have for God:

There is no change in the state of love;

My world knows no dusk and no dawn.

Everything in this world changes, but Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj makes the exception that love knows no change. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj outlined those characteristics embodied by the saints and mystics that we should try to acquire in our own lives: be totally focused on God; live in the current moment; see God everywhere, in everything and in everyone; and live in timelessness, where every moment is focused on God. Then, he said, every day and every night will become the season of love for us. In closing, he prayed that our life be full of the love of God and that we experience the Lord at each and every moment.

For more information about Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj and his schedule, click here.