NEWS BRIEFS

AUGUST 2005

First Annual Veggie Fest in Naperville, Illinois

Veggie Fest, a huge celebration sharing the vegetarian way of life with several thousands of people, was held at the Science of Spirituality Center in Naperville, Illinois on Saturday, August 27th. It featured cooking classes, presentations, lectures, and food demos. A live Bluegrass band enhanced the festive atmosphere. Free samples of vegetarian foods from the Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisines delighted the palate.

A highlight of the event was Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj’s talk, "Spiritual Aspects of the Vegetarian Diet." He said what we eat affects us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. One of the basic tenets of every faith, he explained, is: "Thou shalt not kill."

Over the past several years, vegetarianism has become one of the fastest growing trends in North America. Some of the people who came to Veggie Fest were already vegetarians; many were not. Some came out of curiosity, some to learn, and many came just to have a good time. Whatever their reason, their response to the event was positive:

It's been fantastic! The best thing was the food! Veggie Fest is phenomenal;

The food was great and so was the music.

It was very family oriented; Before this event I never thought about the spiritual reasons for being a vegetarian.

Attending this festival has really opened my eyes and inspired me;

I was so pleased to meet Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj;

I have been meaning to come to the Science of Spirituality Center for years.

The event concluded with a free vegetarian buffet and a concert with world-class professional musicians.

Public Talk at Hari Om Mandir Temple

On Sunday, August 14, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj gave a talk in Hindi entitled "Sacha Sukh" or "True Happiness & Peace" at the Hari Om Mandir Temple. The Temple’s secretary introduced the spiritual Master, saying it had long been his cherished dream to have Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj speak there.

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj spoke about the different kinds of suffering a human being can have in this world: physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. When we suffer from spiritual anguish, he said, we begin to develop longing for the Lord. He spoke about Sant Tulsi Sahib's verses that say, "I have found only five gems in the entire world." The first gem is satsang or to be in the company of Truth. The second is to be in the company of the Lord. The third jewel is compassion, and this refers to the compassion we must first have of our own self. We need to find out what our true purpose is in life, to know ourselves and to find God. The fourth gem, he explained, is humility, to be able to control our own ego. The fifth gem is mercy. Only one who has something to give can have mercy, he explained.

1st National Young Adult's Day in Naperville, IL

On Friday, August 26, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj presided over the First National Young Adult's Day, attended by people 18 to 29 years of age from all over the country and abroad.

Dr. Rimjhim Duggal, one of the key organizers, described her joy about meeting together on the first Young Adult’s Day with Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj: “We can bask in the love and laughter of years past, connect with many warm memories and create countless new ones together.”

Meeting with the group, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj spoke on the aspects of harmonious communication, performing service, and relating to others. He encouraged them to live up to the highest spiritual ideals. The spiritual leader encouraged them to stick to their principles in life and to be resilient in relationships with others. We can overcome any difficulties, he said, if we keep the lines of communication open, and the key to loving communication is meditation.

A few days after this event, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated Louisiana and Mississippi, the Young Adults collected money for the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund. During the weekend of September 3rd and 4th, they raised over $10,000, with more donations pouring in.

Public Talks, Naperville, IL

"Experience Inner Vistas through Meditation" was the title and subject of Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj’s public talk given on Sunday, August 28th at the Science of Spirituality Center. He began his discourse explaining how we perceive the universe through our senses. Scientific inventions have enhanced our senses, enabling us to perceive subatomic particles he said. He further explained that the saints and mystics of all of the world's religions agree there is an existence beyond the physical world. In this scientific age, the spiritual leader said, people want proof and are not content with blind faith. The spiritual Master suggested we experiment within the laboratory of the human body. Like any good scientist, he said, we should have a working hypothesis. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj explained that the hypothesis can be stated in 3 parts: The first part suggests that God, who created all life, exists; the second part says that human beings are part of God, and as such, are conscious souls encased in the human body; the third part states that in this existence we can experience ourselves at the level of soul.

Following the talk, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj’s new book, Silken Thread of the Divine was released. It contains excerpts from talks the spiritual Master has given crisscrossing the globe where he has shared this meditation technique with world leaders, scientists, doctors, professors, educators, and religious heads and in venues including the United Nations, National Institute of Health, the United States Coast Guard, Harvard University, I.I.T., and the Vatican. This new book captures the magnitude of the spiritual Master’s message over the last 15 years of his mission and introduces to people from all walks of life the practice of meditation and spiritual living.

"Spiritual Cyberspace" was the theme of Sant Rajinder Singh Ji's special Internet broadcast, transmitted worldwide, on Sunday, August 21, from the Science of Spirituality Center. The spiritual Master began by commemorating the memory of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj who physically left the earth in 1974. He remarked that people in the West know more about spirituality today because of the life and teachings of this great spiritual Master.

Turning to the subject of technology, he compared the basic principles of a computer with how a soul works. Just as a computer needs a master programmer to make it function, so, too, the soul has a Master Programmer who is God; likewise, just as a computer needs a basic program or operating system to run, each soul is given a fundamental program by God: to be non-violent, ethical, truthful, humble, full of selfless service, purity, compassion, and love. This is how we are supposed to operate, he said.

As human beings, we also put other programs into our system based on our interests and needs. Just as a computer may have a program that does accounting or diagnostics, we, too, have programs based on our needs. Also, as we are in this physical world, we come under the domain of the universal mind which is putting more programs and viruses into our being, making us malfunction. We find instead of being loving and non-violent, we are filled with anger, attachment and ego. In the computer industry, as well, computer systems are hit with spam or junk mail; this is what happens to us. Not only do we get viruses, but also we get junk mail from the universal mind and waste time with the outer attractions that become distractions from our goal of self-knowledge and God-realization. To deal with these viruses and spam that invade our soul, he said, we go to satsangs (spiritual meetings) and sit in meditation on the inner Light and Sound of God so we can be cleansed and recharged spiritually.

On Sunday, September 4, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj’s talk also was broadcast to centers throughout the world. He began his talk by saying during the month of September we celebrate the birth anniversary of Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj whose poetry revealed the intricacies of the spiritual path. Then he spoke about the fact that when our attention is drawn into the spiritual region, we become oblivious to all other pains, be they physical, mental, or emotional. This happens because our attention, turned within, becomes imbued with spirit.

On Sunday, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj departed for Delhi, India.

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