Baba Hariji addressed to the gathering in the Sonoma Ashram during last Divali. Since it is the month of Divali we are happy to print that talk in this issue.

On this auspicious evening of Divali I'd like to welcome you. If you are familiar with the story of Ramayan, the famous Indian epic, Ram had to go to the forest in order to honor his fatherês words. He spent 14 years in the forest where he experienced all kinds of difficulties came. His wife was abducted and with the help of Hanuman and other characters he was able to go to Lanka, defeat Ravan and bring his wife back. On this day, at the end of the 14th year, came the end of the big battle. When he returned back home his mother and the whole kingdom were so happy that they decorated the whole town with lights, with lamps. Ever since decorating homes with lights on this day became a custom in India. It's a beautiful festival.

When we are not in touch with our virtues of love, kindness, acceptance, tolerance, forgiveness etc. we too find ourselves in exile from our kingdom, from our palace, from the company of our loved ones. How sweet it feels when we truly accept someone just the way they are, when there is no resistance. How sweet it feels when I truly overlook their weakness, when I truly overlook their limitedness, whatever they are limited by. If I just overlook it and accept them I am able to taste how sweet it feels and how rich we feel too. On the other hand, if we begin to look at the weakness, at the fault in the other person we are not even aware of that particular sweetness. We get in my own head, my own groove, Iêm become so negative. And that is the characteristic of wretchedness, really.

Ram was in exile from his home only for 14 years in the forest fighting with the Asura race. Freeing his wife Sita from the clutches of Ravan, he came back on this day. It is also a symbol that if you have been in exile from yourself it is the day to come back home, to acknowledge that part of the Self that is very real. It is the part of the divine essence in you which gets covered up under all the long list of obligations and identifications. Acknowledge that part of yourself that is also you, which is so pure, so still, unattached, has no name, has no age, it is eternal: a remembrance of that part of the Self is truly coming back home!

Sometimes when we are not in touch with our center, our focus, our deep Self we feel as if we are in exile from ourselves for much longer than 14 years. Each day seems very long. May we find 5-10 minutes everyday to remember that. Just detaching myself from everything. Just for 5 minutes I come back in that cave of my heart and sit with that remembrance.

Remember, there are two aspects of human life: first I am a family person, I have children, a spouse, then I have jobs. I have many things to deal with - many hats to put on. But there is one more hat to put on which is the Self. I know it is difficult, but remember to take that one-minute, 4-5 minutes, 10 minutes everyday and, locating that time in whatever way you want to, express it, remember it. It is very beneficial.

Divali is a very meaningful festival. It's the day of the new moon. Astrologically it is the darkest night of the year. But we light our own lamp. No matter how much darkness is out there. We have the capacity to bring light in our lives and in our homes. On this day every single room, every single corner in the house will have a lamp brought to it. If you are a farmer, you bring lamps in your fields. Farmers go and light lamps where they store their farm equipment. A carpenter gathers his tools and lights a lamp there. A student gathers his books and lights a lamp there. Whatever your trade is, whatever is meaningful in your life today is the day to acknowledge that with the symbol of lighting a lamp there is no darkness of any kind. But most of all we bring this light into our heart. We visualize that light burning, spreading light within us in the form of richness, the virtues we have.

Today is also one of those days when people offer their respect, their worship, their reverence to the divine in the form of Lakshmi (wealth). If one wants to have more money, riches Divali is the most auspicious and special day. On this day people do Lakshmi puja by singing songs and offering flowers and some lamps. We try to please that goddess of wealth, "Oh mother, please come to me!" But most of all the real richness that we are concerned with is the wealth of the virtues that we have, the richness of our heart.

There is so much space in our heart for tolerance, acceptance and forgiveness. We feel so rich whenever we bring these virtues into practice in our life. That kind of richness can never be purchased at any cost. Nothing can make us feel better. When we truly come from that place in our heart, from there arise forgiveness, acceptance, tolerance, giving others a chance to express. This is the true wealth. This is the true Lakshmi. So, on this first day of the year we remember Maha Lakshmi. This is the beginning. We begin our New Year with the remembrance of the true wealth that we have. I am capable of touching that richness that lies dormant within me.

The lamp is a symbol of those virtues. Light of those virtues within us. A home which is free of any quarrel, free of arguments, kalah! How sweet it feels when family members sit and are able to laugh together, be happy together. That home is very pleasing to Lakshmi. So, on this day of Divali, we start our New Year by touching these virtues, remembering them, bringing them in our lives, hopefully daily, little by little.

On this auspicious day I'd like to wish each and everyone present here a very happy meaningful year ahead. My one and only wish is may we all live peacefully together. This is what this world really needs: more peace! Maybe other parts of the world are not capable of having that peace, so much strife, so many calamities, tornadoes, storms, floods, but at least in this place we are capable of cultivating that peace. It is our duty, in a way, to be content, to be peaceful.

In Indian mythology, three main races are mentioned: Gods or Demigods, who live in a place where there is no aging, where there is no scarcity of anything, everything is in abundance. There is no sickness, there is no old age, there is no suffering. They are also called Devas or demi-gods.

Then there are Rakshasas. Rakshasas are very powerful, strong, rich, and just a bit strayed from the path. In mythology they are depicted as very cruel, torturing others, having lots of fun to themselves. Ravana was one of them. He was very scholarly, knowledgeable, a very powerful warrior, knew all the scriptures, yet, he was a little derailed from the path and became a Rakshasas.

Once, Devas, Rakshasas, and human beings, all three races were very unhappy, very dissatisfied with themselves. They all went to Brahma, the grandpa, the creator, and told him, "We are very unhappy, please give us some teaching". Brahma listened to them for awhile and all he said was Da (as in "the").

Everyone got his or her message from that. The gods got the message: Da meaning daman or abstinence. Moderation in sensory delights, sensual delights. Because gods had everything, there were plenty of things available to them so most of their time was spent in gratifying their sensory organs and senses, and that had become the cause of their discontent because there is a limit to that too. So, when the Grandpa says Da meaning daman which could also be taken as moderation or curb your desire, they got their messages and went back to their world.

Then Rakshasas (anti-gods), they also got the message "Da" which stands for daya, which means kindness and compassion. "Have a little compassion for those who are weaker than you. This will be your sadhana." Rakshasas got their message and went to their world.

Humans also got the message, Da was taken as daan, give. Giving is not only giving money. There is a much larger feel.. Give yourself to others. Putting others interests first, putting others first. Putting others happiness before our happiness. Daan, that is the true Daan. True gift of true giving. For this time and age, kaliyuga, Daan is the message for humankind: to bring peace, happiness and contentment in our life. Otherwise, if we are always putting ourselves first, our own interests first, our own likes it becomes the cause of our discontent.

I share this story with you just for this reason: may we give ourselves a small commitment for this New Year; a vow to get in touch with our own virtues. I pray to Maha Lakshmi, that Great Unknown, who is beyond any name and form yet resides within us in the form of our virtues that I see manifest through us in her various forms and I wish you a very happy, happy, New Year and good days ahead. There is going to be another New Year ahead in a couple of months. Everyday is a New Year!

I would like to wish each and every one a very meaningful year ahead. A very rich year ahead, filled with love, laughter, friends, riches, whatever one asks for and may we continue to be present for each other. May we grow together. May the blessings of all the great beings keep coming towards us.

Meet the faces at the Ashram:

Through this column we salute the special individuals at the Ashram:

Pamela McDonald

That day Pam McDonald had no idea that she was coming to an Ashram. But these kinds of things never happen by chance. Ellen (her roommate) and Pam were just looking for some yoga instruction. Ellen had found an article about Babaji that she had torn out from the newspaper a year earlier. Strange ways of karma! They called, but at that time Baba was in India; yoga classes by tape only. They waited until he came back.

Their first yoga class was in the house next door to the Ashram, and eventually they dared to attend their first arati. They were scared: standing shoulder to shoulder in a tiny room. They were handed the prayer book and somehow they began "singing" in Hindi and "reading" Sanskrit (Pam is still "reading"...). It was 1995. But what was most intimidating? When everybody started bowing in front of the big picture of Sarkar Baba. This is all true. Pam was really not going to bow, but her higher Self told her, "It's OK". She has been bowing ever since...

Pam is on the Board of Directors of the Ashram and fulfills the duties of the Secretary. For Pam the Ashram is where she LEARNS, where her TEACHER IS, and being a teacher herself she truly acknowledges this. She was in the US Peace Corps 1992-1994 (Hungary), and now she teaches English as a second language and US citizenship to adults in Napa. Being at the Ashram for Pam means home, friends, community and most of all practicing how to Be.

ASHRAM NEWS AND EVENTS

Divali (Festival of Lights)Thursday Oct 26th

Full Moon: Saturday Nov 11th

Baba's Mahasamadhi week: Nov 21-Nov 28th