UP CLOSE & PERSONAL : Winter Spiritual Retreat by an unique Community Paras Dharma Ashram

INVITATION FOR A WEEK LONG SPIRITUAL RETREAT

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Days filled yogic practices, meditation and the service. Visits to powerful spiritual centers in and around Rishikesh, Kushinagar and Varanasi, where you will have a chance to experience your inner peace. A trek along holy river Ganges in Himalaya to attune yourself to the nature. A day spent in meditation and a silent walk in the pristine surrounding of Buddha's Nirvana Temple in Kushinagar. Or take a leisurely boat ride on the softly flowing Ganges in the holy city of Varanasi and watch the world famous Ganga Aarti of thousands of oil lamps on the Varanasi Ghat. During the retreat, you will also have an opportunity to visit a village in remote corner of eastern Uttar Pradesh near Kushinagar to undergo a training program in the service of rural village folks.

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The bi-annual Winter and Summer Spiritual Retreats is organized, for a limited group of only 25 ‘pre-selected’ participants, by a unique community and Non-Profit Organization and Trust “Paras Dharma Ashram” which is based out of Kushinagar.

Triveni Ghat - Rishikesh

The organization believes in over all spiritual growth through selfless service along with powerful meditation techniques and yogic practices. To inculcate these ideas and the thought process as well as to train aspiring people, who believe in spirituality and selfless service, the organization has created A well co-ordinated Winter and Summer Spiritual Retreats of ‘One’ and ‘Two’ Weeks Duration.

The organization also subsidizes the cost of participants to some extent as well as also sponsors various competition to select deserving participants of creative and spiritually focused attitude. Currently, the organization has initiated a contest “Write A Haiku on Spirituality” in Haiku Group at Google+ (Click here to win an all expense paid one week ‘Winter Spiritual Retreat’)

WINTER SPIRITUAL RETREAT (2014)

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This will be organized Between 3^rd Week of Dec, 2014 to 4^th Week of Dec, 2014

ONE WEEK DURATION

(Rishikesh/Kushinagar)

Day One:

Reach Rishikesh in the afternoon and after lunch walk alongside the Holy River Ganges and visit many of the ashrams on the way. Spend an idyllic time at the Triveni Ghat and close the day with a great dinner at German Bakery.

Day Two:

Divine Life training / River Rafting in the River Ganges / 15KM trek to one of the most powerful temple of Shiva on top of a hill

Day Three:

Travel to Kushinagar Via Delhi

Maha Nirvana Temple of Buddha at Kushinagar

Day Four:

Reach Kushinagar – One of the most holy place of Buddhism, where Buddha attained Nirvana. Explore the Temple, attend Mantra Chanting. Visit the local town and end the day with your favorite Chinese / Japanese / Thai dishes for lunch and dinner.

Day Five:

Meditation with Buddhist Monks / Training in Tantra Meditation / Pranic Healing

Day Six:

Training in Yogic Sadhana / Praanayaam / Vippasana

Day Seven:

Service in Village – Teaching at village school / Preparing and serving lunch and clothes / Providing medical health care etc.

Day Eight:

Arrival at Delhi

TWO WEEK DURATION (Rishikesh/Kushinagar/Varanasi)

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An extension of the program days at both the centers i.e. Rishikesh and Kushinagar, with an inclusion of two day yoga initiation and practice in the holy city of Varanasi. Register for more details…

NOTE: The above program is provisional. The final schedule and program will be confirmed to the participants on 1^st Dec, 2013.

REGISTRATION:

Myanmar Temple Kushinagar

The organization “Paras Dharma Ashram” preselects the participants for the Winter or Summer Spiritual Retreats for One or Two week program. This selection process is based on the interest shown by the aspiring participants. A desire to learn specific yogic and meditation techniques is valued at Paras Dharma Ashram, hence a participant with desire to learn something specific is a preferred choice. The screening is done through A) Question and answer session through emails, B) Back ground assessment as well as C) Dedication of the aspiring participant for selfless service.

This screening is done to encourage and support people who care for spiritual growth and enjoy selfless service, and interested in being much, much more than just a TOURIST.

The process of selection of participants for the Winter Spiritual Retreat (Between 4th Week of December, 2013 and 4^th week of Dec 2014) will be begin by 1^st week of Aug, 2013 and will be completed by 1^st Dec 2013.

For registration into the two programs, please send an email to virtual.citizen@gmail.com to receive the registration forms by first week of January, 2013. Once you have submitted the initial registration forms, you will be sent a set of questionnaires for assessment and finally admitted to either one or two week Winter Spiritual Retreat Program 2013.  

COST:

Ganges Varanasi

As a non-profit spiritual organization, Paras Dharma Ashram does not charge any profits but subsidizes some of the costs of all the participants, as well. Since the travel, boarding / lodging cost varies from year to year as well as during the long term planning of these retreats, we are not able to give exact cost at the moment.

Yet, on the average, cost of boarding and lodging (Including breakfast, lunch and dinner) comes to be around 115 US $ per day per person on twin sharing basis. Travel, Training, Reading Materials, Tools and local travel cost will be around 400 US $ for one Week and 550 US $ for Two Week Program per person.

All the cost will be finalized and shared with all the selected participants by 1^st Dec, 2013.

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PARAS DHARMA ASHRAM TEAM

Contact

Virtual.citizen@gmail.com

for any information, suggestion and / or registration

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ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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WANDERLUST: Maha Shiva Ratri - The night Shiva Married

Today is the most Holy day of Lord Shiva, Maha Shiva Ratri, which according Hindu Scripture's is supposed to be the most favorite day of Lord Shiva. Its also believed that today, Lord Shiva married His consort Parvati. On this lovely and auspicious day, walk with me to some auspicious place across India, associated with Lord Shiva  that has touched me deeply and blessed me with peace and love...

Shiva's tall statue at Haridwar...

From Himalaya, in North, to ....

Kedarnath Peak in Himalaya

 ...to down south, Lord Shiva is worshiped today in simple rituals of purifying oneself by bath and then bathing Shivalinga four times till night.... 

Rameshwaram Temple

 Fasting and then performing abhishekam, aarti etc... in the evening...

Most beautiful Aarti on the banks of Holy River ganges
Varanasi

 Since morning devotees go over to the near by rivers and lakes to bring out water to bathe Lord Shiva...

Village folks going to the river to bring the water to
Bathe Shiva... This image is from a temple (in the back
ground you can see the temple) in Bihar
Which few of us friends joined to construct...

 Many of the places that I have had visited, I find that the most simple things are most beautiful and full of energy. This one Shiva Linga here gave me a blissful experience....

Vashishth Cave - Rishikesh

 ...below is another powerful temple - at Jageshwar, introduced to me by younger brother, is supposed the the place where Maha Mrityun Japa (A Shiva mantra for Longevity) was created....

Mahamrityunjaya Temple at Jageshwar

 The Kedarnath Temple, is one of the most powerful temple of Lord Shiva... Its here that Adi Shankaracharya, one of the most powerful Guru of Vedic Knowledge, left his body to merge with Shiva... the place is situated at the height of 4000 Mts in Himalaya and 13 KMs of beautiful trek to reach the temple, made me most ecstatic and the Shivalinga there is full of positivity and blessings...

Kedar Nath temple - Himalaya

 This Shiva Linga on the banks of Holy River ganges at Patna - Bihar, faces the most beautiful expanse of serene and elegant river...

Shiva Linga at Patna

This Kubernath temple, near my village in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, has been a place where my spirituality took roots since childhood...

Kuber Nath Temple - Kushinagar

Known as Kashi of south, Kaanchipuram is a famous temple town near Chennai. The mango tree in the background is supposed to be the desecndant of the tree from the Vedic Era. Its said that the tree's four branches gives different type of fruit and hence is associated with the four Vedas...

Kanchipuram Temple

 A beautiful trek in the forest, above the Temple town Jageshwar, is the Brihad Jageshwar Temple... where its said that Yogi's from Himalaya come to perform Tantrik Sadhana's and Meditation... A powerful and lovely place...

Brihad Jageshwar Temple

 Its believed that where the Holy Ganges is, there will be Lord Shiva. In Hindu Scriptures, its said that when Ganga was asked to descend from heaven, Lord Shiva offered to bear her fall, due to the request and prayers of Bhagirathi... The Deva Prayaag is the place, where Alaknanda & Mandakini meet and then move on to the plains of India, known as Holy River Ganges....

Deva Prayaag - The confluence

The Rishikesh, popularly known as Deva Bhoomi (The land of Gods) and some call it, Spiritual Campital of the world, is a place, where I am at my most content self. Each and every thing about the place, gives you energy... if you just take a break from the chaos of mind and live in that present moment... in 'now'

(Click here to walk with me in and around Rishikesh...)

With my friend, in whose cave on the banks of Holy Ganges,
I spent few days and night, in meditation, rituals and Mantra Yoga

Hope that this walk with me, on such an auspicious day, gives you the sense of connection with that cosmic soul and permeates within you the contentment, bliss and happiness... May Lord Shiva bless you with health, wealth and Happiness in years to come.

Leaving you with lamp of light from the new year meditation at Sivananda Ashram Rishikesh..

(Click here to hear powerful Shiva Mantra)

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ॐ नमः शिवाय 

Om Namah Shivaya

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Neel Kanth Mahadev Temple - Rishikesh

WHISPERS: Where You Will Go...?

Hope you will enjoy some of my HAIKU and then a long verse about life “Where You Will Go...?” 

I believe that we are not living in now, as our mind is not capable of perceiving it as it is always busy experiencing, accumulating memories and then translating the present according to it...

Thekadi Lake in Kerala - God's Own Country

Trees, wind and the sea

All immersed in me

Love rivers the life in living

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Do you now know?

Your soul flowered in me, as you planted

Seeds of love on my lips

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I have always been

Selfish of my pain

Comforts of your going away

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Varanasi Ghat...
Click here to Visit the oldest living city in the World

WHERE YOU WILL GO...?

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Sunset melted into the darkness of lust

Softly extinguishing the twilight of passion

Night fell hard all over the cosmic design

Oh Yes! no one is there

Within the tapestry of hungry desires

Within the cosmic fabric of darkness and of endless memories

If this is what we are - nothing,

Just dark desires of endless nights

Then why do we even attempt

To be in this flow of life, that rivers

All across memories, from beginning to the end

A deep sigh escaped, on the wings of moon light

Some stars tear dropped, on the ripples

Of dry river bed of past; ‘now’ just flowed on and on

What do we understand,

When all that our mind is capable of,

Is knowing only its past and then colouring

All that is ‘now’ with memories 

Stale dry and dirty of just experience.

Where and why do we understand - only

Lust, desire, passion, fear, ambition...

Insecurity... What is actually all that?

He was alone playing with his memories, coarse fingers

Prodding the little waves of the river, that came along talking

Releasing his past to be free, slowly nudging them to flow away

How this life can be different than

This or that universe…

This living or that past life, or the life coming to be

I agree.. You have actually

Messed it up with the priests, religion

With a mind that’s playing magic of time

Which is nothing but a sleight of sense’s hand,

Or quirks of future fate; you are just not staying in...

One by one, all past left, experience emptied itself

In the flow of not knowing what was; naked and alone

He stood up, to walk into the depths of ‘now’

Where you will go?

Free at last of living, probably the right place is within you

Dream, search and hold it in this flow…

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Shashi @ Nov 2011

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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Tears In The Rain                                                          Sighs

STILL LIFE: Festival of lights - Diwali 2011

Blessings from Rishikesh Sivananda Ashram
on Diwali 2011

Wish you all have a prosperous and happy Diwali. May Goddess Laxmi smile on you and give you health, wealth and wisdom.

I am sharing in this post some powerful spiritual energy sources in India associated with Goddess Durga and Laxmi, that has made a strong impression on me. Sharing  also some of my impressions of Diwali from past year... But before that, let me introduce my friends from abroad to this important festival of light...

What is this Festival of Light?
Deepavali or Diwali, popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-November for different reasons. For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC.

Deepavali is an official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, and Fiji.

Welcoming Goddess Laxmi with colorful Rangoli

The name "Diwali" is a contraction of "Deepavali" (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāvalī), which translates into "row of lamps" Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (diyas or dīpas) in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends.

Text from Wikipedia click here to read more...

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Now come and walk with me to some great places, that has left a deep spiritual impression on me and shaped my thoughts and beliefs over the years...

Durga Temple in Village

From my childhood the ancestral Durga Temple, in my country house, has been part of my growing up. (If you notice, part of this image graces the top of my blog too)

kalka Ji Temple

Growing up with four brothers, when my father moved to Delhi, Kalka Ji Temple has been our daily 'morning walk' destination. As our school was near the temple, Kalka Ji has been our destination for various ups and downs in our life, either to pray or to ask for something and Kalka Mai has always provided us with a path if not the answer. Kalka Ji has been source of inspiration for all of us for decades....

Vaishno Devi

Vaishno Devi in Jammu (Northern state of India) is one of the most powerful temple of Durga Ji, which I came to visit in my college days... My first trip to Vaishnav Devi in 1982, has been a mile stone in my belief system. The trek to the temple is amazing and needs to be experienced...
During my professional life, I came across many other powerful temples Laxmi and Durga... some of them are here...

Chottanikara Bhagwati Temple in Kerala

Meenakshi Temple - Madurai

Dakhshineshwar Temple - Kolkata

The Dakshineshwar Temple in Kolkata has been an important source of change in thinking within me spiritually as well as mentally. This temple is the place from where Ramakrishna Paramhansa, the priest of Dakshineshwar Temple at that time, spread indian spirituality and religious belief throughout the world by his very learned and knowledgeable disciples ... like Swami Vivekanada, Paramahansa Yogananda (Writer of 'Autobiography of Yogi' which I recommend to every one as the first step to knowing Indian Spiritual and Religious philosophy)  ... If you like you can read more about this temple and actually have a virtual tour to this beautiful source of spiritual energy... check my post here...

Now below are some of the holy places in India that has attracted me in my life and I keep visiting them almost every year...

Diwali and Aarti at Varanasi on the banks of Ganges

Durga Ji on the banks of River Ganges at Haridwar

Kali Ji on the bank of river Ganges - Rishikesh

As this journey comes to an end, I leave you with some impression of Diwali celebrations from last year...

Gang of Four - Ready to have a blast on Diwali...
Diwali @ 2010

And the blast...
Diwali @ 2010

Finally I leave you with lamp of lights from the temple in Rishikesh at the foothills of Himalaya... which is known as Dev Bhoomi (Land of Gods) and some, including me consider it as spiritual capital of the world..

Festival of Lights - Rishikesh @ 2010

May Goddess Laxmi bless you with health, Wealth and Wisdom this year on the occasion of Festival of Lights - Diwali @ 2011


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ॐ नमः शिवाय 

Om Namah Shivaya

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Tata IndiBlogger Meet

STILL LIFE : The Village life ....

FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS - Travelling, Photography and writing Haiku - So here it is all together. Hope you will enjoy it.

Recently I have been to a village near Varanasi India. It's a lovely place and I got very positive and vibrant feeling from there. As usual, I have had my camera which went about capturing my impressions and the essence of the village, which I am sharing below. Just to make your viewing more interesting, I have also posted some of the Haiku I have written in past and liked; loosely based around the images...

The way to the village... near Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh - India) 

Without direction

One step after another

Effortless

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Birds on Wire... 

Small happiness’s

Like the bird on the wire

Music for the soul

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Daily burden of living...

Thoughts in mind

Your pain in heart

Carrying karmic baggage

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Waiting...

 Silence

Paints her picture

On my deep sighs

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Why I find

The longing, beating inside my heart still

That has passed under the bridge

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The colorful harvesting...

Tea is brewing its own thoughts

Mine is in mind

As she plucks in the tea plantation

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Tending to the field...

Life, in heights of pleasure

In slow moments of pain

Empties into living

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Catching up... with young life ...

Some words are so effective

Before you realise

They suck the happiness out of life

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Time to reflect .... on the past

Desire to see you now

So heavy in my heart

I almost sunk it in tears

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Sunrise over the temple...

Breeze, Mist and ripples still, in awe

Temple is dressing up

In sunrise

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Dew drops hang on to the grass...

Dew drops

Settles softly on lips

Love, flowers

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Night softly settles on my bed of grass

Crickets stopped singing

Waiting for my footfall

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ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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