As the much awaited Guru Purnima retreat comes to an end we reflect on how these 3 days have touched and changed us all. The Guru purnima retreat was by no means the last leg of Ammajis trip to the UK but for a lot of us it was the culmination of Ammajis month long visit in the UK. For a lot of us this is where we said our goodbyes to Ammaji and Swamiji before they continue on to Europe but we got to say our goodbyes in the most special way, by performing Guru Paduka puja for our Gurus. Some of us were there in person, a few more were able to join us online on the day. Those who couldn't make it for the Guru Puja spent their Sunday afternoon and evening singing bhajans with Ammaji and Swamiji, reminiscing old stories, reliving some of Ammaji and Swamiji's earliest trips to the UK and of course, no Satsang with Ammaji and Swamiji is complete without their stories in the Himalayas.
Ammaji gave us some beautiful, some sad and some shocking insights into her book that will be released within the next year. As always, some stories inspired us, some moved us and some stories made us want to drop everything and visit both of them in the Uttarkashi ashram. The 2 days of Prarthana Shatpadi teachings by Ammaji was a journey within itself. It is a super human task to absorb every bit of knowledge and anecdote that comes from Ammaji and then assimilate it in a coherent way on a piece of paper. The best I can do is tell what touched some of the people that were part of this journey. Compassion, Devotion and selfless service were the underlying themes of Ammaji's teachings over this retreat. Compassion for oneself and compassion for everyone and everything around you makes one a devotee by his or her very nature. When you consider every aspect of creation and the created as sacred, there is no other way to be other than compassionate. When you take away this aspect of sacredness from a society you have essentially taken ‘Hinduness’ away from society. What brings 'Indianness' in the Indian culture is this way of being, that everything is sacred. Take that away and there is no Indian culture. A few paragraphs can not do justice to what was given over these 2 days; a few pages can not do justice to what was given over these 2 days; a few books can not do justice to what was given over these 2 days but a few hours with Ammaji and Swamiji definitely come close. To see them the way they are, to see them the way they do things and to see them do the things that they do is a lesson in itself on compassion, devotion and the essence of Hinduism.
The biggest risk of a retreat like this is that one begins his or her teachings in the 1st session, ends it in the last session and then carry on in their lives as before, having gained nothing but a little weekend entertainment and relaxation. The reflections, exercises and group discussions that Ammaji took us through really helped us all move from a classroom and an academic mindset to something that we can put in practice on a daily basis, something that would guide us on our spiritual journey on a mental and emotional level, something that would bring about a cognitive shift in the way we perceive the world around us. It is during these exercises and spiritual games that you could really see individuals coming alive and really trying to put the teachings in perspective through the lens of their own lives. How can one be compassionate when the whole world is waiting to take advantage of you? Where does one draw the line between compassion and one's own physical and financial security? Compassion arising out of guilt, is this still compassion or has it become something else? These were the kind of questions that our seekers had and the answers really brought light to these abstract, mis-understood and sometimes thought of as metaphysical concepts such as compassion and devotion. It was wonderful to see the perspective of young seekers initiating their journey into spirituality. There is so much I have still missed; How beautiful the location was; How amazing it was to walk on the grass barefoot for 3 days, to sleep on the grass under the open sky; Guided meditations by Ammaji; The amazing company, volunteers, students and devotees, the endless stories and connections that were made but all this is anyways a given when you are in Ammaji and Swamiji's company. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures and videos from the retreat.
