by Christopher Greenwood
Day 163 – We are all here on a tourist visa
Today I share one of my favourite lessons or reminders, which I often hear Mohanji share in many of his Satsangs and talks. It’s always a humbling reminder of a clear truth in our lives. He always shares that we were born into this world, we will live for a period of time, and then we leave. In that sense, we’re all here on a tourist visa and cannot take anything with us when we depart.
Over time, this simple yet profound truth has kept me grounded; helped me to reflect on how to best use my time and what I bring into the world. Our real value in life is what we can express and give to this world rather than what we acquire. I think this is becoming even more real for people, as COVID has isolated us; it’s taken away many of the outward enjoyments we used to have, and even people with money are restricted in what they can do.
When I look at Mohanji, I see that he truly lives his message; his needs are minimal. He has regular food during the day, a place to stay, and clothes. Maybe he has the occasional desire for a vada pav (Indian potato burger) or something like that, but overall, he treads very lightly on the earth. His thought process is always, “What more can I do?” It’s an inspiration.
He is also setting trends that accent this message. Mohanji legislated a law in Switzerland whereby on his dropping the body, his assets would go to the extended family – all the people who have dedicated themselves to the platforms with the understanding that it will be carried forth to benefit the generations to come.
I think that’s amazing, and as far as I know, no one has ever done this; it has set the trend, indeed!
Day 164 – A moment in history – First Satsang on our own land
Yesterday was an extraordinary day here in Slovenia, as we held the first-ever Satsang with Mohanji on our land, a significant milestone.
For many years, Mohanji has been travelling to various locations worldwide. His schedule was/is incredibly busy; one country to the next, one satsang to the next, venue to venue, change to change. This is an important milestone because it marks that we can begin doing things in our own spaces. It’s something significant and happened organically too, which has its beauty.
The Croatian volunteer team had asked for some time with Mohanji as he was in the Balkans. We’d been trying to arrange this for many weeks, but because of Slovenia’s lockdown, we had a quarantine period and the changing restrictions to deal with. We had to take PCR tests to cross the border and come back within a specific time; all very complicated logistical problems. Even though we confirmed the dates, we couldn’t find a venue because organizations and people were wary of being subject to inspection.
We then decided, “Okay, why not just have it on the land?” It turned out to be the perfect first Satsang despite the heavy rains on the days preceding the Satsang. I was down on the site and was to be in Wellies because it was so muddy. Instead, the day was sunny and warm, with a soothing breeze blowing around the top of the hill. One could look down across the meadows and see the trees coming through with the spring blooms. We’d arranged for everybody to meet on the land. Jelena had done a great job with one of the local ladies here, Kristina (who gave ample time and energy to this project); they’d prepared a delicious vegan lunch.
One by one, the Croatian team arrived in various cars, and it was lovely to see some new faces and ones known from before. I’ve shared before that the land itself is something special. Nature there is incredibly peaceful, and it has great energy. There was a lot of joy and happiness as people came together, met each other for the first time in a long time and as we toured the land.
Jelena shared the vision for the space with everybody. We took them past the forest where all the rishis and the munis are going to be, the places for meditation in the woods, little stands or platforms and at the bottom was a land where there’s a natural lake forming, where we’ll have some ponds, fishes, some reeds, some lilies, some lotus flowers. There’ll be decking around the pond where people can also sit – with maybe a little coffee house or something where people can take some refreshments, then spaces where Sai Baba and Dattatreya will be sitting on the land. Mohanji had confirmed with another who’s been there, a scientist, that there’s a major arable landline running through that land and two significant energy points. Sai Baba will be on one and Dattatreya on another.
Then there was the steep walk back up the hill to work off the lunch and settle down for Mohanji’s arrival. There were no chairs, so everyone brought blankets and yoga mats, and we sat down on the grass. We found a nice spot where Mohanji could be seated slightly elevated. As Mohanji arrived, there was much joy and happiness, and after all the greetings, he sat down to start the Satsang.
Even though we had no chairs, facilities, or toilets, we improvised with blankets/mats and made it happen. We wanted something to happen there on the land. It was a very intimate and close Satsang with just a few people. Mohanji shared how this day was special, a real historical moment, the first ever program on the land. Rather than a usual large inauguration where you’d have many people, this spontaneous coming together had more beauty and charm.
He pointed to us that people will never believe it started like this in the future because many people will come, and that site will be ready by that time.
Mohanji spoke on many topics. He answered various questions from the people there, which were insightful. Something which also shared was about the near future and the coming times. Since I’ve been living and working closely with Mohanji, I’ve noticed that sometimes in a Satsang, themes emerge; he starts to share a topic that is important for people to hear. He reiterates this so that more people can listen to it.
Yesterday, he spoke about
a) potential disruption of food supplies and how we can become self-sufficient with our vertical growing
b) the importance of coming together as a community, having common spaces where people can support each other and look after each other, which I think this space will also become.
Once the Satsang ended, people began to prepare for Mohanji to leave; there was a lot of photo taking. Then he spontaneously gave everyone shaktipat; I think someone must have asked for it. One by one, people lined up, I was on camera duty, and it was beautiful to see a real shift in energy. One by one after each person came and then went to sit on the land to meditate. It was nice to witness people in meditation, peace and calm in our own space.
There was a tangible feeling of peace – with a lovely view overlooking the field – the spring blossoms of wildflowers, the trees emerging green, birds chirping, and branches rustling in the gentle breeze of spring. It left a deep feeling that this was the beginning of something special.
To close the day, Jelena took to the stage, giving a beautiful rendition of the WCA anthem, ‘Reimagine’. What a fitting end! REIMAGINE! A world of beauty and harmony. A world of love where kindness lives and compassion thrives.
It’s happening.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 25th September 2022
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