We had recently written about our dear evolved seeker Mrs. Nirmala Honap (Honap Kaku) and her selfless service to others even while being bedridden. Honap Kaku left her body (passed away) on the morning of 12 Aug 2010 and was cremated the following morning approximately 26 hours later.

Whenever we have attended the funeral of an average person, our experience has been that the surrounding environment is charged with tāmasic spiritual vibrations. You may have read our article on Burial versus Cremation which explains the reason why death is tama predominant. …

In our day-to-day life, we often come across people who have to endure illness in their old age. Some illnesses leave people paralyzed, bedridden and even unconscious. Quite often for the aged there is a fear of undergoing such destiny. The kind of thoughts that could plague their minds are, “How will I function in old age?”, “Will I be a burden to others?”, “My life will become totally useless if I fall severely ill and become bedridden”, etc. This is the story of Mrs. Nirmala Honap who performed spiritual healing on others at the age of 60, despite severe illness.

For as long as I have lived in the ashram I have wondered why the kitchen, which feeds 250 to 300 seekers daily, has only one kitchen sink. But I maintained an attitude of learning and tried not to comment on what I felt could have been done more logically…. but the question never went away from my mind.
How could it? Every time one was at the sink and trying to wash the dishes for a span of two hours or so, someone or the other would gently intervene and request to either fill a small container of water to clean the counter with, or rinse their hands between cooking, or they needed the sink as they felt like a cup of tea, the seeker about to chop cilantro would bring her colander to rinse the leaves and the one who wanted to churn buttermilk would require the sink as well …

31 October is celebrated in the western world as Halloween’s day. On Halloween night, adults and children dress up as creatures from the underworld (ghosts, ghouls, zombies, witches, goblins), light bonfires, and enjoy spectacular fireworks displays. The houses are decorated by carving pumpkins or turnips into scary faces and other decorations. Some of the most popular yard decorations are jack-o’-lanterns, scarecrows, witches, orange and purple string lights, inflatable decorations such as spiders, pumpkins, mummies, vampires and other monstrous creatures. Other popular decorations are foam tombstones and gargoyles.
These types of celebrations …