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The Precious Moment, Living in Light

A Talk by Gurumayi Chidvilasananda

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    This morning I read Gurumayi’s talk, "The Precious Moment, Living in Light," after reciting Shri Guru Gita in my home. I recalled the profound and invaluable experience of participating in the global recitation of Shri Guru Gita in the universal hall on September 1st, 2013, and feeling united with the Guru and the global sangham.

    I recognize that whenever I recite Shri Guru Gita with focus and awareness, I enter that "precious moment" of "living in light." Every part of Gurumayi’s talk is a loving teaching about how to solidify my experience of being in the heart, and how to live my life from this experience.

    Thank you, Baba; thank you, Gurumayi, for the gift of Shri Guru Gita recitation. Words cannot describe my gratitude for this alive and ever-growing gift of divine knowledge.

    New York, USA

    As I read Gurumayi’s talk from the live audio stream of Shri Guru Gita recitation, I immediately found myself back in the universal hall listening to her speak these words. Such a feeling of grace, such immense love filled me, as I read the written words of what she spoke on that day.

    Thank you, Gurumayiji, for your words of wisdom shared in your talk, "The Precious Moment, Living in Light."  And heartfelt thanks also to the SYDA Foundation website team for posting this talk for all of us to be visually reminded of that most auspicious event.

    North Side, Anguilla

    Each time I read Gurumayi’s talk, my mind stops at a fresh place, leading me again and again to new insights. Recently, I was struck by Gurumayi’s words: “I found myself in the abode of the intention.”  I was inspired to examine the “abode” of my intentions: how heartfelt or fleeting were the reasons for the intention, and where has the intention taken me in my sadhana. This contemplation has given me a completely new understanding of the power of an intention and helped me to refine my intentions.

    Such grace. Such prasad! Thank you, Baba, for having the intention for us all to gather in the universal hall. Thank you, Gurumayi, for making it happen!  My heartfelt thanks also to the sevites of the website and to the global sangham for generously offering shares so we can continue to be together in the same time frame.

    Hong Kong

    Recently, I went into a meeting and encountered a room full of people dealing with some difficult issues—they were tired and upset. My first reaction was to be drawn into the tension, and then I remembered this talk given by Gurumayi. I realized, in that moment, I had a choice to put my voice to good use. When it was my turn to speak, I softened my voice and focused on using uplifting words.

    The simple act of communicating a few kind thoughts helped the group to open up to new ideas and turn the discussion around towards positive solutions. I am grateful for the practice of Shri Guru Gita recitation that keeps me centered in my heart on a daily basis.

    Thank you, Gurumayi.

    Hawaii, USA

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for the global recitation of Shri Guru Gita and your talk following the recitation. Just thinking about all the devotees singing together around the world creates a huge feeling of unity and openness in my heart.

    Thirty years ago, I bought the vinyl disc of Shri Guru Gita as sung by Baba Muktananda. At home, I began to listen to the chant, and the next morning, I felt so much quietness that I continued to listen to the chant day after day. I was impressed by the mysterious and magical power of Shri Guru Gita.

    Now I recite Shri Guru Gita as a regular practice twice a week. I feel that this sacred hymn is at the core of my sadhana. Baba said that it is "the one indispensable text" and you, Gurumayi, remind us again and again of this truth.

    Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France

    I love thinking about how each day can be made into a great day. Thank you, Gurumayi, again and again for guiding us to our heart—our center—which we can access in each moment.

    Yesterday I was volunteering at a center for homeless women. As I was leaving, I spontaneously hugged a woman. After the hug, she looked at me with tears and said, "You don’t know how much I needed that." My heart felt so tender—what a "precious moment" this was as we connected heart to heart.

    I walked away with my heart full of gratitude for Gurumayi, who teaches me to pause, breathe, and be in the moment. It’s from this space that I know what right action to take without needing to think about it. So much grace, so much love!

    Washington, USA

    "World peace, one person at a time." "World peace, one recitation at a time." I keep reflecting on these words that Gurumayi spoke at the end of the Shri Guru Gita Recitation Satsang.

    As I read Gurumayi’s words, I am so grateful that the Siddha Yoga Meditation Center in Montreal has been able to offer meditation and Shri Guru Gita recitation daily for nearly thirty years now. I become more conscious of the fact that morning after morning so many devotees choose to offer seva to make these spiritual practices available to everyone in our area. I see more clearly how these devotees have been in alignment all along with Baba’s exhortation to practice swadhyaya "with the unfailing regularity of the sun and moon, at an appointed hour, with deep feeling and reverence."

    Every Shri Guru Gita recitation that I attend in the company of other seekers is a unique gift of Shri Guru’s grace and compassion. As it brings peace to the mind—one person at a time—it spreads to our city and our world. As it brings peace—one recitation at a time—we live more and more by it until everyone feels its sweet embrace.

    My deepest gratitude to Gurumayi!

    Montreal, Canada

    When I saw this talk on the website, my heart was filled with immense joy and gratitude for my Guru.

    Thank you, Gurumayiji, for your life-transforming teachings.

    Bhilwara, India

    When Gurumayi was speaking, everyone in the hall here in Pune was standing. I was standing with hands folded in namaskar in front of my heart, eyes closed. I did not have to make any conscious effort to enter my heart—the universal hall that Swamiji spoke about—I found that I was already present and centered there. It was incredibly peaceful, sweet, tender, and full of love in that place where, as Gurumayi said, “nothing really matters.” 

    Thank you, Gurumayiji, for the reminder to get connected and stay connected. And a big thank you to the website team for making this wondrous prasad available.

    Pune, India

    Last night I went to bed pondering Gurumayi’s precious words about how fortunate we are to be able to use our voices to speak, sing, communicate, and heal. 

    When I awoke, I went to the Siddha Yoga path website. While viewing the website, I realized that each word of the Siddha Yoga teachings immerses me more and more in the sacred place of being in the precious moment. The words of the devotees’ shares also enrich my own sadhana.

    I am filled with gratitude to Gurumayi and the SYDA Foundation for providing this healing avenue of grace to me.

    New York, USA

    Gurumayi’s words about world peace, “one person at a time” and “one recitation at a time,” both comfort and instruct me.

    When I learn about some of the events taking place in the world, I often find myself frustrated and saddened, feeling my own inability to remedy them.

    Gurumayi reminds me that I always have the choice to bring peace to my own being and invoke blessings for the world by engaging in the Siddha Yoga practices. Moreover, by learning to live in “the right place” within myself, the actions I do take will be more effective in contributing to making goodness manifest.

    Thank you, Gurumayi.

    Wisconsin

    My intention for the live stream of the Shri Guru Gita recitation was to bless my cousin who had died. I have no doubt that many lives and hearts have been healed by Gurumayi’s grace through this precious satsang.

    Washington, USA

    Shri Guru Gita sustains me through every challenge of my day. I am grateful to Gurumayi for the most precious gift of shaktipat, the divine awakening that allows me to savor the rasa of reciting Shri Guru Gita.

    I live in an isolated area, but I never feel alone. Everything around me vibrates with God’s energy, and, as Gurumayi said, she remembers us. It is very comforting to be reminded of this.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for sharing your love and never-ending blessings with all your devotees.

    Florida, USA

    Tonight, as soon as I finished reading Gurumayi’s talk, one of my daughters came into my room, complaining about having trouble falling asleep. I went with her and sat on her bed, trying to help her calm down.

    Suddenly, Gurumayi’s words, "We are fortunate that we can sing," came to my mind. I immediately started singing the mantra. It was a great way to implement Gurumayi’s teaching. Within a few minutes, my daughter was sleeping deeply, but I kept on singing, feeling great joy in my heart for being able to use my voice for chanting and repeating the mantra.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for helping me turn everyday events into very special and scintillating ones.

    Annecy, France

    Ever since the Shri Guru Gita Recitation Satsang on September 1, 2013, I’ve been experiencing deep gratitude to Gurumayi for the expansion that has taken place in my own heart. I like to imagine the waves of peace that bathed the earth that day. Yes, inner peace – and "world peace, one recitation at a time."

    Thank you, thank you, Gurumayi, for always remembering us and keeping us in the flame of your heart.

    New York, USA

    When I heard Gurumayi’s talk after the Recitation Satsang, I was filled with immense love. The message to the Indian Siddha Yogis flooded my heart with so much love that I felt completely surrendered to love. I felt as if all the space between me and the beloved had been dissolved with the power of love—prem ki shakti!

    I experienced that just to know that Gurumayi remembers us, Gurumayi remembers me—this single thought had the power of total transformation. I was able to visualize the presence of Gurumayi in my heart and my heart kept on saying that it belongs to her. This love is so simple yet sometimes so hidden. It felt as if I’d been bathed in a sacred river, the river of love, and when I came out, I was purified.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for showering love everywhere in the world.

    Delhi, India

    I cherish each word that flows from Gurumayi. I have every video of her talks and all her books. The live experience of the talk was awesome, to say the least. It was a great highlight of the year for me—and a blessing to the entire world.

    Gurumayi inspires me to make my life a blessing, just as hers is to the world.

    Marabella, Trinidad

    After hearing from Gurumayi about the place in the heart where nothing really matters, even though there may be problems and disturbances in my life, my concentration on the heart has increased so much. I am becoming more able to be in the precious moment, to be happy, to be in touch with Shri Guru’s grace, and to experience the greatness of my own heart.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for showing your great love for India. Your words touched our hearts. Even though you are not physically in India, we are together, and yes! I will never again complain that Gurumayi is not remembering India. Thank you for always being with us.

    Thank you for giving us a great, unforgettable good day. Thank you for your grace.

    Gandhinagar, India

    Reciting Shri Guru Gita has been part of my daily routine, and now I am reciting it with more concentration, remembering Gurumayi’s words.

    At times, when I experience a downward mood swing, the power of Shri Guru Gita draws me to my puja room. And there I am, sitting in front of Gurumayi, with Shri Guru Gita on my lips.

    Chittorgarh, India

    I enjoyed another devotee’s observation that, thanks to the Siddha Yoga path website, it is as if we are all together at the Ashram or center and Gurumayi is giving us teachings almost daily to contemplate and learn from. This fulfills a long-standing yearning in my heart, since I live far away from any centers, to be closer to Gurumayi and other Siddha Yogis in a more real and tangible way and to learn the Siddha Yoga teachings from the Guru directly. This turns a good day into a great day every day.  

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for this blessing.

    Iowa, USA

    I am grateful to Gurumayi for her wonderful teaching about the place of pure grace and for giving me a heart-expanding experience of recognizing it. Although I have been practicing being in that space for many years, I wasn’t sure whether what I have been experiencing is true or just an illusion. After hearing Gurumayi’s words during the live stream of the Shri Guru Gita Recitation Satsang, I realized that what I have been experiencing is true!

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for your grace.

    Hyderabad, India

    The image of the universal hall that Swami Ishwarananda introduced fascinates me—because it’s an image that has so many radiant facets to explore. One facet is how it represents the way that devotees across the globe can now participate in a "universal study group"—even though many of us are asleep when the others are reading the website and sending in their shares. Another facet that particularly resonates for me is the way in which the universal hall corresponds to the cave of the heart, which Gurumayi evoked in saying, "I kept coming to that moment, that place, the universal hall—no barriers, no difficulties, we’re just there!"

    I am so grateful to be on a path that welcomes me so warmly into this universal hall, in which I can join my Guru and the global sangham again and again.

    Connecticut, USA

    Namaskar.

    This morning, as I opened the Siddha Yoga path website, I saw that golden book and I felt a golden light around me. It was really such a special moment! As I was reading Gurumayi’s talk, again I found my heart full of love, full of grace. I was experiencing again that moment. The Guru’s words are really giving me a lot of peace and stability in my life.

    Thank you, sevites in the SYDA Foundation, for offering such beautiful seva. Every day I had been remembering this talk and the Guru’s teachings. And today, again, it brought amazing refreshment to my mind and heart. Today, again, I am feeling lots of inner joy, love, and happiness.

    So much grace and so much prasad.

    Thank you so much, Gurumayiji!

    Khargone, India

    Near the beginning of her talk, Gurumayi says, "We are fortunate that we can sing." These words reminded me that I sometimes take the power of Siddha Yoga chanting for granted. Yet in contemplating Gurumayi’s words, I realize how fortunate I am indeed that I can sing. Lending my voice to the spiritual practice of chanting has brought me both great joy and great inner peace.

    Both Baba and Gurumayi have taught me—by their ecstatic examples—how to dive into the ocean of bliss that a recitation of Shri Guru Gita, or the chanting of a namasankirtana, can release in my heart. And when the music stops, and I sit quietly in the resonant silence that follows, I often feel as if all the molecules in my body, fully animated by the chanting, are now slowly settling down into a more harmonious arrangement than ever.

    Thank you, Baba, thank you, Gurumayi, for teaching us to find such joy— and peace—through singing.

    New York, USA

    This was my experience of the Shri Guru Gita Recitation Satsang: grace in the heart!

    My heart thanks you, Gurumayi!

    Rome, Italy

    I was in India only twice in my life, but I received so much. I will never forget India.

    Gurumayi, thank you for your kind words about India, which reminded me of gratitude.

    Rome, Italy

    The moment I opened the beautiful page of Gurumayi’s talk this morning, the image at the top of the page drew my attention and touched my heart. I saw first a flame, then a swan, and then a heart. What a congruence of symbols and meanings. So many layers that are born from each other, fold into each other, and together create more meaning. So full of light, of flight, into the heart. And there, to be contemplated and absorbed.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for your grace-filled teachings, holding us, filling us, enlightening us.

    Oslo, Norway

    How fortunate I am because I am able to live my life with Gurumayi’s teachings every day. Gurumayi’s teachings have become a part of my life, a guiding light in each and every moment.

    After I heard Gurumayi say in the Shri Guru Gita Recitation Satsang, "You need to think that Gurumayi remembers you very very much," I contemplated this teaching almost every day. I found that these words were so helpful to connect with the Guru in my heart again and again.

    Thank you so very much, Gurumayi, from all my heart for your grace, guidance, and teachings.

    Gurudev Siddha Peeth

    When I heard Gurumayi’s words after the Shri Guru Gita recitation, what occurred to me was how close to me the experience of the Self was—the place where “nothing really matters,” as Gurumayi says. It’s grace that leads us to that experience. Since hearing Gurumayi’s words, I have resolved to recite Shri Guru Gita aloud once a week. Since I have been doing this, I have found that in the meditation that follows, I have been able to enter the place of absorption and stillness that Gurumayi speaks about. It is an experience of pure contentment, a feeling that there is nothing I lack.

    Thank you, Gurumayi, for your words and your grace that make the experience of the Self possible.

    London, United Kingdom

    I’ve been feeling a lot of time pressure lately, and sometimes that leads me to skip my daily meditation. Gurumayi’s talk reminds me of how short-sighted it is to let externalities override my inner priorities.

    Gurumayi’s words about "the place—pure grace—we want to be all the time" helped clarify this point for me. Her reminder that "you need to be living in the right place within yourself for this goodness to manifest" has inspired me to renew my resolve to shield my meditation practice from time pressures because, after all, it is the purifying power of meditation that returns me again and again to that “right place" within myself.

    Oregon, USA

    When I read Gurumayi’s words, "We are fortunate that we can use our voices to communicate," the very first thing I thought of was the way Gurumayi has been communicating with us through the Siddha Yoga path website. My mornings have changed so much because now I rush to my computer to see what teachings are there for me to discover or re-examine.

    The rest of my day, too, has changed, because I open the website often to dive into the wonderful dialogue that we in the global sangham are having with one another through the shares. By learning about how other Siddha Yogis understand and apply the teachings, I become inspired for my own sadhana. The communication that happens through the website is bringing great light and blessings into my daily life.

    Illinois, USA