eace eavers - Brahma Kumaris

The Quarterly e-Newsletter
peace weavers
ublication of the Brahma Kumaris - Global Peace House
Sharing the wonders of Spiritual Service .... bringing smiles in the hearts of people ....
15th Issue - July 2016
Brahma Kumaris GPH introduces Solar Cooking in Mauritius
A variety of menus cooked on spot using the Solar Cooker Box were offered to the visitors who could not resist the invitation for a ‘degustation’
Wow..was the first word that was uttered by many of the
thousands of visitors at the exhibition stand of the
Environment and Health wing of the Brahma Kumaris Global
Peace House which was set up at the Regional Fair on the
occasion of the World Environment Day. They were
particularly amazed by the Solar Cooker Box especially
exhibited for the purpose of a cooking demonstration on spot.
This regional fair was organised by the Ministry of
Environment & Sustainable Development and saw the
participation of around 50 stakeholders on environment. ..pg 4
World Yoga Day, the spiritual aspect..
President of the Republic, Mrs Ameenah Gurib-Fakim flanked by Sister
Geeta (R) and Sister Gaitree (L) standing for the National Anthem
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“Yoga is the journey of the self
through the self to the self.”
...The Bhagavad Gita
..pg 5
A blend of physical exercises/yoga postures and meditation highlighted
the celebrations of Yoga Day at the meditation centre of Goodlands
Inside this issue: Activities (pg2), Intuition Retreat(pg 3),
World Environment Day (pg4), World Yoga Day (pg5), Children’s Fun Day &
Outreach Programs (pg6), Workshop for Women - Yogic Garden glimpses (pg7),
Visitors at GPH; Vegan Recipe (pg8 )
Next Issue - NOV 2016
Brahma Kumaris Global Peace House, Royal Road, Khoyratty, Pamplemousses, MAURITIUS
Tel: +230 248 1941 Fax: +230 248 2181, Email: [email protected], www.brahmakumaris.mu
1
Mothers Day Celebrations
A much awaited event, the Mothers Day celebrations
provided a platform for all BKs to come together to share
and express their loving feelings for the Beloved Supreme
Mother as well as for all the mothers, especially those who
have lost theirs. Interestingly Sister Gaitree made the
analogy of the ‘Drama’ (cycle of events in history) also as our
mother, something to be pondered in meditation. An in
house cultural program culminated the special meditation
held at the Goodlands Meditation Centre on that occasion.
Love overcame shyness during the cultural program which comprised songs & dance; Catering team preparing meals in loveful remebrance of God
Youth Elocution Contest
Talk on Values at Primary School
Sister Sarada and Sister Vinty addressing children
at the Roches Terre Primary School during the morning assembly
Youth for a Better World Club , represented by Sister Vinty,was invited to
form part of the jury panel for an elocution competition for colleges
When did you last slept
A sleep management presentation
by Vikram Dookna, Sleep management specialist, was organised at the
Inner Space Meditation Centre, PortLouis in June 2016. Sleep disorders
are mainly due to our hectic lifestyle.
In his delivery, he described the
sleep mechanics through which one
can be in a better position having
sleep which has so
much impacts on
our physical and
e m o t i o n a l
wellness. Common
myths about sleep
were discussed and
like this? clarified (for e.g.:
number of hours
we need to sleep, time to go to sleep
and time to wake up, whether we
should sleep in the dark or not).
Emphasis was laid on the role of
stress management, a disciplined
and healthy lifestyle for restoring
sound sleep. This course is also
available on demand for NGOs and
corporates.
Top: The different stages of sleep explained
Down: Facilitator addresing audience
2
What you keep to yourself, you lose; what you give away, you keep forever
Residential Retreat on ‘Activating our Intuition thro’ Silence and Meditaion
Around 45 participants gathered together at the Diamond Retreat House situated next to the beach at
Palmar. A participant shares her 2 days experience of the retreat entitled ‘Activating our Intuition through
Silence & Meditation’ organised in June 2016 by the BKGPH
If any of you reading this synopsis formed a unique family for profound
wish to have an insight into how to learning and sharing.
tap the huge potentials of your inner Our Retreat makers, Sisters Gaitree,
self through silence and meditation, Vinty and other Sisters and Brothers,
then you better enrol for the next BK displayed highly advanced skills on
Retreat ! On
m u l t i p l e
my way to
aspects: be it
Palmar that
delivery
of
Saturday
lectures, group
morning, I
organisation,
confess, I was
use of technoloa bit sceptical
gy, planning of
of
what
course material,
would
be
conduct
of
awaiting me,
meditation
Sharing by panelists on ‘Intuition’
especially as I
had left an ailing family behind ! But sessions, our work, play and
my surprise would know no bounds rest; all was beautifully set
from start to finish !
out to make us comfortable
Facing a magnificent sea and lush and resourceful. And also,
filaos, the Diamond Retreat House is no one would imagine that
not only ‘Inner silence promotes clarity of mind v e g e spotlessly
tarian
clean and and makes us value our inner world.’ f o o d
most welcoming, but is a perfect cooked with love could be so
abode of peace and harmony. The delicious !
participants, drawn from different Lessons learnt
walks of life, age group and cultures, The Retreat helped me to:
• Better understand my own
intuition: ie seeing as a soul.
Just like our bodies have 5 senses: touch, smell, taste, sight and
hearing; the senses of our soul
are: intuition, peace, foresight,
trust, empathy, love, compassion, honesty, purity and knowledge; • Discover the purity, holiness and enormous power of
...after having well discussed about it in small groups silence, especially through the
two “Silent Walks”. Inner silence promotes clarity of mind and makes us
value our inner world. It trains us to
go inside to the source of peace and
inspiration when we are faced with
problems and challenges.
Divine beings in full blossom
The interactive meeting with four
highly advanced souls, actively
engaged in living and practicing the
cannons of Raja Yoga, was indeed a
very unique and powerful moment. A
twelve minutes observation and
introspection into these divine beings
enabled participants to feel the living
Silent nature walks
virtues of meditation unfold, i.e.,
heavenly peace, purity, honesty, innocence, trust, power, perseverance,
balance, love, happiness and deep
knowledge.
Conclusion
Participants departed, fully inspired
with an awakened consciousness,
feeling somewhere: “I am the nature
of Sat-Chit-Ananda (Pure beingAwareness-Bliss)”.
Meditation and Intuition...
Meditation can be beneficial for almost anything in life,
including helping you access intuition. The alpha state of
the brain also relates to meditation. A daily meditation
practice helps you control this alpha state, and therefore
control the intuitive process.
Live in the Now
Consider this quote from Lao Tzu: “If you are depressed,
you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in
the present.” The gift intuition works best when the
mind is in the present. Pain caused in the past can take
over the mind. The future can seem frightening. At this
point even when the
intuitive process could send
you signals loud and clear,
your fear will allow the subconscious mind to override
those signals.
When depression or anxiety
creeps into your thoughts,
repeat the above quote. The “now” is the place where
intuition resides. Your higher self has no concept of our
earthly time. (Source: Chopra Centre)
3
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment
BE AN AGENT OF CHANGE
CELEBRATING THE UN’S BIGGEST DAY FOR POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION!
nt s
Eve ised
an
org K G P H
by B
1. Participation in Regional Fair organised by the Ministry of Environment
The Raja Yoga Meditation Centres of
Quatre Bornes and Flacq joined
hands with BKGPH to ensure a
proper organisation and display of
activities and services offered. The
Tree of Goodness attracted visitors
to ponder on how their valuable
thoughts can reach and help the
earth; thoughts that they eventually
wrote on a paper in the form of a
Children ‘greening’ the Tree of Goodness
with their messages.
leaf and hanged on the ‘tree of
goodness’. Span over a four day
period, this fair attracted thousands
of visitors including college
students. The space provided by the
organisers, though small, was
enough to accomodate a small
exhibition on ‘Ecologie Interieure’, a
display of medicinal plants and
forthcoming and ongoing activities
Much awaited moment when food was
taken out of the solar cooker.
programs organised by the centres.
A wish written by the
Minister of Environment
BK guides at the exhibition stand
2. Exhibition on Ecologie Interieure at Goodlands Meditation Centre
This successful two-day exhibition
held at the Goodlands centre welcomed visitors (mostly students,
teachers and some parents), who
learned that knowledge of the self
leads to knowing how to maintain
the inner ecology of the self, that is,
the mind. Explanations were given
by experienced guides on a series of
charts which depicted how the con-
cept of ecology starts first within
with positive clean thoughts which
are then translated into ecological
attitudes and actions into our house,
environment, village/town, country,
earth and the entire universe.
Activities that were carried out also
included Virtuescope, distribution of
medicinal plants, writing down
determined thoughts about the self
and the environment on leaves and
tying them to the tree, solar cooking, Yogic farming and guided meditation. Most visitors termed the
time spent there as a refreshing
experience because spirituality is
lacking in their daily lives. Learning
to preserve the interior ‘ecosystem’
so as to sustain the outer ecosystem
has been the gist of this event.
Parabolic Solar Cooking explained to students Guided explanations on charts by Bro Ricardo Children enthusiastic about the Wheel of virtues
4
You will not be punished for your anger, but you will be punished by your anger - Lord Buddha
The International Day of Yoga
Half day Mind & Body work out at Goodlands Meditation Centre
the wellness
of
both the
soul and
b o d y
compared
to
the
Hatha Yoga
(physical
postures)
which
is
‘Salutation to the Sun-Suryanamaskar’ posture before the meditation session l i m i t e d
“Yoga is the journey of the self mainly to achieving physical health.
through the self to the self.” The She explained how through the
Bhagavad Gita
practice of the Raja Yoga
The United Nations International Meditation, our five physical senses
Day of Yoga was commemorated on and three subtle senses (that is our
25th June 2016 at the Raja Yoga conscious mind, intellect and subMeditation Centre, Goodlands.
conscious mind) are brought within
In her address, Sister Gaitree, our control. This inner self-mastery
Coordinator of Brahma Kumaris has been illustrated in the scripactivities in the North of the island tures by a chariot driven by five
highlighted the uniqueness of Raja horses which truly represent the
Yoga Meditation which caters for body and the five physical senses.
The charioteer represents the soul,
holding the five horses (i.e senses)
under control by means of the
reigns representing the three
faculties of mind, intellect and
sub-conscious mind.
Thus through Raja Yoga Meditation
the soul, which is the “I” animating
the body, through its subtle senses
is trained to gain control over the
body leading to ‘a sound mind in a
sound body’.
The audience was also introduced
to a few keep-fit physical postures
at the end of the programme.
Candle lighting by BK sisters open the program
Yoga Day hoisted by the State House
This year’s
International
Day of Yoga
was hosted
by
the
President of
the Republic
in the yard of
the
State
House, official residence of the President,
where a huge marquee was erected
for that occasion. Some 500
students of the organization and
contacts turned up for a collective
meditation for peace and harmony
in the country and the world.
In her welcoming address, the
President of the Republic, Mrs
Ameena Gurib Fakim highlighted
the rich heritage in the field of
holistic health care systems left by
India to the world and which
includes Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani,
Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH).
She encouraged everyone to adopt
the practice of yoga and AYUSH
health care systems particularly
with regards to the limitations of
modern medicine. Sister Gaitree
was entrusted the responsibility to
give a brief introduction of the philosophy and practice of Raja Yoga
Meditation, after which the audience was invited to meditate and
send positive feelings for the souls
of the world and for nature.
BKs clad in white meditating together in the serene atmosphere of the State House Garden
5
Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. - Mother Teresa
Children Fun Day
On Sunday 31 July 2016, around 60
children who attend Children’s Class at
the Brahma Kumaris Centres across the
island met at the Palmar Retreat House
for their Annual Children Fun Day.
This was a cherishing moment as both
children and parents got to spend some
4 hours together through various creative activities. This year’s theme was
“Golden Aged Happy Family”.
There were various competitions organized regarding this theme, namely
painting competition, writing poems and
Children and parents attentively following
demonstration given on crown making
essays. The most promising children
were rewarded.
Moreover, children got the chance to
learn and do many innovative things like
rakhi, crowns, greeting cards using
recycled materials; playing with virtue
word puzzle. Kite making drew everyone’s attention and it was so fun to see
both parents and children playing with
kites on the beach!
Two children diligently preparing their crowns.
A little Angel posing happily with her
card made from recycled materials
Children busy assembling words
for their virtue word puzzle.
Children running for fun! Yuppi!
Outreach services
The Educational & Holistic Health
Care Association (EHHCA: Health &
Environment Wing of the BKGPH) was
invited by local associations to participate in Health Days at Petit Raffray,
Melville and Terre Rouge during June,
July and August respectively. Various
health services were offered to the
participants
Dr Jeeneea addressing on heart diseases...
Welcoming team at Terre Rouge Village...
. and Bro Vikram meeting AISEC group at Melville
.. while Bro Sunil explains health charts
EHHCA facilitators at Petit Raffray
6
You can’t change the past, but you ruin a perfect present by worrying about the future
W O R K S H O P
The annual workshop is always a spiritual hit for women of all backgrounds.
The main ground rules: silence, detached observation anchored in the eye of
the storm were set to facilitate the exploration of the journey of
consciousness in the various phases of human history.
Sisters from GPH beautifully and powerfully performed a mime depicting the
eternal, traditional, modern and shakti faces of woman. The workshop ended
with an intuitive walk to the colour representing a particular power each one
needs to access to in the present times.
Setting the context by Sister Gaitree
Intuitive walk towards their powers
Mime depicting the "Four faces of Woman"
Insightful sharings
Pause for snack
Snapshots
Yogic Gardening - glimpses..
Composting demonstration - Participation at Earth Market-Trianon - Talk on Diabetes @ Innerspace - Stress Tests at ‘Radio Plus’ anniversary
‘Tomme Pouce’
Dry mulching on lettuces crop
Tomatoes, lettuces
and cauliflower ready
in a week
The happiness in Harvesting
7
Love is a sacred reserve of energy; it is like the blood of spiritual evolution.
Visitors
Sister Rukmani, Senior Sister from
Shantivan, Mt Abu (4th from right)
Sister Sheela(R), Zonal in charge of
BK centres of Assam, INDIA
Sister Santosh (middle), Zonal Head of
BK centres of Maharashtra, Telangana &
AndraPradesh zone, INDIA
Brother Jean Louis, Mural Artist,
Lyons, FRANCE
(more in next edition)
Raksha Bandhan Celebrations
Raksha Bandhan is a commemoration of the Eternal
Link of Divinity that binds all souls to the Creator, the
Supreme Being. When we connect ourselves within to
our Eternal Source in absolute Purity, we are blessed
with the flow of Divine Powers and Virtues, which is a
Canopy of Protection ensuring us success in all our
endeavours.
In this context, the public was invited to a special programme where they had the opportunity to be tied
with a special ‘rakhi’ after listening to an insightful talk.
Contact souls being tied the sacred thread at the public program
The day I reached: at the very
entry of the campus of GPH, I
felt the serenity and purity in
the atmosphere. Each and every
corner of GPH is filled with love,
positivity and sanctity. It is a
place. All the incredible jewels
of the GPH family had proved
the name ‘GPH’ true in its
purest form. It is really heaven
in the midst of hell. I am personally very much obliged to all
the lovely pearls for their inspirational life and cooperation in
being together. At last, it was
my fortune to be with such
great divine souls.
BK Rani - Shantivan - INDIA
SWEET ENERGY BALLS
RECIPE
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 4 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup tahini
(spread made from ground sesame seeds)
- ½ cup peanuts chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup walnuts or any other nuts, chopped into small pieces
- Chopped pistachios, for decoration
PREPARATION
• Mix all ingredients together
• Let mixture rest in the fridge for ½ to 1 hour
• Form the mixture into balls and decorate with pistachios and
serve. Stays fresh for a week when stored in the fridge.
Alternative:
Roast the rolled oats and sesame seeds together, add in the
other ingredients and, without needing to set the mixture in
the fridge, form rolls. Decorate with pistachios and serve.
The unroasted preparation method is healthier for the seeds
and nuts un general, but the roasted method might be tastier.
These sweets can be presented in gift boxes to friends…
Find us in the North & Port-Louis
[email protected]
Brahma Kumaris Gph
www.brahmakumaris.mu
8
Global Peace House
Brahma Kumaris
Royal Road, Khoyratty
Pamplemousses
Tel: 248 1941
Inner Space
2nd Floor, Sharon House
Sir William Newton St
Port-Louis
Tel: 210 5928
Raja Yoga Meditation Centre
near Traffic Centre
New Morcellement
St Antoine, Goodlands
Tel: 282 1059
Raja Yoga Meditation Centre
Royal Rd (Opp Social Welfare
Centre)
8eme Mile, Triolet
Tel: 261 6581