the bright lights of monday !

that rhythmic sound. of the ocean waves seeking the sands. its early evening on the 24th of december, theres a sun gently setting on the waters and we're sitting on the beach in amritapuri, hundreds of people sitting in a quiet circle around a space made sacred by amma's expected presence. these are the legendary friday evening meditations on the beach, its the first time we've been in amritapuri on such a friday evening, and its lovely. i'm sitting and typing away on a spot right behind where amma is supposed to sit and i said its quiet.but for this wonderful banter going on amongst some little kids in whose space we'd slipped in. they're indian by face but speak english with a lovely lilting accent i can't quite place. makes it even more beautiful :-) i look around at the sea of face on this sandy beach by the arabian ocean. the meditation is over and amma's launched into an impromptu bhajan. i look around at this sea of faces and these are some happy faces :-) what an incredible setting and what a gift this evening was. just being there. sitting quietly. and drinking in these precious moments of love seeking and love speaking. once again the air of relaxed expectation, the gentle banter, and that wisdom timeless. and amma, utterly quiet and still during the meditation, a mountain, an ocean, an immense peace. "lead us from death to immortality - what does it really mean" a sudden question from amma to her swamis and they're under the spotlight, and in a spot :-) she takes all their answers - the clever, the earnest, the erudite, the learned, the creative, the common explanations, the uncommon explanations - takes them all and puts them away. "what does it really mean?" takes us all and goes to the heart of the matter - our hearts - and explains in words that all can understand - immortality is in the compassionate heart, the good that we do without any self concern, egoless - it are these thoughts, words, and deeds that will live on, long after we are gone. shes saying the same thing the swamis tried to say - its the death of the ego - but this we understand :-) the sun has set, the darshan is over and i am sitting on a rock watching the waters  approach and recede, dancing that eternal dance. theres a cool breeze blowing and the only sound i can hear is this music of the waves crashing against the rocks. its a meditation in itself and i could spend a long long time just sitting like this. just watching the sky get darker and the waters greyer and the ocean deeper and deeper still, an eternal cosmic heart just beating away. i look back and hello! everyone has disappeared. a moment ago this was a bustling mela of chairs, mikes, people, silence and songs. and now all that remains is the silence, a little stretch of grey-black sand and the rustling of those palm trees. did i dream it all? where did everyone go? or is it the ocean called amma gently reminding us again how ephemeral life's waves are, beautiful as they may be. xmas. its xmas day and we're on the move again. last night it was a full house at the bhajan hall and a party. amma's western devotees had rocked the house with their annual xmas play. a memorable production on the three marys in jesus's life. drama, humor, passionate singing, rocking beats, imaginative sets, modern dance, flower like children, peacocks and elephants, robbers slithering down innocously placed ropes, despair and redemption, and the messages sublime- they delivered it all! seemed like months of hard preparation - and all for love. now thats christmas! the christmases of this life have always been a time for celebration. a winter celebration. delhi, calcutta, chennai, an even in my darkest doctoral days in berkeley couldn't bear not to be celebrating at this time of the year! gay cafes, brightly lit market places, brightly dressed up people, that familiar music, the midnight masses in san francisco with haricharan and our temple sangha, the joy of getting, and giving, gifts, those never ending plum cakes, and joy, just an unreasonable inexplicable joy. thats how i really feel on christmas! perhaps its to do with the heart this festival celebrates. love is joy, even when it hurts lekshmy's wedding at trivandrum on christmas day. the ceremony took less than 15 minutes, or so it seemed - these malayali weddings! lekshmy was a sparkling smile throughout the morning - never seen a bride grin so much, or throw her head back so often and laugh out loud. she looked so happy and he so content. thats a way to wed too. and be. may they always be so :-) and now i sit on the eigth floor of block b at amritapuri watching the gulls fly over the distant ocean. the last few hours of our special xmas weekend, and this cold and cough notwithstanding, it was a wonderful time. if this be the season of celebration, much was. and the bells are still ringing inside. its been quite a journey this week's monday morning mail :-) it may have taken its time, gone a few places, but as long as you believe in santa claus, you'd better believe this too - the monday morning mail is sure going to be there!  Snow in Bethlehem Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses. Flood waters await us in our avenues. Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche Over unprotected villages. The sky slips low and grey and threatening. We question ourselves. What have we done to so affront nature? We worry God. Are you there? Are you there really? Does the covenant you made with us still hold? Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters, Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air. The world is encouraged to come away from rancor, Come the way of friendship. It is the Glad Season. Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner. Flood waters recede into memory. Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us As we make our way to higher ground. Hope is born again in the faces of children It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets. Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things, Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors. In our joy, we think we hear a whisper. At first it is too soft. Then only half heard. We listen carefully as it gathers strength. We hear a sweetness. The word is Peace. It is loud now. It is louder. Louder than the explosion of bombs. We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence. It is what we have hungered for. Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace. A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies. Security for our beloveds and their beloveds. We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas. We beckon this good season to wait a while with us. We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come. Peace. Come and fill us and our world with your majesty. We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian, implore you to stay awhile with us so we may learn by your shimmering light how to look beyond complexion and see community. It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time. On this platform of peace, we can create a language to translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other. At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ Into the great religions of the world. We jubilate the precious advent of trust. We shout with glorious tongues the coming of hope. All the earth's tribes loosen their voices to celebrate the promise of Peace. We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers, Look heavenward and speak the word aloud. Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud. Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves, And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation: Peace, My Brother. Peace, My Sister. Peace, My Soul By Maya Angelou the sun has completely set over the ocean, the sky itself seems to have disappeared. this heart itself is the ocean at this moment - dark, immense, and deep. this peace. such peace. may it fill our world :-) merry christmas! much much love, d&s