Constantinopole - Chora Church

 Istanbul is a city that bears a history from the ancient time, going to the Byzantine Empire and the beginning of official Christianity and then falling under the Ottoman conquerors and establishing the Islamic era. The mix of work, tourism and spirituality was a very happy one in my case. I was there for a concert of George Enescu Philharmonic Choir together with Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra with opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini. This opera has the famous aria Casta Diva, which was often offered to Shri Mataji in musical programs. I succeeded in joining a sahaj program while I was there. I understood they are 100 yogis for a population of 14 millions, which is very little. But the Islamic propaganda is very aggressive this time. I remember that 20 years ago I haven’t seen many women wearing hijab. Now half of them do. Especially the young ones. And they look pretty arrogant too. Turkey is a laic state, though, due to Kemal Atatürk, a realized soul.

What I find very beautiful there is the mix of the Christian vestiges and the Islamic art. Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque situated on the two ends of a square are just a sample. While visiting Chora Church, which it is famous for her mosaics and fresco, I found out the canons of the representing the Holy Virgin and her mother in early Christianity. First of all, the pronaos of the church represents the whole life of the Holy Mother of Christ and we can see that She is equal important in that time with Jesus. The color for the Saint Anna (Mother of the Virgin) is pink (Shri Lakshmi), while the color of the Virgin’s clothes is blue (Shri Radha). Also, the Creation it is represented as a spiral (Kundalini) which has on her sides the Sun and the Moon. Enjoy the pictures!

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Day - a Festival in Bucharest

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Day is celebrated in Bucharest, Romania with public programs, the most important thing being the Self Realization experiment by awakening of Kundalini energy and the speech of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (video).  In this way, the seekers of truth have the information directly from the source.

The festival in 2016 included:

-         15th of March: Promo and mini recital Indian music of Anne Marie Ene and Avadhut Kasinadhuni at Orfeu TV

-         17th of March – during the weekly sahaj program from Metropolitan Library Bucharest, video projection of  Immaculata documentary, as a tribute for Shri Mataji

-          21st of March, public program at Metropolitan Library Bucharest, which included power-point presentation of Shri Mataji’s life and work (made by Paul Petrut), video projection of a Speech of Shri Mataji, Self Realization experiment and recital of soprano Cleopatra David and pianist Ieronim Buga (guest)

-         22nd of March – invitation of soprano Cleopatra David and pianist Ieronim Buga at Orfeu TV with interview about the public program and recital 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Day in Bucharest, Romania

Monday, on the 21st of March 2016, we celebrate 93 years from the Birthday of our Guru and Mother Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi.

On this occasion, we are organizing a public program at Metropolitan Library Bucharest. The program will contain:

 - classical music recital

 -  Self Realization experiment

 -  speech of Shri Mataji Mirmala Devi (video)

Soloists:

Cleopatra David - soprano

Ieronim Buga - piano (guest)

Since 1970, H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi., travelled world-wide giving self-realization to all regardless of race, religion and offering free public lectures. Shri Mataji is the first and only one in the history of spirituality to offer the experience of self-realization en masse through Sahaja Yoga. Her teaching has benefited hundreds of thousands worldwide to experience the inner balance and health improvement, thus giving complete spiritual ascent.

Self-Realization awakens within us the primordial kundalini energy an innate spiritual potential. It is a spontaneous process and Shri.Mataji emphasized that this awakening, cannot be purchased. All the workshops of Sahaja Yoga are done absolutely free by the local volunteers all over the world.

In addition to Sahaja Yoga, which is now established in more than 100 countries, Shri Mataji founded a non-governmental organization for destitute women and children, several international schools teaching a holistic curriculum, health clinics offering free treatment through Sahaja Yoga, and an arts academy to revitalize the classical skills of dance, music and painting. 

Shri Mataji dedicated her life to Humanity- quietly transformed lives globally. She believed that it is every human beings birthright to receive their self-realization. Shri. Mataji passed away on Feb 23, 2011. To honor her noble work, we would like to declare her birth day March 21st as “Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Day”.

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/All_Governments_UN_UNESCO_Schools_University_Colleges_To_declare_March_21st_as_Shri_Mataji_Nirmala_Devi_Day/?sqJPjjb

Please get your self-realization and pass this source of joy within all of us to others.

140 Years from the Birth of Constantin Brâncuşi

On 19th of February 1876 the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi was born

Enlightened personality, he is most famous for the Târgu Jiu Ensemble, consisting in 3 pieces: The Gate of Kiss, The table of Silence and The Endless Column.

"Don't look for obscure formulas or mystery in my work. It is pure joy that I offer you. Look at my sculptures until you see them. Those closest to God have seen them." , said the artist

You can read about his life and work here

The False Gurus of Classical Music

Music is not just the expression of Bhakti. Music was created in Heaven before it was given to us. The entire Universe was created through the dance of the Goddess.Knowledge about music is just like knowledge in spirituality. We think it took us very little to get the Self Realization, when in reality it took us many lives, and we were watched carefully by Shri Mataji in every step we made. But still, it took us months and to some even years to realize who actually Shri Mataji is. And all these while the Kundalini energy was increasing the strength in each of us.  It took us years to give up bad practices, the attachment to false knowledge and false gurus, to understand the falsehood of the religious organizations of the world. It took years for some to even quit cigarettes and alcohol, while the society never condemned “social drinking”. A non-realized soul will read random books and articles.

For music, things work in the same manner. Yes, music is for everyone, but everyone knows what music really is? Shri Mataji advices the artists to keep the dignity of art. You can read here:

But people don’t make a difference between ART and entertainment, for both use sounds. They say: music should give joy. But let’s see what joy is.

Can one compare the joy from getting a present for your birthday and the one in the deep meditation? Is the first one really joy, or just excitement?

Yes, this is the confusion people make. They mistake joy with excitement, as they mistake art with entertainment.

But, as in spirituality, where it took us years in the physical presence of The Guru of all Gurus to feel a little of the light we should achieve, also in music you need a little exposure and education about the real classical music (Indian or European), or in the traditional ones to understand what they are. By this education you don’t become a musician, you don’t become a guru, not even a disciple in Art, but an aware witness.

Unfortunately, just like in spirituality, many people in order to get more money pretend to do classical music, while in fact they defile it. And they play some light music (entertainment zone) or execute out of any style and rule excerpts from classical composers “adjusted” to pop culture. Names: Andre Rieu, Havasi, Richard Clayderman, Vanessa Mae, etc. Is this making any service to classical music? Is this going to approach more people to the world of enlightened musicians? Facts proved that, NO! Is this a work of a false guru?

Yes. It is the same manner in which some guy pretends to give Realization, while in fact it takes your money and gives you troubles in evolution, the false gurus of classical music give you bad taste. Is this that bad? Well, yes. Since the real musicians won’t find anymore the place to live in this world. The whole artistic world might collapse if not fed with our attention, care, love and appreciation.

In Indian music things are not going any better. All people know about the popularity of Ravi Shankar. But was he a real exponent of Indian music or he gone to the easy cheap way to gain more popularity and money? Also Shri Mataji spoke about this:

“They like somebody like Ravi Shankar who just goes on mixing up notes and just goes on playing something which is very, very unscientific according to Indians things, and is not at all entertaining; it doesn’t open your heart and something like that. But, that is the thing that appeals to them, to go into a big sort of a rock and roll sort – make it, sitar into rock and roll, and even worse than that. I don’t know the new, latest one I don’t know what it is.” Shri Saraswati Puja, Vancouver (Canada), August 11th, 1990

Even when he was young he was dedicated and that time Shri Mataji was very well impressed by him. But…money and ego change everything.

 Here I give you some samples of what classical music is and what it is not:

Here is a crime against childhood and music education. This little girl obviously has talent, but in this way she will lose her voice by the age of 20

This is how children voices should be trained like:

Maybe some of you don’t notice the difference. It is slight for ears, huge for the music.

 This is the result of not exposing people to Classical music, they believe all impostors. How these people get so famous while real musicians struggle so hard only to have enough contracts so they can pay the bills and eat? It is a lot of marketing for nothing at all. The problem is that it is not enough music education in the real sense of the word and the entertainment's ugly head is mistakenly taken as art. It is a big difference; even high spirits can have fun with art too. Only most of the people never ever hear classical music, because nobody exposes them to it. They are being served only cheap things. Cheap as value, expensive as price

The shadows of grey are much more dangerous than black. At least when it is black, you know.

And just what kind of marketing are doing these people? Havasi says he is the fastest pianist in the world....But music is not a race! What about Rieu? Rieu takes advantage of a tragedy (fire accident at Colective club in Bucharest) to promote his new CD. He comes to the place of tragedy, brings a Mafia-like mortuary bucket, and makes declarations in front of TV cameras while blubbering his nose (out of sadness, of course), that people can buy his new CD from Carrefour.  How gross this can be?

To reach a professional level in music need sacrifices and real work since early childhood. A person who since 5-6 years works so hard and learns and knows what is doing, must have love for music. Like Perlman, Menuhin, Debu Chauduri if you want Indian....they love and they do music. Rieu loves and makes money. The difference between Rieu and a ....musician is like the difference between Osho and Shankaracharya

The value of o a musician (and also of a person) is not determined of how well known is. Let's take a very short example: very few people heard about William Blake, but everybody knows who Hitler was. And he is quite popular in Asian countries as well. Cheap popularity is not the aim of a musician, but the QUALITY of the musical act itself.

Anca Elena Ratiu, musician and sahaja yogini says: "the worst of these kinds of people is that are living out of any Reality....and they use Sound just to glorify their Ego and steel your money! But basically they do not exist!!! They are completely out of any central vibrations of the Primordial Sound! They are in the limbo of the Universe. And what is really said is that when we professionally musicians condemn it, there are always other opinions!!!!!!! "I LIKE IT" or "What is wrong with this music?"....PEOPLE WILL NEVER EVER DISCUSS ANY OTHER PROFESIONIST, LIKE A MATHEMATICIAN, but they will say "I like this music. Because they do not realize is nothing to be liked there, because IS NOTHING THERE!....but they continue to like it in a not-real world where they live together with this wrong vibration.....is a simple think called "No-Music"!....and I will ask everyone here: DO NOT CALLED IT MUSIC, because the word will loose his meaning...."

Someone told once to me: you can do and say anything, people like what they like. Really? In spreading Sahaja Yoga, we were first giving Self Realization, and then taught how to talk to people, but also not to accept compromise.

I met once an Indian young man who told me “I know Shri Mataji is divine, everybody in India knows this, but I chose Osho for he gives me more freedom for my sexual life.”  How can one react to such a statement? It is not even of common sense! As absurd this statement looks to us, as absurd is to stick to law level sound production, to entertainment,  and not expose yourself to real music, being it classical or traditional, or worse, to mistake classical music with the massacre Rieu and Clayderman are doing.

Listen, go to concert halls, go to opera, go to temples and hear the real music! If you will not do this, kitsch will suffocate us.

Mihai Eminescu, Romanian National Poet

A late Romantic poet, Mihai Eminescu (born Mihail Eminovici) was influenced in his creation by Schopenhauer's philosophy and, also via Schopenhauer, by Hindu and Buddhist writings. Although his style was behind European tendencies, Mihai Eminescu boosted Romanian literature to a level never reached before.

More about Eminescu here

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

GLOSS

Days go past, and days come still,
All is old and all is new,
What is well and what is ill,
You imagine and construe
Do not hope and do not fear,
Waves that leap like waves must fall;
Should they praise or should they jeer,
Look but coldly on it all.

Things you'll meet of many a kind,
Sights and sounds, and tales no end,
But to keep them all in mind
Who would bother to attend?...
Very little does it matter,
If you can yourself fulfil,
That with idle, empty chatter
Days go past and days come still.

Little heed the lofty ranging
That cold logic does display
To explain the endless changing
Of this pageantry of joy,
And which out of death is growing
But to last an hour or two;
For the mind profoundly knowing
All is old and all is new.

As before some troupe of actors,
You before the world remain;
Act they Gods, or malefactors,
'Tis but they dressed up again.
And their loving and their slaying,
Sit apart and watch, until
You will see behind their playing
What is well and what is ill.

What has been and what to be
Are but of a page each part
Which the world to read is free.
Yet who knows them off by heart?
All that was and is to come
Prospers in the present too,
But its narrow modicum
You imagine and construe.

With the selfsame scales and gauges
This great universe to weigh,
Man has been for thousand ages
Sometimes sad and sometimes gay;
Other masks, the same old story,
Players pass and reappear,
Broken promises of glory;
Do not hope and do not fear.

Do not hope when greed is staring
O'er the bridge that luck has flung,
These are fools for not despairing,
On their brows though stars are hung;
Do not fear if one or other
Does his comrades deep enthral,
Do not let him call you brother,
Waves that leap like waves must fall.

Like the sirens' silver singing
Men spread nets to catch their prey,
Up and down the curtain swinging
Midst a whirlwind of display.
Leave them room without resistance,
Nor their commentaries cheer,
Hearing only from a distance,
Should they praise or should they jeer.

If they touch you, do not tarry,
Should they curse you, hold your tongue,
All your counsel must miscarry
Knowing who you are among.
Let them muse and let them mingle,
Let them pass both great and small;
Unattached and calm and single,
Look but coldly on it all.

Look but coldly on it all,
Should they praise or should they jeer;
Waves that leap like waves must fall,
Do not hope and do not fear.
You imagine and construe
What is well and what is ill;
All is old and all is new,
Days go past and days come still.

Translated by

Corneliu M. Popescu

http://www.gabrielditu.com/eminescu/gloss.asp

Music Is For The Spirit, Not For The Legs!

My idea about music education (can be expanded to art education or...just education) came to results. My sister and her husband usually listen to pop-rock music. Something to remind them of youth. Well, being in vacation with them, I let the Mezzo channel play from time to time. For those who don't know, Mezzo is a classical music channel. What was the result? Not only that my sister and her husband remembered this kind of music exists and started to play also this channel, especially to protect themselves against the bad and vulgar music from the neighborhood, but my niece asked questions about instruments and...she took the violin and asked me to teach her!!! Also, my brother-in-law remarked that Händel's Messiah it is a lot "better" than the walzes of Strauss.

So music it is not about like- not like a certain genre, but about being aware that something deep, beautiful, divine exists. Just like in spirituality. So, expose yourself and your children to classical music (European or Indian, or both, doesn't matter). THIS one is for the spirit, not for the legs!

Some resist through culture, some resist to culture. Saying that art is for specialists is like believing that doctors should only treat doctors and the food is only for the cook