APPROACHING MEDITATION DOME AND DYNAMIC ENERGY SCULPTURE
















GANESH GRACES THE DOME GARDEN WITH THE FRAGRANCE OF THE EXOTIC CHAMPA FLOWER FILLING THE AIR

















KAI, FERNANDO, MARK GRIFFIN, MARK BONNLANDER, LAUREN ENJOYING THEIR ARRIVAL AT FIRE MOUNTAIN















UP ON THE THIRD FLOOR TERRACE OVERLOOKING NIMBOLI WITH GURU FLAGS BLOWING IN WIND

Guru Arrives... Bliss Abounds

Fire Mountain Retreat Center...A Sacred Destination

Mark Griffin, founder of Fire Mountain Retreat Center, tells us why the center is a sacred destination.

This place where we are sitting is Siddha Loka; this is the abode of the Guru here on earth. It is ruled by the collective spiritual power that we call the Guru Lineage. The recitation of the Guru Gita in this place is profound beyond belief.

This has been a center of spiritual activity for 500 centuries, even during the previous age. In fact, it went through a heyday in this earlier age. When Bhagavan Nityananda came her in 1937, he reactivated it and brought it to its highest operation. I think it's higher now than it has ever been. This is one of the centers of the world. One of the strongest operating guru lineages on the planet is based here. That's why we care about this place. That's why we come here. That's why we built Fire Mountain Retreat Center here.
....Mark Griffin

Celebrating Guru Pournima in Ganeshpuri

The time of celebrating Guru Pournima is approaching in the village of Ganeshpuri. The temple of Bhagwan Nityananda was being decked out with flowers yesterday as we stopped by for a meditation at his Samadhi Mandir. The outside has been made into a large covered patio with bamboo and plastic. They are expecting around 700,000 devotees to arrive on July 7th. 24 hour chanting starts today and continues until that date. Already we have seen some new faces of beautiful visiting saints. There have been so many people all over India, and beyond that have been touched by Nityananda. We have the constant pleasure of meeting them. Buildings are getting new coats of paint, such as the Shiva Temple, which seems additonally charged with a blessing. I have been told it will be a special time for us.

My Iindian friend, Geeta, asked us to come and meet her parents when they come for Guru Pournima. They used to live next door to Nityananda and cooked porridge and lemon pickle for him, which he supposedly loved. Her parents also took care of one of Nityananda's major devotees, and then inherited his house when he passed on. This house is next door to Nityananda's ashram and Shaligram's Samadi Mandir. Geeta and her husband and son live there now.

This photo was taken of our Puja Altar from one of our Thursday Guru Pujas held in the dome during pre-monsoon weather. It rather looks like a collage and I am using as my computer desktop. We can no longer meditate in the dome do to the rains. We have removed the dome curtains so that they will not be spoiled during the heavy rains. But where are these heavy rains? Tomorrow is July 1st , and still only mild rains have come.

We have been busy creating a special meditation room to be used daily by all those living and visiting us at Fire Mountain. The air conditioner can keep us cool in the hot humid weather. Inspired by our time in Thailand, we have painted the walls gorgeous shades of gold, deep blue and magenta. We bought thick fabrics of rich texture and color to match the walls. A lending library and bookstore will be housed in the bookshelf and recordings of Mark Griffin's (http://www.hardlight.org/) meditation instruction will be available to listen to during certain hours. We wanted to create a handsome indoor space for meditation when the dome is unusable, as it is during the monsoon season.

Jeanette and Dahvee arrive

NEWS FLASH:  PEACE ABOUNDS IN NIMBOLI!!!

 

Displaced refugees Jeanette H and Dahvee H report being amazed by the intensity of the peace and quiet of Nimboli after just one night’s residence.  They were quoted as saying “the sun rises – the sun sets – the air is suddenly filled with a sweeping arc of white egrets wafting over the hibernating rice patty fields and brick-making grounds -  -  occasionally the sounds of children playing, yelling their surprise and  delight, the sounds of drumming and chanting of God-Dess celebrating/invoking people, the familiar pervasive chipping sounds of masons plying their trade, and the very audible  inclusive silence.  Not even the ubiquitous Indian noise of diesel machinery disturbs the tranquility here - - just the cawing of crows and multiple other unidentified avians polka-dot the space time surround.

These amateur and jet lagging travelers expressed their surprise and being graced by a cool almost cold, night and the surprise of awakening to a dense and delicious morning fog blanketing the entire region and making every surface, yesterday dry and dusty, wet with dew.

 The pair was observed to be rather in a state of shock and when asked about their apparent befuddlement, they could only mutter unintelligibly about “simple, it’s so simple” - - adding some further stuttering about powerful, palpable energy vortices, and Presence of Lineage so rich and available, they appeared to be highly affected by their translation to this location. 

Commenting on their evening meal, DH was heard to exclaim –“Wow, this is kick-ass dal the likes of which I’ve never experienced before - - this new cook has culinary siddhi - - not only transcendent dal but healing as well!!”  His reaction surprised this reporter as DH previously had boringly lamented over “yeah, there will be dal and then dal and if you don’t like dal, you can chose dal.” The new cook (Ms. Sunita (sp?) pronounced soon-ita) when told the couple liked spices, obviously was splendidly suited to the challenge, and has won the hearts of the appreciative pair.

Major construction was observed at Fire Mountain, home of amazing manifestations current and approaching, in the form of two new bathrooms arising rapidly brick by brick at the hands of the rhythmic Adavasi builders, and also the renovation of the women’s lavatory basins/mirrors and salon area. A buzz of excited discussion focused around the erection of a fabled dome-like structure rumored to be the future meeting place of guests and meditation enthusiasts from abroad, soon to arrive.  The place fairly sings with anticipation of this blessing. 

Asked for a comparative analogy to describe their Nimboli experience, a jumbled tossed salad of descriptive terms ensued– tossed salad life with no-thyme, thyme-less, thyme-a-plenty, thyme on your hands, and thyme, only thyme – this description doesn’t make much sense, but it seems to resonate solidly in the Haleys’ experience.

How is it the day rolls on in such a quiet, polite, timeless way in Nimboli, when so much of the world should apologize for its rough-shod treatment of the generous offerings of each moment?  A question to ask and enjoy, and certainly not to answer, but rather to use as fuel for transport to the origin of the question.  

As we left the happy couple, whose expectations obviously were surpassed by their experience, we heard Consierge  Sunil announcing the coconut curry luncheon was ready.

If you fancy a unique, spirited, and heartening adventure, we recommend plans for a trip to Fire Mountain, Maharasthra, India are in order.