The Gift of Darshan and Silence
A week ago I was privileged to have experienced darshan with Mother Meera for the third time in my life.
It has taken me a week to write about it, because so much of the experience is truly ineffable and defies all attempts at articulation. At its essence is a transmission of love that is mystical and of a deeply personal and interior nature...
It was a blessing to be accompanied by a dear soul companion and to meet very old and dear friends of hers at the temple, who have become mine as well - and to share this experience with each of them.
I have written about my previous experiences with Mother Meera on this blog, and provide links to those entries at the end of this post. Each time, I have received exactly what I needed...
The first time I saw her in the fall of 2008, I was in the midst of a deep depression. The second time, I had emerged from this time of darkness and difficulty following a period of intense healing, body work, and therapy. I received peace and equanimity that lasted for a long time...
Mother Meera's darshan transpires entirely in silence, which enables one to go very deeply within. She is believed by her devotees to be an avatar or incarnation of the Divine in its feminine aspects, and is often referred to as the Divine Mother. Whether you believe this or not, does not matter. Many have approached Mother Meera over the years and been profoundly moved and touched by the experience of gazing in her eyes.
It is also said that when she cradles your head during darshan, she has the ability to untangle knots of a karmic nature within you. I must admit, every visit with her has been a catalyst for profound change.
The first time, two of the friends that were there a week ago, had also attended. At the time we came separately and ended up in different corners of the room. My soul felt very tumultuous, and though I experienced being bathed in great Light, much was stirred deeply within. The second time, I attended darshan by myself. And this third time, I shared it with my friends as a mini-community, sitting together, meditating, and then huddling, hugging, and holding on to each other at the end, as we shared our experiences. There was an incredible sense of joy that pervaded our shared moments.
I was moved to do Metta practice - to do Loving-kindness meditation for all those present in the darshan hall - and for those whom they would touch - family members, friends, neighbors, work companions and so forth - over and over again - visualizing everyone there and beyond as threads in an incredible web of connection.
When it was time for my row to move forward, I was at the end of the line behind my friends. I was able to see each one experience darshan, and pray for each individually that they receive what was most needed, in addition to praying for the daughter of the friend whose 18th birthday it was that day.
"Let me receive what I most need...
Let my friends here present, receive what they most need...
Let our family members and loved ones receive what they most need...
Let our friends receive what they most need...
Let all those we know who are suffering or are ill, receive what they most need...
Let every person in this hall, receive what they most need...
Let everyone be filled with Loving-kindness...
May they all be at peace and at ease...
May they be well...
May they be happy..."
...On and on, prayers and Metta practice for others tumbled out of my heart and soul - as I tried to remember every family member and friend individually and call them by name - in addition to trying to remember every prayer request that I had received...
When it was finally my moment to approach and receive darshan, and I looked into those incredible eyes for what seemed to be an eternity, I felt overwhelmed by the Presence there, that loved so unconditionally, and that beheld me as if I were the only one that mattered in the universe in that moment and every moment that preceded that one, from the dawn of time... And in the corner of her right eye, it seemed at first to me, as if a tear where gently lodged or tucked in there. It caught my eye and I was drawn there, because it glistened. It seemed more like a jewel - glowing, yet solid, almost like a small diamond - and perhaps it is meant to be a gift of some sort...
Then it was time to move on, and my soul internally gave thanks for the gifts received then - and in every moment I had seen her - and in all those times in-between that I truly felt her presence and assistance.
I look forward to further unpacking the gifts received, and to becoming more fully whom I am meant to be. I rest in the knowledge that I received what I most needed, as I prayed for days before this experience. And I know that all those that I carried with me in my heart, did as well!
I end with this quote, received from a friend, right after this experience:
"The deepest silence, is the silence of God. I feel a poem ultimately imparts silence. That way it's disillusioning. It disillusions us of our own small presence in order to reveal the presence of this deeper silence - this pregnant, primal, ancient, contemporary, and imminent silence, which is God."
~ Li-Young Lee
(Quoted by Alica Ostriker, in Poets Talks About Faith - A God in the House, Tupelo Press, 2012)
http://aligningwithgrace.blogspot.com/2008/09/darshan-and-mahasamadhi.html
http://aligningwithgrace.blogspot.com/2010/10/darshan-and-gift-of-light.html
http://aligningwithgrace.blogspot.com/2010/10/cultivating-equanimity-last.html
It has taken me a week to write about it, because so much of the experience is truly ineffable and defies all attempts at articulation. At its essence is a transmission of love that is mystical and of a deeply personal and interior nature...
It was a blessing to be accompanied by a dear soul companion and to meet very old and dear friends of hers at the temple, who have become mine as well - and to share this experience with each of them.
I have written about my previous experiences with Mother Meera on this blog, and provide links to those entries at the end of this post. Each time, I have received exactly what I needed...
The first time I saw her in the fall of 2008, I was in the midst of a deep depression. The second time, I had emerged from this time of darkness and difficulty following a period of intense healing, body work, and therapy. I received peace and equanimity that lasted for a long time...
Mother Meera's darshan transpires entirely in silence, which enables one to go very deeply within. She is believed by her devotees to be an avatar or incarnation of the Divine in its feminine aspects, and is often referred to as the Divine Mother. Whether you believe this or not, does not matter. Many have approached Mother Meera over the years and been profoundly moved and touched by the experience of gazing in her eyes.
It is also said that when she cradles your head during darshan, she has the ability to untangle knots of a karmic nature within you. I must admit, every visit with her has been a catalyst for profound change.
The first time, two of the friends that were there a week ago, had also attended. At the time we came separately and ended up in different corners of the room. My soul felt very tumultuous, and though I experienced being bathed in great Light, much was stirred deeply within. The second time, I attended darshan by myself. And this third time, I shared it with my friends as a mini-community, sitting together, meditating, and then huddling, hugging, and holding on to each other at the end, as we shared our experiences. There was an incredible sense of joy that pervaded our shared moments.
I was moved to do Metta practice - to do Loving-kindness meditation for all those present in the darshan hall - and for those whom they would touch - family members, friends, neighbors, work companions and so forth - over and over again - visualizing everyone there and beyond as threads in an incredible web of connection.
When it was time for my row to move forward, I was at the end of the line behind my friends. I was able to see each one experience darshan, and pray for each individually that they receive what was most needed, in addition to praying for the daughter of the friend whose 18th birthday it was that day.
"Let me receive what I most need...
Let my friends here present, receive what they most need...
Let our family members and loved ones receive what they most need...
Let our friends receive what they most need...
Let all those we know who are suffering or are ill, receive what they most need...
Let every person in this hall, receive what they most need...
Let everyone be filled with Loving-kindness...
May they all be at peace and at ease...
May they be well...
May they be happy..."
...On and on, prayers and Metta practice for others tumbled out of my heart and soul - as I tried to remember every family member and friend individually and call them by name - in addition to trying to remember every prayer request that I had received...
When it was finally my moment to approach and receive darshan, and I looked into those incredible eyes for what seemed to be an eternity, I felt overwhelmed by the Presence there, that loved so unconditionally, and that beheld me as if I were the only one that mattered in the universe in that moment and every moment that preceded that one, from the dawn of time... And in the corner of her right eye, it seemed at first to me, as if a tear where gently lodged or tucked in there. It caught my eye and I was drawn there, because it glistened. It seemed more like a jewel - glowing, yet solid, almost like a small diamond - and perhaps it is meant to be a gift of some sort...
Then it was time to move on, and my soul internally gave thanks for the gifts received then - and in every moment I had seen her - and in all those times in-between that I truly felt her presence and assistance.
I look forward to further unpacking the gifts received, and to becoming more fully whom I am meant to be. I rest in the knowledge that I received what I most needed, as I prayed for days before this experience. And I know that all those that I carried with me in my heart, did as well!
I end with this quote, received from a friend, right after this experience:
"The deepest silence, is the silence of God. I feel a poem ultimately imparts silence. That way it's disillusioning. It disillusions us of our own small presence in order to reveal the presence of this deeper silence - this pregnant, primal, ancient, contemporary, and imminent silence, which is God."
~ Li-Young Lee
(Quoted by Alica Ostriker, in Poets Talks About Faith - A God in the House, Tupelo Press, 2012)
http://aligningwithgrace.blogspot.com/2008/09/darshan-and-mahasamadhi.html
http://aligningwithgrace.blogspot.com/2010/10/darshan-and-gift-of-light.html
http://aligningwithgrace.blogspot.com/2010/10/cultivating-equanimity-last.html
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