# 3 - English - Dharma for all Journal

Salt, education and female empowerment: get to know the influential projects of Amurt-Haiti

Special Series:

2018

Are we Universalists in Practice?

issue #3

editorial

3rd edition: we started small, but we thought The Dharma for all Journal began by focusing exclusively on Brazilian projects and pracarakas. But since its conception, its mission was to connect with good news globally.

So now we take another step forward from our small beginnings toward our great dream: to spread the news about inspiring projects and people from different cultures.

In this edition, besides much Brazilian inspiration, you will: 1) Connect with Pashupati, a family acarya in the US, and Jyoshna, the legendary New Zealand songwriter and kiirtan singer, who shares with us her unique insights on Universalism, the central theme of our new special series.

2) Read an exclusive review written by Acarya Nabhaniilananda Avadhuta, Dharma Pracar coordinator in the US, who recommends that we read Dan Harris’s book 10% Happier for resources to explain meditation in a simple way.

3) Accompany part 3 of the special series “Workers of dharma pracar” and understand what led the Italian 01 | Dharma for all Journal

big!

Madhuri and the Argentine Viveka to leave their countries and families to become LFTs (local fulltimers) in Paraguay and Brazil respectively.

In addition, you will learn more about the broad and successful work of the educational centers created by Avadhutika Ananda Jaya Acarya on the outskirts of the city of São Paulo (Brazil) and meet Jayadevi, our profile of the month – a devotee of Baba who worked for many years at the Instituto Visão Futuro, founded by Avadhutika Ananda Mitra Acarya, and who today leads the yogatherapy training course (which we spoke in the last edition) together with Dada Vishvarupananda, in addition to other initiatives.

And remember: you can now follow the journal through our website (https://journal.d4all.org), where you can search for articles by section.

You are also invited to receive our digital magazine, with all the content of previous editions, beautifully designed and easily accessible. Visit the site and subscribe for free!

We are still together! Namaskar.

By Gurucaran (Gustavo Prudente)

* picture by Harideva (Rodrigo Carmargo)

editorial

Pracaraka Samgha Study Group getting closer every day!

In this issue we will talk about the Pracaraka Samgha Study Group, an initiative of Dharma for all that aims to encourage sadhakas (spiritual practitioners) to better understand the philosophy and align with our purpose in the People Formation axis.

Brazil has a vast territory and there are many sincere and dedicated practitioners who do not always have access to an exchange of ideas, study groups, classes, or other opportunities to delve into the concepts expressed by our Mentor.

Pracaraka Samgha is a study group created to minimize these obstacles, reducing distances between people, between those who have much experience and those who are starting new experiences, in effect, between theory and practice. This is

an online group that has been led by a margii or an acarya and is based on the teachings contained in the books of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti.

The first book we studied was Ananda Marga Elementary Philosophy, led

by Acarya Rainjitananda Avadhuta, a Brazilian monk who currently works in the United States. Then we moved on to the study of the book Idea and Ideology, also under the tutelage of Dada Rainjitananda. And this June we have just begun studying the book Namah Shivaya Shantaya, facilitated by Devashish (Donald Acosta).

The study group meets on Tuesdays, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and the classes are recorded so that those who cannot be online at this hour can attend at a more convenient time.

Dharma for all Journal | 02

These meetings have been a time for learning and revision for more than 50 active margiis in Brazil. The meetings are open to all but have certain prerequisites, such as being established in the mission, having at least the 3rd lesson, and following a sattvic diet (the diet prescribed by Baba).

We have margiis from various parts of the country participating, and though we are very far from each other physically, this is a time of weekly closeness. In addition to the online meetings, we encourage everyone to attend the face-to-face programs, which took place three times in the past year.

In these programs, we meditate a lot and share good vibes, good food, and good experiences. We have enjoyed the participation of the EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Gurucaran Taruna & SUPERVISOR colaborators Prashanti TRANSLATION GRAPHIC EDITION Devashish Iasodara COVER Julia Koch Jessica Obert 03 | Dharma for all Journal

following special guests and facilitators: Devashish, Shanti Maya, Acarya Rainjitananda Avadhuta, Acarya Nabaniilananda Avadhuta, Ghrii Acarya Kamaleshvara (Christian Franceschini) and in the last program, Ghrii Acarya Dhyanesh (Peter Fleury).

The feedback we have received has inspired us to move ahead, for many affirm that this is an excellent opportunity to study and to immerse ourselves in our spiritual practices.

If you feel motivated to join us online, please let us know. You still have time to participate in this module.

And others on the way. See more details on our webpage d4all.org.

DISTRIBUITION Free FREQUENCY monthly ISSUE#3 Brazil / 2018

Namaskar to all!

Dharma for all CONTACT journal@d4all.org https://journal.d4all.org f b.com/dharmaforalljournal

JOURNAL

CONTENTS

5

Life out of the box

9

Projects of AMURT-Haiti

14

Special series: Dharma Preacar workers -Part 3

18

Special series: Universalism Part 1

22

Meditation with the book 10% happier

24

Iasodara’s coconut Panna Cotta

You should remember that human life is not like a single flower; it is like a bouquet or a garden of flowers blooming with many varieties of flowers. And this variety of blossoms adds to the collective beauty of the garden. Had there been only magnolia graniflora or one variety of rose only blooming in the garden, although that single flower might be very attractive, still the garden as a whole would not be very lovely.

A garden is all the more beautiful because of the flowers of various types and hues.

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

profile

Life out of BOX how Jayadevi combined Tantra and physical disciplines to support people in their spiritual growth

In a pracaraka’s path, it is common to have many challenges, joys, and even shocks.

It is that way in Tantra — when one light comes on, another needs to be changed.

The trajectory of Jayadevi (Germana Lucena), who comes from the capital of Paraíba, Brazil, has also been marked by restlessness, searches, tumbles and flights. Before graduating in physical therapy, while still in college she was not satisfied with what traditional health care offered: negotiation with insurance health plans, limitations on the number of sessions and focus on removing pain and inflammation. “I wanted to work with body awareness, to see the whole 05 | Dharma for all Journal

person, beyond the pain, the protagonist of one’s own self,” she tells us.

In the pursuit of a parallel training, Jayadevi found hatha yoga and also met Buddhism. But it was when she heard Baba nam kevalam for the first time, 15 years ago, that the angels breathed into her ears a sense of peace and bliss. “The kiirtan touched me deeply,” she recalls. At the time, she met Avadhutika Ananda Sutapa Acarya and Avadhutika Ananda Mitra Acarya, who invited her to participate in the program called Stress a seu favor (Stress in your favor, free translation). “The scientific and integrative format of redirecting stress interested me a lot, connected with my professional search.”

Within a few months, Jayadevi joined the intensive course on Biopsychology, offered by Didi Ananda Mitra, in rural São Paulo state.

“It was my first contact with Tantra and Baba. On my way home a week later, my friends were impressed how different I was,” she recalls.

Some time later, she was already doing some courses and practicing dharmachakra in Paraíba. She then guided the anatomy content

in the training of yoga instructors.

In parallel, she met Feldenkrais, a method of approaching experiential anatomy in a practical way, using body awareness. The method is known for its unusual strategies and gentle movements to improve posture, flexibility, coordination, and balance. In joining it with Tantra, Jayadevi says she has arrived “in the formula that united my professional work to the spiritual”.

Dharma for all Journal | 06

Love it or leave it She began to immerse herself in the philosophy of Ananda Marga, as a visitor to the Instituto Visão Futuro, when a new challenge was presented: to become a vegetarian. Living in the northeast, she grew in the midst of a strong tradition of eating seafood at home and on the beach. It was abrupt: either to become a vegetarian or not to be a facilitator of tantra yoga. “I did not see myself moving in another direction, so I spent 2 years saying: just for today, I will not eat meat.” And there goes 15 years.

But the challenges did not stop there. In a meeting with a Thai didi, passing through Brazil, Jayadevi opened again to her concerns. “My master is Jesus, so it is very strange to say that it is Baba,” she told the nun. “She did not want to hear it, as they say here in the Northeast. Instead, she taught me a meditation lesson, I meditated, I got involved, feeling a single energy, the Supreme Consciousness, and then I launched myself. The inner conflict was resolved,” she tells us.

To Jayadevi, this experience was a watershed moment and brought her stillness. She could even fly to other spiritual and therapeutic places, but she had found a solid ground, a landing place.

“I was free to live other experiences; after all, the cosmic energy is one, but the main line is tantra and my relationship with Baba is the way.”

07 | Dharma for all Journal

Autonomy of will At one point in her journey, Jayadevi felt a need to expand her creative autonomy in her craft and align herself more and more with Yama and Niyama, principles of yoga in harmony with others and with herself. That was when she disconnected from the work she was developing in Visão Futuro. She ended up finding a new base and satsanga in the workshop she had been developing, at the invitation of Dada Vishuarupananada, the monk and university professor Peter Sage: the training in Yogatherapy, in Japaratinga, Alagoas (read the article about the yogatherapy course here). Along with other professionals, a collective work was created, a spiritual egregore that nourishes and gives feedback.

Jayadevi also created, in partnership with Susmita (Silvia Fuller), a spiritual sister and actress, the Meditar é possivel (Meditate is possible, free translation) an online program, which, through the lessons of the Feldenkrais method, prepares the aspirant’s body and attention for meditative practice. “Most people meditate less than they would like because the body bothers them and they feel pain. The lessons are a moving meditation, focusing on mantra, breathing, the ideation of cosmic love and the divine manifestation in everything. When it ends, the person is in a transformed mental state, and the body is organized for movement and pause,” she explains.

Today, her pracar, which has reached hundreds of people in Brazil, is the result of the use of her wisdom in an autonomous way. “When you fall, you immediately want to look for an external reference, a model, an organization.” But her great challenge was precisely to learn to no longer do her work in response to the demand of an organization. “It is my inner conviction to offer my service and to enable others to live an experience that transcends the ordinary through the body and health, having Tantra Yoga and the Ananda Marga philosophy as the mainstay.”

By Taruna (Tatiana Achcar) *pictures by Harideva (Rodrigo Carmargo) Dharma for all Journal | 08

dharmapracar

Projects of

AMURT-Haiti Training of educators, salt production and support groups for women: learn about the innovative projects of AMURT-Haiti

AMURT’s strategies in Haiti have focused on two strong pillars of development: education and social entrepreneurship (PROUT in practice).

The organization has responded to the earthquake that struck the country in 2010 through a 2-year long intervention focused on emergency education for 3000 children living in some of the most difficult refugee camps in the capital. Gradually, the vision of the programs evolved to 09 | Dharma for all Journal

include professional development for teachers, in particular child-centered neo-humanist methodologies.

By 2014 AMURT entered in partnership with Haiti’s most recognized higher education institution, Universite Quisqueya, and established InnovEd – the Innovative Education Institute (www.innoved.uniq.edu). Sarita (Sara Wolf), InnovEd’s programs coordinator and pedagogical developer,

describes InnovEd’s pedagogical model – the “vibrant school” – as a community focused on joyful and spontaneous exploration and sharing of growth and experiences.

“Before, I was a robot who talked all the time. Now, thanks to InnovEd, I engage students using participation strategies,” says one of the participating teachers, in one of the independent evaluations. “Before, I was the only person who talked in my class. And I was the boss who beat students constantly. Today, InnovEd has changed me” says another.

Even before introducing innovations in the field of educational, AMURT-Haiti has been working since 2004 to improve the quality of life of Commune Anse Rouge through an

integrated and participative development model. Anse Rouge is situated in the economically and socially isolated and environmentally devastated corner of the island. Sustained soil erosion and deforestation coupled with persistent drought and threats from hurricanes, as well as the virtual lack of services and even basic infrastructure have resulted in a very hostile environment where there is no government and NGO presence.

Dharma (Demeter Russafov), the Country Director of AMURT-Haiti, shared that it is these very hostile conditions and incredibly high local needs which motivated him to lead the establishment of AMURT’s programs in the country.

Dharma for all Journal | 10

He first came to Haiti as a LFT (volunteer in preparation for a yogic-monk lifestyle) in 2004, drawn to the challenges it posed and the simplicity and beauty of its people. Within a few months after arriving and helping build a school in Port-au-Prince, the flashfloods of Hurricane Jean left a devastating path of destruction and death and pushed much of the country in crisis. After hitching a ride on a truck Dharma reached the most isolated region affected by the floods, Anse Rouge. Once he connected with the local commu11 | Dharma for all Journal

nities and understood their needs, within a week he had convinced the World Food Program to support the newly established AMURT, and his young team of Haitian LFT volunteers began offering hot meal canteens and psycho-social programs to 4000 children and elderly in 6 villages.

At dawn one night, awakened by the noises he regularly heard, he stepped out of his tent and saw the silhouettes of caravans of children walking across the desert with empty jugs on their heads.

He followed them all the way to a water source situated miles away higher in the mountains, before returning with the kids just in time for them to get ready for school. He quickly discovered that the lack of water in the coastal villages was due to a decade-old water conflict between villages that resulted in the destruction of the water system. Dharma decide that the main focus of his team of volunteers and local residents would be the rehabilitation of the water system. They were successful and, thus, they gained the trust of the local communities as well as government and funding agencies, and the reputation of AMURT began growing year by year.

The outcomes of AMURT’s multitude of interventions include more than a million trees planted, dozens of watersheds and ravines preserved, several schools and clinics built, and irrigation canals and water reservoirs providing water and helping turn desert land in cultivable farms. Yet it is the innovations in salt production that has become AMURT’s most important and potentially transformative achievement.

By observing the difficulties faced by traditional salt producers as they tried to eke a living out of deep mud holes filled with sea water, Dharma and his team of volunteers became aware of

the incredible complexities associated with salt production in Haiti. Women salt harvesters managed to extract only two salt harvests per year in very hazardous and difficult conditions, and the quality and quantity of salt was very low and full of impurities. At the same time, iodine deficiency disorder is a major health problem for 50% of the Haitian population, causing severe health consequences.

Salt production in most countries efficiently evaporates sea water in shallow interconnected basins, and results in 32 annual harvests of high quality salt. Dharma knew that this efficient salt production would prove a game changer not just for Anse Rouge but for country’s fight with iodine deficiency. To address this, he first focused in gradually building the community trust and organizational structures, especially those of the most vulnerable, the women.

The model they chose to adopt focused on creating Self-Help Group (SHG): networks made of groups of women of low socio-economic status. An SHG is made of twenty women who meet weekly, create their own rules, and make regular contributions to a loan fund used to offer micro-loans to members.

Women discuss their problems in groups and find solutions together, increasing their solidarity, and solving conflicts and challenges.

Dharma for all Journal | 12

According to one participant, Marie-Anette, 32, a single mother of three, before AMURT started with self-help groups, women were at the bottom of society. “I can’t tell you how often I heard about women being beaten, women not wanting to leave their husbands because they had nowhere to go.

Now we are 250 women in our village alone – organized and much stronger together”, she says. After 6 years since the first SHGs were started, there are now more than 3,000 women organized in 160 groups, with more than 195,000 USD in self-generated microcredit funds.

idea that yoga might be a religion.

The SHG method supports three pillars of rural society: economic, social and political. The groups send representatives to form the next representational level: the associations, which eventually elect representatives to form the third and highest level – the federation.

Rotational leadership assures the group elects its representatives in the associations and the federation.

When a federation is formed, it represents 4,000 organized women, creating a highly efficient rural organization model, that AMURT wants to replicate in other parts of Haiti.

In these groups, women are introduced to breathing practices and yogic movements to manage stress.

“It’s a psycho-social process of shared practices. Meetings begin by sharing a moment of silence, closing our eyes and connecting with the power of the heart,” says Dharma. He emphasizes these practices are introduced in a very subtle way, so as not to reinforce a prevailing

This progressive community organization is the basis of the salt production cooperative (ESPRI). The social enterprise reinvests its profits in capacity development and microcredit for women SHG members. As Violet, a 36-year-old SHG member and salt harvester says, “it’s not just a new way of producing salt, it’s a new way of living.”

13 | Dharma for all Journal

Editorial Staff Pictures by Jessica Obert

article

Special Series: Dharma Pracar Workers Part 3

For those who want to get to know Ananda Marga better, becoming an LFT (local fulltimer, or full-time volunteer – free translation) can be a great opportunity. First, the candidate must attend an acarya-led training with a routine that includes fasting, varied types of work, the study of conduct rules and spiritual philosophy, and the daily practice of meditation and asanas.

At the end of the training, they

do SPT (sadhana pitta training), a seven-day immersion that includes keeping a vow of silence and eating only once a day. While women do this in the training center, the men go out to beg for food in the street without breaking their vow of silence, except for uttering one specific mantra. The LFT training ends with an examination, which assesses one’s knowledge of ideology, philosophy, practices, and rules.

Dharma for all Journal | 14

The successful candidate then beco-

decide whether to take the training

mes a full-time volunteer for Ananda

to become a renunciate acarya or

Marga under the constant mentor-

else return to their previous life, in-

ship of an acarya. At the same time

corporating the knowledge, experiences and practices they learned, and, if they wish, they can become eligible to become a tattvika or ghrii acarya (family acarya). Therefore, the role of LFT, the third in the special series “dharma pracar workers”, acts as a bridge between the pracaraka who chooses family life and the life of a renunciate. Whoever enters this bridge can decide to cross to either side.

We talked to two people who decided to face the “bridge”: Madhurii (Beatrice Pellegrini), Italian, a margii since 2015 who currently works as an LFT in Asunción, Paraguay; and Viveka (Francisco Irigoyen), Argentine, a margii since 2013 who is serving as an LFT in Araruama, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Their stories are distinct and show how varied approaches are necessary to attract diverse audien-

they devote themselves to the daily

ces to the spiritual path. At the same

discipline of spiritual practices. In this

time, they have shown the courage

way, they experience what a monk’s

to leave their comfort zone to refi-

life is like, and from there they can

ne themselves as spiritual aspirants.

15 | Dharma for all Journal

Knowing of his desire to learn to

She was introduced to the philoso-

meditate, a friend recommended

phy of Ananda Marga in a homeopa-

a dharmacakra to Viveka, and afte-

thic way and, after a time, she was ini-

rward he began to attend it every

tiated by a family acarya, Ghrii Acarya

week. Madhurii, on the other hand,

Kamalesvara (Christian Franceschi-

was caught by the rational side. She

ni), who also served as a model, for

had many reservations about monks,

being able to maintain a stable life

coming from a Catholic tradition, and

while working as much as a whole-

she found the idea of ​​spiritual discipli-

timer (renunciate acarya) and being

ne rather boring. However, she was

an example in his daily life. Then, du-

inspired by seeing Yogendra (Jaco-

ring her meditation, she heard the

po Ceccarelli), an instructor of yoga

call to come to South America for

teacher training courses in Floren-

LFT training. Her training in Sapucai,

ce, Italy, who was already an Anan-

Paraguay, at the Master Unit Ananda

da Marga practitioner. His cheerful,

Laliita, was challenging and forced

humorous personality, coupled with

her to face important internal issues,

his deep knowledge of philoso-

in addition to her homesickness.

Madhurii (Beatrice Pellegrini)

phy, captured Madhurii’s attention.

Dharma for all Journal | 16

Viveka decided to be an LFT “becau-

subtle ones. This fight is an opportu-

se he felt a desire to deepen his sur-

nity that makes us evolve. Our body

render”. His training at

and mind change. Our

Ananda Daksina’s Mas-

“It’s a struggle to go

vision of things and our

ter Unit, Viamão, RS,

from past behaviors

desires change,” he says.

Brazil, lasted two mon-

and habits to better,

ths, during which he

more subtle ones.

Nowadays Madhurii and

immersed himself in

This fight

Viveka are experiencing

intense spiritual prac-

is an opportunity that

tices and faced being

makes us evolve.”

different

approaches

to pracar. For Madhurii,

away from his family,

Viveka it is something that co-

friends, and city. For

mes naturally and that

him, the training fosters a great inter-

should not be forced. She belie-

nal change for those who experien-

ves that the LFT and acarya unifor-

ce it. “It’s a struggle to go from past

ms attract attention and are them-

behaviors and habits to better, more

selves a means to draw people.

17 | Dharma for all Journal

When

she

is

approached with questions,

she

invites them to know more about philosophy. dhurii

and

Mathe

acarya that guides her, Avadhutika Ananda Divyarupa Acarya, give yoga classes at a school for children from kindergarten

through

ninth grade.

Viveka (Francisco Irigoyen)

Viveka helps with the activities of the local jagrti, working alongside Acarya Siddhesvarananda Avadhuta, his tutor. He cooks, works in the garden, paints, works with the children, helps with retreats and other events, gives yoga classes and small lectures, and plays kiirtan. The role of a pracaraka, according to him, is the same if it is done by a margii or an LFT. The important thing in pracar is “firmness in practice, a clear understanding of what one wants to transmit, and clarity and humility in that transmission, feeling oneself to be an instrument of the master�.

Editorial Satff Dharma for all Journal | 18

article

Special Series:

Universalism – Part 1

Are we universalists

in practice?

19 | Dharma for all Journal

P.R. Sarkar enphazises universalism

so we can move in that direction.

as an ideal to be achieved. For this to be possible, the human being

In the following issues, we will

must fight against two tendencies:

address how universalism is li-

i) geo-sentiment, expressed by a

ved and felt by pracarakas who

feeling of superiority due to the na-

are

tive land, country or piece of land;

nally underprivileged in socie-

and ii) socio-sentiment, manifes-

ty, such as women, blacks, fo-

ted in the defense of the privile-

reigners and the LGBTQ+ public.

part

of

groups

traditio-

ges and interests of a social group to the detriment of others. This is

The perception that Ananda Mar-

an essential effort for all beings.

ga’s philosophy is universalist is, in general, consensual. The evalua-

In spiritual practice, does this ef-

tion of how much these principles

fort relate to the activity of pra-

happen in practice is quite contro-

car? How to promote universalism

versial. According to Ghrii Acarya

in society in general? Nowadays,

Pashupati (Steven Landau), there is

is there coherence between uni-

universalism in Ananda Marga “to

versalism, the basis that the praca-

some extent.” For him, there are

rakas wish to spread in the world,

no racial or religious barriers. But

and what we have found within

there are barriers related to socio-

the Ananda Marga community?

-sentiment expressed in today’s organizational divisions. The Ava-

To investigate these issues we are

duthika Ananda Advaeta Acarya,

launching a series of articles on

understands that this movement

universalism. In this first article, we

“is something necessary for Anan-

talked with some acaryas and mar-

da Marga to become a univer-

giis in order to investigate: (i) at

salist organization. We are on

what point we are of this ideal; and

the path of imperfection to per-

(ii) what efforts need to be made

fection. It’s a process”, she says.

Dharma for all Journal | 20

For Renu (Renata Camargo), who is at the forefront of the “Women in coordinated cooperation” movement, a major obstacle to universalism in Ananda Marga is Machismo. “We hear that men are firmer in practices than women, but at the same time, during retreats, men are there meditating and women are taking care of children,” she says. She denounces the “psychological violence” that would be rooted in the Ananda Marga, which paints the woman more emotional, and even “crazy.” She points out that universalism is a “call to fight against all forms of social injustice, be it poverty or any kind of discrimination.”

For Anuragha (André Lucas), “the people of African descent do not yet demonstrate an expressive volume of active sadhakas, either in the community or in the organization of the departments of Ananda Marga.” In a country where more than 50% of the population is black, he claims to have counted about 15 people at the last Brazilian sectorial retreat, who, like him, have black skin, in a universe of more than 400 people. On the other hand, he praised the fact that he felt, in the same retreat, a greater acceptance of the “legacy of ancestry and Afro-Brazilian culture through music, poetry and dance.”

Jyoshna is one of the margiis that have never hidden her sexual orientation from the beginning of her life as a margii, in the decade of 70, and suffers with the prejudice until today. “Third-gender people (lesbians, bisexuals, gays and transgenders) are not treated with the same respect, are excluded from organizational positions in a number of countries, and even banned from attending the DMS (Dharma Maha Sammelan, a great world meeting of Ananda Marga ), in some countries. When one is treated as a second-class citizen because one is ‘different’, it is difficult not to internalize the negativity and the feeling of inferiority, which impedes individual and collective progress. “ 21 | Dharma for all Journal

There are, however, movements forming to discuss issues of discrimination, such as that of women and LGBTQ+ (which will be discussed in more depth in the next chapters of this series). Satyavan (Rogério Meggiolaro) points out that there are acaryas making real efforts to dialogue with various sectors of society. In addition, he believes in the translation of Baba’s books into as many languages as possible, as a tool for clarification, as well as in the strengthening of Rawa, the artistic department of Ananda Marga. “Artists should have neo-humanism running in the vein and be people with a current mind, who translate into a more accessible language those values that are implicit in the vast literature left by the Guru.”

deal with these issues together?”, suggests Jyoshna. Gaotami (Carla Arantes de Souza) proposes the incorporation, within the Ananda Marga practice, of methodologies such as NVC (Nonviolent Communication), restorative circles and mediation. Kalyanii Souza believes in resuming the open space conversation tool, already used in retreats in Brazil and the USA, in which everyone can propose activities and be heard.

How do you live the universalism inside and outside the Ananda Marga?

Do the issues raised in this matter resonate with your life? What other issues affect the practice of universalism in your life? What other paths do you see to consolidate universalism in the community of Ananda “There is so much research that su- Marga and in society as a whole? pports universalism and diversity,

By Dharma for all Journal why do not we read and discuss and Dharma for all Journal | 22

review

Explain meditation to any person, with the book

10%

Happier from Dan Harris,

by Acarya Nabhaniilananda Avadhuta

This book is a masterclass on how to explain the value of meditation to even the greatest sceptic. Popular ABC newsreader, Dan Harris, walks us through his journey from self-destructiveness to self discovery, from extreme meditation doubter to zealous meditation advocate.

Superb writing and storytelling skills are a basic requirement for a journalist at his level, so it should be no surprise that the book is extremely well written. What did surprise me was how candid he was about his own personal weaknesses. We get to see his self awareness grow as he catches himself checking for grey hairs in the mirror (once again), and playfully mocks his own ‘TV personality’ narcissism. He seems like fun.

But Harris did not come willingly to this path. He was dragged by circumstances. Suffering from undiagnosed PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after a long spell as a war correspon-

23 | Dharma for all Journal

(guest contributor)

dent, he resorted to drugs as a coping mechanism. But when he nearly blew up his dream career by freezing in front of millions of people, he was only forced to admit that his cocaine habit had gotten out of hand. So he sought help, and on the advice of a wise psychologist learned mindfulness meditation.

He describes, amusingly, his response to reading Ekhardt Tolle’s ‘The Power of Now’. He was at once incredulous and fascinated, once moment utterly sceptical, and the next transfixed by the simple truth of what he was reading and the effect that contemplating this had on his state of mind.

Too curious to leave this alone, he decided to get answers by interviewing several of the most prominent meditation teachers in the world. Not something you or I would have ready access to.

So he embarked on his personal meditation journey, studying mindfulness, attending retreats and eventually writing his own book and launching a meditation training program of his own to help popularize meditation.

As a pracaraka, I’ve found this book tremendously valuable. It taught me a lot about how to communicate, in simple, jargon free, assumption free, language the power and beauty of meditation. Check out this 4 minute video of Dan Harris and you’ll see what I mean: h t t p s : / / w w w. y o u t u b e. c o m / watch?v=FAcTIrA2Qhk

This is the best general explanation of meditation I’ve heard for the lay person in under five minutes. Watch it if you want to know what to say next time someone asks you why they should meditate.

By Acarya Nabhaniilananda Avadhuta Dada Nabhaniilananda is a meditation instructor, a yoga monk, a keynote speaker, author and musician. Dada has appeared on stage with the Dalai Lama, taught or performed in more than 40 countries and has spoken for TEDx, NVIDIA, Google, CISCO, Lam Research Intel and Facebook. Born in New Zealand, he became an acarya in 1979 and is now assigned as the Dharma Pracar Secretary for Ananda Marga.

Dan Harris

So he created a series for ABC and interviewed many popular figures about meditation, including Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra and the Dalai Lama. His impressions were both insightful and hilarious.

Dharma for all Journal | 24

pracarakachef

Iasodara’s coconut Panna Cotta,

from the pracaraka that grew up in Ananda Marga

Iasodara Ruiz-Tagle, better known as Iaso, was born in Bahia, the daughter of margii parents. When she was four years old, her family met Acarya Pavanananda Avadhuta and moved to Porto Alegre/RS, Brazil, where her mother, Supriya, went to work at the local Ananda Marga school. After that, Iaso, Supriya, Shiva (her brother) and Caetanya (her father) started living in the Ananda Daksina Master Unit, where Iaso remained until she was 25 | Dharma for all Journal

19 years old. “It was the best childhood you can have,” she says.

In the master unit, Iaso grew up surrounded by children (there were eight in the same age group) and acaryas. Acarya Jagadevananda Avadhuta, for example, took care of her and her brother when their parents went to work. Dada made dinner and it was often on his lap that they slept until their parents arrived home late at night.

Thus Iaso’s relationship with Ananda Marga philosophy came naturally. Hitendra, her companion, says that she is a ”margii by culture”. She says she never searched for Baba because “my family brought him to me and I just felt good and safe near Him. I cannot imagine myself with another master.” When her friends saw photos of Baba in the house they thought he was her grandfather.

Her vacations were most often spent in retreats, in which she was reunited with her “retreat friends”.

Together with her friends she played with the acaryas and set up camp in the hall to spend the night during the akhanda kiirtan.

“It was all very light and fun, seen through the eyes of a child, “ she says.

Baba was present in the most everyday situations of her life. When she was afraid of cows and would run across the street along her friend Jaya, she repeated “Baba nam kevalam” to chase away her fear. Or when, after several consecutive days of intense nightmares, her mother drew an orange pratik wax on the wall next to her bed with wax chalk and that ended the nightmares immediately .

Like the philosophy, pracar also entered her life in a natural way. She began teaching yoga at 17, helping

her mother in the Porto Alegre jagrti. In time, she took a liking to it, trained under some well-known teachers, and taught yoga for eight years. Then she began to study fashion and started her own company, the clothing brand Alecrim.

Her pracar work gathered force about five years ago when she moved to the Ananda Kiirtana master unit in the Belmiro Braga/MG countryside and began to help organizing retreats. The project that inspired her most was Leve, a mini-retreat created by her and other margiis and directed toward people who have had little or no contact with Baba’s philosophy, passing on the content gradually and subtly.

The project had a successful first run.

However, while it was in production, she and another margii in the organizing group discovered that they were pregnant. Helena (the daughter of Rainjanii and Gurucaran) and Nina (the daughter of Iaso and Hitendra) participated in the whole process inside the bellies of their mothers. “Now with the babies a little older, I already feel like thinking about the next Leve,” she says. With the birth of Nina, Iaso continued the cycle started by her parents, forming another Ananda Marga family.

Dharma for all Journal | 26

More recently, Iaso has been invited to participate in the Dharma for all Journal, where she is responsible for graphic design. In addition, she hopes to start new projects in Botucatu, where her family has moved recently. And in the midst of all this, she continues one of the strongest aspects of her pracar work: cooking.

Her mother gave courses in vegetarian cooking, and she was her helper until she herself started to give courses. A few years ago, she started a blog of sattvic recipes that should resume in the near future under the name www.comoflor.com.

For Iaso, being a pracaraka is “having the sensitivity to understand others and adapting so as to get the message across. It is to find the similarities in others and bring them closer. The closer they feel, the more open their mind will be to receive new ideas. “ And so she brings us closer to her world with a special recipe. Check it out!

By Dharma for all Journal

Shiva, Dada Jagha and Iaso

According to Iaso, cooking has been “my great passion since the days when I made dirt cakes with flowers,” she says. By the age of nine, she was already cooking, surrounded by the Indian seasonings of the acaryas of Ananda Marga. Nowadays there are over fifty seasonings over her stove. Iasodhara has fond memories of these childhood foods, when the retreat meals were made by the acaryas in giant pans. “There was no

question of hiring a cook from outside; it was very inspiring,” she says.

27 | Dharma for all Journal

Coconut Panna Cotta with spices Recipe IIngredients -1 cup coconut milk -1 cup almond milk -50g granulated sugar -1 tablespoon agar-agar (kanten brand) -the seeds from 1 cardamom pod -1 cinnamon stick -3 cloves -natural vanilla (optional) -toasted coconut flakes and cinnamon powder for decoration.

Tip: If you are going to remove the sweet, lightly grease the container with coconut oil.

Sidedish Banana of your choice Coconut oil Sugar

From Editorial Staff Do you want to recommend someone for #pracarakachef? Write us at journal@d4all.org

In a pan, combine the coconut milk with the sugar, the spices and the agar agar. Once it is boiling, keep heating it for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the almond milk. Mix well, strain the liquid to remove the spices and put it in individual molds, a pudding pan or in transparent cups and refrigerate for two hours.

At the time of serving, brown the banana slices in a non-stick frying pan or grill with a little coconut oil and sugar to make it slightly caramel.

Take out the panna cotta and serve along with the still-hot bananas. Garnish with coconut flakes and the cinnamon to taste.

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