Saturday, December 22, 2007

Important Oneness Milestones



A few important milestones in the journey of the movement..
Mar 7 1949 - Sri Bhagavan's birth
Sri Bhagavan was the eldest son of Smt. Vaidharbhiamma and Sri. Varadharajuluji. He was born in the home of his maternal grandparents, as is customary in India, in a village called Nattham, North Arcot District of Tamil Nadu.
Sri Bhagavan's birth was celebrated by the entire village as He was born after many prayers and penances by his mother. His grandparents were also the moral heads of the village.
Devotees today celebrate this day as the day of Oneness. With prayers for enlightenment of mankind they give Deekshas to each other. They also conduct fire rituals and special prayers for world peace. Every year this day Sri Amma and Bhagavan have increased Their power and grace in monumental proportions.
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Aug 15 1954 - Sri Amma's birth
Amma was born in a beautiful village called Sangam of Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh, India. Rivers on all the four sides, hills and shrub forests surround the village. Amma was the eighth child of Smt. Penchalamma and Sri. Venkaiyagaru.
She was considered an incarnation of the mother Goddess by some of the saints and elders of the village in her childhood.
Amma's birthday also happens to be the Indian Independence Day. The movement celebrates it as the day of love, which our beloved Amma embodies. God or the Divine being both male and female, the devotees on Amma's birthday worship the divine as the mother. Amma, the compassionate mother, is quick to bless, hence the seekers pray and seek for blessings from Amma on this special day.
Sri Amma Bhagavan have always maintained that progress whether in the material or in the spiritual sphere is possible only if one's relationship with one's mother is set right. Devotees on the 15th of August offer their gratitude and love to their mothers and receive their blessings. Parents and children, friends, brothers and sisters, all join their hands and meditate and pray together for love to blossom in their hearts. Every family feels like heaven with the presence of Amma permeating it.
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June 9 1976 - Sri Amma and Bhagavan entered into wedlock
They were married in the South Indian metropolis of Chennai.
Many who participated in the wedding experienced the Divine Presence permeating the ceremonies. Friends and relatives reported several mystical experiences. Years later, June 9th has become the day of relationships celebrated by millions throughout India and the world. According to Sri Amma Bhagavan, discovering love in relationships is the easiest way to attain self-realization. Hence the extraordinary importance the movement lays on family and relationships. On June 9th, couples pray and give Deekshas to other couples and to each other to discover love and to awaken to their true purpose of togetherness.
In India this day, thousands of people celebrate the marriage of Sri Amma Bhagavan as the coming together of the divine feminine and the divine masculine in the universe and in themselves. They report a healing of their personality and a balance between the head and the heart and between thought and feeling. Sri Amma Bhagavan bless people this day with right life partners and also bless the childless with children.
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1984 - Jeevashram, the spiritual school and later the cradle of the divine phenomenon was founded
It was a foundation for world awakening. A school that was meant to awaken the complete individual in every student. It was a very unique place where learning happened in freedom. It was from here that the first disciples of Sri Amma and Bhagavan emerged.
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July 19 1989 - The descent of the Golden Ball
The descent of the Golden Ball heralded the arrival of a new age, an age where man and God would walk and talk with each other. The Golden Ball descended into a student of the Jeevashram school, giving him the experience of enlightenment.
When asked to name itself, the Golden Ball chanted the same mantra which Sri Bhagavan had chanted for over 18 years beginning with His early childhood. Thus the phenomenon began.
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August 1989 - the birth of the phenomenon of Deeksha
Deeksha happened when young Sri Krishnaji (son of Sri Amma Bhagavan) touched his fellow students or their parents. They would experience either a massive kundalini awakening or god realization. They would also experience silence, bliss and several other mystical experiences. Thus transfer of any state or insight from one to another became the corner stone of the movement.
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April 19, 1990 - The first retreat
The first retreat ever in the movement was conducted in Jeevashram, which was later christened Sathyaloka or "God's earth". 40 odd participants, most of whom were parents of the students and people who did not have anything remotely spiritual about them, attended the retreat. They experienced various Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Islamic states of consciousness. These experiences left them deeply transformed as parents, as spouses and as human beings. These became the first messengers of the phenomenon to the world.
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1991 - Avahanam for the Srimurthy was done
The photograph of Sri Bhagavan was inducted with the consciousness of Sri Amma Bhagavan. Ever since the images of Sri Amma Bhagavan have become the epicenters of countless miracles. Their living presence is felt and experienced by millions in Their photographs.
Here are some stories.
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1992 - The first recorded miracle of holy water pouring forth from the picture of Sri Bhagavan
The first recorded miracle of holy water pouring down the picture happened at Choudavaram, a small town in coastal Andhra Pradesh. The family consisted of a government official and his wife, their 9 year old daughter and 14 year old mongoloid son. That evening the family was gathered in front of the altar in tremendous gratitude since their mongoloid son was slowly becoming functional. He had started wearing his own clothes, tying his shoe lace, going to school and his violence too was gone. As they sang and danced together, fragrant water poured down the picture of Sri Bhagavan.
Umpteen instances of holy water, honey, milk, turmeric and sacred ash have been sighted since. These sacred substances have not decayed over time, and have also exhibited many curative properties.
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1990 - 1994 - Centers sprang up in various parts of India
Due to the growing number of seekers, introductory courses were conducted in different cities and towns of India. Large numbers of people awakened to the Divine Presence in their hearts. God no more remained alien but became personal. They discovered love in relationships. The nation welcomed Sri Amma Bhagavan into their hearts and homes.
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1993 - The first introductory retreat conducted in Stjarnsund, Dalarna, Sweden
In the December of 1993, the first retreat to awaken the higher self was conducted in Sweden. This was the beginning of the movement in Europe. From there the movement made its way into nations that were once part of the Soviet Union.
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April 1994 - Sri Bhagavan and Amma entered Antarmukha Avastha
At this stage Sri Amma and Bhagavan, having trained and equipped Their disciples with the requisite knowledge and power to carry and spread the work, withdrew from the public. Over the next three years Amma and Bhagavan were completely indrawn into Their consciousness, occasionally guiding Their disciples. The movement continued to spread rapidly since They communicated with Their devotees by manifesting externally and internally. The gap between the physical and the non-physical vanished for many of Their followers. Sri Amma and Bhagavan appeared in many a home. Thus even when They withdrew Their physical presence, Their spiritual presence continued to guide the devotees.
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Aug 1994 - Mukthi Mandap established at Nemam, the native village of Sri Bhagavan
Dedicated volunteers built Mukthi Mandap translated as 'The hall of enlightenment', with their own hands. Here, masses gathered seeking grace not only for solutions to their external problems but also for enlightenment or the cessation of suffering. Sri Bhagavan's parents made their loving contribution of land and property to the movement in their native village to aid the work.
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Sept 4 1995 - The order of female and male monks was inaugurated
The movement grew and with it the need for dedicated teachers and volunteers. So they emerged; a small group of 10 youngsters heeding the divine call came forth to serve humanity.
The order is now nearly 200 strong. These are men and women who have chosen to remain unmarried and serve Man and God alike for the rest of their lives. They live as a happy community. It is a community that administers itself.
Entering into the order is a rather tough affair since it requires two years of probation and thorough preparation. Above all, they ought to be in very high levels of consciousness.
The minimum age to qualify is above 22 years. The consent and the blessings of the parents and the grand parents is a compulsory requirement to join the order. The essence of the movement being freedom, they are of course free to give up this life at any stage.
Most of the disciples have been blessed by Sri Amma and Bhagavan with enlightenment and god realization too. These disciples serve as teachers, guides and helpers at the Oneness University and the Oneness Temple.
Some of them travel to the nearby villages carrying with them the power of Deeksha and love with which a spiritual revolution is in the making in the surrounding 150 odd villages. They are welcomed into every home and hamlet with warmth and affection. They have worked to wipe away alcoholism, wife beating, illiteracy and poor health conditions from many families in the area. Religious factionalism is a thing of the past in these villages. Caste and class are not a barrier in relating to their fellow human beings. You find enlightened beings in these villages among shepherds, buffalo-herds, cowherds, daily laborers, women, men and children.
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Sept 24 1995 - Parabramha Yagna
The first congregation of over 100,000 devotees gathered at Congress Grounds in the city of Chennai. They were made conscious of the global changes that pointed towards the arrival of the Golden Age, the age of Oneness.
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Jan 1996 - Paduka Pattabishekam, Hyderabad
The Sacred Padukas (silver sandals symbolizing the feet of the Divine) of Sri Amma Bhagavan, which were charged and blessed with Their Presence, were carried to the city of Hyderabad. It was followed by a 3-day retreat that saw an explosion of devotion in the 3000 odd participants. Miracles in terms of healing took a different turn in this retreat. The lame walked and the dumb spoke.
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May 16 1996 - Maha Parinaama Yagna, Vijayanagaram
The first 3-day residential retreat that was aimed at transformation and the awakening of love was held in this coastal district of Andhra Pradesh. The participants who thronged to attend the retreat flooded the town. Over 14,000 people participated in this 3-day retreat and many others visited it hearing the amazing miracles that were taking place. With this the movement had virtually entered into every town and city of this state consisting of a 70 million population.
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June 1996 - the movement launched in Latin America
Series of introductory retreats and public talks were conducted in different cities of Chile and Argentina starting in the city of Occident, Argentina. Awakening to the higher self or the Divine Presence attracted many a seeker to become part of the movement. Dedicated volunteers emerged in different countries of Latin America. From here the movement made its way to North and Central American countries.
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May 12 1997 - Sri Bhagavan's darshan at Sathyalok
After a gap of three years, Sri Bhagavan gave His first darshan to scores of His devotees who eagerly awaited to see Him in person. It was as though a dam had burst. Many looked on at Sri Bhagavan with tears coursing down their eyes, thousands of others experienced Satchidananda or pure bliss as they gazed at the still form of Sri Bhagavan. Physical distance between the stage and the devotees seemed to have melted. Sri Bhagavan was reaching out to each of them suffusing their consciousness with love and bliss.
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Mar 10-Apr 23 2000 - Homa Yatra & Sarvaishvarya Kausalya Yaagam
As a sign of vedic renaissance, the sacred fire rituals were conducted in different cities and towns throughout the state of Tamil Nadu. This program culminated in a mammoth fire ritual in Chennai where thousands participated.
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Nov 14 2000 - The first darshan Sri Amma and Bhagavan gave together
It was a dream come true to see Amma and Bhagavan together; above all to see their beloved Amma right in front of them for the first time. They had always had Amma's protective and loving Presence with them through their waking and sleeping hours. Seeing Amma with Bhagavan in person was being in heaven. Everyone one who returned from The Divine Presence had a miracle to share. Sri Amma and Bhagavan had spoken to each of the hundreds of volunteers that had gathered at Nemam.
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Feb 14 2002 - Prem Sandhya at Bangalore
The Women's Movement for the Golden Age was launched by Smt. Preetha Krishnaji, the daughter-in-law of Sri Amma Bhagavan at Bangalore. The evening was called "Prem Sandhya", an evening of love. In her message Preethaji said "The Womens movement for the Golden Age is not a social or a political movement but a movement in consciousness." She awakened the audience saying - "A spiritual vacuum in a woman's life has always led to her down fall in every other sphere of life. Spiritual development is the key to every other form of development. Women have great spiritual strength and could be great spiritual leaders. The world is devoid of love and woman with her faculty of love and compassion has the capacity to inaugurate the Golden Age".
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Mar 7 2002 - Anandha Sandhya at Hyderabad
Sri Krishnaji, the son of Sri Amma Bhagavan, delivered a message from Sri Amma and Bhagavan on the emergence of a new civilization and the dawn of the Golden Age. That evening he said, "Along with this new civilization will come along a new frame of consciousness. This new frame of consciousness would mean an increased ability to see things from a higher perspective. Our consciousness would continue to expand and there will be no returning to this tribal or national life. Our energies would get directed towards spiritual enlightenment and wholeness. Our world would be transformed from one dominated by materialism to one of balance and spirituality. The current ruling world order would be transformed to that of equality among all human beings." More than a 100,000 people waited for Sri Krishnaji's arrival and sat through the evening listening to the message inspite of torrential rains.
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Mar 10 2002 - Inauguration of the Oneness University
'To set man totally and unconditionally free', is the vision with which the Oneness University is founded. The university is located on the foothills of the Eastern Ghats. These hills and mountains are highly acclaimed for their vibrant spiritual energies. A few powerful gridlines of the earth were found to intersect here which sets an immense spiritual field conducive for the healing of the body, mind and spirit. Every leaf, every blade of grass here bears the imprint of the divine. The University conducts a variety of courses ranging from discovering love in relationships to enlightenment and god realization.
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Nov 4 2002 - Sri Bhagavan speaks to the people of India on the television for the first time
It was the day of celebration of lights - Deepavali, in India. Millions sat glued to their television sets to listen and see Sri Bhagavan speak. Given below is an excerpt from the message: There are two beings inside you - one is the authentic being and the other is inauthentic being. These two are always having a dialogue. This dialogue is going on in some form or the other. Now witnessing this drama, this dialogue is what we call as Sadhana (Spiritual Practice). But the Sadhana is so enjoyable, it gives you so much Ananda and joy that we don't want to call it Sadhana, therefore we say NO SADHANA. It becomes no Sadhana Sadhana. Sadhana means where you put in some effort and struggle. This is a strange kind of Sadhana where there is no strain and effort. Once you get a hang of it, thereafter you keep on doing it very naturally all time and enjoying whatever is happening irrespective of the dialogue and the content. Today, more than 10 million people see and listen to Sri Bhagavan on various issues of life, every week.
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Mar 10 2003 - Mukthi Sankalpa taken by devotees all over the globe
On this day at an auspicious time that comes once in a few hundred years, devotees throughout the world took an intent to become enlightened and work for the enlightenment of mankind. At Nemam in the presence of Sri Amma and Bhagavan, tremendous silence descended on the 5000 odd seekers who sat in front of Them. Many felt they were connected to thousands throughout the world in consciousness.
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Aug 2003 - The Oneness Experience Festival
A congregation of spiritual masters and seekers across the globe took place at the Oneness University campus. Each of them presented their work and vision for the betterment of humanity to the seekers assembled.
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Aug 17th 2003 - enlightenment given to the masses
Sri Amma and Bhagavan in Their darshan blessed hundreds of seekers with the state of enlightenment. Deeksha happened to people who filed past Them. The phenomenon had taken a new turn. It was now possible for all to make it, irrespective of their preparation to receive it.
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Jan 2004 - 21 day Oneness process
The 21 day Oneness Process aimed at enlightenment was inaugurated at the Oneness University since it was now possible for everyone to make it into that state. Many of the 200 odd disciples were now enlightened and were blessed by Sri Amma and Bhagavan with the power to give enlightenment and transfer it to others through Deeskha.
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Jan 2004 - Amma's Darshans at Nemam
Amma's darshans at Nemam came as the greatest blessings to the devotees new and old, thirsting for divine grace. Five days a week the next three years, thousands of devotees gathered at Nemam to have a glimpse of the Divine Mother. Amma heard each of their prayers and answered them. Endless are the accounts of benediction that seekers have received in these darshans.
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Mar 27 2004 - Bestowing the power to give Deeksha to the participants of the 21 day oneness process
The ground was now ready. Sri Amma and Bhagavan gave the greatest of blessings that ever happened in the spiritual history of man. Not only did They give enlightenment to the seekers but also blessed them with the power to pass on the state to another through Deeksha. Thus the phenomenon of Deeksha grew wings and spread across the globe. These Deeksha Givers carry with them the sacred power to awaken humanity.
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April 2004 - Bhagavan's speaks to the participants in the University courses
Sri Bhagavan's presence at the University charged the sacred soil with the spirit of enlightenment. Sri Bhagavan broke His silence beginning with April 2004 in these Darshans on the lawns in front of His residence, answering the queries of seekers making infinite wisdom available to humanity. In these darshans Sri Bhagavan held the devotees in His consciousness and led them to higher states of consciousness.
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Feb 2005 - 10 day Advanced course is introduced
A special deepening course for the Deeksha Givers was introduced at the University to guide them into higher states of god realization, since according to Sri Bhagavan, 'beyond the shores of enlightenment lies god realization or the discovery of God.'
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Mar 28 2006 - First Deeksha Givers conference held at Los Angeles, USA
Owing to the growing requests from world over, a special conference was arranged for the Deeksha Givers at Los Angeles in order to increase their power of Deeksha and equip them with insights and realizations that would help them help their fellow human beings.

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Lion Balu