Anandashram

While we all pursue our own religious beliefs, sometimes, by Grace a call comes for all of us to unite and contribute to a worthy cause and share in a dream.

A place has been identified for spiritual retreat and silent meditation in a forested environment in Bemban Village in Mambau, Seremban,Malaysia along the Port Dickson road. “The land found us for Mauna Yoga” says the founder Acharya Yogi Ananda Saraswathi of the ancient Shaiva Siddhanta lineage. Starting his life as a teacher, then a lawyer with two law doctorates, he devoted his time and joyful ways to writings, primarily books on Sanatana Dharma to be published. Rain or shine, draft pieces from the writings were published in Facebook as “daily readers’ digest satsang” for the last four years.

Anandashram project, committed to Mauna-Silence, is a sweet interruption from the writing chore to receive Mata’s prasada earmarked for the need of seekers who would arrive to find silent solace at the Ashram and its environment. Anandashram to be, when renovations are complete, would be a place of spiritual refuge removed from urban life, for silent meditation and yogic disciplines amid forest, river setting and man-made caves where spiritual and yogic disciplines are pursued.

Short of basic guidance to tune out a noisy world, each ashramite is his or her own guru. The Ashram is only a conduit for personal and communication with the Divine. Ashram environment works in subtle ways affecting the inner world, the inherent home of wisdom and intellect, as opposed to the outer world in which the senses and mind take place. Ashram life dissolves outer influences and natures inner life directly thus giving rise to pure child-like thoughts. But ashrams cannot remain as a crutch in anyone’s life. Erstwhile experience of mauna in an ashram eventually leads one to essential sadhana to carry out the express qualities of ashram life upon return and continue the process.

Ashram prana is spiritual in nature. It is a third perspective between the world and ashram environment. Enter a forest, the pathway to your own inner Temple, be silent, be still and find your silent Self; silent from mundane expectations and resulting stress, silent from disappointments or anger, silent from negativity, silent from the mind chatter and above all silence from your lies and ego. 
Discover that you are not a material baggage but a spiritual being. That is true silence. In it, one may recognize that you have been quietly reassessing prejudices and assumptions about yourself and your life and opt to alter pre-set patterns of life.

Nature, as Prakriti Mata stays showering grace in any green spiritual farm with magnificent sunrise and sunsets, the sound of flowing water, sweet sounds of birds chirping, are one of the best teachers for antahkarana suddhi, mind cleansing. Flora and fauna, which are the embodiments of truth are spiritual shelters, the pathway to your own inner sanctum, the quiet space inside, is found in mauna. Self-improvement, clarity and relaxation come with silence. ‘The cure for all the illness is stored in the inner depth of life itself, the access to which becomes possible when we are alone. This solitude is a world in itself, full of wonders and resources unthought of. It is absurdly near; yet so unapproachably distant” – Rabindranath Tagore.

As it is, the present building requires massive renovations. New ones are to be erected for male-female dorms with kitchen and meditation hall, a bridge to cross a river to enter virgin forest and also for earthworks and landscaping. Footpaths need to be carved without hurting any part of prakriti. Three streams are also to be redirected to found an inner pond in temple tank style with steps. Man-made caves for experience sake are also envisaged. Time sharing chalets across the river are future prospects.