Monongahela

The following was written in 1997 about a mystical experience that was received while I was in the Pittsburgh area. The Monongahela is a river that merges with the Allegheny in Pittsburgh to become the Ohio. The Ohio then joins the Mississippi near Cairo, Il. The Monongahela is born of the confluence of the West Fork and the Tygert Valley Rivers. The Monongahela flows south to North. According to vaastu a South to North flowing river such as the Monongahela or the Nile, brings great spiritual potential to a land.

To meditate on the course of a river, either to the ocean or to the origins can bring great insight into the dependently arising nature and the mysteries of creation and a shift in perception. Ask yourself, "What is a river?"

"Monongahela"
by Dharma Dharini

"Infinity around Him
Eternity within Him
He walked down to the Rivers' edge, for water seeks its own level.
He spoke to us in tones that touched our souls.
And He danced.

Lacking harmony, some only heard a disturbing noise.
Others only heard static, for there was static in their souls.
They covered their ears, angered by the sound.
A few concerned only with what others heard, did not hear anything.
And they were puzzled.
While some heard beautiful music and they began to sing so that
Others might hear.

Wondrous sounds of sunlight.
The Rivers' glorious hymn.
The chant of the leaves and the carol of the birds.
The chiming of clouds as they blew in the wind.
And the Om of a mountain, far, far away.
Cicadas held a single note
While a cricket sang a sound of Heaven in a different key.
Everywhere, a symphony of light, and color, and motion and sound.
And we danced.

Know He had the power to stir the soul
He ceased to speak to those who would not hear
Who could not accept.
And we wept

While a cricket sang a song of Heaven."..............

During the early 1997 -1998 USA retreats, conducted by the monks of Satyaloka, there was quite a bit of division between those who were "wired" for mystical experience and those who were not. Some would cry and feel very upset or even threaten litigation if the Divine did not manifest to them at once-especially so if the Divine had appeared to someone deemed not so righteous but not to another who had decided that he or she was a much better or spiritually evolved person. The mystics who had awakened to this blessed way of seeing would think, "God's here dancing in front of you as plain as the nose on your face. How can you not see? Stop crying and dance!"

Profound Divine Mystical Experience is not something that can be forced. It appears to occur more often than not because it's necessary rather than deserved. Self righteousness, the feeling of being more worthy or better than another can be a huge obstacle. Other times even that does not matter so much. It's a matter of Grace. The Mystic/Saint, Allama Prabhu wrote:

"Feed the poor
Tell the Truth
Make water places
For the thirty
And build tanks for a town.

You may then get to Heaven after Death,
But you'll get nowhere
Near the Truth of Our Lord.

And the man who gets to know our Lord,
He gets no results........"