Amrita SRI in Hawaii

The islands of Hawaii hosted the AmritaSRI silent retreat on the island of Oahu.  Br. Dayamrita Chaitanya and Bri Rema Devi graciously facilitated this deeply silent, loving, heart-opening retreat. Ronji Gottsegen, lovingly considered as our satsang father, and Br. Devidas, our satsang big brother, were also present.  

The beautiful pastoral retreat property was conducive to silence as it was surrounded by nature bordered by mountains on one side and Mother Ocean on the other. The natural beauty as well as the earnest commitment of attendees to be silent throughout created an incredible 7 days of peace. Each morning began with chanting the 1000 names of the Divine Mother and meditation before sunrise, followed by Amrita Yoga, beach walks and walking meditation. After breakfast the day continued with alternate sessions of meditation and walking meditation.  Evenings were graced with spiritual discourses and heartfelt devotional singing deepening a final meditation session of the day, before sitting down to a nourishing and delicious meal cooked and prepared by Kamala and Triptta. 

The beauty of silence took all of us into the depths of our hearts and shifted our consciousness in subtle ways.  Kamala commented she felt like she was in India with the coconut trees, roosters crowing at the break of dawn, the constant rhythmic waves of Mother Ocean and the chanting of sacred music heard over loud speakers throughout the property. It was a divine blessing to be held in the embrace of Amma’s love and grace thru the silence while seeking communion with the Self within. Hawaii has deep gratitude to Amma and her organization for allowing the Amrita Silent Retreat Intensive (AmritaSRI) to be experienced in the Hawaiian islands. The ripple affect it had on everyone attending as well as on the environment here is a miracle of grace.