Alejandro - Introduction (fwd)

[Ravisankar S. Mayavaram]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 23:39:45 -0200
From: Cynthia Moreira Lims <cynthia at elo.com.br>
To: aum at unix.tamu.edu, govind at isc.tamu.edu
Subject: Alejandro - Introduction

Priya Atman,

I thank you for your kind welcome.I am sure we all will grow together
sharing our knowledge and experience.
Forgive my delay in sending this, not so short, introduction of myself.
I am 38 years old and live in the north of Brazil in a small city.
My interest in advaita first started with yoga. At a early age I used to
have some states of total abstraction from the normal wake
consciousness. With this abstractions many uncommon experiences occurred
and only at the age of 16 reading the book Raja Yoga of Vivekananda I
understood those experiences. I started to practice the ashtanga yoga.
Later at the feet of Swami Vayuananda, a disciple of Asori Kapilananda
Swami who lived 10 years in contact with Bhagavan Ramana I was able to
understand more about yoga and started to have a contact with advaita
vedanta.
After years of practice I had what I can describe as a strong kundalini
experience. After this experience for more then to weeks no thoughts
touched my mind and I felt a constant peace and happiness without cause.

This experience made me inclined to advaita vedanta and After a short
visit to Ramanasharam I founded in my city the Dakshinamurti Institute
of Yoga and Advaita Vedanta. Most members are inclined to yoga but there
is a small group that meets regularly to study advaita sastras and
practice hrdaya upasana or vichara.
This subjects discussed in the list will be shared with them. They all
approved very much this idea since most of them do not have the means to
access internet or have knowledge of english, my english is not so good
either so please forgive my mistakes.
Next year the Dakshinamurti Institute is publishing 3 books two about
yoga and one of Advaita (The Path of enlightenment: An exposition of
advaita vedanta). Most of the book will be translated to english and put
in the Internet in a future home page of the institute.
I hope I can count with all of you to enrich this book.
Best regards - Alejandro