Br Letchu from Malaysia Visits Sri Lanka

2 August 2017

Click here for detailed report.

 

 

Didi Nirmala Visits Australia from 15 to 18 July

2 August 2017

Didi Dr Nirmala, regional coordinator of the Asia Pacific region, visited five cities in Australia, where her program included a national BK retreat, many BK classes, a few public talks and many personal meetings with BKs which gave a lot of spiritual sustenance. She was accompanied by Sr Sangita.

 

Melbourne

Australians always enjoy visits by the seniors especially when the whole family is gathered under one roof and receive sustenance from Didi Dr Nirmala. The Centre for Spiritual Learning – Peninsula (Baxter) hosted a national retreat for centre residents, board members and class location coordinators over four days from July 6 – 9, and a day program for all BKs on Sunday July 9. Brothers Charlie and Ken (visiting from Brazil) joined for the retreat and some of the Sunday program with Didi which saw a balance of classes combined with light-hearted fun.

 

The powerful retreat began with Didi’s session on the ‘Power of Touching and Catching’. A number of sessions over the next few days covered topics of ‘Silence’, ‘Overcoming arrogance and imbibing humility’, ‘Preparing for the future’, ‘being a Detached observer of drama, benevolent observer of others, honest observer of self ‘ and group talks and meetings with questions and answers. Participants who stayed after the retreat ended on Saturday evening enjoyed the extra Sunday classes. Sr Sona and Br Mohit from Abu Dhabi were also in Australia at the time and joined in the retreat, adding and international flavour.

 

The Baxter BK gathering celebrated the retreat centre’s 21^st anniversary with Didi and the rest of the Melbourne Family on Sunday. Didi met the Hindi group and newer students had individual chats with her after lunch. She inaugurated the Centre’s new motor vehicle (a ute) on Monday morning with the traditional coconut breaking ceremony and tilak before taking leave to travel to Canberra.

 

Canberra

Mon 10 July: A program in the evening at the Centre on "Master of Balance" was well attended.  As invariably with Didi's visits, some new people came to the Centre for the first time. The next day, there was a morning class followed by breakfast together and an inauguration with coconut cracking ceremony for one student’s new car. Sr Sangita also enjoyed her short stay and saw the ever enchanting kangaroos in the wild.

 

Brisbane

Tue 11 July: Didi's visit, whilst short and sweet, was all about BK sustenance. There was an exceptional turnout for a deep and well-rounded "something for everyone" class in the evening and a packed class the following morning. After a family breakfast sisters Sangita and Gurpreet were taken to picturesque Southbank by ferry where the public herb and vegetable gardens and the wonderful water features attracted great interest.

 

Gold Coast

Wed 12 - Thu 13 July am: At Gold Coast, one hour by car south of Brisbane, there was a large gathering for morning class with Didi and Sangita.  Didi met personally with many BKs and asked after others who weren’t present.  Everyone enjoyed her class and company.  The main inspiration taken from her visit was ‘time is short, we never know what is going to happen so we should be aware of this and it should be reflected in our efforts.’  She also visited Tina, a BK of over 20 years who has now moved into a five star retirement village where all her needs are met.  Didi remembered how Tina has helped so much over the years and she in return is now well looked after.

 

Sydney

Thu 13 – Tue 18 July: On the evening of 13 July at Five Dock Centre about 80 guests and BKs attended Didi’s evening talk on “The Essence of Things.” Sr Morni summarised her talk in a guided meditation experience and all were very happy to receive sweets and a blessing card. 

 

After morning class at Five Dock on Friday, Didi went to the Blue Mountains retreat centre where the BKs were pleased to see her as she was not able to visit last year. Being mid-Winter, the weather was cold (max. temperature of 9 deg C) but Didi gave an inspiring class, had personal meetings, lunch and a tour of the property before returning to Sydney. 

 

The weekend was busy with meeting Class Location coordinators and teachers, personal meetings with individuals, classes and meditations on both Saturday and Sunday evenings followed by supper. Meanwhile, Sangita enjoyed sightseeing including a visit to the beach, a tour of the city by car and a trip to the Opera House and Harbour Bridge by ferry.

 

On Monday morning, Didi went to the Illawarra retreat centre for morning class and breakfast and to see the newly built additional outdoor dining area which features a wood-fired pizza oven. 

 

Didi joined a Board meeting in the evening and left after class on Tuesday morning to return to Gyan Sarovar. Didi is stable, clean and clear and many things were addressed with her mature, wise counsel. She especially knows the background of service in Australia and most of the BKs, so it was wonderful to have her presence - so much so that she has been asked to visit twice a year!

 

Download report in PDF format here.

 

 

Sr Judy Johnson's (Canada) Visit to Malaysia

2 August 2017

 

 

Br. Ken's Visit to Malaysia - News Report

19 July 2017

Report in PDF format

 

 

Service News from Singapore for June 2017

18 July 2017

 

 

Sr. Sapna invited to Public Welfare Camp in Guangzhou, China

26 June 2017

BK Sister Sapna was invited to conduct a session on Healing Power of Meditation and Emotional Intelligence in a large public welfare camp organised by a Spiritual Research and Healing Centre that conducts spiritual seminars all over China.

 

The camp was organised at three main cities of Guangdong province of South China. Thousands of souls participated and Sister Sapna was invited to all the three places (Guangzhou, Foshan and Shenzen)

 

Guangzhou: The session was conducted on Healing power of Meditation for 1500 participants

 

Shenzen : The session on Emotional Intelligence & Spiritual Intelligence was conducted for about 1300 people

 

Foshan : The session on Meditation & Inner Strength was conducted for about 1200 people

 

It was a great chance to give a spiritual message to many souls.

 

 

Dr. BK Shrimant Kumar's Visit to Singapore

26 June 2017

Divine Family,

We were truly thrilled to have with us respected brothers Dr BK Shrimant Kumar, Diabetologist and Holistic Care Physician at Global Hospital and Research Centre, Mount Abu and BK Surendar Bhai, Reception Office, Madhuban joining the Singapore family for a short and productive visit.

 

As health topics are on trend in Singapore currently, promoting Dr Shrimant’s health talk started a month before his whirlwind visit, and not surprisingly we received overwhelming registrations for the talk. 139, including 39 newcomers, attended the talk. Many were captivated by the simple yet informative talk that Dr Shrimant delivered with such eloquent expertise that stems from him being an authority of knowledge in this field. There were many who signed up for the Raja Yoga course at the end of the talk attesting for the success of the programme.

To add feather to the crown, on the next day both brothers shared their wonderful experiences of BK life and spiritual journey with the divine family. Nothing is more inspiring than to hear real-life experiences of Madhuban residents.

Though their visit was very short, leaving us thirsting to hear more, the benefit many souls extracted from their presence is immeasurable.

 

We wish them good health, wealth, happiness and success in their every step.

In Baba's yaad

BK Bharti

Singapore

 

 

Sister Beena from Chennai Visits Bali - Service News

19 June 2017

Bali was once again blessed with the visit of BK Sister Beena. BK Sister Beena visited all the centres in Bali and every BK was pleased to hear her classes which were clear, simple and inspirational. Her classes were based on her own experiences and learnings and this made her classes very practical and motivational.

 

Everyone was happy to see Sister Beena’s enthusiasm and listen to her classes which inspired each and every one. 

 

Thank you Baba, Drama, Dadi, Didi, seniors and family for all the lovely drama in Bali.

 

Warmest regards

 

IBY

 

BK Janaki

BK Sister Beena and BK Sister Janaki seen with part of Denpasar family. 

 

Time for receiving tolis. BK Sister Beena seen handing tolis to BKs.

BK Sister Beena – addressing the BK family in Denpasar. To her right is BK Sister Janaki.

 

 

 

Dr BK Shrimant's Visit to Malaysia - Service News

25 May 2017

Dear Divine Family

Om Shanti and Greetings from Malaysia

 

Malaysia had the fortune of having BK Brother Dr. Shrimant Kumar, Diabetologist and Holistic Care Physician from Global Hospital & Research Centre, Mt. Abu and Surendra bhai from Pandav Bhawan, Mt. Abu  from 11 - 19 May 2017.

 

During their visit, Dr Shrimant conducted two health retreats - one for BKs and another for contacts and public and gave several talks and classes in different parts of Malaysia. He was also interviewed by TV Station Bernama Today (The National News Agency of Malaysia) on "Diabetes - an Epidemic of the Millennium". 

 

Everywhere Dr Shrimant's programmes were a grand success, where he received numerous praises and compliments for his cheerful, tireless and sincere dedication to serve humanity. His programmes were light and entertaining, yet very informative and enlightening. 

 

Please see below reports of the various programmes he conducted.

 

Thank you

 

In Baba's sweet yaad

 

BK Meera & Malaysia Family

 

Click below bulleted links for report at various events:

 

• Report on visit to Ipoh
• Report on events from Northern Region 
• Report on talk at Bangsar Center, Kaulalampur

 

Click below image to view Dr. Shrimant's interview with Bernama

 

 

News of Sr Jaya's visit to Sydney

22 May 2017

Sr Jaya and Br Umakanth from Chennai visited Sydney for a week to conduct various programs which were well received. They were kept busy serving the Tamil community for the majority of the time. Everyone enjoyed Sr Jaya’s simple and practical sharing. 

 

Monday 24^th April

For the first program Sr Jaya was interviewed on the topic ‘All About Meditation’ at one of the most popular Tamil Radio stations, Australia Tamil Broadcasting Cooperation (ATBC).

 

Tuesday 25^th April

Sr Jaya led a morning class in Tamil at the Toongabbie class location. Thereafter, an interactive talk at a home in Lidcombe was conducted on the topic ‘Make Your Mind Your Best Friend’. Nearly 50 people attended and actively participated by asking lots of questions at the end.

Tuesday 25^th April

At West Ryde, Sr Jaya shared her insights on the ‘Key to Unlimited Happiness’. About 30 people made the most of this event and requested regular classes.  This was the first Tamil program in that area of the city.

 

Wednesday 26^th April

Sr Jaya was taken to the Tamil Seniors Association, where she shared on the topic ‘The Ultimate Goal of Life’ with around 200 people. She and her husband Uma were then treated to a tour of Sydney city where they enjoyed the views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, two of the most well known landmarks of Sydney.

Thursday 27^th April

This day comprised of another Tamil recording on the radio and then a beautiful talk at InnerSpace, the main BK Centre in Sydney. Sr Jaya gave class in English about ‘Fate and Faith’ to a group of about 40 people. 

 

Friday 28^th April

The next stop was Liverpool for a quality get together. Sr Jaya facilitated a chit chat on ‘Supersensuous Joy’. After a beautiful ‘feast’ for the soul, the group had a lovely breakfast. 

From there Sr Jaya and Br Uma were taken to the retreat centre, Brahma Kumaris Centre for Spiritual Learning, Illawarra to spend the afternoon in this magical place.

 

That same evening a home in Regents Park welcomed Sr Jaya where she spoke on the topic ‘Fate or Faith’ in the Tamil language. A group of approximately 25 people participated in this interactive session. 

 

Saturday 29^th April

Sr Jaya started the weekend by sharing spiritual insights in English at the Toongabbie class location. This was followed by a class on the topic ‘The Art of Self-Management’. The students really enjoyed and made the most of her company.

Sr Jaya and Br Umakanth then visited the retreat centre Brahma Kumaris Centre for Spiritual Learning, Blue Mountains. After lunch they went sightseeing in the sunshine. In the evening, both met the residents of the Retreat Centre for a casual chit chat. At night, amongst a gathering of about 50 people who were attending an introductory meditation retreat, Sr Jaya was interviewed by Sr Ami about the basics of meditation.

 

Sunday 30^th April

The two visitors from Chennai were back again at InnerSpace, Sydney to meet the rest of the BK group and shared their experiences so far. Sr Jaya shared spiritual knowledge to the Tamil group. Later in the morning, she briefly gave the Raja Yoga Meditation course to a gathering of about 50 people. This was a full day program with lunch. Everyone was gifted a CD of Sis Jaya’s programs.   

After a rich package of spiritual insights and experiences, Sr Jaya and Br Umakanth left for another week in Melbourne the next morning after benefitting so many people through their words, actions and vibrations.

 

Om Shanti

 

Report in PDF format

 

 

 

News of Judy Johnson's visit to Japan

22 May 2017

 

 

Special retreat for Singapore group in Melbourne, Australia

16 May 2017

A special retreat for a group from Singapore entitled ‘Appreciating My Life – reconnecting & loving myself from within’, was held in the Peninsula Retreat Centre (Baxter) near Melbourne over seven days from 25^th April until 1^st May 2017. 18 participants from Singapore had a homely yet power packed retreat with Br Charlie and Sr Jacqui giving classes. The retreat was well balanced with meaningful creative sessions run by Jill Shanti and Chrissy Mahoney on various days. A highlight for many of the participants was the Silence Day which was beautifully facilitated by Sr Kalvinder.

 

Despite the cold weather participants also had a good tour around the city with the chance to experience riding on city trams, something not ‘Singapore-ish’. An enthusiastic day at Phillip Island was another highlight where they had the chance to visit the chocolate factory and shop for chocolates as well as visit the wildlife park to feed kangaroos and observe the little fairy penguins come home at dusk.

 

Participants met the whole Melbourne BK gathering on Sunday. They greatly appreciated the beautiful family feeling and the warmth and openness to be comfortable being themselves whilst learning from everyone else. They left with smiling shining faces and a feeling of enrichment saying they would certainly like to come back again.

 

 

Opening of new BK Sub-Center in Tung Chung, Hong Kong

16 May 2017

BK Didi Dr. Nirmala from Gyan Sarovar, Mount Abu, India, visited Hong Kong from 28 April to 3 May 2017. During her visit she opened a new Raja Yoga Sub-Centre in Tung Chung, New Territories, Hong Kong.

 

Around 30 BKs and guests attended the official opening ceremony which was highly appreciated by everyone.

 

The event started with inauguration, flag hoisting, meditation led by Didi Nirmala and a welcome speech by Sister Bindu, the coordinator of Kowloon BK Centre. This was followed by a spiritually uplifting and nourishing talk by Didi Nirmala. The evening concluded with candle lighting, cake cutting, meditation, blessings and toli distribution.

 

 

News of Sr Meera's Visit to Australia

4 May 2017

From 12^th April to 23^rd April 2017, Sister Meera Nagananda, the director of Brahma Kumaris Malaysia visited down under, Australia. Souls in four cities took advantage of retreats and classes covering various deep topics to help them progress in their spiritual journey.

 

BRISBANE (12^th – 13^th April)

Sister Meera’s first stop was Brisbane where souls were keen to lap up the deep churning that she is so well known for.  She shared spiritual insights and inspirations amongst a beautiful gathering.

 

GOLD COAST (13^th – 14^th April)

Thereafter, Sister Meera gave a talk to a small and intimate group in Gold Coast on the topic ‘Remaining Calm in Crisis’. A point captured was “you can help yourself to develop a calm and peaceful character by meditating every day.  Don't wait for a crisis before you decide to practice". The family made the most of her company from a short visit.

MELBOURNE (14^th – 20^th April)

Over the long Easter weekend, Sister Meera then travelled to Melbourne, where she conducted a programme at Fitzroy centre on the theme ‘A Calm and Stable Mind’. About 70 souls took advantage of it and they loved her precise and practical methods.  

She then facilitated another retreat in at the Peninsula Retreat Centre, an hour’s drive south of the city, which was unique as the Hindi and English programs happened one after the other. Altogether about 70 people attended. Some of the themes of this combined retreat were inner leadership, how to get rid of waste thoughts, and respect and self-respect. A couple of points taken on board were the importance of having a balanced combination of virtues. For example, determination together with patience.

 

SYDNEY (20^th – 23^rd April)

At Sister’s Meera’s last destination, Sydney, she shared insights on ‘Success’ which benefitted a class of around 30 souls in Five Dock. She spoke about faith, determination and thoughts. As she loves to play on words, she said that ‘in determination, there is no termination’, meaning that when we are determined we will not stop before we reach our goals. The two main slogans she strongly emphasized were ‘Think slowly, think positive and think less” and “I will, I can and I am”.
Within three days of a Hindi/Tamil/English retreat which took place in Blue Mountains, Sister Meera gave classes around the topics of ‘importance of thought power’ and ‘depth of yoga’. Altogether approximately 60 souls were sustained. She covered a variety of areas such as tips for early morning meditation, ‘volcanic yoga’ (intense meditation) and being loving and detached. Everyone enjoyed their time together. 

 

After a spiritually rich visit full of enthusiasm and newness to Australia, Sister Meera returned to the Asia Pacific Retreat Centre in Malaysia where retreats occur every weekend. 

 

Om Shanti

 

Download PDF format here.

 

 

The Point - April to May Newsletter from Philippines

27 April 2017

RESILIENCE, the need of these times 

 

GOVERNMENTS worldwide, seeking to restore peace and order, are revising laws and policies on taxation, immigration, crime, climate change and diplomatic rela- tions. Organizations continue to restructure their systems in attempts to be more responsive to the times. Still, at all levels of society, things seem to be turning for the worse. 

 

Judy Johnson, a specialist in leadership development and organizational efficiency, points out that this plethora of brilliant plans is just not easy to put in place. “We don’t have the energy of cooperation to get traction for our smart ideas,” she says. “Good ideas abound, but the stamina to follow through is not enough.” 

The natural inclination of the soul and of Nature itself is to seek order. However, Johnson notes, “When things become unwieldy and the atmosphere becomes stressful, the tendency of leaders is to add rules to put a lid on the situation.” 

 

She explains that resilience is the need of these times that are character- ized by intermittent upsets: “There is peace in order, but we can’t find it when there is stress, frustration, loneliness and anger, and when we attempt to impose the order from the outside. Resilience is about discovering internal order and bringing it out. The only safe place for us is inside ourselves.” 

 

Sad to say, the mind tends to be too busy, entertaining too many thoughts. Many people would rather escape than look inside themselves, saying, “Who knows what we’ll find in there? Let’s just watch a movie or hang out with friends.” 

 

It might be said that the “study” of resilience was born in the late 20th century, with the invention of the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan. One of its uses was to monitor the workings of the brain—effectively rendering obso- lete the popular psychotherapy method of discussing traumas to release pent-up emotions, the theory being that when a person relived the painful incident many times, the neural pathways fired up the brain. Thus, we used to hear it said, “Neurons that wire together, fire together.” The more you run that neuron circuit

in the brain, the more the thoughts or behaviors are reinforced.

Scientists used the MRI to study the brains of people who thrived in chaos. “The term used for these people who thrived, not just survived, is ‘resilience’ in the context of ‘bouncing back.’ Thriving is growing, flourishing, blossoming. If you can’t bounce back, you can’t move forward,” says Johnson. 

 

There are three aspects to resilience, compressed into the acronym, AIM, she explains: Click here for detailed report with photos.

 

Dr. BK Savita's Visit to China

24 April 2017

Divine Family,

 

A young woman, Su, who has her own spiritual research committee in China having more than 200,000 followers, went to Malaysia and Mabhuban in 2016 to attend the Inner Peace and Inner Power (IPIP) retreat. When she returned to China, she said she would help any BK who wanted to do service there. 

 

She also said that her school would be open for BK spiritual activities from that time onwards. She decided to feature the Brahma Kumaris on the occasion of her 100th public spiritual program, and invited Dr Savita behn from Madhuban to address her organization. Around 1300 Chinese brothers and sisters attended the event,  Dr Savita bhen gave a class entitled "Meditation - Better than Medicines". Sister Chen, the NC of China, translated the class and conducted a guided meditation. 40,000 people from across the whole of China watched the event online.

 

 

Love of Fiji and Meditation

23 April 2017

Source: Fiji Times Online news article about service in Fiji posted on Thursday 20 April 2017 http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=397366

WORKING in a high pressured environment can have its share of challenges. Pushpa Raniga attests to that. The former Fiji resident works for Qantas Airways in Sydney, Australia where she holds a supervisory role in the customer service area.

 

"Every day is so different from the other," she says of her working routine.

 

"Things can just change within a second; say there's a security breach — the whole airport comes to a close and everything has to be stopped, security screening has to be stopped. All of a sudden the whole place is in chaos. Another example if there's a weather adversity, there's a storm coming through; once again the whole airport comes to a stop.

 

"So you have to manage all these different types of situations. Plus you're working with people of different backgrounds like our staff so you have to understand each person and bring out the best from each person," she said with a smile.

 

One thing the couple have attested to since moving across to Australia is the art of meditation which they say has kept them sane with life in the fast lane. The couple has been following this art since they were in Fiji in the early '80s and have sworn of its benefits.

 

"I suppose if you're not meditating you can have anxienties," says Pushpa. "

 

"Meditation helps a lot on how to deal with different people without getting affected by things. It enabled us to adapt to life in Australia."

 

Pushpa was recently in Fiji with her husband Jagdish Raniga. The couple said they had been coming to Fiji for the past 30 years after migrating in 1987.

 

"We still call Fiji home. We've taken a lot of sustenance from this nation, a lot of our childhood was here and we got married here so basically half our lives was in Fiji," the couple said. While Mrs Raniga works the customer service field, Mr Raniga is a school teacher at International Grammer School in Sydney, a profession he took across from Fiji after teaching in various schools.

 

"I am a high school mathematics teacher," said Jagdish. "I've taught at Labasa College, Queen Victoria School (QVS), Natabua High School and finally International school before I migrated to Sydney in 1987."

 

So now the couple wants to give back to the community. They want people to enjoy the benefits of meditation which has helped them cope both mentally and physically in a world that can sometimes be filled with chaos.

"When we hear reports of the high suicide rates in Fiji which was not the case back then, we feel like as though you want to help people to understand what life is about," says Puspa. "There is a seven-day course that our sisters from the Brahma Kumaris that conduct classes at centres in Suva, Lautoka, and Nausori.

 

"They can help you in doing this seven-day meditation which gives you a lifetime sort of foundation on how to deal with situations. The problem should be targeted as early as possible.

 

"Both for your physical and mental health. It is something that can go a long way for young people who struggle a lot with issues in their life. Suicide is never the answer."

 

 

Sr Janaki of Denpasar, Indonesia receives International Women's Day award from Consul General of India, Bali

10 March 2017

Adding to her list of high profile awards (Appreciation Award from Radio Republic of Indonesia in 2011 and Hindu Youth Award from Hindu Youth Intellectual Forum Indonesia in 2012), Sr Janaki received an award for her "outstanding contribution in upliftment and empowering the community" on the occasion of International Women's Day on 8th March.

 

Download a pdf of the photos.

 

Sister Janaki receiving an award from the Vice Consul Genaral of India in Bali, Mr Subrata Sarkar for Contribution in Upliftment and Empowering the Community on International Women's Day , 08/03/2017

BK Sister Janaki of Denpasar Bali seen with award from Vice Consul Genaral of India in Bali for Contribution in Upliftment and Empowering the Community on International Women's Day, 08/03/2017

BK Sister Janaki receiving award from the Vice Consul Genaral of India in Bali, for Contribution in Upliftment and Empowering the Community on International Women's Day , 08/03/2017

BK Sister Janaki from Denpasar Bali (white  saree), seen with the Vice Consul General of India in Bali - Mr Subrata Sarkar and others on International Women's on 09/03/17

 

 

Report of Santosh Didi's (Mumbai) Visit to Malaysia, 16 to 23 of January

2 Febuary 2017

 

 

Republic Day of India Celebrated in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

1 Febuary 2017

BK Sister Janaki seen with HE R.O. Sunil Babu, Consul General of India in Bali during Republic Day of India at the Indian Consulate in Denpasar on 26/1/2017

 

Download remaining photos here.