Guest guest Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Dear group, I have never met Amma, though I have enjoyed the sweetness of your love for her and your wonderful, heartfelt sharings during the time I have been a part of this . A friend of mine and I are thinking of attending the Devi Bhava in Toronto on Wed., July 26th. to meet Amma for the first time. Could you please tell us what to expect in terms of attendance numbers (the public program is being held in a hotel, so we're thinking that maybe the crowds won't be too large), whether we need to bring our own chairs (portable ones to sit in if we have to wait in line outside in order to meet her, and whether we should get there extra early to make sure we get one of those tokens for darshan? Any information on the logistics of one of the Devi Bhava programs would be appreciated. Other than that, we look forward to having our experience unfold without any expectations or agendas. We both already have a guru, and are not looking for a new one (LOL!); we merely want to pay our respects to a great being who embodies the shakti of unconditional love. We're sure it will be amazing. I can see from her photos that Amma embraces the whole world without exception from the open look in her eyes. Many thanks, Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Namah Shivaya, Pam, I am in Toronto and will be there for the Devi Bhava. Expect large crowds. Last year the Devi Bhava was held at the same venue and the hall was so full that many of us had to watch the Atma Puja and beginning of Devi Bhava on closed-circuit TV in breakaway rooms. There were probably 6000 people who got darshan; it went to something like 10:30 or 11 in the morning. This year isn't likely to be any smaller. The program starts with an Atma Puja, which includes a talk and a guided meditation. Amma will perform a puja that blesses several large pots of water; this water will be distributed to everyone in small plastic containers. Sip it if you want and experience the shakti, but don't drink it all - you can take it home and add a drop to water to energize it with Her shakti. Afterwards, the curtains will close on the stage, and the Swamis will play bhajans. The curtains open briefly to show Amma performing worship to Devi, and then close again. When they reopen, Amma will be sitting in Devi Bhava on Her darshan chair, and darshan will begin. At this point people are free to enter and leave the hall, and a simple vegetarian dinner will be served in the dining hall. (Throughout the venue - in the dining hall and elsewhere - Amma's darshans will be shown on closed-circuit TV, usually with the current token range displayed on the bottom of the screen.) You should get a darshan token if you arrive even as late as 9pm, but you should arrive a couple of hours early if you want to get a spot in the hall and get an early token. Realistically speaking, unless you have a priority token, you are very unlikely to get darshan before 1am or so on Devi Bhava night (though, the best experience is just to stay all night anyway - the energy just builds and builds, and at the end, She showers everyone with rose petals). While darshan is going on and you're waiting for your token range to come up, you can hang out, meditate, browse the bookstore and information tables, or have a bite to eat from the snack bars. They close the doors somewhere between 3am and 5am (though you can still step out to go to the bathroom or whatever - this is just to keep people from going home to bed and coming back for darshan in the morning). You shouldn't have to wait in line outside - that happened in 2004, but the venue is bigger now. More important than folding chairs is a meditation cushion! Hope this helps - let me know if you have any other questions. I'll be doing line entry and information desk seva at the Toronto programs. Jai Ma! Laura On 14-Jul-06, at 9:36 PM, pamkowal wrote: > Dear group, > I have never met Amma, though I have enjoyed the sweetness of your > love for her and your wonderful, heartfelt sharings during the time I > have been a part of this . A friend of mine and I are > thinking of attending the Devi Bhava in Toronto on Wed., July 26th. to > meet Amma for the first time. Could you please tell us what to expect > in terms of attendance numbers (the public program is being held in a > hotel, so we're thinking that maybe the crowds won't be too large), > whether we need to bring our own chairs (portable ones to sit in if we > have to wait in line outside in order to meet her, and whether we > should get there extra early to make sure we get one of those tokens > for darshan? Any information on the logistics of one of the Devi Bhava > programs would be appreciated. Other than that, we look forward to > having our experience unfold without any expectations or agendas. We > both already have a guru, and are not looking for a new one (LOL!); we > merely want to pay our respects to a great being who embodies the > shakti of unconditional love. We're sure it will be amazing. I can see > from her photos that Amma embraces the whole world without exception > from the open look in her eyes. Many thanks, Pam > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 on 7/14/06 8:36 PM, pamkowal at kowalsbuff (AT) msn (DOT) com wrote: > > Could you please tell us what to expect > in terms of attendance numbers (the public program is being held in a > hotel, so we're thinking that maybe the crowds won't be too large), > whether we need to bring our own chairs (portable ones to sit in if we > have to wait in line outside in order to meet her, and whether we > should get there extra early to make sure we get one of those tokens > for darshan? > If you can¹t stay up all night, come early to get an early darshan token. But if you can, take the day off Thursday and stay up all night. It¹s a special experience. You probably don¹t need to bring chairs unless you¹re uncomfortable sitting on the floor. Once you get in the hall, there are plenty of chairs. See you there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 A friend of > mine and I are > thinking of attending the Devi Bhava in Toronto on > Wed., July 26th. to > meet Amma for the first time. Could you please tell > us what to expect > in terms of attendance numbers (the public program > is being held in a > hotel, so we're thinking that maybe the crowds won't > be too large), In the two years that we have had Amma's presence in Canada's cesspool, the Toronto program has drawn the largest crowds of the North American tour. Toronto's 2004 devi bhava holds the the record for outside India. It didn't end until almost noon, over 7000 tokens handed out! It's kinda hard to tell how many tokens get handed out this year, because the token numbering is no longer all-numeric beginning at 100 or 1000, but is now a weird bingo-like alpha-numeric system. But judging from some of the recent postings on this list, the 2006 tour crowds seem to be down from previous years. I was in Chicago last week, and it didn't seem to be wall-to-wall people. I would guess that the highway-robbery cost of gas is putting a dent in many travel plans. I expect crowds in Toronto to be substantially down this year, becaues of the cost of gas (well over a buck a litre), the CAD exchange rate (now around 90 cents US), and border security issues. Karunamayi canceled her program that had been scheduled in Toronto last month, most likely due to immigration problems entering Canada. Yes, Toronto is Canada's cesspool. We need a Rudy Guiliani to take back the streets! If you come to Toronto, DO NOT VISIT DOWNTOWN, unless you like being accosted by panhandlers, and dodging filth, hookers, druggies, garbage and even stray bullets on the downtown streets! Public transit sucks too, unless you are nostalgic for filthy subways and rust-bucket GM Newlook buses, that U.S. cities haven't seen since the Carter administration. Keval Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 on 7/15/06 1:17 PM, Mike Brooker at patria1818 wrote: > In the two years that we have had Amma's presence in > Canada's cesspool, the Toronto program has drawn the > largest crowds of the North American tour. Toronto's > 2004 devi bhava holds the the record for outside > India. It didn't end until almost noon, over 7000 > tokens handed out! The first year was on a weekend, was it not? Plus, it was the first time Amma had been there, so she got lots of press, and the crowds were huge. Most of this program is mid-week, and she won¹t get that much press. Sunday¹s program will be big, but the rest will be smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Sounds like just the kind of place KaliMa would love to embrace. She sure does love a juicy challenge! A T&T special! (Transmutation and Transformation). Mike Brooker <patria1818 > wrote: A friend of > mine and I are > thinking of attending the Devi Bhava in Toronto on > Wed., July 26th. to > meet Amma for the first time. Could you please tell > us what to expect > in terms of attendance numbers (the public program > is being held in a > hotel, so we're thinking that maybe the crowds won't > be too large), In the two years that we have had Amma's presence in Canada's cesspool, the Toronto program has drawn the largest crowds of the North American tour. Toronto's 2004 devi bhava holds the the record for outside India. It didn't end until almost noon, over 7000 tokens handed out! It's kinda hard to tell how many tokens get handed out this year, because the token numbering is no longer all-numeric beginning at 100 or 1000, but is now a weird bingo-like alpha-numeric system. But judging from some of the recent postings on this list, the 2006 tour crowds seem to be down from previous years. I was in Chicago last week, and it didn't seem to be wall-to-wall people. I would guess that the highway-robbery cost of gas is putting a dent in many travel plans. I expect crowds in Toronto to be substantially down this year, becaues of the cost of gas (well over a buck a litre), the CAD exchange rate (now around 90 cents US), and border security issues. Karunamayi canceled her program that had been scheduled in Toronto last month, most likely due to immigration problems entering Canada. Yes, Toronto is Canada's cesspool. We need a Rudy Guiliani to take back the streets! If you come to Toronto, DO NOT VISIT DOWNTOWN, unless you like being accosted by panhandlers, and dodging filth, hookers, druggies, garbage and even stray bullets on the downtown streets! Public transit sucks too, unless you are nostalgic for filthy subways and rust-bucket GM Newlook buses, that U.S. cities haven't seen since the Carter administration. Keval Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Dear Laura and all who responded to my questions, Thank you for taking the time to give me a better idea of what to expect timing-wise at the Devi Bhava. It turns out that two more people will be carpooling with my friend and me, and this information is very good to have so that I can advise them on taking Wednesday AND Thursday off from work. I will take your advice and bring my meditation cushion and asana so I can sit on the floor comfortably. We are all looking forward to this experience with great anticipation. I was thinking this morning how fortunate I have been in my lifetime: I have five planets in my astrological house of spirituality and I feel so incredibly fortunate that as a result, my love for God has been the one constant in my life since I was a little girl and has manifested for me in many, many moments of utter grace and love. I can't imagine what life would be like without this feeling of love for God in my heart. How dry and unfulfilling it would feel! Thank you all for your help and good wishes. Laura, I will look for you at the line entry and information desk. I hope you wear a nametag so I can introduce myself and speak with you in person. All the best, Pam (Sundari) ) Ammachi, Laura Sylvis <laurasings wrote: > > Namah Shivaya, Pam, > > I am in Toronto and will be there for the Devi Bhava. > > Expect large crowds. Last year the Devi Bhava was held at the same > venue and the hall was so full that many of us had to watch the Atma > Puja and beginning of Devi Bhava on closed-circuit TV in breakaway > rooms. There were probably 6000 people who got darshan; it went to > something like 10:30 or 11 in the morning. This year isn't likely to > be any smaller. > > The program starts with an Atma Puja, which includes a talk and a > guided meditation. Amma will perform a puja that blesses several > large pots of water; this water will be distributed to everyone in > small plastic containers. Sip it if you want and experience the > shakti, but don't drink it all - you can take it home and add a drop > to water to energize it with Her shakti. > > Afterwards, the curtains will close on the stage, and the Swamis will > play bhajans. The curtains open briefly to show Amma performing > worship to Devi, and then close again. When they reopen, Amma will > be sitting in Devi Bhava on Her darshan chair, and darshan will > begin. At this point people are free to enter and leave the hall, > and a simple vegetarian dinner will be served in the dining hall. > (Throughout the venue - in the dining hall and elsewhere - Amma's > darshans will be shown on closed-circuit TV, usually with the current > token range displayed on the bottom of the screen.) > > You should get a darshan token if you arrive even as late as 9pm, but > you should arrive a couple of hours early if you want to get a spot > in the hall and get an early token. Realistically speaking, unless > you have a priority token, you are very unlikely to get darshan > before 1am or so on Devi Bhava night (though, the best experience is > just to stay all night anyway - the energy just builds and builds, > and at the end, She showers everyone with rose petals). > > While darshan is going on and you're waiting for your token range to > come up, you can hang out, meditate, browse the bookstore and > information tables, or have a bite to eat from the snack bars. > > They close the doors somewhere between 3am and 5am (though you can > still step out to go to the bathroom or whatever - this is just to > keep people from going home to bed and coming back for darshan in the > morning). > > You shouldn't have to wait in line outside - that happened in 2004, > but the venue is bigger now. More important than folding chairs is a > meditation cushion! > > Hope this helps - let me know if you have any other questions. I'll > be doing line entry and information desk seva at the Toronto > programs. > > Jai Ma! > Laura > > > > > On 14-Jul-06, at 9:36 PM, pamkowal wrote: > > > Dear group, > > I have never met Amma, though I have enjoyed the sweetness of your > > love for her and your wonderful, heartfelt sharings during the time I > > have been a part of this . A friend of mine and I are > > thinking of attending the Devi Bhava in Toronto on Wed., July 26th. to > > meet Amma for the first time. Could you please tell us what to expect > > in terms of attendance numbers (the public program is being held in a > > hotel, so we're thinking that maybe the crowds won't be too large), > > whether we need to bring our own chairs (portable ones to sit in if we > > have to wait in line outside in order to meet her, and whether we > > should get there extra early to make sure we get one of those tokens > > for darshan? Any information on the logistics of one of the Devi Bhava > > programs would be appreciated. Other than that, we look forward to > > having our experience unfold without any expectations or agendas. We > > both already have a guru, and are not looking for a new one (LOL!); we > > merely want to pay our respects to a great being who embodies the > > shakti of unconditional love. We're sure it will be amazing. I can see > > from her photos that Amma embraces the whole world without exception > > from the open look in her eyes. Many thanks, Pam > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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