Our Virtual Ashram

[Maya3]

Hi everyone,
Welcome to our very own Virtual Ashram.

This is a place were everyone is welcome.
We have a nice spot for Puja and meditation upstairs.
But the main area here for us is the kitchen, the indoor eating area, and the chairs and benches outside on the lawn with a view of the forest.

It is nice and warm today, so I made a nice pot of strong coffee (yes we can have coffee at this ashram, please don´t start a debate over it, ) if you rather not have coffee, we have loads of herbal teas too. I also made a pot of Chamomile tea.
I´m sitting outside in the shade looking at the deer walking around in the forest.

Welcome, please have a seat and join me. If anyone wants to bring something to eat, feel free. Or you can go in the kitchen and make something nice to eat.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Can I have some coffee and chips please? Let me get a feel of the place. I will start with meditation tomorrow.

 

[Poeticus]

How about starting a "get to know each other thread" nothing about Hinduism, just a friendly place to chat about day to day things and what we like.
We can even "bring food" and make it a visiting corner.

Maya

Hi everyone,
Welcome to our very own Virtual Ashram.

This is a place were everyone is welcome.
We have a nice spot for Puja and meditation upstairs.
But the main area here for us is the kitchen, the indoor eating area, and the chairs and benches outside on the lawn with a view of the forest.

It is nice and warm today, so I made a nice pot of strong coffee (yes we can have coffee at this ashram, please don´t start a debate over it, ) if you rather not have coffee, we have loads of herbal teas too. I also made a pot of Chamomile tea.
I´m sitting outside in the shade looking at the deer walking around in the forest.

Welcome, please have a seat and join me. If anyone wants to bring something to eat, feel free. Or you can go in the kitchen and make something nice to eat.

Great thread!

Howdy, folks! I'm Poeticus. But, most of you know me
as MV. Please allow me to ready some coffee for myself
as I talk a little bit about me. I hope you don't mind
black coffee. I prefer it as bitter and hot as possible.

So, where shall I start? Hmm, let's see. Oh, I love
movies. And, I really, really, really love TV shows. I am
a movie and TV show geek. My favorite types of movies
and films are Japanese, Korean, European, with a hint
of American. However, I absolutely adore American TV
shows. One of my absolute favorite TV shows is Deadwood.

The TV shows that I currently watch are: Revolution, Game
of Thrones (wonderful casting; books are better, however),
Black Sails, The Red Road, Vikings, The Walking Dead,
Suits, Chicago PD, SVU, and numerous others. Sometimes,
it's hard following all of them on the TV, so iTunes helps
out. I still have to go through The Wire, Breaking Bad, and
Boardwalk Empire should start back again, sometime soon.
But, HBO was kind enough to provide True Detective, which
started earlier this year. It is the best show, in my opinion,
this year has had to offer. Sadly, season one recently
finished, and since it's an anthology series, McConaughey
and Harrelson most likely will not be returning for season
two.

My favorite movie of all time would have to be Land of the
Lost, starring Will Ferrell. Yes, I know there are better
movies. But, no other movie makes me laugh as much as
Land of the Lost did and does. I wish that movie had a
collector's edition or an extended edition. But, sadly, it does
not.​

 

[Maya3]

Goodmorning! I´m so glad you joined me.
Poeticus, my husband and I LOVE to watch HBO series´s too. We almost always watch tv when we eat dinner.


Aupmanyav, please help yourself, there is hummus too to go with the chips.

Vinayaka, Ganesh Puja sounds wonderful, let me just have more coffee first.

Maya

 

[Aupmanyav]

I prefer it as bitter and hot as possible.

Talking of bitter coffee, one professor of English from Hyderabad floored me. Four teaspoons of Nescafe powder in one cup. Do you like it that bitter? Though I also like strong Tamil (Madrasi) coffee.

Aupmanyav, please help yourself, there is hummus too to go with the chips.

I have never tasted that. But perhaps it would not be as spicy as I want. My favourite here is the 'samosa' (patty with spicy potato mix, friend). In my home city, Jodhpur, it would have been 'mirchi-bara' (green chilli stuffed with spicy potato mix, rolled in gram flour and fried). I do not think any would be available in the Ashram, tamasic food. I will make it myself.

 

[crossfire]

**sneaks in and drops off a sunny fruit plate**

**sneaks back out**

 

[Andal]

Hi Guys,

What a lovely ashram! I'm Andal, I've been here for years and years (although under an other name) After a lovely puja for Sri Sri Lakshmi Narayana upstairs- time for some chai and snacks downstairs In the material world I am a coaching and communication skills trainer which I love.

It's wonderful to be here and meet everything!

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Nice place !

Well for the introductions, I'm Jaya. People also call me McKitty because I love cats beyond reason. I am Hindu since many years now, and a apprentice pujari also.

Now I'll take a nice darshan upstairs before having some tea.

Hey let's make a garden right ? We can plant all kind of vegetables and flowers, then use them as prasadam for pûja ! So, who is for some gardening ? :3

 

[Poeticus]

Goodmorning! I´m so glad you joined me.
Poeticus, my husband and I LOVE to watch HBO series´s too. We almost always watch tv when we eat dinner.

I ritualistically eat dinner while watching
new episodes of various TV shows. But,
most of the times this self-ritual has to
be put aside in order to partake in family
dinners, and understandably so.

What are some of your favorite HBO TV
shows? True Detective was my favorite
this year. And, if you haven't watched it
yet, I'd really recommend Capadocia.

Oh! Have you heard of Rome?! One word:
awesome. One of the best scripts
I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.
​

 

[Maya3]

I ritualistically eat dinner while watching
new episodes of various TV shows. But,
most of the times this self-ritual has to
be put aside in order to partake in family
dinners, and understandably so.

What are some of your favorite HBO TV
shows? True Detective was my favorite
this year. And, if you haven't watched it
yet, I'd really recommend Capadocia.

Oh! Have you heard of Rome?! One word:
awesome. One of the best scripts
I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.
​

What is Capadocia?

My absolute, absolute favorite is Battlestar Gallactica. It´s amazing!
I also liked Deadwood, The Tudors, Six Feet Under, I liked Walking Dead in the beginning, but now I think it´s too creepy and violent.
We started to watch Black Sails too, but have only seen two episodes so far. Love the music, Bear McCreary made the music for it, he did for Battlestar Gallactica too. He is fantastic!

Thank you everyone who have come by the ashram and brought fruit and held pujas. It´s starting to feel wonderful here!

A garden sounds excellent!

Maya

 

[Poeticus]

What is Capadocia?

My absolute, absolute favorite is Battlestar Gallactica. It´s amazing!
I also liked Deadwood, The Tudors, Six Feet Under, I liked Walking Dead in the beginning, but now I think it´s too creepy and violent.
We started to watch Black Sails too, but have only seen two episodes so far. Love the music, Bear McCreary made the music for it, he did for Battlestar Gallactica too. He is fantastic!

Capadocia is an HBO Mexico-based Latin America TV series that is about
the struggles of women in one experimental Mexican female prison, and in
my opinion, it is one of the best foreign TV shows that I have ever
encountered.

Between, may we have a spiritual music aspect in this ashram/cafe thread
as well? Someone should play a little piano or sitar or cello in the back-
ground. ​

 

[Makaranda]

I'm Tom, or Makaranda. New-ish.

Oh! Have you heard of Rome?! One word:
awesome. One of the best scripts
I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

Rome is great. Shame it was only two series.

 

[ratikala]

Between, may we have a spiritual music aspect in this ashram/cafe thread
as well? Someone should play a little piano or sitar or cello in the back-
ground. ​

namaskaram :namaste

please , please , some very nice gentle raga , or all to easy to get carried away talking about films unless of course they are devotional films ???

I hope there is a library so I can go choose a book prehaps when everyone has got to know each other a little we can have Pravachan we can take it in turn to read something dear to us and give discourse upon the meaning of the text .

Oh sorry , introductions ....Ratikala ....pujari to a small family of deities which means I will either be in the kitchen cooking for the deities or taking care of the shrine , and if I am coming to stay here the deities will have to come too , my job is usualy looking after the deities , my husband does the cooking so that means after the deities get fed , Prasad for everyone . ... and between times yes I am happy to help in the garden growing flowers for the shrine's , .... we will need shrine's for each tradition so that no one feels left out , ...and a kund for MV ji

And if you like I will bring Buddha too so we can have a nice little meditation hut in the garden for crossfire ji then she dosent neet to run in and run away again

....sweet dreams ....

 

[Poeticus]

I'm Tom, or Makaranda. New-ish.



Rome is great. Shame it was only two series.

Howdy, Tom!

How humble of you to call the canceling
of Rome a "shame", when you know in
reality, deep down, that it was, in fact, a
travesty. :sad:​

 

[Poeticus]

...and a kund for MV ji

Yay!​

Thanks, Ratiben!

And, don't forget
sweets! Both the
milk-kind sweets
and the ones w/o.

:namaste​

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

I'm sitting alone in a quiet room, diligently trying to learn this Bhajan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA6q3Qdcwk8

The reason I'm sitting alone is that I like to sing, but Devi might be the only one who can appreciate (or forgive) my less than stellar singing voice.

:camp:

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Let's plant some of these indian roses ! They are very easy to take care of, and they make wonderful garlands !

Maybe we can plant something else... ? Ratikala sister, you know better than us

 

[John Doe]

Nice place !

Well for the introductions, I'm Jaya. People also call me McKitty because I love cats beyond reason. I am Hindu since many years now, and a apprentice pujari also.

Now I'll take a nice darshan upstairs before having some tea.

Hey let's make a garden right ? We can plant all kind of vegetables and flowers, then use them as prasadam for pûja ! So, who is for some gardening ? :3

I also love cats more than I could express. My very best friend in this life so far was a beautiful boy named Gizmo. For 15 years we were as close as Rumi and Shams. He died purring on my chest,three and a half years ago. My beautiful girl cat Kittiara is now almost 17, and we enjoy the rasas of tender friendship and mutual devotion.

Here is a nice tulsi plant for the garden... perfect for tea

And of course a curry plant ...

 

[Maya3]

John,
So sorry for your loss.

Thanks for your plants, they are beautiful.

I made a new pot of coffee and I made Swedish Chocolate Balls, they have coconut on the outside so I offered them to Ganesha, it'll be nice Prasad this afternoon.

Maya

 

[Aupmanyav]

I'm sitting alone in a quiet room, diligently trying to learn this Bhajan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA6q3Qdcwk8
The reason I'm sitting alone is that I like to sing, but Devi might be the only one who can appreciate (or forgive) my less than stellar singing voice.

The one bhajan which I used to sing (quite well, before marriage) was 'Sur ki gati main kya janu, sirf bhajan karna janu'. Somehow, my voice deteriorated soon after marriage, and I could hardly ever sing again. However, no fault of my dear wife. My son also is a very good singer, better than me, sometimes gives public performances (Jagjit Singh like voice). Here is what used to be my bhajan:

[youtube]yHCfmS8Z1HM[/youtube]
Sur Ki Gati Main Kya Janoo-Mukesh - YouTube