In the enlightening presence of the masters…
It was indeed a day of celebration for seekers gathered to witness the meeting of the legendary masters Anandmurti Gurumaa with His Holiness The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje on the 17th of September 2009 in Gurumaa Ashram – the abode of beloved master Gurumaa.

Since morning the entire Ashram was abuzz with fragrance of beautiful flowers, freshness and beauty, welcoming the guests for the day. As the Karmapa arrived, the sound of conches, bells and drums filled the air. His Holiness was escorted directly to the Gurumandir where Her Holiness Anandmurti Gurumaa was waiting to receive and welcome him. On the way, ashramites presented the Karmapa with katas, the ceremonial white scarves which His Holiness very graciously accepted. The Gurumandir was beautifully decorated with garlands of marigolds, flower petals and hand-made banners. Floating candles in colored pots (and bright prayer flags fluttering gaily in the breeze) added to the festivities.

Then Gurumaa escorted His Holiness to the beautiful glass Conservatory, which affords a stunning view of the Ashram. The entire route was carpeted in red and rose petals were lovingly strewn all along the route by Gurumaa’s disciples at the Lotus Feet of both the Masters. After a light breakfast, both legendary Masters walked over to the Sambudh Sabhagar, the spacious, elegant Meditation Hall where devotees waited eagerly for Darshan. Beautiful mandalas and banners in colorful designs handcrafted by the ashramites decorated the walls and ceilings and a large golden prayer wheel mounted at the entrance gave a very Buddhist touch to the festivities.

As Gurumaa and the Karmapa entered the Hall, the chants of “Buddham Sharanam Gacchami” resounded, charging the already electrifying atmosphere even more with wonderful vibrations. Elegant flower designs and candles gave a simple yet special touch to the solemn yet celebrative occasion. A huge backdrop of Guru Padmasambhava formed the backdrop of the stage. A hushed silence filled the air as tears flowed in sheer devotion and thankfulness at witnessing and being in the overwhelming presence of two Enlightened Masters, a tremendous blessing indeed.

Calling it a unique event and a ‘Thanking day’ Gurumaa began the welcome address by thanking His Holiness for bestowing his presence in the Ashram. On this His Holiness expressed his thanks for having an opportunity to visit the Ashram. And thus began the talk of the Thanking Day.

Seekers were really fortunate to be amidst the presence of the great masters which was making the whole ambience filled with love and compassion. It is the compassion of the master that he takes on the birth again and again to liberate the suffering souls and keeps on the work until even one individual is left, said Gurumaa.

On the occasion Gurumaa guided the seekers to awaken the Buddha within. “Everyone has a Buddha in him. But you are a Buddhu until you realize it. The only difference between the words Buddha and Buddhu is that of ‘U’. Now this ‘U’ denotes ego and ignorance. So one has to strive to remove this darkness of ignorance and ego”, said Gurumaa. Expounding on the Buddhahood, Gurumaa narrated the meeting of Gautama Buddha with Dipankara Buddha, many lives before Gautama Buddha’s eventual enlightenment. In this meeting Gautama bowed to Dipankara and to his surprise Dipankara lovingly bowed back to him calling him as the future Buddha.

After this addressal, His Holiness delivered the talk in Tibetan language quoting that Tibetan has affinity with the Sanskrit language and hence establishes a heart to heart connection. His Holiness began his talk by recalling the previous meeting with Gurumaa and his familiarity with Gurumaa’s work for the evolution of sentient beings. He expressed his feeling of gratitude and also mentioned the connectedness he felt being in the Ashram. Quoting the journey of great masters to India, His Holiness also shared his own journey which was quite different from the masters in past. His Holiness’ love, faith, respect for India is profound and he showered the same jewels on the seekers gathered in the hall.

Taking the talk further, Gurumaa drew everybody’s attention to the importance of the presence of the master as a catalyst for spiritual evolution. Gurumaa also mentioned that language at times can be the biggest barrier but the mere presence of the master transcends all communication and showers the greatest wisdom. Emphasizing on this Gurumaa quoted about Mandukya Upanishad which is the shortest scripture of the Vedanta. It consists of only eight stotras which are mantras and carry the essence of the entire wisdom. Gurumaa also mentioned that only the sages could draw the ocean of wisdom in a cup of just eight stotras.
After the talk, His Holiness presented Anandmurti Gurumaa with a ceremonial scarf and a magnificent statue of Lord Buddha. And thus, blessing the seekers with wisdom, love and guidance both the masters concluded the event.

His Holiness was escorted back to the Conservatory for a sumptuous lunch and later, was driven around the Ashram by Gurumaa.

The hours flew, and all too soon, it was time to leave. A beautiful rose sapling was planted outside the Conservatory to commemorate this auspicious occasion. All in all, it was a very special day with a very special guest indeed and everyone had a prayer in their hearts that His Holiness would visit Gurumaa Ashram once again, sometime soon.