Labyrinth at Quo Vadis

Quo Vadis, the Interfaith Dialogue Centre in Tiruvannamalai recently constructed a labyrinth in the back of their compound, to which all are welcome. In the upcoming Arunachala Grace Newsletter there will be a narrative on the nature of labyrinths as a walking meditation. So if you are not a subscriber of the free Newsletter, check out the Newsletter facility at the left column of this page.

Labyrinth at Quo Vadis

Labyrinths have been around for over four thousand years and have been integral parts of many cultures and religious traditions around the world. The Hopi called the labyrinth the symbol for "Mother Earth" and equated it with the Kiva (“Sacred Lodge”). Like Stonehenge and the pyramids, labyrinths are magical geometric forms that define sacred space. A labyrinth pattern, usually circular, has been associated with pilgrimages, rituals and self-discovery and represents the life journey.

The difference between a labyrinth and a maze is that a labyrinth has only one path leading to the centre and back out again and in which there are no dead ends.

To find out more about Quo Vadis Interfaith Dialogue Centre, visit their website at this link here.

Wesak Festival

Wesak Valley, North India

Full moon during Karthigai Deepam is regarded as the most powerful Arunachala poornima of the year. However the upcoming Wesak Festival (Taurus full moon) is globally considered to be the most powerful full moon of the yearly cycle. It is the time of the Buddha's Blessings. In this respect it is also considered to be a particularly auspicious time to perform Arunachala giripradakshina. This year (2008) we actually have two dates for Wesak; Sunday, April 20 10:27 GMT, the Theosophical Wesak and Tuesday, May 20 02:13 GMT the Buddhist Wesak which celebrates the true sideral or cosmic date. An ancient legend (see below) says it is during Wesak, i.e., the Taurus Full Moon that the Buddha leaves the High place where He works and dwells to return to the earth and BLESS the WORLD. This festival is not only celebrated at Wesak, North India, but also at spiritual centres throughout the world.

The three major spiritual Festivals which form a high point in the annual cycle: Festival of Easter (at the Aries full moon) Festival of Wesak (at the Taurus full moon) Festival of Goodwill (at the Gemini full moon)



Wesak and the Moon -- Part One

Wesak and the Moon -- Part Two

The Wesak Legend
[Alice A. Bailey]

"There is a valley, lying at a rather high altitude in the foothills of the Himalayan-Tibet ranges. It is surrounded by high mountains on all sides except towards the northeast, where there is a narrow opening in the mountain ranges. The valley is bottle-shaped in contour, with the neck of the bottle to the northeast, and it widens very considerably towards the south. Up towards the northern end, close to the neck of the bottle, there a huge flat rock. There are no trees or shrubs in the valley, which is covered with a kind of coarse grass.

Approaching the time of the full moon of Taurus, pilgrims from the surrounding districts begin to gather. The holy men and the lamas find their way into the valley and fill the southern and the middle parts, leaving the northeastern end relatively free. There, so the legend runs, gathers a group of those great Beings Who are the Custodians on Earth of God's Plan for our planet and for humanity.

This group of knowers of divinity are the main participants in The Wesak Festival. They arrange Themselves in the northeastern end of the valley, in concentric circles, and prepare for a great act of service. In front of the rock, looking towards the northeast, stand Those Beings Who are called by Their disciples The Three Great Lords. These are The Christ, Who stands in the center; the Lord of living forms, The Manu, Who stands at His right; and The Lord of Civilization, who stands to His left. These three face the rock upon which rests a great crystal bowl, full of water.

Behind the grouped Masters, adepts, initiates and senior workers under God's Plan are to be found the world disciples and aspirants in their various grades and groups (either "in the body" or "out of the body"), who at this time constitute the New Group of World Servers. Those present in their physical bodies have found their way there by ordinary means. Others are present in their spiritual bodies, and in the dream state. The "dream", which they later relate, has been uniformly registered by people throughout the world, and bears the testimony to the recollection of an inner spiritual happening.

As the hour of the full moon approaches, a stillness settles down upon the crowd, and all look towards the northeast. Certain ritualistic movements take place, in which the grouped Masters and Their disciples of all ranks take up symbolic positions, and form on the floor of the valley such significant symbols as the five-pointed star, with The Christ standing at the highest point; of a triangle, with The Christ at the apex; or a cross, and other well known formations, all of which have a deep and potent meaning. This is all done to the sound of certain chanted words and esoteric phrases, called mantrams.

The expectancy in the waiting, onlooking crowd becomes very great, and the tension is real and increasing. Through the entire body of people there seems to be felt a stimulation or potent vibration which has the effect of awakening the souls of those present, fusing and blending the group into one united whole, and lifting all into a great act of spiritual demand, readiness, and expectancy. It is the climax of the world's aspiration focussed in this waiting group. These three words; demand, readiness and expectancy, best describe the atmosphere surrounding those present in this secret valley.

The chanting and the rhythmic weaving grows stronger, and all the participants and the watching crowd raise their eyes towards the sky in the direction of the narrow part of the valley. Just a few minutes before the exact time of the full moon, in the far distance, a tiny speck can be seen in the sky. It comes nearer and nearer, and grows in clarity and definiteness of outline, until the form of The Buddha can be seen, seated in the cross-legged Buddha position, clad in his saffron-colored robe, bathed in light and color, and with his hand extended in blessing.

When The Buddha arrives at a point exactly over the great rock, hovering there in the air over the heads of The Three Great Lords, a great mantram, used only once a year, at The Festival, is intoned by The Christ, and the entire group of people in the valley fall upon their faces. This Invocation sets up a great vibration or thought current which is of such potency that it reaches up from the group of aspirants, disciples and initiates who employ it, to the Being we know as God. It marks the supreme moment of intensive spiritual effort throughout the entire year, and the spiritual vitalization of humanity and the spiritual effects last throughout the succeeding months.

The effect of this great Invocation is universal or cosmic, and serves to link us up with that cosmic center of spiritual force from which all created beings have come. The blessing is poured forth, and The Christ, as the representative of humanity, receives it in trust, for distribution.

Thus, so the legend runs, The Buddha returns once a year to bless the world, transmitting renewed spiritual life, through The Christ. Slowly then The Buddha recedes into the distance, until again only a faint speck can be seen in the sky, and this eventually disappears. The whole ceremonial blessing, from the time of the first appearance in the distance until the moment The Buddha fades out of view, takes just eight minutes.

The Buddha's annual sacrifice for humanity (for He comes back only at great cost) is over, and He returns again to that high place where He works and waits. Year after year He comes back in blessing; year after year, He and His great brother, The Christ, work in the closest cooperation for the spiritual benefit of humanity. In these two great Sons of God have been focussed two aspects of divine life, and They act together as Custodians of the highest type of spiritual force to which our humanity can respond. Through The Buddha, the wisdom of God is poured forth. Through The Christ, the love of God is manifested in humanity, and it is this wisdom and love which pour forth upon humanity each Wesak full moon.

When The Buddha has again disappeared, the crowd rise to their feet; the water in the bowl is distributed in tiny portions to the Masters, initiates and disciples, and they then go their way to their place of service. The crowd, who have all brought their little cups and vessels of water, drink of them and share with others. In this beautiful "water ceremony of communion" is portrayed the symbol of the new age which is upon us, the Aquarian Age, the age of the Water Carrier.

In this ceremony is perpetuated for us the story of the universality of God's love, the need for our individual purification, and the opportunity to share with each other that which belongs to all. The water, which has been magnetized by the presence of The Buddha and of The Christ, carries certain properties and virtues of a healing and helpful nature.

Thus blessed, the crowd silently disperses.”

Quo Vadis

Near Chengam Road and close to several major ashrams, work is almost complete on the primary stage of the development of Quo Vadis; an Interfaith Dialogue Centre being set up by Arcot Lutheran Church.

The co-ordinator of Quo Vadis and Lutheran pastor of this area, Rev. Joshua Peter told me:

"Quo Vadis is Latin and means 'Where are you going?' Because we consider life a pilgrimage, a travel. So in this life we want to stop at one point when we meet people, and stop them as well and try to raise this question, 'Where are you going? Where are you coming from?' By that we start a dialogue."

The below is a photograph of a small hut currently being used for meditation, talks and meetings. As the hut is the original building of the Quo Vadis compound, it will continue to remain centre stage.

When I first saw the below carving, which I think is quite magnificent, I thought it was some kind of African icon. Rev. Joshua Peter told me that it was in fact done by a Tamil artist that had recently come to visit the Centre and it was carved out of a tree that had to be felled before construction of Quo Vadis, could be commenced. It was felt that it would honour the tree and site to transform the felled tree into a permanent sentinel at the compound.

The purpose of the Inter Faith Dialogue Centre is also about faith:

"This is also to share about the faith. Because many so-called ordinary people think that if religion has to be discussed that it should be done by scholars. But here we don't discuss and debate about religion but we dialogue about our own faith. And every individual has the authority to tell his/her story and share the faith.

So sharing becomes the core of our dialogue."

Rev. Joshua Peter

This is the inside of the hut and is quite leakproof. To those who have visited India, the bamboo style of the roof will be no surprise as even, in 2007 Tiruvannamalai, such roofs are commonly to be seen.

The unused area at the back of the compound will, at a later date, be made into accommodation units for visitors and pilgrims to stay at while visiting Tiruvannamalai. This will be the second stage of the development of Quo Vadis, whose concept is:

"On dialogue and building relationships. To go out and cross borders of the Church."
Rev. Joshua Peter

A good photograph of part of Quo Vadis.






The library, reading room will be located upstairs at Quo Vadis. In explanation for the reason that the centre is going to have a library facility, Rev Joshua Peter remarked:

"So, although this Quo Vadis structure was built very recently and this programme actually originated only four years back; Arcot Lutheran Church has a long history of what we call, 'Reading Rooms' and 'Libraries' in many towns, including Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore and Tirukoyilur. Where we would open up a library and invite all religious people to come in and use the library. Those days it was a good culture of learned people who would come and use the library.

Indian-Christian theology, we claim, was born out of the Reading Room in Chennai. Because great Indian Christian theologians would use our reading room and it was there that they wrote books which became the basis of Indian-Christian theology."

"We will have a cafe because a cafe is a wonderful place to sit and order a cup of coffee or soft drink or fruit juice and a piece of cake and share your faith. So there will be a cafe. And it is not a restaurant running as a business. We will have selected items, tasty items; we want people to come. And also we look for economy for that, whatever we earn will not go into people's pocket, it will be used to maintain the Centre and make it even more beautiful."

Rev Joshua Peter

There will in fact be two cafes at Quo Vadis, one here on the roof and one downstairs.

The upstairs at Quo Vadis is quite spectacular and I have no doubt will become very popular with visiting pilgrims. Such a centre has been needed at Arunachala for many years. Previously, visitors and pilgrims would have to either talk and dialogue at restaurants or share a hurried whisper at ashrams; but now Tiruvannamalai has a multi functional centre which is inviting people of all faiths to come, interact and exchange ideas, read a book or magazine, have a meal, visit, or just sit quietly and meditate.

"It is a new time and organisations and ashrams are going to have to adapt to the new time . . . people are coming with different needs and different ideas . . . unless an organisation deals with that reality and with the new type of person coming then that organisation is going to be very much based on the past."

Interviewer

"It is more of Centre. That is why I keep repeating that it is a Centre where people can come and meet and it should be a place full of life. Of course there is a place where you can go on your own to meditate but most of the places are here to actually share your faith. That is the more beautiful thing. What experience you gain; the enlightenment (whatever you call it); the energy, the experience, is more beautiful if you share with others. Because it enlightens further you and also empowers the other person and inspires them. So this place will be a place to inspire many people. And also to be inspired to love people, to love the others."

Rev Joshua Peter






"All the while Arcot Lutheran Church has believed in many things and we went out and called this “outreach”. But for the first time we have ventured out to build relationships. Actually Quo Vadis, intiated by the Lutheran Church, is the only such official Centre, (including all other Protestant institutions) in the whole of India."
Rev Joshua Peter