A Disciple's Journal: In the Company of Swami Ashokananda
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Sister Gargi lecturing at the Vedanta Convention in Ganges, Michigan, August 1987
Sister Gargi dancing with the village women at Durgapur, Bangladesh, 1994
Sister Gargi working at her desk in the Belur Math guesthouse, December 1992
Sister Gargi at Belur Math (in gerua), February 2002. Photograph by Shelley Brown.
Sister Gargi at Camp Taylor, California, June 2002. Photograph by Shelley Brown.
“Good-bye now”—Marie Louise Burke at age two
PHOTOS
The original temple (later called the Old Temple) in San Francisco,
Vedanta Society of Northern California
Swami Ashokananda in his office at the Old Temple
The house on Fillmore Street where the author lived in the top rear apartment from 1951 to 1969
Swami Shantaswarupananda, Edith Soulé, and Dr. Haridas Chaudhuri after the dedication of the American Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco, 1952
Swami Ashokananda after a lecture at the Berkeley Temple, 1950s
Dorothy Madison, Swami Ashokananda, and Anna Webster at the Vedanta Retreat at Olema, 1950
Workers at Olema, 1950.
Left to right: Jeanette Vollmer, Josephine Stanbury, Swami Ashokananda, Anna Webster, and Marion Langerman.
Virginia Varrentzoff (left)
and Kathy Wyatt (now Pravrajika Vijnanaprana) at Olema, 1961
Dorothy Madison (left) and Mary Lou Williams at Olema, 1970
Marie Louise Burke at Mount Rose, 1956
Swami Ashokananda at Mount Rose, 1955
Picnic at Mount Rose, 1957.
Left to right: Helen Sutherland, Swami Ashokananda, Marie Louise Burke, Marie Chenoweth, and Swami Akhilananda.
Swami Ashokananda in his cabin at Lake Tahoe, 1957
On the porch of Swami’s cabin at Lake Tahoe, 1957.
In front, left to right: Marie Louise Burke, Marie Chenoweth, and Helen Sutherland. Standing: Swami Ashokananda, Swami Akhilananda, and Gladys Harvey.
Retreatants at Lake Tahoe, 1957.
Left to right: Dora Blaney, Marie Louise Burke, Edith Soulé, Carol Weston, Unknown, Edna Zulch, and Mara Lane.
Jo and Helen’s cabin at Lake Tahoe.
Marie Louise Burke reading in the cabin, 1957.
Plaster cast of Swami Vivekananda’s statue for the altar of the New Temple
At the construction site of the New Temple, 1955.
Left to right: Jean Boorman, Swami Ashokananda, Sally Martin, Jim Jackman, Marilyn Pearce, Nancy Jackman, and Anna Webster.
The New Temple in San Francisco
The entrance to the New Temple
The New Temple shortly after its dedication, 1959
(The author is seated before the altar.)
The first nuns to take formal vows at the San Francisco convent, 1961.
Left to right: Dorothy Peters, Miriam Kennedy, Eve Bunch, and Marilyn Pearce.
Dorothy Murdock in the garden of the New Temple, 1965
Kathleen Davis in her room in the convent building, 1975
Marie Louise Burke (self-portrait), 1972
The author (now Sister Gargi) at the Belur Math guesthouse, 1975
Sister Gargi with Bharat Maharaj at Belur Math, early 1980s
Sister Gargi receiving the Vivekananda Award from Swami Vireswarananda at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, January 1983
Sister Gargi lecturing at the Vedanta Convention in Ganges, Michigan, August 1987
Sister Gargi dancing with the village women at Durgapur, Bangladesh, 1994
Sister Gargi working at her desk in the Belur Math guesthouse,
December 1992
Sister Gargi at Belur Math (in gerua), February 2002
Sister Gargi at Camp Taylor, California, June 2002
“Good-bye now”—Marie Louise Burke at age two
INDEX
NOTE: Please use the SEARCH feature of your reading device to locate subjects in the eBook text. The indexed page numbers below refer to the print edition.
The following abbreviations are used throughout the index: MLB for Marie Louise Burke, SA for Swami Ashokananda, and SV for Swami Vivekananda.
Abhayananda, Swami (Bharat Maharaj), B4, 270, 274
healing love and concern of, 266–67
invitation to MLB to visit Belur Math, 264–65
Absolute, the, 193. See also Brahman
Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta branch, 121–22, 140–41, 183, 270
Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, 6, 7, 264, 268
Advaita Vedanta, 50, 200. See also Vedanta
Akhilananda, Swami, A6, 165, 212, 239
death of, 248–49
at dedication of New Temple, 240–42
at Lake Tahoe, A6, A7, 141, 165–67
sharing of holy relics, 166
Allan, Thomas, 85, 86
Allan, Mrs. Thomas, 88, 90
American Academy of Asian Studies, 42, 72, 78, 84, A2
Ananda, 65
Ananyananda, Swami, 271, 272
Ananyananda, Swami (cont’d)
MLB’s collaboration with, 273
Arjuna. See Bhagavad Gita
Aseshananda, Swami, 73
Ashokananda, Swami, ix, A1, A3, A4, A6, B1
after-lecture talks by, 244, 245
on aging, 86, 94
arrival of, in San Francisco, ix
on austerity, need for, 35, 43, 152
back-office talks by, 19, 21–22, 37, 39, 107–8, 193, 194, 206, 227
on character, 36
correspondence with Swami Madhavananda, 137, 203
on death, 190–91
death of, 259
on definition of life, 172
on depression, 103
desire of, to finish work, 131, 134
on detachment, 79, 94, 187, 223
devotees overly reliant upon, 93, 120
on devotion, need for, 110, 174, 192, 194
on divine grace, 200
on eating restaurant food, 92, 126, 170–71
on ecstasy, 235. See also samadhi
on egoless work, 60–61, 134, 211
on egotism, 195, 210
encouragement by, 30, 53, 77, 102, 109, 111, 113, 124, 132, 191, 272
on the English in India, 210–11
on God’s nurturing of devotees, 173–74
healing power of, 135, 171–72
health of, 53, 90, 97–98, 108, 124, 128, 134, 140, 143, 185, 189, 204, 250–53
cerebral stroke, 258
diabetes, 36, 125
dietary restrictions, 36
high blood pressure, 36, 163, 171, 250, 252
insomnia, 216, 252
kidney infection, 258
ulcers, 36, 102, 130, 175, 176–77
heavy demands on, 24, 45, 47, 71, 89–91, 103, 106, 174, 175, 178, 215–16
on highest goal, 109
on human faults, 129–30, 174
on idealism, 209
imitations by, 10, 62, 102, 169, 173, 189, 206
on inner restraint, 206
at Lake Tahoe, A7, 164–71, 247–55
lectures by, 73, 107–8, 188, 190, 194, 195, 200, 201, 236–38, 265, 268
effect of ill health on, 174, 188
on loyalty, 228–30
manner of instruction from, 4, 13, 41, 73, 162, 211
on marriage, 21, 163
as MLB’s teacher in writing, 119, 258
on monastic life, difficulties of, 202
on moodiness, 195, 196, 198
on nonviolence, 26, 71–72, 163
on obstructions, 42, 124
on patience, 10, 1
05, 169, 201, 212
personality of, x, xii, 25, 58–59, 60
on realizing God, 109
on renunciation, 35, 44, 59, 125, 135, 150
on ritual worship (puja), 74, 142, 193–94
scoldings by, 50, 61–62, 66, 96, 99–100, 136, 191–92, 211
of MLB, 25–26, 63, 69, 117–18, 148, 153, 167, 170–71, 194, 198, 212–13, 215, 241–42
on seeing everyone as God, 28, 91, 210
on self-discipline, need for, 23, 56, 67, 97, 102, 116, 130, 151, 161
on service, 109
on singing, 153–54
on sloppiness, 63, 70, 198
on smallness, 61, 69, 96
on smoking, 67–68, 146
on spiritual struggle and suffering, 43, 50, 95, 99, 131, 143–44, 173, 189, 203–4, 232, 244, 248
on Sri Ramakrishna and SV, 250
serving, 38, 40, 124, 134, 188, 207
supportive power of, 15, 21, 27, 38, 51–52, 56, 65–66, 68, 95, 238–39
on strength, need for, 54, 132, 212
on superficial, “comfortable” religious practice, 202–3, 212–13, 248
on work, 174, 175, 233
on worldly life, 24, 34–35
unreality of, 106
warnings about, to MLB, 31–32, 69, 105, 111, 126, 135–36, 142
on world peace, 92
worship by, 57, 205, 206, 276
on writing, 14, 22–23, 34, 36, 39–40, 42, 47, 56, 64–65, 117, 222
Atman. See Supreme Self
Atmasthananda, Swami, 274
Aurobindo, Sri, 78
Balaramananda, Swami, 269, 270
Belur Math, 264
MLB at, 265–68
Sister Gargi at, B4, B6, 270, 274, 276
Benares, liberation in, 74–75
Berkeley Temple, x, A3, 138, 193, 214, 241
celebration of Durga Puja at, 98, 141
celebration of Holy Mother’s birthday at, 205–6
See also Vedanta Society of Berkeley
Bhagavad Gita, 72, 103–4, 183, 223
bhakti, 150
bhakti yoga, 233
Bharata. See Ramayana
Bharat Maharaj. See Abhayananda, Swami
Bhuteshananda, Swami, 274
Blaney, Dora, A8, 235
Blodgett, Janet, 164
Bodhananda, Swami, 229–30
Boorman, Jean, B1
Brahmaloka, 223
Brahman, 58
attaining, 223, 233
as eternal consciousness, 100
as God in everything, 11, 108–9, 143, 174
as the Impersonal God, 221
Personal God a path to, 11, 109, 221, 243
as the sole reality, 93, 108, 144, 244
Brahmananda, Swami (Maharaj), 154, 183, 184, 225–26
Breezy Meadows, 257
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 144
Brown, Ernest C., xix, 38
Brown, Shelley, xii
Buddha, 11, 65, 150
Budhananda, Swami
as editor of second book of New Discoveries, 262, 272
MLB’s collaboration with, 262, 268–71, 273
Bull, Ole, 159
Bull, Sara (Mrs. Ole Bull), 159, 160, 161, 256, 257
Bunch, Eve, xix, 28, B3
Burke, Jackson (MLB’s husband), 4–5, 83–84
depression of, 79–81
divorce from, 67–68
separation from, 16
Burke, Marie Louise, A5–A8, B2, B4, B8
assignments from SA, 7–8, 19, 115, 207, 255
attire of, in India, 265–66
calamities while driving swamis, 240–42
as chief editor of The Voice of India, 54–56
concern for Jackson Burke, 79, 81, 83–84
correspondence with
Mortimer Smith, 159–60, 199
Swami Budhananda, 262–64
Swami Gambhirananda, 146, 149
Swami Madhavananda, 180, 182, 203
depressed moods of, 103–5, 168, 187, 195, 207
desire of, to receive instruction, 3–5
editing of The Life of Swami Vivekananda (Western chapters) by, 263–64, 269–71
effect of worldly life on, 101, 103, 105, 110–11
feelings of self-doubt, 3, 115, 194–95
on greatness of SA, 49, 133–34, 204
hyperthyroidism of, 123–24, 127, 128–30
initiation of, 12
introduction to Vedanta of, x, 3
heartbreak of, without SA’s attention, 123, 124
journal of, 10, 14, 107, 141, 186, 192, 227, 243, 255, 259
at Lake Tahoe, A7, A8, 141, 164–71, 248, 250–55
meeting with Mortimer Smith, 160–62
move to New York, 5, 9
move to San Francisco, 16
need for Miltown, 121, 186–87
parents of, 28–30
plateau in spiritual progress, 47–48, 50, 101–2, 105, 111, 112–13, 228
praise from SA, 163, 258
prayers to Sri Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi, 83–84
research on SV in the West by, 5–6, 107, 119, 121, 126, 140
travels for, 255–57
shopping habits of, 17, 76, 86, 87, 198, 207–9
smoking habit of, 67–68, 170
on spiritual life, 15
spiritual struggle of, 101
torment over presenting New Discoveries to SA, 179–83
writing attempts of, 18–19, 33–34, 55–56, 141, 147
See also Gargi, Sister and Ranch, the
Burton, John, 133
Camp Percy, New Hampshire, 257
Camp Taylor, California, B7
ceremonial cleanliness, 12, 166, 240
Chaitanya, Sri, 238, 246–47
Chaudhuri, Dr. Haridas, 42, 78, 84, A2
Chenoweth, Marie, A6, A7
Chicago Manual of Style, 272
Chidrupananda, Swami. See Clifton, Alfred T.
Christianity, 99, 146
Christian Science, 176, 219
Clifton, Alfred T. (Swami Chidrupananda), xvii, 138, 139
compassion, infinite, after experience of unity, 151
compulsion, acting on, 93
convent, xvii, xix, xxi, B3, 262
Dacca, 274, 276
Dasaratha, King. See Ramayana
Davis, Kathleen, xvi, xx, 54, 64, 76, 175, 188, 199, 202, B3, 206, 209, 215, 220, 250, 252, 262, 265
in India with MLB, 265–70
work in preparing New Discoveries, xx, 257, 261, 264, 272
Day, Bobbie, xvii, 23–24, 78, 103, 149, 208, 257
Dhyanananda, Swami, 273
Divine Incarnation, 80, 212, 243
effect of, 78, 111, 189, 224, 232
Divine Mother, 38, 98, 234
Holy Mother as a form of, 221
Dumbo as example of mother love, 163
Durga Puja
at Berkeley Temple, 98, 141
at dedication of New Temple, 214, 240
Durgapur, B6, 275
Elements of Style, 118
energy, sexual and spiritual, of men and women, 88
Fahey, Mrs. (Peter), 189
Fillmore Street (San Francisco) apartment, 16–17, A2
Fledermaus (MLB’s dachshund), 156–57
Formless, the
the mind and soul’s need to seek, 143–44
Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swamiji as, 58, 65
form and Formless, 106, 108, 204
Fox, John, 256
Fox, Sarah, death of, 164
Gambhirananda, Swami, 121, 179, 180,
181, 261–62, 270
concerns of, about cost of publishing New Discoveries, 146, 147
correspondence with, regarding New Discoveries, 146, 149
Gandhi, Mahatma, SA’s views on economic policies of, 26, 59
Ganges water, as purifying, 132, 162, 166
Gargi, Sister, B4–B7
at Belur Math, B4, B7, 270, 274, 276
dancing at Durgapur, B6, 275
lectures by, B5, 267–68
receiving the Vivekananda Award, B5, 268
at Vedanta Convention in Ganges, Michigan, B5
visits to India by, 269–76
See also Burke, Marie Louise
Gita, the. See Bhagavad Gita
Gitananda, Swami, 274
God
awareness of, 42, 222
devotion to, as distinct from analysis of, 150
disciples’ need to surrender to, 189
each devotee has direct relationship with, 71
existence of, 243
love for, 245–46
meditation on, with form, 10
simple lifestyle conducive to attaining, 163
work for, 62, 71
as a privilege, 149
through serving all beings, 43, 109, 194, 210
Golden Gate Bridge, x, 138, 185
Golden Gate Park, drives through, 124, 128, 131, 135
Goodwin, J.J., 85, 160
Gosainagar, 275–76
Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, The, 35, 157, 220, 245
Greenacre (Maine), 257
Greenstidel, Christina, 268
Gupta, Mahendranath (M), 157, 220–21
Gurdjieff, G.I., 133
Gutterson, Henry H., 49