The Beauty of the LOTUS and wisdom of Sri Gurudev

As you may know, I visited the LOTUS in Yogaville (Buckingham County, VA) earlier this week. Although I've been to the Light Of Truth Universal Shrine before, I wanted to share it with my husband and to renew myself spiritually, as it's the most loving place I've ever been.

This particular visit has inspired me to learn more about Sri Gurudev, who founded Yogaville, and the Yoga principles he espoused. I'm very pleased to learn that although he practiced Hindu, his method of Integral Yoga is not tied to any particular religion but embraces religious diversity. Integral Yoga practitioners are Christians, Buddists, and Jews among others, and interfaith services are a particularly cherished part of this tradition.

I wanted to share with you this article about the LOTUS written by Sri Gurudev (who passed on in 2002). He speaks of a vision for the world that I've been dreaming of for years. He says exactly what I've been thinking and wanting for myself and everyone. Maybe this is ultimately the spiritual tradition I will join (as I'm no longer motivated by traditional Christian worship, outside of the High Holy days.)

The idea behind LOTUS is not to have all faiths merge into one. If there is only one kind of flower in the garden, it's no longer a garden. Should the flowers fight about their colors, their scents, their shapes, and forms? Should they hate each other for their differences? We seem to appreciate the variety, texture, shapes, and scents of the flowers as they blend together to create a beautiful bouquet. God created all this variety for us to enjoy and for this beauty to enrich our lives. Our aim should be to understand the unity and enjoy the variety.