"The mind fixed in the awareness of the ONE is like a rock; unaffected by doubt, stable, secure."
- Sathya Sai Baba
THE ASHRAM
The Origin
Greenland is not really a name you would expect for an Ashram.
It all comes back to Kodaikanal, a beautiful hillstation of South India where we settled to look forward to the fresh air and luxurious trees that made this place so famous for. When a project came around we asked our beloved master Sathya Sai Baba, to bless us with a name for the coming project, and thus he named it Greenland. Well, that wasn't really what we were looking for. As Sai devotees we were hoping for a kind of Sanskrit name which will enhance the holy aura of the project. Despite it, Greenland in Kodaikanal sounded right in place.
Nothing really worked in Kodaikanal as we thought. And finally few years later we arrived in Tiruvanamalai, where we fell in love with our land. There was some green, but as time passed we realized that it was mostly made of rock and sandy soil. Some thought certainly that we were fools to take such a difficult land.
Behind the inspiration we received from our Beloved Sathya Sai Baba, the answer came a few years later after receiving the disappointing non-Sanskrit name. A friend devotee became excited upon hearing the name. She asked, "Who chose the name Greenland?". "Swamy", to which we replied. She then responded, "It Is amazing! What a Leela(the Lord Play). He chose your name perfectly." She told us that Greenland was a name she heard regularly in conferences and seminars to name the idea of the new earth, the new birth of the earth.
Greenland, the Idea where human beings would rediscover their inner nature and realise that all is the inner-self expression in different forms. Then Greenland Ashram can be the promise of a transformation. From Sandy to Greenery. From Ignorance to Knowledge.
As mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Om Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya
Mrtyor-Maa Amrtam Gamaya
Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih
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Om, Lead us from Unreality (of Transitory Existence) to the Reality (of Self),
Lead us from the Darkness (of Ignorance) to the Light (of Spiritual Knowledge),
Lead us from the Fear of Death to the Knowledge of Immortality.
Om Peace, Peace, Peace.
Greenland Ashram may be also a story of transformation, from a land to our heart and soul.
And maybe all the mystery of a name is given years back by a Master who knows it all.
Here is a diaporama, remembering the work done and the dedication of all the workers to create Greenland Ashram
Purpose of an Ashram
This is where it is given the chance to be aware of oneself...
An Ashram is a spiritual Hermitage where the knowledge is passed by a Guru to his disciple, far from the disruption of the mundane and social life, concentrate on the teachings received, ever aware of the omnipresence of God.
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This is where it is given the chance to be aware of oneself, of the inherent divinity that lie within us, and where the teachings receive uplift the mind towards higher goal that define real humanity.
An Ashram is not only a place put apart, a special place far from everything, no in the contrary, an Ashram in the heart of life, is the place which remind ourselves of the fundamental values of life, and give us the spiritual awakening to carry it in and out for the welfare of all. And for that, the discipline is of foremost importance to keep our mind under check, and guide it towards the divine.
The Greenland Experience
All arrangements are made to help the seekers in their spiritual endeavor and practices.
Greenland is open to individuals and groups only for their spiritual retreat, or intensive sadhana, without distinction of caste, creed, color or religion.
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For those who believe in the oneness of God, in unity in diversity, inspired by the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba, Ramana Maharshi and all divine masters.
Accommodations are made of natural red mud, and stone, which provide the rooms a very relaxing atmosphere even during hot days.