A Union of Sun and Moon

Our annual forty days of ishnaan seva at the Golden Temple is a blessing for our students (Happening now! Follow on instagram @mpaspirit). Each morning as we walk down the stairs of the Golden Temple complex, we’re blessed with the vision of the golden Harmandir Sahib before we bow our heads on the cool, white marble. It is through your generosity and support for Miri Piri Academy that we are able to have this beautiful blessing, and to learn and experience first hand many of the little known history, traditions, people and places that truly deepen this experience. As we start our annual end of year fundraising campaign to raise $10,000 for our annual fund, we hope you will enjoy sharing in some of these little known facts about Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple, so that the next time you visit your own experience will be enriched.

A Union of Sun and Moon

The Harmandir Sahib itself, perched in the middle of the healing sarovar, is built of marble and gold. Maharaja Ranjit Singh rebuilt the temple in marble and copper in 1809 and overlaid the sanctum with gold foil in 1830. As the Siri Singh Sahib Ji explained, the temple is a balance of sun and moon. The gold represents the sun, while the marble represents the moon. It’s a union of Sun and Moon; Ha and Tha; Ra and Ma. It’s a yoga. (September 14, 1971)
The inclusion of cooling marble is important. “Marble gives you mental cool. It gives you mental cool like a moon, full moon. That’s why Golden Temple is in marble, not that they could not build it of gold, they could” (Yogi Bhajan, December 31, 1985). “Remember what moon is, moon is that which reflects the sun to expansion energy…sun by itself has no expansion energy. If we would not have moon on this earth around, our everything from the very day of seed will remain as a seed, period… Sun by itself is the mightiest energy by which we all live, okay, agreed, but without the moon, nothing. By sun we will be spermatozoas, with perfect brain, talking capacity, sixty eight years and die as spermatozoa or an egg, whatever the case you want to be. There will be no expansion, nothing will hatch, nothing will grow” (July 9, 1985).

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Help Miri Piri Academy reach our $10,000 goal

The Miri Piri Academy Annual Fund supports not only our operations, academic program and facilities, it also supports our Financial Aid program, which makes it possible for more than 66% of our students to attend the school. Your gift to Miri Piri Academy is a gift to the future generations, who will bring their knowledge and their spirit home to share with their communities all over the world. Help us change the world, one student at a time. Please help us reach our $10,000 goal before the end of 2018.

Slip & Slide Fun!

On a hot day several times a year, the kids get to enjoy some slip and slide fun! This isn’t the skinny, yellow, single-file Slip’N Slide that I remember as a kid, but a huge plastic sheet on the perfect rolling hill. Groups of kids go down a few at a time, sometimes lathering on soap to go faster! It’s a ton of fun and a wonderful way to spend a hot, Sunday afternoon.

Hiking above the Clouds

The grade 8s were the first class to head out on their class trip – a five day hike in the Himalayas. It’s a grueling trip that tests their perseverance and builds bonds through shared group experience. This trip is always challenging, but this year there was the added element of water. As soon as we arrived in Dharamshala it started raining, and it didn’t stop for three days! The preparation day in Dharamshala allowed us to test our rain gear and stock up on ponchos. On the first day of the hike we walked through the rain while on the second day we had to rest indoors and wait for the rain to stop before hiking further. Though the rain may not have been included in our plan, it was ultimately perfect. Hiking in the rain definitely tested their chardi kala spirit, and then students made the most of their next rainy day singing songs and playing games.

When it stopped raining we were able to carry on with our plan and hike to Kareri Lake, and from there further up the mountain until we reached snow! We then safely descended the mountain on foot and drove back to Dharamshala, enjoying a great meal together and a little shopping before heading back to Amritsar.

Upon returning from the trip, I read the following passage written by Guru Arjan (SGGS, page 809) that seemed very fitting!

Such is devotional worship of the Lord of the Universe, that the ant can overpower the elephant.
Whoever the Lord makes His own, is blessed with the gift of fearlessness. ||2||
The lion becomes a cat, and the mountain looks like a blade of grass.
Those who worked for half a shell, will be judged very wealthy. ||3||

Arriving in Dharamshala

Getting acclimatized in Dharamshala. Eating great food, playing games, visiting the Dalai Lama’s temple and museum, buying ponchos and testing out our gear. We also celebrated Choi’s birthday!

Hike Day 1

We began our hike 30 minutes outside of Dharamshala. We got out of our cars and straight into the rain. We hiked about six hours to our first destination, a small village with a cement house where we’d be staying overnight. The rain was challenging but the students didn’t have to carry their backpacks. In an effort to keep their things dry we sent their items in cars. We were all soaking wet. Even the plastic bags on our shoes couldn’t keep our feet dry!

DAY 2: Rainy Day

On our second day, we stayed in our cement cabin trying to stay warm and waiting for the rain to pass. The students managed to pass an entire day singing songs and playing games. Throughout the trip we enjoyed great food prepared for us by our guides.

Hike Day 3

We woke up to a beautiful morning and a full day of hiking. Leaving around 10am we arrived at our destination just as the sun was going down. The challenge on this day was just how long of a hike it is and that it’s a steady uphill climb. The students did great and we enjoyed the beautiful and varied scenery.

Hike Day 4

The fourth day was possibly the most challenging. At this point the air was getting thin and the altitude was affecting us. We’d taken homeopathic medication throughout the trip to help us adjust, but we kept going higher and higher until we reached snow which everyone enjoyed eating. The views were beautiful at this point, and some of the areas were quite steep, requiring us to focus and move slowly. When we returned back to our campsite, we soaked our feet in the fresh water and talked about our experiences, relating what challenges we’d faced and our favourite moments.

Hike Day 5

The final day of the hike was a welcome relief. We retraced our steps on Day 3, this time going down the mountain. It was much easier, although at this point we were all quite sore. When we arrived back at our cabin we enjoyed a wonderful lunch before driving the rest of the way. Back in Dharamshala we had our first shower in days before enjoying a nice meal together. In the morning we packed up, had breakfast and enjoyed a little bit of shopping before heading back to MPA and joining the rest of the school for evening meditation. It was a great trip that I’m sure we’ll all remember for years to come.