Journey to Enlightenment Part 02

Author(s): Chitrabhanu, Nirmala Hanke
Publisher: Create Space

Page 11

A Tribute to Gurudev Shree Chitrabhanu
Summer 2006
By Chetana (Catherine Florida) 26 July 1996
Dearest Gurudevji, Pramodaben and All Special Guests,
I feel so honored and blessed to be part of this celebration and tribute to Gurudevji for his 74th birthday as well as his 25th year in the United States. We are all here tonight not only to celebrate Gurudev's birthday and 25 years in America, but also we are here for another reason, regardless of who we are, where we have been or where we are going. The reason we are here is that we love Gurudev.
Each one of us has, in many different ways, experienced Gurudev's love and guidance and through his love and guidance we have become more than we ever thought we could be. For me personally, Gurudev has been my Spiritual Father, mentor and friend. He has loved me when I felt I couldn't love myself, when I was angry with myself, when I felt I didn't do the spiritually best I could do. He was and is always there, giving love and light to help me through some of the “dark” time of my life's journey.
Each of us here tonight, I believe, has felt his love and understanding, for he has the kind of love that does not start and stop with the "seasons" or "reasons” of mankind; his love goes on and on to touch all those open to receive it. He has a way of making everyone feel loved and special for who they are, just as they are. Sometimes we get lost in the darkness of our minds and temporarily we forget, we have spiritual amnesia about who we are and how special we are. When that happens, Gurudev astrally, mentally and physically sends us his unconditional love, which then gives us the light to see clearly again who we relly are.
Gurudev's messages of Jainism: “Reverence for All Life" and "Ahinsa:NonViolence" would probably not have been heard here if Gurudev had not come to America in 1971. For me those two messages alone have changed my whole thinking process about living life. When I first met Gurudev, Reverence for All Life and Ahinsa were new and fascinating concepts for me inasmuch as I had come from a meat-eating, prejudiced, drinking background. The more he talked, the more I listened and the more I realized that this was indeed what I needed to have in my life. This was what was missing from my life, this was the Spiritual Path I had been seeking
10 - Journey to Enlightenment - Volume Two