A peaceful place to think and learn

We sometimes get lost in the noise of our busy lives and forget how soothing silence and bare feet can be.

A handful of Hindu monks living in a colourful sanctuary on the Sivananga Nagar hill, La Mercy, know the importance of silence. Their home is the Sivananda International Cultural Centre, which is part of the Divine Life Society of South Africa.

Senior official of the society, Professor Poobalan Pillay, explained why this enormous structure exists, what its purpose is and who Sivananda was.

“The centre is like a regional spiritual campus, which is open to anyone who wants to meditate and learn about Sri Swami Sivananda’s teachings,” said Pillay.

Pillay explained that Sri Swami Sivananda was born in India, became a doctor and lived a luxurious life in Malaysia.

“He then realised that true, lasting happiness cannot be had merely by acquiring wealth and so he abandoned that life and went back to India to pray, study and meditate,” he said.

Pillay said his writings are easy to understand and they focus on ethics, spirituality and healthy living. His writings inspired KZN’s Sri Swami Sahajananda (1925 – 2007), fondly known as Pujya Swamiji, who dedicated his life to these teachings.

“When Pujya Swamiji finally met Sri Swami Sivananda, he expected to learn great lessons, instead he was told to ‘learn to type and make tea’,” he said.

Pillay said the typing referred to publishing and printing of the teachings and the tea symbolised providing a service to the people. So, he got to work and built up about 20 branches of the Divine Life Society of SA where he was the spiritual head of the society for 58 years.

“We have three printing presses and we run them two to three times a month at this centre,” he said.

According to Pillay, the Divine Life Society has become one of the foremost publishers of Hindu spiritual literature in the world.

“The society has worked on over 500 community projects across KZN, including schools, skills training centres, creches, old age homes, hydroponic gardening, housing projects and feeding schemes,” he said.

The centre also offers monthly yoga camps on Sundays, which is popular among all ages and encourages spiritual, healthy and active living. Pillay said the monthly prayer sessions see around 1 000 people from KZN flock to the centre in La Mercy.

Walking around the centre, it is clear that cleanliness and colour are important, as everything is kept in pristine condition and the buildings and gardens are like an artist’s paint box.

“A lot of greens and blues are used, which are seen as cosmic colours that soothe the mind,” said Pillay.

“We are very close to nature,” he said, which is reflected throughout the centre, as there are many pictures of animals and flowers in the prayer halls, education room and in their publications.

There is a sense of serenity among all the inhabitants of the centre, be it the lizard baking in the sun or the monk meditating in the shade.

So visit the centre, take off your shoes, experience a moment in a quiet and gentle place and take a life lesson home with you.