-30

{Title borrowed from the popular new TV series "Are you smarter than a fifth grader"}

We have completed 9 weeks of our sankalpa, and while on the one hand we have people completing the sankalpa, we have on the other - people joining us. We also have folks getting more comfortable with the sadhana and integrating it with their daily routine. Chocatane had this to share about his current experience with the sankalpa "I think this week I have finally worked out how to integrate it properly, particularly with my meditation.  Things are going well."

The latest entrant to this practice is 11 year old Arati, who inspired by watching her grandmother Vasantha walking around with her hand tally counter in hand, decided that she needed to hop on the bandwagon. She confided in me that while she may not be able to complete the entire 100K recitations (what with her city/state exams and all), she will keep doing "as much as possible". Thank you Arati for joining us and adding a 1000 recitations to the pot.

Beloved Kalachandra, who lives physically in Brazil, but has captured the hearts of all the Mandir "regulars" with her devotion to Ramakrishna and our Gurus had this to share about this sadhana.

"We live in difficult times, many times we are individualistic and we forget that in fact we all are one. Thus, it really is wonderful to have two saints guiding us in so important a sadhana, where we desire to share the benefits/fruits of our spiritual practice with all beings .
When we recite this mantra, we do not think that we are better than the other beings. But in we remember that in fact we all are One and we thank the chance to be here. I thank Maa and Swamiji and all you for this opportunity."

Thank you Querida Kalachandra!

Here are the numbers for those of us that preferred to chant the mantra at the fire (Week ending March 12th 2007)

And for those of us that chanted without the fire