Noor parachuted into France, and began sending messages from Paris.  Her network was

soon discovered by the Gestapo, in what has been termed the most devastating coup they

were to make in occupied France.  Noor refused the order to return, given in light of her

imminent capture, expressing the desire to rebuild the network, becoming the only radio

link between Paris and London.  She was ultimately betrayed, and spent 9 months impris-

oned in Germany.  She did manage to escape from prison, but was recaptured.

Noor Inayat Khan, (1914 - 1944), born into an aristocratic Indian family, was the

eldest child of Hazrat Inayat Khan and an American, Ora Baker, and, the great,

great-granddaughter of Tipu Sultan of Mysore.  By 1920, the family had  settled

outside Paris.  She studied at the Sorbonne, and the  Paris Conservatory, under

Nadia Boulanger.  In 1939, her book 'Twenty Jataka Tales',  inspired by the Jata-

ka tradition of the early lives, both human and animal, of the Buddha, was pub-

Thomas Ashley-Farrand translates the Gayatri Mantra (long form) as follows:

 

     In that realm of truth which is beyond human comprehension, in that place where all

     the celestials have received enlightenment, kindly enlighten our minds.  Light that

     has given birth to the luminous planes of consciousness, that informs these lokas and 

     appears through the spirtual lens of the sun, also illumine our intellect.

" I gave up my music because I had received from it all I had to receive.  To serve God one

  must sacrifice the dearest thing, and I sacrificed my music, the dearest thing to me.

 

  I had composed songs, I sang, and played the vina.  Practicing this music I arrived at a

  stage where I touched the  music of the spheres.  Then every soul became for me a mu-

  sical note, and all life became music.  Inspired by it I spoke to the people, and those who

Narayana Guru, wrote, in his 100 Verses of Self-Instruction, verse 1:

 

      The one who knows beyond knowledge/gnosis..., and gains control of his 5 senses,

      from within, when he looks without, will be able to understand the ultimate truth

     - neither the self exists, nor the other exists - all humanity is one.

 

The phrase 'knows beyond knowledge' is intriguing.  One of the most striking Buddhist doctrines concerns the 'going beyond'.

At every morning and midday meal, (dinner is traditionally not offered in Japanese Zen Buddhist monasteries), the Five Reflections are chanted:

          

      First, let us reflect on our own work and the effort of those who brought us this food.

      Second, let us be aware of the quality of our deeds as we receive this meal.

      Third, what is most essential is the quality of mindfullness, which helps us transcend

A word about Anandasagar.  One thing he has is a serious lineage pedigree in both India and Nepal, something that, because certain teachers have passed, could not be duplicated today.  Anyway, he is a Kundalini master, but also exposed me to the Shatkarma purifications - the ones we avoid at all costs, and other disciplines, that we also avoid.  His example has caused me to stick with most of them, but some of them - oh well.   Anyway his most difficult lesson was how to take your sadhana into the real world, a real work in progress. 

The Gayatri Mantra may be the oldest chant that has been  continually recited in the history of the world ('Pandit' David Frawley), with an antiquity of at least 5,000 years.  Roughly translated: "We meditate upon the radiant splendor of the Divine solar Creator, that he may direct our minds".  It is recited by both Buddhists and those in the Vedic tradition.  For all Vedic mantras, there are three primary factors, and, for the mantra to be fully effective, it is said that one should know and honor all three factors.

Transcribed from the CD 'Red Tara: The Concise Practice and Commentary'

 

 

Countless eons ago, in a time beyond the beginning of our time, a buddha appeared in a worldly realm called 'Various Lights'.   A princess in that realm, called Moon of Wisdom, (Tibetan - Yeshe Dawa), developed great faith in, and devotion towards, the buddha.  She payed homage in body, speech, and mind, making immeasurable offerings to him and his retinue.  When, by virtue of her vast accumulations of merit, and pristine awareness, the thought of supreme awareness and enlightenment awakened in her, the monks of the realm advised her to pray for rebirth in a male body, for they thought that such a body would be a superior vehicle for enlightenment.

The Buddha found the religious world of his day, the 6th c. B.C.,  to be one of pure dogma, book knowledge, and obscure rules.   The Indian religious environment was ossified, ritualised, caste-based, sacrifice-ridden, and heavy on the worship of powerful gods.  Further, society believed its welfare derived more from the Brahmin's correct performance of rituals than on the gods themselves.  The Buddha came from eastern India, in a time of reactions against the ruling priestly class and slaughter of animals, in favor of more ascetic ideals of insight into oneself.