PNW Tour with Swami Dayamritananda Puri, June 16-25, 2023
The Pacific Northwest was very blessed to have Swami Dayamritananda Puri host uplifting satsangs in Port Townsend (WA), Victoria (BC), Vancouver (BC), and Portland (OR) between June 16-June 25. Swami’s tour created a wonderful opportunity to connect with our friends from other satsangs, whom we have not been able to gather with since before the pandemic.
An entourage of 15 enthusiastic devotees joyfully joined Swamiji for the first three stops. From Seattle, the group traveled via ferry and highway to the first stop in Port Townsend. Satsang was held at the lovely Unity Church. Swamiji gave a satsang talk then had a thought provoking Q&A sessions, noting that spiritual practices and meditation can only be accumulated and never become wasted. It is also important to remember that a smile can go a long way in helping others be happy or hopeful. Afterwards the local satsang provided a delicious meal to all attendees and kindly hosted the touring group for the night.
Early next Saturday morning, the traveling group boarded the ferry from Port Angeles heading to Victoria located on Vancouver Island. The local Victoria satsang warmly welcomed Swamiji and the entourage back to W̱MÍYEŦEN Nature Sanctuary (formerly Mary Lake). Swamiji conducted an uplifting satsang session with bhajan music positively vibrating through the sanctuary. The birds were happily flying and circling the lake and the group.
After the sumptuous vegetarian meal in Victoria, the traveling group once again boarded the ferry back to mainland. The next day, Swamiji conducted satsang at the Crossreach venue in downtown Vancouver. Once again, the audience was inspired by the satsang talk and uplifted by the exhilarating devotional bhajans. We were all transported to the divine plane. At the conclusion of satsang, everyone had their fill of a tasty dinner.
The Portland satsang organized a wonderful event at the very large Balaji Temple that usually attracts a lot of people. Swamiji visited Portland after several years and one could clearly see how much the locals looked forward to this event. Prior to start of the program, the temple priest took Swamiji to the area where they had the main deities. The Oregonians welcomed Swamiji to the program hall with Poorna Kumbham and chants that one usually gets to see and hear when Amma enters a program venue. There was a good turn out for the program, including 5 devotee cars driving down from Seattle. Swamiji gave a very inspirational Satsang talk on meditation, following it up with mesmerizing bhajans that left us wanting for more. After Arati, Swamiji distributed prasad and everyone enjoyed a simple vegetarian prasad meal. Before Swamiji left, he spent ample time with all the devotees gathered. It was indeed a blessed evening.
The PNW satsang groups are very grateful for Swamiji’s visit that helped filled our hearts with our beloved Amma’s sweet divine love.
