Diwali

Diwali, the Festival of Light, is celebrated throughout India by people of many religions. Lights can be seen everywhere: strings of lights decorating balconies and windows, candles placed in doorways and windows and on the altars of homes; fireworks bursting like stars in the night sky. It’s not only in India that Diwali is celebrated. In New York City Diwali has recently become an official public holiday, given that there are over 200,000 people of Indian origin living there. Diwali is celebrated in the White House and the light of Diwali is, indeed, spreading around the world.

These outward displays of light remind us to return to the light that is within us in the spiritual eye, as experienced in meditation. The festival of Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. In a Diwali talk that Swami Kriyananda gave in India in 2004, he urged everyone to fully open themselves to God’s light. That, however, is not enough. He went on to say that we should also strive to see the light of God in everyone we meet, and that we must actively spread God’s love to a world that desperately needs it.

Come celebrate Diwali with us at Ananda Thousand Oaks as we listen to the story of Ram & Sita, invoke the presence of Lord Ram within all of us through chanting and meditation, and head into the holiday season with our inner light firmly seated within us.

All are invited to wear festive clothes and bring your favorite dish to share for a community potluck following the celebration.

Suggested Donation: $10

Date & Time: Saturday, Oct. 19, 6:00pm-7:30pm

Location: Ananda Thousand Oaks, 1321 Thousand Oaks Blvd. #124

Ananda is a worldwide, nondenominational, nonprofit center for meditation, spiritual growth, and community, based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. All are welcomed.