Written by Hanuman Dass
Four years ago Ram Dass gaveme a very simple mantra to chant. He said, ‘chant the holy name of Ram, he said where ever you go ‘Ramize’ the world! Spread the awareness of Love within yourself and everywhere you go. Remember you are loving awareness.’ He said, ‘keep a murti (A spiritually sanctified statue) of Hanuman as the centre of your home and create a seat for Maharaji, (Neem Karoli Baba) within your heart. Recite the Hanuman Chalisa every day and remember ‘Love Everybody, Serve Everybody, and Remember God’’.
For me through these instructions Ram Dass were of the highest spiritual importance and a loving welcome into Maharaji’s family. This was my doorway to the divine. He said, ‘I will call you Hanuman Dass’, which means the servant of Lord Hanuman who is the perfect devotee of God. I have since tried to follow all of Ram Dass’s words to the best of my ability, I never really mentioned the naming to many people, using another name always felt like a very weird thing to do, hence I have never used it. Hemal has a big ego! Hanuman Dass is the servant of God’s perfect servant. Indeed both of these extremes live within me but the time was right.
To be Hanuman’s devotee is to operate on another plane of consciousness, the place where love exists. It is my goal is to cultivate the field of my life from this plane as much as possible; of course Hemal is still here and will always have difficulties, stressful situations, and anxieties in life, but the goal is firm, to be love. I will try my best to live, act, and write from this plane. Names, chanting, devotion, yoga, all of these practises help us to awaken to who we really are.
So,as we have made some changes to the website recently, my wife and I have booked our trip to family visit Ram Dass in January, I felt it was the right time to try and live up to being who I want to be. From now on, for better or worse, it’s Hanuman Dass,
Jai Shri Ram
