Level photos on Flickr

On April 4th Paramahamsa Vishwananda arrived in Tokyo, for the start of the 2024 Japan tour. On the day of arrival, Guruji gave Atma Kriya Yoga Level 2 initiations for about 120 kriya yogis followed by a public satsang. The following day, Guruji gave His first darshan in Tokyo to 1,000 people.

The next city on His tour was a bullet-train ride to Nagano, where Guruji enjoyed an evening stroll to a nearby Japanese temple. The following days, Guruji gave a darshan and installed the murti of 'Trilokya Rakshaka Sita Rama' which means ‘Sita Rama: the protector of the three worlds’. As soon as the temple inauguration finished, we rushed to the airport to catch our train back to Tokyo, awaiting our flight to Nagasaki the next morning.

Welcomed at the home of Swamini Dayamati, Guruji installed the beautiful deity of Durniriksyaya Narasimha which means ‘the One who is difficult to look at’. The temple inauguration was very sweet and was attended by many local devotees.

The next day, Guruji visited the site of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in August, 1945, where one can see the huge impact and damage it had. While we were praying and chanting the name of Vitthala at the centre of the bombing, Guruji commented on how sad it was to see what humans could do to one another! The day continued with a visit to the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum which commemorates martyrs from different countries that were executed for preaching christianity in Japan. The day ended with our flight to the last destination of this year’s Japan Tour: Osaka.

Arriving in Osaka, Paramahamsa Vishwananda inaugurated the new ashram property and the stunning residing deities of Rukmini-Panduranga. Guruji gave darshan in Osaka to 500 people the following day.

At the end of the Japan tour, we were all impressed with the overwhelming dedication and enthusiasm of the Japanese devotees. It was clear to see that, because of their efforts and Gurudev’s grace, the number of devotees will continue to grow there.

Without stopping for breath, on went the journey to Hong Kong, where Guruji initiated around 100 Chinese devotees into Atma Kriya Yoga Level 2. The following day, Guruji gave a darshan held on a boat! (Guruji truly enjoyed that darshan on the open sea.)

By the end of this non-stop 14-day journey through Japan and Hong Kong, Guruji had installed three temples and given darshan to thousands of spiritual seekers. Throughout it all, it was clear to see that although cultures may be very different, and appearances and behaviours may be very different, one thing stood out like nothing else: it was incredible to witness the love that the devotees share for Guruji and the Divine.

paramahamsavishwananda.com

bhaktimarga.org

Helge Wemann by NordForsk

Helge Wemann, Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Thechnology NTNU. The Top-level Research Initiative's Annual Conference 2012, Helsinki 29-30 October. Photo: NordForsk/Terje Heiestad.

10photo30 by Michael Miller

COMPOSITION: Camera positioned at portrait subject's eye level.

Photographer: Sherry Elliott

Outside 2nd Level by Tim

Picture 046 by colinizer

High Level Bridge by cbfregional

Lethbridge (Alberta, Canada) High Level Bridge

Summer, 2009 - looking west.

Photo by Carolla Christie

BG level 2 by Matias Sariego

Spennix (level 11) by ceoln

Here's the lil gnome rogue Spennix standing on the road in (um) Kharanos (I think) when she was like Level 11. (Note that yes she does in fact look sorta like my usual girl AV in Second Life, modulo being a gnome an' all...)

level? by Alex Flanagan