As we look from a mountaintop perspective at the grand institution manifested through the grace of my satguru, Sage Yogaswami, we see the first Hindu church on the planet. Founded with his blessings in 1949 in Sri Lanka, it is dedicated to promoting Saivism by building spiritual character through a world outreach mission from our Hawaii ashrama and international headquarters.

Gurudeva

Saiva Siddhanta Church is a progressive institution vowed to uphold its spiritual heritage, derived from the Saivite Hindu traditions of South India and northern Sri Lanka. It is under the spiritual direction of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami (photo, right), successor to the Church's founder, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (Gurudeva, photo, left, 1927-2001). We urge members and other devotees to "Know thy Self" through self-inquiry, meditation, traditional temple worship, scriptural study, guru bhakti and selfless service. We strive to bring members, devout shishyas of the guru lineage, into a pure, ethical life and guide them toward enlightenment and a direct consciousness of the Divine within, the necessary preparations for the Vedas' stated ultimate goal: moksha, freedom from rebirth, whence the soul, released from worldly desires, goes on in its evolution unencumbered by a physical body, a continuing unfoldment that finally leads to the complete and irrevocable merger of the soul in God, vishvagrasa. Jiva becomes Siva.

The name Saiva Siddhanta Church means "sacred congregation of Supreme God Siva's revealed Truth." These two Sanskrit words and one English word we consider to be our international trademark. Saiva Siddhanta Church, founded in 1949, was incorporated under the laws of the United States of America in the state of California on December 30, 1957, and received recognition of its US Internal Revenue tax exempt status as a church on February 12, 1962. Among America's oldest Hindu institutions, it established its international headquarters on Kauai, Hawaii, on February 5, 1970. From this Garden Island in the Pacific Ocean, northernmost of the Hawaiian chain that forms the world's most remote land mass, the Church broadly serves the billion-strong Hindu faith (fully one-sixth of the human family). The Church's ministry is dedicated to nurturing the membership and local missions in four continents and to serving, primarily through publications, the community of Hindus throughout the world.

While the Greek-based word church is most commonly understood as a place of worship, the full meaning encompasses the religious congregation and organization on many levels of activity. Church takes on special importance in legal and governmental discussions, where matters of church and state are frequently focused on. In more and more nations, in federal and state governments, religion is defined as church, and the separation of church and state is respected and constitutionally enforced. Such protections, grounded in the concept of church, are crucial to the rights of all religious groups. These include protection from government and from other religions which may seek to dominate faiths with less political power.

At the Church's core is the satguru's ecclesiastical authority and that of the Saiva Swami Sangam, an order of sannyasins who serve full time at Kauai Aadheenam, our international headquarters, ashrama and theological seminary. This is the site of the Kailasa Pitham, the seat of spiritual authority for this ancient guru lineage, formerly located in northern Sri Lanka. Here we protect the purity of the faith and decide matters of education, publication, innovation, theology and Church law.

Over the last half-century, our Church has created a swami order and a theological seminary to train young men from many nations and mold them into religious leaders. We have nurtured an extended family membership that upholds and sets new standards of personal dedication, inner effort, home culture and public protocol in these contemporary times when the diaspora of Hindus has brought them to nearly all countries of the world.

 

International Family Congregation

The membership of Saiva Siddhanta Church extends to many countries of the world, including the USA, Canada, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka and several European nations. Hundreds of thousands of individuals participate in our teachings through lessons, literature, study courses, travel-study programs and youth retreats. Several thousand actively pursue the spiritual path under our guidance. At the core of this group is the formal, tithing membership of the Church and its Himalayan Academy, several hundred fully dedicated individuals, giving ten percent of their income as "God's money" each month to advance the Church's work. These men, women and children are family persons or single individuals living in their own private residences in the world and pursuing their chosen professions and family goals.

The Church's Ten Broad Objectives

Our mission is to protect, preserve and promote the Saivite Hindu religion as embodied in the Tamil culture, traditions and scriptures of South India and Sri Lanka. Thus, the Church is unequivocally oriented to serving those of Tamil descent, especially those from Sri Lanka. Yet, its membership is open to--and we wholeheartedly serve--seekers of all ethnic backgrounds who wish to follow this most ancient and venerable religious and cultural pattern. The overall purpose of Saiva Siddhanta Church can be summarized in the following ten objectives.

  1. To protect, preserve and promote Saivite Hinduism, especially the enlightened monistic Saiva Siddhanta philosophy, called Advaita Ishvaravada, of the Nandinatha Sampradaya's Kailasa Parampara.
  2. To live and share with others the spiritual teachings of our lineage as capsulized in Dancing with Siva, Hinduism's Contemporary Catechism, to share with mankind the path which leads souls through service, worship, sadhana and yoga toward God Realization.
  3. To nurture among members a rich, rewarding and spiritually fulfilling extended family life based on the traditions and culture of Saivite Hinduism, strengthening family love, inspiring security within the home and encouraging regular religious study and daily sadhana, which is spiritual effort.
  4. To foster Saivite monasticism among those who qualify, training and caring for those who have dedicated their lives in selfless service to others and to God, Gods and guru, encouraging all monastics to follow and exemplify the strict ideals and disciplines found in their vows.
  5. To support and strengthen Saivism by maintaining Kauai Aadheenam, also known as Kauai's Hindu Monastery, with its San Marga Iraivan Temple and Kadavul Koyil, as a citadel of pure, orthodox Saivism, and by developing a worldwide membership with strong family missions.
  6. To assemble and translate into modern English and other languages the sacred scriptures of Saivism and to produce and publish as needed religious books, texts, audio and video recordings, websites, magazines and literature.
  7. To raise the general awareness and commitment of all Hindus toward their religion, educating them in the depth and beauty of the planet's oldest faith, through the World Outreach Mission by distributing Hinduism Today magazine and other religious literature, promoting the sharing of knowledge and resources among Hindus of all sects.
  8. To generate international interest and support, through the Hindu Heritage Endowment, for Hinduism's diverse institutions, such as temples, societies, schools and the Church's own missions, so that these institutions and the religion they protect will continue to flourish.
  9. To develop services and leadership among local communities by fostering family ministry, Saivite monasticism and the Saivite priesthoods.
  10. To foster international alliances with organizations of all sects of Hinduism based on the doctrine of Hindu solidarity, with the objective of providing a firm foundation for the Sanatana Dharma to persist in the future with the same potency which has made it the world's spiritual leader and guide for thousands of years.

Local Family Societies or Missions

Family members gather in homes in sacred fellowship to participate in the fulfillment of the ten Church objectives. Each of these family groups is known as a Church mission. They foster satsanga, prayer and hymn singing, reading of scripture, selfless service and the distribution of religious literature. Within these missions, families work together to generate activities for youth, men, women and children year after year. They seek in every way to make their spiritual life a vital force in the community at large by setting new standards in traditional dress, music, philosophy and protocol. Inwardly they seek to propel each and every one onward along the path toward God as they perform sadhana, dance with Siva, live with Siva and merge with Siva. The focus of their seva is the fulfillment of the goals established by the spiritual head of Kauai's Hindu Monastery, formally known as the Guru Mahasannidhanam of Kauai Aadheenam.

Satellite Monasteries: Dharmashalas

Dharmashalas are branch monasteries of Kauai's Hindu Monastery. The land and buildings of all dharmashalas are owned, leased or rented solely by the parent Church. Wherever this is not possible, a dharmashala cannot be established. Each monastery branch is patterned after Kauai's Hindu Monastery, maintaining the same schedule and following the same protocols. All activities at monastery branches are coordinated by Kauai's Hindu Monastery through close, frequent communication with the dharmashala's senior group of elders. Local family missions are guided not by our branch monasteries, but by Kauai's Hindu Monastery directly. Our monastic centers extend out from Kauai's Hindu Monastery as one spiritual network. Within each monastery, our monks perform sadhana and puja and promote Saiva Siddhanta through seminars for members and students. The primary forums for teaching are periodic youth retreats organized with the assistance of nearby fellowship missions. Family members gather regularly at specified areas of branch monasteries for worship, satsanga and karma yoga.

Taking Religious Vows, called Vratas

An important step on the sadhana marga is the making of a promise to observe certain practices in a strict manner. This step involves taking certain vows, religious oaths, or vratas. A student preparing to become a member of Saiva Siddhanta Church takes four vratas to govern important areas of his or her life: ahimsa (noninjury), shakahara (vegetarian diet), Kailasa Parampara (allegiance to our spiritual lineage) and dashama bhaga vrata (tithing). These four vows, taken before God, Gods, guru, family and devotees, are designed to move the soul forward on the sadhana marga through the traditional stages of charya, kriya, yoga and jnana. Upholding these four vows, chaturvrata, builds discipline and character.

The nonviolence vow builds character through harnessing the instinctive tendency to harm others and replacing it with the soul quality of helping others. The vegetarian vow builds character through the control of appetite, which is the control of the instinctive mind. The lineage vow builds character through control of mental and philosophical ramification, which is control of the intellect. The tithing vow builds character through the control of money, which is the control of desire. All of this mastery of the forces of mind, body and emotion gives strength to face the future and perhaps, though there are no guarantees, to attain God Realization in this life.

Upon becoming a formal member of Saiva Siddhanta Church, the devotee takes two additional vows, which are the Saiva Shraddhadharana Vrata (the vow to uphold and preach the Saivite Creed) and the Nandinatha Sutra Vrata (the vow to uphold the 365 Nandinatha Sutras).

Diksha, Spiritual Initiation

Karma, the flow of life, is regulated and brought under control through diksha, initiation, the placing of a special, life-changing, religious impression deep into the mind of the shishya. Dikshas catalyze and empower spiritual unfoldment, granting access to new areas of inner consciousness by enliving the kundalini power in the initiate. After diksha, additional study begins. Diksha provides the spark to clear barriers. It is the satguru's blessing and inner sanction for further sadhana. Giving diksha may be likened to planting a seed. Fruition, growth and ripening come with time and naturally depend on the shishya's sincerity and personal effort to perform the sadhana given with the diksha, or to fulfill any assigned prayashchitta, penance, to compensate if the sadhana is not performed. In Saivism, diksha is the defining spiritual moment, the sought-after blessing and the inner awakening to life's most profound pursuits. The Church regards traditional dikshas as its central empowerments and ultimate teachings, and thus gives them rarely and only after the candidate has fully proven worthy.

The First Initiation

Mantra diksha, also called samaya diksha, is the fundamental Saivite initiation, for through it the devotee is formally connected to a particular lineage by virtue of the preceptor's spiritual power and authority. Sishyas are instructed in how to transform themselves by themselves through daily puja, temple worship, attending festivals, tithing, vegetarianism, pilgrimage, scriptural reading, Ganga Sadhana and more. Samaya diksha enters the shishya into the Nandinatha Sampradaya as a dikshashishya. Samaya diksha is also the blessing and empowering to enter the kriya pada and perform certain daily sadhanas, including chanting the Panchakshara Mantra, Aum Namah Sivaya, at least 108 times on a mala of rudraksha japa beads. This mantra quiets the mind, harmonizes the nerve system, bringing forth knowledge from within, reminding the shishya of his purpose in life and relationship with Lord Siva.

The Second Initiation

Vishesha diksha, "distinguishing initiation," marks the shishya's formal entrance into the Sri Subramuniya Rishi Gotra, our lineage's select assembly of followers, affectionately known as chelas. After this initiation, the devotee is obligated to personally, daily perform the Saiva Atmartha Puja, which, though perhaps performed before, now has new power. This worship is performed during the early morning, followed by scriptural study and 108 repetitions of the Panchakshara Mantra. The puja obligation of vishesha diksha is not fulfilled by attending the puja performed by the head of the house in the shrine room. Each member who has received this initiation performs the puja privately (the long, medium or short version) and attends the family puja as well. Vishesha diksha is also the empowering to perform yoga, to worship internally and undertake serious austerities. This diksha opens access into inner realms heretofore not accessible.

Saivite Creed

A creed is an authoritative formulation of the beliefs of a religion, of religious communities and, by extension, of individuals. Historically, creeds have developed when a religion is transmitted from one culture to another. Below is a Creed for Saivite Hindus. It constitutes the theological bedrock of our Saiva Siddhanta Church. Creeds serve to maintain continuity and purity of the original, verbally expressed doctrines and give strength and guidelines to individuals seeking to understand life and religion.

  1. On God's Unmanifest Reality
    Siva's followers all believe that Lord Siva is God, whose Absolute Being, Parasiva, transcends time, form and space. The yogi silently exclaims, "It is not this. It is not that." Yea, such an inscrutable God is God Siva. Aum.
  2. On God's Manifest Nature of All-Pervading Love
    Siva's followers all believe that Lord Siva is God, whose immanent nature of love, Parashakti, is the substratum, primal substance or pure consciousness flowing through all form as energy, existence, knowledge and bliss. Aum.
  3. On God as Personal Lord and Creator of All
    Siva's followers all believe that Lord Siva is God, whose immanent nature is the Primal Soul, Supreme Mahadeva, Parameshvara, author of Vedas and Agamas, the creator, preserver and destroyer of all that exists. Aum.
  4. On the Elephant-Faced Deity
    Siva's followers all believe in the Mahadeva Lord Ganesha, son of Siva-Sakti, to whom they must first supplicate before beginning any worship or task. His rule is compassionate. His law is just. Justice is His mind. Aum.
  5. On the Deity Karttikeya
    Siva's followers all believe in the Mahadeva Karttikeya, son of Siva-Sakti, whose vel of grace dissolves the bondages of ignorance. The yogi, locked in lotus, venerates Murugan. Thus restrained, his mind becomes calm. Aum.
  6. On the Soul's Creation and Identity with God
    Siva's followers all believe that each soul is created by Lord Siva and is identical to Him, and that this identity will be fully realized by all souls when the bondage of anava, karma and maya is removed by His Grace. Aum.
  7. On the Gross, Subtle and Causal Planes
    Siva's followers all believe in three worlds: the gross plane, where souls take on physical bodies; the subtle plane, where souls take on astral bodies; and the causal plane, where souls exist in their self-effulgent form. Aum.
  8. On Karma, Samsara and Liberation from Rebirth
    Siva's followers all believe in the law of karma--that one must reap the effects of all actions he has caused--and that each soul continues to reincarnate until all karmas are resolved and moksha, liberation, is attained. Aum.
  9. On the Four Margas, Stages of Inner Progress
    Siva's followers all believe that the performance of charya, virtuous living, kriya, temple worship, and yoga, leading to Parasiva through the grace of the living satguru, is absolutely necessary to bring forth jnana, wisdom. Aum.
  10. On the Goodness of All
    Siva's followers all believe there is no intrinsic evil. Evil has no source, unless the source of evil's seeming be ignorance itself. They are truly compassionate, knowing that ultimately there is no good or bad. All is Siva's will. Aum.
  11. On the Esoteric Purpose of Temple Worship
    Siva's followers all believe that religion is the harmonious working together of the three worlds and that this harmony can be created through temple worship, wherein the beings of all three worlds can communicate. Aum.
  12. On the Five Letters
    Siva's followers all believe in the Panchakshara Mantra, the five sacred syllables "Namah Sivaya," as Saivism's foremost and essential mantra. The secret of Namah Sivaya is to hear it from the right lips at the right time. Aum.

Affirmation of Faith

Creeds are often distilled into a single, simple statement, called an affirmation of faith, which summarizes the beliefs and doctrines of a religion. Ours gives the essence of the enlightened monistic Saiva Siddhanta philosophy. It is what you have when you take the milk from the sacred cow of religion, separate out the cream, churn that cream into butter and boil that butter into a precious few drops of ghee.

Siva's followers hold as their affirmation of faith Anbe Sivamayam Satyame Parasivam, in Tamil, or in Sanskrit, Premaiva Sivamaya Satyameva Parasiva--"God Siva is Immanent Love and Transcendent Reality." This is a perfect summary of Saiva Siddhanta's exquisite truth.

For a thorough understanding of our organization, you may read the PDF of Saiva Dharma Shastras, The Book of Discipline of Saiva Siddhanta Church.