Who Is Yogaswami?
Yogaswami was perhaps the greatest saint from Sri Lanka in modern times. The essence of his teaching was "Siva Thondu and Siva Dhiyanam" which translates as service to God through serving humanity, and Meditation on God through self-inquiry and self-realization.
Through his life, Yogaswami transformed many people's lives around the world. In 2009, I had the privilege of meeting a Yogaswami devotee who was a former Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
By Rishi Thondunathan
In 2007, my dear friend and Yogaswami devotee, Dr. Indra Sivayoham in London, told me that a former Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka was now living in Toronto, Canada. She also mentioned that the High Commissioner had written a book in which he had dedicated a chapter to Yogaswami.
We made several attempts through Dr. Sivayoham’s brother, Dr. Sriskandarajah who lives in Canada, to locate the High Commissioner and arrange a meeting. Two years later, on June 30, 2009 our meeting with the former High Commissioner, Dr. James George took place. Dr. & Mrs. Sriskandarajah accompanied me on the visit to Dr. George. When we arrived at Dr.George’s home that evening I received a very warm welcome from Dr. George and his wife, Barbara. Mrs. George most graciously served tea and we began our conversation.
Dr. George was the Canadian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka from 1960 - 1964. One of Yogaswami’s devotees, Sandaswami, also known as Soulburyswami, was the son of the last British Governor of Sri Lanka, Lord Soulbury. Lord Soulbury’s other son, Peter, also a diplomat, was the person who introduced Dr. George to Yogaswami.
Dr. George says of his first meeting with Yogaswami; “I knocked quietly on the door to his modest thatched hut in Jaffna and a voice from within roared, ‘Is that the Canadian High Commissioner?’ I opened the door to find him seated crosslegged on the floor - an erect, commanding presence, clad in a white robe, with a generous topping of white hair and long white beard. Well Swami, I began, that is just what I do, not what I am. ‘Then come and sit with me’, he laughed uproariously. I felt bonded with him from that moment. He helped me to go deeper towards the discovery of who I am, and to identify less with the role I played.”
During Dr. George’s four-year stay in Sri Lanka, he visited Yogaswami a dozen times. On one occassion Dr. George began his conversation with Yogaswami... “Swami, I think...” ‘already wrong!’...Yogaswami thundered.” And my mind again went into the non-conceptual state he was such a master at invoking, clearing the way for being.”
I asked Dr. George if he would like to pay tribute to Yogaswami and the followoing was his response:
“I’m very glad to have my turn to pay tribute to Yogaswami. I think of him as one of the greatest spiritual pioneers of my lifetime, and in a broader sense, the catalyst for the gradual coming together of Eastern and Western spirituality. Because, what he was able to do was not only talk to me about the “Gospel According to St. John” and quote “in the beginning was the word” which is how the Gospel begins, and of course as a Christian, that was how I was brought up - but he was able to take me from that all the way to the question of “Who Are You? - you think you are the Canadian High Commissioner - nonsense - that’s not who you are - that’s what you do”! Then the vigor with which he would impress that so it wasn’t just a mental idea, it was an experience - an experience from his presence to my presence. Now, as we’re trying to remember and speak about him, he is here in that presence because that energy is birthless and deathless. That is the energy that the world needs if it is to chart a course away from the destruction it seems to be heading for currently. And, I think the change, the great “turning” its been called, the change of course is coming, and Yogaswami, even so long ago, had a hand in making that turn possible. That shift of consciousness - both in the East and the West.”
After this Dr.George gave me an autographed copy of his book, “Asking for the Earth”- Waking Up to the Spiritual/Ecological Crisis. In this book he has a chapter explaining his meetings with Yogaswami. The following is one excerpt from the book:
“The Tamils of Sri Lanka called Yogaswami “the Sage of Jaffna”. His thousands of devotees, including many Singhalese Buddhists and Christians, called him a saint. Some of those closest to him referred to him as the “Old Lion” for he could be very fierce and unpredictable, chasing away unwelcome supplicants with a stick.”
After two hours of a very warm, spiritual conversation, when Dr. George and I said good-by to each other, in my mind I thought... though Yogaswami lived in a simple, thatched hut in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, he made a global spiritual impact on many levels of humanity.
PS: Dr. James George served in many capacities - as a diplomat, a naval historian, an environmentalist and author - in some of the world’s most interesting countries. Among other dignitaries, the Dalai Lama calls him “my old friend”. The author of two books: The “Little Green Book on Awakening”; and “Asking for the Earth” (chapter on Yogaswami) are available through Amazon Books and this email geojam6@gmail.com I highly recommend these books.
Yogaswami was perhaps the greatest saint from Sri Lanka in modern times. The essence of his teaching was "Siva Thondu and Siva Dhiyanam" which translates as service to God through serving humanity, and Meditation on God through self-inquiry and self-realization.
Through his life, Yogaswami transformed many people's lives around the world. In 2009, I had the privilege of meeting a Yogaswami devotee who was a former Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
By Rishi Thondunathan
In 2007, my dear friend and Yogaswami devotee, Dr. Indra Sivayoham in London, told me that a former Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka was now living in Toronto, Canada. She also mentioned that the High Commissioner had written a book in which he had dedicated a chapter to Yogaswami.
We made several attempts through Dr. Sivayoham’s brother, Dr. Sriskandarajah who lives in Canada, to locate the High Commissioner and arrange a meeting. Two years later, on June 30, 2009 our meeting with the former High Commissioner, Dr. James George took place. Dr. & Mrs. Sriskandarajah accompanied me on the visit to Dr. George. When we arrived at Dr.George’s home that evening I received a very warm welcome from Dr. George and his wife, Barbara. Mrs. George most graciously served tea and we began our conversation.
Dr. George was the Canadian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka from 1960 - 1964. One of Yogaswami’s devotees, Sandaswami, also known as Soulburyswami, was the son of the last British Governor of Sri Lanka, Lord Soulbury. Lord Soulbury’s other son, Peter, also a diplomat, was the person who introduced Dr. George to Yogaswami.
Dr. George says of his first meeting with Yogaswami; “I knocked quietly on the door to his modest thatched hut in Jaffna and a voice from within roared, ‘Is that the Canadian High Commissioner?’ I opened the door to find him seated crosslegged on the floor - an erect, commanding presence, clad in a white robe, with a generous topping of white hair and long white beard. Well Swami, I began, that is just what I do, not what I am. ‘Then come and sit with me’, he laughed uproariously. I felt bonded with him from that moment. He helped me to go deeper towards the discovery of who I am, and to identify less with the role I played.”
During Dr. George’s four-year stay in Sri Lanka, he visited Yogaswami a dozen times. On one occassion Dr. George began his conversation with Yogaswami... “Swami, I think...” ‘already wrong!’...Yogaswami thundered.” And my mind again went into the non-conceptual state he was such a master at invoking, clearing the way for being.”
I asked Dr. George if he would like to pay tribute to Yogaswami and the followoing was his response:
“I’m very glad to have my turn to pay tribute to Yogaswami. I think of him as one of the greatest spiritual pioneers of my lifetime, and in a broader sense, the catalyst for the gradual coming together of Eastern and Western spirituality. Because, what he was able to do was not only talk to me about the “Gospel According to St. John” and quote “in the beginning was the word” which is how the Gospel begins, and of course as a Christian, that was how I was brought up - but he was able to take me from that all the way to the question of “Who Are You? - you think you are the Canadian High Commissioner - nonsense - that’s not who you are - that’s what you do”! Then the vigor with which he would impress that so it wasn’t just a mental idea, it was an experience - an experience from his presence to my presence. Now, as we’re trying to remember and speak about him, he is here in that presence because that energy is birthless and deathless. That is the energy that the world needs if it is to chart a course away from the destruction it seems to be heading for currently. And, I think the change, the great “turning” its been called, the change of course is coming, and Yogaswami, even so long ago, had a hand in making that turn possible. That shift of consciousness - both in the East and the West.”
After this Dr.George gave me an autographed copy of his book, “Asking for the Earth”- Waking Up to the Spiritual/Ecological Crisis. In this book he has a chapter explaining his meetings with Yogaswami. The following is one excerpt from the book:
“The Tamils of Sri Lanka called Yogaswami “the Sage of Jaffna”. His thousands of devotees, including many Singhalese Buddhists and Christians, called him a saint. Some of those closest to him referred to him as the “Old Lion” for he could be very fierce and unpredictable, chasing away unwelcome supplicants with a stick.”
After two hours of a very warm, spiritual conversation, when Dr. George and I said good-by to each other, in my mind I thought... though Yogaswami lived in a simple, thatched hut in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, he made a global spiritual impact on many levels of humanity.
PS: Dr. James George served in many capacities - as a diplomat, a naval historian, an environmentalist and author - in some of the world’s most interesting countries. Among other dignitaries, the Dalai Lama calls him “my old friend”. The author of two books: The “Little Green Book on Awakening”; and “Asking for the Earth” (chapter on Yogaswami) are available through Amazon Books and this email geojam6@gmail.com I highly recommend these books.
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