Sant Bani Ashram (Ribolla)
Encyclopedia
Sant Bani Ashram of Ribolla
was founded by Satguru
Sirio Carrapa
in 1979.
One of the main purpose of founding the ashram
was to spread and keep alive the teachings of the Sant Mat
Path as transmitted by Sant
Kirpal Singh
and Sant Ajaib Singh
to Sirio.
Nowadays it is Sirio's main spiritual center and his private residence is also located here.
After the foundation lot of hard work was done by him and other Italian Sant Mat disciples to transform the place. An artificial lake was created with a pump and aquifer system to serve all the houses with water. Many trees were planted and new buildings were constructed, such as separated dormitory
for male and female guests, a big kitchen and dining room for cooking and eating, and also several bathrooms and lavatories. Also a separate satsang
and meditation room was built, and a separate small wooden house was built with an own kitchen and bathroom for the accommodation of Sant Ajaib Singh
.
There is also a separate massage room to practice Ayurvedic
massage.
Sirio, the founder of the ashram, was the Italian representative of Sant Ajaib and since its foundation many spiritual retreats have been organized in the Ashram.
This Sant Bani Ashram was also the location of three big European tours of Sant Ajaib Singh: in 1980, 1984 and 1989 with the participation of several hundred people.
and giving initiation
to Surat Shabd Yoga
as he was given the authority by Ajaib Singh before. An association under the name of "Sant Bani Ashram" was also founded. After that Sirio, who was originally the owner of the whole ashram (land and houses), donated the bigger part of his property to the association.
During the years further work was done in the ashram expanding and modernizing the main buildings with air conditioning and wood stoves etc.
Ajaib Singh told Sirio to keep closed the small wooden house which was built for him to stay in, during his three tours. Ajaib also instructed Sirio to use this building for himself, like he used his small underground room, in which he meditated for long years, according to Kirpal Singh's instructions.
Nowadays this little house is used for giving intiations and for private interviews with Sirio.
Many meditations retreats are organized in the ashram every year by Sirio for his disciples and for anyone who is interested.
Man and women have separated accommodation for sleeping, but there are some small rooms for families with small children etc.
Surat Shabd Yoga is the spiritual practice taught and practiced here. It consists of meditation
on Inner Light
and Sound, bhajan
singing and seva
.
It is generally possible to stay in the ashram only during retreats, but it's also possible to ask to the Master to visit the ashram and stay some days also outside retreats.
Ribolla
Ribolla is a village in southern Tuscany, a frazione of the comune of Roccastrada, in the province of Grosseto. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 2.115.In 1954, a mine exploded killing forty-three workers....
was founded by Satguru
Satguru
Satguru does not merely mean true guru. The term is distinguished from other forms of gurus, such as musical instructors, scriptural teachers, parents, and so on...
Sirio Carrapa
Sirio Carrapa
Satguru Sirio Carrapa is an Italian mystic. He was a disciple of Sant Kirpal Singh and Sant Ajaib Singh, and is a spiritual Master of Surat Shabd Yoga. He is also an expert in Ayurveda and teacher of Ayurvedic massage .- Biography :After his childhood, he went to live in Milan where he lived for...
in 1979.
One of the main purpose of founding the ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
was to spread and keep alive the teachings of the Sant Mat
Sant Mat
Sant Mat was a loosely associated group of teachers that became prominent in the northern part of the Indian sub-continent from about the 13th century...
Path as transmitted by Sant
Sant
Sant is an Indian term derived from a Sanskrit verb that means both "to be good" and "to be real". From the fifteenth century the term has often referred to those who sing the name of God and worship Him, particularly the bhakti poets of Marathi...
Kirpal Singh
Kirpal Singh
Sant Kirpal Singh was a spiritual teacher who was born in India in the village of Sayyad Kasran, in the western part of the Punjab which now belongs to Pakistan. Further biographical information is available...
and Sant Ajaib Singh
Sant Ajaib Singh
Sant Ajaib Singh known to his disciples as Sant Ji was born on the 11th of September 1926 in Maina, District Bhatinda, Punjab, India. He is considered a Sant of Surat Shabd Yoga. His Master Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj of Delhi was a disciple of Sawan Singh...
to Sirio.
Nowadays it is Sirio's main spiritual center and his private residence is also located here.
Early years
Sirio describes the place in his autobiography as it was a dusty, abandoned, cold and desolated place in the beginning. There was no electricity, water, or telephone.After the foundation lot of hard work was done by him and other Italian Sant Mat disciples to transform the place. An artificial lake was created with a pump and aquifer system to serve all the houses with water. Many trees were planted and new buildings were constructed, such as separated dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
for male and female guests, a big kitchen and dining room for cooking and eating, and also several bathrooms and lavatories. Also a separate satsang
Satsang
Satsang in Indian philosophy means the company of the "highest truth," the company of a guru, or company with an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the truth...
and meditation room was built, and a separate small wooden house was built with an own kitchen and bathroom for the accommodation of Sant Ajaib Singh
Sant Ajaib Singh
Sant Ajaib Singh known to his disciples as Sant Ji was born on the 11th of September 1926 in Maina, District Bhatinda, Punjab, India. He is considered a Sant of Surat Shabd Yoga. His Master Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj of Delhi was a disciple of Sawan Singh...
.
There is also a separate massage room to practice Ayurvedic
Ayurveda
Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
massage.
Sirio, the founder of the ashram, was the Italian representative of Sant Ajaib and since its foundation many spiritual retreats have been organized in the Ashram.
This Sant Bani Ashram was also the location of three big European tours of Sant Ajaib Singh: in 1980, 1984 and 1989 with the participation of several hundred people.
Nowadays
After Ajaib Singh died in 1997, Sirio continued living in the ashram, spreading the teachings of Sant MatSant Mat
Sant Mat was a loosely associated group of teachers that became prominent in the northern part of the Indian sub-continent from about the 13th century...
and giving initiation
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components...
to Surat Shabd Yoga
Surat Shabd Yoga
Surat Shabd Yoga or Surat Shabda Yoga is a form of spiritual practice that is followed in the Sant Mat and many other related spiritual traditions...
as he was given the authority by Ajaib Singh before. An association under the name of "Sant Bani Ashram" was also founded. After that Sirio, who was originally the owner of the whole ashram (land and houses), donated the bigger part of his property to the association.
During the years further work was done in the ashram expanding and modernizing the main buildings with air conditioning and wood stoves etc.
Ajaib Singh told Sirio to keep closed the small wooden house which was built for him to stay in, during his three tours. Ajaib also instructed Sirio to use this building for himself, like he used his small underground room, in which he meditated for long years, according to Kirpal Singh's instructions.
Nowadays this little house is used for giving intiations and for private interviews with Sirio.
Many meditations retreats are organized in the ashram every year by Sirio for his disciples and for anyone who is interested.
Rules
No money is asked from anybody, all programs are for free. Donations are accepted. Sant Mat teachings are the main rules of the place: a strict vegetarian diet is required, and also there are general rules to ensure the peace of the programs and the place.Man and women have separated accommodation for sleeping, but there are some small rooms for families with small children etc.
Surat Shabd Yoga is the spiritual practice taught and practiced here. It consists of meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
on Inner Light
Light (theology)
In theology, light or divine light is a term used to refer to an aspect of divine presence, specifically an unknown and mysterious ability of God, angels, or human beings to express themselves communicatively through spiritual means, rather than through physical capacities...
and Sound, bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
singing and seva
Selfless Service
Selfless service is a commonly used term to denote a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it.-Religious significance:...
.
It is generally possible to stay in the ashram only during retreats, but it's also possible to ask to the Master to visit the ashram and stay some days also outside retreats.
See also
- Sirio CarrapaSirio CarrapaSatguru Sirio Carrapa is an Italian mystic. He was a disciple of Sant Kirpal Singh and Sant Ajaib Singh, and is a spiritual Master of Surat Shabd Yoga. He is also an expert in Ayurveda and teacher of Ayurvedic massage .- Biography :After his childhood, he went to live in Milan where he lived for...
- Sant Ajaib SinghSant Ajaib SinghSant Ajaib Singh known to his disciples as Sant Ji was born on the 11th of September 1926 in Maina, District Bhatinda, Punjab, India. He is considered a Sant of Surat Shabd Yoga. His Master Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj of Delhi was a disciple of Sawan Singh...
- Kirpal SinghKirpal SinghSant Kirpal Singh was a spiritual teacher who was born in India in the village of Sayyad Kasran, in the western part of the Punjab which now belongs to Pakistan. Further biographical information is available...
- Sant MatSant MatSant Mat was a loosely associated group of teachers that became prominent in the northern part of the Indian sub-continent from about the 13th century...
- Contemporary Sant Mat movementsContemporary Sant Mat movementsContemporary Sant Mat Movements are esoteric philosophy movements active in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and especially India. These movements assert that Sant Mat shares a lineage with Sikhism and contains elements of thought found in Hinduism, such as karma and reincarnation...
External links
- Sant Bani Ashram - Ribolla (in Italian) hold by disciples of Sirio Carrapa.
- Sant Bani Ashram (in Hungarian) hold by disciples of Sirio Carrapa.
- Sant Bani Ashram (in English) hold by disciples of Sirio Carrapa.