{"id":1501,"date":"2024-06-08T16:12:34","date_gmt":"2024-06-08T16:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?p=1501"},"modified":"2024-06-08T16:12:34","modified_gmt":"2024-06-08T16:12:34","slug":"conversations-with-ananda-ch-71-dambara-begley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-71-dambara-begley\/","title":{"rendered":"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 71, Dambara Begley"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"<em>Dambara<\/a>
Dambara and Karen G sing \u201cLarks Fly High\u201d with young vocalists during a concert at Ananda Village.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dambara is active in the music ministry<\/strong> at Ananda Sangha in Portland, Oregon. Come to think of it, he\u2019s been a prominent presence in the Ananda music ministry since dinosaurs still grazed on Sunset Meadow at Ananda Village. His cheerfulness reflects the scientifically verifiable effects of a life dedicated to serving others. Dambara now frequently tours will Ananda\u2019s global ambassador, Nayaswami Asha, both singing at events and providing logistical and baggage support.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> How did you find Ananda?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> In 1987, a friend told me about a slideshow about the first Ananda pilgrimage to India. I had been thinking of walking around the world in search of truth, and I\u2019m guessing it was God\u2019s way of luring me to the slideshow. I enjoyed the event and was attracted by Asha\u2019s clarity. I asked her afterward, \u201cWhat is<\/em> that?\u201d \u2013 meaning the pervasive vibration of her talk and the pilgrimage. She directed me graciously to the boutique where I got some information about classes and picked up a copy of The Path<\/em><\/a>, which was free at the time. I took it home and began reading, and when I reached the point where he met Paramhansa Yogananda I bought Autobiography of a Yogi<\/em><\/a> and I was sold. I then took some meditation classes, and here we are.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> What sold you on it?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> First of all, I was ripe. I had always been a truth seeker \u2013 I was raised in the Catholic Church, and as a kid I\u2019d wanted to be a priest. But in my teens I began to feel that what they were teaching and how they would answer my questions was kind of na\u00efve, so I decided to go off on my own and look for answers.<\/p>\n

I joked to the friend who told me about the slideshow, \u201cI\u2019m going to get a personalized license plate that says \u2018ICKTCHR.\u2019\u201d \u201cI seek a teacher.\u201d Looking back, I can see that I was on the right path. My thinking was,\u00a0\u201dI\u2019ve done everything I<\/em> know to do, and I\u2019m not getting answers. I need a teacher.\u201d Without knowing quite what it meant. But my soul knew, and I was ready to take the next step. And as they say in the East, when you\u2019re desperate enough that you\u2019ll go anywhere the teacher will appear. I didn\u2019t have to travel around the world after all.<\/p>\n

Reading The Path<\/em> and the Autobiography<\/em>, it quickly became clear to me that this path was mine. I knew it was a true path, in a way that it filled my heart with joy to discover. It offered me answers I hadn\u2019t found anywhere. I\u2019d asked lots of people, been lots of places and heard lots of teachings, but this path spoke to me, and once I knew it was mine, I dove in.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Did you visit Ananda Village?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> Asha mentioned a program at the Village called Cities of Light, and I resonated with the idea of it, so I called the director, Pranaba, and told him I was interested. He said, \u201cWell, that\u2019s nice, but we haven\u2019t actually printed the flyers.\u201d But I signed up, and after a couple of weeks at the Village I knew I wanted to live there.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Did you get a job right away?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> I went through the monastic training, where you spent a year living at the Meditation Retreat to go deep in the teachings, and then I got a job with a database marketing company that was owned by an Ananda member.<\/p>\n

My job was intense, involving work. I was still with the program at the Meditation Retreat, and Prakash was scheduled to give a class on Kriya Yoga one evening, but there were some things that came up at work, and I figured I needed to stay late, so I called Anandi and told her I wouldn\u2019t be able to make the class.<\/p>\n

Her response surprised me \u2013 it was direct and intense. She said, \u201cThat\u2019s not reality \u2013 this<\/em> is reality!\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve realized that she was right, and that what seems urgent and impressive in the world is always less important than the spiritual life and Kriya Yoga, because they are much more eternal and real.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Had you discovered the music before you moved to Ananda?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> I had always enjoyed singing \u2013 my mother would sing along to albums of Broadway musicals, and she and my uncles and aunts would have lots of fun singing together. So the joy of singing was always present in the family, and I got the love of singing from her. She would always be harmonizing \u2013 there would be a melody on a record and she would harmonize with it. It was that early background that inspired me, and I ended up singing a lot and loving it.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Were you happy to discover that there was a major music ministry at Ananda?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> Totally. I had done some minor gigs with a rock band in high school, and it was fun, but it was very ego-oriented. \u201cI\u2019m up here on the stage and everybody\u2019s looking at me.\u201d It had run its course for me, as other forms of music would \u2013 you\u2019d get into it for a while, and then it would run dry. I studied piano for several years, but all of my musical experiences tended to dry up, and when they no longer held inspiration I would lose interest. By the time I got to Ananda, I had dabbled in many things but none of them had stuck, and when I heard the music that was emanating from Ananda, it overjoyed me.<\/p>\n

In the apprenticeship program, the idea was that we shouldn\u2019t get outwardly involved for the first year, but just focus on the teachings and go as deep as we could, to build a solid foundation. I heartily recommend it as a wonderful way to start out on the path. But when the year ended, I was invited to come to choir rehearsals, and I loved it.<\/p>\n

It was finally music that I felt was worth singing. Swamiji would remark that many classical songs have nice melodies, but what are you really singing? Nothing terribly uplifting. And finally here was music that was hugely uplifting. It was a joy at the time, and it has continued to be a joy.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> It hasn\u2019t gotten old for you?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> No. I still want to approach it creatively, and I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s a fault of mine, or if others feel the same, but I thrive on challenge and creative stimulation. And of course you can\u2019t just sit back and be passive and expect other people to provide that juice for you.<\/p>\n

In the back of my mind, I\u2019m always hoping that something new will come along within Ananda to challenge me \u2013 like the rare occasions when Swami would share a new piece of music with us, or a new arrangement for a song. He would walk in and hand us the sheet music, and my whole being would be saying, \u201cYes!\u201d All of my molecules would be leaping to study and learn it. Those were really fun moments when we were learning something new. David Eby is always doing new things with the music. [David is a professional cellist who is deeply involved with the Ananda music ministry.] He\u2019s taking the available talent and seeing how we can use it to interpret Swami\u2019s music, and what\u2019s brilliant is that he isn\u2019t just doing amazing creative things, he\u2019s putting tremendous energy into helping people learn new things, like learning to play a new instrument, and working with new ideas for pieces they can learn. The sounds of the different groups that have come together have been impressive, and it\u2019s been lots of fun.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Does it reflect something that Swami Kriyananda said \u2013 that restrictions often promote creativity rather than hindering it? Do you find that it works that way with Ananda\u2019s music, with its fixed repertoire of about four hundred pieces?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> When I talked earlier about feeling less inspired at times, it really doesn\u2019t apply to the music or its message. It just applies to doing the same things I\u2019ve<\/em> previously done. Each Sunday morning we participate in the Festival of Light, and I think most of us would say, \u201cIt\u2019s brand-new every Sunday.\u201d And the inspiration in Swami\u2019s music never ceases to surprise me.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> He said that every note of his music was born of superconscious inspiration. Do you think that perhaps we\u2019re trying to reach into that higher dimension and give that inspiration to others?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> I think what strikes a chord for me is that it\u2019s easy to rest on the laurels of what we\u2019ve done, but then you find it isn\u2019t what opens portals to joy. Lifting our energy to meet the music at its source gives us inspiration every time. Our job is to learn by trial and error to raise our energy, open our hearts, and keep learning. The efforts you make to stay fresh and creative are never wasted.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> How do you approach the music creatively?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> It\u2019s a tough question. Creativity has the same charge for people as religion and politics. \u201cAt Ananda are you restricted to performing only Swami\u2019s music?\u201d But the proof is that when you\u2019re having so much fun it\u2019s no longer an issue.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had lots of fun with it, so it hasn\u2019t been an issue for me, as it has for people who\u2019re wondering if it\u2019s not enough, or it\u2019s confining, or unfair, or a restriction on our freedom. And maybe it\u2019s their next step forward spiritually to do their own thing. But it usually means moving away from Ananda.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve seen that when folks feel a strong need to do their own thing, they end up leaving Ananda, and I think it\u2019s because what we\u2019re doing here is offering the ego in service to something that\u2019s genuinely coming from a higher source. Not in the old monastic sense where you\u2019re taught to obey your superior blindly with a goal of thrashing down your creativity and willfulness. That isn\u2019t what we\u2019re doing at Ananda. We\u2019re trying to surrender the part of the mind that is always wanting to jump in and have the last word.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a powerful habit, and it can disguise itself as creativity or inspiration, but if you\u2019re closing yourself to something true and divine, it just closes the flow of inspiration. So it\u2019s important to take time to tune into whatever holes Swami has drilled into the Infinite, and whatever rays are coming through, and find out for yourself if it will help you get where you want to go. I love<\/em> Swami\u2019s music, because tuning into it has been fulfilling for me, as a living experience.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll listen to \u201cA Prairie Home Companion\u201d sometimes while I\u2019m driving. I think Garrison Keillor is one of the most brilliant and creative humorists alive, and the music is fun and creative. But when it replays in my mind, I realize, \u201cThe vibration it\u2019s creating inside me isn\u2019t as uplifted as what I\u2019m used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can feel the difference. So it isn\u2019t a question of thinking, \u201cOh, bad boy!\u201d and, \u201cI\u2019ll never listen to it again.\u201d It\u2019s asking \u201cOkay, where does this register inside me?\u201d Am I feeling uplifted and joyful and happy and clear? Am I poking through to the other side? Or is it just the same old jingles going in endless circles? I think I\u2019ve done lots of that, and it kind of hurts my heart inside when I find my energy and consciousness spinning around instead of rising.<\/p>\n

I simply don\u2019t find any other music that is equally satisfying. And it isn\u2019t that I\u2019ve restricted myself from listening to it, it\u2019s that when you love<\/em> this kind of music, you want<\/em> to do it \u2013 and then, why not? I\u2019ll tune into other stuff on occasion, out of curiosity and for comparison\u2019s sake, but so far, this is the thing that\u2019s been most satisfying to my soul.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> You\u2019ve answered my next question, which is about the effect that the music has on you.<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> It\u2019s a godsend. One of the first things I did when I came to Ananda Palo Alto was gobble up every recording of talks by Asha and Swami. I think that vibrationally consuming as much of those nutritious elements as I could was extremely helpful to me. Maybe I\u2019m extreme on the side of relating to things aurally, but it worked for me.<\/p>\n

The inspiration of the music bypasses the rational brain and goes directly into the heart. I\u2019ll find myself in situations where a phrase of a song will come through and it’ll be the right answer. It\u2019s more fun having that kind of music going on in my consciousness than the stupid jingle on the phone or at the market.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> It raises your consciousness?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> Yes. And again, it isn\u2019t something I try to do, it\u2019s just something my heart is drawn to because I love it, so I want more of it.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Is it an emotional experience?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> Not so much. Which is kind of a relief, actually. Most popular music, teenage music, and even a great deal of classical music grabs your heart and stirs it up, and it might be stimulating for a while, but it doesn\u2019t really take you anywhere high. I\u2019m thinking of Phantom of the Opera<\/em>. And, okay, the movie is really well done, and the music is dramatic and gives you an emotional experience. But I ask myself afterward, \u201cIs this a painting that I want to hang on the wall and look at it all the time?\u201d And no, it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

It tells me that a lot of art today is clever and emotionally dramatic, but is it spiritually uplifting? I don\u2019t think so. It may be, in the sense that, okay, by comparison with where you were, maybe it is moving things along, or it moves some energy, or it gets you enthusiastic about something, or it just kind of clears up your energy channels somehow. But, to me, it\u2019s not as deeply satisfying, and it doesn\u2019t point in a direction I want to be going.<\/p>\n

Maybe there are other kinds of uplifting music, but as Swami said, \u201cThere may be lots of good mothers, but this one is mine.\u201d This is the music I\u2019m going to listen to because I can relate to the lessons I get from it.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> A lot of popular music picks you up, spins you around, and sets you back down exactly where you were.<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> Yes, it\u2019s the difference between having a relationship where your heart is pumping and you can\u2019t sleep well and your mind is jumping around and you think you\u2019re in love, but after a while you\u2019re just exhausted, as opposed to a relationship where you\u2019re joyful and fulfilled and happy, and you sleep well and look forward to the next day, and you\u2019re becoming healthier and healthier.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> If a person wants to sing Swami\u2019s music, do you have any suggestions that will help them get in tune with its message?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> Hang out with Ananda people. Hang out with people who meditate. Hang out with people who sing the music. Because, again, you\u2019re absorbing the vibrations that inspired the music. I\u2019ve seen people who had some choir background and stepped into an Ananda Sunday service, or a friend brought them, and they thought, \u201cHey, this is for me, I love the music, I\u2019d love to join the choir.\u201d But generally speaking, when people have the opportunity to pop right into the choir, it\u2019s like the cogs don\u2019t mesh because they haven\u2019t had time to absorb the vibration first, as the others in the choir have.<\/p>\n

The other people in the group are meditating. They\u2019ve studied the teachings and they\u2019re receptive to the ray of inspiration that\u2019s coming through, so they\u2019re tuned in on that channel, and when they sing it\u2019s simply an expression of that. Whereas somebody coming in out of the cold may be doing their best to sing well, but they\u2019re at a big disadvantage, for them and for the group, because they aren\u2019t able to tune in as well, and they\u2019re maybe wondering why they\u2019re feeling off. And I don\u2019t know if they\u2019re even that consciously aware of it, but I\u2019ve seen that they don\u2019t stick around. Maybe they don\u2019t come back to service, because they think, \u201cOh well, this isn\u2019t for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why we have an unspoken policy in Palo Alto that before you consider jumping into the choir, it\u2019s important to be on this path, to be meditating, attend classes, know the teachings, and hang out with the people. Then if you can relax and go with the program, things will unfold as they\u2019re supposed to. And by \u201cprogram\u201d I don\u2019t mean doing everything the way other people are, because this path is very much oriented to the growth of the individual. Nobody here is going to pretend to have the one true answer for you, but we\u2019re always trying to figure out what\u2019s going to work best for the individual.<\/p>\n

I love reading the lyrics as poetry while not thinking about the music. It\u2019s a wonderful practice, because the lyrics are expressing the teachings of this path.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> For people who\u2019ve joined a group and are singing the Ananda songs, is there a best way to prepare for rehearsals and performances?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> It\u2019s individual. It depends on your singing background. It might take more effort for some people to learn the parts \u2013 they may have to listen to a recording over and over. I think you just do whatever you need to.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> What about the attunement side?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> Again, it has to be individual and spontaneous. It\u2019s really has to come from the heart. Most people who are drawn to the music will sing it because they love it. It\u2019s a new way of looking at the spiritual path generally, where, as Yogananda said, true teaching is individual. It\u2019s why Divine Mother draws us to the things that will be most helpful for us individually.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> During a performance, do you feel that you\u2019re giving to people?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> Yes, definitely. It\u2019s like when somebody asks you for help and you feel so happy to be able to help them. \u201cThank you, God, for letting me be a channel for Your help.\u201d But, again, there\u2019s a spectrum. Are you able to be a pure, clear, hundred-percent open channel for the Divine as it expresses through the music? Most of us probably haven\u2019t reached that level, but we\u2019re trying, and each step feels like a big spiritual victory.<\/p>\n

Once in a while the ego gets in the way. And then there are old habits, and maybe stage fright, lots of things that can get in the way. But despite these things a great deal of energy and light manages to pour out through the music, that people do feel. When I watch videos of Ananda groups, it strikes me that, okay, sure, the music is gorgeous, and yes, maybe the performance is technically great and everybody\u2019s dressed nicely, but what really comes through is the energy in the group, and the inner joy and the unmistakable heart quality. That\u2019s what we\u2019re looking for as singers, and that\u2019s the message that gets through to people, and what they feel from the music.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Is there a special energy that comes through in performances, as opposed to rehearsals?<\/p>\n

Dambara:<\/strong> Oh, yes. The Oratorio is a great example, and then very often the Sunday services and other events. No matter how well the rehearsals go, the inner guidance and inspiration go up several notches in performances and you feel God\u2019s grace coming through you. It takes both to make that happen, God\u2019s grace and the group\u2019s energy. I think it\u2019s what keeps us coming back to sing and to hear the music, especially when you find yourself opening to God\u2019s grace, because there\u2019s no more soul-satisfying experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dambara is active in the music ministry at Ananda Sangha in Portland, Oregon. Come to think of it, he\u2019s been a prominent presence in the Ananda music ministry since dinosaurs still grazed on Sunset Meadow at Ananda Village. His cheerfulness reflects the scientifically verifiable effects of a life dedicated to serving others. Dambara now frequently … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nConversations With Ananda — Ch. 71, Dambara Begley - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 50-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda shares memories of service to the Master's work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-71-dambara-begley\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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