THE Hindu ashram — Chinmaya Sannidhi in Castle Hill — began a new chapter recently, with the opening of a community facility.
The ashram, at 38 Carrington Road, has, for the past 11 years, been the residence of Brahmachari Gopal Chaitanya, the acharya of Chinmaya Mission Australia (NSW, QLD, ACT), and one other monk.
It is now a public meeting place for practitioners of any faith.
Brother Gopalji’s advice for daily sadhana (spiritual practice) is: ‘‘Hindu religion, at the highest level, teaches oneness, so we’re not trying to convert anyone.
‘‘We just want people to be better practitioners of their own religions.’’
The renovated facility, where Sri Lankan-born Brother Gopalji continues to reside, features a meeting room with 100 seats, two smaller meeting rooms and an outdoor bookstore.
In the meditation hall, statuettes of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, Lord Lakshmam and Lord Hanumam have been placed near where Brother Gopalji sits.
‘‘They represent the univeral power,’’ he said.
The renovated facility was officially opened on April 4 by The Hills mayor Andrew Jeffries and the global head of the Chinmaya Mission, Swami Tejomayananda, who is based in Mumbai, India.
Nearly 100 people attended the opening, including visiting monks from New Zealand, India and Melbourne.
The centre offers weekly classes in Shishu Vihar (ages 2 to 5), Balavihar (kindergarten to year 6), and Junior CHYK (year 7 to 12), as well as adult and family programs.
The syllabus for Balavihar includes chanting, bhajans, stories of devotion and moral values, interactive discussions, creative games, and arts and crafts.
‘‘We also run scripture programs in 12 local schools for about 700 kids,’’ Brother Gopalji said.
