Offering bhiksha to Swami Dheerananda is an opportunity to perform Seva and introduce your children to the value of selfless, dedicated service.
It also affords you and your family a special time with Swami Dheerananda, an opportunity for you to introduce your close friends (who may not be members) to the spiritual environment of Chinmaya Mission.
To ensure that your bhiksha is indeed a quality time with Swami Dheerananda in a quiet setting, please follow the following steps:
01.
You may sign up for either weekday dinner or Saturday/Sunday Lunch/Dinner.
02.
During weekdays, bring food for Swami Dheerananda and for your family only. Occasionally, there might be one two or , but, in such an event, you will receive a call from the bhiksha coordinator.
03.
On weekend lunches, be prepared for 3 or 4 additional guests who may join the bhiksha upon Swami Dheerananda’s invitation.
04.
You may sign up for
- A particular day in a month (e.g. first Monday of every month).
- Any day in the fifth week in a month (not every month has five weeks). So, this will not be a monthly commitment. Your turn will come every 2 or 3 months.
- Special occasions – to mark any special event in your life such as birthdays, anniversaries etc.
- Standby – Members staying close by the mission are encouraged to sign up as standby, to be available to substitute on a very short notice.
05.
How to Signup
- Browse the current fillings in the bhiksha calendar. Days and meals with no associated names are “available”.
- Once you have decided on a day/date that is currently available, please email us with your selection and you will receive confirmation from the bhiksha coordinator.
06.
Questions/Changes/Cancellation
- If you have any questions, please email the bhiksha coordinator.
- Due to the very concept of bhiksha, Swami Dheerananda cannot and therefore will not answer any questions regarding diet, health or bhiksha guidelines.
- If you have to be away on that day, you may contact another mission member for a swap. But, please email the bhiksha coordinator the final arrangement, with a cc to your substitute.
- After a day or two, please check to see the calendar has been updated. If not, send a reminder to the bhiksha coordinator.
07.
Day of Bhiksha: that day is YOUR Day
- On the day of your bhiksha, please arrive promptly. Lunch is to be served at 12 noon and dinner at 7:15 pm.
- Please ensure that the dining area and kitchen are tidied up after the bhiksha.
- If you are leaving any items behind in the refrigerator, they should be boxed, labeled and dated clearly.
- Please wrap up dinner bhiksha by 9:15 pm to give sufficient time after the meal for Swami Dheerananda to prepare for next day’s lecture or complete the work for that day.
- Please adhere to this schedule so that Swami Dheerananda can retire to the kuti at a reasonable time every day.
08.
Meals guidelines
- Due to health reasons, a diet that has low carbohydrate, low fat, low sodium and high protein is best for Swami Dheerananda.
- Please follow the Bhiksha Guidelines exactly in the interest of Swamiji’s health.
- If you are unfamiliar with cooking Indian dishes with quinoa or tofu, please check out the recipes that we have put together for your convenience.
09.
For your bhiksha offering at lunch or dinner times, please include the following
- Two or more vegetable dishes
- High Protein dish (eg. Tofu or Nutrela)
- Home made fat free yogurt
- Fruits/Salad
10.
Important
Please avoid sugar and jaggery in the meal. Please use only less oil in the food preparation. You may use cut fruits, nuts, soy milk and fat free milk/yogurt/cheese in preparing dessert. You may also use Stevia Tabs.
11.
If you wish to offer Guru Dakshina along with the bhiskha, please make the check payable to: CMWRC and write “Bhiksha” on the memo.
Please read the bhiksha guidelines carefully and check this calendar for available slots. Once you have selected your date/time, simply click the button below to email us your selection and reserve your slot.
Grains
White Rice
Brown Rice
Yogurt
Homemade fat-free yogurt.
Vegetables
AVOID Egg-Plant and starchy vegetables like yams and potatoes
Desserts
AVOID Sugar and Jaggery.
USE cut-fruits, nuts, fat-free yogurt, fat-free milk and fat-free cheese.