Hi everybody,
I arrived back in Varanasi a few days ago and have settled down. There's no way to capture the spirit of this city, but this book I'm reading Benares: City of Light is doing a pretty good job. The spiritual atmosphere is really thick, although I haven't gotten to engage the people much because I've been exhausted.
Thus far, though, I've visited the Benares Hindu University multiple times, have spoken with some interesting Aryuvedic doctors, and am now taking individual yoga lessons with a teacher at BHU. Health-wise, I'm doing quite well -- in some ways better than in the states. Aryuvedic medicine and yoga are both topics continuing to fascinate me.
I haven't had time to add pics from my camera, but here are a couple from the program. The first is a picture of our program on the roof of the building in which I lived. I think it's kind of colonial-looking, but it's nice. The second is of our group with His Holiness the Karmapa, whom I spoke about before. Enjoy!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
End of Program -- On to Varanasi
Hi everybody,
It's been a month since my last blog entry! My sense of time has changed dramatically since being here. Like a baby, I feel like I've spent so much time here when it's only been a semester. Yet, I feel like I was just writing my last blog entry. Lots of new experiences will do that I guess.
And more new experiences await. Today, the program officially ended. The majority of students left today to fly home from Delhi in time for Christmas. A handful of us, however, are staying for varying periods of time. Besides my friend Carrie, though, I'm staying the longest (until January 15).
Tomorrow, I head off to Varanasi with my friends Joanna and Aine. I visited there earlier this semester and look forward to returning. Now, I'll have more time to actually visit the Hindu temples, to find and practice with a yoga group, and (if I stay long enough) celebrate Christmas with good friends, visiting some of the few Varanasi churches and seeing how Hindus celebrate Christmas. After Varanasi, who knows? A lot of ideas have come up, but if I've realized anything from being in India, it's that nothing goes according to plan. So, I've made vague plans which I expect to get demolished and re-directed by a far more instructive twist of fate, than just my vague notions of what would be cool to do in India. One more likely plan is to return to Bodh Gaya from Jan 4-15 for the Kagyu Monlam, one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist gatherings each year.
So, what's happened the past month? I won't pretend like I can cover very much; this blog continually under-represents all that's happened, but I'll try.
First, my retreat was very special. Quite possibly one of my best, and most meaningful experiences, here. Retreats are especially difficult to talk about, I think, but maybe you might ask me about it when I get back. Nonetheless, it was very grounding when India has been very uprooting.
Dharamsala was either fun, weird, distracting, enriching, surprising, mind-blowing, miserable, or boring depending on whether I was eating at yummy restaurants, freaked about by the plethora of tourists/Westerners/Buddhist-consumer culture, buying crap myself, talking with rinpoches, monks, or other interesting friends like translator, Acarya Nyima La (who I spent multiple dinners with talking about Buddhism), meeting the Karmapa, or being bed-ridden with diarrhea :(. Probably the most interesting person I met, and spent a lot of time talking to, was a Scottish doctor who has trained in and practiced multiple healing traditions - Tibetan, Tradition Chinese/Accupuncture, Aryuveda, Indigenous Amazonian, and others. It was nice to eat really good food, although I did get sick, and to have access to more upscale capitalist amenities. In general though, I'm glad to have moved on. The presence of Tibetan Buddhism there is quite special, but the touristy area I stayed (McCleod Ganj) had an overly consumption-oriented atmosphere that excited me initially, but turned me off in the end.
Probably the most significant opportunity I had there was to meet His Holiness the Karmapa. A little background: the Karmapa is one of the highest institutional leadership roles in Tibetan Buddhism. The most important three are the Karmapa, the Panchen Lama, and the Dalai Lama, whom you might know better. Although the Karmapa is only 23, he's considered to be a re-incarnation of several high beings in addition to the 16 previous Karmapas before him. The Karmapa position is actually older than the Dalai Lama's, and when the Dalai Lama dies, many anticipate that the current Karmapa will take on primary leadership. The tradition considers him to be a fully enlightened being, and an audience with him is considered to be highly auspicious (though not extremely difficult to come by if you can make your way to India). He's only visited the U.S. once though, so Buddhists in the West have an especially hard time meeting him.
Anyway, through some friends' contacts, I and a friend got to sit with him for 10 minutes at his monastery in Dharamsala. Then, when we returned to Bodh Gaya, the Karmapa had actually come around the same time, and I got to meet him again! This time with the whole Buddhist Studies group. It's always difficult to see through the pomp and circumstance of Tibetan Buddhism, because there's a lot, especially around the Karmapa, and it's really beautiful and colorful. Aside from that though, I gained a lot out of my Q and A with him. He's a real character, though in a completely different way than the Dalai Lama though. At the least, the wisest, most spiritually intense 23-year-old I've ever met. Although his words haven't seemed profound at the time I hear them, they keep on re-occurring in my head at the most interesting and insightful moments after the fact.
Anyway, after Dharamsala, we returned to Bodh Gaya for another week to present our projects to the group and to wrap up the program. It was great to see everyone again, and I can't wait to reunite with many of them back in the states. My friend Matt and I strategically arranged for him to keep my Buddha statue in Chicago so one of us has to visit the other. The last week has been restful too, and I'm ready to step outside Buddhist study and to explore more of Indian culture, religion, life, and chaos. Wish me luck. Please forgive any grammatical errors, and I'll try to blog more frequently.
It's been a month since my last blog entry! My sense of time has changed dramatically since being here. Like a baby, I feel like I've spent so much time here when it's only been a semester. Yet, I feel like I was just writing my last blog entry. Lots of new experiences will do that I guess.
And more new experiences await. Today, the program officially ended. The majority of students left today to fly home from Delhi in time for Christmas. A handful of us, however, are staying for varying periods of time. Besides my friend Carrie, though, I'm staying the longest (until January 15).
Tomorrow, I head off to Varanasi with my friends Joanna and Aine. I visited there earlier this semester and look forward to returning. Now, I'll have more time to actually visit the Hindu temples, to find and practice with a yoga group, and (if I stay long enough) celebrate Christmas with good friends, visiting some of the few Varanasi churches and seeing how Hindus celebrate Christmas. After Varanasi, who knows? A lot of ideas have come up, but if I've realized anything from being in India, it's that nothing goes according to plan. So, I've made vague plans which I expect to get demolished and re-directed by a far more instructive twist of fate, than just my vague notions of what would be cool to do in India. One more likely plan is to return to Bodh Gaya from Jan 4-15 for the Kagyu Monlam, one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist gatherings each year.
So, what's happened the past month? I won't pretend like I can cover very much; this blog continually under-represents all that's happened, but I'll try.
First, my retreat was very special. Quite possibly one of my best, and most meaningful experiences, here. Retreats are especially difficult to talk about, I think, but maybe you might ask me about it when I get back. Nonetheless, it was very grounding when India has been very uprooting.
Dharamsala was either fun, weird, distracting, enriching, surprising, mind-blowing, miserable, or boring depending on whether I was eating at yummy restaurants, freaked about by the plethora of tourists/Westerners/Buddhist-consumer culture, buying crap myself, talking with rinpoches, monks, or other interesting friends like translator, Acarya Nyima La (who I spent multiple dinners with talking about Buddhism), meeting the Karmapa, or being bed-ridden with diarrhea :(. Probably the most interesting person I met, and spent a lot of time talking to, was a Scottish doctor who has trained in and practiced multiple healing traditions - Tibetan, Tradition Chinese/Accupuncture, Aryuveda, Indigenous Amazonian, and others. It was nice to eat really good food, although I did get sick, and to have access to more upscale capitalist amenities. In general though, I'm glad to have moved on. The presence of Tibetan Buddhism there is quite special, but the touristy area I stayed (McCleod Ganj) had an overly consumption-oriented atmosphere that excited me initially, but turned me off in the end.
Probably the most significant opportunity I had there was to meet His Holiness the Karmapa. A little background: the Karmapa is one of the highest institutional leadership roles in Tibetan Buddhism. The most important three are the Karmapa, the Panchen Lama, and the Dalai Lama, whom you might know better. Although the Karmapa is only 23, he's considered to be a re-incarnation of several high beings in addition to the 16 previous Karmapas before him. The Karmapa position is actually older than the Dalai Lama's, and when the Dalai Lama dies, many anticipate that the current Karmapa will take on primary leadership. The tradition considers him to be a fully enlightened being, and an audience with him is considered to be highly auspicious (though not extremely difficult to come by if you can make your way to India). He's only visited the U.S. once though, so Buddhists in the West have an especially hard time meeting him.
Anyway, through some friends' contacts, I and a friend got to sit with him for 10 minutes at his monastery in Dharamsala. Then, when we returned to Bodh Gaya, the Karmapa had actually come around the same time, and I got to meet him again! This time with the whole Buddhist Studies group. It's always difficult to see through the pomp and circumstance of Tibetan Buddhism, because there's a lot, especially around the Karmapa, and it's really beautiful and colorful. Aside from that though, I gained a lot out of my Q and A with him. He's a real character, though in a completely different way than the Dalai Lama though. At the least, the wisest, most spiritually intense 23-year-old I've ever met. Although his words haven't seemed profound at the time I hear them, they keep on re-occurring in my head at the most interesting and insightful moments after the fact.
Anyway, after Dharamsala, we returned to Bodh Gaya for another week to present our projects to the group and to wrap up the program. It was great to see everyone again, and I can't wait to reunite with many of them back in the states. My friend Matt and I strategically arranged for him to keep my Buddha statue in Chicago so one of us has to visit the other. The last week has been restful too, and I'm ready to step outside Buddhist study and to explore more of Indian culture, religion, life, and chaos. Wish me luck. Please forgive any grammatical errors, and I'll try to blog more frequently.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Bodh Gaya - 9th Week, End of Classes
Namaste mere dosts,
Yesterday, classes ended, and today we begin the Independent Study period. Everyone flocked out of Bodh Gaya on last night on late night trains from Gaya to Dharamsala, Sikkim, Calcutta, Rishikesh and flights to Burma and Thailand. I'm one of the few people left in Bodh Gaya because my friend Alex and I will be staying to do solitary retreat at a local retreat center. After retreat, I head off to Dharamsala to interview Tibetan Buddhists and do library research for my project on Tonglen, or "taking and receiving," meditation.
I've recently receded into finals mode rushing around, paper writing, test cramming, luggage packing habits, so I look forward to retreat. It's been years since I've been as social as I have over the past 10 weeks, despite being in a monastic environment. Communal meals, classes, meetings, events, rooming, and the like have occupied my time completely -- mostly for the better. I've made likely lifelong friends with students and professors both, and have cherished their conversation, care, and criticism for me. I feel so blessed to have had this chance to appreciate the talents, insights, and kindness of others. So much wisdom and compassion leaks out of them daily! That said, privacy should serve me well at this point. Time to settle my body and mind and to concentrate and investigate what's truly important.
I don't think I've really taken time to describe what the Mahabodhi temple is like, and it warrants so much attention. Pictures can be found through the link below of this remarkable and deeply powerful site. Frankly, it's quite unsettling every time I visit. The very subtle, but intense, environment of practice pushes me to consider my own presence for the sake of others. On my recent visits, the stupa has been particularly bustling. Pilgrims Hindu and Buddhist - monks, nuns, and lay - from India, Burma, Thailand, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, Bhutan and other major Buddhist countries can be found circumambulating (walking around the temple in circles), prostrating (mostly Tibetans, who might do full body prostrations all day long), chanting, singing, reciting mantra, or meditating. Visually, the temple site and it's gardens are extremely well-cared for, in contrast to the rest of Bodh Gaya which typically isn't privileged to outside donation. It's also breath-taking to see the see of orange, yellow, burgundy, gray, and pink robes of the different traditions and cultures. Westerners are rare, but they can be found too.
Meditating there is a real joy. It's much different than sitting anywhere else. Some might say it's being surrounded by such inspiring, devoted practitioners, which is certainly true. But, I also wouldn't hesitate to ascribe a deep spiritual presence to the place that settles, yet challenges the mind.
Well, thanks to everyone whose been commenting on my posts and maintaining contact. I treasure your words, even if they're brief. And apologies for spelling errors and the like. I don't take the time to edit because of scarce internet time. My dad is apparently turning them into Zen koans. Feel free to do that if you can.
Yesterday, classes ended, and today we begin the Independent Study period. Everyone flocked out of Bodh Gaya on last night on late night trains from Gaya to Dharamsala, Sikkim, Calcutta, Rishikesh and flights to Burma and Thailand. I'm one of the few people left in Bodh Gaya because my friend Alex and I will be staying to do solitary retreat at a local retreat center. After retreat, I head off to Dharamsala to interview Tibetan Buddhists and do library research for my project on Tonglen, or "taking and receiving," meditation.
I've recently receded into finals mode rushing around, paper writing, test cramming, luggage packing habits, so I look forward to retreat. It's been years since I've been as social as I have over the past 10 weeks, despite being in a monastic environment. Communal meals, classes, meetings, events, rooming, and the like have occupied my time completely -- mostly for the better. I've made likely lifelong friends with students and professors both, and have cherished their conversation, care, and criticism for me. I feel so blessed to have had this chance to appreciate the talents, insights, and kindness of others. So much wisdom and compassion leaks out of them daily! That said, privacy should serve me well at this point. Time to settle my body and mind and to concentrate and investigate what's truly important.
I don't think I've really taken time to describe what the Mahabodhi temple is like, and it warrants so much attention. Pictures can be found through the link below of this remarkable and deeply powerful site. Frankly, it's quite unsettling every time I visit. The very subtle, but intense, environment of practice pushes me to consider my own presence for the sake of others. On my recent visits, the stupa has been particularly bustling. Pilgrims Hindu and Buddhist - monks, nuns, and lay - from India, Burma, Thailand, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, Bhutan and other major Buddhist countries can be found circumambulating (walking around the temple in circles), prostrating (mostly Tibetans, who might do full body prostrations all day long), chanting, singing, reciting mantra, or meditating. Visually, the temple site and it's gardens are extremely well-cared for, in contrast to the rest of Bodh Gaya which typically isn't privileged to outside donation. It's also breath-taking to see the see of orange, yellow, burgundy, gray, and pink robes of the different traditions and cultures. Westerners are rare, but they can be found too.
Meditating there is a real joy. It's much different than sitting anywhere else. Some might say it's being surrounded by such inspiring, devoted practitioners, which is certainly true. But, I also wouldn't hesitate to ascribe a deep spiritual presence to the place that settles, yet challenges the mind.
Well, thanks to everyone whose been commenting on my posts and maintaining contact. I treasure your words, even if they're brief. And apologies for spelling errors and the like. I don't take the time to edit because of scarce internet time. My dad is apparently turning them into Zen koans. Feel free to do that if you can.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Week 7
Hey everyone,
Only two more weeks left of classes; then I'm off to do my Independent Study. The past few weeks we have been blessed with the presence a Tibetan Buddhist teacher and scholar from Nepal. Each evening we've had 2-2.5 hour long teachings that have been wonderful! The Tibetan dialectical style is highly logical and rigorous. Students, including me, got into hourlong back-and-forth debate with him on subjects like self, no-self, karma, time, death, the list goes one.
I was personally blessed to have, probably a 15-20 minute debate with him (in front of the whole group of 40-50 people) about the existence of self. Talk about exciting/nerve-racking. He asserted that there was no self that could be found when we closely examine our own experience, whereas I took the position that the self did exist, just that we have multiple selves over time, they're impermanent, and completely dependent upon causes and conditions . . . This was one case where almost any of my friends or family from home would've been completely lost, and wondering what the hell I was doing in India. There have been many situations like this where my life here seems completely absurd without the appropriate background knowledge in Buddhism.
If you're wondering, no one technically won or lost the debate because it wasn't formal. If it was, he would, of course, obliterated my arguments. Anyway, it was really engaging/refreshing to have a teacher practically dare us to hash out the details of Buddhist teaching with him.
Bleh! Time is so finite! I have to get off the computer now! More details from the week later . . .
Only two more weeks left of classes; then I'm off to do my Independent Study. The past few weeks we have been blessed with the presence a Tibetan Buddhist teacher and scholar from Nepal. Each evening we've had 2-2.5 hour long teachings that have been wonderful! The Tibetan dialectical style is highly logical and rigorous. Students, including me, got into hourlong back-and-forth debate with him on subjects like self, no-self, karma, time, death, the list goes one.
I was personally blessed to have, probably a 15-20 minute debate with him (in front of the whole group of 40-50 people) about the existence of self. Talk about exciting/nerve-racking. He asserted that there was no self that could be found when we closely examine our own experience, whereas I took the position that the self did exist, just that we have multiple selves over time, they're impermanent, and completely dependent upon causes and conditions . . . This was one case where almost any of my friends or family from home would've been completely lost, and wondering what the hell I was doing in India. There have been many situations like this where my life here seems completely absurd without the appropriate background knowledge in Buddhism.
If you're wondering, no one technically won or lost the debate because it wasn't formal. If it was, he would, of course, obliterated my arguments. Anyway, it was really engaging/refreshing to have a teacher practically dare us to hash out the details of Buddhist teaching with him.
Bleh! Time is so finite! I have to get off the computer now! More details from the week later . . .
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Last Three Weeks
Phew! It's been difficult to post the past 3 weeks. In addition to being ridicuously busy/absorbed in the program, my internet time has been sucked up by course/housing registration, photo posting, and writing essays (I gave up on hand-written). And, even now, I've only got fifteen minutes before the cafe closes :(.
Well, Zen came and went. We spent three weeks meditating under the guidance of Sensei Ekai Korematsu, whose presence and awareness filled up the room every time we sat in meditation or listened to his dharma talks. He's Japanese, but went to college in the U.S. in the early 70s, was formally trained in Japan, but now has a family and teaches in Australia. He laughed a lot, which I'd never seen in a Zen teacher, and was very aware of the struggles that Westerners had in taking on Zen meditation.
I had some experience before with Zen practice, and really benefited from taking it on again in a formal context. In particular, working with the very formal sitting, bowing, and walking techniques was of great benefit. I also enjoyed multiple conversations with the teacher where I got to ask questions about Zen practice I had been wondering for years. He clarified a lot. I was also given the chance to be the bell ringer for our 24-hour Zen retreat. I can't express how grateful I am to have been given, prematurely, that responsibility. It reminded me of how much I enjoy being in a leadership role -- a spot that's somehow behind the scenes of a particular ritual/performance/project. I also got to see my mind in a new way, up against this very formal practice. There's lots more to say about Zen, but much much more not to say, so I'll leave it at that.
I've decided the topic and location of my Independent Study. Meaning, I know where I'll be in India for four weeks of November and Decemeber. I am going to Dharamsala, India -- the capital of the Tibetan Government in Exile, and the largest refugee center for Tibetans. While I'm there I will be doing a retreat in a form of Tibetan mediation focused on cultivating compassion; I'll spend a week or two interviewing monks/nuns about the practice and doing library research, and then the last week I'll write my paper. Around December 10, I head back to Bodh Gaya for one more week to view other students' presentations/projects and to present my own research paper. I am leaking with joy and gratitude to get to visit this highly significant cultural (and tourist) center. Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Dharamsala has served as a major place of teaching, ritual, tourist attraction, and political significance (although it's a very safe area, not as caught up in Tibet/Chinese tension as say Lhasla).
I hope you've all enjoyed the pictures (I'll try to caption them if I can).
Also, if you want to send me any mail, I'd be happy to receive it! The address is
c/o Burmese Vihar
Bodh Gaya, Bihar
INDIA 824231
Mail can take from 1-2 weeks. Don't send anything valuable or fragile!
Well, Zen came and went. We spent three weeks meditating under the guidance of Sensei Ekai Korematsu, whose presence and awareness filled up the room every time we sat in meditation or listened to his dharma talks. He's Japanese, but went to college in the U.S. in the early 70s, was formally trained in Japan, but now has a family and teaches in Australia. He laughed a lot, which I'd never seen in a Zen teacher, and was very aware of the struggles that Westerners had in taking on Zen meditation.
I had some experience before with Zen practice, and really benefited from taking it on again in a formal context. In particular, working with the very formal sitting, bowing, and walking techniques was of great benefit. I also enjoyed multiple conversations with the teacher where I got to ask questions about Zen practice I had been wondering for years. He clarified a lot. I was also given the chance to be the bell ringer for our 24-hour Zen retreat. I can't express how grateful I am to have been given, prematurely, that responsibility. It reminded me of how much I enjoy being in a leadership role -- a spot that's somehow behind the scenes of a particular ritual/performance/project. I also got to see my mind in a new way, up against this very formal practice. There's lots more to say about Zen, but much much more not to say, so I'll leave it at that.
I've decided the topic and location of my Independent Study. Meaning, I know where I'll be in India for four weeks of November and Decemeber. I am going to Dharamsala, India -- the capital of the Tibetan Government in Exile, and the largest refugee center for Tibetans. While I'm there I will be doing a retreat in a form of Tibetan mediation focused on cultivating compassion; I'll spend a week or two interviewing monks/nuns about the practice and doing library research, and then the last week I'll write my paper. Around December 10, I head back to Bodh Gaya for one more week to view other students' presentations/projects and to present my own research paper. I am leaking with joy and gratitude to get to visit this highly significant cultural (and tourist) center. Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Dharamsala has served as a major place of teaching, ritual, tourist attraction, and political significance (although it's a very safe area, not as caught up in Tibet/Chinese tension as say Lhasla).
I hope you've all enjoyed the pictures (I'll try to caption them if I can).
Also, if you want to send me any mail, I'd be happy to receive it! The address is
c/o Burmese Vihar
Bodh Gaya, Bihar
INDIA 824231
Mail can take from 1-2 weeks. Don't send anything valuable or fragile!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Pictures Through Week 5
Hi, everybody! Pictures are posted! Just visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/aenkanus/India1#
After hours of commputer time and messes galore, I got a decent amount posted from my digital camera -- virus-free! I have about a thousand prefaces before viewing them:
- The sequence makes absolutely no sense at all. There are breaks and confusion in the order in at least ten different places.
- I haven't had time yet to post comments to give them context. That will require much more time. But, I hope to in the future!
- These are only half of the photos. I'll be bringing the less-telling ones home with me.
- Also, when I come back to the States I'll post them all, likely in better quality too.
- Feel free to ask questions about them on the blog or picsaweb.
- Apologies, I haven't had any time to blog the past couple weeks. Perhaps, soon I can get down an entry. Thanks for your patience!
After hours of commputer time and messes galore, I got a decent amount posted from my digital camera -- virus-free! I have about a thousand prefaces before viewing them:
- The sequence makes absolutely no sense at all. There are breaks and confusion in the order in at least ten different places.
- I haven't had time yet to post comments to give them context. That will require much more time. But, I hope to in the future!
- These are only half of the photos. I'll be bringing the less-telling ones home with me.
- Also, when I come back to the States I'll post them all, likely in better quality too.
- Feel free to ask questions about them on the blog or picsaweb.
- Apologies, I haven't had any time to blog the past couple weeks. Perhaps, soon I can get down an entry. Thanks for your patience!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Bodh Gaya - 3rd Week
Hello everybody!
I am alive, healthy, and happy, though exhausted, after my third week in Bodh Gaya. We just ended our three week session on the Theravada/Vipassana tradition. This next week we move on to study Mahayana and begin practicing Zen meditation. I just returned Sunday morning from Varanasi, India; most of this entry is about that trip.
Varanasi (or Benares) was both delightful and exhausting! Many of the students decided to take the four hour train ride west this past weekend, because we had an extended 3-day weekend. Varanasi holds deep cultural significance for Indians and Hindus for a variety of reasons, but its main focus is the series of ghats, temples/ashrams which have steps that descend into the Ganges river. I took a lot of pictures but am still figuring out how to upload them safely . . . Here are a few from google.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/india/images/varanasi/ghats2-cc-taraonholiday.jpg
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/NorthIndia/Varanasi/VaranasiGhats08.jpg
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/NorthIndia/Varanasi/VaranasiGhats45.jpg
Although we met up with other Antioch students there, I only tavelled with two other students: my friends Matt and Ryan. Thursday evening we squeezed on to the train - my first time on Sleeper class, the second most crammed way of traveling by train, the next being out-right no reservation seating (the ridiculously crammed trains you may have seen pictures of). It was really fun though; I got to sit on some fold down bunks with a nice family from Calcutta. On the way back, the family wasn't as hospitable. I curled up around my backpack in one of the high bunks meant for luggage and napped until seats opened up.
We stayed at a nice hotel and ate really well. Some favorites were a local bakery with amazing muesli and a Nepali-run restaurant with everything you could imagine prepared deliciously. Even at a higher-end restauraunt like this, I could eat a whole meal for the equivalent of 2-5 dollars.
The first day we toured the ghats by walking along the Ganges river and through the narrow gulleys that connect tenements, temples, shops, fruit stands, etc. They're crammed in a lovely, dirty way and were always compounded with a wide range of smells. From ghee, to oil, to perfume, to urine, to incense, to cow shit. Cows, bulls, buffalo are everywhere on the same streets as humans and can often be more civil (as with Bodh Gaya, a cow just walked past outside the window to my left). I got to sit down and drink chai with Shankarji, a really wonderful and interesting incense maker. He showed us everything from sandalwood, to lavendar, to bamboo that he (and his family) makes from scratch. I made away with some goodies there . . .
Our main objective though was to visit Manikaranika Ghat, Varanasi's main burning ghat. While the Ganges has sacred significance for many reasons, the main attraction for many is to be burned at one of the major ghats and to have one's ashes dumped into the holy river. The fires at Manikaranika are said to be 3,000 years old, begun with the death and burning of Shiva's mother. So a few of us made our way to decidedly respectful watching points, that were still only about 50-100 feet away. We sat there for a few hours, meditating on death and talking with those who approached us. I got to speak with an older man who's worked there for lord knows how long, tending to the cows that give the milk for the food stand right there on the river. Also, while talking with him, the great-grandchildren (a few men in their late twenties) of the deceased man being burned then came over and chatted with me, mostly about subjects besides death: Bodh Gaya, Indian food, Islam . . . I won't describe much more of what I saw, but if you're interested in hearing more perhaps we can talk when I return.
That night we also went to the guru puja at the main ghat, a cermony held at the river. Puja (worship) also happens in the mornings, as a group of us got to see at 4am the next morning, when we took an amazingly beautiful boatride down the Ganges at dawn. Next to be burned at the Ganges, it's considered quite auspicious to bathe in the Ganges too . . . So we got to see that - a rather regular practice for people who live in Varanasi.
In addition to a late night classical music concert and an overwhelming visit to Varanasi's major mall, most of that next day was spent at Sarnath, one of the four major pilgrimage sites for Buddhists. The Sarnath Deer Park is considered to be the place where the Buddha gave his first teaching after becoming Enlightened in Bodh Gaya. We got to meditate at and tour the beautiful park that hosts stupas containing relics of the Buddha. They also had pillars from the Asokan empire (1st CE). For me, it was especially meaningful to get to meditate there and reflect on the Buddha's teaching. The location's spiritual presence was very powerful (like the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya) and it really pushed my concentration deeper. Definitely another place I would have to talk more about in person.
On a more superficial note, I talked down a street vendor from 1600 to 850 rupees (42 rupees to the dollar) for my first Buddha statue -- a 12 inch sandstone statue where his hands form the teaching mudra, he's considered to have used in Sarnath.
Well, like I said, I'm still recovering from the trip and am quite tired, so I'll leave it at that. As for all of you back home, I hope you're doing well and that your stocks weren't completely devastated these past few weeks!
I am alive, healthy, and happy, though exhausted, after my third week in Bodh Gaya. We just ended our three week session on the Theravada/Vipassana tradition. This next week we move on to study Mahayana and begin practicing Zen meditation. I just returned Sunday morning from Varanasi, India; most of this entry is about that trip.
Varanasi (or Benares) was both delightful and exhausting! Many of the students decided to take the four hour train ride west this past weekend, because we had an extended 3-day weekend. Varanasi holds deep cultural significance for Indians and Hindus for a variety of reasons, but its main focus is the series of ghats, temples/ashrams which have steps that descend into the Ganges river. I took a lot of pictures but am still figuring out how to upload them safely . . . Here are a few from google.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/india/images/varanasi/ghats2-cc-taraonholiday.jpg
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/NorthIndia/Varanasi/VaranasiGhats08.jpg
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/NorthIndia/Varanasi/VaranasiGhats45.jpg
Although we met up with other Antioch students there, I only tavelled with two other students: my friends Matt and Ryan. Thursday evening we squeezed on to the train - my first time on Sleeper class, the second most crammed way of traveling by train, the next being out-right no reservation seating (the ridiculously crammed trains you may have seen pictures of). It was really fun though; I got to sit on some fold down bunks with a nice family from Calcutta. On the way back, the family wasn't as hospitable. I curled up around my backpack in one of the high bunks meant for luggage and napped until seats opened up.
We stayed at a nice hotel and ate really well. Some favorites were a local bakery with amazing muesli and a Nepali-run restaurant with everything you could imagine prepared deliciously. Even at a higher-end restauraunt like this, I could eat a whole meal for the equivalent of 2-5 dollars.
The first day we toured the ghats by walking along the Ganges river and through the narrow gulleys that connect tenements, temples, shops, fruit stands, etc. They're crammed in a lovely, dirty way and were always compounded with a wide range of smells. From ghee, to oil, to perfume, to urine, to incense, to cow shit. Cows, bulls, buffalo are everywhere on the same streets as humans and can often be more civil (as with Bodh Gaya, a cow just walked past outside the window to my left). I got to sit down and drink chai with Shankarji, a really wonderful and interesting incense maker. He showed us everything from sandalwood, to lavendar, to bamboo that he (and his family) makes from scratch. I made away with some goodies there . . .
Our main objective though was to visit Manikaranika Ghat, Varanasi's main burning ghat. While the Ganges has sacred significance for many reasons, the main attraction for many is to be burned at one of the major ghats and to have one's ashes dumped into the holy river. The fires at Manikaranika are said to be 3,000 years old, begun with the death and burning of Shiva's mother. So a few of us made our way to decidedly respectful watching points, that were still only about 50-100 feet away. We sat there for a few hours, meditating on death and talking with those who approached us. I got to speak with an older man who's worked there for lord knows how long, tending to the cows that give the milk for the food stand right there on the river. Also, while talking with him, the great-grandchildren (a few men in their late twenties) of the deceased man being burned then came over and chatted with me, mostly about subjects besides death: Bodh Gaya, Indian food, Islam . . . I won't describe much more of what I saw, but if you're interested in hearing more perhaps we can talk when I return.
That night we also went to the guru puja at the main ghat, a cermony held at the river. Puja (worship) also happens in the mornings, as a group of us got to see at 4am the next morning, when we took an amazingly beautiful boatride down the Ganges at dawn. Next to be burned at the Ganges, it's considered quite auspicious to bathe in the Ganges too . . . So we got to see that - a rather regular practice for people who live in Varanasi.
In addition to a late night classical music concert and an overwhelming visit to Varanasi's major mall, most of that next day was spent at Sarnath, one of the four major pilgrimage sites for Buddhists. The Sarnath Deer Park is considered to be the place where the Buddha gave his first teaching after becoming Enlightened in Bodh Gaya. We got to meditate at and tour the beautiful park that hosts stupas containing relics of the Buddha. They also had pillars from the Asokan empire (1st CE). For me, it was especially meaningful to get to meditate there and reflect on the Buddha's teaching. The location's spiritual presence was very powerful (like the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya) and it really pushed my concentration deeper. Definitely another place I would have to talk more about in person.
On a more superficial note, I talked down a street vendor from 1600 to 850 rupees (42 rupees to the dollar) for my first Buddha statue -- a 12 inch sandstone statue where his hands form the teaching mudra, he's considered to have used in Sarnath.
Well, like I said, I'm still recovering from the trip and am quite tired, so I'll leave it at that. As for all of you back home, I hope you're doing well and that your stocks weren't completely devastated these past few weeks!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Bodh Gaya - 2nd Week
Hello everybody,
It's the end of my second week, and I'm very happy and healthy. Thanks to everyone who has been following along my journey; I love reading your comments. A brief note: because most internet cafe computers lack anti-virus software, there's considerable risk in plugging my digital camera into them to upload pictures, and that's why I haven't managed to share them with you all just yet. Thanks for being patient. If I ever do find a safe computer, I'll do my best to post them.
Last time I left you I was about to go through temporary monastic ordination (1 week) in the Burmese Theravada Buddhist tradition. Well, I currently type from inside a humid internet cafe, adorned in my brown monastic robes and American sneakers. This is the first time I've wanted to leave the vihar since ordination; I'll definitely be getting out more after I "de-robe" on Monday and return to lay life. This experience as a temporary monk has been deeply satisfying and reflective for me. Taking on 5 additional precepts has made me reflect more on the wholesomeness or unwholesomeness of my thoughts and actions, and the benefits of following the vinaya, or Buddhist monastic code. Most meaningful has been going through this with other curious American students. Every night at 7pm we (the ten monks who ordained) get to sit, sip honey-lemon tea and discuss Buddhism, philosophy, Burmese culture, ice hockey, and a whole range of topics with our Vipassana teacher Uh Lha Myint. This weekend the ordination experience ends with a 48-hour silent Vipassana retreat, which we'll spend most of in Vipassana sitting and walking meditation. Needless to say, I anticipate it with great joy. It will certainly be a challenge.
This week I also got to write and turn in my first paper . . . all hand-written! I started a week early and it took a lot of time. As many of you know, I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to essays, so I had plenty of loose-leaf thrown about my room scribbled with black, red, and blue print, arrows, 'x's, and editing comments. I wrote this paper for my philosophy class on petas, or "hungry ghosts", as they are seen within the Theravadan Buddhist tradition. The idea was sparked by constant references to ghosts in Bodh Gaya, and the ubiquitous belief in ghosts among Theravadins. For them, hungry ghosts occupy one of the six major realms of being - humans occupy a higher one. I learned a lot, and have a lot to say about the subject if you're curious to talk about it. Or, you could just pack a bag of raw meat and head into the cemetary at midnight and engage them yourself. But most Buddhists don't recommend it.
The Philosophy class has been wonderful. It's taught by an alum from this program who has gone on to study in Tibet, get his masters from Naropa in Tibetan Buddhist Studies, and who is now completing his Phd at Harvard. He's ridiculously knowledgeable, but easy to talk to. His lectures are dense and trance-like, and I'm constantly impressed and appreciative of my peers' engagement and probing questions. Our professor really engages students outside of class too, so there's already a very strong back and forth between us on a whole range of topics, which seem to be pushing his understanding too.
Well, I have to be getting back to the vihar (monastery). Hopefully through these entries I can drop not only updates but also more consistent pieces of the experience so that you all can get an image of what it's like to live in Bodh Gaya.
Again, thanks for keeping track. It's always securing to have a few tethers back home.
It's the end of my second week, and I'm very happy and healthy. Thanks to everyone who has been following along my journey; I love reading your comments. A brief note: because most internet cafe computers lack anti-virus software, there's considerable risk in plugging my digital camera into them to upload pictures, and that's why I haven't managed to share them with you all just yet. Thanks for being patient. If I ever do find a safe computer, I'll do my best to post them.
Last time I left you I was about to go through temporary monastic ordination (1 week) in the Burmese Theravada Buddhist tradition. Well, I currently type from inside a humid internet cafe, adorned in my brown monastic robes and American sneakers. This is the first time I've wanted to leave the vihar since ordination; I'll definitely be getting out more after I "de-robe" on Monday and return to lay life. This experience as a temporary monk has been deeply satisfying and reflective for me. Taking on 5 additional precepts has made me reflect more on the wholesomeness or unwholesomeness of my thoughts and actions, and the benefits of following the vinaya, or Buddhist monastic code. Most meaningful has been going through this with other curious American students. Every night at 7pm we (the ten monks who ordained) get to sit, sip honey-lemon tea and discuss Buddhism, philosophy, Burmese culture, ice hockey, and a whole range of topics with our Vipassana teacher Uh Lha Myint. This weekend the ordination experience ends with a 48-hour silent Vipassana retreat, which we'll spend most of in Vipassana sitting and walking meditation. Needless to say, I anticipate it with great joy. It will certainly be a challenge.
This week I also got to write and turn in my first paper . . . all hand-written! I started a week early and it took a lot of time. As many of you know, I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to essays, so I had plenty of loose-leaf thrown about my room scribbled with black, red, and blue print, arrows, 'x's, and editing comments. I wrote this paper for my philosophy class on petas, or "hungry ghosts", as they are seen within the Theravadan Buddhist tradition. The idea was sparked by constant references to ghosts in Bodh Gaya, and the ubiquitous belief in ghosts among Theravadins. For them, hungry ghosts occupy one of the six major realms of being - humans occupy a higher one. I learned a lot, and have a lot to say about the subject if you're curious to talk about it. Or, you could just pack a bag of raw meat and head into the cemetary at midnight and engage them yourself. But most Buddhists don't recommend it.
The Philosophy class has been wonderful. It's taught by an alum from this program who has gone on to study in Tibet, get his masters from Naropa in Tibetan Buddhist Studies, and who is now completing his Phd at Harvard. He's ridiculously knowledgeable, but easy to talk to. His lectures are dense and trance-like, and I'm constantly impressed and appreciative of my peers' engagement and probing questions. Our professor really engages students outside of class too, so there's already a very strong back and forth between us on a whole range of topics, which seem to be pushing his understanding too.
Well, I have to be getting back to the vihar (monastery). Hopefully through these entries I can drop not only updates but also more consistent pieces of the experience so that you all can get an image of what it's like to live in Bodh Gaya.
Again, thanks for keeping track. It's always securing to have a few tethers back home.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Bodh Gaya - First Week
Namaste all,
Hello from Bodh Gaya, my home for the previous ten days. Our group arrived from Delhi and began classes last week. The moment I stepped off the bus, I knew this was the right place and the right time for me. Simply put, the spiritual vibration of Bodh Gaya is quite intense, especially around the Mahabodhi Temple - the central temple grounds around the Bodhi Tree (where the Buddha attained enlightenment). This is, of course, compounded by the regular Indian, half-modernizing, half crumbling, half-ancient, half-renovated environment. The road outside the vihar is littered with every imaginable 5-note combination squanking out of tourist buses - their horns are more like broken-trumpet ringtones than anything else, an interesting addition to our meditation practice!
The program has been wonderful in terms of accomodation: decent rooms, clean facilities, clean, nutritious food, and countless tips for staying healthy. I've had no illness so far, and, apparently, our group has been record breaking in terms of health. Hardly anyone has gotten sick: some colds and diareha, but nothing abnormal.
Some fun cultural experiences . . . Toilet adjustment has been a blast. Most toilets are fancy holes in the ground with no toilet paper. But squatting has turned out to be a nice leg stretch, and water is more effective than you'd think for anal cleanliness!
Generally (but not absolutely) speaking, Indians have a much more liberal sense of personal space, are friendlier and looser, are crude in conversation with each other but very gentle with Westerners (unless they want your money), and they have no problem staring at you for 5-10 minutes straight. Long eye-to-eye glares aren't considered rude here, nevertheless they make me feel the whole range of awkard, spectacle, handsome, intrusive . . . There's no blaming them though; a 6'4'' white guy in traditional white Indian clothing is probably quite the sight. The shaved head certainly adds to it.
On the subject of clothing, like many other students I've adopted traditional Indian dress, even though most Indians actually where Western clothing these days. The clothes are amazingly comfortable, light, and beautiful. If you want to google-pic: corta, pajama pants, and doti. I really wish I could pull off a doti in the States (basically a man's, Greekish, white, skirt). Indians give me the strangest compliments, "You. Doti. You know you're whering a Doti? Good! You look good! Like Gandhi. You Indian man now! Very rich, very high." What makes me feel really nice and priveledged are my tailored clothes and sandals. They fit wonderfully and were ridiculously cheap.
Speaking of tailors. I befriened my tailor Makshud of "Good and Best Tailors" -- a 26-year-old, kind, but soft-spoken Muslim man. One night, a friend and I got to join him for dinner at his home. It was wonderful. He lives in a quite small tenement near the monastery with family members and a cow (the cow's outside, sort of . . . in India, very little is definitively outdoors or indoors.) We hung out and watched Indian TV (obnoxiously entertaining), although the power switched off every hour or so because it was raining.
I could speak volumes about the curriculum, but I have to keep it short. In brief, the classes are like any other good liberal arts classes; they're definitely enriched by living with the professors! The way in which they teach the meditation course is in three three-week segments. One focusing on Vipassana, the next Zen, and the last Tibetan. We have asian teachers from the traditions who come in and instruct, which has been wonderfully enriching as well. Perhaps, I will illucidate more about the curriculum and meditation in my next entry.
Next week, I will be participating with about 15 others in Burmese temporary lay ordination. Which basically means we get to become monks for 10 days -- taking on additional precepts, wearing the robes, and behaving like monks and nuns. This is a regular ritual in Burma and other Theravadan Buddhist countries, and I'm quite eager and grateful to be participating in it.
Two weeks from now will be our first long weekend. My friend Matt and I will be heading to Varanasi. Perhaps, in future entries, I will discuss some of the friends I'm making: a lot of really interesting, wonderful people who have made this trip a joy for me.
You can expect entries about every week or two because there is not a lot of time to get out of the monastery during the week.
Take care.
Hello from Bodh Gaya, my home for the previous ten days. Our group arrived from Delhi and began classes last week. The moment I stepped off the bus, I knew this was the right place and the right time for me. Simply put, the spiritual vibration of Bodh Gaya is quite intense, especially around the Mahabodhi Temple - the central temple grounds around the Bodhi Tree (where the Buddha attained enlightenment). This is, of course, compounded by the regular Indian, half-modernizing, half crumbling, half-ancient, half-renovated environment. The road outside the vihar is littered with every imaginable 5-note combination squanking out of tourist buses - their horns are more like broken-trumpet ringtones than anything else, an interesting addition to our meditation practice!
The program has been wonderful in terms of accomodation: decent rooms, clean facilities, clean, nutritious food, and countless tips for staying healthy. I've had no illness so far, and, apparently, our group has been record breaking in terms of health. Hardly anyone has gotten sick: some colds and diareha, but nothing abnormal.
Some fun cultural experiences . . . Toilet adjustment has been a blast. Most toilets are fancy holes in the ground with no toilet paper. But squatting has turned out to be a nice leg stretch, and water is more effective than you'd think for anal cleanliness!
Generally (but not absolutely) speaking, Indians have a much more liberal sense of personal space, are friendlier and looser, are crude in conversation with each other but very gentle with Westerners (unless they want your money), and they have no problem staring at you for 5-10 minutes straight. Long eye-to-eye glares aren't considered rude here, nevertheless they make me feel the whole range of awkard, spectacle, handsome, intrusive . . . There's no blaming them though; a 6'4'' white guy in traditional white Indian clothing is probably quite the sight. The shaved head certainly adds to it.
On the subject of clothing, like many other students I've adopted traditional Indian dress, even though most Indians actually where Western clothing these days. The clothes are amazingly comfortable, light, and beautiful. If you want to google-pic: corta, pajama pants, and doti. I really wish I could pull off a doti in the States (basically a man's, Greekish, white, skirt). Indians give me the strangest compliments, "You. Doti. You know you're whering a Doti? Good! You look good! Like Gandhi. You Indian man now! Very rich, very high." What makes me feel really nice and priveledged are my tailored clothes and sandals. They fit wonderfully and were ridiculously cheap.
Speaking of tailors. I befriened my tailor Makshud of "Good and Best Tailors" -- a 26-year-old, kind, but soft-spoken Muslim man. One night, a friend and I got to join him for dinner at his home. It was wonderful. He lives in a quite small tenement near the monastery with family members and a cow (the cow's outside, sort of . . . in India, very little is definitively outdoors or indoors.) We hung out and watched Indian TV (obnoxiously entertaining), although the power switched off every hour or so because it was raining.
I could speak volumes about the curriculum, but I have to keep it short. In brief, the classes are like any other good liberal arts classes; they're definitely enriched by living with the professors! The way in which they teach the meditation course is in three three-week segments. One focusing on Vipassana, the next Zen, and the last Tibetan. We have asian teachers from the traditions who come in and instruct, which has been wonderfully enriching as well. Perhaps, I will illucidate more about the curriculum and meditation in my next entry.
Next week, I will be participating with about 15 others in Burmese temporary lay ordination. Which basically means we get to become monks for 10 days -- taking on additional precepts, wearing the robes, and behaving like monks and nuns. This is a regular ritual in Burma and other Theravadan Buddhist countries, and I'm quite eager and grateful to be participating in it.
Two weeks from now will be our first long weekend. My friend Matt and I will be heading to Varanasi. Perhaps, in future entries, I will discuss some of the friends I'm making: a lot of really interesting, wonderful people who have made this trip a joy for me.
You can expect entries about every week or two because there is not a lot of time to get out of the monastery during the week.
Take care.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
6th Day - Delhi
Our group arrived yesterday morning in Delhi airport after an 8 hour flight, and the day transpired into quite the adventure. It was my first day outside of the U.S./Canada/UK and my first in a third world country, so, of course, there was a lot of new sights and experiences on the trip from the airport alone: ridiculously chaotic traffic, lots of road construction w/o the American safety amenities, low ceilings, amazing and terrible smells, and people napping everywhere from roadsides, to gutters, to on top of buildings and cars.
We arrived at our YMCA hostel, checked in, etc. I showered, but actually shrugged off the initial groups of people heading out to eat and such because I wanted more rest. By mid-afternoon, I decided to go out, grab something vegetarian/cooked/safe-looking/water-free to eat, perhaps find a cheap rate on a phone, and see if I could find my peers who were heading towards one of Delhi's (perhaps India's?) largest Sikh temples close by. Well, I went out alone, which was a fantastic idea, yet something I'll avoid doing in the future. Within twenty minutes I had made two complete rotations through the six realms of being: heaven (beautifully new smells, flower arrangements, people, clothing), human (massive amounts squeezed into confined spaces), titan (aggressively friendly street-vendors, motor-rickshaw drivers, taxi drivers, teenagers looking for a kick), hell (poverty you just have to see for yourself), hungry ghost (all kinds of beggars/scam artists) , and animal (monkeys, cats, dogs (alive and dead)). Well, twenty minutes later and only one task achieved (a safe-looking veggie sandwich), I found some of my friends in a market -- boy did they stand out -- and we made our way to the Sikh temple.
The Sikh temple was quite beautiful; here's someone else's pic (http://www.worldchanging.com/temple.jpg). We kind of just wandered in, found out what was expected in terms of hair coverage, prostration, donation, feet washing, and enjoyed sitting, listening to tabla/sitar music and Sikh proselytizing (presumably in Hindi) booming from speakers all around: a tremendous spiritual vibration to absorb. Meditation was quite effortless; all you needed to do was close your eyes.
Well, nothing too interesting after that. Today at 1:00 PM, I meet with my acarya (teacher, adviser, friend) from Ananda Marga, Dada Rudraprakeshananda, who led me through my experience at the retreat center this summer at Ananda Kanan. We arranged to meet some time ago, and I'm very excited to see him again and have a trustworthy Indian lead me around!
In terms of culture shock, I'm doing surprisingly wonderful at the moment. At the moment . . . I'm sure that'll all change as time goes on.
That's all for now.
We arrived at our YMCA hostel, checked in, etc. I showered, but actually shrugged off the initial groups of people heading out to eat and such because I wanted more rest. By mid-afternoon, I decided to go out, grab something vegetarian/cooked/safe-looking/water-free to eat, perhaps find a cheap rate on a phone, and see if I could find my peers who were heading towards one of Delhi's (perhaps India's?) largest Sikh temples close by. Well, I went out alone, which was a fantastic idea, yet something I'll avoid doing in the future. Within twenty minutes I had made two complete rotations through the six realms of being: heaven (beautifully new smells, flower arrangements, people, clothing), human (massive amounts squeezed into confined spaces), titan (aggressively friendly street-vendors, motor-rickshaw drivers, taxi drivers, teenagers looking for a kick), hell (poverty you just have to see for yourself), hungry ghost (all kinds of beggars/scam artists) , and animal (monkeys, cats, dogs (alive and dead)). Well, twenty minutes later and only one task achieved (a safe-looking veggie sandwich), I found some of my friends in a market -- boy did they stand out -- and we made our way to the Sikh temple.
The Sikh temple was quite beautiful; here's someone else's pic (http://www.worldchanging.com/temple.jpg). We kind of just wandered in, found out what was expected in terms of hair coverage, prostration, donation, feet washing, and enjoyed sitting, listening to tabla/sitar music and Sikh proselytizing (presumably in Hindi) booming from speakers all around: a tremendous spiritual vibration to absorb. Meditation was quite effortless; all you needed to do was close your eyes.
Well, nothing too interesting after that. Today at 1:00 PM, I meet with my acarya (teacher, adviser, friend) from Ananda Marga, Dada Rudraprakeshananda, who led me through my experience at the retreat center this summer at Ananda Kanan. We arranged to meet some time ago, and I'm very excited to see him again and have a trustworthy Indian lead me around!
In terms of culture shock, I'm doing surprisingly wonderful at the moment. At the moment . . . I'm sure that'll all change as time goes on.
That's all for now.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
3rd Day - London
Yesterday I met my new group of friends on the Bodh Gaya program and have begun the orientation with them. Orientation will last until the 9th, but will be in London, Delhi, and Bodh Gaya. Today we had a few prep discussions at a local university, visited the British Museum (which I've been to every day since I arrived), and ended with a fantastic Indian meal. A few favorites: buddha statues, rice pudding, and a conversation about being aware of both our fears AND hopes going into Bodh Gaya, and letting neither pull us away from open-minded, healthy, and maturing experiences.
Right now, I'm sitting in the hotel lobby, surrounded by a dozen of my peers, typing away on a laptop. So far, I've encountered some pretty fantastic personalities. Many calm, mindful people. Generally liberal, but I'm genuinely surprised and excited to find a diversity of intellects attracted to Buddhism, India, and this program. From eavesdropping I can tell you that conversations include: non-profits combatting racism in Mississipi, lost luggage, cheating on a girlfriend and the subsequent regret, developing spiritual education in grade/high schools, and poetry.
Of course, we're all having difficulty untangling ourselves from each other. My meditation/yoga practice has slacked a bit, but it'll all start up again with our relatively rigorous schedule in Bodh Gaya.
The students come from a whole range of experience with religious study, Buddhism, meditation, and yoga. From no experience to years of study, travelling to Tibet, and meditation retreats. From my brief interaction with the instructors, their knowledge and compassion are both pretty vast, and I can't wait to learn more.
Well, next you'll hear from me I'll be in India.
So long!
Right now, I'm sitting in the hotel lobby, surrounded by a dozen of my peers, typing away on a laptop. So far, I've encountered some pretty fantastic personalities. Many calm, mindful people. Generally liberal, but I'm genuinely surprised and excited to find a diversity of intellects attracted to Buddhism, India, and this program. From eavesdropping I can tell you that conversations include: non-profits combatting racism in Mississipi, lost luggage, cheating on a girlfriend and the subsequent regret, developing spiritual education in grade/high schools, and poetry.
Of course, we're all having difficulty untangling ourselves from each other. My meditation/yoga practice has slacked a bit, but it'll all start up again with our relatively rigorous schedule in Bodh Gaya.
The students come from a whole range of experience with religious study, Buddhism, meditation, and yoga. From no experience to years of study, travelling to Tibet, and meditation retreats. From my brief interaction with the instructors, their knowledge and compassion are both pretty vast, and I can't wait to learn more.
Well, next you'll hear from me I'll be in India.
So long!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
1st Day - London
Hello from London! I'm currently sipping Earl Grey tea at an internet cafe, typing on someone else's laptop. I arrived this morning at 9:00 am London time. The flight went quite well, I spent most of it napping, meditating, and concentrating so hard on this beautiful blonde baby's crying until it was surreal and annoying-no-more.
This was after my Mom and step-dad, Jim, barely shoved me out of KCI airport in Kansas City. You see, up until that point, I exerted a special effort not to stress or worry about my trip, but to rather let go of anxiety and trust that all would be OK. One way I did this was by going over my list of possessions and body parts and vividly imagining each one broken, lost, stolen, or even violently ripped from my person. So, by the time of my flight my mind was ready for anything to happen, the chillest I've ever been for a trip -- too chill, frankly. Perhaps chill to the point of carelessness. After loosing track of my itinerary, almost missing my flight (they were calling my name on the intercom), and flying to an unplanned airport (I thought it was Heathrow, but apparently it was Gatwick . . . Heathrow, Gatwick. They sound similar . . .) I exerted a little more effort to control my situation. After doing so, I made it my hostel, ate some Pad Thai, and now here I am -- caffeinated and ready to go museum hopping.
Jet lag? More like Wet Bag. That's my only complaint so far. 46 lbs. is enough, I don't need London drizzle saturation. It's off my back and in a locker now, so I'm good.
I meet my Bodh Gaya program people tomorrow; we begin orientation, then leave for Delhi on the 7th. Stay tuned.
This was after my Mom and step-dad, Jim, barely shoved me out of KCI airport in Kansas City. You see, up until that point, I exerted a special effort not to stress or worry about my trip, but to rather let go of anxiety and trust that all would be OK. One way I did this was by going over my list of possessions and body parts and vividly imagining each one broken, lost, stolen, or even violently ripped from my person. So, by the time of my flight my mind was ready for anything to happen, the chillest I've ever been for a trip -- too chill, frankly. Perhaps chill to the point of carelessness. After loosing track of my itinerary, almost missing my flight (they were calling my name on the intercom), and flying to an unplanned airport (I thought it was Heathrow, but apparently it was Gatwick . . . Heathrow, Gatwick. They sound similar . . .) I exerted a little more effort to control my situation. After doing so, I made it my hostel, ate some Pad Thai, and now here I am -- caffeinated and ready to go museum hopping.
Jet lag? More like Wet Bag. That's my only complaint so far. 46 lbs. is enough, I don't need London drizzle saturation. It's off my back and in a locker now, so I'm good.
I meet my Bodh Gaya program people tomorrow; we begin orientation, then leave for Delhi on the 7th. Stay tuned.
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