India

I'm not sure how to use language to encapsulate this absolutely awe inspiring country or the last three weeks I've spent here but I'll do my best.

The country's deep seeded spirituality is extremely palpable and readily accessible. Thousands of years of metaphysical insight and imaginative modes of love and devotion have created a latticework of spiritual landscaping that has formed the foundation for a truly unique and harmonious culture. The streets are covered in shit and the vast majority of people don't have clean drinking water or anything remotely close to what the west would consider to be a reasonable quality of life but smiles are plentiful and mental well being is evident. The extreme proximity of people and lack of resources is greeted with a great sense of harmony. The people are able to cooperate instead on compete. Instead of being inundated with mass media messages telling what they need to be happy, the people subconsciously tap into the millennia old landscape of love for all things and find contentment in the smallest of life's pleasures. There is definitely begging and sobering poverty among other tough to swallow sights but the worst off are often smiling. (Granted I spent most of my time in tranquil Rishikesh...I definitely heard some horror stories from other travelers.) The other day a desperately old and obviously impoverished man with one tooth came up to me and started singing incredible songs about his love for god with perfect English. I was honored to buy him a cup of chai. The extremity of experience in India is incredible. One moment you step in cow shit, are pushed aside my rambunctious teenagers and see a withering old woman with nothing and the next a snaggle-toothed five foot tall man approaches you just for the purpose of sharing his songs.

I arrived in Delhi at 4 am and was very relieved to see my name on a placard amongst a crowd of people. I stayed in Delhi for two nights in a Tibetan enclave where many displaced refugees reside. It was very refreshing to make it back to a quite neighborhood after long days of Indian craziness. I spent my days taking the metro around and being whisked about in rickshaws. I wandered the streets and the bazaars with a dropped jaw and a busy sense of smell. Delhi is huge and completely full of people and I really cannot describe the experience of being transplanted into such an extremely different world.

I took a train to Haridwar and then a rickshaw to Rishikesh where I spent the last 16 days in the Yoga Niketan ashram on the banks of the mighty Ganga. Located in the foothills of the Himilayas, Rishikesh is one of India's most holy cities. Sadus, swamis and gurus fill the streets and the area is full of colorful and artistic shrines to Hindu gods. For a week the town was very peaceful and tranquil. After that week began an annual pilgrimage in which millions of young boys from all over India flood the streets. The tranquility was immediately replaced by utter insanity. Most of the pilgrims have never seen white people and just walking around town was quite the ordeal. Many sadus sport dreadlocks and I was often mistaken as a some kind of white guru. We were bombarded by crowds of people wanting to touch us and take pictures. It was humorous for a while but definitely got old quick.

The ashram was proved to be austere and eye-opening. It was very grounding and relaxing to be able to post up in the same place for a couple weeks after so much moving around in Europe. There where about 30 people from all over the world staying there. Australians, Chileans, Europeans and a lot of Japanese. I made some good connections, had some great conversations and parted the seas of pilgrims with the other ashramites. The yoga was very difficult but centering. When not reading or exploring, I spent almost all my down time meditating. I deepened my practice to a great degree and was able to learn a fair amount about the Hindu religion and the yogic path to Samadhi. I had long conversations with the 86 year old guru about the supreme consciousness that Hindus call God. Instead of harboring fear of a judgmental god sitting up on a cloud somewhere waiting to strike them down, people know that within themselves they contain all that is divine beauty and they recognize the oneness in each other just be saying hello (namaste). God is considered to be a part of every piece of animate and inanimate matter and there is an unspeakable respect and reverence for all people, animals and objects. After years of purifying thoughts, deep concentration and transcendent meditation, the great masters are able to come into union with the devine on a deep and life changing level. They learn to live simple lives of foresight, manifestation and great compassion. Reading about, discussing and attempting to experience this state of infinte awareness has instilled a great motivation in me to deepen my meditation.

I visited the abandoned Maharishi ashram where the Beatles wrote the White Album and it was breathtakingly beautiful. Just across the river from the Niketan, the grounds have been completely taken over by the jungle in the seven years since its been inhabited. The tranquil beauty of the grounds was amazing.

Too many great experiences and crazy sights to delve into now....
The computers here don't have the capacity to upload photos, of which I took many, so I will do my best to upload them in the near future.

I am off to Delhi where Phil and I will check out the Taj Mahal and then catch a flight to Bangkok. Hope all is well.

Love