4 weeks in...

Hey everyone. Well, another extremely productive week down at Yoga Niketan ashram. Much has been pondered and much experimentation with new philsophies and ideas are constantly taking place. I mean hell, what else have I got to do. Days seem like weeks, and weeks seem like months. I feel like I've been here a year already, which makes me really feel like I'm getting my money's worth if nothing else. I've been reading "In Woods of God-Realization", a 7 volume, 3000 page series of talks and writings by Swami Rama Tirtha, a man who lived only 33 years in a human body, but whose wisdom is like nothing I have ever glimpsed. To say the reading is deep would not come close to doing it justice, so I won't even try. It concerns the philosophy of Adavaita Vedanta, which I guess you can read more about on wikipedia if you're interested in knowing what kind of craziness I am getting into. It was a suggestion given to me by local Swami Yogeshwarananda, whose acquaintance I met earlier this week.



On Monday, after putting it off long enough, I decided to give Swami Yogeshwarananda a ring (the guy who gave some talks in Tallahassee about 3 months ago). I'd talked to him at his meditation workshop and told him I'd be in Rishikesh soon, so he gave me his contact info and told me to give him a call whenever. I finally talked to him, and after receiving some overly complex directions, the rickshaw driver was able luckily able to find it after stopping about 20 times to ask random people for directions. This was my first time taking a rickshaw, which was an interesting experience. The driver was a very dishonest man, and tried to swindle me in every way imaginable, but I think I was only moderately swindled in the end. Rickshaws by the way are these little 3 wheeled buggies without seatbelts or doors that are the most popular form of taxi in India. They are everywhere and it's easy to catch a ride anywhere you're at. Often I'll see close to 10 Indians crammed in the incredibly small space to get a good rate. They spew out tons of exhaust fumes though, and are incredibly noisy and the ride resembles that of a go-kart. so it's not exactly the height of comfort. But the horn is loud and that's all that really matters in India.

We finally got to the place, which was basically this huge mansion with golden Shiva statues out front and a big marble staircase. A couple bikini-clad Indian women led me to his indoor swimming pool, where he was surrounded by more beautiful women, and had a bunch of cocaine laid out, which he quickly offered me. We watched some MTV on his plasma screen TV and then played some xbox 360 for awhile before we went barhopping....haha, sorry I couldn't resist. No, seriously, he lived in a very modest apartment above another family, and had accommodations similar to mine at the ashram. He has a cook who lives with him, and I guess he supports the cook and his rent by the talks he gives 2-3 months out of the year in America and elsewhere, but that's just a guess. We sat down and chatted for awhile, and he asked me a bunch of questions about myself and also answered a bunch of my questions about life, as well as India. He first of all told me I got seriously ripped off by the rickshaw driver, whom I paid about $3 for the fare. He said it shouldn't cost more than $1 to get to where he lives (about 4km away from the ashram), and if I shared a cab with a bunch of other people, I could make it for about 25 cents. I'm still really fuming over that $2, let me tell you, but it's good to have people in the know point this kind of stuff out, so you have a good frame of reference for the future. I asked him about the reality of Indian mysticism, and he said to take it all with a grain of salt, as Indians like to...exaggerate quite a bit, but he said certain things are certainly possible, which many might not believe. But many stories are sensationalized heavily or downright fictionalized in order to convince people of the powers to be acquired through faith and meditation. He told me Rishikesh was a very chaotic city nowadays with all the tourists and pilgrims constantly going through, and that it has grown immensely in the past 40 years since he first came. He also told me my patience and anger would be tested many times by the very rude people living here. He said that generally people in the West are much more aware of manners and politeness, but that people here don't know any better. He's right, there are some ridiculously rude people all over the place, and a lot of very careless and thoughtless behavior, but I don't take it personally. He said when he originally came it was mostly forests and ashrams, and that 90% of the developed stuff was not here, but also said it's just a microcosm of economic development all over India and the world in general, so it's to be expected. I asked him if there were any decent places to go for a walk to get away from everyone, and he said there were only 2 to his knowledge, but told me about both, one of which is very close to where I stay, so I was very grateful for that. I'm very accustomed to taking walks alone in the woods in Tallahassee, and am glad I will be able to continue that here.



I actually went out on Wednesday to explore the destination, which was very quiet and secluded, and a very welcome respite from the constant noise in the streets below the ashram, which itself is not really big enough to go for a decent walk. I basically walked along an almost deserted street that steadily inclined up into the hills, and was parallel to a mostly barren canal that flows perpendicular to the Ganges. There were all kinds of people doing something or other in the canal all along the way, and I will just say it did not look like fun work, but hey, who knows? I found a sort of trail off into the forest, so I decided to follow it for as long as I could. When I say trail, I mean a bunch of rocks and large stones placed in the middle of this dense forest that probably served some sort of drainage purpose, that led through large rock faces, and big expanses of cool foreign vegetation. Never have I seen so many butterflies. They would literally land all over me if stopping for a rest or a bowel relief break, which I didn't mind. It's funny, if they didn't have such beautiful wings, I'm sure I would not be so keen on having such things crawling all over me, but I am still a slave to aesthetics, at least to a certain degree. I walked a couple kilometers in, searching for a nice open clearing to sit down, but none of the terrain was too welcoming unfortunately. On the way back, I heard a sudden loud grunt to my immediate right, which I will admit sent me into a temporary panic, but I think my reaction had the same effect on the grunter in question, and his/her companion. They were either boars or small cattle who were surprised by my presence, but I didn't stick around to investigate. I will admit I was a little apprehensive the whole time I was walking, due to my knowledge of some of the things living in these forests, but I had to at least check this place out to see if any hidden treasures existed. I let a large spiderweb be the end of my journey this time, but next time I think I'll venture a little further to see what I can find. Swami Y said that during the night, the tigers, cheetahs, leopards, and bears are on the prowl, so to never be out there after dark, which will not be a problem.



I asked him for some book recommendations, and he gave me a bunch of ancient spiritual Indian texts, which he said would do me no good unless I studied with a very wise person (like him?), so I asked him for some more general stuff and he gave me some good ones, which I picked up and am finding quite inspiring, one of which is the Swami Rama series I mentioned earlier, which, really, is some amazing stuff. I was quite curious about his life and development into Swamihood, so he answered a few of my questions. He said when he was about my age, he came to Rishikesh and stayed in an ashram for 2 years, before wandering farther up into the hills to live a more secluded life. I asked him about survival and food and safety and all that, and he basically said that there are several local agencies that cook and provide food for Swamis, so every day they just have to come down from wherever they stay, and collect their days food in these little metal buckets I often see them carrying around. Oh how the far right in the US would love that. Giving people food forever so they don't have to work or do anything except focus on themselves. India is a very religious and spiritual place, and they show great support to the holy men and encourage them to explore spirituality to the highest level possible. Not that they're providing steaks and caviar I assure you, but I think it's pretty cool. Here, instead of gaining the most respect through the amount of wealth you accumulate like in the US and most other nations, respect is gained through how many things you renounce, which I will admit I find very admirable. He said he lived in a tiny hut for about 30 years and spent all day meditating and studying religious texts. He says that Swamis live in little packs, though still in definite isolation from each other. He said they would convene daily and have hours long study sessions of scriptures and texts, with older Swamis providing a lot of guidance and mentorship. To become a Swami, all that has to happen is that another Swami has to initiate you, and the only requirement for initiation is a renunciation of worldly pleasures and desires and seeking a path of spirituality. I don't think just anyone can become one though. I think you have to dedicate many years to study prior, and prove that the life of renunciation is one you intend to keep, so as to not disgrace the orange robes they wear. The orange robe is symbolic of flame, which is said to consume and purify the human form, or ego, so that self/god-realization may occur. Similaraly Buddhists wear yellow robes, which to them signify the color of death and decay of the body, and Christian monks are placed in a coffin and read funeral rites before they are initiated, another act symbolizing death of the worldly self, and embracing of the spiritual self. He said he moved into his current home about 7 years ago, and wanted to share his teachings with the world after attaining a high level of self-realization up in the hills. He invited me to have lunch with him, and he had a Swiss woman staying there studying with him named Barbara. She seemed very meek and kind of nervous, so I couldn't really find out much about her, but I guess she'd known him for quite awhile and had visited before. We ate very mild and light food, almost identical to the stuff I eat daily at the ashram, but it tasted significantly fresher, and we had a nice treat of pomegranate seeds for dessert. I stayed for about 2.5 hours altogether, and it was a very pleasant experience. His answers to all of my questions absolutely reek of wisdom, and he seems to live and embody the philosophies which he embraces and teaches, at least that's what I got out of hanging with him for a couple hours. He says what I'm doing is definitely a good start, and with a lot of time and hard work, I will come to realize many things about the universe and how to experience peace in it. He said to call him up any time I like and to come by any time. I'm not sure I'll be a student of his any time soon necessarily, at least not until I become a lot more steeped in this kind of lifestyle, but it's good to know his door is always open. A very good man from what I can tell, and I feel honored to have been welcome at his table.

On Friday I went out for another long walk, and went very far down this mostly abandoned road, but happened by a Business and Technical University back in the hills and saw several boys and girls in uniforms crossing the road. I met one guy named Girish (which sounds like Greece/grease when he says it), and after exchanging pleasantries, he invited me for a quick cup of chai at the university canteen before I went on my way. I had a couple hours left before I had to get back, so I thought, alright, this should be interesting. He introduced me to a bunch of friends, and they all seemed very fascinated by me and asked me a bunch of questions and we talked for a good half hour. Apparently there are around 1000 people at the university, with around 30% being locals. He offered to "walk" around and show me some good sights around town, which basically meant ride on his motorcycle, so I agreed. It was pouring rain though, and we were both soaked within seconds, so he offered to take me back to his family's home to dry off and let me borrow some dry clothes before we went into town. I went in and met his mother, sister-in-law, and 5 very cute nieces and nephews, and he gave me some more tea and cookies, as well as some pretty funny clothes to wear. No one in the home spoke English, but seemed like very welcoming and inviting people, and I shook hands repeatedly with all the smiling wide-eyed children. The residence was about 1 km away from the ashram I stay at, and was located back through a large network of very narrow alleys off of the main road. It was certainly not a home in a traditional american sense, and a lot of the space was open air, with rooms off to the side. I would definitely not call it luxury living, but it was a pretty neat little abode and I was happy to have gotten another glimpse of modest Indian living up close and personal. After changing, we headed back out and he took me to meet 2 of his brothers at their places of work, and took me to the opposite side of town to show me a couple sites briefly. I was pretty crunched for time, so he got me back after only a short time, but asked if I'd meet him the next day to more fully show me the sights. Apparently he serves as a guide in his spare time, so he knows a lot about the city and the popular places to go. I met him the next day in the mid-afternoon for another "walk", and we zoomed through huge crowds on his motorbike and rode all over the city. He took me to several of the very large and famous temples, and explained to me all of the statues and pictures of the different deities and their places in Hinduism, which I found to be pretty interesting. We sat down for awhile and discussed philosophy pretty deeply, and I found we shared a whole lot of the same ideals at the core. I told him a lot about America, which he says seems "too much fast", and he told me a lot about India which is "too much peaceful". The last place he took me to was the 12-story temple, which had over 100 different statues and shrines to different deities, as you slowly worked your way up the stairs, and the view from the top was spectacular. The range of mountains you could see was incredible, and could see for at least a hundred miles in every direction. One of the few times I really wished I had a camera. After that he took me down to a bathing ghat (one of many marble platforms along the Ganges where the Indians go to bathe), and sang me some Indian chants, and asked me to sing some Western songs, which I thought was pretty funny. I sang him a couple songs "you are my sunshine", "all you need is love", which he got a kick out of, but knowing so many songs, I really couldn't think of anything decent to do accapella, which Indian songs lend themselves to a lot more. I agreed to go with him tonight to the city's biggest Aarti, which is a large, complex religious celebration, with all kinds of chanting, bells, cymbals, and rituals. Should be interesting. I think he said there are usually 1000-2000 people in attendance for this particular one, which takes place every night fro m 5:30-6:30. He also said at some point he could set me up with a mountain trekking guide to go farther up into the Himalayas and really see the deep forests, so we'll see what happens. Really an impossibly friendly and helpful guy, who I think will be very valuable to know as long as I'm here. Another very nice example of the hospitable and friendly nature of some of the Indians around here. He said many people want to be helpful and friendly actually, but do not speak English, and so feel they cannot communicate and thus do not want to interact at all, which can be mistaken for rudeness.

Other than that, like I said, I've just been doing a lot of reading, insanely challenging yoga postures, and lots of meditation. I try to experience these philosophies and ideas I read in daily living and in meditation to see if they have any merit, as that is the only way to truly discover any sort of truth, and I have to say I am very pleased with the results so far. I feel very happy now here, perhaps the happiest I've ever been, and knowing that all that it takes to be happy is myself is an incredibly comforting and empowering thing. As I develop more of a routine, I find there is less and less to really write about, and I just feel too strange talking about a lot of these philosophies, as many seem the antithesis of western social, economic, and religious ideals, so the blog thing may slow down a bit. I may not write anything for a couple weeks, but it all depends what happens. I again thank you all for all your nice words, and am glad you are getting something out of the writing. I may be able to post some pictures next time, so stay tuned. Until then, take care, and thanks for reading.



Love,

Adam