It is hard to say how this started, and as one looks pastward, it is difficult to see where something ends and something else begins.
For me I will start with the most recent chapter, introducing a dear soul, Eliot. Eliot is the type to take life to the extreme, and as a true survivor will never overlook anything. With a bit of skepticism, I followed Eliot to his many wanderings, hopping from Qigong class, to Tai Chi, and attending religious ceremonies that offered energy healings and energy readings. When I headed to San Diego I was always aware of these things, but never gave them much weight. But as I saw Eliot believe that all ways were equally plausible when dealing with concepts beyond the scope of normal experience, and so gave all faiths that offered help and healing to those that suffered, I learned a bit about open-mindedness.
And with open mind, I attended a service in a community I didn't know existed. I recieved some energy healing and an angel reading. As far as I remember the psychic reading went something like this:
"Right now your life is spinning off balance, juggling too many things at once, and not doing any of them well. It is as if you are trying to do the Hula Hoop with so many rings that your going crazy. What you need to do is stop, and let the rings fall to the ground. And once you have stopped, look at the rings one by one and start again slowly and deliberately."
To which I thought, what the the hell does that mean? But that was soon to become a theme. Like a story I once understood, I began at the edge of the hole and decided to chase the rabbit. Maybe chase is the wrong word, more like stumble, trip, and eventually, enjoy falling down a hole.
After this image, the next day as it turns out, I had the great honor of being part of an experimental focus group. The focus was on a workshop designed on dreams, finding and encouraging their growth. In this group there was another man, two women, and the facilitator Keno. Now I knew about this group for a while, and so I thought about my dreams, and couldn't find much I wanted to do, frustrating me greatly. When I closed my eyes, only one vision was in my head, and it looks like this:
I am standing on the bow of my uncle's sailboat. It is one of those rare days when the sun shines and the wind blows a 12 or 15 knot wind. The kind of day when the boat gets moving, and you can feel the wind in your hair. With the sun also shining, you have a tendency to close your eyes. With the sun warming you and the wind blowing across your face, there is only one thing to do, smile.
At first this left me with only one dream, to sail the world, seeing oceans, feeling the wind, seeing the sun, and smelling the salt of the sea. But I thought it strange this was all that I wished for; to travel on an unknown path, carried about by the wind, with no fixed destination, living moment to moment.
As I listened to the dreams of the others in he group, who would soon become my friends, I became more disheartened. And it would take me a while to understand why.
The first to share his story, so personal I left his name out. He shared a life full of pain, a struggle against himself, but full of love and caring for those around him. His life of physical strain had exacted a toll on him that left his dream, to live one day without pain. Inspiring.
The second to share their dream was a beautiful young women, unfortunately considered middle-age by American obsession of youth. For her, life had turned in a different direction than she expected. Instead of following her passion of singing, she was amidst a divorce and raising a teenager. Amongst all this turmoil, her dream was to ignite her career and win a Grammy. Wow.
And so I felt a little embarrassed with my goal of sailing, because it was about as difficult to obtain as a drivers licence. The others were beautifully helpful and comapssionate, offering many options to follow my dream, but I was still thinking, "This is my dream, this what I want?"
And then I found the path. I ran into a friend, I hadn't seen in a number of weeks. Actually, I ran into him almost momentarily after his arrival to the Ideal. He spoke about a trip to India. A country I hadn't thought about since my friend had gone there, and found it as one finds a pile of burning garbage, seriously.
Kashif described his travel plans, involving the birthplace of Buddhist meditation, yoga and seemingly everything else popular these days that didn't come from China.
I said, "that sounds like fun!"
And Kashif said, "you should come."
And I said, "yes, it sounds intersting."
It took me a few days to realize the decision that I had made at that moment. To walk along a path and be carried by a breeze that I couldn't see.
After finding the path, I began to find joy in the simplicity of life. And so I began to laugh at how complicated life had been. And being opened up by the search for dreams, I saw a world that needed a little laughter, of he kind for no reason. The kind that ends with people wondering why it started on the first place and ending with everyone feeling better anyways.
And so I found "The Way" along the path that began with a dream. A way that carries me through one of the most remarkable periods of my life that I look forward to sharing with anyone, and if I get the chance, I would love to laugh about it too.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Bodhgaya, A Train, and A Delhi
It has been quite some time since my last post, so I will fill in the geography here.
I ended up spending quite some time in Bodhgaya, being almost half of the trip up until that point. Bodhgaya was big enough to offer many sights, sounds, and smells as per usual India.
Maybe it was the large number of Buddhist pilgrims and the small number of Hindu tourists, but it had a peaceful, more pensive nature. Except for Sarnath, Bodhgaya was the easiest place to relax.
The other advantage of Bodhgaya was the "monastery" we stayed at. The Sakya temple offered a very peaceful place to recover from more busy places. The rooms faced East, so sunrise always filtered through the windows, and looming trees offered shade from a somewhat intense sun.
After Bodhgaya, we began the journey West. This required a trip by Autorickshaw back to Gaya. As it happened, the day we were to travel was the second day of Holi, a huge Hindu festival. After picking up some new friends, we ventured into a color filled world.
From stories, I had imagined buckets of color slung from every corner of the street, turning the world into a giant painting. As it was, color was reserved mainly for hands and faces. The two main colors were redish-pink and hulk-green. If I had to choose, I would probably go with green, fearing the red would make me blush for weeks.
Taking a very uncrowded overnight train, full of regular Indian shennigans, we arrived in Delhi. This time around, we were able to experience a more full-bodied Delhi. One that is an assault on five senses, with only minute pockets of solace in which to rejuvenate. I was lucky enough to find some in my travels, and I am happy for that.
After 3 long days in Delhi, I headed off to Rishikesh via Hardiwar on a tightly packed train. The ride was quite fun, and I spent a majority of it speaking with an Indian couple and a young Indian family, and for that I say "Libba-libba-lay!"
Arriving in Hardiwar was uneventful, with the usual rush of cabis, wanting to take us anywhere. We walked down to the street to the bus depot, which was the experience of this trip so far.
When asking for the bus to Rishikesh, there were two responses:
1) I can take you by taxi
2) Eiither shrugging shoulders or laughing or pointing in a seemingly random direction
Now, all of the buses have numbers, but all the writing was in Hindi. After finding the one person who would tell us, we saw a bus emerge, slowing down just enough to enable jumping on. From there, it was a bumby and somewhat exciting bus trip to Rishikesh, a city seemingly without beginning or end.
And here I am in Rishikesh, the first city I feel comfortable spending some time, walking, hiking, climbing, swimming, yoga-ing, meditating, and Qigong-ing. I feel that this more than the start of my second part of this trip, but something altogether and different at the same time. I hope to get all into my next post, so tune in next time for something a little more deep.
Thank you for listening!
I ended up spending quite some time in Bodhgaya, being almost half of the trip up until that point. Bodhgaya was big enough to offer many sights, sounds, and smells as per usual India.
Maybe it was the large number of Buddhist pilgrims and the small number of Hindu tourists, but it had a peaceful, more pensive nature. Except for Sarnath, Bodhgaya was the easiest place to relax.
The other advantage of Bodhgaya was the "monastery" we stayed at. The Sakya temple offered a very peaceful place to recover from more busy places. The rooms faced East, so sunrise always filtered through the windows, and looming trees offered shade from a somewhat intense sun.
After Bodhgaya, we began the journey West. This required a trip by Autorickshaw back to Gaya. As it happened, the day we were to travel was the second day of Holi, a huge Hindu festival. After picking up some new friends, we ventured into a color filled world.
From stories, I had imagined buckets of color slung from every corner of the street, turning the world into a giant painting. As it was, color was reserved mainly for hands and faces. The two main colors were redish-pink and hulk-green. If I had to choose, I would probably go with green, fearing the red would make me blush for weeks.
Taking a very uncrowded overnight train, full of regular Indian shennigans, we arrived in Delhi. This time around, we were able to experience a more full-bodied Delhi. One that is an assault on five senses, with only minute pockets of solace in which to rejuvenate. I was lucky enough to find some in my travels, and I am happy for that.
After 3 long days in Delhi, I headed off to Rishikesh via Hardiwar on a tightly packed train. The ride was quite fun, and I spent a majority of it speaking with an Indian couple and a young Indian family, and for that I say "Libba-libba-lay!"
Arriving in Hardiwar was uneventful, with the usual rush of cabis, wanting to take us anywhere. We walked down to the street to the bus depot, which was the experience of this trip so far.
When asking for the bus to Rishikesh, there were two responses:
1) I can take you by taxi
2) Eiither shrugging shoulders or laughing or pointing in a seemingly random direction
Now, all of the buses have numbers, but all the writing was in Hindi. After finding the one person who would tell us, we saw a bus emerge, slowing down just enough to enable jumping on. From there, it was a bumby and somewhat exciting bus trip to Rishikesh, a city seemingly without beginning or end.
And here I am in Rishikesh, the first city I feel comfortable spending some time, walking, hiking, climbing, swimming, yoga-ing, meditating, and Qigong-ing. I feel that this more than the start of my second part of this trip, but something altogether and different at the same time. I hope to get all into my next post, so tune in next time for something a little more deep.
Thank you for listening!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Musings of a Laughing Man
Heehee, hoooo....
So many great conversations have begun or ended this way. I truly feel that laughter is a way to connect with other people on a level that anyone could understand.
However, on my travels, I have found that laughter can be misunderstood if we are not all coming from the same place, happiness. It is because of this that I have found I am not laughing as much or in the same way as I did back home.
It does seem that children will always accept laughter, it may actually frighten them a bit here, but they will eventually let go and begin to laugh. And that is why I think I enjoy the children here so much, even with so much poverty, they can still laugh. In India, children who may don't eat much can still enjoy a simple game of futbol on a rough field; or a game of stick-tire; or just jumping in a pile of sand in the sun.
I wonder at what age we lose the ability to enjoy that which we have in front of us and instead look for money or possessions to entertain and enjoy. The more time I laugh and play with these kids I feel it is not lost, but hiding there under the surface. And for me, it breaks through when I laugh at something simple; a smirk, or an errant glare, or especially that furrowed brow we get when things don't quite go our way.
So, if you see someone letting out a laugh, a smile, or any song they choose to sing; either join in or let them enjoy it. For enjoying the moment and allowing others to do the same is all we have to do in this life.
So many great conversations have begun or ended this way. I truly feel that laughter is a way to connect with other people on a level that anyone could understand.
However, on my travels, I have found that laughter can be misunderstood if we are not all coming from the same place, happiness. It is because of this that I have found I am not laughing as much or in the same way as I did back home.
It does seem that children will always accept laughter, it may actually frighten them a bit here, but they will eventually let go and begin to laugh. And that is why I think I enjoy the children here so much, even with so much poverty, they can still laugh. In India, children who may don't eat much can still enjoy a simple game of futbol on a rough field; or a game of stick-tire; or just jumping in a pile of sand in the sun.
I wonder at what age we lose the ability to enjoy that which we have in front of us and instead look for money or possessions to entertain and enjoy. The more time I laugh and play with these kids I feel it is not lost, but hiding there under the surface. And for me, it breaks through when I laugh at something simple; a smirk, or an errant glare, or especially that furrowed brow we get when things don't quite go our way.
So, if you see someone letting out a laugh, a smile, or any song they choose to sing; either join in or let them enjoy it. For enjoying the moment and allowing others to do the same is all we have to do in this life.
You know you are in India when...
Hello friends!
You know you are in India when the employees MIGHT wash their hands before returning to work.
It has been far too long since I have posted last, and much continues to happen. I have tried to post, but alas India has decided that now is the time for an update.
My companions and I arrived in Delhi, spending an evening with Kashif's cousins. The next day we flew to Lucknow, staying in a modest palace for a few days. After checking out some Muslim ruins, dodging and weaving through traffic, and eating until we almost burst, we travelled to Varanasi.
Varanasi was a city far beyond my imagination in both likes and dislikes. It had that certain quality of air that you can find in India; a mixture of dust, diesel fumes, refuse, and burning leaves, but sometimes it is bad. There are many things to do, but some of the best we didn't plan and weren't in any book you can find. One such day involved a jaunt to a school where we witnessed a Puja ritual for some children before a big set of exams. We then listened to the headmaster speak on the importance of friendship: how friends are your best teachers, and how we should all work to aid those around us, and finally how we need to close our books when we get stressed out, go outside and take some deep breaths. Such divine wisdom from the principle of a huge school!
After Varanasi, we headed to Sarnath, the site of the Buddha's first sermon. This town was a welcomed respite from the chaos of Varanasi. We took in many beautiful gardens, and had many opportunities to meditate at Buddhist temples from around the world. This was my first exposure to Buddhist monks in India, and they were very wonderful, friendly and interested in many things about me. After staying at a temple here, we have opted to continue looking for Dharmshalas (temple guesthouses) for stay in on our trip.
From Sarnath we traveled back to Varanasi to take a train to Gaya, and from there to Bodhgaya. While we did spend one period of about 9 hours in Gaya, it was agreed that was more than enough time for a city of less charm than Varanasi. From there we took an autorickshaw to Bodhgaya.
And here we are in Bodhgaya, the place where the Sakyamuni Gotama sat under a tree, and became the first Buddhist. This was abbreviated not out of disrespect, but because it happened well over 2500 years ago, and I am not sure exactly how it went down. For some history you should contact Michael Owens!
So that is a bit of the where and how of my trip so far, but I suppose the what and why may be more interesting, so I hope to get that out tomorrow before beginning my Vipassana retreat tomorrow.
So here is the abbreviated list according to my recollection.
You know you are in India when...
-your car is on fire, so you bend over and throw some dirt on it
-you drive on the left side of the road
-or the middle of the road
-or the right side of the road
-actually you just drive in the direction that there isn't another car.
-roads lanes aren't marked; see above.
-pedestrians don't have the right-of-way, only cows
-cows and goats are natures garbage men
-everything is negotiable, with and without your consent
-anything is possible, not everything can be done, unless you know a guy.
-collusion and price fixing beat out capitalism
Well, that is the short list, but I will be sure to add on as I learn. I hope you all smile alot, laugh at least a little, and share yourself with the world!
You know you are in India when the employees MIGHT wash their hands before returning to work.
It has been far too long since I have posted last, and much continues to happen. I have tried to post, but alas India has decided that now is the time for an update.
My companions and I arrived in Delhi, spending an evening with Kashif's cousins. The next day we flew to Lucknow, staying in a modest palace for a few days. After checking out some Muslim ruins, dodging and weaving through traffic, and eating until we almost burst, we travelled to Varanasi.
Varanasi was a city far beyond my imagination in both likes and dislikes. It had that certain quality of air that you can find in India; a mixture of dust, diesel fumes, refuse, and burning leaves, but sometimes it is bad. There are many things to do, but some of the best we didn't plan and weren't in any book you can find. One such day involved a jaunt to a school where we witnessed a Puja ritual for some children before a big set of exams. We then listened to the headmaster speak on the importance of friendship: how friends are your best teachers, and how we should all work to aid those around us, and finally how we need to close our books when we get stressed out, go outside and take some deep breaths. Such divine wisdom from the principle of a huge school!
After Varanasi, we headed to Sarnath, the site of the Buddha's first sermon. This town was a welcomed respite from the chaos of Varanasi. We took in many beautiful gardens, and had many opportunities to meditate at Buddhist temples from around the world. This was my first exposure to Buddhist monks in India, and they were very wonderful, friendly and interested in many things about me. After staying at a temple here, we have opted to continue looking for Dharmshalas (temple guesthouses) for stay in on our trip.
From Sarnath we traveled back to Varanasi to take a train to Gaya, and from there to Bodhgaya. While we did spend one period of about 9 hours in Gaya, it was agreed that was more than enough time for a city of less charm than Varanasi. From there we took an autorickshaw to Bodhgaya.
And here we are in Bodhgaya, the place where the Sakyamuni Gotama sat under a tree, and became the first Buddhist. This was abbreviated not out of disrespect, but because it happened well over 2500 years ago, and I am not sure exactly how it went down. For some history you should contact Michael Owens!
So that is a bit of the where and how of my trip so far, but I suppose the what and why may be more interesting, so I hope to get that out tomorrow before beginning my Vipassana retreat tomorrow.
So here is the abbreviated list according to my recollection.
You know you are in India when...
-your car is on fire, so you bend over and throw some dirt on it
-you drive on the left side of the road
-or the middle of the road
-or the right side of the road
-actually you just drive in the direction that there isn't another car.
-roads lanes aren't marked; see above.
-pedestrians don't have the right-of-way, only cows
-cows and goats are natures garbage men
-everything is negotiable, with and without your consent
-anything is possible, not everything can be done, unless you know a guy.
-collusion and price fixing beat out capitalism
Well, that is the short list, but I will be sure to add on as I learn. I hope you all smile alot, laugh at least a little, and share yourself with the world!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Song of the Soul
Thank you for taking a little time to read my blog! Comments, thoughts and opinions are fine as long as they are directed towards me.
In the past few months I have undertaken a transformation that has led me to the present moment. However, I have become aware of this transformation only recently. This awareness came to me when I heard the song of my soul, often referred to as laughter. The kind of laughter that comes without hesitation and expectation.
There are many ways in which the soul is moved, and everytime I believe it is beautiful no matter how brief or suttle. The continual pursuit of this song is what I hope to bring with this blog. For me, the most genuine expression is through laughter and sharing and encouraging others to do the same.
There are an infinite number of these expressions, and I love experiencing threm. If you are moved in any way and would like to share it through this blog, I would be overjoyed to post or link to work in any form.
It is my hope to share video, audio, and pictures of the song of the soul throughout the world; allowing everyone to see that all souls are connected in spirit.
I always share my joy and laughter with gratitude for all of those that I have and will encounter. The song is only a reflection of the way my soul has been touched. I will continue to thank you for your song, and hope that you enjoying sharing it with the world.
May the world always seek peace in this moment.
In the past few months I have undertaken a transformation that has led me to the present moment. However, I have become aware of this transformation only recently. This awareness came to me when I heard the song of my soul, often referred to as laughter. The kind of laughter that comes without hesitation and expectation.
There are many ways in which the soul is moved, and everytime I believe it is beautiful no matter how brief or suttle. The continual pursuit of this song is what I hope to bring with this blog. For me, the most genuine expression is through laughter and sharing and encouraging others to do the same.
There are an infinite number of these expressions, and I love experiencing threm. If you are moved in any way and would like to share it through this blog, I would be overjoyed to post or link to work in any form.
It is my hope to share video, audio, and pictures of the song of the soul throughout the world; allowing everyone to see that all souls are connected in spirit.
I always share my joy and laughter with gratitude for all of those that I have and will encounter. The song is only a reflection of the way my soul has been touched. I will continue to thank you for your song, and hope that you enjoying sharing it with the world.
May the world always seek peace in this moment.
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