India Trip Notes-Rishikesh

Rishikesh and the morning dew (from Daya's camera)

On our way to Rishikesh, we stopped to meditate in a cave, said to have been  Vashishta’s. Vasistha is known as the first sage of Vedanta philosophy and had Lord Rama as his disciple. Yoga Vasistha, one of my favorite texts, is the discourse documented between Vasistha and Lord Rama. I read it 10 years ago and this was a reminder for me to go back and read this masterpiece again.

Vasishta's cave

Located on the banks of Ganges and gateway to the Himalayas, Rishikesh is the unofficial yoga capital of the world. I loved it 10 years ago and I fell in love with it again. I felt safe, secure, and a sense of belonging 10 years ago and I felt exactly the same now. I’ve heard many times people talk about Rishikesh as “spiritual” and it’s twin sister Haridwar as “religious”. Surprisingly it feels exactly like that, I feel the heavy dogma at Haridwar and that’s exactly why I like Riskesh better. Rishikesh is light, Rishikesh flows, Rishikesh doesn’t care about your religion.

Ram Jula 

There is an ashram in every corner and the yoga classes and yoga teacher trainings mushroomed across the city. Beyond yoga, I was surprised how outdoor adventure activities like rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, even zip lining multiplied.  Now you come across a 4x4 trucks with rafts everywhere and lots of Westerners come here for outdoor sports.

We visited Sivananda ashram every morning and had our morning meditation there.

Swami Sivananda in 1930's

 Swami Sivananda came to Rishikesh in the 1930’s and popularized meditation and yoga. We visited his cottage on the river, the temple where “Hare Krishna, Hare Rama” has been chanted non-stop since 1942.We had a very nice surprise at the Divine Life Society where the current president Swami Vimalananda has invited us to his daily discourse and even chanted  “Oh God Beautiful” for us. He is 84 years old and giving discourses every day!  It was unbelievable to sit at his foot, get his blessed food and listen to his satsang.

receiving prasad from Swami Vimalananda

At sunset, there is one location to go in Rishikesh: Parmarth Niketan ashram. Founded by Swami Chidanand Saraswati, it’s the largest institution in Rishikesh. 

Swami Chittanand Saraswati

I have fond memories from my previous trip. I especially owe gratitude to Swamiji because after reading his book, A drop of Nectar that he gave us during our satsang in 2005, I decided to quit eating meat. Also that book planted the seeds for environmental awareness and sustainability for me.

Parmarth Niketan ashram

Parmarth Niketan holds a beautiful aarti ceremony every evening and is definitely a popular destination for tourists as well as locals. We participated the aarati right on the water and released our wishes to the river. My wish was, again, to let go of anything that is not in harmony with my true self, let go of any past karma and its manifestations in this life and past.

The next day, we visited and meditated in the beautiful domed Kriya Yoga Ashram. They kept the main meditation hall pitch dark, away from any sensual distraction, perfect to pull all attention, just like the caves we visited. One evening we were invited to the ashram of a modern spiritual teacher, Sri Vanamali Devi, and had a satsang together. She allowed us to see her meditation room, which I’m eternally grateful for. The energy was extraordinary.

Mataji Vanamali Devi

For me, the highlight of our Rishikesh visit was our purification ceremony in Ganges. We went to a beach up the river which is way more quiet (and clean) than the banks in Rishikesh. As part of the purification ceremony, we wrote our wishes to leaves and released them to the river. My wish, as usual, was to release and to let go of any karma and its manifestations and anything that is not in harmony with my true self. In India, modesty is important. You cannot wear swim suits to swim in the river. We all had extra cloths to cover up. It was so much fun to hold hands with girl friends and dip ourselves into the refreshing waters of Ganges. As tradition, we dipped 3 times. If there was one moment in life where I felt totally pure, almost transparent, without any burden or identity, it was after the dip in Ganges. I literally felt the Ganges washed away all that is not needed, which I am eternally grateful for.

1-2-3- Dip

We also had free time for sightseeing and shopping. It’s hard to resist to buy books in India, it’s so cheap. Even though I was determined not to, I ended up buying few books, Babaji and 18 Siddha Kriya Traditions among them. I also visited the organic super store of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Now both Baba Ram Dev and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar are into organic /ayurvedic products in India. Times are changing! Guru’s are getting into business (for good reason though!!).

On our last day, we had free time in the morning and I visited Swami Dayananda’s ashram, the ashram we stayed in 10 years ago. To my sadness, I learned that Swami Dayananda had passed away 2 weeks prior. He was an incredible Vedanta teacher which I loved reading his books and commentaries in Vedanta. Swami was also the Guru of India’s current Prime minister Narendra Modi. Deep bow to Swamiji!

That same morning a couple people from our group went to visit a charity school founded by Shahla Ettefagh. Shahla is an incredible person who came to India as a tourist, stricken by the poverty she witnessed, started a non-profit school (Mother Miracle) for under privileged kids. She expanded her operations to empower girls and young women as well as to provide nutrition and vocational education to youth. Hats down to Shahla!  She helps me have hope for the future of humanity.

Mother Miracle School

Anandamayee Ma's ashram in Haridwar

Anandamayee Ma-The Bliss Permeated Mother

That same afternoon we took a 45 minute bus to Haridwar. Haridwar is also known as the town that hosts Kumbha Mela gathering in every 12 years. We’ll visited the ashram of Swami Keshabananda, which contains the ashes of Lahiri Mahasaya. Then we went  to the ashram of Anandamayee Ma, the “Joy-Permeated Mother.” Her ashes are kept here in a special shrine, and the house where she lived is preserved. It’s so easy to feel the love permeated from this lovely being. Her love is still palpable. 

Lastly, this trip would not be possible without the selfless efforts, pure spiritual intentions and deep devotion of our Ananda tour leaders. They relentlessly worked for each one of us to get the most out of our experience and deepen our spiritual connections. 

Deep bow to them all!

Rishikesh Ghats Farewell until next time...

India Trip Notes-October 2015

Badrinath Temple

Badrinath

Imagine a sacred temple on a Himalayan top that the priests close down in winter, where they light a small oil lamp which they find still lit when they return in May. They believe that sages and deities descend to worship in Badrinath temple while residents of the town move to lower altitudes, due to heavy snow, every November until May. 

When I heard the name Badrinath, years ago, I knew I had to go there one day. At that time I was just back from India and I had a map of Uttaranchal region. I remember opening the map and marking Badrinath on my map. Now 10 years later, I was finally on my way. I knew it was going to be a hard journey, it’s never easy in the Himalayas but I also knew it was worth the 3 day road trip.

Badrinath is considered one of the 4 holy hills in Himalayas (Badrinath, Kedernath, Gangotri and Yamunotri) and a sacred pilgrimage site. It’s believed that even 5,000 years ago Badrinath was sacred and visited by holy persons and even at that time it was known to be old. Just imagine! I’ve been to one of the other sacred hills in Himalayas, Gangotri, 10 years ago, now I have 2 more to go J

We flew from Leh back to Delhi and took the 4 hour train to Haridwar and then bus to Rishikesh. We stayed overnight at Rishikesh and from there started our driving trip, slowly climbing through small villages and above beautiful river canyons, following the Ganges River, toward one of its two sources. On the way, we passed the holy spots where two rivers merge (Prayags) and the confluences produce great spiritual energy. It’s a custom to bathe in these holy convergence points. We passed through 5 of these prayags, Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandprayag and Vishnuprayag. Devprayag is essentially the site of the beginning of the river Ganges, as Bhagirathi river from Gaumukh and Alakananda rivers confluence. The town is remarkable as it sets at the convergence of these two rivers. 

The route to Badrinath is one of the most difficult one due to the lofty terrain, curves and cliffs yet the most scenic and beautiful.  After driving all day, our dinner and overnight stop was at Rudraprayag, another convergence point.

Dev Prayag

We continued driving the next day, the whole day, much of the time still along the Ganges, as more and more beautiful and lofty panorama unfolded. The drive definitely takes some faith and a skillful driver is the best investment you can make. I survived the last half an hour by chanting. We were all hungry and tired and honestly I was about to lose it to the dark and endless curvy roads when finally the lights of Badrinath emerged out of deep Himalayan darkness. “Wahe Guru” 3 times to our Sikh driver! J

Ritual rites for deseased

Badrinath, at an elevation of 10,200 feet, is remote and so beautiful, with a tangible spiritual power that anyone can feel. The colorful temple of Badrinath enshrines the sacred statue discovered in the river by Adi Shankaracharya in the 9th century. Adi Shankara was inspired to dive into the river and find the lost statue of Lord Badrinarayan and reinstate it in the Badrinath shrine. The statue depicts a seated, long-haired yogi (yes, its’ indeed looking just like Babaji). It’s hard to see the features when covered with all the garments and flowers and unfortunately the face didn’t survive the centuries but we were very fortunate to witness a ceremony (Abishek pooja) at the temple that revealed the statue to the public. We had to go to the temple at 4:30am and wait in the line to be admitted but who cares about the freezing temperatures, in the end we witnessed something extraordinary. I must say I’m pleasantly surprised how organized the line was (lines usually don’t work in India). They called our names one by one and got us all on a single line to get into the temple. Given that there were hundreds of people waiting outside the shrine to just get a glimpse of the statue, it was pretty impressive that it all worked very orderly.  Around 70 people stocked up in the small shrine and all seated miraculously. The ceremony lasted for 2 hours and it was one of the most unique and moving ceremonies I’ve had to witness. It was full of symbolism so I’ll not attempt to explain it fully but, the smell in the air, the fire, the prasad, the drums that beat louder and louder mixed with chanting coming from hundreds of faithful pilgrims that waited outside just to have a glimpse of the statue rise up and up until the curtain is pulled and the statue is hidden again until next time. 

At our hotel, there was another westerner group. The news spread very quickly that they are Marshall Govindan and his students. Marshall Govindan’s book of “Babaji and 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Traditions” was on my Amazon wish list for last 6-7 years. Everytime I purchased something from Amazon, it didn’t feel like it was time for me to read this book so I kept it in my wish list. Who could have guessed I would meet the author in Badrinath. It turns out that Marshal Govindan was building an ashram in Badrinath and he graciously invited us for a practice together. It was another magical experience to walk to the ashram up the hill from our hotel, still under construction and join their outdoor chanting and the fire ceremony in the Himalaya sunset and meditate and chant together.

Our common ground is Babaji, the yogi who brought Kriya yoga to our times. He is a immortal guru who is around 2000 years old. Always looking 16 years old, there are many people who have an account of meeting Babaji personally and being instructed by him directly. I remember last time I was in Himalayas, I was hoping that I could have an encounter with him. Who doesn’t? Now I know why Marshall Govindan said he’s building his ashram here because this is the place one can feel Babaji’s presence. His presence is palpable. Now I know Badrinath is his abode J

A 3 miles walk from our hotel was the last village of India, Mana, it’s just 15 miles from the border of Tibet. Here, ancient history becomes blended with even more ancient Hindu mythology. I personally felt like I was living a scene from Mahabharata, the great Indian epic. Our first stop was a cave attributed to Ganesh (my dear Ganesh), the elephant headed God who removes obstacles on the paths. This is the cave where he served as Vyasa’s scribe for Mahabharata. I opened my heart to Ganesh and prayed to remove any obstacles from my way, especially the self- imposed ones, so that  any karma, root causes of karma or its manifestations in this lifetime and the past be cleaned at all levels, physical, mental, emotional or spiritual and I can be in perfect harmony  with my Divine self . 

All Mahabharata characteres were here 

Vyasa's cave

Short distance up the hill, there was the cave where Vyasa is said to have written the Mahabharata epic. As we entered the cave, I noticed a tall, sturdy sadhu sitting in meditation, breathing softly. His hair was pulled back, yet locks were pouring to his shoulders. Honestly I said to myself, who the heck do you think you are, behaving like Vyasa! As my eyes adjusted to darkness, to my astonishment, I realized it was the statue of Vyasa. I was so sure he was alive and breathing seconds ago. I had one of the deepest meditations there and I went there back the next day to meditate, with my deepest gratitude to Vyasa for revealing himself.

Here in Badrinath the characters of the Mahabharata come to life.  “Stairway to Heaven” marks the path the Pandava brothers took at the end of their lives; the shrine where Draupadi (Pandava’s wife) dropped her body,

Neelkanth Valley

Bhima’s bridge, the boulder Bhima is said to have placed so his brothers could cross the Saraswati River; the Saraswati river, which represents Shuhumna, the central energy channel in our bodies, emerges here from the mountain and goes underground only to emerge hundreds of miles later. Nara-Narayana, the twin-brother avatars working for the preservation of dharma have transformed themselves into mountains as they may stay here at Badrinath.

One day we hiked to Vasundra falls. It’s a 3 miles hike on Stairway to Heaven. The hike was tough as the stone pebbled walkway was very steep at times. It took me 2.5 hours to get to the falls. Not too bad, given the high altitude.  The view of Vasudhara river valley was very scenic as Mana village got smaller and smaller and disappeared behind. I was so exhausted when I get to the falls, I simply laid on a rock and enjoyed the cool breeze and the sun. My lunch of power bars, nuts and fruit never tasted so good.

Another hike was to the Neelkanth valley. Neelkanth is one of the central Himalayan peaks at 6,500 mt (21,600 feet).

On the way up, we come across a rock that Lord Vishnu left his footprint when he first descended to Earth. We meditated at that point, offered a chant and continued hiking. The deep blue sky pierced with snow capped Himalayan tops, puffy clouds travelling over mountain tops, flowers, even the nettles make it easy to see God in everything you look.

I was determined to leave any karma that don’t serve me anymore behind so I made out a practice. Every single bridge I crossed over (and we crossed many rivers), I prayed to leave any karma behind. I imagined karma shedding off with every forward step. Similarly in every waterfall I put my feet in to the water to wash off any karma and visualized any karma dissolving into the water. Chance of practice is limitless!

Adi Shankara's cave

On our drive down the hill from Badrinath, we stopped at Joshimath to visit and meditate in Adi Shankara’s cave. Joshimath is one of the 4 monasteries Adi Shankara has established in 4 cardinal points of India. Joshimath is the north one.  Sankaracharya was a great philosopher, a poet and a sage who lived in the 8^th century. He started his spiritual journey when he was 8, he traveled around India all the way to Himalayans, he wrote many books, poems, commentaries and he died when he was only 32.  Shankaracharya’s philopophy is called Advaita (non-dualistic) philosophy advocated the oneness of individual soul and cosmic soul. Everything is GOD.. I was first exposed to Adi Shankara during a Dave Stringer Kirtan (chanting) over 10 years ago. One song touched me so deeply that even though I didn’t understand Sanskrit words, I had goose bumps. I think sometimes even the vibration of words are enough to move you even though you don’t understand meaning. I got the CD to read the lyrics (which is a Sankarachraya poem). Now it was surreal for me to be in the cave where he got enlightened.  Here is the translation of his poem.

the tree Adi Shankara is enlightened under

i am not mind, intellect, ego or memory;

Not ears or tongues, or smell or sight; not ether, air, fire, water or earth.

i am consciousness and bliss.

i am not virtue or vice; pleasure or pain, not mantra, not sacred place,

Scripture or sacrifice; not the food, the eater or the act of eating.

i am consciousness and bliss.

i am beyond all things. i am everlasting, self-luminous.

taintless, and pure; immovable, blissful and imperishable.

i am without thought, without forms, I am all pervasive, I am beyond all senses;

i am not detachment or salvation or anything that could be measured.

i am consciousness and bliss.

Shankaracharya (788-820 A.D.)

Saluting all saints and sages of all religions who came to illuminate our paths with deep gratitude.

Himalayan Sunset

NEXT RISHIKESH

Ladakh-October 2015

Ladakh- October 2015

Leh Valley

If there is one word to describe Ladakh, it is "fairy-land" (or should I say Dakini land)? The flight from Delhi was one of the most spectacular as we flew over the whole range of Himalayas from south to north, with breathtaking views of the Himalayan landscape. As we landed in Leh, capital of Ladakh, a wave of ecstasy spread, not only in our group but amongst local tourists too. Even though it was prohibited to take pictures at airports in India, everyone was taking selfies, smiling, and hugging each other, as if we couldn’t believe we had come this far and away land. Because Ladakh is India’s most sparsely populated and well preserved region, it felt like we had been transported to a few centuries ago. The high desert cradled by mountains preserved Ladakh’s culture and principle religion, Mahayana Buddhism for centuries. It felt to me that this could be second best to Tibet in being exposed to Mahayana culture.

We were warned about possible altitude sickness, since we flew and landed at 11,600 feet (3,500 mt). It takes few days for the bodies to acclimatize to the altitude. We took the first day very easy as advised, rested a  whole lot, drank lots of fluids (3lt/day), but still a few people in our group became really sick with headaches and nausea.  I had some altitude sickness in Cuzco, Peru years ago, and this time I came ready with my homeopathic medication. I was lucky this time that I adjusted pretty well and didn’t feel any discomfort except it felt like we were walking on the moon due to the lesser gravity.

Shanti Stupa-Leh

Our hotel was charming with a touch of local architecture, rooms were simple but comfortable with even a few TV channels. Hot water and delicious meals, who needs more? We slept after lunch for a few hours and then stepped outside to visit Shanti Stupa. We were in Stupa heaven in Ladakh, there were stupas in every corner. I engraved the flying Tibetan flags and stupas into my mind. Shanti stupa was situated in a hill top overlooking to Leh. It was simply gorgeous. The green Indus valley, surrounding high deserts, and lofty mountain peaks were like scenes from a movie. This was my first real stupa encounter J I saw pictures of stupas and I was practicing a Stupa meditation for years but I had never seen a real stupa before.

People walk around the stupas, typically clockwise, for healing, to let go of their ego or karma, to reconnect to their spirit or deeper truth, or simply with a heartfelt prayer. You can also meditate in front of a stupa with compassion and loving kindness.

My intention for this spiritual pilgrimage was to clean any karma that keeps me away from my Divine self. It was to release, let go of any root causes, including karmic causes, of any physical, mental, emotional or spiritual package that don’t serve me anymore. It was healing at all levels by letting go of all that’s not in harmony with my Divine self.  

I was determined to use every opportunity to practice this in this trip. The Stupa was no different. As I circumambulated the stupa (what a big word!), I imagined any karma that I don’t need any more simply falling off of me, leaving me lighter, brighter in each step. 

As I sat for meditation in front of the stupa, I noticed that it was so easy to do the Stupa meditation here. I’ve have been practicing a stupa meditation for a while but here, it was as if the stupa was doing the meditation for me and I was just witnessing, it was so effortless. In this meditation we visualize a square in our base and on top of the square a sphere, a triangle, a crescent moon and the top of stupa in perfect balance on top of each other. These shapes also correspond to the elements; square for earth, sphere for water, triangle for fire, a crescent moon for air and the top of stupa for the space.  As we chant the syllables corresponding to each element and visualize the shapes within our body perfectly balanced on top of each other; our inner Universe, our elements balance and harmonize just like the pieces of the stupa.

We started every morning with energization exercises and meditation followed by a rich breakfast. We had chanting and satsangs during the day too. The next morning we left early to visit Hemis, Tikse and Stakna monasteries. These are still vibrant centers of meditation, dedication, and service, preserving a deep and ancient mystical heritage, still intact.

As we walked in to the Hemis monastery a big poster for Naropa’s millennial birth anniversary celebration

Hemis Monastery

greeted us.  My heart started to beat. I just stood there, and couldn’t take my eyes off of it. It turns out that this monastery belongs to Dugpa (Dragon) order and is an off shoot off Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, one of the 4 schools of Tibethan Budhism and the lineage of one my heroes Milarepa. Milerepa is a beloved hero of Tibetan Buddhism because he is a living proof that anyone can be enlightened with proper dedication and practice even if they’re killers and sinners. I can’t get enough watching Milarepa’s life story, reading his 1000 songs, I even watched an opera about his life; and now I was at this monastery dedicated to his lineage. I deeply bowed to Naropa, Marpa and Milerepa. 

Hemis is the largest and wealthiest monastery, founded in 1672, and home to 500 monks. They are famous with the annual festival held here every summer, in honour of Guru Padmasambhava. Guru Padmasambhava is the 8th century Indian guru who brought Buddhism throughout the Himalayas and to Tibet. The dancers wear brightly colored masks that represent good and evil characters in Mahayana Buddhism and enact an age-old tale of the victory of good over evil. Hemis has the largest Tanka (silk embroidered brocade) in Ladakh, which is unfolded, once in 12 years, during this festival. They even call this festival as the Kumbh mela of Buddhism. The next one is coming in summer of 2016! Hemis is also the monastery that the old manuscripts were found in to support the claim Jesus stayed at this spot during his “lost years”. We knew the monks don’t answer any question about these manuscripts anymore so we didn’t even bother asking. Yet someone from our groups stayed behind in Ladakh to further investigate Jesus’s lost years.

We were very fortunate to witness a soul-stirring chanting by the Buddhist monks during one of our visits. I witnessed chanting many times before but probably because of the inherent energy built here over the centuries it felt deeper. We were also lucky that there was ample time built in our schedules to meditate in each of the monasteries we visited. This wasn’t simply a sightseeing tour, it was a spiritual pilgrimage. I took the opportunity in each temple to meditate and pray to let go of my karma and clear myself from anything that is not in harmony with my true self. As I left each monastery I felt lighter and lighter and thankful to the presence of Dakinis and Masters surrounding me (Dalai Lama blinking me with his big smile)  and helping me with my practice and to heal myself to BE my true self, the Great Bright Light, Dai Ko Myo.

The next day we traveled along the scenic Indus River and visited the charming village of Alchi containing

Alchi Monastery-1000 Buddhas

deeply peaceful 11th century temples with wall paintings done in Kashmiri style, amazingly preserved by Ladakh’s dry climate. The Buddha’s teachings were brought from India first to Kashmir, then to Ladakh, then to Tibet in the 9th century. Ladakh’s continuous and still vibrant tradition of meditation, introspection, and Buddha’s teachings of Dharma, dates from this time. We’ll also visited Likir and Spituk monasteries, which offer rich collections of paintings and Buddhist artifacts, and the opportunity to feel the tangible power left by centuries of spiritual practice in these same monasteries. 

with my Tibetan Medicine doctor 

In one of the small towns I noticed a sign for a Tibetan Medicine shop. Just before I left for the trip I ordered Dr. Yeshes’ book (Dalai Lama’s doctor) on Tibetan Medicine and I was reading it in every chance. I walked into the store and met the monk who is also a Tibetan medicine doctor. It didn’t take me long to realize he didn’t speak any English. I pulled Dr. Yeshe’s book from my book bag and showed it to the little monk. First he didn’t get it, I realized he might not read the Latin alphabet either. Then I slowly pointed him the picture of Dr. Yeshe and said his name. He got it. He repeated the name himself a few times. It was so funny. He smiled big time. I told him I’ll be back with a translator but of course he didn’t get what I said. I got back in few minutes with our tour guide and asked him if he could give me a consultation. I didn’t tell him anything about my health condition. Just like that, no appointments, no insurance cards, you walk into the doctors office; pretty unusual for us Westerners. I sat on the wooden stool while he is checking my pulse and looking into my tongue and asking me questions about my sleep patterns, how hot/cold I am, etc. When he concluded his examination he said I am in perfect health. Yes! That’s what I needed to hear. Yet he gave me herbal medication to take daily. He only charged 72 rupees (less than $1.5) including the medication. If only the health care could be this accessible! As I was reading Dr. Yeshe’s book, I see a lot of similarities with Ayurveda. Just like in Ayurveda, Tibetan Medicine is a holistic system that restores the balance of the elements. In Tibetan medicine these elements (life forces) are called, Wind, Bile and Phlegm. These forces represent the combination of 5 elements (earth, water, fire, wind, space). If these elements are in good harmony and balance – the person is healthy. But misbalance of elements is known as a sickness or disorder. Everything is about the balance and not a quick fix. Later I learned more about the real applications of Tibetan medicine from my friend I met at Bodh Gaya as she treated her paralysis with Tibetan Medicine. I’m mostly surprised they still practice moxa (moxibustion), literally burning the skin until it blisters at acupuncture points which then scars after it heals. I saw it movies but when I saw my friend’s scars, I knew it was real.

Guru Nanak- First Guru of Sikh Religion

Another landmark in Ladakh was Guru Nanak’s temple. Guru Nanak lived in the 15^th century and is the founder of Sikh religion. According to the legend, he was visiting Ladakh , at the time there was a demon who terrorized local villagers. Guru Nanak sat on meditation on the river banks. Determined to kill him, the demon pushed a large boulder down from the hilltop, aiming at Guru Nanak. The boulder rumbled down the hill but when it touched the Guru's body, it softened like warm wax and an impression of Guru Nanak’s back is embedded on the rock.  Thinking that the Guru had been killed, the demon came down and was taken aback to see the Guru deep in meditation. This time, he tried to push the boulder with his right foot, but his foot got embedded in soft rock. The demon realised the spiritual power of the great Guru and he fell at his feet for forgiveness.

Now there is a temple built around the rock and we were very lucky to witness warm Sikh hospitality as we enjoyed the prasad (blessed food) and the masala tea.

White Tara

A trip in India couldn’t be complete without shopping. Leh’s main bazaar,  on the ancient Silk Road connecting China, India, and Europe—and still a crossroads of Tibetan, Kashmiri, and Indian culture was literally outside our hotel where we shamelessly spent a  few hours to look into all delicacies of handmade craft.

As we left Ladakh, I said goodbye to Dakinis over my air plane window and bowed deeply for accompanying me in my trip and taking part in my journey.  Needless to say, I left a piece of my heart (and my karma) there J.

Bodh Gaya-October 2015

Bodh Gaya

The final leg of my trip in India was to Bodhgaya.  As soon as I decided to go to India, I added Bodhgaya to my list. I intended to go there years ago but it didn’t work out then, it probably wasn’t the right time. Now, I was finally on my way.

Bodhaya is a pilgrimage site for Buddhists where Buddha had obtained enlightenment under the bodhi  tree.  I planned to stay 3 days in a Buddhist institution which a FB friend had suggested.Since I was travelling alone, I was warned about the crime rate in Bihar, the upcoming elections, and possible commotion on the streets. At least I knew I was staying at a very safe place, the Root Institute, a Buddhist center, founded by Lama Thubten Yeshe Rinpoche and Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. I didn’t know I was going to be accompanied by two angels though.

On the airplane, I made an intention to sit next to someone whom I can talk about Bodhgaya and get some tips.  I’m generally not very talkative on airplanes but this time, I initiated the conversation with the young woman sitting at the aisle seat.  After introductions, Lily moved to sit next to me and we spent the whole time chatting. She is a Tibetan Buddhist student living in Hong Kong and visiting Bodhgaya for a long weekend to study with her Lama.  We talked about our paths, the teachings. I told her that I’m not Buddhist but I like to study Buddadharma. Why do we always need labels?

While approaching to Bodhgaya, just looking out to the fields, my excitement peaked. I imagined Buddha walking on these same fields thousands of years ago. I couldn’t believe I was soon about to step into the same land he once walked, meditated, achieved enlightenment and gave his first sermon. That thought filled my heart with gratitude.  As I imagined him, I felt an overwhelming compassion from BUddha. It felt like I was totally safe and taken care of. He was almost saying, “we’re taking her over from here”.

As we landed, Lily and I said we’d meet again the next day in the Mahabodhi temple but quite honestly I didn’t know if I could see her again.

I grabbed a rickshaw from the airport for the 6 km ride to the Root Institute.  Because so many people have warned me about safety, I was a little bit precautious. Before grabbing my rickshaw I stormed through the crowd waiting outside of the airport,  giving a confident image that I  knew exactly where I was  going. I went all the way to the outer ring of the crowd and then grabbed a rickshaw there. I was closely watching the road to make sure we’re on right track. A few minutes into our ride, I noticed the driver made a call from his cell phone and later pulled to the side and another motorbike approached. I thought “here we go”. The guy in the motorbike greeted me and said “Madame, how long will you stay? I asked him why he was asking. It turns out that he was trying to convince me to hire him as a tourist guide. Wow what a clever sales strategy.  I told him I don’t need a tourist guide and we continued. The rest of the road was uneventful.

Yet, I was going to hear these questions many times in the next couple of days “Madame where are you from” “Madame which country ae you from”. Lily gave the best answer when asked. She said she is from “Everywhere”, when asked which country she is from, she said “Pureland”.

Life is full of surprises! I didn’t know that when I arrived in monastery I was going to be greeted in Turkish. It turns out that the staff member at the reception has worked in Turkey as a tourist guide for 3 years and she knew Turkish. She said she saw my name on the list and was so excited to have someone from Turkey and that she was waiting for my arrival.   I got my key to my very modest room, yet with private bathroom and running water.  That’s all I needed. This reminded me of the nice memories of my stay at Dai Bosatzu Zen monastery a couple years ago. I wasn’t expecting much at all. I dropped my backpack at the room and left immediately for the MahaBodhi temple. I knew I had to be back to the Institute before it gets dark, since I was warned by many people not to be out on the streets after dark in Bodhgaya. I grabbed a rickshaw (only 30 rupees-50 cent one way to the temple). The driver dropped me off of a temple and pointed out and said Mahabodhi temple. I still don’t know if he intended to joke or if it was a misunderstanding, anyway I got off and walked into the temple he pointed out, and I knew something was wrong. This temple was so small and almost empty. Yet there was a sign for a Bodhi tree and the tree didn’t seem to like 2500 years old at all.  I was confused and disappointed. I immediately realized my “expectation” to have a certain temple and a certain tree.  I got the lesson. I dropped all expectations and walked out of the temple. I saw a bus full of monks and I thought it would be wise to follow monks as they were most probably going to the correct temple. I was right. As I walked into the entrance, I imagined this place to be more vibrant before the terrorist attacks and bombings couple of years ago. Since then, sellers were not allowed on the premises or on the pathway leading to the temple, yet Indian people always find ways!   I finally saw the temple on my right  side, you couldn’t mistake this temple with anything else. As I stopped at the top of the steps leading to the temple,  I wanted to take it all in at once. The temple was simply magnificent.  It was stunning. I had a quick visit to the Buddha statue inside the temple and turned around to go behind the temple to find the Bodhi tree. As I turned the corner and saw the tree I was rushed with emotions. I can’t believe I’m here at the Mahabodhi temple, where Buddha has enlightened, under the Bodhi tree. I found a quiet spot and sat on meditation. I circled the temple and sat on meditation again. I watched people, mostly monks and nuns who are visiting the temple from all over Asia, some quietly meditating, some reading scriptures, some doing walking meditation, while a distant chant was making a perfect background. 2 hours passed too quickly and it was time to get back. The next day I could spend the whole day here.

When I got to my room at the Root Institute, my next door neighbor came out and greeted me warmly. Carol was a Canadian woman who lived in Asia for the last 20 years, who worked, studied and served in different Asian countries. She is a committed Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and it was her first time in Bodhgaya. Since she only came a day before me and she was going to stay for 5 weeks, she hadn’t been to the temple yet. We had dinner together that night and talked quietly since the rest of the residents were in a silent retreat. There was a course going at the Institution. Residents were mostly young folks from all around the world. I’m always amazed how these young folks are attracted to teachings and find their ways here to study.

After dinner, a staff member came over and reminded us of that the local elections are the next day and she said we are advising all our residents to stay indoors tomorrow in anticipation of possible unrest in the area. That was my only full day in the temple and I would not sacrifice it for an anticipated commotion. Carol and I decided to go to the temple anyway.

The next morning, I joined the guided morning meditation at 6:45 am. Since this was the residents last day of silence, the teacher advised the students to take the most out of it, by having more introspection,and more practice.  After meditation we all walked to the cafeteria for breakfast. The meals were simple, satisfying and silent. You wash your own dishes as in most monasteries. They do everything to conserve limited water supply, by having different compartments to sink your dishes in until the final rinse. There are of course some rules of conduct (modest dressing, silence, etc.), after all, this is a meditation center. After breakfast Carol and I headed to the temple to spend the whole day there.  I was rushed with emotions once again when I saw Carol’s reaction when she first saw the temple. She later said this is “THE bucket list” for her. We meditated, walked in the premises, and sat to absorb it all. Soon I saw Lily waving; she found us. I quickly introduced Carol to Lily. The three of us spent the rest of the day together,  and had a spiritual blast. We meditated together, chanted Heart sutra together,  did offerings, (thanks to Lily she was here before otherwise we didn’t even know where to get the lamp offering), and had a wonderful long lunch at Be Happy Café, a restaurant owned by a Canadian woman. We even shared a mango cheesecake. We visited other temples, the Japanese, the Butanese, the Tibetan and we even did some shopping, buying malas. The temples were exquisite with artwork and murals. At the end we returned to the temple for some more meditation. I was so glad we didn’t let the fear of elections stop us. Actually, since all the stores were closed, it was much quieter and peaceful. It was the most wonderful day full of practice, friendship and fun.

Carol and I said goodbyes to Lily and headed to the Institute for dinner. After dinner I was invited to Dharma Movie night. All residents were invited to watch a documentary about the Tsoknyi Nagchen Nuns of Tibet, a group of dedicated nuns living in the remote mountains. The Institution looked stunning at night with all the decorations and lights, the prayer wheel and the Buddha statues. I engraved it all into my memory.

The subject of next morning’s meditation was patience. I found some emotions rise and cleared with lots of shedding tears. I guess I was ready to let go of these emotions regardless of what the subject of meditation was and the teacher has just become an instrument. At least no one knew me, so I could cry freely. After breakfast Carol and I chat over a masala tea. She had a traffic accident in Nepal couple years ago which almost left her paralyzed. She knew what surrender means while taking charge of your own healing. After all, she went to northern India to find healing in Tibetan medicine. She was such an inspiration.  I headed back to temple to spend my last morning there; deep in meditation, observation, offering and gratitude. I remembered Lily talking about her Lama’s teachings about the right intention one should hold when you visit the temple.  I thought for a second what my intention should be. I realized there should be no better intention but the “original thought”, HSZSN. After all, "the original thought is the right thought". I hold the thought that I’m not this body, I’m not this mind, I’m not my beliefs, I’m not my experiences, I’m not even this consciousness that thinks I’m this Zeynep, my true nature is beyond all these. I’m the pure light of consciousness; I’m the existence, awareness and bliss. I hold this thought during my meditation that morning.

It was time to leave for airport. It was a short trip but full with great memories. I left a piece of me there forever.

Reiki Newsletter -September 2015

Friends,

We are only a week away from the next Cincinnati Reiki Day! Cincinnati Reiki community meets twice a year for Reiki Day. It is a chance for Reiki Practitioners from all lineages to come together to practice Reiki, make friends, find community and have fun! 
This year we will all bring something yummy and have a fun Potluck for lunch. :) 

Reiki Day will be on Sunday Sptemebr 20th. The morning session is for Reiki Masters from 9:30 A.M. until 12:30 P.M $10 per participant cash only.

Potluck Lunch 12:30-1:30 everyone is invited!

The afternoon session is open for all levels of Reiki practitioners from 1:30-5:00. $10 per participant cash only.

Hope to see you all at Hoffner Lodge/Northside, 4120 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45223.

Please RSVP to Maria Kammerer at attunecincinnati@gmail.com

Love & Light,

Zeynep