As far as I can tell, this pcture does not have any of the fires in it, so I felt it was apropriate for the Web.
Showing posts with label *Varanasi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label *Varanasi. Show all posts
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Picture of the Burning Ghats
As far as I can tell, this pcture does not have any of the fires in it, so I felt it was apropriate for the Web.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Remembering Varanasi...and remembering death
Earlier today I set the picture of the Ganges ,that Palden had posted, as my desktop wallpaper and consequently have been reflecting on the time we spent there.
As a westerner in a foreign country I felt that I should have been more surprised by India...but I wasn't really. It all seemed familiar, different, but still familiar. I remember picturing what it would be like months before we even left...and what I pictured was what Varanasi was. In considering all the places we traveled, I recall feeling very at home in Varanasi, moreso even than Bodhgaya.
There was something very familiar about many things in Varanasi...about the way that the fog drifted in from the Ganges to completely immerse our hotel and the way that the air seemed to have a substance to it...it could be felt against your skin and it could be parted as you waved your hand through it...it even had a taste and a odor to it...not bad, but a moistness. I never recall seeing a sunrise or sunset in Varansai. The sky simply seemed to gradually lighten and change from dark grey to white to pink in the morning and in the evening darken slowly over the similarly mysterious color of the Ganges.
There was even something familiar in the meandering and maze-like back roads in which one had to carefully watch foot placement in order to stay upright. I don't even remember what they were made out of...perhaps a puzzle of stone and dirt and gravel. For one who has always had problems not getting lost, I never got lost on those back roads, and I had no fear of venturing out after dark.
The flames and acrid smoke of the burning ghats did not shock me...it seemed perfectly normal to stand there and observe the fate that will be mine someday. Fire cleanses, and I am not afraid of death...I am afraid of not living life, of not accomplishing what I came here to do...I am afraid of regret...
Varanasi seemed very alive to me; old, ancient even, but very much alive. I would like to return there someday...and in the meantime I will live my life so when my time comes I will have no regrets...I will be ready...just as I hope those individuals were...those bodies being consumed by flames. I hope that they were ready for death when their time came
...that was what struck me most about the burning ghats, not that those people were dead...but that they had been alive...they had been alive when we got on the plane...when we arrived in India...and perhaps they never knew that their time was coming to an end...
Life is uncertain, and thus one must always be ready, one must always be prepared, and one must live each day remembering that uncertainty....one must live every day remembering death...not to make you afraid or paranoid...but so you will be ready...so you will have no regrets.
As a westerner in a foreign country I felt that I should have been more surprised by India...but I wasn't really. It all seemed familiar, different, but still familiar. I remember picturing what it would be like months before we even left...and what I pictured was what Varanasi was. In considering all the places we traveled, I recall feeling very at home in Varanasi, moreso even than Bodhgaya.
There was something very familiar about many things in Varanasi...about the way that the fog drifted in from the Ganges to completely immerse our hotel and the way that the air seemed to have a substance to it...it could be felt against your skin and it could be parted as you waved your hand through it...it even had a taste and a odor to it...not bad, but a moistness. I never recall seeing a sunrise or sunset in Varansai. The sky simply seemed to gradually lighten and change from dark grey to white to pink in the morning and in the evening darken slowly over the similarly mysterious color of the Ganges.
There was even something familiar in the meandering and maze-like back roads in which one had to carefully watch foot placement in order to stay upright. I don't even remember what they were made out of...perhaps a puzzle of stone and dirt and gravel. For one who has always had problems not getting lost, I never got lost on those back roads, and I had no fear of venturing out after dark.
The flames and acrid smoke of the burning ghats did not shock me...it seemed perfectly normal to stand there and observe the fate that will be mine someday. Fire cleanses, and I am not afraid of death...I am afraid of not living life, of not accomplishing what I came here to do...I am afraid of regret...
Varanasi seemed very alive to me; old, ancient even, but very much alive. I would like to return there someday...and in the meantime I will live my life so when my time comes I will have no regrets...I will be ready...just as I hope those individuals were...those bodies being consumed by flames. I hope that they were ready for death when their time came
...that was what struck me most about the burning ghats, not that those people were dead...but that they had been alive...they had been alive when we got on the plane...when we arrived in India...and perhaps they never knew that their time was coming to an end...
Life is uncertain, and thus one must always be ready, one must always be prepared, and one must live each day remembering that uncertainty....one must live every day remembering death...not to make you afraid or paranoid...but so you will be ready...so you will have no regrets.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Varanasi
Breathe the black, choking smoke
See the bodies burning and don't turn away
Feel the ash falling on your skin
For this will be your fate someday.
See the bodies burning and don't turn away
Feel the ash falling on your skin
For this will be your fate someday.
Thinking about Vishwanath Temple
I wrote this to a colleague today, who is is mildly of the Hindu faith.....
From my perspective, the living presence of wisdom has arisen in most of the great world religions including Hinduism. The fact that the Hindu religion at one time did support -- and may still support -- an authentic inner spiritual process is what causes me to have such a profound respect for the religion.
I have no idea if it still exists in this world as it was originally meant to be, but that is not necessary for me to know since I am not a practitioner. On the other hand, I know almost nothing about outer expression of Hindu religion -- its rules and rituals for instance. But even if it has degenerated, no amount of degeneration can rob authentic inner Hinduism of its ability to facilitate growth, and that is where my respect lies. This is what made it such a great honor to be in the temple in Varnassi.
And then after I wrote the above, I realized that there is somethign that I want to say to a few of my freinds....
If you have been wounded in the past by the corrupt or degenerated expression of a form of outer religion, please do not think that the authentic inner practice should be blamed. I assure you that the authentic inner spritutal practice exists, facilitated by inner wisdom and teaching. And when you are ready to meet it, I would be happy to help introduce you
[I am including below a description of the Golden Temple in Varanasi]
Approached through a maze of narrow alleys and the Vishwanatha Gali (or Lane), the temple complex of Vishwanatha or Visheshwara, the "Lord of All", is popularly known as the Golden Temple, due to the massive gold plating on its shikhara (spire). Inside the compound - which is hidden behind a wall, and entered through an unassuming doorway - is one of India's most important shivalingams, made of smooth black stone and seated in a solid silver plinth, as well as shrines to the wrathful protectors Mahakala and Dandapani, and the lingam of Avimukteshvara, the Lord of the Unforsaken, which predates Vishwanatha and once held much greater significance. The current temple was built in 1777 by Queen Ahalya Bai Holkar of Indore, and is closed to non-Hindus, who have to make do with glimpses from adjacent buildings.
From my perspective, the living presence of wisdom has arisen in most of the great world religions including Hinduism. The fact that the Hindu religion at one time did support -- and may still support -- an authentic inner spiritual process is what causes me to have such a profound respect for the religion.
I have no idea if it still exists in this world as it was originally meant to be, but that is not necessary for me to know since I am not a practitioner. On the other hand, I know almost nothing about outer expression of Hindu religion -- its rules and rituals for instance. But even if it has degenerated, no amount of degeneration can rob authentic inner Hinduism of its ability to facilitate growth, and that is where my respect lies. This is what made it such a great honor to be in the temple in Varnassi.
And then after I wrote the above, I realized that there is somethign that I want to say to a few of my freinds....
If you have been wounded in the past by the corrupt or degenerated expression of a form of outer religion, please do not think that the authentic inner practice should be blamed. I assure you that the authentic inner spritutal practice exists, facilitated by inner wisdom and teaching. And when you are ready to meet it, I would be happy to help introduce you
[I am including below a description of the Golden Temple in Varanasi]
Approached through a maze of narrow alleys and the Vishwanatha Gali (or Lane), the temple complex of Vishwanatha or Visheshwara, the "Lord of All", is popularly known as the Golden Temple, due to the massive gold plating on its shikhara (spire). Inside the compound - which is hidden behind a wall, and entered through an unassuming doorway - is one of India's most important shivalingams, made of smooth black stone and seated in a solid silver plinth, as well as shrines to the wrathful protectors Mahakala and Dandapani, and the lingam of Avimukteshvara, the Lord of the Unforsaken, which predates Vishwanatha and once held much greater significance. The current temple was built in 1777 by Queen Ahalya Bai Holkar of Indore, and is closed to non-Hindus, who have to make do with glimpses from adjacent buildings.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Reflections on Varanasi
I am writing this post on Varanasi from Bodhgaya. It has been bubbling in my mind for some time. We have now been to all the cities and villages we will visit, and so there is some basis for comparison. Varanasi is reputed to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. It is old. The small roads (more like alleys - and that is a generous description) are the smallest. It is the dirtiest (no small feat in India where everything is dirty), the people seem to be more cramped. The place is teaming with people and animals and noise. The sick and maimed are everywhere begging in the streets. There are small holes in the walls where a person must crouch to get in, and in these man-made caves, some people live. They burn fires and cook their meals, and the smoke pours into the street. Their fuel, by the way is cow dung. You must watch carefully as you walk the streets (this is true of everywhere we have been) in order to avoid stepping in fresh poop piles here and there. The animals roam mostly untethered, and go wherever they go. I don't even want to know what was on the nethermost hem of my shentap, but I was delighted to have it laundered! I notice that the dung stays in the streets no longer that 24-48 hours and then it has disappeared. No, there is no neat street cleaner. Someone has scooped it up, and it is formed into something that looks like a large hamburger patty and dried for fuel (you may noice some drying in the photo.) If it were not for this endless supply of animal dung, generously deposited by them on every street, there would be a severe fuel shortage. Imagine if you will, throwing this in your fireplace. What an interesting smoke it makes; and do you want to cook your meals over it!? (I promise not to bring one home as a souvenir- Or maybe I will. After all, I get to give my students the lecture later this quarter on treating diarrhea and constipation. Talk about an audiovisual aid!) Varanasi is also where we saw the burning ghats - where hundreds of the dead are cremated daily and their remains scattered into the Ganges. So death was in your face in Varanasi.In contrast, we occasionally ate at a restaurant atop a hotel that was all done in marble - the floors, the walls- all marble. So there in Varanasi the story of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni came alive. It was not something of legend or fable or a movie. (No offense to the movie "Little Buddha", but it did not come close to conveying the stark contrast that must have occurred when Prince Siddhartha walked out of his privileged and sheltered palace, entered the streets and saw life as it was lived 2500 years ago (and is still lived today!!) There in Varanasi, in 3-D, with the sights and sounds and smells and tastes and textures, is the suffering and death he saw. Great bodhisattva that he was, it is no wonder he arose in unshakable determination and said, "This is not acceptable. I WILL find freedom. I will find a way to rescue all beings from cycling through this suffering endlessly. And I will not stop until I do!"
And he did: Here in Bodhgaya, where I will soon return to the temple and do kora and offer prayers.
May all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness
May they be free from suffering and the causes of suffering
and may there be a rain of dharma
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Hungry Malas
About mala making
I make malas. I make them to sell. I make them to give away. I do it because the creative expression is important in my process. I do it because it is important to me to support practitioners in their process. I do it because everything I do I want to be Dharma in some way.
I like adding dimension and meaning to the malas. This is more a Western than Eastern view I think, but I am not sure. If I have a recipient in mind, I choose materials carefully according to my wishes for them. Or sometimes I make a mala and then wait for the right person to appear. I tend to give malas with high expectations.
I gave a Tiger Eye mala to my best friend of the time (she was not yet a practitioner) for auspiciousness. For comparison, the Dalai Lama has a Tiger Eye mala. A couple of years later, here she is in India practicing alongside the rest of us. I gave a huge heavy cobalt blue glass mala to a friend when I saw that underneath her quiet nature was a density and vibrance emerging -- an intensity of being alive that is only associated with high practitioners.
Recently, I made a mala on commission of mother of pearl, lapis and malachite. It had an endless knot on the end. It was for a special woman who is not yet a meditator. She came into this world with a deep talent for empathy and healing. The mala was inspired by my wish for her to experience the deep transformations that come when great compassion arives in its full form. We will see. Perhaps that mala will call to her, perhaps her friends will call to her, and most importantly perhaps inside her actual being is calling her to be something greater than she already is. I hope so. With her talent, many beings could benefit.
Malas are born hungry
Back to malas. One thing we know is that all malas are born hungry. I know. My teacher says so. They must be fed a steady diet of mantra. They could start with OM MANI PEDME HUNGS and then graduate on to something else as the practitioner advances. Other times they start with Medicine Buddha Mantra, or Tara Mantra. In India, we are all doing the mantra associated with our Green Wisdom Light practice. This practice is associated not only with Wisdom, but also with the development of Great Compassion. It is an Annutara Yoga Tantra practice, done in the abstract form, which is more suitable for westerners. In addition to that mantra, we chanted OM MANI PEDME HUNG as we did cora at the temple and stupa today in Sarnath.
Malas and the mind of a pilgrim
In Ganpathi Guest House in Varanasi, RInpoche handed each of us our malas, one by one, and explained what it was like to have the mind of a pigrim. She said our malas should rarely leave our hands. When she placed the mala in my hand, I entered a different way of life. One where the world has a totally different meaning. Now the feel of my mala reminds me I am a pilgrim, not a tourist. My attempts to muster interest in shopping and pictures are short lived. I am not attracted to strong flavors or smells. I am more interested in the deep meanings contained within our work here. I want to look out from a deep inside place, and see the world from the lively and vibrant home of a meditator. Outside is nothing, what do these places remind us of on the inside.
That is what we pilgrims are here for. The reassurance of mala in hand, the clicking of beads as we fill every open space with prayer. The space between Varanasi and Sarnath. The space between the hotel and the stupa, the space between conversations. The space between sentences. The space between thoughts. The space between breaths.
And suddenly even the smallest place becomes vast.
There are no hungry malas here.
I make malas. I make them to sell. I make them to give away. I do it because the creative expression is important in my process. I do it because it is important to me to support practitioners in their process. I do it because everything I do I want to be Dharma in some way.
I like adding dimension and meaning to the malas. This is more a Western than Eastern view I think, but I am not sure. If I have a recipient in mind, I choose materials carefully according to my wishes for them. Or sometimes I make a mala and then wait for the right person to appear. I tend to give malas with high expectations.
I gave a Tiger Eye mala to my best friend of the time (she was not yet a practitioner) for auspiciousness. For comparison, the Dalai Lama has a Tiger Eye mala. A couple of years later, here she is in India practicing alongside the rest of us. I gave a huge heavy cobalt blue glass mala to a friend when I saw that underneath her quiet nature was a density and vibrance emerging -- an intensity of being alive that is only associated with high practitioners.
Recently, I made a mala on commission of mother of pearl, lapis and malachite. It had an endless knot on the end. It was for a special woman who is not yet a meditator. She came into this world with a deep talent for empathy and healing. The mala was inspired by my wish for her to experience the deep transformations that come when great compassion arives in its full form. We will see. Perhaps that mala will call to her, perhaps her friends will call to her, and most importantly perhaps inside her actual being is calling her to be something greater than she already is. I hope so. With her talent, many beings could benefit.
Malas are born hungry
Back to malas. One thing we know is that all malas are born hungry. I know. My teacher says so. They must be fed a steady diet of mantra. They could start with OM MANI PEDME HUNGS and then graduate on to something else as the practitioner advances. Other times they start with Medicine Buddha Mantra, or Tara Mantra. In India, we are all doing the mantra associated with our Green Wisdom Light practice. This practice is associated not only with Wisdom, but also with the development of Great Compassion. It is an Annutara Yoga Tantra practice, done in the abstract form, which is more suitable for westerners. In addition to that mantra, we chanted OM MANI PEDME HUNG as we did cora at the temple and stupa today in Sarnath.
Malas and the mind of a pilgrim
In Ganpathi Guest House in Varanasi, RInpoche handed each of us our malas, one by one, and explained what it was like to have the mind of a pigrim. She said our malas should rarely leave our hands. When she placed the mala in my hand, I entered a different way of life. One where the world has a totally different meaning. Now the feel of my mala reminds me I am a pilgrim, not a tourist. My attempts to muster interest in shopping and pictures are short lived. I am not attracted to strong flavors or smells. I am more interested in the deep meanings contained within our work here. I want to look out from a deep inside place, and see the world from the lively and vibrant home of a meditator. Outside is nothing, what do these places remind us of on the inside.
That is what we pilgrims are here for. The reassurance of mala in hand, the clicking of beads as we fill every open space with prayer. The space between Varanasi and Sarnath. The space between the hotel and the stupa, the space between conversations. The space between sentences. The space between thoughts. The space between breaths.
And suddenly even the smallest place becomes vast.
There are no hungry malas here.
From the End to the Beginning
Hello friends,
We are now in Sarnath, the location where the Buddha gave his first teaching after leaving Bodhgaya where he attained enlightenment. We went to the stupa (a structure symbolizing the enlightened mind of the buddha) located at the site where he gave that teaching. When we arrived we first visited a temple that contained relics of Buddha Shakymuni (remains after cremation). There were several golden Buddha statues and paintings on all of the walls that depicted his life. Before we even went into the temple I had a warm prickling sensations of energy! I don't know if that is a sensation that would be unique to meditators or if others also have that sensation when visiting the site!
After visiting inside the temple we walked through the ruins of the monasteries that were located on that spot --over 2,000 years old! Not much remains standing, but again, the energy is still there! We then did cora around the stupa, which is circling around it and reciting mantra.
There were deer in Deer Park! They were beautiful--fuzzy antlered, big-eyed, trusting creatures.
***
Previous to being in Sarnath we were in Benares, Varnassi, I am told it is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world? Though I have not checked that fact myself. Culturally, it seemed like that might be true! This is a very holy place in Hinduism. It is the home of the Burning Ghats on the Ganges river. 500-600 Hindus per day are cremated at the Burning Ghats and their ashes are spread in Gangama (the Ganges River)--known to Hindus as the goddess Ganga.
We really started our pilgrimage in Benares and Rinpoche's first teachings of the pilgrimage were on impermanence. We went to the site of the Burning Ghats and watched humans being cremated. Our times will come too soon. To remember to live life fully, now, while we have it, was one lesson. To not waste our precious human life was another. I don't feel afraid of death, or afraid of my own end now. But I certainly feel motivated to meditate to improve my own energy so that I am ready when the time comes. Whatever your practice is, I hope you too feel the fire of motivation to pursue it!
Benares, as I said before, does feel ancient in some ways. To get to the banks of the ganges, where we stayed, we had to take four different forms of transportation, from bus to taxi, to rickshaw taxi, to foot. They do not allow, nor do they have streets wide enough to accomodate, cars of any kind to the banks. They keep the ancient narrow winding alleys that protect the sanctity of their holy place and carry the dead to the Ghats. Cows and goats roam the streets and alleys. Children fly kites with incredible skill over the Ganges. And at night, and in the morning, children sell flower-filled leaf bows at the banks of the ganges with a butter lamp in the center. You can buy one for a few rupees and make a wish of Ganga-ma then set your wish afloat in the river. People still bathe in the Ganges. Many naked men and children hop in and scrub themselves and then take a swim. They are bathing in a goddess. That seems a pretty wonderful bath! Though, I think your constitution would have to be incredible to stand it!
And the people. I have not yet touched upon the people in this incredible place. I learned my first lesson of the pilgrimage from a flower vendor our first morning on the Ganges. We were walking along the river in soupy fog, and children flower-offering vendors approached us asking us to buy flowers. They are persistent and followed us, and after I refused numerous times, one small girl asked why I did not buy. "Do you have no money?" she asked me. Not wanting to explain that I had no change for my R500 (500 rupee bill--she was asking 5 rupees and would have taken 2 rupees which is the equivalent of 4-10 cents) I answered yes. I have no money. Free. She replied to me. Take this for free. Oh, no I couldn't I told her. No. Free. She insisted. It is good luck.
I was incredibly touched by her. She had almost nothing, materially, compared to me. She sells flowers for 4cents a bowl for a living. And yet, she was willing to give me one for free when she thought I had nothing. It helped me to realize that though people may appear to be suffering on the outside, they may not be on the inside. And I aspire to be as giving as her.
***
India's streets are an experience you cannot believe! I now understand the Indian drivers back in Chicago. They are not "bad" drivers, they are incredibly skilled. They just learned an entirely different skill set for driving here. You are safest on the street if you are a cow. They are plenty and no one hits them. I have seen more than one cow-related traffic jam!
As Trilbu just said to me (she is a friend reading over my shoulder waiting for a computer in a crowded little internet shop), "It gives a whole new meaning to HOLY COW!"
I love you all! I hope you are living your life in an alive and awake fashion!
Much love,
Dewa
We are now in Sarnath, the location where the Buddha gave his first teaching after leaving Bodhgaya where he attained enlightenment. We went to the stupa (a structure symbolizing the enlightened mind of the buddha) located at the site where he gave that teaching. When we arrived we first visited a temple that contained relics of Buddha Shakymuni (remains after cremation). There were several golden Buddha statues and paintings on all of the walls that depicted his life. Before we even went into the temple I had a warm prickling sensations of energy! I don't know if that is a sensation that would be unique to meditators or if others also have that sensation when visiting the site!
After visiting inside the temple we walked through the ruins of the monasteries that were located on that spot --over 2,000 years old! Not much remains standing, but again, the energy is still there! We then did cora around the stupa, which is circling around it and reciting mantra.
There were deer in Deer Park! They were beautiful--fuzzy antlered, big-eyed, trusting creatures.
***
Previous to being in Sarnath we were in Benares, Varnassi, I am told it is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world? Though I have not checked that fact myself. Culturally, it seemed like that might be true! This is a very holy place in Hinduism. It is the home of the Burning Ghats on the Ganges river. 500-600 Hindus per day are cremated at the Burning Ghats and their ashes are spread in Gangama (the Ganges River)--known to Hindus as the goddess Ganga.
We really started our pilgrimage in Benares and Rinpoche's first teachings of the pilgrimage were on impermanence. We went to the site of the Burning Ghats and watched humans being cremated. Our times will come too soon. To remember to live life fully, now, while we have it, was one lesson. To not waste our precious human life was another. I don't feel afraid of death, or afraid of my own end now. But I certainly feel motivated to meditate to improve my own energy so that I am ready when the time comes. Whatever your practice is, I hope you too feel the fire of motivation to pursue it!
Benares, as I said before, does feel ancient in some ways. To get to the banks of the ganges, where we stayed, we had to take four different forms of transportation, from bus to taxi, to rickshaw taxi, to foot. They do not allow, nor do they have streets wide enough to accomodate, cars of any kind to the banks. They keep the ancient narrow winding alleys that protect the sanctity of their holy place and carry the dead to the Ghats. Cows and goats roam the streets and alleys. Children fly kites with incredible skill over the Ganges. And at night, and in the morning, children sell flower-filled leaf bows at the banks of the ganges with a butter lamp in the center. You can buy one for a few rupees and make a wish of Ganga-ma then set your wish afloat in the river. People still bathe in the Ganges. Many naked men and children hop in and scrub themselves and then take a swim. They are bathing in a goddess. That seems a pretty wonderful bath! Though, I think your constitution would have to be incredible to stand it!
And the people. I have not yet touched upon the people in this incredible place. I learned my first lesson of the pilgrimage from a flower vendor our first morning on the Ganges. We were walking along the river in soupy fog, and children flower-offering vendors approached us asking us to buy flowers. They are persistent and followed us, and after I refused numerous times, one small girl asked why I did not buy. "Do you have no money?" she asked me. Not wanting to explain that I had no change for my R500 (500 rupee bill--she was asking 5 rupees and would have taken 2 rupees which is the equivalent of 4-10 cents) I answered yes. I have no money. Free. She replied to me. Take this for free. Oh, no I couldn't I told her. No. Free. She insisted. It is good luck.
I was incredibly touched by her. She had almost nothing, materially, compared to me. She sells flowers for 4cents a bowl for a living. And yet, she was willing to give me one for free when she thought I had nothing. It helped me to realize that though people may appear to be suffering on the outside, they may not be on the inside. And I aspire to be as giving as her.
***
India's streets are an experience you cannot believe! I now understand the Indian drivers back in Chicago. They are not "bad" drivers, they are incredibly skilled. They just learned an entirely different skill set for driving here. You are safest on the street if you are a cow. They are plenty and no one hits them. I have seen more than one cow-related traffic jam!
As Trilbu just said to me (she is a friend reading over my shoulder waiting for a computer in a crowded little internet shop), "It gives a whole new meaning to HOLY COW!"
I love you all! I hope you are living your life in an alive and awake fashion!
Much love,
Dewa
pictures from India
my first attempt at blogging and here are 2 photos of Varanasi.
Breakfast at the Ganpathi guesthouse and a view from the back terrace 
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Miracles and Prayers for the New Year
Hello Everyone:
I wanted to share a miracle Dikki and I witnessed yesterday. Before setting off on our treck to the Burning Ghats and Hindu temple, Diki openned a sealed bottle of water and filled her canister. She purchased her water at the Guest House where we are staying. As we were walking back from our visit to the Hindu temple she opened her bottle to take a drink. The plain water had turned into rose water. She asked me to take a taste. When she handed me the bottle I could smell the scent emerging from the canister and I too tasted the distinct taste of rosewater. She had never placed anything in the bottle but plain water. When we got back to our room, we checked the original bottle of water, and it was "plain" water. We both feel a sense of awe and blessing to have experienced this directly and realize now that we have tasted "blessed" waters. When Diki asked Rinpoche about this event, she said that this very "auspicious." I have heard that other students in the past have experienced smelling the sweet scent of roses around Rinpoche and in her room.
And to think we've only been here a few days. ..
Last night at 11:30 p.m. we met to say 11 very special prayers for world peace. We energetically felt the deep intention for transformation of our world. Prayers by Jane Goodall, Buddhist, Hopi, Native American, and Jainist prayers and a most beautiful prayer by Shantideva. Calling for the alleviation of suffering through harmful actions and ignorance. Calling for the cultivation of love, compassion and wisdom to transform our world. Near the conclusion of our prayers, Rinpoche shared home made treats and we ordered 6 pots of tea. We then went to the rooftop overlooking the Ganges holding lit candles and sang "All I am saying is give peace a chance." All the while, the songs of celebration throughout the city of Varanasi wafted through the night.
A word of caution, if you ever attempt to replicate this experience, make sure your tea pots are secure. We found out this morning that the monkeys got into our tea pots.
Well that's all for now. All my love to my brothers, sisters, family, and friends. Happy new year! Much love,
Chonyi
I wanted to share a miracle Dikki and I witnessed yesterday. Before setting off on our treck to the Burning Ghats and Hindu temple, Diki openned a sealed bottle of water and filled her canister. She purchased her water at the Guest House where we are staying. As we were walking back from our visit to the Hindu temple she opened her bottle to take a drink. The plain water had turned into rose water. She asked me to take a taste. When she handed me the bottle I could smell the scent emerging from the canister and I too tasted the distinct taste of rosewater. She had never placed anything in the bottle but plain water. When we got back to our room, we checked the original bottle of water, and it was "plain" water. We both feel a sense of awe and blessing to have experienced this directly and realize now that we have tasted "blessed" waters. When Diki asked Rinpoche about this event, she said that this very "auspicious." I have heard that other students in the past have experienced smelling the sweet scent of roses around Rinpoche and in her room.
And to think we've only been here a few days. ..
Last night at 11:30 p.m. we met to say 11 very special prayers for world peace. We energetically felt the deep intention for transformation of our world. Prayers by Jane Goodall, Buddhist, Hopi, Native American, and Jainist prayers and a most beautiful prayer by Shantideva. Calling for the alleviation of suffering through harmful actions and ignorance. Calling for the cultivation of love, compassion and wisdom to transform our world. Near the conclusion of our prayers, Rinpoche shared home made treats and we ordered 6 pots of tea. We then went to the rooftop overlooking the Ganges holding lit candles and sang "All I am saying is give peace a chance." All the while, the songs of celebration throughout the city of Varanasi wafted through the night.
A word of caution, if you ever attempt to replicate this experience, make sure your tea pots are secure. We found out this morning that the monkeys got into our tea pots.
Well that's all for now. All my love to my brothers, sisters, family, and friends. Happy new year! Much love,
Chonyi
Questions of pilgrimage
Before I left Wisconsin, I posted questions that arose in my mind regarding pilgrimage. This computer is VERY slow - and we pay for time on it, so I am not going to open a new window and search for the post to get the exact wording. However, there was something in there about "Who am I willing to become?"
Coincidentally enough (or not), Rinpoche began us off in Delhi with a teaching on personality. It is far too rich to go into here, but a few points bear on my own question. She spoke of personality as a set of habitual ways and strategies we use to interact in our life. We keep using the same set over and over - even the obviously dysfunctional ones - and identify them as ourselves. "This is my personality. It is how I am." However, that is not true. Our true selves are not our personality. We can change strategy. Hence, we can change personality. First we have to realize it is a choice. Rinpoche enjoined to hold our personality lightly - like meringue - and not lean too heavily on it. Use it skillfully, realizing it is a tool, but not us. Be ready to change it as indicated.
Rinpoche added to this insight when she taught here in Varanasi on impermanence and death. One reason we fear death is because we mistakenly identify this personality, which is impermanent and will be gone at our death, as ourselves. If we align with reality and do not hold so tightly to our personality, we will not fear death. It is about living without fear and transforming. so now it circles back to the original question.....Who am I willing to become?
To be continued.......
may there be a rain of dharma
Coincidentally enough (or not), Rinpoche began us off in Delhi with a teaching on personality. It is far too rich to go into here, but a few points bear on my own question. She spoke of personality as a set of habitual ways and strategies we use to interact in our life. We keep using the same set over and over - even the obviously dysfunctional ones - and identify them as ourselves. "This is my personality. It is how I am." However, that is not true. Our true selves are not our personality. We can change strategy. Hence, we can change personality. First we have to realize it is a choice. Rinpoche enjoined to hold our personality lightly - like meringue - and not lean too heavily on it. Use it skillfully, realizing it is a tool, but not us. Be ready to change it as indicated.
Rinpoche added to this insight when she taught here in Varanasi on impermanence and death. One reason we fear death is because we mistakenly identify this personality, which is impermanent and will be gone at our death, as ourselves. If we align with reality and do not hold so tightly to our personality, we will not fear death. It is about living without fear and transforming. so now it circles back to the original question.....Who am I willing to become?
To be continued.......
may there be a rain of dharma
Hindus only... unless you travel with Rinpoche of course.
"Hindus only". Carved on the wall at the entrance of a holy Hindu Shrine. As we visited the Golden temple in Varanasi we were escorted by our guide through the old Hindu temple and the newer mosque. From my best recollection there was a Hindu temple which was taken over as a Mosq - As you walk around the Mosq you can still see an entire wall of the original HIndu temple. Right next to it older by a couple centuries stands another HIndu temple. It was built by a queen and covered in Gold by a Maharadja later on. -Hence the Golden temple name....
The abundance of armed security officers stresses the significance of the site for Hindus, and the extreme care to make sure that riots do not erupt to re-claim the temples by both factions. The monkeys reign supreme here. Pema and I were both blessed by monkey today. She was peeded on.. and I was showed with flowers by a monkey on a roof. They must have known which one of us was a monastic and could understand blessing in its many forms :-)
The inner sanctum of the Shiva temple is only open to Hindus and Shivites. "somehow" the police commissioner approved our coming in and Rinpoche made an offering on behalf of the whole group. Rinpoche shared later that we got this special permission because we were all saying mantras and using ouir malas. They told her this group of 24 where everyone is praying is good. We want them inside. And so we went.
We were invited to see and touch the Lingam - which is the symbol of the "coming into being" of Shiva the Creator God. The holiest of places to a Hindu. We kept our traditions and our malas.. as they kept theirs. Respectfully. As we did at the burning ghats.
Hindus only. Unless you travel with Rinpoche.
Where her respectful commitment transcends barriers.
Did I hear something about teachings on the eternal religion later on in 2007?
I can wait.
For now, there is always India.
The abundance of armed security officers stresses the significance of the site for Hindus, and the extreme care to make sure that riots do not erupt to re-claim the temples by both factions. The monkeys reign supreme here. Pema and I were both blessed by monkey today. She was peeded on.. and I was showed with flowers by a monkey on a roof. They must have known which one of us was a monastic and could understand blessing in its many forms :-)
The inner sanctum of the Shiva temple is only open to Hindus and Shivites. "somehow" the police commissioner approved our coming in and Rinpoche made an offering on behalf of the whole group. Rinpoche shared later that we got this special permission because we were all saying mantras and using ouir malas. They told her this group of 24 where everyone is praying is good. We want them inside. And so we went.
We were invited to see and touch the Lingam - which is the symbol of the "coming into being" of Shiva the Creator God. The holiest of places to a Hindu. We kept our traditions and our malas.. as they kept theirs. Respectfully. As we did at the burning ghats.
Hindus only. Unless you travel with Rinpoche.
Where her respectful commitment transcends barriers.
Did I hear something about teachings on the eternal religion later on in 2007?
I can wait.
For now, there is always India.
Pilgrims, not tourists
Hi everyone, wishing you all a Happy New Year from Varanasi. We are 4 days into the pilgrimage now...I am not counting December 27th because we lost that day in travel.
Anyway, I think that it was really today that we all, or at least me, made the shift from tourist flashing cameras to pilgrim on a spiritual jounrey here in India. This morning before we went down to the burning ghats on the Ganges river Rinpoche took each of us in hand...literally...placed our mala there in our left hands and set us to maintain the mind of a pilgrim as much as possible, 24 hours a day. In this way, even as we were weaving in and out of narrow, uneven passageways and dodging goats and horses, bikes and people walking, experiencing the mysteries of India, we could maintain a more inner focus and continue to recieve the teachings being given interior. I could write more, but we are to begin recitation of World Peace prayers very shortly...and I hope with all my heart that there are fellow Sangha members in Wisconsin and elsewhere joining us.
Much love,
Menma
Anyway, I think that it was really today that we all, or at least me, made the shift from tourist flashing cameras to pilgrim on a spiritual jounrey here in India. This morning before we went down to the burning ghats on the Ganges river Rinpoche took each of us in hand...literally...placed our mala there in our left hands and set us to maintain the mind of a pilgrim as much as possible, 24 hours a day. In this way, even as we were weaving in and out of narrow, uneven passageways and dodging goats and horses, bikes and people walking, experiencing the mysteries of India, we could maintain a more inner focus and continue to recieve the teachings being given interior. I could write more, but we are to begin recitation of World Peace prayers very shortly...and I hope with all my heart that there are fellow Sangha members in Wisconsin and elsewhere joining us.
Much love,
Menma
Well done. Your good karma has brought you here...
These are the words printed below a beautiful Buddha image that greeted me at the airport 3 days ago. Today, we just went on a sunset boat ride on the Ganges where I released a candle and flowers -ok, 2..- with thoughts of many blessings for all those who helped me get here. There is Natalia, who driving me to the airport, litterally took her shoes and socks off since she felt i needed different shoes for my trip to India. There is Suzel -and Dallas of course- who not only gave me a wonderful backpack as a x-mas gift but also lent me their's to minimize my expenditures on the trip. There is Patti who brought me my meditation shawl from Abu d'Abi long before I started meditating. There is also Pema who invited me along and provided lists and leggings and skirts... and of course, my mala.
Of course, there is Rinpoche. Who is providing both levity about applying different cultural standards... (like the goats and their leavings thoughout the streets) and inner meditation focus...having us be pilgrims.
I am not sure how I got so lucky. But Rinpoche says that it's all about practicing so we have more choices in our next life. After all, the burning ghats along the Ganges brought home the point of our impermanence. And so I am grateful. For this meditation pilgrimage in India and for each and everyone of you.
Of course, there is Rinpoche. Who is providing both levity about applying different cultural standards... (like the goats and their leavings thoughout the streets) and inner meditation focus...having us be pilgrims.
I am not sure how I got so lucky. But Rinpoche says that it's all about practicing so we have more choices in our next life. After all, the burning ghats along the Ganges brought home the point of our impermanence. And so I am grateful. For this meditation pilgrimage in India and for each and everyone of you.
I'm here
Hello Everyone!!! I'm really here in India...right now on the banks of the Ganges in Varnasi 1 hour before the New year starts. Happy New Year!! I'm doing well...actually having a pretty good time. It's amazing here in India, so different and yet I feel very comfortable. Today we visited the ghats...where they cremate the dead and Rinpoche gave us a teaching on impermanence. No more to say right now. Love to all
Prayers for World Peace
We will be saying prayers for World Peace (from many faiths) at midnight tonight (New Years). We send these out to you wherever you are. Please join us if you would like.
Burning Ghats
We went to the Burning Ghats today. River Ganges. The ash was carried on the wind and sprinkled my zen (meditation shawl) as the fires burned high and bright. And inside me something was burned away. Something just simply melted away from the intensity of impermanence before my eyes.
There is no way to share with you the feeling of being cramped into stretches and stretches of crooked narrow alleyways as bodies wrapped in gold, white or red cloth are carried by, pallbearers signing and bumping into you as they pass. Incense burning and covering the acrid smell of soot and coal and urine in the streets.
There is something revealed that has to do with valuing this precious life, being less attached to the beauty of our bodies and more interested in interior wealth. There is something having to do with being able to fearlessly pray for these beings who have recently passed, while standing in the cremation grounds on the Ganges and in the alleyways that lead to them.
Bodies carried to the Ganges are purified in its waters and then burned as pujaris pray to release their consciousness to a higher level of being. There we were, 25 meditators, Tibetan sadhus as we were called in the streets, praying at the Burning Ghats, adding to the prayers already being said, praying that they reach the heights of their process and beyond.
(PS: For the person less experienced with Tibetan Buddhism or Hindu Saddhus, we are not the equivalent of Hindu Saddhus, but they are considered holy men on a fast track to enlightement, which sort of fits. At leat the fast track part)
There is no way to share with you the feeling of being cramped into stretches and stretches of crooked narrow alleyways as bodies wrapped in gold, white or red cloth are carried by, pallbearers signing and bumping into you as they pass. Incense burning and covering the acrid smell of soot and coal and urine in the streets.
There is something revealed that has to do with valuing this precious life, being less attached to the beauty of our bodies and more interested in interior wealth. There is something having to do with being able to fearlessly pray for these beings who have recently passed, while standing in the cremation grounds on the Ganges and in the alleyways that lead to them.
Bodies carried to the Ganges are purified in its waters and then burned as pujaris pray to release their consciousness to a higher level of being. There we were, 25 meditators, Tibetan sadhus as we were called in the streets, praying at the Burning Ghats, adding to the prayers already being said, praying that they reach the heights of their process and beyond.
(PS: For the person less experienced with Tibetan Buddhism or Hindu Saddhus, we are not the equivalent of Hindu Saddhus, but they are considered holy men on a fast track to enlightement, which sort of fits. At leat the fast track part)
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Changed perspectives and Happy New Year
pictures: Looking up and down the Ganges from our guesthouse
Greetings all,
It is New Years Eve day here in Varanasi. We arrived yesterday by air from Delhi. I cannot begin to explain what it is like to travel the streets of India. I have traveled so far by tour bus, small 3-wheeled taxi (you'd have to have been to India to understand. This is not a western version of taxi), rickshaw, a taxi that is like a land rover, and by foot (with 1 piece of my luggage in tow). On the roads are every possible kind of human transportation: pedestrians, cars, trucks, military vehicles, rickshaws, bicycles, cows, horse drawn carts (fairly rare) and others all sharing the same roadway. Lanes are not considered the "law" like they are in the west; here they are more of a suggestion: routinely ignored; and many types of conveyances ride side by side in 2-3 given lanes. Traffic flows and weaves in and out like a river. Somehow the people manage to avoid accidents (which I find absolutely amazing). I would find it chaotic and frightening and if I had to drive here, I would soon have a heart attack. However, as I have ridden along, I was amazed to discover that with someone else at the helm - an experienced person - I have come to relax more into the ebb and flow of the movement and it is no longer so nerve racking. So perhaps, I would adapt.
In places we have seen monkeys scampering and swinging around like squirrels scamper around back home. At home we see monkeys in zoos. Here they are common animals in the environment. It struck me what the Buddha meant when he referred to the "monkey mind".
In our guest house in Varanasi, Drichab and I share one of the few rooms with a bathroom and it even has a shower (don't think this is like a shower back home. It is not). And it seems like we lucked out. We have the luxury room). To consider this luxury, we have clearly had a shift in perspective. We have opened our bathroom and shower to others on this pilgrimage so they can also shower.
This evening, we will gather together at 11: 30 pm, and Rinpoche will lead us in prayers for World Peace. Here we are in a holy Hindu city at a guest house on the Ganges river - a Buddhist group joined by friends from other religions and we will be praying peace prayers from many lands. Talk about eclectic! Tomorrow we will travel to Sarnath, the place of the first turning of the wheel of dharma, where the Buddha taught the 4 Noble Truths. Rinpoche will teach there - I am sure it will be on the 4 Noble truths. Then on to Bohgaya.
This afternoon Changchub will arrive. I rejoice that she will join us at last.
See you all
May there be a rain of dharma
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
