Agra: the Taj
no doubt, perfection is beauty in it’s own right, and the Taj represents that sublime perfection: the balance, the symmetry, the texture and color, the hugeness of it. if you sit and look at it, you feel nothing but ease in your gaze.
and yet… after visiting the deeply spiritual temples, rivers, and cities of India… well, we felt that in terms of “Wonders of the World”…. this didn’t quite make the cut for us, to be honest. that said, we were glad that we went. plus the kids got to see camels and ride in a camel cart! they were thrilled because it was the one thing on the list we thought would probably not happen.
Mathura: birthplace of Krishna
on the way back from the Taj we stopped at Mathura, the birthplace of Krishna, and on the way Matthew told us many stories of Krishna and his life and so by the time we arrived we thoroughly enjoyed the temple, which turned out to be charming and very child-friendly (as Krishna is). Matthew is, I swear, a walking encyclopedia of everything India, Hindu, and spiritual, and has made this trip so completely accessible in a way it never could have been otherwise. the children have now fallen in love with Krishna.
David was commenting that with Matthew’s knowledge of the culture and speaking fluent Hindi, he has been able to make things happen in a way we never could have otherwise. I have been telling people that he has been our Golden Ticket through India… not just because of language and knowledge, but also because of his friends, who in virtually every city have arranged things, welcomed us, made things possible. we have had access to places and experiences we never could have otherwise. and he has devoted himself completely to us.
Delhi
brief stop in Delhi, long enough to have two amazing experiences:
we were able to see Dr. Triguna, enlightened Ayurvedic physician, who is now 91 years old and hasn’t been seeing patients for the past few months. Dr. Triguna received the Padma Bhushan award from the President of India for achieving the highest in the Ayurvedic field. for decades he had been seeing hundreds and hundreds of people every day. we arrived and Trigunaji was not there…but when they saw us sitting in the waiting room and Matthew spoke with them, we were invited into his home! (again, thank you Matthew!!). he read our pulses, and was amazingly spot-on about everyone. the biggest relief was what he said about Dania… that basically she has a disorder of her nervous system, but that she is fine and not to worry about her. she was so happy, and eager to take the herbs he proscribed, and it is so great to see her relieved and hopeful. I will have to think about her daily life and how to make things more calm for her. he basically said that in spite of our own individual issues, we are all in good health (thank God). he noted that Matthew is busy busy thinking thinking (no kidding!) but approved of his efforts to take care of his family. He said “you are doing your duty—very good!” he laughed throughout the whole meeting…
the other place we briefly went to is called Akshar Dam, which, frankly, rivals the Taj in it’s incredible beauty. the carvings were unbelievable (took 11,000 artisans, etc. 5 years to create!), and we ended up taking a sweet indoor guided boatride/tour through caves and scenes of ancient Indian villages and revealing the history of India and India’s contribution to world knowledge and culture. and it was stunning and quite moving. could have spent all day there… but because of cancelled flights had to make it a briefer stop.
Haridwar
one evening in Haridwar… found it a bit like a smaller, more festive Varanasi, actually, as we walked along the Ganga, experienced the Arti, and mixed with the crowd. walked amongst the sadhus making their way through the gateway into the Himalayas. met several of Matthew’s Purusha friends who were in town to see us and they were warm, loving, fun, brilliant, and incredibly generous. stayed in Anandamaima’s Ashram, which was simple, but lovely… Anandamaima was one of India’s greatest saints. she was the embodiment of Mother Divine, so her ashram was filled with the presence of Mother. unfortunately both Eliana and David ate something their bodies decided to get rid of rapidly during the night, but thankfully it was over quickly.
Uttar Kashi
first let me say that I will never again imagine that it would be easy for Matthew to come home… from his Ashram it is a serious hike in the Himalayas, a GRUELING 5-7 hr car ride on twisty roads, and that just gets you to town number 1 and close to flight number 1. this trip is not in any way easy.
that said, the real reason is the place itself. imagine a place nestled in the majestic Himalayas, with a view of the Ganges, perfect weather, clear mountain air, and quiet. this is the home of my brother. we stayed in a little cottage right on the water, and several of his friends came down to stay with us… again, friends that were warm, loving, easy to be with, kind, generous, and open-hearted. we relaxed, talked, the kids explored, and we all took the ritual full body dunk in the Ganga and felt refreshed and purified. it was incredibly lovely, and we all commented that actually it was one of our favorite places in all of India. Matthew arranged for pundits to join us for a very sweet blessing to the Ganga and for our family.
we hiked in the beautiful Himalayan mountains and from a distance caught a glimpse of Matthew’s special home. we were able to sit inside Maharishi’s cave, where he became Fully Enlightened and the spot where his ashes were returned to the Ganges. Uttarkashi is the place where Purusha are blossoming in silence, Maharishi became Enlightened, Maharishi’s Master, Guru Dev became Enlightened, Guru Dev’s Guru Dev became Enlightened…etc. etc. it is called the valley of the saints…it was the most perfect way to wind down the trip.
I feel complete, now, in my life, in a way that is new. part of it is this trip and India and so many things, but there is something else… seeing the home of my brother. being at the place of his home, his center, his world, his friends, his life in Uttar Kashi. I feel, through this, a profound connection to him and to myself. he was not just sharing India with us, or facilitating deep spiritual experiences, or sharing knowledge, he shared a deep, beautiful, tender part of himself. like sharing his journal… what is inside… with us.
Rishikesh
the drive down the mountain was a bit rough for me, to be sure… looks like I picked something up that my body rejected in all possible ways constantly, nicely exacerbated by twisty roads. ugh. lets just say that the side of the road no longer poses an obstacle for me in any way.
that said, Matthew had planned a delightful surprise for David and I… we are staying in a lovely Panchakarma clinic and Matthew planned for us to get oil massages by two technicians and shirodhara (warm oil poured on the forehead) in the morning. it was exactly what the doctor ordered.. fantastic. we have postponed our raft trip in the hopes that with rest today I will be feeling well enough tomorrow to go.
have I mentioned the kids and I have picked up some Hindi? or that the kids are better versed in spiritual knowledge than most adults at this point? or that they are now actually enjoying Indian food? or that we have all figured out how to get clean without toilet paper, go to the bathroom without toilets, shower with a bucket, get along without electricity, greet people warmly, become good hosts, live out of suitcases and go with the flow?
one of Matthew’s friends quoted Maharishi to me yesterday: Every day is life, tomorrow never comes. that is it, exactly. tomorrow is always in the future, isn’t it? today is now.
I have learned so much about myself, David, my brother, and the kids on this trip.
the kids have not for a moment ceased to amaze me in their flexibility, patience, openness, wonder, ability to adjust and adapt, learn, etc. David has spoken about how he has had a bit of a rough time of it… the nature of India and the trip has been hard for him, but he has learned a lot and is glad to have come… and really, it has been intense and a whirlwind for us all. and Matthew? Matthew has been unbelievable, and has spent every last ounce of himself for us. his generosity is endless and completely unbounded. not only that, but when most people come to India they are alone… we have not only been with Matthew, but through him surrounded by people who have welcomed us and loved us. it is clear the love he has cultivated in his home.
and me… I know I can only just begin to know what this trip has taught me about myself. I have thrived on this trip, and I see, now, that there is a part of me completely opposite of my life – a part of me that is forever unbounded by routine, schedule, place, living in a moment and wanting to just experience God fully and in every ounce of my being. I had begun to learn this over the past year, about myself, and that I become dead, really. hollow. without this part of myself having breath and space in my life. obviously, I have chosen the life I have because I love this part of my life to return to… the routine, my children and partner, my work, home, friendships, family, all of it. however, I cannot live there all the time. I see, now, so clearly, that I must go to “India” (to God, to wildness, to ancient spirituality, to utter stillness, to complete creativity) on my own, regularly, in my own life.
in some ways, when I think about everything we have seen and done on this trip, I would say we have bitten off more than we can chew – every day a new place, traveling the entire length of India, bottom to top and back again. that said, I would not wanted to have missed a single thing that we have seen and really, that is totally me. I want to bite off more than I can chew, I want to consume the world, and everything in it. a choice I made in the planning with the knowledge that it will be digested, blissfully and profoundly, in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.
today, a boat trip on the ganga (hopefully I can join), a walk through sweet Rishikesh, famous former home of Maharishi (and the Beatles), and the sandals of Guru Dev... and then the return to San Fransisco... although clearly a "return" to something different and new. and with profound sadness and joy, a "goodbye" to Matthew.. for now and only in body, certainly not mind, heart, and soul.
No comments:
Post a Comment