Testimonials

It was a challenging and vibrant experience. Beside wonderful landscapes, the good mood in the group and the meditation practices during the journey keep the path more easy and pleasant. At least once in your life you should do it!

Firstly, I had been following the Ananda Marga practices for over 2 years, before I attempted the tour. That being said, this tour was the first opportunity in which I was able to deepen my practices. Everything in the meditation practice is scientific and it’s great to live and travel with yogis and to truly understand how easy it is to bring into our lives. Let me describe the changes that I had brought in… Ever since the trip, I’ve been waking up at 4:45 am everyday and practice meditation at 5 am (panchajanya). I have also gotten very strict with choosing the right kind of food to eat. I am also now practicing the art of doing your meditation before any meal – This is truly the best way to really enjoy your food. Other than this, I am also able to follow the fasting dates more strictly.

Oh, and I never realized how much I enjoyed ‘walking’ before this trip. I am now following the habit of going on long walks everywhere, rather than taking the car or taxi. It’s a truly liberating feel to get up and just walk forward – and I learnt that from the trekking trip. Trekking in Nepal also taught me how to use ones 2nd lesson at all times and you really get the practice of using it every day.

I also learnt how you can quickly cut some veggies and some carbs to make some delicious satvik food. There was a lot of opportunity to learn different styles of cooking, from other members in the trip.

I had also wanted to learn to play Kiirtan on the guitar, and this trip has been great at developing this art and I was able to learn quite a bit of kiirtans and prabhat sangeets. And now, I have a guitar of my own and I am able to play all the kiirtans that I had learnt in the trip. And every time I play them, it reminds me of all the positive things that I experienced in the trip. Dada is also great with teaching kiirtans, and he is also super helpful with answering any questions on the practice. Oh and there’s lot of Baba stories 🙂

If you are someone who wants to deepen the practice, I’d definitely recommend that you visit all the spiritual landmarks in India and be able to practice your meditation there and also connect with other yogis walking the path. It’s good Svadhyaya. What better way to do that, than go with a group who want to experience the same things?! 🙂

Baba Nam Kevalam,
Bhishma

What first attracted me to the India tour was that it would let me visit Ananda Nagar and other spiritual places in India, with people who have experience dealing with the craziness of India. I also really wanted to get a break from work, grow spiritually and implement more spiritual practices in my everyday life, have awesome Indian food. In all those regards I certainly got my moneys worth – and so much more! Ananda Nagar is a very powerful place, we visited many Tantra Pithas to do Sadhana and we met hundreds of Dadas and Didis there for the new years celebration. We did sadhana 4 times per day, fasting 4 times per month and Paincajanya most every morning and followed many other habits.

What I didn’t expect I would get was such a strong sense of community and becoming so close with the other tour members and the organizers. We quickly became very close and had an amazing time going through the ups and downs of the tour. To paraphrase Dada K “In India you get the most clash for your buck” – it’s so true! Lots of clash and growth on all levels, but also so much love and fantastic experiences.

Dada Krpasundarananda, Didi Malati and Didi Ananda Chandra Chekara are all amazing acaryas and share so much love through their knowledge, stories, food and more. I got all I wanted out of the tour and grew tremendously on all levels of life. I will also always remember the amazing people on the tour and how close we all got – in the end the people were the most amazing thing about this whole experience!

Coming soon 🙂

A Spiritual Adventure Tour in India and Nepal, December 2003-January 2004.
Didi Ananda Ragamaya.

On an adventure there is only the reality of the moment and all responsibilities, all the apparently important things in our lives take a back seat and we simply have to exist in the present. We survive right now, or we thrive right now… and we dive right now into the fullness and richness of life!

Can you imagine a group of ten people, most of who have never met each other, heralding from all corners of the globe, living travelling, chanting, meditating, cooking and adventuring together? Can you imagine paying for hardship? Paying to live it rough, sometimes without water and electricity, waiting for hours and hours at the train station, cramming onto buses that bounce and bump and let in the dust and filth and cold and rain and even don’t go anywhere at times? Can you imagine going on such a journey and your whole sense of reality is turned upside-down?

This is the journey of complete surrender… a willingness to face yourself and grow, adjusting to others and moving as a group; discovering your strengths, embracing and combating your challenges; tapping into unknown inner resources, letting go and allowing a deeper sense of acceptance to pervade your being.

For the first-timer entering into India one would behold a real feast for the senses and quite possibly find it more than overwhelming. Most are thrown in to the hubbub of New Delhi, streets full of rubbish, shared by cows, pigs, goats and beggars, brightly coloured stalls, the aromas of delicious food mixed with less appetizing smells and noises, hustlers, pick-pockets and apparent pandemonium… It is somewhat like a storm and you find yourself quietly in the centre of it all, possibly shocked into stillness, numb from the contrast of being unceremoniously dumped into this completely different reality. Maybe you are hurled along with the flow and want to dance with the spirit of fiesta that pours forth, with all its colour, music and madness!

And so that is where our journey began… joining together from all corners of this earth, our group met up in a small tourist hotel in New Delhi where we started our dance of relationships, each one bringing in new, both subtle and spicy choreography, over a period of time creating an exquisite and unforgettable masterpiece or art, truly unique and never replicable!

As we left the wilds of Delhi for the more peaceful deserts of Rajastan we hoped for some relaxation as the train trundled along, being jogged to and fro, rocked to sleep. However, there was some confusion over our reservations and we ended up not only perched on others bunks trying not to doze off, or sleeping on the floor with all sorts of rubbish, peanut shells and shoes, but we also had to deal with six hours of delay along the way. Our dear Indian Railways so aptly indicates on their timetable “trains may loose or gain time”, (well, at least it left on time, though I have never known a train to gain time!). You just learn to expect the unexpected and then when something actually goes according to plan, it is mildly refreshing! However, it was a long night indeed and a hard initiation for the new comers.

So our first port of call was Pushkar, a purely vegetarian, Hindu town centred round a lake. A peaceful place with domed roofs, everything seemed hazy and the whole town seemed to merge from one pastel hue into another. We spent a few days there in a small family style hotel, off the beaten track and enjoyed a peaceful time on the rooftop under the shade of the trees, where we would chant and meditate together, potter around doing our washing, eat our collective meals and simply enjoy each others company. Rooftops in India are where it happens. Looking across the way, it is not uncommon to see mothers with their children, plaiting their hair, sewing or preparing food. Roof top community life has it’s own charm and peace.

While in Pushkar we ventured out on a camel safari. Those camels are mighty high up you know! Mine was called Krsna and I would sing sweetly (so I hoped!) to him to keep him from running wild. He was well behaved and turned out to be very obliging as we plodded through the desert sands, evening approaching and the gentle coolness of the air caressing our faces. Camping out under the stars, we enjoyed the warmth of our little bonfire, eating a simple local meal together and sharing in song. When most were rugged up and gone to sleep, the camels settled into steadily chomping away at the foliage (full of spines and looking quite dry and chewy by anyone’s standards, they must have super digestions!). As their munching faded into the distance I relished in a few moments of peace under the desert moon and slipped into a beautiful meditation, silently bathing in the stillness.

Our journey continued (not by camel!) to Bodhagaya, the place where Buddha was said to have attained enlightenment. There were a multitude of monks and nuns from various Buddhist pathways, their dress ranging from white robes to various shades of saffron and maroon. People chanted and gongs sounded as pilgrims gathered enjoying welcome satsaunga (good company), whilst others who were in more contemplative moods entered into the quiet sanctuary of the temple’s meditation halls. Everywhere vendors were capitalising on people’s spirituality. There were malas (beads), cushions, candles, prostration mats you name it, all the things that can help to lead you to enlightenment!

Whilst there we hiked to a cave situated at the Mahakala Temple, set in the hills where Buddha had meditated for seven years. We waded across a wide river (accompanied by children, villagers, bicycles, buffalo, dogs and possibly a few other unknown parasitic entities!) through small villages, where life seemed to maintain it’s simplicity over the decades and where people mildly just watch the world go by. I found it so refreshing to be away from the hustle and bustle of high-tech life, where I could hear the cows grazing, children laughing as they played in the fields and simple daily chores taking place. There was a certain sense of timelessness in the air one day lazily loping into the next.

In Jamalpur, where the spiritual teacher and founder of Ananda Marga (Shrii Shrii Anandamurti) was born, we stayed at our children’s home enjoying their playfulness, purity and clearly their joy in our visit. The heart-warming satsaunga of the devotees from the earlier days for me was also very inspiring indeed. I compared the situation to Vrindavan and Krsna, where the relationship between him and his disciples was very sweet and personal, as opposed to later in Krsna’s life, when he became a spiritual warrior defending dharma (righteousness). Our teacher started his early days in this very sweet personal way, with his small group of devotees and later formed a comprehensive social-spiritual yoga organisation where he had to become more administrative as the numbers grew, the relationship becoming more of an internal rather than external communion you could say.

One especially potent site we visited in the area was a very solid and ancient tamarind tree located in the heart of Death Valley, where our teacher was said to have meditated often, I was very attracted by the atmosphere thick with a powerful spiritual vibration and highly conducive for deep contemplation.

In Rishikesh, we enjoyed the hospitality of one of the many yoga ashrams, which provided us with simple and clean accommodation as well as sattvic food (a special type of vegetarian diet that is good for both body and mind, supporting a yogic lifestyle). At sunrise and sunset the ashrams would all perform their ritual “Arati” on the banks of the Ganges, a pleasant ceremony in which to remember the divine in one’s life. Some early morning pilgrims would be already bathing in the icy river water. (I was certainly not one of them!) Our group bathed in a slightly different way as New years day found us white water rafting down, which was truly beautiful and exhilarating as we glided and sometimes rushed (backwards) through the Himalayan foothills.

Heading further up into the Himalayas we took the arduous journey to Nepal. Leaving aside the majority of our baggage in the peaceful lake town of Pokara, we took a ten-day trek with our packs, starting from Beni and gradually going deeper into the mountains. Each day found us a little higher and having to brace the crisper weather, our packs becoming lighter as the clothes went on our backs. We stayed in very simple and basic accommodation cooking for ourselves on a little stove, joining in with the local families in their cosy kitchens, enjoying the warmth of community around heavenly coal fires.

We had a pleasant interlude at the hot springs of Tatopani and relished in the warm water. (Most places although were advertised as having hot showers in reality offered only a choice of cold, very cold or freezing cold water! However, thank god for stoves, we were able to boil up water to remove the chill for a very speedy bucket bath.

The Nepal trek was so special in it’s simplicity. For ten days we were free from cars, only sharing the narrow paths with laden mules clanging their bells, other rare travellers, and the mountains steadily climbing upwards, becoming increasingly more spectacular and breath taking. I would often find myself standing alone silently watching mouth agape, just absorbing the whole scene. What wonderful and truly awe inspiring cherished moments there were to be experienced in that special land in the sky.

Once we stopped outside a small dwelling for a rest and drink of water at the height of the midday sun. There was a bull fenced in making loud noises and getting rather frisky, (upon our arrival in Nepal, we had experienced a bull go out of hand and had to clamour for safety, there had also been two bulls fighting in the streets of Pushkar…. This definitely seemed to be a trip of bull energy!). So when the bull broke out I was already set to run into the house, I had become vigilant and ready for action! We all piled into this little home, chickens and all! A little old lady emerged quite surprised at the arrival of her unexpected visitors! I think the little drama made her day though. As it happened the bull turned out to be a horned cow, with our imaginations running wild! She simply wanted some water and was quite mellow when her thirst was quenched.

Dada Krpasundarananda (the yogic monk who was the other organiser and one of the main originators of this tour some ten years ago) prepared wonderful, hearty buckwheat porridge with dried fruits and nuts, for us on those chilly mornings, a perfect start to the day. Evenings would find us together squeezed into one of the rooms for collective chanting and meditation, bringing us back into the group’s spiritual connection. We would cosily wrap up in our sleeping bags and share stories and songs before drifting into a deep sleep, bodies completely finished for the day.

On the milder mornings I would love to sit by the river or on the roof-tops surrounded by snow covered mountains in meditation, and then warm up by practising some lively asanas (yoga postures) and basic karate moves. The air could only be described as pure and pristine. There was so much pranah (vital energy), all the ailments I had been suffering from prior to the trek seemed to slip away and I felt so full of life.

Nearer the top of our journey the air became very thin and the although the going was tough, there was a certain expectation of reaching the unknown, as if we were the first travellers go to this high up place. The mule traffic was practically non-existent by then just a rare local horse rider would canter by. The villages were even more rustic and untouched by so-called civilization. I felt as though I was on another planet. The paths became icier as we headed to Muktinath, where there was a natural eternally burning flame, housed in one of the Buddhist temples (which happened to be run by Tibetan Buddhist nuns, I found it refreshing to connect with them. Though our paths are different, there is still some deep understanding about the nature of our existence which I find so beautiful when I link up with other women who have also dedicated their lives).

The compound of monasteries and temples stood alone, at the end of a long climb. A world unto itself, with crystal waters, wind blowing the chimes and flapping faded prayer flags. A few nuns and some workers were seen pottering around in the cold, attending to daily tasks. One of the nuns ceremoniously opened the temple door and the smell of incense and wooden boards entered my nostrils, a simple statue of the Buddha sat golden and peaceful gazing on the scene. She opened a small doorway and one by one we looked at the flame coming out of the ground, ignited and fed from deep in the earth. The flame itself was very simple and small, but I appreciated its significance for me. The flame of eternal life, can burn even in the most remote of places, giving sustenance to all in it’s own quiet way.

I left the others and sat on a bench overlooking the snow-covered peaks and entered into my mountain top meditation. I bathed in the peacefulness and grandeur that the mountains pervaded and surrendered this journey to the One, feeling touched and a little sad to be heading back down, but honoured and grateful for the experience and knowing also that my life is beautiful where ever I am, because I am…

And so we steadily headed back down the mountain, all engrossed in our own thoughts and feelings, experiencing a deeper sense of connection with ourselves and quietly with each other. As our tiny airplane (Cosmic Air!) rattled us back to Pokara those ten days passed before our eyes in a matter of minutes, looking through our small windows at the incredible landscapes, all lost in our own thoughts, torn between the life and stillness that we were leaving behind and the relative comforts of our lakeside tourist town offering warm beds, clean clothes, food (without cabbage) and a little rest in the sun.

We headed back through India over the next ten days or so on our way to Delhi. One last place I recollect that was especially meaningful to me, was Ananda Nagar, the home of Ananda Marga (Path of Bliss), set in the quiet back of beyond, one of the poorest and most arid parts of India. Over the years, with the help of the villagers we have reforested the area and developed a growing community, having all sorts of projects from children’s homes, hostels, hospitals and clinics, farm industries, research institutes, schools, colleges and so on. Dada Krpasundarananda’s dome made from local earth, was one of the more recent constructions there, it reminded me somewhat of something out of “Wind in the Willows”, or “The Chronicles of Narnia”, a very cosy, quaint practical and simple down to earth abode.

Upon arriving at the house of my spiritual master at Ananda Nagar, I felt a wave of peace sweep over me, as if I had come home and all the travelling and responsibilities, tiredness and organising had simply melted away. It was as if my whole being had taken a huge sigh of relief… and all the “out there” stuff mattered not. I was pulled to a place deeper within and allowed myself to flow with that all loving subterranean stream of life, bathing in its sweetness and touched by its pure love. Yet again I was gently reminded that only when I completely let go can I truly live and love. Then I am free simply to be who I am, layers of conditioning shed to reveal a bright and beautiful being within, free from fetters, a playful child, a fresh green leaf in spring…

So the time came to go our separate ways. Our lives had connected for a brief period in the whole game of eternity. We had undoubtedly grown and blossomed, like beautiful flowers in life’s colourful garden, each one revealing it’s own uniqueness. Everyone more equipped with renewed vigour and purpose stepping into the ongoing adventure of life with greater depth of understanding, love, surrender and the spirit to serve in this ever-changing world we all live in.

As I sit in my small office and look out of the window at my mango and curry leaf trees and the distant hills, I could almost think I was back in India; in a land that seems but a dream away now, since returning to my no less adventurous, but quite different reality in Jamaica.

Namaskar dear Arati, Catuscia, Dada, Gopi Krsna, Malatii, Moksadevii, Prashantii, Sudiipa, Sukhamaya, Sulocana and Vaekuntha,

I just wanted to say thank you to you all for a very special tour together and i am grateful for all of your unique and wonderful qualities and contributions to our community adventure together!…. It was an honour for me to be with you all and the journey was also a time of much reflection and growth in my own life, which was made possible by you…..

So…. a BIG THANKYOU!!!

I look forward to seeing you where ever our paths next coincid  It has been a pleasure being with you all….

I hope you are able to keep the strong spiritual flow with your practises …. it has been amazing with so much collective kiirtan and meditation we did together…. it is especially now in the silence of my quiet room that i am feeling all the accumulated power and energy that we created together!…. 

Be well and gracefully flow into your journey of life…..

I look forward to being in touch and please feel free to write anytime.. much sisterly love to all 

In my days since returning from the India Tour, I have reflected upon the power and importance contained within the essence of Sam’gacchadhvam.  It is not hard to enjoy living together with friends and/or like-minded people when there is no friction, but when they eat your yogurt or leave their clothes in the laundry machines or park their cars so that you cannot move yours AGAIN, etc., it is so easy to forget how much they can lift you up when you are feeling down and having trouble ousting the doldrums solo.

Our group really taught me the value of working as a team; I feel that most people at least understand the concept of holding space for their team-members who are feeling down, but this group taught me how to be ok with letting other people help me up when I (am willing to admit and accept that I) am feeling down – to feel that love, to feel that closeness, and most importantly, to let it in (even if feelings of embarrassment arise due to my vulnerability).

Nothing makes me open up more to another person than when they are fully vulnerable to me – I realized with this group that I am not the only person in the world who functions this way.  Sometimes it really is ok to lay my weary head in another’s lap and rest my tired body and soul, and have faith that the hands holding me up are not getting bored or weakening under my burdensome weight.  Those hands can be growing with strength through Baba’s love and the Baghavad Dharma that can open the human heart to channel that flow of love; where Seva is a privilage and it resonates with the timeless/formless/limitless core of every one of us – in this way, with this ideation, it is possible to render service by allowing those around me the opportunity to do service to/for me when I am in need.

I learned that I am worthy of love.

Thank you so much. Namaskar,

Namaskar dear friends…

Thanks for your emails, Didi and Sulocana, its nice to read how everyone is now that the tour, weirdly (!) is over… Hope to hear from the rest of you as well.

Yes it was very strange when one after another you all left India and I was left on my own in Pahar Ganj, waiting for Dada Cittabodhananda to arrive to Dehli on a delayed train, so that I couold get my laptop from his flat, which in the end I didn’t end up getting anyway, cause my plane lifted before he arrived!
But I think Baba wanted me to have that space on my own before I dived into a new adventure, and I had two really lovely days on my own, and actually met some very nice people here and there, while drinking maximum, and I mean MAXIMUM JUICE! 🙂

Then I took a flight to Kerala, and as I was waiting in transit for several hours in bangalore, I started writing my diary, and suddenly all this processing of the tour and my experiences there, with you, and with Baba, started… It was really nice, I wrote for HOURS,  and I suddenly realized how rich our time together was, and that I was learning so many new things and also getting to know myself in so many new ways! Thank you for sharing this experience with me, and making it what it was.

As I am now writing I am remembering all the places we visited, Rishikesh, then Pushkar, Bodhgaya, Agra, Jamalpur, Ananda Nagar, and then the time in Katmandu and the trek… wow, we really went through a lot! I miss all these places a lot and Baba’s vibration that we carried with us wherever we went.

I am now in Kannur in North Kerala and just finished the first week of my one month ayurvedic massage and panchakarma course. It is just SUCH a different experience to be here than my last 2 months in India. First of all, south India is so different from the north of India, even just vibrationally, and also its humid, warm, sunny and of course loud but not as loud as the north I guess. North India feels much more spiritual somehow, in a kind of chaotic lovely way (yes i never thought I would appreciate this:).
But mainly I think, it is that I am in a completely different space here than when we were travelling together. Baba is suddenly giving me all this time to be on my own, and to really BE with myself with not so many chances to run away!:)

At first it was really a shock when I arrived here and I realized I will actually live in my own room with my own bed in a flat with a few other random people (who are very nice but very few, hardly any people on the course are really seriously into meditation etc). it was like realizing that I am still my own person after having spent so many days non-stop with you guys, all sleeping, eating, meditating together! I guess normally if I would have gone home after the tour I would have stepped into another cosy group of friends and family and kind of got on with it, but here baba is really giving me a break to be with myself…

And I realize… that this is what I came to India for actually… to have this space, and I have found many times in the past in my life, that wherever this space arises, Baba comes stronger… So this is what is happening right now.. and in some way my heart is softening and opening in a way that I havent’ felt for a while… it reminds me of a feeling when I was a very new margi, and i though i lost this feeling and it would never come back…

In contrast though, I am REALLY REALLY learning to appreciate and understand on a very profound level how important it is to have satsaung and to be able to be with people like you guys in my life, and move together. Just to be with peopole that completely understand me and who also share this search for the Divine in literally EVERYTHING that we do. It is only when we don’t have that for a while that we understand how lucky we are. So I am missing that  alot!

But also I guess I am sort of shocked to suddenly be among “normal” people and its like my mind can’t comprehend that so many people in the world live without the awareness of BABA.. like, they eat, sleep, work, do their little projects, have relationships and grow, but that there is no greater aspect to it all, like a purpose or a Supreme desideratum… no meditation everyday! So weird! It’s really made me feel Baba even stronger, and it’s like I want to be even more myself and more disciplined with my practices and lifestyle, when I am in a place like this.

The ayurvedic course is really amazing, I am learning so much and the doctors are really great. I am starting treatments next week! this is VERY different to my freezing cold massage experience in rishikesh:)
After this ends (end of feb) I have decided to go back to Ananda nagar for 10 days before I fly back to London. I miss Ananda nagar so much… I just want to be in Baba’s room. And walk around and see orange people everyehere! I hope I can do some filming with the boys there.

Okay I have to finish here… I am wishing you all the best on your paths, and hoping that you will go deeper and deeper into your hearts so that we can all become more and more who we truly are and change the world together!

Much love
Mokshadevi

I would like to share with you a little bit of the experience I had with the India Tour 2009/2010.

I remember being in the last part of the trekking (in Nepal) and feeling sad because we were in the end of it and soon I wouldn’t be in the company of those wonderful people in all those wonderful places that I will never forget. For some time I felt the anguish of this separation and soon I understood that one of the things I learnt in this moment was that we should live good things at their maximum and continue straight forward with whatever comes  (being good or not that good) in life.

I tell you that even simple and basic things as not being able to have a shower is sufficient to drive us crazy. But the unity and the support of the whole group, the team spirit and the interior strength, makes us overcome the obstacles and frustrations of the daily life. The capacity of living life to the maximum of our capacities, either physical or psychological, made me know myself much deeper.

The trekking part was the toughest and the hardest. Our connection with Baba becomes unique and much stronger. The fact that the tour allows us to live like the majority of the Indian people, like common people, only with the basic needs, made me feel life in a different way and forget the superfluous of daily life that we are so depended on.

Every little instant of the tour was totally worth it!
Surrender above everything – I accept what life (Baba) gives me!

Lots of Love

A BIG BIIIIIG thank you also to all of you! This tour was definitely the best trip of my life and changed me a lot! I miss it and I miss you all!…

Coming back home was full of more adventures… But here I am, at home, having plenty of time to get back with my e-mails, read, write my diary, organize all the pictures (how I miss everything watching them…)…ehhee!!

On the other hand it’s great to be back and see all the marguiis here full of new initiatives, ideas and programs…There’s so much work to do but yet a lot of inspiration and satsang! 
Next week we’ll have a retreat and, Dada and Didi, be ready for the next India tours because we’re going to talk a lot about it and show the pictures to everyone! eheh!! 😛

Thank you once again for everything and specially for letting me feel Baba much more inside of me! That’s the most important thing that I carry and I feel so grateful for that and for all the moments that made me grow and discover myself a little more!

A big hug to all of you, wonderful family!! You’re the best and I wish you all the best in your next projects!

Lots of love

Namaskar! 

Thank you all, and Baba, for the wonderful tour . 
It was a great adventure. I realise we are all connected, in some way. We are a big family, in this cosmos. 
So, I hope to see you , somewhere in a corner, of this cosmos. 

All the best! 

BNK 

Better late than never… by Amal (USA) 2007

Namaskar Dadaji,

Classes just ended today, so here I am, finally writing you about the india tour…

Going on the India Tour was just about one of the most intense experiences of my life. Ever since I was a little kid my parents and other Margiis have been relating various different India horror stories, but really, now that I’ve been there, I understand that -nobody- can prepare you for the reality of India — either you’ve been there and you understand, or you haven’t and you don’t. I’ll never forget what it was like first arriving in India — I was totally traumatized, hahaha.

Being in Delhi for two days on my own was just an utterly terrifying experience. Everything, from the animals, the crowds, the chaos, the filth and pollution were so overwhelming, I just felt like I would never be able to handle it, would never be able to adjust. Funnily enough, after traveling through places like Bihar, when I arrived in Delhi again after the tour was over I thought “hey this place is pretty nice for India,” haha. It’s amazing how much your perspective can change once you’ve come across things like the Gaya train station.

All this sounds terrible and negative, I’m sure, but really, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I got sick so many times — I even managed to land myself with dysentery on my very last day (Dada Krpa will fondly remember me keeled over in the Delhi hotel room one hour before leaving for the airport telling him that I couldn’t go to the airport, that I should go to the hospital instead, hahaha) — but in spite of all the clash, physical, mental and certainly spiritual, I really feel like I grew immensely during the tour. In a place like India you just have no shelter, just absolutely no relief. The only recourse is to go deep within during sadhana, haha.

But even India was such an amazing place — the more time has gone by, the more I appreciate India itself. What a strange and wonderful place, to contain within its borders places as far set apart as Delhi and Ananda Nagar. Speaking of which, I loved Ananda Nagar. Being at Ananda Nagar was a profound experience for me, the first time in my entire life that I ever felt like I was “home,” even in spite of all the organizational nonsense surrounding the whole DMS-cancellation. I didn’t care. I walked around in ananda, perfectly content, even in spite of my high fever and diarrhea, haha. Being in Baba’s room there was also incredible. I felt like I was sitting in the room from which the universe was being controlled — I was really shocked by how strong the vibration was — far stronger than any other place we went to, including Jamalpur.

Even apart from all the incredible sights (and let’s not forget smells) of the Himalayas, Jamalpur, Pushkar and all the rest, one of the most valuable experiences for me was just being a part of the tour — to be a part of that family. I was truly inspired by how diverse our group was — not just in terms of nationality or ethnicity, but in terms of personality and temperament. Every single one of us were so unique, so different from one another — it really gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with people I might not necessarily have spent time with otherwise. Even in spite of the different squabbles that might have happened from time to time, and in spite of the personality clashes, I was really inspired by how strong of a family feeling came over us, especially towards the end of the tour. We all came from different backgrounds, all came for different reasons, but in the end, we were all fundamentally one. For that, I really want to thank everybody who went! on the tour, and give them my deepest thanks, especially to our four fearless Acaraya leaders, always leading us by example.

I’ll definitely not be forgetting my experience on the India Tour, and as far as I’m concerned, I experienced more spiritual growth during those tour months than any other period in my meditating life, with the exception of LFT training.

In Him, Amal

PS — if any one of you ever comes anywhere even -near- NY, let me and Mohan Krsna know. You are most welcome 🙂

Ed. Sounds scary? Well most don’t get sick more than a little stomach trouble and many don’t find it that shocking…

Mohan Krsna (USA) – 2007

I loved everything about the trip, the ups AND downs. You asked my suggestions for future tour but I’d say.. don’t change anything.  Really.. I think it’s inevitable that obstacles happen on a trip like that, especially with a group so large.. but that’s not a bad thing.  If I wanted to be pampered I would’ve taken a cruise to the Caribbean or something.  It would have definitely been a different experience with a smaller group, but probably not better or worse.. just different.  It was great to meet so many people from around the world.. and it was great trying to figure out how to say things in spanish.. a little bit of brain exercise never hurt anyone.  I miss everyone, a lot.  Thank you so much for an awesome trip!  I would recommend it to anyone. [Ed. This years tour was bigger than usual and few only spoke Spanish]

A journey to Baba´s feet, by Sonali (Sweden) 2007

Namaskar Everyone!

I am still processing my journey in India, very slowly. But it would take a year until I really can send you more finnished lines of my travellerstory. Maybe you will hear more from me sometime, but this is what I´ve got so far.^_^.

Baba- On one of our first days of the journey we were asked to express what we were striving to get out of the Indiatour. The strife that I was most clear with was that I wished to get closer to Baba and that was luckily (- but not without great clash!) also what the Indiatour became all about for me.

India- made a dramatic impact on my lifejourney and wiped my mind clean and ideated.

How did this happend?

My most simplest description of coming to India, is that it challenged me in all my understanding of what my life was before. It mostly challenged me in what I thought was my reality. Who am I really? Am I myself or am I just what I am an thinking of myself to be?

It was such a drama there. Whenever I moved around on my own or together with others, in order to get to know the place, we were met with one extreme situation to the other. The surrounding were full of extreme begging situations where the poor wanted to get something out of others in some way. The rich were most often carrying around on their big bellies, showing that they had succeeded in getting something out from others. Cows were blockning the streets and monkeys steeling our food. Religious worship was the loudest, and the thought about God was everywhere on the lips of the people we met and expressed in their different choosen lifestyles. To me, the existance appeared more openly extreme and openly desperate than I´ve ever met with before. It was both a relief and a scare to become more open like that and accepting of life as it is, as the journey went on.

The environment and situaiton of the land and people in India, really showed me importance of one´s behaviour and attitude towards ones inner aswell as the outer. This made me look at Yama and Niyama in new light. I made me see how much it is related to everything and everyone else. How much we effect our surroundings by our own thought and expression, as we all are closely related to each other by our Samskaras.

I experienced constant pressure from the surrounding and when it didn´t made me want to just go back home (to sweden) it made me reach out to the sollutions I could find elsewhere. As I didn´t feel safe with the external environment in finding the sollution and i didn´t want any dogma to occupy my mind, it forced me to be go inside instead, deepen my Sadhana and find the answers beyond my human senses.

There, survival seemed hard. It was harder than hard. Poverty was huge and a scream of desperation loud. What a fight for life! A successfull life seemed to only be achieved with great surrender to the great with the grace of that great entity. I understood that the secret to happiness in life, is when your are just forced to fight. Forced to live a life in the divine flow and always be dependent on that great entity and His grace, otherwise you would just be lost and forgotten, poor and desperate.

Just thinking that a country like India is blessed by the incarnations of Taraka Brahma, changes my thoughts and gives me hope. It touches me of how much the universal operator cares about this world, even when you would think that everything is lost. It moved me deeply to see what a great entity of Baba gets his inspiration from. He must have great love for love the humanity and still belive in them nomatter what.

The experience of India has touched me in a way I have never been able to be open to without that Grace that changed my life and still is. The way India touched me was different from any environment I´ve ever met  with, as the impressions moved into my realisation within, instead of my understanding without. In the end, all I could hang on to, all that I knew was truly there, was the feet of my Guru. Being with Him was the only place were I felt safe, so I gave myself to Him without a choice and felt as if he He stole me from myself.

I am still processning the gift Baba gave me,

once I came to India, once I DID come closer to Him,

By only hanging on to His feet,

and reaching out my hands for Him in surrender.

BABA NAM KEVALAM.

/Sister Sonalii  

Leela Joy

This trip was a wonderful, full of adventures in every aspect: physical, emotional/mental and spiritual. I came on the tour not knowing exactly what to expect but hoping for a spiritually growing experience and that’s exactly what it was.

I left the trip feeling energized, more confident and ready and eager to continue my practices wherever i may be. Which was especially important to me because its the start of a big traveling journey for me this is going to bring me all around SE Asia and what better way to start a big journey with a spiritually expanding experience.

This trip was not only spiritually moving but a lot of fun and adventurous, from water rafting to camel safaris, hiking, train rides bus strikes, toktoks, cow dung, donkey dust, and etc. This trip also allowed me to experience all this with wonderful and loving people that became a part of my family! I am so happy and please that I went on this trip. I would recommend this trip to any and all, especially if you are a newer margii because you can learn so much from it.

What I gained most out of this trip is to surrender. You need to surrender to your spiritual practices, surrender to your guru’s teachings, surrender to each and every situation. Complete surrender is not an easy thing to do and this trip gives you plenty of opportunities to practice!

Karun

“ I really am so glad that I joined the tour “coz” I feel my mind has become more expanded. Margii’s here have asked me how it was and I said “It is for those looking for physical, mental and spiritual challenge”. I hope more margii’s will join your tour every year, for their own progress. .”

Namaskar, this is Radhiká from singapore.

The 2006/2007 india spiritual tour had been a great learning experience and adventure for me, a great turning point of my life…and self metamorphosis…all the great adventures beginning from delhi to rishikesh, bodhgaya, pushkar, agra, jamalpur, the great land of RARH(anada nagar) and then nepal and her himalayas..wow breathtaking, simply marvelous! words just cant describe how mch i learnt from this tour and grew from it…one has to experience to appreciate every single moment of it..from a flower bud one blooms into a beautiful rose..thts how i can describe this wonderful journey of self transformation and realisation.

Dada and Didis in the group were all just wonderful taking care of all of us, making sure that we are always comfortable n well taken care off and when one falls ill during the journey, they were always there to nurse us back to health n thanks to our homeopathy kit!! It did wonders during the trip…and also the wonderful brothers and sisters who took care of each other, we were all a united family in the group, it was just amazing how we all blended well together, from all walks of life n coming from around the world, a universal family…indeed amazing and i am proud of that..

I enjoyed rishikesh alot so much so that i didnt feel like leaving from there…nature close to u, cows everywhere, oh yah the monkeys too, they were everywhere there,naughty ones, cute ones, the playful ones…everywhere…staying in ashram was really peaceful, infact the whole atmosphere in rishikesh was just so peaceful n serene, with mother ganga flowing there and the huge statue of shiva…i was really mesmerised by the beauty and colour of the arati(light)ceremonies every evening, the devotional bhajans…HARE RAMA..HARE KRISHNA…and our panjajaniyas, kirtans and meditation daily..what more can i say…it was simply very blissful…

Bodhgaya was great too…Buddha’s place of enlightenment..the bodhi tree…great place for meditation and self realisation…pushkar was also a great highlight in the tour..the camel safari, everyone enjoyed it so much, spending the night in the cold dessert,heavy winds blowing but we were all very cosy inside our huge tent…n agra..yah the TAJMAHAL!! its a breathtaking wonder!

Jamalpur…BABA’s birthplace….the dirty town full of dogs and pigs everywhere…but strong spiritual vibrations there…the tiger grave, deathvalley, the kali temple and the railway quarters where BABA worked..simply awesome and we all had a great time in jamalpur..

Nepal was a breathtaking experience for me, the lake in pokhara, just the scenic views, simply nice and the fresh air there…HIMALAYAS…the 10 day trek was really a journey for me, journey of self transformation and realisation and a step closer to the supreme..the trek also brought all of us closer spiritually..

The tour bonded all of us well, cooking and sharing our meals together and yes the train journeys, its definitely rough in india but the group dynamism and unity made it all smoother and easier…train journeys were really fun, fun, fun…singing kirtans inside n doing our morning, noon or evening meditations and then sharing our meals, simply family oriented!

I will definitely encourage this tour for anyone and everyone who wants to see a positive transformation in their lives and who wants to mature spiritually and mentally, this tour is THE one for all of you!! I feel really lucky n blessed to be part of the india spiritual tour last year, it has been a great learning experience and an eye opener for me in many ways..thank you dadaji for giving me such a wonderful experience and adventurous journey..I will definitely want to be part of the adventure again next time…

and all the very best for the next india spiritual tour 2007/2008 group!

Asiimá

“Once, during the trekking in Nepal I was walking alone trying to reach Leela, who was walking very fast that day, but I wasn’t able to, I just got so tired then, I decided to stop and caught my breath meanwhile I was surprised by the amazing and beauty view behind me, then when I started to walk again, I was thinking that in the future I’d like to have the chance to enjoy beauty view about my own life, I mean, it inspired me to work hard to become a better person day by day so that once when I see back I could feel happiness about how I’d have left by the road I’d had walked.”

How to understand

Jiivika (Jessica Roelofs) 2004-2005

Well, hmmmmm, lets see…..i guess the whole point was to write a little bit on India… To be honest I don’t exactly know what to say. I mean you said you wanted it for the web site but I just dont believe there is anyway to really make someone understand the trip with out having lived it themselves. Not only that but even the people who did live it got such diffrent experiences out of it it’s almost like we went on diffrent trips. 

With that said I’ll just say whatever comes to mind. the trip was pretty manic for me. Some nights I felt so blessed and laughed till my sides split and others I was dead sick and feeling scared and confused. All and all it was great and could’t have been better. The people really made it what it was. Meeting everyone and running around India with them is an experience that i will never forget.

The only real advise I was able to conclude is that laughter is the best cure for just about anything. Sometimes its all that pulled me through. Like getting larengitst broncitis in some snowy mountian…..wooo that was funny.

India is a crazy place and if you dont have a sense of humor I’m not sure how you’d survive.

Looking Back

Krsnajyoti (Christine Koblielski) 2004-2005

Looking back on the trip, I am amazed that I was able to travel with the 
group and that my limitations mostly didn’t get in the way. I had feared 
that I wouldn’t be able to keep up and that my bad back and knees would get 
in the way, but these problems didn’t materialize. And I also worried that 
the group was very young and that I would not fit in, but I felt very much 
at home and part of a family. Everyone was so friendly. I was also amazed 
how remarkable these young people were. When I was that age I was concerned 
about myself and my needs– but here were young people ready to do service 
for others and in some cases do something so selfless as to help with the 
tsunami relief.

My favourite place was Rishikesh not only for the place, but also for the 
intensive work we did there. I remember the trip fondly and I enjoy hearing 
from others.

My experience was enriching and I will remember it fondly.

Dharmaraj () 2004-2005

Smelly Delhi, cow dung fried
Roller coaster taxi ride
Pay in Rupees, rear end sore
Hotel Saina, second floor
Namaskar and namaste
Everybody found their way
All together, off we go
Auto rickshaws, to and fro
We came to see this wild place
India, so in your face
We came from nations far and wide
Spiritual beings, now allied
A monk and nun to lead our tour
Who could ever ask for more?
Pushkar parrots, Chill Out Café 
The Bodhi tree where the Buddha stayed
Jamalpur, we went there for Some Baba stories and the Baba tour
Rishikesh to Old Menali
Hindi, Sanskrit and Bengali
On the trail and on the road
Mosquito bites and buckets cold
River rafting, camel humps
Spirit highs and spirit slumps
The smell of smoke and sewer drains
Crowded, cold and filthy trains
Triple-decker, bumpy beds
Sleeping, sniffling, snoring heads
CHAI, COFFEE, CHAI!!!
What was that? Who am I?
The clash! The clash! Please sir, no chai.
Quick your bag! This is our stop!
Pills of Diarex to pop
Stomachs rumbling, cramping pain
Dysentery, don’t complain
I have it to and so does she
We’re a happy family
Popping pudin, carob powder 
Cipro if the cries get louder
Sickness plugged and feeling hunger
Cooking duty, my group number
Chopping, chopping, chop and chop
Chopping, chopping, chop, chop, chop
Pressure cook ‘til whistle sounds
Heaping globs of mushy mounds
Your lasagna’s a spring roll, what is that?
Look in the kitchen, it’s a giant rat!
Kiritan and meditation
Even at the Patna station
Chandranath, a man so wise
So cool with sunglasses over his eyes
Baba nam and kevalam
Pancha janya was never done
Shopping though at the shopping store
Colored things, just give me four
One in yellow, three in rose
Buy some stuff and money flows
They sell and sell as pockets swell
One moment more, I swear I’ll yell!
Where do I come from and where am I going?
What is my name? Many things for the knowing
I come from the earth I come from the stars
I came on a spaceship from the planet mars
So Tilikapash says “Hey my friend”
And kaoshiki with Surya never ends
Krishna Jyoti’s tiny pack
Would fit upon a chipmunk’s back
And with Asiima, off they go
For mild food, searching high and low 
Chandra’s crazy and so spaced out
With a heart so warm, she’s completely devout
Maduvidia, a madam so fair
Sporting all of the fanciest India wear 
Vanita with super cell telephone power
So happy, happy at any old hour
Now violent Nepal we should avoid
Though Nityesh may be annoyed
A bus for us to Kulu Valley
Malati with carsick belly
Solang, Menali, trekking hard
Didi’s daily mastering card
“Tolerance” might be needed
Hotels off-season are scarcely heated 
Pulga, Kalga, snow and ice
Dada starting snowball fights
Naliini and Jiivika warm in beds
Sleeping bags pulled tight over their heads
Porage, soup and can’o’cheese
Yes more chocolate, if you please
That’s not dirty, it’s India clean!
My tiffin box has a greenish sheen
Dirty is warm and hot springs are too
In Manikaran it’s the thing to do 
Kumar’s going home with a mountain man beard
I would too, but mine’s growing in weird
Last Riwalsar, hard to say
But we’ll stay there anyway
We were fourteen and down by two 
They had some noble work to do
Still at twelve, then down to ten
Canadians gone in search of Zen
Two more left and two more came
Now ten travelers here remain
Friends much closer than the start
We’ve mastered the India traveling art
And when the eyes shine back at me
I’m lucky as a man can be!

India Experience by Shukla’

Arriving in India is a ?clashing? experience for everyone, and also for me that I went alone. It seems that everything escape to your control and also everything is different from the way you imagine and from the way in which you could face it: it’s difficult find a decent room to stay, take a taxi, order something and be sure that you will receive what you have ordered (without onion, garlic, and other tamasic food). Furthermore the Indians are so quite, they move the head as we do to in Europe say no, instead they want say yes, and your patience get lost. But is you meet a dada, a group of margiis clashed as you, and choose to take the same way, everything change. You can live India not for the difficulties of the practical things (because dada worries about it), but for the most beautiful, spiritual, strange aspects, with a soul levity that permits you to appreciate also the very frequent misventures and disadvantages. You can share with other brothers and sisters your same fears and home sicknesses, feel you at home because you are with people who travel trough the same way and to the same goal. At the beginning I was uneasy in a foreign land, very foreign as India is, enclosed by unknown people and compelled to communicate with a language that I don’t speak very well?but after I have raise up nice relationship, united in the Baba’s guide encircled by an upsetting world. Which better company can be to visit and live all the baba’s places? With the acharyas who tell you their experiences side by side to baba’s body, just there in the baba’s house, His jagrti, in His town? So many reminiscences ? I want to tell you some: in Patna with Dada Chandranath, it has been a extraordinary event, which has changed me the rest of the journey, I have carried with me his clarity which looked at me inside and also his words so deep that seem direct just to you in that precise moment, just the words you need and which move you so much. Ananda Nagar, Ananda Nagar is His place and nothing more can be told, you have just to live it in the crowd colored of the retreat days, that you can never see so much people, and there’s not even a place where to si sit for meditation; in the peace and the silence to enjoy all the tantra pita there are in loneliness and thoughtfulness. Furthermore Jamalpur, Calcutta, where everything tastes His presence and brings you near, in His hearth. I feel that the words cannot be enough, cannot represent the incredible experience so as I have lived and so it’s still with me. India is beyond of the words, as everyone says, but until you not go there you cannot know. And the India tour is truly the best way to enjoy it fully without remain too much shocked.

Shukla’, Roma, Italy

Crazy India

Before I went to India, people seemed very fond of telling me about the difficult things that I would come across. I knew a lot about the intensity of the clash, the illness, the utter craziness, the extremity of the experience…. People also seemed to enjoy telling me all of this, to smirk as they were telling… Yet, these were all good people, some of them my friends who were telling me all of this bad stuff yet urging me to go. So I was pretty confused!

All I knew was I was going to India and that it was going to be an extremely eye opening ride and pretty tough. So, I decided not to think about it too much before I went! The craziness set in as soon as I got to Delhi airport and the craziness continued but I won’t focus on that because the beauty, the truth, the peace I found in India was beyond anything I ever expected or could have imagined. Utterly inspiring.

Yes, I was ill, I was very clashed sometimes and the craziness got to me but I also had the most beautiful experiences of my life so far. In India you have to learn to trust Baba’ because out there, everything is so different, and crazy!, that you know very, very little. You have to learn to trust: to accept that you will get to sleep at some point, that the train will arrive this week at some point, that the incessant bargaining will end and you will arrive at a fair-ish price, that, ultimately Baba’ is with you and that the universe is looking after you.

I met some truly beautiful people. Somehow, it was easy to talk to strangers and sometimes to really feel that someone I didn’t know a few hours ago had become my brother or sister. I experienced feelings: a sweetness of love that I had never experienced before. Although it took some time to feel I really did feel that Ananda Nagar was my home. A deeper, more ancient home than any I have known. I feel very lucky; blessed to have met Dada Chandranath and his wife, to have been to so, so many of the places Baba,’ in his physical body, knew, to see so much of India and yet sure I will return because there’s so much I haven’t seen. So many experiences I want to have again!

The best thing about India is what I come away with. The UK was so much colder, darker, quieter and stranger than I expected when I returned… but I adjusted. What I cherish most about my time in India, the best souvenir that can never be broken or lost, is how close to Baba’ I feel now.

Shriila’, UK.

Sometimes I felt I was going to go nuts and the only thing I wanted was my home`s toilet.

But than, you get inside a train, and That`s great. You `ll see the landscape, and those curious indian eyes staring at you. And the chae-man ( tea seller) comes shoutinh without pause “chae””chae”chae’

I realize….how I miss it!

Those people speaking many different Indian languages and they wanna feed you anyway! They ask: “which country you belong” India is amazing in all ways. It`s worth to open our minds and hearts to something we could never imagine it existed.

And for me, the most important thing that happened was to get all the answers I went for. My relationship with THAT (or HIM) is so much different. Meditation is also. I went for it. I went for my gurudeva, and I can say that I felt carried by him on his arms all the time.

Surrender was the word. Love, love, love, love. That’s all there is. I see things and my life so different and I feel Baba so close.

Our group was a family and miss my sisters and brothers!

Travelling with a spiritual group is wonderful. We can share our stories, our feelings, our needs, our tears (also kiirtans and banjans!) And than we can be sure that we have a great lovely family all around the world, even if we do not know their faces and their names. But we already know their hearts, cause we know what’s inside there!

In His love and grace

Pavitri

Brazil

Delhi with all its hectic life of people, cows and riksha’s… lost-driver-syndrom, comission hunters…. Rishikesh like a beautiful treasure after all the sights and crowds of Delhi… hiking, rafting, a cold dip in the holy river… liberation is a sure thing… kundalini yoga… bananas and fish in frying pan… and above all nice (and freezing) meditation on the roof of the most hospitable ashram… our first train trip… with nice kiirtan and wrestling matches getting out of the train… Varanasi… no dips in the holy river anymore… but a don’t-move-too-much-or-the-boat-tips-over boatride takes us along the ghats… the trainingcenter… a welcome and inspirational place to be for a few days… Then Patna… Dada Chandranat vibrated our minds for not less than 4 hours… what a great moment to meet him and his wife!… More train experiences with kiirtan and invasions… but than finaly we reach THE place to be… Ananda Nagar… it feels like coming home… it is beautiful… tantra piithas… kiirtan and meditation under the stars… meeting so many inspiring people… the crazyness of thousands of people together… there are not really many words to describe this place… there is nothing and there is everything… I am staying behind to spend another 4 months on this ancient land to build a music college in Uma Nivas… the tour has come to an end…

Journey

Together on the road
Together on a train
We travel to far places
Deep within
On the ancient lands
We find eachother
We are One

Iishiika’ (LFT)

Behold the adventures of life are just beginning…..!

Travelling in India and beyond is a very unique and special experience of a lifetime…. filled with all variety of opportunities for growth on various levels! On the physical level it is quite a challenge with all the noise and dust and bumpy roads and with all sorts of bazaars and bizarre activities on the road in the road and alongside it!!! A feast for the eyes and imagination, better than any movie! A real life “live” experience of India, with all of its’ wondrous expressions!

Thankfully, being in the cities is only a small part of the adventure and adventure it truly is. Not a trip for the faint hearted by any means, but a very wonderful chance to confront various challenges and share several weeks of deep, meaningful and loving connections with other spiritual aspirants and fellow travellers.

For me personally the spiritual aspect is very important and powerful. Away from all the hubbub of our daily existence with all the load of responsibilities and entanglement with “civilized” life, it is like being thrown into a warp with it’s own cosmic reality.

Faced with simply living from day to day, caring for our basic needs, which can be an adventure in itself and on the other end of the scale having deep spiritual company and diving into eternity, a little more than usual… it is very refreshing and illuminating. I find it quite beautiful how people, who have never even met each other before, from all corners of the world, can instantly gel and share really heart to heart stuff that some relationships don’t even realise in a lifetime of moving together. So besides the Indian culture there is real opportunity to bring the world together in one single trip.

Coupled with all the personal and collective experiences there is also the simple beauty of the unknown in every day… the beauty of the countryside, the mountains and rivers. The simplicity of life and the warm welcoming of the local people and their willingness to help.

If this has not put you off then you are ready to dive into adventure! I am going again [this year December] anyway and welcome others who are ready for an inner and outer journey – body, mind and soul. Certainly not to be missed!

Fellow spiritual traveller – Didi Ananda Ragamaya

Didi kept a Journal

Spiritual tour of India

I enjoyed so much the Indian classical concert in the Manchester Jagrti that I had a sudden desire to go to India. Exactly two and half weeks later, I found myself standing on the runway of the airport in Delhi, planning to spend 5 weeks in India. My initial thoughts were, “this feels like home, it feels like I have been here before!!”

Delhi is a crazy place to be; its polluted, noisy and crowdy. The only place that really inspired me was the lotus temple. Next destination was Rishikestre, the place where the holy Ganges is still clean. We were doing Paincha Jainya everyday, noon sadhana by the Ganges and Collective kirtan and sadhana before mealtime. My spiritual practice reached a new dimension; it was then that I surrendered completely to my Guru, and ever since life seems to be speeding up. Coincidences were happening too often, to be considered mere coincidences. Whenever I am confused or unsure about something, clarify seems to come without delay some way or another. For example, in Varanassi, I met the Dada who was in charge of the training centre for Acharyas, and without any hint on my part, he started talking about a few things that were on my mind in the past few days. Baba Nam Kevalm!!

After stopping in Patna a few days where we met the humble Dada Chandranath, a realised soul, who answered our questions about spirituality, we headed to Ananda Nagar. We arrived at there at the break of dawn. The whole place was vibrating with energy. The scenery was so mystical; a few trees growing here and there and big rocks lying on dusty ground; and even the sun was orange that morning. The ten days I spent there I felt great mentally and spiritually, but I experienced lots of physical clashes. I lost my voice after Akanda Kirtan; I got a cold and got the inevitable stomach problems. We attended Sadhana Shivir, which lasted five days, during which we heard many acharyas and margiis narrating their personal experiences with BaBa. This definitely boosted my devotion for BaBa even more. During the Mela, which lasted three days from the 30^th December till the 1^st of January, the whole place was swamped with margiis. I found the Mela too hectic and noisy to my liking. I preferred the calm and peaceful Ananda Nagar with less people around. At midnight for the New Year, we (hundreds of people) did Guru Puja while a video of Baba was showing. Then, after five hours (completely exhausted!!) of Kirtan, I did sadhana (struggling no to fall asleep!!) on a tranta pit while the sun was rising the first time this year 2001. It was definitely a memorable day.

After spending a few days in Jamalpur the birthplace of BaBa, I extended my trip to another 2 weeks to that I could join the group travelling to Nepal. It was a breath of fresh air compare to India. I felt that the people were nicer and friendlier. We trekked for 10 days along the foothill of the Himalayas. Conquering the heavy load of my backpack, the occasional donkey and sheep blocks, and the unforgettable altitudes sickness, we finally reached Muktinath at an altitude of almost 4000m. The whole scenery was astounding; snow everywhere, clear blue sky, thousands of bright stars in the freeeeezing night!! During the trip I emptied lots of my thoughts and internal clashes to the Himalayas, I certainly return back dowhill feeling much lighter.

It is very difficult to narrate this tantric 7 weeks trip in a few hundred words. So many things happened, some so personal that it is very difficult for me to share. One thing I can say is that I am so happy I sticked to my abrupt decision to join the spirtual tour of India and Nepal. Travelling in a group of spiritual aspirants could only strengthen my spiritual practice and I returned back to England, a new man with a beard.

Next destination is LFT training in Germany.

Namaskar,
Rainjan.

India and Nepal

In the silence of the long flight home I am reflecting on the last 7 weeks. It was such an interesting trip, and so intense, an outer and inner journey, that it might take some time to digest all that has happened: the family feeling with the people in the group, who were complete strangers to me only weeks earlier, the strange familiarity of the country that I visited for the first time (this lifetime…), the highly vibrated places of Ananda Marga history that we visited, so full of stories, and countless meditations in jagrtis, on riverside rocks and in overcrowded trains. Continuous movement, external and internal. Things will never seem the same again.

Delhi with its noise, traffic and pollution. Taxis, rikshaws and cows filling the streets, people everywhere. But I guess I’m too excited to be disturbed by it. Some sort of calmness wells up inside me, contentment, glad to be here. I am at home.

Rishikesh, city of saints and sages. Ashrams are many, but I don’t feel like shopping around – I have already found mine. Riverside meditations, the Ganges is pure, the river of life.

Varanasi: the Ganges less pure, but still full of life. Baba’s Quarters and the brothers’ Whole Timer training centre. A first taste of Indian kiirtan and hospitality. Kiirtan over the loudspeakers, sending positive microvita to the people.

On to Patna, off the tourist track, to visit Dada Chandranath. Words of wisdom, shining ….. full of inspiration.

Ananda Nagar, city of Bliss. Long meditations in vibrated places, leaving me intoxicated. Kiirtan, sadhana and satsaunga as 30,000 people gather for the New Year’s program. Some familiar faces from all around the world. We’re one Universal family.

And then Jamalpur, Baba’s birthplace. Ananda Marga’s first jagrti, and late night meditation on the Tiger’s grave, leaving me, once again, intoxicated…

On to Nepal. The solitude of the Himalayas is a contrast to crowded India. It calms the mind and eases the senses. Walking alone, surrounded by the massive mountains, seemingly eternal, with no one in sight, there is no disturbance, no distraction. Just me and Baba, or Baba and me. In the pureness of being, I feel His Presence. It fills me, there is nothing else. Solid mountains, silence, solitude, stilling the mind, fuelling the Self – satisfying it as it hasn’t been satisfied before. Leaving an impression on my soul, never to be forgotten. Taking it with me, always, continuing the journey that is life…

Rainjita’

New to Ananda Marga

New to Ananda Marga,
Initiated along the way,
I joined a group of Margi’s
Surrended come what may.

They’d been traveling in India
Together for quite awhile
And they welcomed me like family
Open hearted, with a smile

Together we left India
It’s beauty and its pain
Heading for the mountains
Which soothed the soul like rain

For ten days we climbed the Himalayas
Weighed down with heavy packs
Challenged with blisters, aches and pains
And dust from mules and yaks

We learnt to all love cabbage
When there was not much else to eat
And assanas in sleeping bags
When the cold was hard to beat.

Challenges brought us closer
As we helped one another along
And clash was always balanced
By laughter, love and song.

Slowly I felt a change within
Like new sight for the blind
Fetters began to loosen and drop
From my heart and mind.

Maybe it was the mountains
Their majesty and their awe
Such power and such beauty
That made my spirit soar.

Or maybe it was sadhana
Finding strength and truth within
Sitting quiet and open
To the purpose in everything.

Or perhaps it was the love we shared
Inspiration drawn from friends
A new faith in humanity
On which so much depends.

As I left with namaskarq
Joyful despite a tear
I gratefully thanked whoever it was
Who had quietly guided me here.

Jayagiita, Australia

The Trip:

The trip was one of the most powerful learning curves for me. Being out of Australia for the first time (apart from Thailand the month before), the cultural adjustment was significant,but so rewarding. Spending time together with like minded people tends to bring out the best and worst in people (vrtti’s) and it is for this reason that I enjoyed the time on the trip so much. Learning to adjust physically and mentally. The other aspect of the trip was the devotion and inspiration that was aroused (strengthened) in people. I felt His presence quite strongly at times, especially through other people. It has only strengthed my conviction in Ananda Marga ideology/sadhana.

Thanks Dadajii.

Paunkaj, Australia

Namaskar to All,

I would like to share with you an unusual kind of educational experience that I took part in recently. I am, in fact, talking about the India tour.

Every year it is organised by Dada Krpasundarananda, who collects a group of new, usually young (but not always) Margis who wish to experience India as a spiritual adventure. The tour last for 2 months, but all participants do not stay for the whole tour, some leaving and some joining at DMS which the tour visits in the middle of its programme. The first part of the tour visits various holy places around India, and after DMS there is traditionally a trek, which has so far been to Nepal every year, enabling the spiritual adventurers to pit their youthful energies against the tests and trails of the magnificent Himalayas.

At first sight this tour looks like an ordinary tour (of course with a spiritual focus), but what actually happens as this group travels together is much, much more and becomes a very deep spiritual learning experience for all the participants. Together they battle the difficult living conditions of India, which most of them are visiting for the first time – they learn to fight with taxi drivers and rickshaw wallahs, bargain in the markets, avoid the autos on Paharganj which threaten to run them over at every step, try not to get lost in the sea of seething humanity which is everywhere and make efforts to maintain their humour when trains are late or overcrowded. As the group moves from place to place gaining spiritual experiences and insights under the gentle guidance of Dada and his assistants (usually a Didi or senior Margi is also present) a warm family feeling slowly develops between these people, who are often from very different backgrounds. They learn to share at a very deep level, to appreciate each others’ strengths and to support each other in areas of weakness. Thus they all learn more about themselves as a person and report incredible progress towards overcoming problems they see in themselves. All feel blessed to have had the spiritual experience of being with Dada and other senior Acaryas who help them to gain important insights into spiritual life. These insights which they carry home with them truly enrich their lives and help them to go forward with renewed energy and inspiration to work for His Mission.

None of the testimonials sums up so well the feelings of the participants in this year’s tour as the poem composed by Sister Jayagiita from Australia. I would therefore like to share it with you. I hope it will inspire you as much as it inspired me. If you do have any Margis in your fields who would perhaps be interested to come to India, I do recommend this tour as a delightful form of spiritual education, where they can grow spiritually and learn many things about themselves and their lives in an enjoyable way. It is a truly a very profound education.

In His Love,

Malati

[Malati is working as a Tatvika helping with various projects throughout Asia and Africa, etc. etc]

The Journey to the East

Prema Sa’gar, London Region’s latest LFT worker, tells the tale of his recent, first visit to India…

So, this is India. Land of tablas, temples, dance and devotees… From Delhi airport, we were taken on a mad taxi drive to the city centre. Here, the rickshaws rule. They are strange beings: basically a piece of black tarpaulin, shaped into a cabin and hung over a 3-wheeled motorcycle, belching fumes to make the Space Shuttle’s exhaust seem like a breath of fresh air. The drive was comparable to a theme ride at Disneyland, where obstacles come terrifyingly in front of the wheels, only to shift at the last moment. At Disneyland, however, you know that you’re safe; but then again, a good rickshaw ride will only cost you 20 rupees (30 pence).

It seemed that so many in India, even the rickshaw drivers – no, especially the rickshaw drivers, have a devotee’s mind. They paint Namaskar-ing hands on the back of their cars [right above the sign saying “Horn Please. Keep Distance”] and hang tastefully flashing red and green LED shrines to Krishna and Shiva above their dashboards, while the lorry drivers deck out their vehicles in orange Christmas tinsel and inspired slogans. Yes, this is India – Land of godly road-users. Well, to see them drive, you’d think it’d take nothing short of divine intervention to prevent them from forever ploughing into each other.

I toured with a group of Margiis for three weeks, in the lead-up to the DMS festival at Ananda Nagar. We visited various places, maintaining a spiritual theme, and were taken to meet a number of supercharged and highly be-bearded sadhakas [Proutist Dada Santoshanandaji being of note].

Rishikesh was beautiful. There, the Ganges flows through (mostly) green foothills and past simple villages and wandering cows. The river is clear and blue, unlike its downstream counterpart, which chokes with human waste and wasted humans.

Rishikesh is a nicely vibrated place. It’s almost like a Yogi theme park, where all the bookshops, the people, the buildings and events are given a Tantric slant.  It’s so spiritual that even the beggars wear orange. But not all those calling themselves sadhus [monks] are beggars. The genuine holy men humbly keep themselves to themselves, in an ashram or on some hill. The Sivananda missionaries seemed particularly spirited.

We had the wonderful experience of being able to spend a day with Dada Chandranath, the oldest living Ananda Marga acarya. As we all talked and asked questions, I sat next to him on his sofa and melted in his incredible presence – his old blue eyes shining like a baby’s and gushing like the ocean.

Onwards, we travelled to Bodhgaya, where His Holiness, the Dalai Lama was host to a maroon sea of Tibetan Buddhists. Their Mongoloid grins and tranquil composure was a welcome relief from the hyperactive, hypertense Indian vibration. Millions upon millions of candles lined the walls and walkways of the Buddhist stupa temple, creating a breathtaking mystical atmosphere [but unfortunately doing the Greenhouse Effect no favours, whatsoever].

And then on to DMS, where thousands of Margiis descended for the days over New Year. Ananda Nagar felt very homely and was just waiting for me to explore its grassy hills and cool rivers. The Indian-style kiirtan circle flowed on for several days – at times, sublime as the universe itself. After most had retired to bed, the kiirtan turned wild. Such a strong force sweeping round and round the circle. Otherwise staid and serious Dadas, with staid and serious beards, bounced along with uncontrollable joy, while sisters floated around, their arms flung wide. It was some contrast with much of the Western kiirtan I’d experienced.

In reverence to the Jewish tradition of encouraging a “sweet New Year” by eating slices of apple dipped in honey, I took the nearest equivalent – wet and syrupy rasagula [Indian fried milk sweets].

Next, we headed east to Nepal, to trek in the beauty of the Anapurna mountain range. The pure air, the sweeping views and the welcome exercise did wonders for invigorating the system. We cooked from a kerosene stove, and wandered like goats in the mountains and valleys.

Seven days and one stolen passport later, it was nearly time to go home. I returned to Ananda Nagar for a week, to experience it’s serenity without tens of thousands of others. As I bathed in a spring by the river, I vowed to return.

And now, with the tea-sellers’ cry of “CHAI, CHAI” still ringing in my ears, I have come back to the UK to begin my LFT work. I’ll be based in Manchester, teaching classes, organising events and generally trying to rouse the masses. I will attempt to give back some of the excitement and inspiration I took during my time in India.

This past January I went on a journey to India and Nepal.

Nepal was a special blessing because it was basically unplanned. I had been playing with the idea of going for a couple months, but in the end decided it would not be possible.too many details, not enough time.but Baba had other ideas. Within a couple days of my departure date from India back to the United States, I was presented with a train ticket, enough cash and an energetic group of people. Baba. So with no expectations or clues as to what the trip held in store I was off to Nepal. And the adventures began.I entered Nepal in a runaway rickshaw and left on the roof of a bus. With so many memories in between.all-night train rides, dictionary games, clay pot chai clubs, bike rides through the winding streets of Kathmandu, Horlicks parties, rock concerts, hot springs and waterfalls, horse bells and monkey temples, smiling faces and namastes, canoe rides, star-filled skies, yet-to-be-seen yaks, Baskin and Robbin splurges, tofu steak (without onion, garlic, mushroom or chives.please), stories and tears, almond triangles, lassi fasts, clash, clash, clash and so much laughter. It was a truly special trip. The following is from our six day trek in the mountains.one of many memorable moments.

5 a.m..Amrta’s voice called out from the darkness, “hey, time to get up, we’re going to go see the sunrise!”. I vaguely remembered someone saying the day before that we should climb Poon Hill to see the sunrise, supposedly the view was spectacular. At that moment nothing seemed more spectacular than the warmth of my sleeping bag. I rolled over. However everyone else was getting up and the sound of shifting bodies and sleeping bags unzipping carried through the paper thin walls. There was no way I could fall back to sleep. Baba, this better be good.

I pulled the rest of my mind out of dream-state and on sitting up was immediately hit with the reality of an early morning in Ghorepani.freezing.cold.. air. Once out of bed I found that even after sleeping in two layers of pants, a sweater, wool hat, socks and gloves (so everything was preheated), plus an additional wool sweater and meditation blanket there was no getting around the fact that it was still very very cold. This better be really good Baba.

We all gathered, bleary-eyed and groggy, outside the lodge. It was completely dark out. Our host pointed out the direction, it was about an hour away and all we had to do was follow the path.it sounded simple enough. We walked single file, stumbling over rocks and frozen earth, but eager to reach the top. All was well until we reached a wood pile in what looked like somebody’s back yard. “This isn’t the way” “time to backtrack” “did we pass it?” “which way do we go?” “up”. 6 a.m.. it was still dark out, the path was long gone, and we were scaling the side of a mountain.

Crawling on all fours, grasping at frozen frost covered clumps of grass and bush, an occasional tree, manouvering around barb wire fences. Caught straddling between two trees, looking for something to pull myself up with, I was suddenly hit with the ridiculousness of the entire situation. Here we were on the side of a mountain in what appeared to be the middle of the night, everything around us was frozen or well on its way to freezing, and I was wishing for the world that I had taken one of those rock-climbing classes back in school. Baba, sometimes I wonder about this game of Your’s.

Finally I reached some sort of ledge.which turned out to be the path. And it was deserted. Harendra, the only one behind me, soon came up, and pointing to a tiny light in the distance we continued on the path. Any motivation to reach the top was fast waning, and even the silliness of the situation was gone, I was no longer amused, I was annoyed. Walking was painful. The air was cold, and my legs ached with every upward step. I began playing a mind game, holding my breath at every curve, would this be the top? But around every bend was another set of steps. I stopped, rested, took deep breaths, guru mantra and kept on going. It was beginning to get light out.

Patches of snow and ice sprung out of the earth. Gradually a row of snow covered mountain peaks appeared through the early morning fog. Even in my current state of disillusionment I had to admit they were impressive, even majestic. People returning from the top began passing me by. I asked each one how much farther and was always answered “not so far”. I’d learned on this trek that “not so far” could mean anywhere from 25- 45 minutes if not more. By now my legs were aching, face, hands and feet freezing, fingers swelling and I could feel a stream of sweat beginning to run down my back, the distance between myself and Harendra was widening. I was not happy. Around the curve was a ledge, exhausted and frustrated I sat down. Wondering why it was I was on this Path and then I turned around.

At that moment the sun’s light just touched the first mountain peak, and in a second it was lit up. Bit by bit the entire side of the mountain was dyed in glowing shades of pink and gold. A white mist blew around at the top of the peak, and it looked like a luminous body dancing. The rest of the world was completely still and silent. The horizon was divided in layers of blue, pink, gold, and orange, a water color painting. I took a deep breath, marveling at the serenity of the surrounding mountains and the simplicity of colors. And then the sun began to rise.

No words can capture those moments. I’d never seen a sun up until that morning, nor known the magic of one rising. Into the stillness and silence it rose, a giant crimson ball, just peeping over the horizon, casting its light across the mountain tops. Gradually it grew, full and glowing, embracing the world in its warmth, touching each blade of grass, each crooked branch, giving light and color and calmness. Something inside me opened up. Feelings of physical discomfort dissolved, negative thoughts and defeatist mindset vanished.and I lost myself in the beauty of the rising sun.

With each deep breath I felt myself expanding, until it seemed I could reach out and touch the colors with my mind. All my boundaries were gone and I was endless. Light-filled. This must be God. After what could have been eternity I took a couple deep breaths and continued along the path. There was no question about reaching the top. In a few minutes I was surrounded by the rest of the group. For a while I simply sat staring out at the mountain range, at the crimson dawn. Feeling like my entire life had been leading up to this point and now the rest of it was just waiting to take off.I could already feel my wings unfolding.and I was ready to fly.

After a while I got up, content with the knowledge that God is, and that we are blessed, every moment of our lives. So with a smile on my lips for beauty in its essence, I turned around and headed back down the mountain for breakfast.

It was a challenging and vibrant experience. Beside wonderful landscapes, the good mood in the group and the meditation practices during the journey keep the path more easy and pleasant. At least once in your life you should do it!

A Spiritual Adventure Tour in India and Nepal, December 2003-January 2004.
Didi Ananda Ragamaya.

On an adventure there is only the reality of the moment and all responsibilities, all the apparently important things in our lives take a back seat and we simply have to exist in the present. We survive right now, or we thrive right now… and we dive right now into the fullness and richness of life!

Can you imagine a group of ten people, most of who have never met each other, heralding from all corners of the globe, living travelling, chanting, meditating, cooking and adventuring together? Can you imagine paying for hardship? Paying to live it rough, sometimes without water and electricity, waiting for hours and hours at the train station, cramming onto buses that bounce and bump and let in the dust and filth and cold and rain and even don’t go anywhere at times? Can you imagine going on such a journey and your whole sense of reality is turned upside-down?

This is the journey of complete surrender… a willingness to face yourself and grow, adjusting to others and moving as a group; discovering your strengths, embracing and combating your challenges; tapping into unknown inner resources, letting go and allowing a deeper sense of acceptance to pervade your being.

For the first-timer entering into India one would behold a real feast for the senses and quite possibly find it more than overwhelming. Most are thrown in to the hubbub of New Delhi, streets full of rubbish, shared by cows, pigs, goats and beggars, brightly coloured stalls, the aromas of delicious food mixed with less appetizing smells and noises, hustlers, pick-pockets and apparent pandemonium… It is somewhat like a storm and you find yourself quietly in the centre of it all, possibly shocked into stillness, numb from the contrast of being unceremoniously dumped into this completely different reality. Maybe you are hurled along with the flow and want to dance with the spirit of fiesta that pours forth, with all its colour, music and madness!

And so that is where our journey began… joining together from all corners of this earth, our group met up in a small tourist hotel in New Delhi where we started our dance of relationships, each one bringing in new, both subtle and spicy choreography, over a period of time creating an exquisite and unforgettable masterpiece or art, truly unique and never replicable!

As we left the wilds of Delhi for the more peaceful deserts of Rajastan we hoped for some relaxation as the train trundled along, being jogged to and fro, rocked to sleep. However, there was some confusion over our reservations and we ended up not only perched on others bunks trying not to doze off, or sleeping on the floor with all sorts of rubbish, peanut shells and shoes, but we also had to deal with six hours of delay along the way. Our dear Indian Railways so aptly indicates on their timetable “trains may loose or gain time”, (well, at least it left on time, though I have never known a train to gain time!). You just learn to expect the unexpected and then when something actually goes according to plan, it is mildly refreshing! However, it was a long night indeed and a hard initiation for the new comers.

So our first port of call was Pushkar, a purely vegetarian, Hindu town centred round a lake. A peaceful place with domed roofs, everything seemed hazy and the whole town seemed to merge from one pastel hue into another. We spent a few days there in a small family style hotel, off the beaten track and enjoyed a peaceful time on the rooftop under the shade of the trees, where we would chant and meditate together, potter around doing our washing, eat our collective meals and simply enjoy each others company. Rooftops in India are where it happens. Looking across the way, it is not uncommon to see mothers with their children, plaiting their hair, sewing or preparing food. Roof top community life has it’s own charm and peace.

While in Pushkar we ventured out on a camel safari. Those camels are mighty high up you know! Mine was called Krsna and I would sing sweetly (so I hoped!) to him to keep him from running wild. He was well behaved and turned out to be very obliging as we plodded through the desert sands, evening approaching and the gentle coolness of the air caressing our faces. Camping out under the stars, we enjoyed the warmth of our little bonfire, eating a simple local meal together and sharing in song. When most were rugged up and gone to sleep, the camels settled into steadily chomping away at the foliage (full of spines and looking quite dry and chewy by anyone’s standards, they must have super digestions!). As their munching faded into the distance I relished in a few moments of peace under the desert moon and slipped into a beautiful meditation, silently bathing in the stillness.

Our journey continued (not by camel!) to Bodhagaya, the place where Buddha was said to have attained enlightenment. There were a multitude of monks and nuns from various Buddhist pathways, their dress ranging from white robes to various shades of saffron and maroon. People chanted and gongs sounded as pilgrims gathered enjoying welcome satsaunga (good company), whilst others who were in more contemplative moods entered into the quiet sanctuary of the temple’s meditation halls. Everywhere vendors were capitalising on people’s spirituality. There were malas (beads), cushions, candles, prostration mats you name it, all the things that can help to lead you to enlightenment!

Whilst there we hiked to a cave situated at the Mahakala Temple, set in the hills where Buddha had meditated for seven years. We waded across a wide river (accompanied by children, villagers, bicycles, buffalo, dogs and possibly a few other unknown parasitic entities!) through small villages, where life seemed to maintain it’s simplicity over the decades and where people mildly just watch the world go by. I found it so refreshing to be away from the hustle and bustle of high-tech life, where I could hear the cows grazing, children laughing as they played in the fields and simple daily chores taking place. There was a certain sense of timelessness in the air one day lazily loping into the next.

In Jamalpur, where the spiritual teacher and founder of Ananda Marga (Shrii Shrii Anandamurti) was born, we stayed at our children’s home enjoying their playfulness, purity and clearly their joy in our visit. The heart-warming satsaunga of the devotees from the earlier days for me was also very inspiring indeed. I compared the situation to Vrindavan and Krsna, where the relationship between him and his disciples was very sweet and personal, as opposed to later in Krsna’s life, when he became a spiritual warrior defending dharma (righteousness). Our teacher started his early days in this very sweet personal way, with his small group of devotees and later formed a comprehensive social-spiritual yoga organisation where he had to become more administrative as the numbers grew, the relationship becoming more of an internal rather than external communion you could say.

One especially potent site we visited in the area was a very solid and ancient tamarind tree located in the heart of Death Valley, where our teacher was said to have meditated often, I was very attracted by the atmosphere thick with a powerful spiritual vibration and highly conducive for deep contemplation.

In Rishikesh, we enjoyed the hospitality of one of the many yoga ashrams, which provided us with simple and clean accommodation as well as sattvic food (a special type of vegetarian diet that is good for both body and mind, supporting a yogic lifestyle). At sunrise and sunset the ashrams would all perform their ritual “Arati” on the banks of the Ganges, a pleasant ceremony in which to remember the divine in one’s life. Some early morning pilgrims would be already bathing in the icy river water. (I was certainly not one of them!) Our group bathed in a slightly different way as New years day found us white water rafting down, which was truly beautiful and exhilarating as we glided and sometimes rushed (backwards) through the Himalayan foothills.

Heading further up into the Himalayas we took the arduous journey to Nepal. Leaving aside the majority of our baggage in the peaceful lake town of Pokara, we took a ten-day trek with our packs, starting from Beni and gradually going deeper into the mountains. Each day found us a little higher and having to brace the crisper weather, our packs becoming lighter as the clothes went on our backs. We stayed in very simple and basic accommodation cooking for ourselves on a little stove, joining in with the local families in their cosy kitchens, enjoying the warmth of community around heavenly coal fires.

We had a pleasant interlude at the hot springs of Tatopani and relished in the warm water. (Most places although were advertised as having hot showers in reality offered only a choice of cold, very cold or freezing cold water! However, thank god for stoves, we were able to boil up water to remove the chill for a very speedy bucket bath.

The Nepal trek was so special in it’s simplicity. For ten days we were free from cars, only sharing the narrow paths with laden mules clanging their bells, other rare travellers, and the mountains steadily climbing upwards, becoming increasingly more spectacular and breath taking. I would often find myself standing alone silently watching mouth agape, just absorbing the whole scene. What wonderful and truly awe inspiring cherished moments there were to be experienced in that special land in the sky.

Once we stopped outside a small dwelling for a rest and drink of water at the height of the midday sun. There was a bull fenced in making loud noises and getting rather frisky, (upon our arrival in Nepal, we had experienced a bull go out of hand and had to clamour for safety, there had also been two bulls fighting in the streets of Pushkar…. This definitely seemed to be a trip of bull energy!). So when the bull broke out I was already set to run into the house, I had become vigilant and ready for action! We all piled into this little home, chickens and all! A little old lady emerged quite surprised at the arrival of her unexpected visitors! I think the little drama made her day though. As it happened the bull turned out to be a horned cow, with our imaginations running wild! She simply wanted some water and was quite mellow when her thirst was quenched.

Dada Krpasundarananda (the yogic monk who was the other organiser and one of the main originators of this tour some ten years ago) prepared wonderful, hearty buckwheat porridge with dried fruits and nuts, for us on those chilly mornings, a perfect start to the day. Evenings would find us together squeezed into one of the rooms for collective chanting and meditation, bringing us back into the group’s spiritual connection. We would cosily wrap up in our sleeping bags and share stories and songs before drifting into a deep sleep, bodies completely finished for the day.

On the milder mornings I would love to sit by the river or on the roof-tops surrounded by snow covered mountains in meditation, and then warm up by practising some lively asanas (yoga postures) and basic karate moves. The air could only be described as pure and pristine. There was so much pranah (vital energy), all the ailments I had been suffering from prior to the trek seemed to slip away and I felt so full of life.

Nearer the top of our journey the air became very thin and the although the going was tough, there was a certain expectation of reaching the unknown, as if we were the first travellers go to this high up place. The mule traffic was practically non-existent by then just a rare local horse rider would canter by. The villages were even more rustic and untouched by so-called civilization. I felt as though I was on another planet. The paths became icier as we headed to Muktinath, where there was a natural eternally burning flame, housed in one of the Buddhist temples (which happened to be run by Tibetan Buddhist nuns, I found it refreshing to connect with them. Though our paths are different, there is still some deep understanding about the nature of our existence which I find so beautiful when I link up with other women who have also dedicated their lives).

The compound of monasteries and temples stood alone, at the end of a long climb. A world unto itself, with crystal waters, wind blowing the chimes and flapping faded prayer flags. A few nuns and some workers were seen pottering around in the cold, attending to daily tasks. One of the nuns ceremoniously opened the temple door and the smell of incense and wooden boards entered my nostrils, a simple statue of the Buddha sat golden and peaceful gazing on the scene. She opened a small doorway and one by one we looked at the flame coming out of the ground, ignited and fed from deep in the earth. The flame itself was very simple and small, but I appreciated its significance for me. The flame of eternal life, can burn even in the most remote of places, giving sustenance to all in it’s own quiet way.

I left the others and sat on a bench overlooking the snow-covered peaks and entered into my mountain top meditation. I bathed in the peacefulness and grandeur that the mountains pervaded and surrendered this journey to the One, feeling touched and a little sad to be heading back down, but honoured and grateful for the experience and knowing also that my life is beautiful where ever I am, because I am…

And so we steadily headed back down the mountain, all engrossed in our own thoughts and feelings, experiencing a deeper sense of connection with ourselves and quietly with each other. As our tiny airplane (Cosmic Air!) rattled us back to Pokara those ten days passed before our eyes in a matter of minutes, looking through our small windows at the incredible landscapes, all lost in our own thoughts, torn between the life and stillness that we were leaving behind and the relative comforts of our lakeside tourist town offering warm beds, clean clothes, food (without cabbage) and a little rest in the sun.

We headed back through India over the next ten days or so on our way to Delhi. One last place I recollect that was especially meaningful to me, was Ananda Nagar, the home of Ananda Marga (Path of Bliss), set in the quiet back of beyond, one of the poorest and most arid parts of India. Over the years, with the help of the villagers we have reforested the area and developed a growing community, having all sorts of projects from children’s homes, hostels, hospitals and clinics, farm industries, research institutes, schools, colleges and so on. Dada Krpasundarananda’s dome made from local earth, was one of the more recent constructions there, it reminded me somewhat of something out of “Wind in the Willows”, or “The Chronicles of Narnia”, a very cosy, quaint practical and simple down to earth abode.

Upon arriving at the house of my spiritual master at Ananda Nagar, I felt a wave of peace sweep over me, as if I had come home and all the travelling and responsibilities, tiredness and organising had simply melted away. It was as if my whole being had taken a huge sigh of relief… and all the “out there” stuff mattered not. I was pulled to a place deeper within and allowed myself to flow with that all loving subterranean stream of life, bathing in its sweetness and touched by its pure love. Yet again I was gently reminded that only when I completely let go can I truly live and love. Then I am free simply to be who I am, layers of conditioning shed to reveal a bright and beautiful being within, free from fetters, a playful child, a fresh green leaf in spring…

So the time came to go our separate ways. Our lives had connected for a brief period in the whole game of eternity. We had undoubtedly grown and blossomed, like beautiful flowers in life’s colourful garden, each one revealing it’s own uniqueness. Everyone more equipped with renewed vigour and purpose stepping into the ongoing adventure of life with greater depth of understanding, love, surrender and the spirit to serve in this ever-changing world we all live in.

As I sit in my small office and look out of the window at my mango and curry leaf trees and the distant hills, I could almost think I was back in India; in a land that seems but a dream away now, since returning to my no less adventurous, but quite different reality in Jamaica.

Namaskar dear Arati, Catuscia, Dada, Gopi Krsna, Malatii, Moksadevii, Prashantii, Sudiipa, Sukhamaya, Sulocana and Vaekuntha,

I just wanted to say thank you to you all for a very special tour together and i am grateful for all of your unique and wonderful qualities and contributions to our community adventure together!…. It was an honour for me to be with you all and the journey was also a time of much reflection and growth in my own life, which was made possible by you…..

So…. a BIG THANKYOU!!!

I look forward to seeing you where ever our paths next coincid  It has been a pleasure being with you all….

I hope you are able to keep the strong spiritual flow with your practises …. it has been amazing with so much collective kiirtan and meditation we did together…. it is especially now in the silence of my quiet room that i am feeling all the accumulated power and energy that we created together!…. 

Be well and gracefully flow into your journey of life…..

I look forward to being in touch and please feel free to write anytime.. much sisterly love to all 

In my days since returning from the India Tour, I have reflected upon the power and importance contained within the essence of Sam’gacchadhvam.  It is not hard to enjoy living together with friends and/or like-minded people when there is no friction, but when they eat your yogurt or leave their clothes in the laundry machines or park their cars so that you cannot move yours AGAIN, etc., it is so easy to forget how much they can lift you up when you are feeling down and having trouble ousting the doldrums solo.

Our group really taught me the value of working as a team; I feel that most people at least understand the concept of holding space for their team-members who are feeling down, but this group taught me how to be ok with letting other people help me up when I (am willing to admit and accept that I) am feeling down – to feel that love, to feel that closeness, and most importantly, to let it in (even if feelings of embarrassment arise due to my vulnerability).

Nothing makes me open up more to another person than when they are fully vulnerable to me – I realized with this group that I am not the only person in the world who functions this way.  Sometimes it really is ok to lay my weary head in another’s lap and rest my tired body and soul, and have faith that the hands holding me up are not getting bored or weakening under my burdensome weight.  Those hands can be growing with strength through Baba’s love and the Baghavad Dharma that can open the human heart to channel that flow of love; where Seva is a privilage and it resonates with the timeless/formless/limitless core of every one of us – in this way, with this ideation, it is possible to render service by allowing those around me the opportunity to do service to/for me when I am in need.

I learned that I am worthy of love.

Thank you so much. Namaskar,

Namaskar dear friends…

Thanks for your emails, Didi and Sulocana, its nice to read how everyone is now that the tour, weirdly (!) is over… Hope to hear from the rest of you as well.

Yes it was very strange when one after another you all left India and I was left on my own in Pahar Ganj, waiting for Dada Cittabodhananda to arrive to Dehli on a delayed train, so that I couold get my laptop from his flat, which in the end I didn’t end up getting anyway, cause my plane lifted before he arrived!
But I think Baba wanted me to have that space on my own before I dived into a new adventure, and I had two really lovely days on my own, and actually met some very nice people here and there, while drinking maximum, and I mean MAXIMUM JUICE! 🙂

Then I took a flight to Kerala, and as I was waiting in transit for several hours in bangalore, I started writing my diary, and suddenly all this processing of the tour and my experiences there, with you, and with Baba, started… It was really nice, I wrote for HOURS,  and I suddenly realized how rich our time together was, and that I was learning so many new things and also getting to know myself in so many new ways! Thank you for sharing this experience with me, and making it what it was.

As I am now writing I am remembering all the places we visited, Rishikesh, then Pushkar, Bodhgaya, Agra, Jamalpur, Ananda Nagar, and then the time in Katmandu and the trek… wow, we really went through a lot! I miss all these places a lot and Baba’s vibration that we carried with us wherever we went.

I am now in Kannur in North Kerala and just finished the first week of my one month ayurvedic massage and panchakarma course. It is just SUCH a different experience to be here than my last 2 months in India. First of all, south India is so different from the north of India, even just vibrationally, and also its humid, warm, sunny and of course loud but not as loud as the north I guess. North India feels much more spiritual somehow, in a kind of chaotic lovely way (yes i never thought I would appreciate this:).
But mainly I think, it is that I am in a completely different space here than when we were travelling together. Baba is suddenly giving me all this time to be on my own, and to really BE with myself with not so many chances to run away!:)

At first it was really a shock when I arrived here and I realized I will actually live in my own room with my own bed in a flat with a few other random people (who are very nice but very few, hardly any people on the course are really seriously into meditation etc). it was like realizing that I am still my own person after having spent so many days non-stop with you guys, all sleeping, eating, meditating together! I guess normally if I would have gone home after the tour I would have stepped into another cosy group of friends and family and kind of got on with it, but here baba is really giving me a break to be with myself…

And I realize… that this is what I came to India for actually… to have this space, and I have found many times in the past in my life, that wherever this space arises, Baba comes stronger… So this is what is happening right now.. and in some way my heart is softening and opening in a way that I havent’ felt for a while… it reminds me of a feeling when I was a very new margi, and i though i lost this feeling and it would never come back…

In contrast though, I am REALLY REALLY learning to appreciate and understand on a very profound level how important it is to have satsaung and to be able to be with people like you guys in my life, and move together. Just to be with peopole that completely understand me and who also share this search for the Divine in literally EVERYTHING that we do. It is only when we don’t have that for a while that we understand how lucky we are. So I am missing that  alot!

But also I guess I am sort of shocked to suddenly be among “normal” people and its like my mind can’t comprehend that so many people in the world live without the awareness of BABA.. like, they eat, sleep, work, do their little projects, have relationships and grow, but that there is no greater aspect to it all, like a purpose or a Supreme desideratum… no meditation everyday! So weird! It’s really made me feel Baba even stronger, and it’s like I want to be even more myself and more disciplined with my practices and lifestyle, when I am in a place like this.

The ayurvedic course is really amazing, I am learning so much and the doctors are really great. I am starting treatments next week! this is VERY different to my freezing cold massage experience in rishikesh:)
After this ends (end of feb) I have decided to go back to Ananda nagar for 10 days before I fly back to London. I miss Ananda nagar so much… I just want to be in Baba’s room. And walk around and see orange people everyehere! I hope I can do some filming with the boys there.

Okay I have to finish here… I am wishing you all the best on your paths, and hoping that you will go deeper and deeper into your hearts so that we can all become more and more who we truly are and change the world together!

Much love
Mokshadevi

I would like to share with you a little bit of the experience I had with the India Tour 2009/2010.

I remember being in the last part of the trekking (in Nepal) and feeling sad because we were in the end of it and soon I wouldn’t be in the company of those wonderful people in all those wonderful places that I will never forget. For some time I felt the anguish of this separation and soon I understood that one of the things I learnt in this moment was that we should live good things at their maximum and continue straight forward with whatever comes  (being good or not that good) in life.

I tell you that even simple and basic things as not being able to have a shower is sufficient to drive us crazy. But the unity and the support of the whole group, the team spirit and the interior strength, makes us overcome the obstacles and frustrations of the daily life. The capacity of living life to the maximum of our capacities, either physical or psychological, made me know myself much deeper.

The trekking part was the toughest and the hardest. Our connection with Baba becomes unique and much stronger. The fact that the tour allows us to live like the majority of the Indian people, like common people, only with the basic needs, made me feel life in a different way and forget the superfluous of daily life that we are so depended on.

Every little instant of the tour was totally worth it!
Surrender above everything – I accept what life (Baba) gives me!

Lots of Love

A BIG BIIIIIG thank you also to all of you! This tour was definitely the best trip of my life and changed me a lot! I miss it and I miss you all!…

Coming back home was full of more adventures… But here I am, at home, having plenty of time to get back with my e-mails, read, write my diary, organize all the pictures (how I miss everything watching them…)…ehhee!!

On the other hand it’s great to be back and see all the marguiis here full of new initiatives, ideas and programs…There’s so much work to do but yet a lot of inspiration and satsang! 
Next week we’ll have a retreat and, Dada and Didi, be ready for the next India tours because we’re going to talk a lot about it and show the pictures to everyone! eheh!! 😛

Thank you once again for everything and specially for letting me feel Baba much more inside of me! That’s the most important thing that I carry and I feel so grateful for that and for all the moments that made me grow and discover myself a little more!

A big hug to all of you, wonderful family!! You’re the best and I wish you all the best in your next projects!

Lots of love

Namaskar! 

Thank you all, and Baba, for the wonderful tour . 
It was a great adventure. I realise we are all connected, in some way. We are a big family, in this cosmos. 
So, I hope to see you , somewhere in a corner, of this cosmos. 

All the best! 

BNK 

Better late than never… by Amal (USA) 2007

Namaskar Dadaji,

Classes just ended today, so here I am, finally writing you about the india tour…

Going on the India Tour was just about one of the most intense experiences of my life. Ever since I was a little kid my parents and other Margiis have been relating various different India horror stories, but really, now that I’ve been there, I understand that -nobody- can prepare you for the reality of India — either you’ve been there and you understand, or you haven’t and you don’t. I’ll never forget what it was like first arriving in India — I was totally traumatized, hahaha.

Being in Delhi for two days on my own was just an utterly terrifying experience. Everything, from the animals, the crowds, the chaos, the filth and pollution were so overwhelming, I just felt like I would never be able to handle it, would never be able to adjust. Funnily enough, after traveling through places like Bihar, when I arrived in Delhi again after the tour was over I thought “hey this place is pretty nice for India,” haha. It’s amazing how much your perspective can change once you’ve come across things like the Gaya train station.

All this sounds terrible and negative, I’m sure, but really, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I got sick so many times — I even managed to land myself with dysentery on my very last day (Dada Krpa will fondly remember me keeled over in the Delhi hotel room one hour before leaving for the airport telling him that I couldn’t go to the airport, that I should go to the hospital instead, hahaha) — but in spite of all the clash, physical, mental and certainly spiritual, I really feel like I grew immensely during the tour. In a place like India you just have no shelter, just absolutely no relief. The only recourse is to go deep within during sadhana, haha.

But even India was such an amazing place — the more time has gone by, the more I appreciate India itself. What a strange and wonderful place, to contain within its borders places as far set apart as Delhi and Ananda Nagar. Speaking of which, I loved Ananda Nagar. Being at Ananda Nagar was a profound experience for me, the first time in my entire life that I ever felt like I was “home,” even in spite of all the organizational nonsense surrounding the whole DMS-cancellation. I didn’t care. I walked around in ananda, perfectly content, even in spite of my high fever and diarrhea, haha. Being in Baba’s room there was also incredible. I felt like I was sitting in the room from which the universe was being controlled — I was really shocked by how strong the vibration was — far stronger than any other place we went to, including Jamalpur.

Even apart from all the incredible sights (and let’s not forget smells) of the Himalayas, Jamalpur, Pushkar and all the rest, one of the most valuable experiences for me was just being a part of the tour — to be a part of that family. I was truly inspired by how diverse our group was — not just in terms of nationality or ethnicity, but in terms of personality and temperament. Every single one of us were so unique, so different from one another — it really gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with people I might not necessarily have spent time with otherwise. Even in spite of the different squabbles that might have happened from time to time, and in spite of the personality clashes, I was really inspired by how strong of a family feeling came over us, especially towards the end of the tour. We all came from different backgrounds, all came for different reasons, but in the end, we were all fundamentally one. For that, I really want to thank everybody who went! on the tour, and give them my deepest thanks, especially to our four fearless Acaraya leaders, always leading us by example.

I’ll definitely not be forgetting my experience on the India Tour, and as far as I’m concerned, I experienced more spiritual growth during those tour months than any other period in my meditating life, with the exception of LFT training.

In Him, Amal

PS — if any one of you ever comes anywhere even -near- NY, let me and Mohan Krsna know. You are most welcome 🙂

Ed. Sounds scary? Well most don’t get sick more than a little stomach trouble and many don’t find it that shocking…

Mohan Krsna (USA) – 2007

I loved everything about the trip, the ups AND downs. You asked my suggestions for future tour but I’d say.. don’t change anything.  Really.. I think it’s inevitable that obstacles happen on a trip like that, especially with a group so large.. but that’s not a bad thing.  If I wanted to be pampered I would’ve taken a cruise to the Caribbean or something.  It would have definitely been a different experience with a smaller group, but probably not better or worse.. just different.  It was great to meet so many people from around the world.. and it was great trying to figure out how to say things in spanish.. a little bit of brain exercise never hurt anyone.  I miss everyone, a lot.  Thank you so much for an awesome trip!  I would recommend it to anyone. [Ed. This years tour was bigger than usual and few only spoke Spanish]

A journey to Baba´s feet, by Sonali (Sweden) 2007

Namaskar Everyone!

I am still processing my journey in India, very slowly. But it would take a year until I really can send you more finnished lines of my travellerstory. Maybe you will hear more from me sometime, but this is what I´ve got so far.^_^.

Baba- On one of our first days of the journey we were asked to express what we were striving to get out of the Indiatour. The strife that I was most clear with was that I wished to get closer to Baba and that was luckily (- but not without great clash!) also what the Indiatour became all about for me.

India- made a dramatic impact on my lifejourney and wiped my mind clean and ideated.

How did this happend?

My most simplest description of coming to India, is that it challenged me in all my understanding of what my life was before. It mostly challenged me in what I thought was my reality. Who am I really? Am I myself or am I just what I am an thinking of myself to be?

It was such a drama there. Whenever I moved around on my own or together with others, in order to get to know the place, we were met with one extreme situation to the other. The surrounding were full of extreme begging situations where the poor wanted to get something out of others in some way. The rich were most often carrying around on their big bellies, showing that they had succeeded in getting something out from others. Cows were blockning the streets and monkeys steeling our food. Religious worship was the loudest, and the thought about God was everywhere on the lips of the people we met and expressed in their different choosen lifestyles. To me, the existance appeared more openly extreme and openly desperate than I´ve ever met with before. It was both a relief and a scare to become more open like that and accepting of life as it is, as the journey went on.

The environment and situaiton of the land and people in India, really showed me importance of one´s behaviour and attitude towards ones inner aswell as the outer. This made me look at Yama and Niyama in new light. I made me see how much it is related to everything and everyone else. How much we effect our surroundings by our own thought and expression, as we all are closely related to each other by our Samskaras.

I experienced constant pressure from the surrounding and when it didn´t made me want to just go back home (to sweden) it made me reach out to the sollutions I could find elsewhere. As I didn´t feel safe with the external environment in finding the sollution and i didn´t want any dogma to occupy my mind, it forced me to be go inside instead, deepen my Sadhana and find the answers beyond my human senses.

There, survival seemed hard. It was harder than hard. Poverty was huge and a scream of desperation loud. What a fight for life! A successfull life seemed to only be achieved with great surrender to the great with the grace of that great entity. I understood that the secret to happiness in life, is when your are just forced to fight. Forced to live a life in the divine flow and always be dependent on that great entity and His grace, otherwise you would just be lost and forgotten, poor and desperate.

Just thinking that a country like India is blessed by the incarnations of Taraka Brahma, changes my thoughts and gives me hope. It touches me of how much the universal operator cares about this world, even when you would think that everything is lost. It moved me deeply to see what a great entity of Baba gets his inspiration from. He must have great love for love the humanity and still belive in them nomatter what.

The experience of India has touched me in a way I have never been able to be open to without that Grace that changed my life and still is. The way India touched me was different from any environment I´ve ever met  with, as the impressions moved into my realisation within, instead of my understanding without. In the end, all I could hang on to, all that I knew was truly there, was the feet of my Guru. Being with Him was the only place were I felt safe, so I gave myself to Him without a choice and felt as if he He stole me from myself.

I am still processning the gift Baba gave me,

once I came to India, once I DID come closer to Him,

By only hanging on to His feet,

and reaching out my hands for Him in surrender.

BABA NAM KEVALAM.

/Sister Sonalii  

Leela Joy

This trip was a wonderful, full of adventures in every aspect: physical, emotional/mental and spiritual. I came on the tour not knowing exactly what to expect but hoping for a spiritually growing experience and that’s exactly what it was.

I left the trip feeling energized, more confident and ready and eager to continue my practices wherever i may be. Which was especially important to me because its the start of a big traveling journey for me this is going to bring me all around SE Asia and what better way to start a big journey with a spiritually expanding experience.

This trip was not only spiritually moving but a lot of fun and adventurous, from water rafting to camel safaris, hiking, train rides bus strikes, toktoks, cow dung, donkey dust, and etc. This trip also allowed me to experience all this with wonderful and loving people that became a part of my family! I am so happy and please that I went on this trip. I would recommend this trip to any and all, especially if you are a newer margii because you can learn so much from it.

What I gained most out of this trip is to surrender. You need to surrender to your spiritual practices, surrender to your guru’s teachings, surrender to each and every situation. Complete surrender is not an easy thing to do and this trip gives you plenty of opportunities to practice!

Karun

“ I really am so glad that I joined the tour “coz” I feel my mind has become more expanded. Margii’s here have asked me how it was and I said “It is for those looking for physical, mental and spiritual challenge”. I hope more margii’s will join your tour every year, for their own progress. .”

Namaskar, this is Radhiká from singapore.

The 2006/2007 india spiritual tour had been a great learning experience and adventure for me, a great turning point of my life…and self metamorphosis…all the great adventures beginning from delhi to rishikesh, bodhgaya, pushkar, agra, jamalpur, the great land of RARH(anada nagar) and then nepal and her himalayas..wow breathtaking, simply marvelous! words just cant describe how mch i learnt from this tour and grew from it…one has to experience to appreciate every single moment of it..from a flower bud one blooms into a beautiful rose..thts how i can describe this wonderful journey of self transformation and realisation.

Dada and Didis in the group were all just wonderful taking care of all of us, making sure that we are always comfortable n well taken care off and when one falls ill during the journey, they were always there to nurse us back to health n thanks to our homeopathy kit!! It did wonders during the trip…and also the wonderful brothers and sisters who took care of each other, we were all a united family in the group, it was just amazing how we all blended well together, from all walks of life n coming from around the world, a universal family…indeed amazing and i am proud of that..

I enjoyed rishikesh alot so much so that i didnt feel like leaving from there…nature close to u, cows everywhere, oh yah the monkeys too, they were everywhere there,naughty ones, cute ones, the playful ones…everywhere…staying in ashram was really peaceful, infact the whole atmosphere in rishikesh was just so peaceful n serene, with mother ganga flowing there and the huge statue of shiva…i was really mesmerised by the beauty and colour of the arati(light)ceremonies every evening, the devotional bhajans…HARE RAMA..HARE KRISHNA…and our panjajaniyas, kirtans and meditation daily..what more can i say…it was simply very blissful…

Bodhgaya was great too…Buddha’s place of enlightenment..the bodhi tree…great place for meditation and self realisation…pushkar was also a great highlight in the tour..the camel safari, everyone enjoyed it so much, spending the night in the cold dessert,heavy winds blowing but we were all very cosy inside our huge tent…n agra..yah the TAJMAHAL!! its a breathtaking wonder!

Jamalpur…BABA’s birthplace….the dirty town full of dogs and pigs everywhere…but strong spiritual vibrations there…the tiger grave, deathvalley, the kali temple and the railway quarters where BABA worked..simply awesome and we all had a great time in jamalpur..

Nepal was a breathtaking experience for me, the lake in pokhara, just the scenic views, simply nice and the fresh air there…HIMALAYAS…the 10 day trek was really a journey for me, journey of self transformation and realisation and a step closer to the supreme..the trek also brought all of us closer spiritually..

The tour bonded all of us well, cooking and sharing our meals together and yes the train journeys, its definitely rough in india but the group dynamism and unity made it all smoother and easier…train journeys were really fun, fun, fun…singing kirtans inside n doing our morning, noon or evening meditations and then sharing our meals, simply family oriented!

I will definitely encourage this tour for anyone and everyone who wants to see a positive transformation in their lives and who wants to mature spiritually and mentally, this tour is THE one for all of you!! I feel really lucky n blessed to be part of the india spiritual tour last year, it has been a great learning experience and an eye opener for me in many ways..thank you dadaji for giving me such a wonderful experience and adventurous journey..I will definitely want to be part of the adventure again next time…

and all the very best for the next india spiritual tour 2007/2008 group!

Asiimá

“Once, during the trekking in Nepal I was walking alone trying to reach Leela, who was walking very fast that day, but I wasn’t able to, I just got so tired then, I decided to stop and caught my breath meanwhile I was surprised by the amazing and beauty view behind me, then when I started to walk again, I was thinking that in the future I’d like to have the chance to enjoy beauty view about my own life, I mean, it inspired me to work hard to become a better person day by day so that once when I see back I could feel happiness about how I’d have left by the road I’d had walked.”

How to understand

Jiivika (Jessica Roelofs) 2004-2005

Well, hmmmmm, lets see…..i guess the whole point was to write a little bit on India… To be honest I don’t exactly know what to say. I mean you said you wanted it for the web site but I just dont believe there is anyway to really make someone understand the trip with out having lived it themselves. Not only that but even the people who did live it got such diffrent experiences out of it it’s almost like we went on diffrent trips. 

With that said I’ll just say whatever comes to mind. the trip was pretty manic for me. Some nights I felt so blessed and laughed till my sides split and others I was dead sick and feeling scared and confused. All and all it was great and could’t have been better. The people really made it what it was. Meeting everyone and running around India with them is an experience that i will never forget.

The only real advise I was able to conclude is that laughter is the best cure for just about anything. Sometimes its all that pulled me through. Like getting larengitst broncitis in some snowy mountian…..wooo that was funny.

India is a crazy place and if you dont have a sense of humor I’m not sure how you’d survive.

Looking Back

Krsnajyoti (Christine Koblielski) 2004-2005

Looking back on the trip, I am amazed that I was able to travel with the 
group and that my limitations mostly didn’t get in the way. I had feared 
that I wouldn’t be able to keep up and that my bad back and knees would get 
in the way, but these problems didn’t materialize. And I also worried that 
the group was very young and that I would not fit in, but I felt very much 
at home and part of a family. Everyone was so friendly. I was also amazed 
how remarkable these young people were. When I was that age I was concerned 
about myself and my needs– but here were young people ready to do service 
for others and in some cases do something so selfless as to help with the 
tsunami relief.

My favourite place was Rishikesh not only for the place, but also for the 
intensive work we did there. I remember the trip fondly and I enjoy hearing 
from others.

My experience was enriching and I will remember it fondly.

Dharmaraj () 2004-2005

Smelly Delhi, cow dung fried
Roller coaster taxi ride
Pay in Rupees, rear end sore
Hotel Saina, second floor
Namaskar and namaste
Everybody found their way
All together, off we go
Auto rickshaws, to and fro
We came to see this wild place
India, so in your face
We came from nations far and wide
Spiritual beings, now allied
A monk and nun to lead our tour
Who could ever ask for more?
Pushkar parrots, Chill Out Café 
The Bodhi tree where the Buddha stayed
Jamalpur, we went there for Some Baba stories and the Baba tour
Rishikesh to Old Menali
Hindi, Sanskrit and Bengali
On the trail and on the road
Mosquito bites and buckets cold
River rafting, camel humps
Spirit highs and spirit slumps
The smell of smoke and sewer drains
Crowded, cold and filthy trains
Triple-decker, bumpy beds
Sleeping, sniffling, snoring heads
CHAI, COFFEE, CHAI!!!
What was that? Who am I?
The clash! The clash! Please sir, no chai.
Quick your bag! This is our stop!
Pills of Diarex to pop
Stomachs rumbling, cramping pain
Dysentery, don’t complain
I have it to and so does she
We’re a happy family
Popping pudin, carob powder 
Cipro if the cries get louder
Sickness plugged and feeling hunger
Cooking duty, my group number
Chopping, chopping, chop and chop
Chopping, chopping, chop, chop, chop
Pressure cook ‘til whistle sounds
Heaping globs of mushy mounds
Your lasagna’s a spring roll, what is that?
Look in the kitchen, it’s a giant rat!
Kiritan and meditation
Even at the Patna station
Chandranath, a man so wise
So cool with sunglasses over his eyes
Baba nam and kevalam
Pancha janya was never done
Shopping though at the shopping store
Colored things, just give me four
One in yellow, three in rose
Buy some stuff and money flows
They sell and sell as pockets swell
One moment more, I swear I’ll yell!
Where do I come from and where am I going?
What is my name? Many things for the knowing
I come from the earth I come from the stars
I came on a spaceship from the planet mars
So Tilikapash says “Hey my friend”
And kaoshiki with Surya never ends
Krishna Jyoti’s tiny pack
Would fit upon a chipmunk’s back
And with Asiima, off they go
For mild food, searching high and low 
Chandra’s crazy and so spaced out
With a heart so warm, she’s completely devout
Maduvidia, a madam so fair
Sporting all of the fanciest India wear 
Vanita with super cell telephone power
So happy, happy at any old hour
Now violent Nepal we should avoid
Though Nityesh may be annoyed
A bus for us to Kulu Valley
Malati with carsick belly
Solang, Menali, trekking hard
Didi’s daily mastering card
“Tolerance” might be needed
Hotels off-season are scarcely heated 
Pulga, Kalga, snow and ice
Dada starting snowball fights
Naliini and Jiivika warm in beds
Sleeping bags pulled tight over their heads
Porage, soup and can’o’cheese
Yes more chocolate, if you please
That’s not dirty, it’s India clean!
My tiffin box has a greenish sheen
Dirty is warm and hot springs are too
In Manikaran it’s the thing to do 
Kumar’s going home with a mountain man beard
I would too, but mine’s growing in weird
Last Riwalsar, hard to say
But we’ll stay there anyway
We were fourteen and down by two 
They had some noble work to do
Still at twelve, then down to ten
Canadians gone in search of Zen
Two more left and two more came
Now ten travelers here remain
Friends much closer than the start
We’ve mastered the India traveling art
And when the eyes shine back at me
I’m lucky as a man can be!

India Experience by Shukla’

Arriving in India is a ?clashing? experience for everyone, and also for me that I went alone. It seems that everything escape to your control and also everything is different from the way you imagine and from the way in which you could face it: it’s difficult find a decent room to stay, take a taxi, order something and be sure that you will receive what you have ordered (without onion, garlic, and other tamasic food). Furthermore the Indians are so quite, they move the head as we do to in Europe say no, instead they want say yes, and your patience get lost. But is you meet a dada, a group of margiis clashed as you, and choose to take the same way, everything change. You can live India not for the difficulties of the practical things (because dada worries about it), but for the most beautiful, spiritual, strange aspects, with a soul levity that permits you to appreciate also the very frequent misventures and disadvantages. You can share with other brothers and sisters your same fears and home sicknesses, feel you at home because you are with people who travel trough the same way and to the same goal. At the beginning I was uneasy in a foreign land, very foreign as India is, enclosed by unknown people and compelled to communicate with a language that I don’t speak very well?but after I have raise up nice relationship, united in the Baba’s guide encircled by an upsetting world. Which better company can be to visit and live all the baba’s places? With the acharyas who tell you their experiences side by side to baba’s body, just there in the baba’s house, His jagrti, in His town? So many reminiscences ? I want to tell you some: in Patna with Dada Chandranath, it has been a extraordinary event, which has changed me the rest of the journey, I have carried with me his clarity which looked at me inside and also his words so deep that seem direct just to you in that precise moment, just the words you need and which move you so much. Ananda Nagar, Ananda Nagar is His place and nothing more can be told, you have just to live it in the crowd colored of the retreat days, that you can never see so much people, and there’s not even a place where to si sit for meditation; in the peace and the silence to enjoy all the tantra pita there are in loneliness and thoughtfulness. Furthermore Jamalpur, Calcutta, where everything tastes His presence and brings you near, in His hearth. I feel that the words cannot be enough, cannot represent the incredible experience so as I have lived and so it’s still with me. India is beyond of the words, as everyone says, but until you not go there you cannot know. And the India tour is truly the best way to enjoy it fully without remain too much shocked.

Shukla’, Roma, Italy

Crazy India

Before I went to India, people seemed very fond of telling me about the difficult things that I would come across. I knew a lot about the intensity of the clash, the illness, the utter craziness, the extremity of the experience…. People also seemed to enjoy telling me all of this, to smirk as they were telling… Yet, these were all good people, some of them my friends who were telling me all of this bad stuff yet urging me to go. So I was pretty confused!

All I knew was I was going to India and that it was going to be an extremely eye opening ride and pretty tough. So, I decided not to think about it too much before I went! The craziness set in as soon as I got to Delhi airport and the craziness continued but I won’t focus on that because the beauty, the truth, the peace I found in India was beyond anything I ever expected or could have imagined. Utterly inspiring.

Yes, I was ill, I was very clashed sometimes and the craziness got to me but I also had the most beautiful experiences of my life so far. In India you have to learn to trust Baba’ because out there, everything is so different, and crazy!, that you know very, very little. You have to learn to trust: to accept that you will get to sleep at some point, that the train will arrive this week at some point, that the incessant bargaining will end and you will arrive at a fair-ish price, that, ultimately Baba’ is with you and that the universe is looking after you.

I met some truly beautiful people. Somehow, it was easy to talk to strangers and sometimes to really feel that someone I didn’t know a few hours ago had become my brother or sister. I experienced feelings: a sweetness of love that I had never experienced before. Although it took some time to feel I really did feel that Ananda Nagar was my home. A deeper, more ancient home than any I have known. I feel very lucky; blessed to have met Dada Chandranath and his wife, to have been to so, so many of the places Baba,’ in his physical body, knew, to see so much of India and yet sure I will return because there’s so much I haven’t seen. So many experiences I want to have again!

The best thing about India is what I come away with. The UK was so much colder, darker, quieter and stranger than I expected when I returned… but I adjusted. What I cherish most about my time in India, the best souvenir that can never be broken or lost, is how close to Baba’ I feel now.

Shriila’, UK.

Sometimes I felt I was going to go nuts and the only thing I wanted was my home`s toilet.

But than, you get inside a train, and That`s great. You `ll see the landscape, and those curious indian eyes staring at you. And the chae-man ( tea seller) comes shoutinh without pause “chae””chae”chae’

I realize….how I miss it!

Those people speaking many different Indian languages and they wanna feed you anyway! They ask: “which country you belong” India is amazing in all ways. It`s worth to open our minds and hearts to something we could never imagine it existed.

And for me, the most important thing that happened was to get all the answers I went for. My relationship with THAT (or HIM) is so much different. Meditation is also. I went for it. I went for my gurudeva, and I can say that I felt carried by him on his arms all the time.

Surrender was the word. Love, love, love, love. That’s all there is. I see things and my life so different and I feel Baba so close.

Our group was a family and miss my sisters and brothers!

Travelling with a spiritual group is wonderful. We can share our stories, our feelings, our needs, our tears (also kiirtans and banjans!) And than we can be sure that we have a great lovely family all around the world, even if we do not know their faces and their names. But we already know their hearts, cause we know what’s inside there!

In His love and grace

Pavitri

Brazil

Delhi with all its hectic life of people, cows and riksha’s… lost-driver-syndrom, comission hunters…. Rishikesh like a beautiful treasure after all the sights and crowds of Delhi… hiking, rafting, a cold dip in the holy river… liberation is a sure thing… kundalini yoga… bananas and fish in frying pan… and above all nice (and freezing) meditation on the roof of the most hospitable ashram… our first train trip… with nice kiirtan and wrestling matches getting out of the train… Varanasi… no dips in the holy river anymore… but a don’t-move-too-much-or-the-boat-tips-over boatride takes us along the ghats… the trainingcenter… a welcome and inspirational place to be for a few days… Then Patna… Dada Chandranat vibrated our minds for not less than 4 hours… what a great moment to meet him and his wife!… More train experiences with kiirtan and invasions… but than finaly we reach THE place to be… Ananda Nagar… it feels like coming home… it is beautiful… tantra piithas… kiirtan and meditation under the stars… meeting so many inspiring people… the crazyness of thousands of people together… there are not really many words to describe this place… there is nothing and there is everything… I am staying behind to spend another 4 months on this ancient land to build a music college in Uma Nivas… the tour has come to an end…

Journey

Together on the road
Together on a train
We travel to far places
Deep within
On the ancient lands
We find eachother
We are One

Iishiika’ (LFT)

Behold the adventures of life are just beginning…..!

Travelling in India and beyond is a very unique and special experience of a lifetime…. filled with all variety of opportunities for growth on various levels! On the physical level it is quite a challenge with all the noise and dust and bumpy roads and with all sorts of bazaars and bizarre activities on the road in the road and alongside it!!! A feast for the eyes and imagination, better than any movie! A real life “live” experience of India, with all of its’ wondrous expressions!

Thankfully, being in the cities is only a small part of the adventure and adventure it truly is. Not a trip for the faint hearted by any means, but a very wonderful chance to confront various challenges and share several weeks of deep, meaningful and loving connections with other spiritual aspirants and fellow travellers.

For me personally the spiritual aspect is very important and powerful. Away from all the hubbub of our daily existence with all the load of responsibilities and entanglement with “civilized” life, it is like being thrown into a warp with it’s own cosmic reality.

Faced with simply living from day to day, caring for our basic needs, which can be an adventure in itself and on the other end of the scale having deep spiritual company and diving into eternity, a little more than usual… it is very refreshing and illuminating. I find it quite beautiful how people, who have never even met each other before, from all corners of the world, can instantly gel and share really heart to heart stuff that some relationships don’t even realise in a lifetime of moving together. So besides the Indian culture there is real opportunity to bring the world together in one single trip.

Coupled with all the personal and collective experiences there is also the simple beauty of the unknown in every day… the beauty of the countryside, the mountains and rivers. The simplicity of life and the warm welcoming of the local people and their willingness to help.

If this has not put you off then you are ready to dive into adventure! I am going again [this year December] anyway and welcome others who are ready for an inner and outer journey – body, mind and soul. Certainly not to be missed!

Fellow spiritual traveller – Didi Ananda Ragamaya

Didi kept a Journal

Spiritual tour of India

I enjoyed so much the Indian classical concert in the Manchester Jagrti that I had a sudden desire to go to India. Exactly two and half weeks later, I found myself standing on the runway of the airport in Delhi, planning to spend 5 weeks in India. My initial thoughts were, “this feels like home, it feels like I have been here before!!”

Delhi is a crazy place to be; its polluted, noisy and crowdy. The only place that really inspired me was the lotus temple. Next destination was Rishikestre, the place where the holy Ganges is still clean. We were doing Paincha Jainya everyday, noon sadhana by the Ganges and Collective kirtan and sadhana before mealtime. My spiritual practice reached a new dimension; it was then that I surrendered completely to my Guru, and ever since life seems to be speeding up. Coincidences were happening too often, to be considered mere coincidences. Whenever I am confused or unsure about something, clarify seems to come without delay some way or another. For example, in Varanassi, I met the Dada who was in charge of the training centre for Acharyas, and without any hint on my part, he started talking about a few things that were on my mind in the past few days. Baba Nam Kevalm!!

After stopping in Patna a few days where we met the humble Dada Chandranath, a realised soul, who answered our questions about spirituality, we headed to Ananda Nagar. We arrived at there at the break of dawn. The whole place was vibrating with energy. The scenery was so mystical; a few trees growing here and there and big rocks lying on dusty ground; and even the sun was orange that morning. The ten days I spent there I felt great mentally and spiritually, but I experienced lots of physical clashes. I lost my voice after Akanda Kirtan; I got a cold and got the inevitable stomach problems. We attended Sadhana Shivir, which lasted five days, during which we heard many acharyas and margiis narrating their personal experiences with BaBa. This definitely boosted my devotion for BaBa even more. During the Mela, which lasted three days from the 30^th December till the 1^st of January, the whole place was swamped with margiis. I found the Mela too hectic and noisy to my liking. I preferred the calm and peaceful Ananda Nagar with less people around. At midnight for the New Year, we (hundreds of people) did Guru Puja while a video of Baba was showing. Then, after five hours (completely exhausted!!) of Kirtan, I did sadhana (struggling no to fall asleep!!) on a tranta pit while the sun was rising the first time this year 2001. It was definitely a memorable day.

After spending a few days in Jamalpur the birthplace of BaBa, I extended my trip to another 2 weeks to that I could join the group travelling to Nepal. It was a breath of fresh air compare to India. I felt that the people were nicer and friendlier. We trekked for 10 days along the foothill of the Himalayas. Conquering the heavy load of my backpack, the occasional donkey and sheep blocks, and the unforgettable altitudes sickness, we finally reached Muktinath at an altitude of almost 4000m. The whole scenery was astounding; snow everywhere, clear blue sky, thousands of bright stars in the freeeeezing night!! During the trip I emptied lots of my thoughts and internal clashes to the Himalayas, I certainly return back dowhill feeling much lighter.

It is very difficult to narrate this tantric 7 weeks trip in a few hundred words. So many things happened, some so personal that it is very difficult for me to share. One thing I can say is that I am so happy I sticked to my abrupt decision to join the spirtual tour of India and Nepal. Travelling in a group of spiritual aspirants could only strengthen my spiritual practice and I returned back to England, a new man with a beard.

Next destination is LFT training in Germany.

Namaskar,
Rainjan.

India and Nepal

In the silence of the long flight home I am reflecting on the last 7 weeks. It was such an interesting trip, and so intense, an outer and inner journey, that it might take some time to digest all that has happened: the family feeling with the people in the group, who were complete strangers to me only weeks earlier, the strange familiarity of the country that I visited for the first time (this lifetime…), the highly vibrated places of Ananda Marga history that we visited, so full of stories, and countless meditations in jagrtis, on riverside rocks and in overcrowded trains. Continuous movement, external and internal. Things will never seem the same again.

Delhi with its noise, traffic and pollution. Taxis, rikshaws and cows filling the streets, people everywhere. But I guess I’m too excited to be disturbed by it. Some sort of calmness wells up inside me, contentment, glad to be here. I am at home.

Rishikesh, city of saints and sages. Ashrams are many, but I don’t feel like shopping around – I have already found mine. Riverside meditations, the Ganges is pure, the river of life.

Varanasi: the Ganges less pure, but still full of life. Baba’s Quarters and the brothers’ Whole Timer training centre. A first taste of Indian kiirtan and hospitality. Kiirtan over the loudspeakers, sending positive microvita to the people.

On to Patna, off the tourist track, to visit Dada Chandranath. Words of wisdom, shining ….. full of inspiration.

Ananda Nagar, city of Bliss. Long meditations in vibrated places, leaving me intoxicated. Kiirtan, sadhana and satsaunga as 30,000 people gather for the New Year’s program. Some familiar faces from all around the world. We’re one Universal family.

And then Jamalpur, Baba’s birthplace. Ananda Marga’s first jagrti, and late night meditation on the Tiger’s grave, leaving me, once again, intoxicated…

On to Nepal. The solitude of the Himalayas is a contrast to crowded India. It calms the mind and eases the senses. Walking alone, surrounded by the massive mountains, seemingly eternal, with no one in sight, there is no disturbance, no distraction. Just me and Baba, or Baba and me. In the pureness of being, I feel His Presence. It fills me, there is nothing else. Solid mountains, silence, solitude, stilling the mind, fuelling the Self – satisfying it as it hasn’t been satisfied before. Leaving an impression on my soul, never to be forgotten. Taking it with me, always, continuing the journey that is life…

Rainjita’

New to Ananda Marga

New to Ananda Marga,
Initiated along the way,
I joined a group of Margi’s
Surrended come what may.

They’d been traveling in India
Together for quite awhile
And they welcomed me like family
Open hearted, with a smile

Together we left India
It’s beauty and its pain
Heading for the mountains
Which soothed the soul like rain

For ten days we climbed the Himalayas
Weighed down with heavy packs
Challenged with blisters, aches and pains
And dust from mules and yaks

We learnt to all love cabbage
When there was not much else to eat
And assanas in sleeping bags
When the cold was hard to beat.

Challenges brought us closer
As we helped one another along
And clash was always balanced
By laughter, love and song.

Slowly I felt a change within
Like new sight for the blind
Fetters began to loosen and drop
From my heart and mind.

Maybe it was the mountains
Their majesty and their awe
Such power and such beauty
That made my spirit soar.

Or maybe it was sadhana
Finding strength and truth within
Sitting quiet and open
To the purpose in everything.

Or perhaps it was the love we shared
Inspiration drawn from friends
A new faith in humanity
On which so much depends.

As I left with namaskarq
Joyful despite a tear
I gratefully thanked whoever it was
Who had quietly guided me here.

Jayagiita, Australia

The Trip:

The trip was one of the most powerful learning curves for me. Being out of Australia for the first time (apart from Thailand the month before), the cultural adjustment was significant,but so rewarding. Spending time together with like minded people tends to bring out the best and worst in people (vrtti’s) and it is for this reason that I enjoyed the time on the trip so much. Learning to adjust physically and mentally. The other aspect of the trip was the devotion and inspiration that was aroused (strengthened) in people. I felt His presence quite strongly at times, especially through other people. It has only strengthed my conviction in Ananda Marga ideology/sadhana.

Thanks Dadajii.

Paunkaj, Australia

Namaskar to All,

I would like to share with you an unusual kind of educational experience that I took part in recently. I am, in fact, talking about the India tour.

Every year it is organised by Dada Krpasundarananda, who collects a group of new, usually young (but not always) Margis who wish to experience India as a spiritual adventure. The tour last for 2 months, but all participants do not stay for the whole tour, some leaving and some joining at DMS which the tour visits in the middle of its programme. The first part of the tour visits various holy places around India, and after DMS there is traditionally a trek, which has so far been to Nepal every year, enabling the spiritual adventurers to pit their youthful energies against the tests and trails of the magnificent Himalayas.

At first sight this tour looks like an ordinary tour (of course with a spiritual focus), but what actually happens as this group travels together is much, much more and becomes a very deep spiritual learning experience for all the participants. Together they battle the difficult living conditions of India, which most of them are visiting for the first time – they learn to fight with taxi drivers and rickshaw wallahs, bargain in the markets, avoid the autos on Paharganj which threaten to run them over at every step, try not to get lost in the sea of seething humanity which is everywhere and make efforts to maintain their humour when trains are late or overcrowded. As the group moves from place to place gaining spiritual experiences and insights under the gentle guidance of Dada and his assistants (usually a Didi or senior Margi is also present) a warm family feeling slowly develops between these people, who are often from very different backgrounds. They learn to share at a very deep level, to appreciate each others’ strengths and to support each other in areas of weakness. Thus they all learn more about themselves as a person and report incredible progress towards overcoming problems they see in themselves. All feel blessed to have had the spiritual experience of being with Dada and other senior Acaryas who help them to gain important insights into spiritual life. These insights which they carry home with them truly enrich their lives and help them to go forward with renewed energy and inspiration to work for His Mission.

None of the testimonials sums up so well the feelings of the participants in this year’s tour as the poem composed by Sister Jayagiita from Australia. I would therefore like to share it with you. I hope it will inspire you as much as it inspired me. If you do have any Margis in your fields who would perhaps be interested to come to India, I do recommend this tour as a delightful form of spiritual education, where they can grow spiritually and learn many things about themselves and their lives in an enjoyable way. It is a truly a very profound education.

In His Love,

Malati

[Malati is working as a Tatvika helping with various projects throughout Asia and Africa, etc. etc]

The Journey to the East

Prema Sa’gar, London Region’s latest LFT worker, tells the tale of his recent, first visit to India…

So, this is India. Land of tablas, temples, dance and devotees… From Delhi airport, we were taken on a mad taxi drive to the city centre. Here, the rickshaws rule. They are strange beings: basically a piece of black tarpaulin, shaped into a cabin and hung over a 3-wheeled motorcycle, belching fumes to make the Space Shuttle’s exhaust seem like a breath of fresh air. The drive was comparable to a theme ride at Disneyland, where obstacles come terrifyingly in front of the wheels, only to shift at the last moment. At Disneyland, however, you know that you’re safe; but then again, a good rickshaw ride will only cost you 20 rupees (30 pence).

It seemed that so many in India, even the rickshaw drivers – no, especially the rickshaw drivers, have a devotee’s mind. They paint Namaskar-ing hands on the back of their cars [right above the sign saying “Horn Please. Keep Distance”] and hang tastefully flashing red and green LED shrines to Krishna and Shiva above their dashboards, while the lorry drivers deck out their vehicles in orange Christmas tinsel and inspired slogans. Yes, this is India – Land of godly road-users. Well, to see them drive, you’d think it’d take nothing short of divine intervention to prevent them from forever ploughing into each other.

I toured with a group of Margiis for three weeks, in the lead-up to the DMS festival at Ananda Nagar. We visited various places, maintaining a spiritual theme, and were taken to meet a number of supercharged and highly be-bearded sadhakas [Proutist Dada Santoshanandaji being of note].

Rishikesh was beautiful. There, the Ganges flows through (mostly) green foothills and past simple villages and wandering cows. The river is clear and blue, unlike its downstream counterpart, which chokes with human waste and wasted humans.

Rishikesh is a nicely vibrated place. It’s almost like a Yogi theme park, where all the bookshops, the people, the buildings and events are given a Tantric slant.  It’s so spiritual that even the beggars wear orange. But not all those calling themselves sadhus [monks] are beggars. The genuine holy men humbly keep themselves to themselves, in an ashram or on some hill. The Sivananda missionaries seemed particularly spirited.

We had the wonderful experience of being able to spend a day with Dada Chandranath, the oldest living Ananda Marga acarya. As we all talked and asked questions, I sat next to him on his sofa and melted in his incredible presence – his old blue eyes shining like a baby’s and gushing like the ocean.

Onwards, we travelled to Bodhgaya, where His Holiness, the Dalai Lama was host to a maroon sea of Tibetan Buddhists. Their Mongoloid grins and tranquil composure was a welcome relief from the hyperactive, hypertense Indian vibration. Millions upon millions of candles lined the walls and walkways of the Buddhist stupa temple, creating a breathtaking mystical atmosphere [but unfortunately doing the Greenhouse Effect no favours, whatsoever].

And then on to DMS, where thousands of Margiis descended for the days over New Year. Ananda Nagar felt very homely and was just waiting for me to explore its grassy hills and cool rivers. The Indian-style kiirtan circle flowed on for several days – at times, sublime as the universe itself. After most had retired to bed, the kiirtan turned wild. Such a strong force sweeping round and round the circle. Otherwise staid and serious Dadas, with staid and serious beards, bounced along with uncontrollable joy, while sisters floated around, their arms flung wide. It was some contrast with much of the Western kiirtan I’d experienced.

In reverence to the Jewish tradition of encouraging a “sweet New Year” by eating slices of apple dipped in honey, I took the nearest equivalent – wet and syrupy rasagula [Indian fried milk sweets].

Next, we headed east to Nepal, to trek in the beauty of the Anapurna mountain range. The pure air, the sweeping views and the welcome exercise did wonders for invigorating the system. We cooked from a kerosene stove, and wandered like goats in the mountains and valleys.

Seven days and one stolen passport later, it was nearly time to go home. I returned to Ananda Nagar for a week, to experience it’s serenity without tens of thousands of others. As I bathed in a spring by the river, I vowed to return.

And now, with the tea-sellers’ cry of “CHAI, CHAI” still ringing in my ears, I have come back to the UK to begin my LFT work. I’ll be based in Manchester, teaching classes, organising events and generally trying to rouse the masses. I will attempt to give back some of the excitement and inspiration I took during my time in India.

This past January I went on a journey to India and Nepal.

Nepal was a special blessing because it was basically unplanned. I had been playing with the idea of going for a couple months, but in the end decided it would not be possible.too many details, not enough time.but Baba had other ideas. Within a couple days of my departure date from India back to the United States, I was presented with a train ticket, enough cash and an energetic group of people. Baba. So with no expectations or clues as to what the trip held in store I was off to Nepal. And the adventures began.I entered Nepal in a runaway rickshaw and left on the roof of a bus. With so many memories in between.all-night train rides, dictionary games, clay pot chai clubs, bike rides through the winding streets of Kathmandu, Horlicks parties, rock concerts, hot springs and waterfalls, horse bells and monkey temples, smiling faces and namastes, canoe rides, star-filled skies, yet-to-be-seen yaks, Baskin and Robbin splurges, tofu steak (without onion, garlic, mushroom or chives.please), stories and tears, almond triangles, lassi fasts, clash, clash, clash and so much laughter. It was a truly special trip. The following is from our six day trek in the mountains.one of many memorable moments.

5 a.m..Amrta’s voice called out from the darkness, “hey, time to get up, we’re going to go see the sunrise!”. I vaguely remembered someone saying the day before that we should climb Poon Hill to see the sunrise, supposedly the view was spectacular. At that moment nothing seemed more spectacular than the warmth of my sleeping bag. I rolled over. However everyone else was getting up and the sound of shifting bodies and sleeping bags unzipping carried through the paper thin walls. There was no way I could fall back to sleep. Baba, this better be good.

I pulled the rest of my mind out of dream-state and on sitting up was immediately hit with the reality of an early morning in Ghorepani.freezing.cold.. air. Once out of bed I found that even after sleeping in two layers of pants, a sweater, wool hat, socks and gloves (so everything was preheated), plus an additional wool sweater and meditation blanket there was no getting around the fact that it was still very very cold. This better be really good Baba.

We all gathered, bleary-eyed and groggy, outside the lodge. It was completely dark out. Our host pointed out the direction, it was about an hour away and all we had to do was follow the path.it sounded simple enough. We walked single file, stumbling over rocks and frozen earth, but eager to reach the top. All was well until we reached a wood pile in what looked like somebody’s back yard. “This isn’t the way” “time to backtrack” “did we pass it?” “which way do we go?” “up”. 6 a.m.. it was still dark out, the path was long gone, and we were scaling the side of a mountain.

Crawling on all fours, grasping at frozen frost covered clumps of grass and bush, an occasional tree, manouvering around barb wire fences. Caught straddling between two trees, looking for something to pull myself up with, I was suddenly hit with the ridiculousness of the entire situation. Here we were on the side of a mountain in what appeared to be the middle of the night, everything around us was frozen or well on its way to freezing, and I was wishing for the world that I had taken one of those rock-climbing classes back in school. Baba, sometimes I wonder about this game of Your’s.

Finally I reached some sort of ledge.which turned out to be the path. And it was deserted. Harendra, the only one behind me, soon came up, and pointing to a tiny light in the distance we continued on the path. Any motivation to reach the top was fast waning, and even the silliness of the situation was gone, I was no longer amused, I was annoyed. Walking was painful. The air was cold, and my legs ached with every upward step. I began playing a mind game, holding my breath at every curve, would this be the top? But around every bend was another set of steps. I stopped, rested, took deep breaths, guru mantra and kept on going. It was beginning to get light out.

Patches of snow and ice sprung out of the earth. Gradually a row of snow covered mountain peaks appeared through the early morning fog. Even in my current state of disillusionment I had to admit they were impressive, even majestic. People returning from the top began passing me by. I asked each one how much farther and was always answered “not so far”. I’d learned on this trek that “not so far” could mean anywhere from 25- 45 minutes if not more. By now my legs were aching, face, hands and feet freezing, fingers swelling and I could feel a stream of sweat beginning to run down my back, the distance between myself and Harendra was widening. I was not happy. Around the curve was a ledge, exhausted and frustrated I sat down. Wondering why it was I was on this Path and then I turned around.

At that moment the sun’s light just touched the first mountain peak, and in a second it was lit up. Bit by bit the entire side of the mountain was dyed in glowing shades of pink and gold. A white mist blew around at the top of the peak, and it looked like a luminous body dancing. The rest of the world was completely still and silent. The horizon was divided in layers of blue, pink, gold, and orange, a water color painting. I took a deep breath, marveling at the serenity of the surrounding mountains and the simplicity of colors. And then the sun began to rise.

No words can capture those moments. I’d never seen a sun up until that morning, nor known the magic of one rising. Into the stillness and silence it rose, a giant crimson ball, just peeping over the horizon, casting its light across the mountain tops. Gradually it grew, full and glowing, embracing the world in its warmth, touching each blade of grass, each crooked branch, giving light and color and calmness. Something inside me opened up. Feelings of physical discomfort dissolved, negative thoughts and defeatist mindset vanished.and I lost myself in the beauty of the rising sun.

With each deep breath I felt myself expanding, until it seemed I could reach out and touch the colors with my mind. All my boundaries were gone and I was endless. Light-filled. This must be God. After what could have been eternity I took a couple deep breaths and continued along the path. There was no question about reaching the top. In a few minutes I was surrounded by the rest of the group. For a while I simply sat staring out at the mountain range, at the crimson dawn. Feeling like my entire life had been leading up to this point and now the rest of it was just waiting to take off.I could already feel my wings unfolding.and I was ready to fly.

After a while I got up, content with the knowledge that God is, and that we are blessed, every moment of our lives. So with a smile on my lips for beauty in its essence, I turned around and headed back down the mountain for breakfast.

It was a challenging and vibrant experience. Beside wonderful landscapes, the good mood in the group and the meditation practices during the journey keep the path more easy and pleasant. At least once in your life you should do it!

A Spiritual Adventure Tour in India and Nepal, December 2003-January 2004.
Didi Ananda Ragamaya.

On an adventure there is only the reality of the moment and all responsibilities, all the apparently important things in our lives take a back seat and we simply have to exist in the present. We survive right now, or we thrive right now… and we dive right now into the fullness and richness of life!

Can you imagine a group of ten people, most of who have never met each other, heralding from all corners of the globe, living travelling, chanting, meditating, cooking and adventuring together? Can you imagine paying for hardship? Paying to live it rough, sometimes without water and electricity, waiting for hours and hours at the train station, cramming onto buses that bounce and bump and let in the dust and filth and cold and rain and even don’t go anywhere at times? Can you imagine going on such a journey and your whole sense of reality is turned upside-down?

This is the journey of complete surrender… a willingness to face yourself and grow, adjusting to others and moving as a group; discovering your strengths, embracing and combating your challenges; tapping into unknown inner resources, letting go and allowing a deeper sense of acceptance to pervade your being.

For the first-timer entering into India one would behold a real feast for the senses and quite possibly find it more than overwhelming. Most are thrown in to the hubbub of New Delhi, streets full of rubbish, shared by cows, pigs, goats and beggars, brightly coloured stalls, the aromas of delicious food mixed with less appetizing smells and noises, hustlers, pick-pockets and apparent pandemonium… It is somewhat like a storm and you find yourself quietly in the centre of it all, possibly shocked into stillness, numb from the contrast of being unceremoniously dumped into this completely different reality. Maybe you are hurled along with the flow and want to dance with the spirit of fiesta that pours forth, with all its colour, music and madness!

And so that is where our journey began… joining together from all corners of this earth, our group met up in a small tourist hotel in New Delhi where we started our dance of relationships, each one bringing in new, both subtle and spicy choreography, over a period of time creating an exquisite and unforgettable masterpiece or art, truly unique and never replicable!

As we left the wilds of Delhi for the more peaceful deserts of Rajastan we hoped for some relaxation as the train trundled along, being jogged to and fro, rocked to sleep. However, there was some confusion over our reservations and we ended up not only perched on others bunks trying not to doze off, or sleeping on the floor with all sorts of rubbish, peanut shells and shoes, but we also had to deal with six hours of delay along the way. Our dear Indian Railways so aptly indicates on their timetable “trains may loose or gain time”, (well, at least it left on time, though I have never known a train to gain time!). You just learn to expect the unexpected and then when something actually goes according to plan, it is mildly refreshing! However, it was a long night indeed and a hard initiation for the new comers.

So our first port of call was Pushkar, a purely vegetarian, Hindu town centred round a lake. A peaceful place with domed roofs, everything seemed hazy and the whole town seemed to merge from one pastel hue into another. We spent a few days there in a small family style hotel, off the beaten track and enjoyed a peaceful time on the rooftop under the shade of the trees, where we would chant and meditate together, potter around doing our washing, eat our collective meals and simply enjoy each others company. Rooftops in India are where it happens. Looking across the way, it is not uncommon to see mothers with their children, plaiting their hair, sewing or preparing food. Roof top community life has it’s own charm and peace.

While in Pushkar we ventured out on a camel safari. Those camels are mighty high up you know! Mine was called Krsna and I would sing sweetly (so I hoped!) to him to keep him from running wild. He was well behaved and turned out to be very obliging as we plodded through the desert sands, evening approaching and the gentle coolness of the air caressing our faces. Camping out under the stars, we enjoyed the warmth of our little bonfire, eating a simple local meal together and sharing in song. When most were rugged up and gone to sleep, the camels settled into steadily chomping away at the foliage (full of spines and looking quite dry and chewy by anyone’s standards, they must have super digestions!). As their munching faded into the distance I relished in a few moments of peace under the desert moon and slipped into a beautiful meditation, silently bathing in the stillness.

Our journey continued (not by camel!) to Bodhagaya, the place where Buddha was said to have attained enlightenment. There were a multitude of monks and nuns from various Buddhist pathways, their dress ranging from white robes to various shades of saffron and maroon. People chanted and gongs sounded as pilgrims gathered enjoying welcome satsaunga (good company), whilst others who were in more contemplative moods entered into the quiet sanctuary of the temple’s meditation halls. Everywhere vendors were capitalising on people’s spirituality. There were malas (beads), cushions, candles, prostration mats you name it, all the things that can help to lead you to enlightenment!

Whilst there we hiked to a cave situated at the Mahakala Temple, set in the hills where Buddha had meditated for seven years. We waded across a wide river (accompanied by children, villagers, bicycles, buffalo, dogs and possibly a few other unknown parasitic entities!) through small villages, where life seemed to maintain it’s simplicity over the decades and where people mildly just watch the world go by. I found it so refreshing to be away from the hustle and bustle of high-tech life, where I could hear the cows grazing, children laughing as they played in the fields and simple daily chores taking place. There was a certain sense of timelessness in the air one day lazily loping into the next.

In Jamalpur, where the spiritual teacher and founder of Ananda Marga (Shrii Shrii Anandamurti) was born, we stayed at our children’s home enjoying their playfulness, purity and clearly their joy in our visit. The heart-warming satsaunga of the devotees from the earlier days for me was also very inspiring indeed. I compared the situation to Vrindavan and Krsna, where the relationship between him and his disciples was very sweet and personal, as opposed to later in Krsna’s life, when he became a spiritual warrior defending dharma (righteousness). Our teacher started his early days in this very sweet personal way, with his small group of devotees and later formed a comprehensive social-spiritual yoga organisation where he had to become more administrative as the numbers grew, the relationship becoming more of an internal rather than external communion you could say.

One especially potent site we visited in the area was a very solid and ancient tamarind tree located in the heart of Death Valley, where our teacher was said to have meditated often, I was very attracted by the atmosphere thick with a powerful spiritual vibration and highly conducive for deep contemplation.

In Rishikesh, we enjoyed the hospitality of one of the many yoga ashrams, which provided us with simple and clean accommodation as well as sattvic food (a special type of vegetarian diet that is good for both body and mind, supporting a yogic lifestyle). At sunrise and sunset the ashrams would all perform their ritual “Arati” on the banks of the Ganges, a pleasant ceremony in which to remember the divine in one’s life. Some early morning pilgrims would be already bathing in the icy river water. (I was certainly not one of them!) Our group bathed in a slightly different way as New years day found us white water rafting down, which was truly beautiful and exhilarating as we glided and sometimes rushed (backwards) through the Himalayan foothills.

Heading further up into the Himalayas we took the arduous journey to Nepal. Leaving aside the majority of our baggage in the peaceful lake town of Pokara, we took a ten-day trek with our packs, starting from Beni and gradually going deeper into the mountains. Each day found us a little higher and having to brace the crisper weather, our packs becoming lighter as the clothes went on our backs. We stayed in very simple and basic accommodation cooking for ourselves on a little stove, joining in with the local families in their cosy kitchens, enjoying the warmth of community around heavenly coal fires.

We had a pleasant interlude at the hot springs of Tatopani and relished in the warm water. (Most places although were advertised as having hot showers in reality offered only a choice of cold, very cold or freezing cold water! However, thank god for stoves, we were able to boil up water to remove the chill for a very speedy bucket bath.

The Nepal trek was so special in it’s simplicity. For ten days we were free from cars, only sharing the narrow paths with laden mules clanging their bells, other rare travellers, and the mountains steadily climbing upwards, becoming increasingly more spectacular and breath taking. I would often find myself standing alone silently watching mouth agape, just absorbing the whole scene. What wonderful and truly awe inspiring cherished moments there were to be experienced in that special land in the sky.

Once we stopped outside a small dwelling for a rest and drink of water at the height of the midday sun. There was a bull fenced in making loud noises and getting rather frisky, (upon our arrival in Nepal, we had experienced a bull go out of hand and had to clamour for safety, there had also been two bulls fighting in the streets of Pushkar…. This definitely seemed to be a trip of bull energy!). So when the bull broke out I was already set to run into the house, I had become vigilant and ready for action! We all piled into this little home, chickens and all! A little old lady emerged quite surprised at the arrival of her unexpected visitors! I think the little drama made her day though. As it happened the bull turned out to be a horned cow, with our imaginations running wild! She simply wanted some water and was quite mellow when her thirst was quenched.

Dada Krpasundarananda (the yogic monk who was the other organiser and one of the main originators of this tour some ten years ago) prepared wonderful, hearty buckwheat porridge with dried fruits and nuts, for us on those chilly mornings, a perfect start to the day. Evenings would find us together squeezed into one of the rooms for collective chanting and meditation, bringing us back into the group’s spiritual connection. We would cosily wrap up in our sleeping bags and share stories and songs before drifting into a deep sleep, bodies completely finished for the day.

On the milder mornings I would love to sit by the river or on the roof-tops surrounded by snow covered mountains in meditation, and then warm up by practising some lively asanas (yoga postures) and basic karate moves. The air could only be described as pure and pristine. There was so much pranah (vital energy), all the ailments I had been suffering from prior to the trek seemed to slip away and I felt so full of life.

Nearer the top of our journey the air became very thin and the although the going was tough, there was a certain expectation of reaching the unknown, as if we were the first travellers go to this high up place. The mule traffic was practically non-existent by then just a rare local horse rider would canter by. The villages were even more rustic and untouched by so-called civilization. I felt as though I was on another planet. The paths became icier as we headed to Muktinath, where there was a natural eternally burning flame, housed in one of the Buddhist temples (which happened to be run by Tibetan Buddhist nuns, I found it refreshing to connect with them. Though our paths are different, there is still some deep understanding about the nature of our existence which I find so beautiful when I link up with other women who have also dedicated their lives).

The compound of monasteries and temples stood alone, at the end of a long climb. A world unto itself, with crystal waters, wind blowing the chimes and flapping faded prayer flags. A few nuns and some workers were seen pottering around in the cold, attending to daily tasks. One of the nuns ceremoniously opened the temple door and the smell of incense and wooden boards entered my nostrils, a simple statue of the Buddha sat golden and peaceful gazing on the scene. She opened a small doorway and one by one we looked at the flame coming out of the ground, ignited and fed from deep in the earth. The flame itself was very simple and small, but I appreciated its significance for me. The flame of eternal life, can burn even in the most remote of places, giving sustenance to all in it’s own quiet way.

I left the others and sat on a bench overlooking the snow-covered peaks and entered into my mountain top meditation. I bathed in the peacefulness and grandeur that the mountains pervaded and surrendered this journey to the One, feeling touched and a little sad to be heading back down, but honoured and grateful for the experience and knowing also that my life is beautiful where ever I am, because I am…

And so we steadily headed back down the mountain, all engrossed in our own thoughts and feelings, experiencing a deeper sense of connection with ourselves and quietly with each other. As our tiny airplane (Cosmic Air!) rattled us back to Pokara those ten days passed before our eyes in a matter of minutes, looking through our small windows at the incredible landscapes, all lost in our own thoughts, torn between the life and stillness that we were leaving behind and the relative comforts of our lakeside tourist town offering warm beds, clean clothes, food (without cabbage) and a little rest in the sun.

We headed back through India over the next ten days or so on our way to Delhi. One last place I recollect that was especially meaningful to me, was Ananda Nagar, the home of Ananda Marga (Path of Bliss), set in the quiet back of beyond, one of the poorest and most arid parts of India. Over the years, with the help of the villagers we have reforested the area and developed a growing community, having all sorts of projects from children’s homes, hostels, hospitals and clinics, farm industries, research institutes, schools, colleges and so on. Dada Krpasundarananda’s dome made from local earth, was one of the more recent constructions there, it reminded me somewhat of something out of “Wind in the Willows”, or “The Chronicles of Narnia”, a very cosy, quaint practical and simple down to earth abode.

Upon arriving at the house of my spiritual master at Ananda Nagar, I felt a wave of peace sweep over me, as if I had come home and all the travelling and responsibilities, tiredness and organising had simply melted away. It was as if my whole being had taken a huge sigh of relief… and all the “out there” stuff mattered not. I was pulled to a place deeper within and allowed myself to flow with that all loving subterranean stream of life, bathing in its sweetness and touched by its pure love. Yet again I was gently reminded that only when I completely let go can I truly live and love. Then I am free simply to be who I am, layers of conditioning shed to reveal a bright and beautiful being within, free from fetters, a playful child, a fresh green leaf in spring…

So the time came to go our separate ways. Our lives had connected for a brief period in the whole game of eternity. We had undoubtedly grown and blossomed, like beautiful flowers in life’s colourful garden, each one revealing it’s own uniqueness. Everyone more equipped with renewed vigour and purpose stepping into the ongoing adventure of life with greater depth of understanding, love, surrender and the spirit to serve in this ever-changing world we all live in.

As I sit in my small office and look out of the window at my mango and curry leaf trees and the distant hills, I could almost think I was back in India; in a land that seems but a dream away now, since returning to my no less adventurous, but quite different reality in Jamaica.

Namaskar dear Arati, Catuscia, Dada, Gopi Krsna, Malatii, Moksadevii, Prashantii, Sudiipa, Sukhamaya, Sulocana and Vaekuntha,

I just wanted to say thank you to you all for a very special tour together and i am grateful for all of your unique and wonderful qualities and contributions to our community adventure together!…. It was an honour for me to be with you all and the journey was also a time of much reflection and growth in my own life, which was made possible by you…..

So…. a BIG THANKYOU!!!

I look forward to seeing you where ever our paths next coincid  It has been a pleasure being with you all….

I hope you are able to keep the strong spiritual flow with your practises …. it has been amazing with so much collective kiirtan and meditation we did together…. it is especially now in the silence of my quiet room that i am feeling all the accumulated power and energy that we created together!…. 

Be well and gracefully flow into your journey of life…..

I look forward to being in touch and please feel free to write anytime.. much sisterly love to all 

In my days since returning from the India Tour, I have reflected upon the power and importance contained within the essence of Sam’gacchadhvam.  It is not hard to enjoy living together with friends and/or like-minded people when there is no friction, but when they eat your yogurt or leave their clothes in the laundry machines or park their cars so that you cannot move yours AGAIN, etc., it is so easy to forget how much they can lift you up when you are feeling down and having trouble ousting the doldrums solo.

Our group really taught me the value of working as a team; I feel that most people at least understand the concept of holding space for their team-members who are feeling down, but this group taught me how to be ok with letting other people help me up when I (am willing to admit and accept that I) am feeling down – to feel that love, to feel that closeness, and most importantly, to let it in (even if feelings of embarrassment arise due to my vulnerability).

Nothing makes me open up more to another person than when they are fully vulnerable to me – I realized with this group that I am not the only person in the world who functions this way.  Sometimes it really is ok to lay my weary head in another’s lap and rest my tired body and soul, and have faith that the hands holding me up are not getting bored or weakening under my burdensome weight.  Those hands can be growing with strength through Baba’s love and the Baghavad Dharma that can open the human heart to channel that flow of love; where Seva is a privilage and it resonates with the timeless/formless/limitless core of every one of us – in this way, with this ideation, it is possible to render service by allowing those around me the opportunity to do service to/for me when I am in need.

I learned that I am worthy of love.

Thank you so much. Namaskar,

Namaskar dear friends…

Thanks for your emails, Didi and Sulocana, its nice to read how everyone is now that the tour, weirdly (!) is over… Hope to hear from the rest of you as well.

Yes it was very strange when one after another you all left India and I was left on my own in Pahar Ganj, waiting for Dada Cittabodhananda to arrive to Dehli on a delayed train, so that I couold get my laptop from his flat, which in the end I didn’t end up getting anyway, cause my plane lifted before he arrived!
But I think Baba wanted me to have that space on my own before I dived into a new adventure, and I had two really lovely days on my own, and actually met some very nice people here and there, while drinking maximum, and I mean MAXIMUM JUICE! 🙂

Then I took a flight to Kerala, and as I was waiting in transit for several hours in bangalore, I started writing my diary, and suddenly all this processing of the tour and my experiences there, with you, and with Baba, started… It was really nice, I wrote for HOURS,  and I suddenly realized how rich our time together was, and that I was learning so many new things and also getting to know myself in so many new ways! Thank you for sharing this experience with me, and making it what it was.

As I am now writing I am remembering all the places we visited, Rishikesh, then Pushkar, Bodhgaya, Agra, Jamalpur, Ananda Nagar, and then the time in Katmandu and the trek… wow, we really went through a lot! I miss all these places a lot and Baba’s vibration that we carried with us wherever we went.

I am now in Kannur in North Kerala and just finished the first week of my one month ayurvedic massage and panchakarma course. It is just SUCH a different experience to be here than my last 2 months in India. First of all, south India is so different from the north of India, even just vibrationally, and also its humid, warm, sunny and of course loud but not as loud as the north I guess. North India feels much more spiritual somehow, in a kind of chaotic lovely way (yes i never thought I would appreciate this:).
But mainly I think, it is that I am in a completely different space here than when we were travelling together. Baba is suddenly giving me all this time to be on my own, and to really BE with myself with not so many chances to run away!:)

At first it was really a shock when I arrived here and I realized I will actually live in my own room with my own bed in a flat with a few other random people (who are very nice but very few, hardly any people on the course are really seriously into meditation etc). it was like realizing that I am still my own person after having spent so many days non-stop with you guys, all sleeping, eating, meditating together! I guess normally if I would have gone home after the tour I would have stepped into another cosy group of friends and family and kind of got on with it, but here baba is really giving me a break to be with myself…

And I realize… that this is what I came to India for actually… to have this space, and I have found many times in the past in my life, that wherever this space arises, Baba comes stronger… So this is what is happening right now.. and in some way my heart is softening and opening in a way that I havent’ felt for a while… it reminds me of a feeling when I was a very new margi, and i though i lost this feeling and it would never come back…

In contrast though, I am REALLY REALLY learning to appreciate and understand on a very profound level how important it is to have satsaung and to be able to be with people like you guys in my life, and move together. Just to be with peopole that completely understand me and who also share this search for the Divine in literally EVERYTHING that we do. It is only when we don’t have that for a while that we understand how lucky we are. So I am missing that  alot!

But also I guess I am sort of shocked to suddenly be among “normal” people and its like my mind can’t comprehend that so many people in the world live without the awareness of BABA.. like, they eat, sleep, work, do their little projects, have relationships and grow, but that there is no greater aspect to it all, like a purpose or a Supreme desideratum… no meditation everyday! So weird! It’s really made me feel Baba even stronger, and it’s like I want to be even more myself and more disciplined with my practices and lifestyle, when I am in a place like this.

The ayurvedic course is really amazing, I am learning so much and the doctors are really great. I am starting treatments next week! this is VERY different to my freezing cold massage experience in rishikesh:)
After this ends (end of feb) I have decided to go back to Ananda nagar for 10 days before I fly back to London. I miss Ananda nagar so much… I just want to be in Baba’s room. And walk around and see orange people everyehere! I hope I can do some filming with the boys there.

Okay I have to finish here… I am wishing you all the best on your paths, and hoping that you will go deeper and deeper into your hearts so that we can all become more and more who we truly are and change the world together!

Much love
Mokshadevi

I would like to share with you a little bit of the experience I had with the India Tour 2009/2010.

I remember being in the last part of the trekking (in Nepal) and feeling sad because we were in the end of it and soon I wouldn’t be in the company of those wonderful people in all those wonderful places that I will never forget. For some time I felt the anguish of this separation and soon I understood that one of the things I learnt in this moment was that we should live good things at their maximum and continue straight forward with whatever comes  (being good or not that good) in life.

I tell you that even simple and basic things as not being able to have a shower is sufficient to drive us crazy. But the unity and the support of the whole group, the team spirit and the interior strength, makes us overcome the obstacles and frustrations of the daily life. The capacity of living life to the maximum of our capacities, either physical or psychological, made me know myself much deeper.

The trekking part was the toughest and the hardest. Our connection with Baba becomes unique and much stronger. The fact that the tour allows us to live like the majority of the Indian people, like common people, only with the basic needs, made me feel life in a different way and forget the superfluous of daily life that we are so depended on.

Every little instant of the tour was totally worth it!
Surrender above everything – I accept what life (Baba) gives me!

Lots of Love

A BIG BIIIIIG thank you also to all of you! This tour was definitely the best trip of my life and changed me a lot! I miss it and I miss you all!…

Coming back home was full of more adventures… But here I am, at home, having plenty of time to get back with my e-mails, read, write my diary, organize all the pictures (how I miss everything watching them…)…ehhee!!

On the other hand it’s great to be back and see all the marguiis here full of new initiatives, ideas and programs…There’s so much work to do but yet a lot of inspiration and satsang! 
Next week we’ll have a retreat and, Dada and Didi, be ready for the next India tours because we’re going to talk a lot about it and show the pictures to everyone! eheh!! 😛

Thank you once again for everything and specially for letting me feel Baba much more inside of me! That’s the most important thing that I carry and I feel so grateful for that and for all the moments that made me grow and discover myself a little more!

A big hug to all of you, wonderful family!! You’re the best and I wish you all the best in your next projects!

Lots of love

Namaskar! 

Thank you all, and Baba, for the wonderful tour . 
It was a great adventure. I realise we are all connected, in some way. We are a big family, in this cosmos. 
So, I hope to see you , somewhere in a corner, of this cosmos. 

All the best! 

BNK 

Better late than never… by Amal (USA) 2007

Namaskar Dadaji,

Classes just ended today, so here I am, finally writing you about the india tour…

Going on the India Tour was just about one of the most intense experiences of my life. Ever since I was a little kid my parents and other Margiis have been relating various different India horror stories, but really, now that I’ve been there, I understand that -nobody- can prepare you for the reality of India — either you’ve been there and you understand, or you haven’t and you don’t. I’ll never forget what it was like first arriving in India — I was totally traumatized, hahaha.

Being in Delhi for two days on my own was just an utterly terrifying experience. Everything, from the animals, the crowds, the chaos, the filth and pollution were so overwhelming, I just felt like I would never be able to handle it, would never be able to adjust. Funnily enough, after traveling through places like Bihar, when I arrived in Delhi again after the tour was over I thought “hey this place is pretty nice for India,” haha. It’s amazing how much your perspective can change once you’ve come across things like the Gaya train station.

All this sounds terrible and negative, I’m sure, but really, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I got sick so many times — I even managed to land myself with dysentery on my very last day (Dada Krpa will fondly remember me keeled over in the Delhi hotel room one hour before leaving for the airport telling him that I couldn’t go to the airport, that I should go to the hospital instead, hahaha) — but in spite of all the clash, physical, mental and certainly spiritual, I really feel like I grew immensely during the tour. In a place like India you just have no shelter, just absolutely no relief. The only recourse is to go deep within during sadhana, haha.

But even India was such an amazing place — the more time has gone by, the more I appreciate India itself. What a strange and wonderful place, to contain within its borders places as far set apart as Delhi and Ananda Nagar. Speaking of which, I loved Ananda Nagar. Being at Ananda Nagar was a profound experience for me, the first time in my entire life that I ever felt like I was “home,” even in spite of all the organizational nonsense surrounding the whole DMS-cancellation. I didn’t care. I walked around in ananda, perfectly content, even in spite of my high fever and diarrhea, haha. Being in Baba’s room there was also incredible. I felt like I was sitting in the room from which the universe was being controlled — I was really shocked by how strong the vibration was — far stronger than any other place we went to, including Jamalpur.

Even apart from all the incredible sights (and let’s not forget smells) of the Himalayas, Jamalpur, Pushkar and all the rest, one of the most valuable experiences for me was just being a part of the tour — to be a part of that family. I was truly inspired by how diverse our group was — not just in terms of nationality or ethnicity, but in terms of personality and temperament. Every single one of us were so unique, so different from one another — it really gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with people I might not necessarily have spent time with otherwise. Even in spite of the different squabbles that might have happened from time to time, and in spite of the personality clashes, I was really inspired by how strong of a family feeling came over us, especially towards the end of the tour. We all came from different backgrounds, all came for different reasons, but in the end, we were all fundamentally one. For that, I really want to thank everybody who went! on the tour, and give them my deepest thanks, especially to our four fearless Acaraya leaders, always leading us by example.

I’ll definitely not be forgetting my experience on the India Tour, and as far as I’m concerned, I experienced more spiritual growth during those tour months than any other period in my meditating life, with the exception of LFT training.

In Him, Amal

PS — if any one of you ever comes anywhere even -near- NY, let me and Mohan Krsna know. You are most welcome 🙂

Ed. Sounds scary? Well most don’t get sick more than a little stomach trouble and many don’t find it that shocking…

Mohan Krsna (USA) – 2007

I loved everything about the trip, the ups AND downs. You asked my suggestions for future tour but I’d say.. don’t change anything.  Really.. I think it’s inevitable that obstacles happen on a trip like that, especially with a group so large.. but that’s not a bad thing.  If I wanted to be pampered I would’ve taken a cruise to the Caribbean or something.  It would have definitely been a different experience with a smaller group, but probably not better or worse.. just different.  It was great to meet so many people from around the world.. and it was great trying to figure out how to say things in spanish.. a little bit of brain exercise never hurt anyone.  I miss everyone, a lot.  Thank you so much for an awesome trip!  I would recommend it to anyone. [Ed. This years tour was bigger than usual and few only spoke Spanish]

A journey to Baba´s feet, by Sonali (Sweden) 2007

Namaskar Everyone!

I am still processing my journey in India, very slowly. But it would take a year until I really can send you more finnished lines of my travellerstory. Maybe you will hear more from me sometime, but this is what I´ve got so far.^_^.

Baba- On one of our first days of the journey we were asked to express what we were striving to get out of the Indiatour. The strife that I was most clear with was that I wished to get closer to Baba and that was luckily (- but not without great clash!) also what the Indiatour became all about for me.

India- made a dramatic impact on my lifejourney and wiped my mind clean and ideated.

How did this happend?

My most simplest description of coming to India, is that it challenged me in all my understanding of what my life was before. It mostly challenged me in what I thought was my reality. Who am I really? Am I myself or am I just what I am an thinking of myself to be?

It was such a drama there. Whenever I moved around on my own or together with others, in order to get to know the place, we were met with one extreme situation to the other. The surrounding were full of extreme begging situations where the poor wanted to get something out of others in some way. The rich were most often carrying around on their big bellies, showing that they had succeeded in getting something out from others. Cows were blockning the streets and monkeys steeling our food. Religious worship was the loudest, and the thought about God was everywhere on the lips of the people we met and expressed in their different choosen lifestyles. To me, the existance appeared more openly extreme and openly desperate than I´ve ever met with before. It was both a relief and a scare to become more open like that and accepting of life as it is, as the journey went on.

The environment and situaiton of the land and people in India, really showed me importance of one´s behaviour and attitude towards ones inner aswell as the outer. This made me look at Yama and Niyama in new light. I made me see how much it is related to everything and everyone else. How much we effect our surroundings by our own thought and expression, as we all are closely related to each other by our Samskaras.

I experienced constant pressure from the surrounding and when it didn´t made me want to just go back home (to sweden) it made me reach out to the sollutions I could find elsewhere. As I didn´t feel safe with the external environment in finding the sollution and i didn´t want any dogma to occupy my mind, it forced me to be go inside instead, deepen my Sadhana and find the answers beyond my human senses.

There, survival seemed hard. It was harder than hard. Poverty was huge and a scream of desperation loud. What a fight for life! A successfull life seemed to only be achieved with great surrender to the great with the grace of that great entity. I understood that the secret to happiness in life, is when your are just forced to fight. Forced to live a life in the divine flow and always be dependent on that great entity and His grace, otherwise you would just be lost and forgotten, poor and desperate.

Just thinking that a country like India is blessed by the incarnations of Taraka Brahma, changes my thoughts and gives me hope. It touches me of how much the universal operator cares about this world, even when you would think that everything is lost. It moved me deeply to see what a great entity of Baba gets his inspiration from. He must have great love for love the humanity and still belive in them nomatter what.

The experience of India has touched me in a way I have never been able to be open to without that Grace that changed my life and still is. The way India touched me was different from any environment I´ve ever met  with, as the impressions moved into my realisation within, instead of my understanding without. In the end, all I could hang on to, all that I knew was truly there, was the feet of my Guru. Being with Him was the only place were I felt safe, so I gave myself to Him without a choice and felt as if he He stole me from myself.

I am still processning the gift Baba gave me,

once I came to India, once I DID come closer to Him,

By only hanging on to His feet,

and reaching out my hands for Him in surrender.

BABA NAM KEVALAM.

/Sister Sonalii  

Leela Joy

This trip was a wonderful, full of adventures in every aspect: physical, emotional/mental and spiritual. I came on the tour not knowing exactly what to expect but hoping for a spiritually growing experience and that’s exactly what it was.

I left the trip feeling energized, more confident and ready and eager to continue my practices wherever i may be. Which was especially important to me because its the start of a big traveling journey for me this is going to bring me all around SE Asia and what better way to start a big journey with a spiritually expanding experience.

This trip was not only spiritually moving but a lot of fun and adventurous, from water rafting to camel safaris, hiking, train rides bus strikes, toktoks, cow dung, donkey dust, and etc. This trip also allowed me to experience all this with wonderful and loving people that became a part of my family! I am so happy and please that I went on this trip. I would recommend this trip to any and all, especially if you are a newer margii because you can learn so much from it.

What I gained most out of this trip is to surrender. You need to surrender to your spiritual practices, surrender to your guru’s teachings, surrender to each and every situation. Complete surrender is not an easy thing to do and this trip gives you plenty of opportunities to practice!

Karun

“ I really am so glad that I joined the tour “coz” I feel my mind has become more expanded. Margii’s here have asked me how it was and I said “It is for those looking for physical, mental and spiritual challenge”. I hope more margii’s will join your tour every year, for their own progress. .”

Namaskar, this is Radhiká from singapore.

The 2006/2007 india spiritual tour had been a great learning experience and adventure for me, a great turning point of my life…and self metamorphosis…all the great adventures beginning from delhi to rishikesh, bodhgaya, pushkar, agra, jamalpur, the great land of RARH(anada nagar) and then nepal and her himalayas..wow breathtaking, simply marvelous! words just cant describe how mch i learnt from this tour and grew from it…one has to experience to appreciate every single moment of it..from a flower bud one blooms into a beautiful rose..thts how i can describe this wonderful journey of self transformation and realisation.

Dada and Didis in the group were all just wonderful taking care of all of us, making sure that we are always comfortable n well taken care off and when one falls ill during the journey, they were always there to nurse us back to health n thanks to our homeopathy kit!! It did wonders during the trip…and also the wonderful brothers and sisters who took care of each other, we were all a united family in the group, it was just amazing how we all blended well together, from all walks of life n coming from around the world, a universal family…indeed amazing and i am proud of that..

I enjoyed rishikesh alot so much so that i didnt feel like leaving from there…nature close to u, cows everywhere, oh yah the monkeys too, they were everywhere there,naughty ones, cute ones, the playful ones…everywhere…staying in ashram was really peaceful, infact the whole atmosphere in rishikesh was just so peaceful n serene, with mother ganga flowing there and the huge statue of shiva…i was really mesmerised by the beauty and colour of the arati(light)ceremonies every evening, the devotional bhajans…HARE RAMA..HARE KRISHNA…and our panjajaniyas, kirtans and meditation daily..what more can i say…it was simply very blissful…

Bodhgaya was great too…Buddha’s place of enlightenment..the bodhi tree…great place for meditation and self realisation…pushkar was also a great highlight in the tour..the camel safari, everyone enjoyed it so much, spending the night in the cold dessert,heavy winds blowing but we were all very cosy inside our huge tent…n agra..yah the TAJMAHAL!! its a breathtaking wonder!

Jamalpur…BABA’s birthplace….the dirty town full of dogs and pigs everywhere…but strong spiritual vibrations there…the tiger grave, deathvalley, the kali temple and the railway quarters where BABA worked..simply awesome and we all had a great time in jamalpur..

Nepal was a breathtaking experience for me, the lake in pokhara, just the scenic views, simply nice and the fresh air there…HIMALAYAS…the 10 day trek was really a journey for me, journey of self transformation and realisation and a step closer to the supreme..the trek also brought all of us closer spiritually..

The tour bonded all of us well, cooking and sharing our meals together and yes the train journeys, its definitely rough in india but the group dynamism and unity made it all smoother and easier…train journeys were really fun, fun, fun…singing kirtans inside n doing our morning, noon or evening meditations and then sharing our meals, simply family oriented!

I will definitely encourage this tour for anyone and everyone who wants to see a positive transformation in their lives and who wants to mature spiritually and mentally, this tour is THE one for all of you!! I feel really lucky n blessed to be part of the india spiritual tour last year, it has been a great learning experience and an eye opener for me in many ways..thank you dadaji for giving me such a wonderful experience and adventurous journey..I will definitely want to be part of the adventure again next time…

and all the very best for the next india spiritual tour 2007/2008 group!

Asiimá

“Once, during the trekking in Nepal I was walking alone trying to reach Leela, who was walking very fast that day, but I wasn’t able to, I just got so tired then, I decided to stop and caught my breath meanwhile I was surprised by the amazing and beauty view behind me, then when I started to walk again, I was thinking that in the future I’d like to have the chance to enjoy beauty view about my own life, I mean, it inspired me to work hard to become a better person day by day so that once when I see back I could feel happiness about how I’d have left by the road I’d had walked.”

How to understand

Jiivika (Jessica Roelofs) 2004-2005

Well, hmmmmm, lets see…..i guess the whole point was to write a little bit on India… To be honest I don’t exactly know what to say. I mean you said you wanted it for the web site but I just dont believe there is anyway to really make someone understand the trip with out having lived it themselves. Not only that but even the people who did live it got such diffrent experiences out of it it’s almost like we went on diffrent trips. 

With that said I’ll just say whatever comes to mind. the trip was pretty manic for me. Some nights I felt so blessed and laughed till my sides split and others I was dead sick and feeling scared and confused. All and all it was great and could’t have been better. The people really made it what it was. Meeting everyone and running around India with them is an experience that i will never forget.

The only real advise I was able to conclude is that laughter is the best cure for just about anything. Sometimes its all that pulled me through. Like getting larengitst broncitis in some snowy mountian…..wooo that was funny.

India is a crazy place and if you dont have a sense of humor I’m not sure how you’d survive.

Looking Back

Krsnajyoti (Christine Koblielski) 2004-2005

Looking back on the trip, I am amazed that I was able to travel with the 
group and that my limitations mostly didn’t get in the way. I had feared 
that I wouldn’t be able to keep up and that my bad back and knees would get 
in the way, but these problems didn’t materialize. And I also worried that 
the group was very young and that I would not fit in, but I felt very much 
at home and part of a family. Everyone was so friendly. I was also amazed 
how remarkable these young people were. When I was that age I was concerned 
about myself and my needs– but here were young people ready to do service 
for others and in some cases do something so selfless as to help with the 
tsunami relief.

My favourite place was Rishikesh not only for the place, but also for the 
intensive work we did there. I remember the trip fondly and I enjoy hearing 
from others.

My experience was enriching and I will remember it fondly.

Dharmaraj () 2004-2005

Smelly Delhi, cow dung fried
Roller coaster taxi ride
Pay in Rupees, rear end sore
Hotel Saina, second floor
Namaskar and namaste
Everybody found their way
All together, off we go
Auto rickshaws, to and fro
We came to see this wild place
India, so in your face
We came from nations far and wide
Spiritual beings, now allied
A monk and nun to lead our tour
Who could ever ask for more?
Pushkar parrots, Chill Out Café 
The Bodhi tree where the Buddha stayed
Jamalpur, we went there for Some Baba stories and the Baba tour
Rishikesh to Old Menali
Hindi, Sanskrit and Bengali
On the trail and on the road
Mosquito bites and buckets cold
River rafting, camel humps
Spirit highs and spirit slumps
The smell of smoke and sewer drains
Crowded, cold and filthy trains
Triple-decker, bumpy beds
Sleeping, sniffling, snoring heads
CHAI, COFFEE, CHAI!!!
What was that? Who am I?
The clash! The clash! Please sir, no chai.
Quick your bag! This is our stop!
Pills of Diarex to pop
Stomachs rumbling, cramping pain
Dysentery, don’t complain
I have it to and so does she
We’re a happy family
Popping pudin, carob powder 
Cipro if the cries get louder
Sickness plugged and feeling hunger
Cooking duty, my group number
Chopping, chopping, chop and chop
Chopping, chopping, chop, chop, chop
Pressure cook ‘til whistle sounds
Heaping globs of mushy mounds
Your lasagna’s a spring roll, what is that?
Look in the kitchen, it’s a giant rat!
Kiritan and meditation
Even at the Patna station
Chandranath, a man so wise
So cool with sunglasses over his eyes
Baba nam and kevalam
Pancha janya was never done
Shopping though at the shopping store
Colored things, just give me four
One in yellow, three in rose
Buy some stuff and money flows
They sell and sell as pockets swell
One moment more, I swear I’ll yell!
Where do I come from and where am I going?
What is my name? Many things for the knowing
I come from the earth I come from the stars
I came on a spaceship from the planet mars
So Tilikapash says “Hey my friend”
And kaoshiki with Surya never ends
Krishna Jyoti’s tiny pack
Would fit upon a chipmunk’s back
And with Asiima, off they go
For mild food, searching high and low 
Chandra’s crazy and so spaced out
With a heart so warm, she’s completely devout
Maduvidia, a madam so fair
Sporting all of the fanciest India wear 
Vanita with super cell telephone power
So happy, happy at any old hour
Now violent Nepal we should avoid
Though Nityesh may be annoyed
A bus for us to Kulu Valley
Malati with carsick belly
Solang, Menali, trekking hard
Didi’s daily mastering card
“Tolerance” might be needed
Hotels off-season are scarcely heated 
Pulga, Kalga, snow and ice
Dada starting snowball fights
Naliini and Jiivika warm in beds
Sleeping bags pulled tight over their heads
Porage, soup and can’o’cheese
Yes more chocolate, if you please
That’s not dirty, it’s India clean!
My tiffin box has a greenish sheen
Dirty is warm and hot springs are too
In Manikaran it’s the thing to do 
Kumar’s going home with a mountain man beard
I would too, but mine’s growing in weird
Last Riwalsar, hard to say
But we’ll stay there anyway
We were fourteen and down by two 
They had some noble work to do
Still at twelve, then down to ten
Canadians gone in search of Zen
Two more left and two more came
Now ten travelers here remain
Friends much closer than the start
We’ve mastered the India traveling art
And when the eyes shine back at me
I’m lucky as a man can be!

India Experience by Shukla’

Arriving in India is a ?clashing? experience for everyone, and also for me that I went alone. It seems that everything escape to your control and also everything is different from the way you imagine and from the way in which you could face it: it’s difficult find a decent room to stay, take a taxi, order something and be sure that you will receive what you have ordered (without onion, garlic, and other tamasic food). Furthermore the Indians are so quite, they move the head as we do to in Europe say no, instead they want say yes, and your patience get lost. But is you meet a dada, a group of margiis clashed as you, and choose to take the same way, everything change. You can live India not for the difficulties of the practical things (because dada worries about it), but for the most beautiful, spiritual, strange aspects, with a soul levity that permits you to appreciate also the very frequent misventures and disadvantages. You can share with other brothers and sisters your same fears and home sicknesses, feel you at home because you are with people who travel trough the same way and to the same goal. At the beginning I was uneasy in a foreign land, very foreign as India is, enclosed by unknown people and compelled to communicate with a language that I don’t speak very well?but after I have raise up nice relationship, united in the Baba’s guide encircled by an upsetting world. Which better company can be to visit and live all the baba’s places? With the acharyas who tell you their experiences side by side to baba’s body, just there in the baba’s house, His jagrti, in His town? So many reminiscences ? I want to tell you some: in Patna with Dada Chandranath, it has been a extraordinary event, which has changed me the rest of the journey, I have carried with me his clarity which looked at me inside and also his words so deep that seem direct just to you in that precise moment, just the words you need and which move you so much. Ananda Nagar, Ananda Nagar is His place and nothing more can be told, you have just to live it in the crowd colored of the retreat days, that you can never see so much people, and there’s not even a place where to si sit for meditation; in the peace and the silence to enjoy all the tantra pita there are in loneliness and thoughtfulness. Furthermore Jamalpur, Calcutta, where everything tastes His presence and brings you near, in His hearth. I feel that the words cannot be enough, cannot represent the incredible experience so as I have lived and so it’s still with me. India is beyond of the words, as everyone says, but until you not go there you cannot know. And the India tour is truly the best way to enjoy it fully without remain too much shocked.

Shukla’, Roma, Italy

Crazy India

Before I went to India, people seemed very fond of telling me about the difficult things that I would come across. I knew a lot about the intensity of the clash, the illness, the utter craziness, the extremity of the experience…. People also seemed to enjoy telling me all of this, to smirk as they were telling… Yet, these were all good people, some of them my friends who were telling me all of this bad stuff yet urging me to go. So I was pretty confused!

All I knew was I was going to India and that it was going to be an extremely eye opening ride and pretty tough. So, I decided not to think about it too much before I went! The craziness set in as soon as I got to Delhi airport and the craziness continued but I won’t focus on that because the beauty, the truth, the peace I found in India was beyond anything I ever expected or could have imagined. Utterly inspiring.

Yes, I was ill, I was very clashed sometimes and the craziness got to me but I also had the most beautiful experiences of my life so far. In India you have to learn to trust Baba’ because out there, everything is so different, and crazy!, that you know very, very little. You have to learn to trust: to accept that you will get to sleep at some point, that the train will arrive this week at some point, that the incessant bargaining will end and you will arrive at a fair-ish price, that, ultimately Baba’ is with you and that the universe is looking after you.

I met some truly beautiful people. Somehow, it was easy to talk to strangers and sometimes to really feel that someone I didn’t know a few hours ago had become my brother or sister. I experienced feelings: a sweetness of love that I had never experienced before. Although it took some time to feel I really did feel that Ananda Nagar was my home. A deeper, more ancient home than any I have known. I feel very lucky; blessed to have met Dada Chandranath and his wife, to have been to so, so many of the places Baba,’ in his physical body, knew, to see so much of India and yet sure I will return because there’s so much I haven’t seen. So many experiences I want to have again!

The best thing about India is what I come away with. The UK was so much colder, darker, quieter and stranger than I expected when I returned… but I adjusted. What I cherish most about my time in India, the best souvenir that can never be broken or lost, is how close to Baba’ I feel now.

Shriila’, UK.

Sometimes I felt I was going to go nuts and the only thing I wanted was my home`s toilet.

But than, you get inside a train, and That`s great. You `ll see the landscape, and those curious indian eyes staring at you. And the chae-man ( tea seller) comes shoutinh without pause “chae””chae”chae’

I realize….how I miss it!

Those people speaking many different Indian languages and they wanna feed you anyway! They ask: “which country you belong” India is amazing in all ways. It`s worth to open our minds and hearts to something we could never imagine it existed.

And for me, the most important thing that happened was to get all the answers I went for. My relationship with THAT (or HIM) is so much different. Meditation is also. I went for it. I went for my gurudeva, and I can say that I felt carried by him on his arms all the time.

Surrender was the word. Love, love, love, love. That’s all there is. I see things and my life so different and I feel Baba so close.

Our group was a family and miss my sisters and brothers!

Travelling with a spiritual group is wonderful. We can share our stories, our feelings, our needs, our tears (also kiirtans and banjans!) And than we can be sure that we have a great lovely family all around the world, even if we do not know their faces and their names. But we already know their hearts, cause we know what’s inside there!

In His love and grace

Pavitri

Brazil

Delhi with all its hectic life of people, cows and riksha’s… lost-driver-syndrom, comission hunters…. Rishikesh like a beautiful treasure after all the sights and crowds of Delhi… hiking, rafting, a cold dip in the holy river… liberation is a sure thing… kundalini yoga… bananas and fish in frying pan… and above all nice (and freezing) meditation on the roof of the most hospitable ashram… our first train trip… with nice kiirtan and wrestling matches getting out of the train… Varanasi… no dips in the holy river anymore… but a don’t-move-too-much-or-the-boat-tips-over boatride takes us along the ghats… the trainingcenter… a welcome and inspirational place to be for a few days… Then Patna… Dada Chandranat vibrated our minds for not less than 4 hours… what a great moment to meet him and his wife!… More train experiences with kiirtan and invasions… but than finaly we reach THE place to be… Ananda Nagar… it feels like coming home… it is beautiful… tantra piithas… kiirtan and meditation under the stars… meeting so many inspiring people… the crazyness of thousands of people together… there are not really many words to describe this place… there is nothing and there is everything… I am staying behind to spend another 4 months on this ancient land to build a music college in Uma Nivas… the tour has come to an end…

Journey

Together on the road
Together on a train
We travel to far places
Deep within
On the ancient lands
We find eachother
We are One

Iishiika’ (LFT)

Behold the adventures of life are just beginning…..!

Travelling in India and beyond is a very unique and special experience of a lifetime…. filled with all variety of opportunities for growth on various levels! On the physical level it is quite a challenge with all the noise and dust and bumpy roads and with all sorts of bazaars and bizarre activities on the road in the road and alongside it!!! A feast for the eyes and imagination, better than any movie! A real life “live” experience of India, with all of its’ wondrous expressions!

Thankfully, being in the cities is only a small part of the adventure and adventure it truly is. Not a trip for the faint hearted by any means, but a very wonderful chance to confront various challenges and share several weeks of deep, meaningful and loving connections with other spiritual aspirants and fellow travellers.

For me personally the spiritual aspect is very important and powerful. Away from all the hubbub of our daily existence with all the load of responsibilities and entanglement with “civilized” life, it is like being thrown into a warp with it’s own cosmic reality.

Faced with simply living from day to day, caring for our basic needs, which can be an adventure in itself and on the other end of the scale having deep spiritual company and diving into eternity, a little more than usual… it is very refreshing and illuminating. I find it quite beautiful how people, who have never even met each other before, from all corners of the world, can instantly gel and share really heart to heart stuff that some relationships don’t even realise in a lifetime of moving together. So besides the Indian culture there is real opportunity to bring the world together in one single trip.

Coupled with all the personal and collective experiences there is also the simple beauty of the unknown in every day… the beauty of the countryside, the mountains and rivers. The simplicity of life and the warm welcoming of the local people and their willingness to help.

If this has not put you off then you are ready to dive into adventure! I am going again [this year December] anyway and welcome others who are ready for an inner and outer journey – body, mind and soul. Certainly not to be missed!

Fellow spiritual traveller – Didi Ananda Ragamaya

Didi kept a Journal

Spiritual tour of India

I enjoyed so much the Indian classical concert in the Manchester Jagrti that I had a sudden desire to go to India. Exactly two and half weeks later, I found myself standing on the runway of the airport in Delhi, planning to spend 5 weeks in India. My initial thoughts were, “this feels like home, it feels like I have been here before!!”

Delhi is a crazy place to be; its polluted, noisy and crowdy. The only place that really inspired me was the lotus temple. Next destination was Rishikestre, the place where the holy Ganges is still clean. We were doing Paincha Jainya everyday, noon sadhana by the Ganges and Collective kirtan and sadhana before mealtime. My spiritual practice reached a new dimension; it was then that I surrendered completely to my Guru, and ever since life seems to be speeding up. Coincidences were happening too often, to be considered mere coincidences. Whenever I am confused or unsure about something, clarify seems to come without delay some way or another. For example, in Varanassi, I met the Dada who was in charge of the training centre for Acharyas, and without any hint on my part, he started talking about a few things that were on my mind in the past few days. Baba Nam Kevalm!!

After stopping in Patna a few days where we met the humble Dada Chandranath, a realised soul, who answered our questions about spirituality, we headed to Ananda Nagar. We arrived at there at the break of dawn. The whole place was vibrating with energy. The scenery was so mystical; a few trees growing here and there and big rocks lying on dusty ground; and even the sun was orange that morning. The ten days I spent there I felt great mentally and spiritually, but I experienced lots of physical clashes. I lost my voice after Akanda Kirtan; I got a cold and got the inevitable stomach problems. We attended Sadhana Shivir, which lasted five days, during which we heard many acharyas and margiis narrating their personal experiences with BaBa. This definitely boosted my devotion for BaBa even more. During the Mela, which lasted three days from the 30^th December till the 1^st of January, the whole place was swamped with margiis. I found the Mela too hectic and noisy to my liking. I preferred the calm and peaceful Ananda Nagar with less people around. At midnight for the New Year, we (hundreds of people) did Guru Puja while a video of Baba was showing. Then, after five hours (completely exhausted!!) of Kirtan, I did sadhana (struggling no to fall asleep!!) on a tranta pit while the sun was rising the first time this year 2001. It was definitely a memorable day.

After spending a few days in Jamalpur the birthplace of BaBa, I extended my trip to another 2 weeks to that I could join the group travelling to Nepal. It was a breath of fresh air compare to India. I felt that the people were nicer and friendlier. We trekked for 10 days along the foothill of the Himalayas. Conquering the heavy load of my backpack, the occasional donkey and sheep blocks, and the unforgettable altitudes sickness, we finally reached Muktinath at an altitude of almost 4000m. The whole scenery was astounding; snow everywhere, clear blue sky, thousands of bright stars in the freeeeezing night!! During the trip I emptied lots of my thoughts and internal clashes to the Himalayas, I certainly return back dowhill feeling much lighter.

It is very difficult to narrate this tantric 7 weeks trip in a few hundred words. So many things happened, some so personal that it is very difficult for me to share. One thing I can say is that I am so happy I sticked to my abrupt decision to join the spirtual tour of India and Nepal. Travelling in a group of spiritual aspirants could only strengthen my spiritual practice and I returned back to England, a new man with a beard.

Next destination is LFT training in Germany.

Namaskar,
Rainjan.

India and Nepal

In the silence of the long flight home I am reflecting on the last 7 weeks. It was such an interesting trip, and so intense, an outer and inner journey, that it might take some time to digest all that has happened: the family feeling with the people in the group, who were complete strangers to me only weeks earlier, the strange familiarity of the country that I visited for the first time (this lifetime…), the highly vibrated places of Ananda Marga history that we visited, so full of stories, and countless meditations in jagrtis, on riverside rocks and in overcrowded trains. Continuous movement, external and internal. Things will never seem the same again.

Delhi with its noise, traffic and pollution. Taxis, rikshaws and cows filling the streets, people everywhere. But I guess I’m too excited to be disturbed by it. Some sort of calmness wells up inside me, contentment, glad to be here. I am at home.

Rishikesh, city of saints and sages. Ashrams are many, but I don’t feel like shopping around – I have already found mine. Riverside meditations, the Ganges is pure, the river of life.

Varanasi: the Ganges less pure, but still full of life. Baba’s Quarters and the brothers’ Whole Timer training centre. A first taste of Indian kiirtan and hospitality. Kiirtan over the loudspeakers, sending positive microvita to the people.

On to Patna, off the tourist track, to visit Dada Chandranath. Words of wisdom, shining ….. full of inspiration.

Ananda Nagar, city of Bliss. Long meditations in vibrated places, leaving me intoxicated. Kiirtan, sadhana and satsaunga as 30,000 people gather for the New Year’s program. Some familiar faces from all around the world. We’re one Universal family.

And then Jamalpur, Baba’s birthplace. Ananda Marga’s first jagrti, and late night meditation on the Tiger’s grave, leaving me, once again, intoxicated…

On to Nepal. The solitude of the Himalayas is a contrast to crowded India. It calms the mind and eases the senses. Walking alone, surrounded by the massive mountains, seemingly eternal, with no one in sight, there is no disturbance, no distraction. Just me and Baba, or Baba and me. In the pureness of being, I feel His Presence. It fills me, there is nothing else. Solid mountains, silence, solitude, stilling the mind, fuelling the Self – satisfying it as it hasn’t been satisfied before. Leaving an impression on my soul, never to be forgotten. Taking it with me, always, continuing the journey that is life…

Rainjita’

New to Ananda Marga

New to Ananda Marga,
Initiated along the way,
I joined a group of Margi’s
Surrended come what may.

They’d been traveling in India
Together for quite awhile
And they welcomed me like family
Open hearted, with a smile

Together we left India
It’s beauty and its pain
Heading for the mountains
Which soothed the soul like rain

For ten days we climbed the Himalayas
Weighed down with heavy packs
Challenged with blisters, aches and pains
And dust from mules and yaks

We learnt to all love cabbage
When there was not much else to eat
And assanas in sleeping bags
When the cold was hard to beat.

Challenges brought us closer
As we helped one another along
And clash was always balanced
By laughter, love and song.

Slowly I felt a change within
Like new sight for the blind
Fetters began to loosen and drop
From my heart and mind.

Maybe it was the mountains
Their majesty and their awe
Such power and such beauty
That made my spirit soar.

Or maybe it was sadhana
Finding strength and truth within
Sitting quiet and open
To the purpose in everything.

Or perhaps it was the love we shared
Inspiration drawn from friends
A new faith in humanity
On which so much depends.

As I left with namaskarq
Joyful despite a tear
I gratefully thanked whoever it was
Who had quietly guided me here.

Jayagiita, Australia

The Trip:

The trip was one of the most powerful learning curves for me. Being out of Australia for the first time (apart from Thailand the month before), the cultural adjustment was significant,but so rewarding. Spending time together with like minded people tends to bring out the best and worst in people (vrtti’s) and it is for this reason that I enjoyed the time on the trip so much. Learning to adjust physically and mentally. The other aspect of the trip was the devotion and inspiration that was aroused (strengthened) in people. I felt His presence quite strongly at times, especially through other people. It has only strengthed my conviction in Ananda Marga ideology/sadhana.

Thanks Dadajii.

Paunkaj, Australia

Namaskar to All,

I would like to share with you an unusual kind of educational experience that I took part in recently. I am, in fact, talking about the India tour.

Every year it is organised by Dada Krpasundarananda, who collects a group of new, usually young (but not always) Margis who wish to experience India as a spiritual adventure. The tour last for 2 months, but all participants do not stay for the whole tour, some leaving and some joining at DMS which the tour visits in the middle of its programme. The first part of the tour visits various holy places around India, and after DMS there is traditionally a trek, which has so far been to Nepal every year, enabling the spiritual adventurers to pit their youthful energies against the tests and trails of the magnificent Himalayas.

At first sight this tour looks like an ordinary tour (of course with a spiritual focus), but what actually happens as this group travels together is much, much more and becomes a very deep spiritual learning experience for all the participants. Together they battle the difficult living conditions of India, which most of them are visiting for the first time – they learn to fight with taxi drivers and rickshaw wallahs, bargain in the markets, avoid the autos on Paharganj which threaten to run them over at every step, try not to get lost in the sea of seething humanity which is everywhere and make efforts to maintain their humour when trains are late or overcrowded. As the group moves from place to place gaining spiritual experiences and insights under the gentle guidance of Dada and his assistants (usually a Didi or senior Margi is also present) a warm family feeling slowly develops between these people, who are often from very different backgrounds. They learn to share at a very deep level, to appreciate each others’ strengths and to support each other in areas of weakness. Thus they all learn more about themselves as a person and report incredible progress towards overcoming problems they see in themselves. All feel blessed to have had the spiritual experience of being with Dada and other senior Acaryas who help them to gain important insights into spiritual life. These insights which they carry home with them truly enrich their lives and help them to go forward with renewed energy and inspiration to work for His Mission.

None of the testimonials sums up so well the feelings of the participants in this year’s tour as the poem composed by Sister Jayagiita from Australia. I would therefore like to share it with you. I hope it will inspire you as much as it inspired me. If you do have any Margis in your fields who would perhaps be interested to come to India, I do recommend this tour as a delightful form of spiritual education, where they can grow spiritually and learn many things about themselves and their lives in an enjoyable way. It is a truly a very profound education.

In His Love,

Malati

[Malati is working as a Tatvika helping with various projects throughout Asia and Africa, etc. etc]

The Journey to the East

Prema Sa’gar, London Region’s latest LFT worker, tells the tale of his recent, first visit to India…

So, this is India. Land of tablas, temples, dance and devotees… From Delhi airport, we were taken on a mad taxi drive to the city centre. Here, the rickshaws rule. They are strange beings: basically a piece of black tarpaulin, shaped into a cabin and hung over a 3-wheeled motorcycle, belching fumes to make the Space Shuttle’s exhaust seem like a breath of fresh air. The drive was comparable to a theme ride at Disneyland, where obstacles come terrifyingly in front of the wheels, only to shift at the last moment. At Disneyland, however, you know that you’re safe; but then again, a good rickshaw ride will only cost you 20 rupees (30 pence).

It seemed that so many in India, even the rickshaw drivers – no, especially the rickshaw drivers, have a devotee’s mind. They paint Namaskar-ing hands on the back of their cars [right above the sign saying “Horn Please. Keep Distance”] and hang tastefully flashing red and green LED shrines to Krishna and Shiva above their dashboards, while the lorry drivers deck out their vehicles in orange Christmas tinsel and inspired slogans. Yes, this is India – Land of godly road-users. Well, to see them drive, you’d think it’d take nothing short of divine intervention to prevent them from forever ploughing into each other.

I toured with a group of Margiis for three weeks, in the lead-up to the DMS festival at Ananda Nagar. We visited various places, maintaining a spiritual theme, and were taken to meet a number of supercharged and highly be-bearded sadhakas [Proutist Dada Santoshanandaji being of note].

Rishikesh was beautiful. There, the Ganges flows through (mostly) green foothills and past simple villages and wandering cows. The river is clear and blue, unlike its downstream counterpart, which chokes with human waste and wasted humans.

Rishikesh is a nicely vibrated place. It’s almost like a Yogi theme park, where all the bookshops, the people, the buildings and events are given a Tantric slant.  It’s so spiritual that even the beggars wear orange. But not all those calling themselves sadhus [monks] are beggars. The genuine holy men humbly keep themselves to themselves, in an ashram or on some hill. The Sivananda missionaries seemed particularly spirited.

We had the wonderful experience of being able to spend a day with Dada Chandranath, the oldest living Ananda Marga acarya. As we all talked and asked questions, I sat next to him on his sofa and melted in his incredible presence – his old blue eyes shining like a baby’s and gushing like the ocean.

Onwards, we travelled to Bodhgaya, where His Holiness, the Dalai Lama was host to a maroon sea of Tibetan Buddhists. Their Mongoloid grins and tranquil composure was a welcome relief from the hyperactive, hypertense Indian vibration. Millions upon millions of candles lined the walls and walkways of the Buddhist stupa temple, creating a breathtaking mystical atmosphere [but unfortunately doing the Greenhouse Effect no favours, whatsoever].

And then on to DMS, where thousands of Margiis descended for the days over New Year. Ananda Nagar felt very homely and was just waiting for me to explore its grassy hills and cool rivers. The Indian-style kiirtan circle flowed on for several days – at times, sublime as the universe itself. After most had retired to bed, the kiirtan turned wild. Such a strong force sweeping round and round the circle. Otherwise staid and serious Dadas, with staid and serious beards, bounced along with uncontrollable joy, while sisters floated around, their arms flung wide. It was some contrast with much of the Western kiirtan I’d experienced.

In reverence to the Jewish tradition of encouraging a “sweet New Year” by eating slices of apple dipped in honey, I took the nearest equivalent – wet and syrupy rasagula [Indian fried milk sweets].

Next, we headed east to Nepal, to trek in the beauty of the Anapurna mountain range. The pure air, the sweeping views and the welcome exercise did wonders for invigorating the system. We cooked from a kerosene stove, and wandered like goats in the mountains and valleys.

Seven days and one stolen passport later, it was nearly time to go home. I returned to Ananda Nagar for a week, to experience it’s serenity without tens of thousands of others. As I bathed in a spring by the river, I vowed to return.

And now, with the tea-sellers’ cry of “CHAI, CHAI” still ringing in my ears, I have come back to the UK to begin my LFT work. I’ll be based in Manchester, teaching classes, organising events and generally trying to rouse the masses. I will attempt to give back some of the excitement and inspiration I took during my time in India.

This past January I went on a journey to India and Nepal.

Nepal was a special blessing because it was basically unplanned. I had been playing with the idea of going for a couple months, but in the end decided it would not be possible.too many details, not enough time.but Baba had other ideas. Within a couple days of my departure date from India back to the United States, I was presented with a train ticket, enough cash and an energetic group of people. Baba. So with no expectations or clues as to what the trip held in store I was off to Nepal. And the adventures began.I entered Nepal in a runaway rickshaw and left on the roof of a bus. With so many memories in between.all-night train rides, dictionary games, clay pot chai clubs, bike rides through the winding streets of Kathmandu, Horlicks parties, rock concerts, hot springs and waterfalls, horse bells and monkey temples, smiling faces and namastes, canoe rides, star-filled skies, yet-to-be-seen yaks, Baskin and Robbin splurges, tofu steak (without onion, garlic, mushroom or chives.please), stories and tears, almond triangles, lassi fasts, clash, clash, clash and so much laughter. It was a truly special trip. The following is from our six day trek in the mountains.one of many memorable moments.

5 a.m..Amrta’s voice called out from the darkness, “hey, time to get up, we’re going to go see the sunrise!”. I vaguely remembered someone saying the day before that we should climb Poon Hill to see the sunrise, supposedly the view was spectacular. At that moment nothing seemed more spectacular than the warmth of my sleeping bag. I rolled over. However everyone else was getting up and the sound of shifting bodies and sleeping bags unzipping carried through the paper thin walls. There was no way I could fall back to sleep. Baba, this better be good.

I pulled the rest of my mind out of dream-state and on sitting up was immediately hit with the reality of an early morning in Ghorepani.freezing.cold.. air. Once out of bed I found that even after sleeping in two layers of pants, a sweater, wool hat, socks and gloves (so everything was preheated), plus an additional wool sweater and meditation blanket there was no getting around the fact that it was still very very cold. This better be really good Baba.

We all gathered, bleary-eyed and groggy, outside the lodge. It was completely dark out. Our host pointed out the direction, it was about an hour away and all we had to do was follow the path.it sounded simple enough. We walked single file, stumbling over rocks and frozen earth, but eager to reach the top. All was well until we reached a wood pile in what looked like somebody’s back yard. “This isn’t the way” “time to backtrack” “did we pass it?” “which way do we go?” “up”. 6 a.m.. it was still dark out, the path was long gone, and we were scaling the side of a mountain.

Crawling on all fours, grasping at frozen frost covered clumps of grass and bush, an occasional tree, manouvering around barb wire fences. Caught straddling between two trees, looking for something to pull myself up with, I was suddenly hit with the ridiculousness of the entire situation. Here we were on the side of a mountain in what appeared to be the middle of the night, everything around us was frozen or well on its way to freezing, and I was wishing for the world that I had taken one of those rock-climbing classes back in school. Baba, sometimes I wonder about this game of Your’s.

Finally I reached some sort of ledge.which turned out to be the path. And it was deserted. Harendra, the only one behind me, soon came up, and pointing to a tiny light in the distance we continued on the path. Any motivation to reach the top was fast waning, and even the silliness of the situation was gone, I was no longer amused, I was annoyed. Walking was painful. The air was cold, and my legs ached with every upward step. I began playing a mind game, holding my breath at every curve, would this be the top? But around every bend was another set of steps. I stopped, rested, took deep breaths, guru mantra and kept on going. It was beginning to get light out.

Patches of snow and ice sprung out of the earth. Gradually a row of snow covered mountain peaks appeared through the early morning fog. Even in my current state of disillusionment I had to admit they were impressive, even majestic. People returning from the top began passing me by. I asked each one how much farther and was always answered “not so far”. I’d learned on this trek that “not so far” could mean anywhere from 25- 45 minutes if not more. By now my legs were aching, face, hands and feet freezing, fingers swelling and I could feel a stream of sweat beginning to run down my back, the distance between myself and Harendra was widening. I was not happy. Around the curve was a ledge, exhausted and frustrated I sat down. Wondering why it was I was on this Path and then I turned around.

At that moment the sun’s light just touched the first mountain peak, and in a second it was lit up. Bit by bit the entire side of the mountain was dyed in glowing shades of pink and gold. A white mist blew around at the top of the peak, and it looked like a luminous body dancing. The rest of the world was completely still and silent. The horizon was divided in layers of blue, pink, gold, and orange, a water color painting. I took a deep breath, marveling at the serenity of the surrounding mountains and the simplicity of colors. And then the sun began to rise.

No words can capture those moments. I’d never seen a sun up until that morning, nor known the magic of one rising. Into the stillness and silence it rose, a giant crimson ball, just peeping over the horizon, casting its light across the mountain tops. Gradually it grew, full and glowing, embracing the world in its warmth, touching each blade of grass, each crooked branch, giving light and color and calmness. Something inside me opened up. Feelings of physical discomfort dissolved, negative thoughts and defeatist mindset vanished.and I lost myself in the beauty of the rising sun.

With each deep breath I felt myself expanding, until it seemed I could reach out and touch the colors with my mind. All my boundaries were gone and I was endless. Light-filled. This must be God. After what could have been eternity I took a couple deep breaths and continued along the path. There was no question about reaching the top. In a few minutes I was surrounded by the rest of the group. For a while I simply sat staring out at the mountain range, at the crimson dawn. Feeling like my entire life had been leading up to this point and now the rest of it was just waiting to take off.I could already feel my wings unfolding.and I was ready to fly.

After a while I got up, content with the knowledge that God is, and that we are blessed, every moment of our lives. So with a smile on my lips for beauty in its essence, I turned around and headed back down the mountain for breakfast.