Recovering in Delhi

There’s no question that India has changed me forever. I feel so inadequate to put into words all the things that have happened in the last week or so. But here goes.

I left Goa and flew to Varasani, whose history dates back to 1400BC. Mark Twain wrote that “Varanasi is older that history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together. “  It is the city of Shiva, the holiest place in India situated along the Ganges river.  According to Hindu mythology, if one dies and is cremated here, nirvana is achieved.  My experience was so vivid the night I went to the burning ghats(place for public cremations), this is what I came home and wrote:

Varanasi burning ghats.

Met a lovely Dutch couple on the street today and compared our travel experiences.  We decided to meet later that night at puja( offering, prayer ceremony) on the Ganges. After dinner we went to see the burning ghats.  There was no electricity in the entire city,  so the sky was pitch black .The fires from the cremations, about 20 of them, provided the only light. .We went on the roof of an adjacent building and sat for hours watching, mesmerized, transfixed on this ancient practice. We were informed that it has been taking place 24 hours a day for over 3500 years. We marveled at the apparent seamlessness of it all. No outward grieving.  Just men from the family standing around watching. Women aren’t allowed.  Apparently,  about 100 years ago one of them jumped into the fire with grief . We felt rather insignificant watching this very sacred event.  A stark reminder of the fact that our body’s are really just vehicles for consciousness. Just a mass of bones and flesh that are so easily and quickly reduced to a pile of ashes.  Actually it takes about 3 hours for one body to be completely incinerated.  Everything but the chest of the men and the pelvis of the women. When the fire has consumed everything else. These bones are carried to the Ganges with 2 sticks and are thrown in.  That’s it, then a new body is placed on the same spot after more water from the holy Ganges is thrown over the ashes.  It’s so hard to fully describe the impact of this visual experience.  I’m so humbled to have had the privilege of witnessing it. I think it will stay with me for the rest of my life. Our lives are very brief and not nearly as significant as we sometimes like to think.  No need to really worry about the things we worry about is there?

Ok , so that was Varanasi. Then I took a train to Bodh Gaya, the place where Buddha attained enlightenment.  Only the train was about 5 hours late, which meant I would get to Gaya at 3am, then have to take a 30 minute rickshaw to Bodh Gaya.  Not advisable since the Bihar district is the poorest and most lawless in India.  Everyone on the train started to go to sleep around midnight, and then I start thinking,--how am I going to know when we are in Gaya? There’s no announcement, the signs are in Hindi, and everyone is asleep.  My new friends, 8 of them in my compartment, just laughed and said, “set your alarm”. Really? OK, well maybe I’ll end up in Gaya maybe Calcutta. But sure enough, 3am came and the train started slowing down. That’s when I met this captain from the army , Vinay, who decided it was his duty to take care of me. He was my guide and protector. Noone even approached me coming off the train. Vinay cleared the path. It was amazing. He  helped me get to the hotel, gave me his phone number, and told me if I had any problem during my stay in India to call him. WOW! Incredible kindness.

Bodh Gaya was like Buddhaville. Buddhists from all over the world. Beautiful temples, statues,  and of course the bodhi tree. I spent all day underneath it. Doing some meditation and just enjoying the energy. A very powerful experience.

Unfortunately, the food in Bodh Gaya and my western GI tract did not see eye to eye.  Fortunately, since I was staying with the Cambodian monks I had met in Sarnath the previous week, I was well taken care of.  They brought me food(what little I could keep down), water,  and medicine. They basically had a mini pharmacy with them, antibiotics and all. Needless to say, Cipro has become my constant companion.

So now I am resting in Delhi for a few days, reflecting a bit on all the events of the past few days.  My stories seem to be consistent with other westerners I’ve spoken to here.  The most magical things happen in the midst of the most unfamiliar. For me, it’s just learning to let go of control and be wowed over and over again.

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