Thanks for the vicarious travel experience Hi Richard,
In a way I am sorry to learn that you are leaving India. I really enjoyed your travel blog. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I loved the photos. It was wonderful to read about your adventures in India. You will have plenty of stories to tell at the campfire when we have our next family olympics. Take care!
high mountains I have been India and i made lot of Tibetan friends they really nice. I had travel every place in India it's very nice country but i didn't see high mountains so my Tibetan friend said if you want to see mountain you are better to go Tibet even better than India. www.tibetanwildyakadventures.com is a site i found that offers private guide. do you feel it good idea to go with private guide?
jeannie braves the internet to find Annya Hi there... I loved reading and seeing about your dance classes. I want to throw a little HipGnosis party at my home after you get back and feel recovered. Happy Birthday on your birthday...Since I doubt I'll get back on the computer before then. Love and Light to you both.
Sweet mother Ganga If things get to bad you could always practice swimming dragon out to the sea. That would be some serious Qigung more likely a Neigung. When I went to china I developed my Neigung, and since Neigung is a harder practice then Qigung it seems logical that you two are having an interesting trip.
Keep up the trip and I'll see you when you are returned.
Its Been Strange Here Things are calming down a lot here and feeling better. We read in the local paper that one boy drowned after partying with Holi and a group of 8 other boys broke into a house and molested a 15 yr old girl and beat up her father.
Stuff like this can happen anywhere and it just shows even incredible spiritual places can have bad days.
The energy here is great and my Meditations, Qigong and dreams have been wonderful.
Richard
Ashram /Divine Life Society/Sivananda Hope things get better for you in Rishikesh. Nadine and I had always had good feelings in Rishikesh, a sense of tranquility and spirituality over all our previous visits(4-5) there during the last many years.
Perhaps explore Rishikesh side, Ganga aarti, and Sivananda Ashram. They have nightly discourses/ chantings in English.
rules, rules, rules Hi Richard,
Everywhere we go we will find rule. You have the wonderful opportunity to spend time learning about the rules of another culture. That is so awesome. It sounds like you are having a wonderful experience. Enjoy!
PS: I have to add that you were not reprimanded for looking at the wonders of the night sky but for "laying on your back in the temple". I think there will always be double standards. Maybe it is best for people to just go with the flow whenever possible. Try anyway. I know it is difficult when it seems so wrong at times.
Surprised that you were sick Hi Rick, I can't imagine you weathered a terrible stomach ache
out in the dessert. I am glad you feel better and that Anya
is coping also.
Your blogs are getting more and more interesting. Keep
posting because I am enjoying all your comments.
I will keep you both in my prayers. Love, Mom
Religion rules Hi Richard and Annya, I'm enjoying your blog and your views of India. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said "Religion ruled over the Middle Ages". You're seeing connections in India with the C Church of the middle ages. Without these bodies that need to be fed, there would be no one to practice religion. So as long as money = food, people will want it with religious fervor.
grateful for your missives Richard (and Anya), I would love to see this video when you return to Taos. And thank you for keeping us up on your adventures and observations. It is wonderful how we can connect through space and time this way!
Blessings to you both,
Diana
http://www.wordartist.net
Food Poisening Dad,
I just got over the stomach flu a few weeks ago- there is nothing worse than the repetitive vomiting and the sharp stomach pains and cramping. It's bad enough in the comfort of my own home- I can't imagine it in the desert! Hope this is the last bought for both of you! You'll never forget that camel ride!
Another one for parasites My friend learned this one when she was in Guatemala. Three tablespoons of raw rice, soaked overnight. Two tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds. A chopped scallion. Mix together and chewing well eat in the morning on an empty stomach. It is actually very soothing and seems to suck those bugs out.
Pack Lunch/water before trip I would let a good restaurant pack my lunch/dinner if it is going to be a day's trip into boonies. I would also boil/cool water overnight and carry in glass bottle covered with wet cloth to keep the water cool. Lastly if you do get sick, just go on a fast with hot water and lemons only for 24+ hours. A green pill called "Podina" available in most pharmacies is very useful to fight/thwart stomach problems. Use any wide spectrum antibiotic if infection.
Spiritual Disneyland Spiritual Disneyland is a great way to describe the feeling. I had a chance to film all of these Tibetan Monks in rayer at the Bodhi Tree. And then they left and I filmed the mess that was left behind. Garbage and bottles and plastic. It makes me more Leary of any form of devotional prayer. All hept up at the moment and not taking responsibility afterwords.
Richard
Great Insights Hi Richard, I had a similar awareness when I was in Jerusalem. There were all sorts of religious groups with their rituals and devotions at the place where Jesus was supposed to have done something or other. It felt like "spiritual Disneyland". There was a lot more chi in shards of pottery I found beneath my feet at unnamed places. I think the most holy place is within the life we each have been given. I'm enjoying your insights about India. Love, Hannah
India----napolis is a gas Hey Charlo, Thanks for driving us to Albuquerque to start our adventure. If Napolis means city, then we have been to a number of them here in India. Tomorrow we go on a overnight Camel Safari into the desert. Wish us luck.
Richard
Great Pictures of Jaipur Those are some great pictures of Jaipur. Well done Richard adn Annya. Annya looks great and so relaxed in the roof top restaurant! I am so happy for you both enjoying Jaipur.
Looking in all the wonderful places Yoganada has always inspired me and his Autobiography is one to recall. I am not a big devotee of anyone. I am beginning to understand that people are inspired by different aspects of their lifes. Some are fitted to have devotion for something, be it Buddha, Krishna,Jesus, Mohammad. Others are afflicted by the need for a Guru. For me I am most moved by my senses. What can I sense from a situation. Maybe it is from all the years studying Qi. I know what Qi feels like and I know when it is strong. This is what I have come to believe in. The qi of a person, a tree, a mountain, a lake. The qi is what organizes forces around it.
Anyway, much love to you,
dad
Managing videos Hey Amy, You are correct. I have downloaded the wrong image. Hopefully you will be able to see the correct one in this next download.
What you are seeing is a video of a Buddha built by the Japanese Buddhist to honor Buddha here in Bodhgaya.
Hope your life returns to normal soon. It is difficult having the best house guest for so long,little less one as absent minded as Jai appears to be.
Love
dad
Cleveland Air far better then here in India On the worst day of pollution in Clevelandin all of my living there could not compare to a good day here. The pollution is unbelievable. If we go out of doors we mostly cover our mouth and nose with a handkerchief Now India is making progress, especially in Delhi were the have banned all regular gas cars.
Hello from Cleveland, OH Hi Richard,
I have been following your blog and find it very interesting and informative. It sounds like you are having a very enlightening experience as you travel India. I also believe that insight can happen anywhere. Take care of yourself, eat well, rest often, and don't breathe too deeply. The air quality sounds just awful. It makes me appreciate the EPA standards we have here in the USA. Be safe! Your sister Jackie
Good to see you I am glad to hear from you because now I know you are there safe. The video is not of a tree, but of a statue of Budha. I looked the tree up on Wikipedia and it resembles a tree I saw on my trip down south called the Angel Tree. Amazing sight to see. It sounds like you are having an interesting visit. I really enjoyed reading your blog. I've been doing some reflecting here myself and I'm trying to figure out how to simplify my life- but it seems there is always someone else to help, and I'm not good at saying no. I did ask the district to find a new home for Jia. After four months, she couldn't seem to figure out how to turn off the stove or close the back door behind her when she left home. They decided to send her back to China due to the problems she was having at the school as well. I am sad that what could have been such a great experience of exchanging cultures turned out to be such a terrible experience. I am wondering what causes so many people to place blame on others rather than taking ownership for their own actions. How can that be reversed? Safe travels and I hope to hear from you again soon!
At the Bodhi Tree What a great story. I am reminded of the book "An Autobiography of a Yogi" where the author keeps on trying to go to the Himalayas to find God and ends up meeting his guru only a few miles from his home, far from the romance and mystery of the mountains.
Love,
Jono
irctcbookings.com
non-member comment
It's really nice...
I love Rishikesh actually but yes i liked the blog as well as specially a Pushkar-Last Kalbelia Class :) Jai Hind !