Blogs from Pakistan, Asia - page 35

An Excerpt from the Travel Journal of Nigel Fox (c. 1945) ENTRY 38 -- The Temple Opened In was in this valley of glorious mountains, with snow covered peaks reaching up into the blue sky that the secrets of the Ashram were revealed. From my experiences at the Ashram of Charity, I was beginning to get a taste of their beliefs and how they could be put into practice. To learn a little more about their background and teachings, I turned to the Ashram's well-stocked library. During the spare moments of each day I began to research the Mahatma in earnest. Laying several books out on the round, central table in the library, I positioned myself as close as I could to the open window in order to catch the breeze. I must admit I was ... read more

An Excerpt from the Travel Journal of Nigel Fox. (c. 1945) ENTRY 36 -- Sea of Glass Many who travel to the East are quite taken with India's mystical lifestyle. For me, life at the ashram was like a glorious dream. I seemed to be living in a different world of love and peace. The effect of the Holy Spirit, which came from Christ, was immediate and powerful! His grace flooded my entire being. It illuminated the glory of Nature, and made me love every person I met. To surrender all for Christ's sake as St. Francis did, brought me a joy that passed all understanding. The last time I felt this "ecstasy of the Spirit" was at my conversion. God was again fully present! Daily Routine url=http://www.trivia-library.com/a/health-and-old-age-places-with-high-longevity-hunza-pakistan-part-1.htmThe r... read more

An Excerpt from the Travel Journal of Nigel Fox. (c. 1945) ENTRY 34 -- As Lightning From The East The train ride to Rawalpindi took us through some rather dry countryside. Red dust rose in swirling clouds as we clattered past simple mud-brick houses. I thought of Hans who used to say that it is only from the East, that true Christianity can emerge. Enoch continued to pontificate upon his favourite topic. "The Mahatma is the most Christ-like figure in history: We Christians say: 'love your enemy', he does; Christians say, 'turn the other cheek', he does; Christians say, 'give to everyone who asks', he does and Christians say, 'give up material wealth', he does." At this point I was becoming fairly weary of the subject, an... read more

ENTRY SEVEN — February 5th 1987 The Undercroft At first both Miranda and I found the heat of the Punjab unbearable. Whenever possible, we took refuge under the ceiling fans. The coolest hours for work were between four and ten a.m. This necessitated that Miranda and I retire at about eight in the evening. Our sleeping arrangement was a little unorthodox: we slept under open umbrellas. This, our handyman Yusef warned, would bring ghosts, evil spirits and bad luck. I explained to the superstitious Punjabi that I was a priest and God would protect me from any ill effects. But why on earth are a clergyman and his bride slumbering under an umbrella, one may ask? This unusual arrangement was dictated by the fact that the Vicarage ceiling was crumbling down around us bit by ... read more

As we crossed the border into Pakistan, immigration and customs produced few hassles, although we lost a couple of hours with all the paperwork. However, we did regain 30 minutes in a time change at the India-Pakistan border. Plenty of eats were available from the pie shop in Amritsar before we left as well as at the Paki border (Wagha), so no one went hungry while we were going through the formalities. We reached Lahore at 2pm and made straight for the Hotel International, with the afternoon spent basically around the pool, with only half the bus participating. The hotel put on a great chicken dinner, and I actually scored two whole meals due to one of the guys being crook. Drinks were available in the bar after dinner, but at 12Rs a beer and 9Rs ... read more