Donna Miesbach Gleanings on the Web

VIGNETTES FROM OUR TRIP TO INDIA 2006 ~ Part I

I was fortunate to be able to tour South India for four weeks early this year. The trip was amazing, one I will never forget. The experiences we had over there were rich and deep. The first two weeks, we were in the state of Tamil Nadu on the Eastern side by the Bay of Bengal, where we visited a lot of temples, as well as many other fascinating places. The second two weeks we were on the Western side in the state of Kerala by the Arabian Sea, where we visited ayurvedic resorts, saw spice, rubber and tea plantations, and other points of interest.

Some of the temples were huge. They were very old (4th-6th century forward), and they were very ornate. The energy there was amazing, but then, how could it not be when for centuries untold people have worshipped there? The stones themselves must be permeated with love and devotion. To be there was to feel that sacred energy in our very bones.

We saw temples of all sizes and shapes, but there is one that especially stands out in my mind. It was in Kerala, and was one of the smaller temples that we saw, but it was very, very old. We had the privilege of meeting the family that has taken care of this temple for the past 900 years. Yes, that's right - for nine hundred years, the care of that temple has been passed down from generation to generation in that same family. As we stood there, I couldn't help thinking about all that has happened on this planet over the past millennium. Regardless of it all, this family has faithfully taken care of that temple so the people would have a place to worship. It touched my spirit to think how there must be people like them all around the planet who go about doing their God-given task without any fanfare. Few even know about them, and yet they continue to tend the light.

The world needs keepers of the light. There are so many who walk in darkness. While you and I may not have ancient temples to tend, we certainly are keepers of the light when we walk by the truth that is in our hearts. I see you doing that, just as I saw them doing that, and I am grateful.

Thank you for being there...

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When you've been in India for four weeks, impressions run deep, at least they did for me. One of those had to do with the utter simplicity with which millions and millions of people over there live their lives. When I say that, I mean utter simplicity, yet these people live happy lives, finding their wealth and their happiness in their family, their relationships, and their worship. Their wealth is more a wealth of the spirit, rather than the accumulation of "things." Not that there is anything wrong with things, but things don't really give life meaning, and they seem to know that.

Wherever we went, whether it was through cities and towns, or through the countryside where people were working in the fields, or even as we sailed through backwaters into places you could never find your way out of if you didn't know the territory like the back of your hand, over and over we saw people living in harmony with Nature and with each other. They were content, they were happy, and it was beautiful to behold. More than once I found myself wondering, "Why is all that fighting going on elsewhere in the world when people can live like this?"

While I came home feeling truly humble to have been placed in this comfortable setting, that question has not left me, so I was particularly pleased the other day to come across an article by Jim Rosemergy that addresses this very thing. In the article, Jim says he has dedicated himself "to living in a world without war." He admits people shake their heads when they hear him say that. They ask how that can be possible with everything that is going on, but Jim says, "I am not looking for a change in the world. I am looking for a change in myself." I don't know if your ears perked up when you read that, but mine certainly did. Then he went on to say, "If I apply Jesus' teachings, I must conclude that the war and conflict I see is in myself." Jim can say that because he knows he sees the world through his consciousness, so he can only conclude that what he sees is what is within him. This perspective forced Jim to ask himself if he could change enough to see the world "not as it appears but as we are - as beings of Spirit!" Jim says, "As long as we see a world at war, war resides in us, but truth is not based on appearances. It is rooted in divine realities," and as you and I know, the divine reality - that is, the One Eternal Reality - knows only peace. According to Jim, and I believe he is correct, if we can anchor ourselves in that peace, and have that peace securely within us, then when we open our eyes, we can indeed see the world as God sees it.

Thank you, Jim. I needed to hear that.

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Something I didn't know before I went to India was that back in the days of antiquity, hatha yoga began as a dance. Over time, poses from the dance were singled out and held in stillness, but the form as we know it today has its origins in that original dance form.

Much to our delight, one of the first things we did after we got to India was visit the Kalakshatra School of Classical Dance, and what a treat that was! In order to be accepted into this school, the young people have to dedicate their lives to the performance of this ancient art form. The students are young - in their early teens and up - and they glow with the joy of what they are doing.

The grounds of the School are lovely, with interesting plantings, and small, open-air cottages scattered here and there through the wooded setting, much as the ancient schools were in their early forest settings. The cottages are the classrooms, where they can specialize in dance, chanting, and all sorts of exotic musical instruments. We happened to meet an instructor on his way to teach, and were fortunate to receive an invitation to visit his class of second-year students. What we saw was amazing.

The class began with warm-ups, and we could see the yoga poses (asanas) hidden in their movements. Of course, what they were doing was much more advanced and much more strenuous than what do in our usual yoga classes. It was fascinating. Then they did several "dances" for us which literally took our breath away. The dances were extremely demanding, requiring great strength, balance, and dexterity. All the while, these young people were glowing with the joy of their performance, and if there was a rapid heart-beat among them from all their exertion, you would never have known it. I don't know how they did it. We were totally mesmerized by the pristine beauty of their performance, and felt honored to have been invited to see it.

I came away with the distinct feeling that these young people are bringing a much-needed dimension of beauty and joy to the global human consciousness. In fact, I could actually feel the joy of the spirit being released there in that room, and from there out into the ethers.

Of course, then I got to thinking about you, and how you also enrich the global consciousness whenever you bring joy and beauty into your life, or the lives of others. Silently, perhaps without even thinking about it, together we are weaving a tapestry of love and joy that connects one heart to another, and we aren't the only ones who are doing this. I'm hearing every day about people, groups, and organizations around the planet who are reaching out, caring, sharing, making life better for those their lives touch.

With forces like this at work in the world, how could there not be hope, regardless of what we hear to the contrary?

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Perhaps you've heard it said that we are all connected, that in our essence, we are all one. Understanding how we can all be connected can be a bit of a hill to climb when we've been raised to think in terms of separation, so I was particularly pleased to have the opportunity to have satsang (a gathering of those who seek to know the truth) with V. Ganesan, one of the local sages, when we were in Tiruvannamalai, because he talked about this very thing.

It was a special occasion, and we felt quite honored to be there. He gave a beautiful talk about the Beatitudes and simplicity, and then ended with a discussion on sharing. He talked about the things we are share, such as hunger, joy, pain, and so on. Then he talked about how we also all share the I Am. He reminded us that any time you refer to yourself, you always say, "I am," or just "I," but really there is only one "I." His point was that whenever we say "I" or refer to our "self," we should be mindful that it is the One I Am we are referring to, that we are one of the ways through which that One I Am expresses Itself. There is only the One, and we are all part of It.

Sometimes the concept of oneness seems hard to grasp, but when he said it the way he did, it seemed so much clearer. I hope it will for you, too.

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There is a charm about life in India that is quite captivating, and I miss it. One of my favorite places was the Arabian Sea. I could hardly wait to stand on its shore. I don't know why, but it called to me like a magnet, so of course the first thing I did when we got to Marari Beach Resort was to walk through the sand and coconut trees to the vast expanse of that beautiful shore. As I approached, a fishing boat went by. Its design came out of antiquity. Fishermen have been using boats like that for hundreds and hundreds of years, and I thought to myself, this could be any moment in time. As I stood there, I thought about the silk and spice traders who have come there for centuries and centuries. Later, our guide even spoke about trading with King Solomon! Yes, India is truly a timeless place.

As I walked back toward my cabin, I came across a barren tree there in the sand. There were other trees like it that had many leaves, but this tree had no leaves at all. Instead, at the very end of the farthest branch, were some of the most beautiful blossoms I have ever seen. What a message that was for me! As I stood there and reverently studied that tree, I sensed how, for whatever reasons, it wasn't able to put out lots of leaves, so it chose instead to offer these few blossoms to the sun. Its message touched me deeply, and I thought to myself, "I just hope, when life is difficult, and there is so little in the outer to draw upon, that I can do as this barren tree has, and create something beautiful."

So may we all...

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