Varanasi (7/02/12-7/07/12)
We left Dehradun for the next destination of our pilgrimage: Varanasi. Varanasi is considered to be the holiest city of India and the oldest city in the world. What kept us from our destination was nearly 900 km of distance, or what was to be a 21.5 hour train ride. We had tickets in the Sleeper section of the train which was un-airconditioned,. They did provide us with fans, though; however, they are really only good for making noise, not keeping you cool. When we got on the train, we set down our belongings and made space for our bodies amongst the other humans; space we would all share for the next day to come.
A light meal was served around dinner time, and I spent the time both before and after engaging in dialogue with those around me. Night approached, and the moon was full, close, and bright, and I spent hours in conversation with the older man who I was sharing a bunk bed with. He told me about his children-- that his son is his best friend-- and the arranged marriage with his wife, and we compared traditions and lifestyles between that of America and India. He said in many ways he prefers the American mindset as it places a higher emphasis on individuality. In many ways, though, I feel I prefer the Indian mindset as family lie is more heavily regarded. The middle path...
Night was quickly passing and my body was growing tired, so I decided to lay down and attempt to get some rest. Not much sleep was to be had, though, given the circumstances. Even just sitting down your body gets drenched in sweat.
Morning came, and all the while I was thinking to myself that there are two things which escape me: time and space. Time in that I had no physical method of recording such. Thus, I had no idea how long I had been travelling for or how much longer was left to go. Space escaped me in that I was unaware of my geographical location and the distance which kept me from my planned destination. When time and space drop, life manifests itself in many other ways, and each moment is pristine. My mindset was never, "This is what I will do when I finally get to Varanasi." Instead, it was, "This is what I am doing at exactly this moment."
Night approached again and soon enough we had arrived in Varanasi (about 25 hours after our departure, we soon learned). Matt and I arrived in Varanasi with several thoughts on our mind. 1) we had not slept or eaten. 2) we needed to figure out how to get to the guest house we planned to stay at. 3) this just might be the hottest place we have been in India yet.
With no phone, no watch, and no address to the place we would be staying, we walked from the railway platform observing the happenings of this new city. A rickshaw driver approached us, asked where we were headed, and said he would take us there for 200 rupees. I had gotten quite good at haggling, though, and told him the house was only a few km away so we would pay him 100 rupees to take us there. He agreed.
The rickshaw driver, Krishna, was full of energy, singing and rhyming to us and trying to sell us things. It was quite overbearing for having just sat on a train for 25 hours. He told us, "You don't want to go to that guest house. It's my uncle, he's no good. I'll take you somewhere else." We persistently told him that's where we were headed, that the family was expecting us. But he refused to take us and said, "It's no good" and that he wanted to take us to his "brother's" place (i.e. the place he had a commission with). At that point we did not care too much where we stayed; we just wanted to get there. So we gave in to Krishna's persistence and let him drive us to his "brother's" place.
When we arrived it was nearly pitch black, and we had to walk through alleyways to get there. We had been taken away from the main road, so there were not as many people around anymore, and we were blindly following this crazy rickshaw driver through these narrow streets. Truthfully, Matt and I were just waiting to get robbed; our surroundings were literally that from the movie "Taken". Krishna took us to the house safely, though, and we felt glad to have arrived. We showered and were served dinner on the rooftop. Finally, we could relax. We looked forward to seeing what this city looked like in the light the next day.
We spent 4 days and 4 nights in the holy city of Varanasi. We took this time to explore the pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists. The city itself is a major pilgrimage site for Hinduism, with the Ganges River, the burning ghats where cremations are held, and many temples including the Monkey Temple, Durga Temple, Golden Temple, etc. We walked along the Ganges River where dozens were bathing at any moment. The idea of cooling off our bodies in the river amongst the scorching heat was a refreshing idea; but we kept in mind all of the trash, excrement, and human remains that were tossed in to the river everyday. Needless to say, we did not bathe or swim.
We explored the burning ghats where cremations are held. At these sites, the deceased are wrapped in a white shroud and are set on fire until just the bones remain. In Hinduism, it is a duty of the family to correctly prepare their loved ones for the afterlife; the burning of the body allows the soul to be freed; and mourning should be avoided so as not to disturb the soul. As a spectator, it is quite interesting to watch; you can see the feet and the head of the human protruding from the fire.
We made the journey to some of the temples in the area, though it is a process we have become quite jaded by. There is such a culture of beggary at the temples, shoving, pushing, acting solely for one's own benefit. The most spiritually sound experiences we have are never at the temples themselves.
We made a pilgrimage to Sarnath, the site where Buddha gave his first sermon after Enlightenment. It was a beautiful place, though absolutely taken over by consumerism. Tired from being asked for money everywhere we went in Varanasi, we headed back to town to get some chai and to rejuvenate.
Recently, all of India has been very dry and farmers have had a difficult time since the monsoons are several weeks late from their expected arrival. But finally, the monsoons had arrived! And they came at a good time because it was hot, hot, hot. We walked around, giddy on the streets, thankful for the cool rains, thankful for the time spent in this beautiful country. Within no time, the water on the streets was up to our knees. Kids were swimming, rickshaw drivers were walking their vehicles through the un-drivable roads, others were taking refuge in the shade. I walked along getting soaked and cooled, trying not to remember that during the day these streets were used for cows and humans to "relieve" themselves; now I was walking in it up to my knees. So it goes.
All in all, our time in Varanasi was well spent, but we were quite ready to leave after 4 days. Because Varanasi is such an attraction for tourists, we were just getting hounded left and right by people asking us for money, people wanting to sell us drugs, people wanting us to buy the fancy silk their wives made, people wanting to give us "tours" and then demand money. We were jaded. The life had been drained from us. In a city as aggressive as Varanasi, it is a real test of your character, a real test of your patience, and a real difficulty to pursue your dedication to mindfulness.
When you are consistently being trialed in each endeavour you encounter, you really have the opportunity to come to the "root of the root of yourself," as Rumi says. Our routines may have been challenged and altered in some ways, but this gave us the opportunity to make each simple task meaningful. Brushing your teeth is a meditation; eating is a meditation; walking is a meditation; your encounters and your dialogues are a meditation. Any activity can be a meditation and an opportunity to come to the "root of the root of yourself."
Take advantage of it.
We left Dehradun for the next destination of our pilgrimage: Varanasi. Varanasi is considered to be the holiest city of India and the oldest city in the world. What kept us from our destination was nearly 900 km of distance, or what was to be a 21.5 hour train ride. We had tickets in the Sleeper section of the train which was un-airconditioned,. They did provide us with fans, though; however, they are really only good for making noise, not keeping you cool. When we got on the train, we set down our belongings and made space for our bodies amongst the other humans; space we would all share for the next day to come.
A light meal was served around dinner time, and I spent the time both before and after engaging in dialogue with those around me. Night approached, and the moon was full, close, and bright, and I spent hours in conversation with the older man who I was sharing a bunk bed with. He told me about his children-- that his son is his best friend-- and the arranged marriage with his wife, and we compared traditions and lifestyles between that of America and India. He said in many ways he prefers the American mindset as it places a higher emphasis on individuality. In many ways, though, I feel I prefer the Indian mindset as family lie is more heavily regarded. The middle path...
Night was quickly passing and my body was growing tired, so I decided to lay down and attempt to get some rest. Not much sleep was to be had, though, given the circumstances. Even just sitting down your body gets drenched in sweat.
Morning came, and all the while I was thinking to myself that there are two things which escape me: time and space. Time in that I had no physical method of recording such. Thus, I had no idea how long I had been travelling for or how much longer was left to go. Space escaped me in that I was unaware of my geographical location and the distance which kept me from my planned destination. When time and space drop, life manifests itself in many other ways, and each moment is pristine. My mindset was never, "This is what I will do when I finally get to Varanasi." Instead, it was, "This is what I am doing at exactly this moment."
Night approached again and soon enough we had arrived in Varanasi (about 25 hours after our departure, we soon learned). Matt and I arrived in Varanasi with several thoughts on our mind. 1) we had not slept or eaten. 2) we needed to figure out how to get to the guest house we planned to stay at. 3) this just might be the hottest place we have been in India yet.
With no phone, no watch, and no address to the place we would be staying, we walked from the railway platform observing the happenings of this new city. A rickshaw driver approached us, asked where we were headed, and said he would take us there for 200 rupees. I had gotten quite good at haggling, though, and told him the house was only a few km away so we would pay him 100 rupees to take us there. He agreed.
The rickshaw driver, Krishna, was full of energy, singing and rhyming to us and trying to sell us things. It was quite overbearing for having just sat on a train for 25 hours. He told us, "You don't want to go to that guest house. It's my uncle, he's no good. I'll take you somewhere else." We persistently told him that's where we were headed, that the family was expecting us. But he refused to take us and said, "It's no good" and that he wanted to take us to his "brother's" place (i.e. the place he had a commission with). At that point we did not care too much where we stayed; we just wanted to get there. So we gave in to Krishna's persistence and let him drive us to his "brother's" place.
When we arrived it was nearly pitch black, and we had to walk through alleyways to get there. We had been taken away from the main road, so there were not as many people around anymore, and we were blindly following this crazy rickshaw driver through these narrow streets. Truthfully, Matt and I were just waiting to get robbed; our surroundings were literally that from the movie "Taken". Krishna took us to the house safely, though, and we felt glad to have arrived. We showered and were served dinner on the rooftop. Finally, we could relax. We looked forward to seeing what this city looked like in the light the next day.
We spent 4 days and 4 nights in the holy city of Varanasi. We took this time to explore the pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists. The city itself is a major pilgrimage site for Hinduism, with the Ganges River, the burning ghats where cremations are held, and many temples including the Monkey Temple, Durga Temple, Golden Temple, etc. We walked along the Ganges River where dozens were bathing at any moment. The idea of cooling off our bodies in the river amongst the scorching heat was a refreshing idea; but we kept in mind all of the trash, excrement, and human remains that were tossed in to the river everyday. Needless to say, we did not bathe or swim.
We explored the burning ghats where cremations are held. At these sites, the deceased are wrapped in a white shroud and are set on fire until just the bones remain. In Hinduism, it is a duty of the family to correctly prepare their loved ones for the afterlife; the burning of the body allows the soul to be freed; and mourning should be avoided so as not to disturb the soul. As a spectator, it is quite interesting to watch; you can see the feet and the head of the human protruding from the fire.
We made the journey to some of the temples in the area, though it is a process we have become quite jaded by. There is such a culture of beggary at the temples, shoving, pushing, acting solely for one's own benefit. The most spiritually sound experiences we have are never at the temples themselves.
We made a pilgrimage to Sarnath, the site where Buddha gave his first sermon after Enlightenment. It was a beautiful place, though absolutely taken over by consumerism. Tired from being asked for money everywhere we went in Varanasi, we headed back to town to get some chai and to rejuvenate.
Recently, all of India has been very dry and farmers have had a difficult time since the monsoons are several weeks late from their expected arrival. But finally, the monsoons had arrived! And they came at a good time because it was hot, hot, hot. We walked around, giddy on the streets, thankful for the cool rains, thankful for the time spent in this beautiful country. Within no time, the water on the streets was up to our knees. Kids were swimming, rickshaw drivers were walking their vehicles through the un-drivable roads, others were taking refuge in the shade. I walked along getting soaked and cooled, trying not to remember that during the day these streets were used for cows and humans to "relieve" themselves; now I was walking in it up to my knees. So it goes.
All in all, our time in Varanasi was well spent, but we were quite ready to leave after 4 days. Because Varanasi is such an attraction for tourists, we were just getting hounded left and right by people asking us for money, people wanting to sell us drugs, people wanting us to buy the fancy silk their wives made, people wanting to give us "tours" and then demand money. We were jaded. The life had been drained from us. In a city as aggressive as Varanasi, it is a real test of your character, a real test of your patience, and a real difficulty to pursue your dedication to mindfulness.
When you are consistently being trialed in each endeavour you encounter, you really have the opportunity to come to the "root of the root of yourself," as Rumi says. Our routines may have been challenged and altered in some ways, but this gave us the opportunity to make each simple task meaningful. Brushing your teeth is a meditation; eating is a meditation; walking is a meditation; your encounters and your dialogues are a meditation. Any activity can be a meditation and an opportunity to come to the "root of the root of yourself."
Take advantage of it.
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