One World

 I have been somewhat out of touch with my ‘other’ life these past few weeks. Paul and I have been moving around a bit. After choosing our destination, we seek out small intentional communities wherever we land. We are realizing that, throughout India (as it is I’m sure throughout the world), groups of like-minded people are gathering together to establish life style that supports sustainability and co-operative living. We have been spending days at a time with communities of other people, cooking food, hiking, playing, and working around the area doing whatever needs to be done.

After leaving Fort Cochin, where we spent 5 weeks with our Yoga teacher, our first stop was Kodaikanal. We lived there for 5 days at Karuna Farm, a self-sustaining agricultural community that encourages organic farming and welcomes families and individuals to help on the land. 

Travellers mostly, come to Karuna. Many, many Israelis know about it, since part of the impetus for its existence is inspired by an Israeli man. Getting there happens strictly by word of mouth. There is no advertising...no promotion. You just need to be aware of the place! We were told about the farm by our friend on Gabriola. It stands nestled in the beauty of the southern crest of the upper Palani Hills in Tamil Nadu. Our experience in Kodai motivated us to explore Tamil Nadu further.

After Kodai, we took an overnight bus to Thiruvannamalai. There we found a family of spiritually minded people who have established a life style at the foot of the sacred mountain, Arunachala. They also, don’t publicize their place. Our Yoga teacher sent us to them and we just hit it off together instantly. The land sits at the bottom of an awesome mountain that is said to be where Shiva was manifested. A Guru, Ramana Maharshi, lived on the mountain for 7 years, meditating, receiving students and just absorbing the energies left by Shiva’s presence. Thiru offers a very powerful experience for me. Being with the mountain reminded me of the security I felt during my time in Guatemala  surrounded by volcanoes. There’s a sense of protection, like receiving an ongoing hug from Nature. We plan to return to Thiru and spend a month or so, settling into land there, and being with others who also choose to be there. Practising yoga with Nature! Who could ask for more?

Our last retreat was in a Gurukala in Bangalore. It was (for me) a familiar place, a place I have been coming for years. I love being there with my friend Margaret and anyone else who happens to be around. This year we planned our trip to Bangalore to coincide with the Guru Puja that happens every year. It is a festival of learning and meditation and cooking and eating food, and just gathering together with people. Lots of singing and dancing happens over the weekend, along with great socializing with great people. The land we live on is green and rich. Cohabiting with 5 cows, many rabbits, dogs cats and wild monkeys, all running free. It has been a sort of refuge for me over the years. This year it was great to introduce Paul to the ‘scene’.

 Gurukula means ‘a family joined together by a teacher’. The teaching is that of Narayan Guru whose message is continued by other Gurus even after his death. The current Guru, Muni Narayan Prasad writes volumes about creating a world where human relationships are based on collaboration and compassion and love, and where all of us live by one single authority. It is a world of concord and harmony where the basic human instincts to fight are used to deal with the suffering and miseries of self and for others. Instead, the needs of the spirit and the concern for progress become more important than the satisfaction of desires and material enjoyment. He teaches about building individual capacity before seeking changes in the outside world, about mutual respect and the pursuit of equal opportunities for safety and health for everyone, everywhere. He stresses that no one need be downtrodden, that we are all God’s people and we need to be there for each other with compassion and love. I like it!

These particular Gurus promote a ‘One World’ focus, where economy, politics, religion, all exist to promote a thriving existence for everyone. I’m not much of a “Guru follower” but I definitely believe in many of these ideas. I am finding, more and more, that there are many individuals seeking out other like-minded people, forming communities that model lifestyle that will change our world. These communities, practising life in similar manners... just differently, will begin to find each other, and our world will become stronger and more compassionate. I want to be a part of that! As I travel in the world I strive to live that dream!