The song of the sannyasin

Wake up the note! the song that had its birth
Far off, where worldly taint could never reach,
In mountain caves and glades of forest deep,
Whose calm no sigh for lust or wealth or fame
Could ever dare to break; where rolled the stream
Of knowledge, truth, and bliss that follows both.
Sing high that note, Sannyâsin bold! Say—  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

Strike off thy fetters! Bonds that bind thee down,
Of shining gold, or darker, baser ore ;
Love, hate—good, bad—and all the dual throng,
Know, slave is slave, caressed or whipped, not free ;
For fetters, though of gold, are not less strong to bind ;
Then off with them, Sannyâsin bold! Say—  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

Let darkness go; the will-o'-the-wisp that leads
With blinking light to pile more gloom on gloom.
This thirst for life, for ever quench ; it drags
From birth to death, and death to birth, the soul.
He conquers all who conquers self. Know this
And never yield, Sannyâsin bold! Say—  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

"Who sows must reap," they say, "and cause must bring
The sure effect ; good, good ; bad, bad ; and none
Escape the law. But whoso wears a form
Must wear the chain." Too true ; but far beyond
Both name and form is Âtman, ever free.
Know thou art That, Sannyâsin bold! Say—  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

They know not truth who dream such vacant dreams
As father, mother, children, wife, and friend.
The sexless Self! whose father He? whose child?
Whose friend, whose foe is He who is but One?
The Self is all in all, none else exists ;
And thou art That, Sannyâsin bold! Say—  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

There is but One—The Free—The Knower—Self!
Without a name, without a form or stain.
In Him is Mâyâ dreaming all this dream.
The witness, He appears as nature, soul.
Know thou art That, Sannyâsin bold! Say—  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

Where seekest thou? That freedom, friend, this world
Nor that can give. In books and temples vain
Thy search. Thine only is the hand that holds
The rope that drags thee on. Then cease lament,
Let go thy hold, Sannyâsin bold! Say —  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

Say, "Peace to all: From me no danger be
To aught that lives. In those that dwell on high,
In those that lowly creep, I am the Self in all!
All life both here and there, do I renounce,
All heavens and earths and hells, all hopes and fears."
Thus cut thy bonds, Sannyâsin bold! Say—  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

Heed then no more how body lives or goes,
Its task is done. Let Karma float it down ;
Let one put garlands on, another kick
This frame ; say naught. No praise or blame can be
Where praiser praised, and blamer blamed are one.
Thus be thou calm, Sannyâsin bold! Say—   

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

Truth never comes where lust and fame and greed
Of gain reside. No man who thinks of woman
As his wife can ever perfect be ;
Nor he who owns the least of things, nor he
Whom anger chains, can ever pass thro' Maya's gates.
So, give these up, Sannyâsin bold! Say—  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

Have thou no home. What home can hold thee, friend?
The sky thy roof, the grass thy bed; and food
What chance may bring, well cooked or ill, judge not.
No food or drink can taint that noble Self
Which knows Itself. Like rolling river free
Thou ever be, Sannyâsin bold! Say—  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

Few only know the truth. The rest will hate
And laugh at thee, great one ; but pay no heed.
Go thou, the free, from place to place, and help
Them out of darkness, Maya's veil. Without
The fear of pain or search for pleasure, go
Beyond them both, Sannyâsin bold! Say—  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

Thus, day by day, till Karma's powers spent
Release the soul for ever. No more is birth,
Nor I, nor thou, nor God, nor man. The "I"
Has All become, the All is "I" and Bliss.
Know thou art That, Sannyâsin bold! Say —  

"Om Tat Sat, Om!"

Swami Vivekananda

Sri Lankan goings...

No time to write but the images might speak more than the words...

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/109047881755511720389/albums/5925842380036118193

namo tassa bhagavato arahato sama sambuddhasa.

Pondicherry village life!

Sometime ago I made a stop at Auroville... It was pretty impressive to have a glimpse of all they have accomplished in 40 yrs... it is not a community but a township, meaning, many communities in one big semi-city compound... So its cool bc every community has different projects and ways of life, all focused (supposedly) on inner work as the main turbine. In this way every community that belongs to Auroville comes along every month with all sorts of projects, courses, trainings etc, on whatever you want to learn or be part of... It is indeed a pioneering project and a role model. The golden temple is the most amazing temple ive ever visited, inside is like an enterprise, you feel like in a dream, is so pristine and silent that you can hear your heart beats while meditating... Anyways, I saw very little about Auroville itself bc I rented a moped for $1 a day and went my way to share with the villagers... 

some pics at:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/109047881755511720389/albums/5925808181258607713

blessings...

SaT YoGa SaNgHa!

I kept my eyes open to include you all, but still some were missing!

a funny gallery at :

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/109047881755511720389/albums/5925796639450599681

May you all be happy...

QUIERO

QUIERO (A Julian Marchena) - In Memoriam

Quiero, cual ave soberana, expugnar los cielos y surcar los mares...

Quiero, como peregrino errante, sentirme en casa no estando en ella...

Quiero, cual jinete intrépido, cabalgar las tormentas con mirada plácida...

Quiero, en una noche de fulgor, disponerme al camino de la eternidad...

Quiero no “querer” para poder ser!

Y entonces, con el dulce sabor de libertad en la lengua, abrazar la muerte, de este cuerpo que mengua...

Arunachala! the ashram and its surroundings...

some pics at:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/109047881755511720389/albums/5923414438622238737

blessings

The glory of Arunachala!

"Persons with minds free from attachment to riches, lands, relatives, caste and the like and, having become pure, seek benign grace at the red lotus feet of the Lord of Compassion abiding as Arunachala, rid themselves of their ignorance and, attaining the grace which shines like the rays of the rising sun, always abide in this world happy, sunk in the Ocean of Bliss." 
Sri Ramana MAharshi. the necklace of nine gems. Verse 3

If there is someone who can speak with authority and utmost coherence about the glory of Arunachala, that would be, of course, Sri Bhagavan... and he did... his poetry about the hill declares his love for it... as some people say, if he was "attached" to something it was to Arunachala. As for myself, I could only stand in awe, captive by its power and wonder... wandering about its secluded atmosphere, imbibed in its silence and austere surroundings... there is no more to ask.  The Ashram itself is glorious indeed, one can spend lifetimes in its rich granthalayam (library) worship on the shrine or temple, etc... but the Hill itself is the most tranquil place.

Coming from Chennai, I reached Tiruvannamalai in the morning... the first thing I did after visiting arunachaleswar temple was hiking up the hill of fire (Arunachala) you first pass through some villages and then you can see the glorious hill right in front of you. Is completely peaceful and beautiful... there are caves around where one can spend the night with no issues.

At the Ashram the reception was very kind, as a saddhu they allow you to stay for three nights without paying (meals included)... and the guest house is awesome! actually is quite luxurious... you have a very comfortable room with private hot water bathroom and a sweet balcony... You can see the influence of the westerners there and its great because this allows many people to come. I was so grateful!... I had a gorgeous time meeting some western advaita teachers and also some very known swamis from India. In the mornings and evenings you can just sit quietly and listen to the chants in sanskrit from the brahmin boys... Is very nice, the meditation hall is open from 4 am onwards, they serve breakfast at 7;30am, lunch at 11;30, tea at 4pm and dinner at 7;30pm... the dinning room is a huge hall where everyone sits on the ground and eats with hands in the manner of indian culture... they serve food on banana leaves or dried leaves plates... The whole complex is neat and extremely clean which is hard to see in other ashrams here in india, unless its a famous one. 

All of the big ashrams here have a Goshala (dairy farm) and they produce with its milk the most delicious sweets! here is no exception... the food also is very simple but delicious. I have some stories from my diary pages but I'm a bit tired now... actually I'm way behind my writings... after Tiruvananamalai I went to Auroville in Pondicherry but that's another story... Now im sharing a precious time in Sri lanka with my Theravada brethrens.


"Tear off these robes, expose me naked, then robe me with Thy love, Oh Arunachala!"
Sri Ramana MAharshi. marital garland of leters. Verse 30

'All stones in that place [Arunachala] are lingams. It is indeed the Abode of Lord Siva. All trees are the wish-granting trees of Indra's heaven. Its rippling waters are the Ganges, flowing through our Lord's matted locks. The food eaten there is the ambrosia of the Gods. When men move about in that place it is the earth performing pradakshina around it. Words spoken there are holy scripture, and to fall asleep there is to be absorbed in samadhi, beyond the mind's delusion. Could there be any other place which is its equal?'

- Arunachala Puranam

Solitud

Sobre tus bases construí un monasterio de corazón y piedra…
Y desde ahí, tus monjes relinchan versos inmaculados.
 
Es cierto lo que decías: “En mi vientre silencioso los sabios se encuentran así mismos”.
 
Ay solitud, con qué gusto los anacoretas acarician tus rostros de luna llena!
 
En una marcha solemne, sobre las sendas del logos, transitan vagabundos embriagados de locura divina, llevando tu estandarte en alto.


Ay solitud, que aun en la cacofonía de las muchedumbres tu dicha es presente… pues en ti no hay “otros”.
 
En tus vientos alados cabalgan querubines con voces de júbilo y noticias sublimes, diciendo: “Vano es intentar hacer el amor…pues el Amor, ya es!”

Ahhh, bálsamo de almas heridas, los terapeutas del desierto te usaban como medicina y sobre tus pergaminos inmemorables, los profetas anunciaban los tiempos…
 
En tus cuevas, ermitaños con cuerpos de poesía leían a Holderlin a la orilla de un fuego inflamado por el crepúsculo de los dioses…
 
En ti, Beethoven es lo que siempre fue, un sordo bendito… 
En ti, la danza es el idioma de los despiertos… 
En ti, oh kaivalya, mi religión no tiene templos…

The supreme austerity...

I was coming from Haridwar down to Mathura by train... this is a 15 hr trip and I couldn't get any seat, therefore I had to find a space on the floor... and the only space available was very close to the bathroom! ... There is nothing more disgusting than the bathroom of an indian train... believe me!

But what could I do? the other option was to stay in the station for one more day, and for me that was not a possibility, so I went for it ... I spread the other piece of lungi I had on the floor, took my saddlebag as pillow and tried to catch some sleep, which, for many reasons it became an impossible mission.

First of all theres a constant flow of people going out and coming in from the train, and if you dont move they'll just step on you... secondly, some trendy-partying indian boys that stepped on the train a little further started to ask me all sort of foolish questions... like: are you virgin? what do you do for a living? do you like women? etc etc ...they were a bit drunk so I didn't mind them to have some fun with me... And last but not least, the smell of human urine and fecal matter was so penetrating that I couldn't get rid of a nauseous sensation during the whole journey.

I hadn't sleep for hrs... I was all sweaty and dirty... and clearly enough, I was losing my patience... I remembered that my ex always used to say to me that I loose patience very easily when I can't hold a sleep, and just to recognize that it was true made more desperate... 

Finally I reached Mathura... the sun was blazing as usual and I didnt had an idea of where to go... I had a couple of directions from temples, but to be honest I was a bit tired of them...

The words of the song "coconut flakes" by love as laughter were buzzing in my ears, so did moquitoes... the only difference from the song was that I didn't had nothing to get stoned with! but even if I would, the smiley-faced fool motion was not for me... specially not in such conditions. The fact that I was mercilessly smashing the mosquitoes against my skin (which is not one of my common practices) was a clear sign that all ahimsa and tolerance was gone by then... or at least most of it!

It was time to make a stop and observe the thoughts... at least thats what I do whenever I feel like I'm stepping out of my joyous child-like nature and start to behave as a grumpy old man... usually I find an intruder (thought) trying to drown me in a glass of water...creating suffering out of a circumstance... common! is just a circumstance... and as such is bound to pass away... if the mind doesn't label it, is just what it is... acceptance.... acceptance....acceptance. It is good to recollect yourself... develop the ability to rescue the unseen jokes that fills the air with laugh and... keep walking... Otherwise the illusion of suffering can easily possess your mind and suddenly you find yourself again in a self-created hell where you feel theres no way out... in other words; Maya embraces you very dearly.

I took a tuk tuk to Vrindavan for 20 rs (150 colones), and wandered there for a while... The good thing about being in a place where you have never been before is that it allows you more easily to stand in awe and in such a state of presence you are no longer focusing on the inconveniences that are seemingly contained in the circumstances.

Once a while I hear a voice trying to convince me to live the life of a regular tourist in india... after all I have some rupees in my pocket, not much, but india is ridiculously cheap and i could afford to stay in a decent guesthouse, eat "better" food and pay for "better" transportation.... nevertheless there is a stronger voice that knows very well the reason why I don't buy into such a style unless is extremely necessary... And this was a strong determination (adhitthana).

At this point I just wanted to reach a place where I could take a bath, a meal and hold some sleep...for some miles the whole place looked kinda desolated or perhaps I was already hallucinating... I kept walking and behold! a sadhu was waving his hand from a distance inviting me to enter a place, I wasn't in the mood to have any particular interaction but he was very enthusiastic so I followed. Suddenly I found my self in a big camp yard where at least a hundred sadhus and sadhinis were seated forming a line in the ground... I immediately understood that they were waiting for prasad and I was indeed pretty hungry, so I took my bowl out and sat along the line underneath a beautiful cashew tree...  I felt like in a dream, some were only with a kaupinam (loin cloth), the whole body smeared with ashes, mats of dreadlocks on top of their heads and a shiva's trident on their hands, some had monkeys as pets, some were so skinny that I looked fat in comparison, others were all the time reciting a mantra out loud or bowing to the ground and holding a real skull as an eating bowl... I couldn't take a picture bc i thought it was inappropriate but it was perhaps the most surreal scenario I have ever been in my life. 

I thought to myself: "this is getting better" ... suddenly I felt some warm drops falling in my head and bowl... of course, a monkey was peeing on me! ... Some sadhus were laughing while others started to throw stones to the monkey... I couldn't believe it...

Breath in, breath out... have fun... wash your bowl and eat!

To be frank, I felt a bit intimidated and also a little skeptic about the hygienic conditions of the place but I was hungry and in a space like that where you are surrounded by such pirate-like figures (literally) and where wasting food is traditionally seen as adharma you better put away your notions about purity and impurity and... EAT the whole damn thing!!! ... after all is prasad and in some way or the other I chose to be there. I guess :)

I brought to rememberance the following Zen story and it helped me a great deal:

THE MASTER FUGAI WAS CONSIDERED VERY WISE AND GENEROUS, YET
HE WAS MOST SEVERE BOTH WITH HIMSELF AND HIS DISCIPLES.

HE WENT TO THE MOUNTAINS TO SIT IN ZEN. HE LIVED IN A CAVE, AND
WHEN HE WAS HUNGRY HE WENT TO THE VILLAGE FOR SCRAPS.

ONE DAY A MONK CALLED BUNDO, ATTRACTED BY FUGAI'S AUSTERITIES,
CALLED AT THE CAVE AND ASKED TO STAY THE NIGHT.

THE MASTER SEEMED HAPPY TO PUT HIM UP, AND NEXT MORNING
PREPARED RICE GRUEL FOR HIM. NOT HAVING AN EXTRA BOWL HE WENT
OUT AND RETURNED WITH A SKULL HE FOUND LYING NEAR A TOMB. HE
FILLED IT WITH GRUEL AND OF OFFERED IT TO BUNDO.

THE GUEST REFUSED TO TOUCH IT, AND STARED AT FUGAI AS IF HE HAD
GONE MAD.

AT THIS FUGAI BECAME FURIOUS AND DROVE HIM OUT OF THE CAVE
WITH BLOWS. 'FOOL!' HE SHOUTED AFTER HIM.'HOW CAN YOU, WITH
YOUR WORLDLY NOTIONS OF FILTH AND PURITY, THINK YOURSELF A
BUDDHIST?'

SOME MONTHS LATER THE MASTER TETSGYU VISITED HIM AND TOLD HIM
THAT HE THOUGHT IT A GREAT PITY THAT HE HAD FORSAKEN THE
WORLD. FUGAI LAUGHED LOUDLY AND SAID:'OH, IT'S EASY ENOUGH TO
FORSAKE THE WORLD AND BECOME A BONZAI, THE DIFFICULT THING IS
THEN TO BECOME A TRUE BUDDHIST.'


I stood in gratitude for a while, washed my hands and bowl and continued... I usually dont engage in conversations with sadhus mainly for 2 reasons: Most of them dont speak english, and usually after a brief "interaction" they end up asking for money... sad but true.

The good thing about sadhus here is that when you find a real one, he can be so authentic, so humble, so loving, so wisdom-filled that it can be quite difficult to depart from his presence... This was the case with Swami Janardhan Das, a.k.a Chouhaun Baba.

After taking prasad and resting a bit I continued my journey, passed trough the famous ISKCON temple, made my flower offerings to Radha and Krishna and went my way... further on I found one of those water pumps on the road, so i decided to take a bath... It was already getting dark but i had recovered some strength from eating and taking shower , so I was "ok"... Still looking for a place where to spend the night... 

I was sitting silently in front of a fruit stand with bowl in hand, a gentleman looked at me with a shy glance and threw a rupee in the bowl...he didn't spoke English so with hand gestures I managed to let him know that I didn't want money but a banana, somehow he understood so he switched the coin for the fruit... When I was peeling the banana, I saw right in front of me a slim figure with a long beard in a hut at about 50 mtrs distance... I felt a magnetic charm right away but at the same time I had the thought: "Is just one more saddhu" So I held back for a while with the debate in my mind... should I go?... should I stay?. The call was stronger than the mind so I ended up going... approached him in anjali mudra, touched his feet (as it is the tradition when you meet a swami)... He took my hands and said: "It is not necessary my son, guru and disciple are one" ... No doubt this was a real one, and indeed! I don't want to make the story long but he truly embraced me as his son and we spent the most glorious 3 days together... To my surprise he spoke english and sanskrit fluently. He told me that before adopting the life of a sadhu he was an advocate... When I asked him the reason of why he took this way of life, he said: "There is no answer for that" ...  I replied: "That indeed, is the best answer". 

So he let me stay with him, he gave me his string bed and told me that if it was too hot I could sleep outside under the neem tree... He's touching the 80's yet he was so humble. When we first met he said: "I am a poor sadhu, nevertheless you are now my guest and it is my responsibility to provide you with everything", so every morning he used to go to the temple and bring prasad for me and in the afternoons he used to invite me to drink chai and cookies. Whenever I would try to help him with something he would say "no, no, no, please rest and read" ... sometimes he would allow me to bring water with a bucket but apart from that he wouldn't allow me to help him much... 

I remembered the last day with him, I was sitting under the shadow of the neem tree, took a little booklet on Buddhism that I had and opened it randomly... This were the words I found from the Noble One:

"Patient endurance is the supreme austerity."
Dhammapada 184

I closed my eyes in deep gratitude and smiled within... it was the perfect medicine. Needed not to read anything further, I went to pay respect to the elder and say goodbye... he asked me to give him a pen and a piece of paper... This he wrote in hindi, which he later translated into english:

"Jinako kacchu na chakiye ve shahan keshah"

"He who wants nothing from this world is surely a king of kings"

Goosebumps arouse in my skin... I embraced him and depart... he faintly smiled.
Perhaps I wont see him again, and that's ok for me.... yes, that's ok for me.

Ancient Kashi!

Some pics from Varanasi @

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/109047881755511720389/albums/5919001855106225169

peace!

The hand of death...

In the Puranas it is said that when Lord Shiva married Parvati all the gods sighed with relief because this would cause him to end his great tapasya (austerities) up in the Himalayas... When they married, Shiva could no longer stayed in such an ascetic atmosphere along with the goddess, therefore he created a shivaloka (world) which he named Kashi, the shining one!... the abode of Siva and Parvati... Now known as Varanasi.

After being in Mathura and Vrindavan I came for a couple of days to the ancient city of Varanasi... 
The floods couldn't darken the light of the shining one! ... Yes, its famous ghats (stairs) were completely covered by water, but still, there is something in this city... and I mean, its a city! I usually tend to run away from the cities, yet, Varanasi has a particular magic in itself that makes it different... perhaps is only because i'm always drawn to whatever it has a touch of antique... Anyways, it is designed as a labyrinth of narrow stone streets were people still live in the most simple way... beautiful carved wooden door frames adorn the facades of the temple-like houses...there are small shops and dhabas of authentic indian cuisine and chai all around... you pass by and see the women grinding outside their porch or performing aarti puja in the mornings and evenings...  little market-like stands with few colorful veggies on display... friendly, loving, cheerful people...classical indian dance & music schools, gorgeous sunsets and so on , and so on...

Say Lisbon, Paris, Rome, Prague, Florence or Budapest... being before in a couple of them, one can agree, yes! they're awesome... but if there is only one city I could ever visit in my life that would be Varanasi.


One day I was watching a couple of young boys joyfully washing their pants in the bank of the Ganga when I suddenly heard a solemn chant coming from afar... "Ram Nam Satya Hai, Ram Nam Satya Hai, Ram Nam Satya Hai" I look back and I couldn't see anything, yet, the procession-like chant was still flowing in the air, along with an intense incense aroma...The sound suddenly became very loud so I turned my head again and Yes! it was the hand of death... I made some research afterwards and realized that this mantra is commonly chanted while carrying a dead body to the cremation ground... the recitation implies that the body devoid of breath has no value whatsoever... 

6 men were carrying a corpse wrapped in golden cloth and flowers... No weeping, no sorrow... the formal rituals were carried on by the priest and the body was ready to be consumed by flames... Perfect opportunity for insight meditation.


Actually, meditation on death is one of the most common sadhanas, specially in buddhism... Many are the stories of monks sleeping in cemeteries or carrying corpses to the forests just to gain insight from its decomposing process... But also within the Aghoris in India and even in ancient Christianty this is common... It is easy to see paintings of Saint Jerome writing alongside with a skull on his desktop, or if you visit an ancient monastery in Europe you can still read signs in latin such as "Carpe Diem, Memento Mori" (seize the day, remember that you will die)... But why such practice evokes aversion and repulsion within certain mind frames? Is it because of death itself or because deep within, such mind knows that death is always around the corner?. Denial of the inevitable fate of matter is not sufficient to escape from it... actually, who can escape from the hand of (physical) death?

When Ramana's arm was diagnosed with cancer, someone asked, how come the body of a sage can be affected by such modern diseases?

Bhagavan kindly replied:

"The body itself is a disease, let it have its natural end!"

Of course, long before this happened he had reached the point where He was no longer identified with the body...  

As Gangaji wrote:
"How mysterious that the incident of a young boy, sitting alone in a house in South India in 1896, willing to meet death, willing to simply experience that which is most feared, has reverberated around the globe. What arose from that meeting is revealed in the transmission of silence and shining Truth that poured from his presence. Not just his physical presence, for even now, though his physical body is long finished, the transmission of his presence and grace continues to radiate mysteriously, powerfully, throughout the world."

There is an ascetic practice from the time of Lord Buddha called pamsukulikanga where one would take the cloth which has been used as a corpse-wrapping and make this into robes. Such robes will act as constant reminder of death to him who wears them. I wanted to benefit from the circumstances in Varanasi to obtain such a token but since the burning ghats were flooded I could not come closer enough... Nevertheless I still made my way to cross by boat as close as I could to at least see the bodies being embraced by the fire... It is indeed an insightful place. 


"Soon these bodies will also perish and will add to the charnel ground" May beings awake from their frenzy, so that it may no longer be said of them: 'Worn out in vain, the body dies away,' but may their Karma come gradually to rest!" pabbajja

                                                                                             saint jerome

Simplicity (english/spanish)

This "poem" came from somewhere a while ago... I say "poem" bc in reality I dont know anything about poetry in the sense of rules (if there is any) and such and such... yet, somehow i feel its still a poem... Please excuse my translation into english bc it might not be too accurate.

Simplicity (or Poverty -if its not too much of a shocking word)

I see how the multitudes run away to escape from thy presence…

Consumerism has slyly demonized and convert thee in the worst of nightmares. The masses hasten to offer their own lives in sacrifice upon the altar of god Mammon… And all of this for a handful of earthly toys that ignite for seconds petty pleasures.

Tired of such a pathetic scene, I closed my eyes and remembered a time when men gladly enjoyed underneath the austere wing of thy sight…

 Inspired by such vision, I decided to awake to seize my rod and walk upon thy streets of bared feet and empty saddlebags… I embraced thee impetuously confronting with gallantry a world that whines out loud: "Buy me! Buy me!"

Yet, as time went by, a thick bitterness suddenly prostrated in my throath… the courage succumbed, and as a dispossesed rebel, that in the agony of “the letting go” still carries in his back traces of melancholy, I followed the path of my ancient scrolls, till by grace divine I met in them a long maned Nazarite that said to me:

"Worry not thyself, which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" Matthew 6:27

So I followed the divine command… I relaxed, recovered my strenght again and said to the Caesar: "Today, I renounce to be thy slave… take now what is thine!"

Then I covered my soul with the sackcloth of a mendicant and abandoned the common way of the circumspect…   As a child, I allowed Mother Earth to sustain me, and finally I knew what is to hold in the heart, the authentic joy and sarcastic smile of the old Diogenes.

Simplicidad (o Pobreza - si dicha palabra no le es muy chocante)

Triste es ver como hoy el vulgo corre a prisa huyendo de tu presencia…

El consumismo te satanizó solapadamente hasta convertirte en la peor de las pesadillas.

Las masas se apresuran para ofrecer en sacrificio la vida misma sobre el altar del dios Mammón... Y todo por un puñado de juguetes terrenos que inflaman por segundos placeres baladíes.

Cansado ya de la patética escena, cerré los ojos y me acordé de un tiempo en que los hombres se gozaban bajo el ala austera de tu mirada.

Inspirado por aquella visión, decidí entonces despertar para empuñar mi cayado y caminar por tus calles de pies descalzos y alforjas vacías…

Te abracé impetuosamente enfrentándome con valentía a un mundo que gime a gritos: “cómprame!, comprame!”. 

Pero al pasar del tiempo, una amargura espesa se postró de repente en mi garganta… El coraje sucumbió, y cual rebelde desposeído, que en la agonía del soltar aun carga en sus espaldas vestigios de melancolía, seguí  el camino de mis páginas vetustas, hasta que en ellas hallé por gracia a un Nazareno de guedejas largas que me dijo: 

“despreocúpate!quién de vosotros podrá, por mucho que se afane, añadir a su estatura un codo?”

Entonces seguí el mandato divino… me relajé, retomé las fuerzas y dije al Cesar: "Hoy renuncio a ser tu esclavo, toma lo tuyo!"  

Revestí mi alma con sayal de mendigo y abandoné la prosaica senda del circunspecto. Como niño, dejé que la tierra me sustentara,  y supe al fin lo que es sostener en el corazón la felicidad auténtica y la sonrisa sarcástica del viejo Diógenes.

Long live Marchena!

The following is a poem from the Costa Rican poet Julian Marchena (+ 1985).
 It has a lot to do with the topic of this blog, and it is without a doubt one of the most inspiring poems I have read so far... Sorry, theres no english translation.

Vuelo Supremo 

Quiero vivir la vida aventurera
de los errantes pájaros marinos;
no tener, para ir a otra ribera,
la prosaica visión de los caminos.

Poder volar cuando la tarde muera
entre fugaces lampos ambarinos
y oponer a los raudos torbellinos
el ala fuerte y la mirada fiera.

Huir de todo lo que sea humano;
embriagarme de azul...Ser soberano
de dos inmensidades: mar y cielo,
y cuando sienta el corazón cansado
morir sobre un peñón abandonado
con las alas abiertas para el vuelo.

Vrindavan!.... embracing its people, its culture

here some pics from vrindavan...

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/109047881755511720389/albums/5916371961915233937

peace!

I lost my heart in Vrindavan...

Because of the nature of my journey, its quite difficult to keep posting things in the blog... sometimes I lose interest in it, specially for practical reasons... Some say that "personal history is a dead weight" and this surely has a lot of truth in it... Hopefully whatever I post here can serve a higher purpose (somehow)... 

Anyways, I might keep posting few things or perhaps nothing else, depending on the circumstances... The following is a combination of some dispersed random silly stuff along with a couple of lines one might call "useful".

I have to confess that sometimes I feel "fed up" with the superstitious and exotic ambiance that is contained within the whole Indian atmosphere... You will find in every corner Barbie-like statues of all the gods & godesses available in the Hindu pantheon (more than 3000!), all sorts of blind beliefs, rites & rituals... vicious monkeys and fake babas infesting the surroundings... "priests" in the temples spewing cheap talks to get some rupees from you... etc

I know I said that I wont comment on these things, but is inevitable... so here I  go again... In most towns there's a very particular combination of pungent fragrances... cow dung, human urine, incense and gasoline! That, plus the sizzling sun that hits right through your bones can be quite a killer combination, even for the most ascetic characters! unless you were born in such a context (i guess)... I have seen the most crude scenes so far in my life... specially in the train stations... people and animals with all kind of diseases and physical impediments... misery to the max... children pooping and peeing right there in the floor... and then rats having a feast with the leftovers! ...

Then you hear the voice: Everything is contained within the realm of the divine! ...so you humble yourself, enjoy again, and put an end to the chatter... Yet, and specially in a place like this, a keen critic-intuitive mind can save your skin more than once.

Then, out of all that you find once a while a pious woman smilingly grinding corn or  manifesting a true act of worship and devotion... people engaged in beautiful ceremonies or happily dancing and chanting in the temples... the most simple towns with their mud hut buildings, water buffaloes and a gang of children playing barefooted... ancient-culturally rich sites... beautiful landscapes... a silent saddhu ready to stare at you with deep embedded eyes...  and the breeze that soothes your body at night while you sleep at the verandah of a temple listening in the background to prayers, bhajan and kirtan... sometimes all night long!

Its funny to see how some people see you (foreigner) as a an alien...  The other day while visiting a temple a young, extremely beautiful woman approached and asked me, with their unique soft voice, sweet smile, anjali mudra and head movement: Sir, what is your good name? ... once I presented myself she said ... Oh very nice, may I take a picture with you? ... I laughed and posed with her... in the meantime, while her friend was taking the picture, an old vasana showed its face suddenly... I could almost hear a voice in my head saying: "Oh my God, you're so beautiful!" ... Fortunately I didn't act out any of my thoughts... and again the voice: "But wait a moment, to say to a woman that shes beautiful is ok!"  ... yes yes, but... i better shut my mouth on this one.

Thank you sir, thank you... she was gone...

and then, while reflecting on a corner the insight took place in my mind:

Once the mind is free from lust or any other impurity one can enjoy Gods lila and recognize the beauty in the forms without getting caught in it...but is a very thin line...

Oh foolish pilgrim!, what lies beyond the facade of beauty that your eyes are gazing upon?

Two things! , and one cannot be even called "a thing"...

In the realms of the unseen there is the all pervading luminous Self, that which cannot be possessed, that which you already ARE!

In the phenomenal plane... a bag of bones, pus, blood, urine, fecal matter, flesh and organs! decorated externally by a mask which the senses judge as beautiful...

Right on! after such a mercy-filled whipping the only thing to be done was... to keep walking!

If there is a place more suitable for living as a  parivrajaka (spiritual wanderer) then India and perhaps the buddhist countries (myanmar, thailand and lanka) would be in the top list, this for various reasons:

Such a life-style here is not only culturally accepted but also socially embraced, specially if they sense a vibe of authenticity in you, therefore to get biksha is quite easy...

Climatically speaking, is very hot, that allows you to wear almost nothing therefore you can travel with the most basic stuff, and there's always a shade of a tree waiting to provide you with its solace and public water faucets all around to refresh yourself whenever its needed... But still, even in Costa Rica where there's no tradition of renunciation I never lack of anything... everything just came without the need of even asking for it! so i guess is just a matter of faith and trust...

It takes a lot of time to move here from one place to another and it can become quite exhausting... Its been almost a month and i just make it to move from one state (uttarakhand) to another (uttar pradesh)... Im doubting the possibilities to cross to ancient Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) for two reasons... seems that the ferry is closed and a plane ticket will cost too much (at least for my budget) and secondly... Time!... yes, in this material plane were always running out of time.

I stopped for a couple of days at Sadhana Kendra Ashram (www.sadhanakendra.org) which is surrounded by the mystic Himalayan foothills situated on the banks of the holy Yamuna River... its gushing is like a lullaby at nights... Here dwells a well known silent sage named Chandra Swami... I was blessed to receive his Darshan and holy communion... Very powerful experience...
In most ashrams they would say that they don't charge anything (bc that is how it was set traditionally for ashrams) but sometimes they will let you know very clear with their funny indian accent: "We dont charge anything here, but know that we spend on you 400 rupees everyday!"  and then if you don't have money but you are a monk they might allow you to stay only for 2 or 3 nights, unless you want to give yourself wholeheartedly to the cause, and that of course changes the whole panorama...

Before I left this ashram one of its beautiful dwellers provided me a couple of fruit bars, almonds and some rupees for my trip... "Know that you're are on a very good path, remember that when you leave everything for God, He becomes automatically responsible for you... therefore you will always have His protection everywhere you go!" ... The words of this brother provoked comforting shivers throughout  my body and immediately brought to my remembrance the words of Jesus in the book of Mathew:

	"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
	Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
	Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
	And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
	and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
	Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
	Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
	For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
	But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
	Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

To live a simple life, and to renounce to its comforts is what is called the lowest kind of Vairagya... Actually you are renouncing to things which are ultimately bound to become trash (if they are not already), therefore what can you aggrandize yourself for? this is always a good recorderis for our fellow saddhu who sometimes feel a bit fluffed for living with almost anything... Renounce to the thought of renunciation itself (ego) This has always been the teaching of those Mahatmas...That is True Vairagya! and for that, a true vairagi will always aim, even if his/her body lives in a palace of gold.


After 12 hrs of trip by bus and train I reached  yesterday in the morning to the city of Mathura where Sri Krishna was born, and then I took a bus to Vrindavan... very picturesque town, fuuuuuuull of sadhus, wanderers, vaishnavis! and of course, cows, donkeys, camels and monkeys! ... Bhakti flows in the air... stands of flower garlands decorate the streets... Maha-mantra has possessed the place to its fullness... Very fascinating... This town is where Lord Krishna use to play his lilas with the gopis as a young boy... On the 28th Ill be celebrating Krishna Janmasthami (b-day) at the beautiful ISCKON temple... this is the most auspicious day for this city... lots of dancing, chanting, worshiping, and prasad!

This state, Uttar Pradesh is where Gautama the Buddha was Born, here he wandered 45 years teaching the Dhamma round and about...

According to what is commonly believed, 4 signs caused the young prince Siddharta to live the homeless life of a spiritual wanderer... First, the sight of an old man, feeble and withered. Second, a sick man surrounded by a pool of vomit and feces. Third, a stiff cold corpse... Then he saw a holy man, one of those who from time immemorial in India abandoned home, social status and "security" to face the meaning of life...

"This is one who searches for the deathless" said the charioteer to Siddharta..."Look how bright and clear are his features" ... From these sights, Gautama got his cue to go forth, from home to homelessness.

Here a beautiful paradox from a thudong bikkhu:

"A true wanderer wanders purposefully in the dharma-faring in order to put an end to wandering (samsara)"

Jay! ... Sri Krshna Sharanam Mamah !!!

Blessings...

blistered feet, blissful mind...

India is a very intense country... huuuuge, colorful, beautiful, awkward, religious, spiritual... you name it!
It is very easy to get caught in that which the senses perceive... Ones level of apperception must be very keen to pierce the veil of forms and dwell in its essence...

Regarding this matter I have found very useful to stop once a while for 2-3 days either in a secluded forest or in an ashram...

There you find the most appropriate conditions to recollect yourself through silence and meditation....
And through that silence, revelation beyond what has been seen takes place...
Insight ripens... alienation sets in...
There also you can rest your weary feet, give the body its proper care and, perhaps, receive the darshana of the Guru or Sadguru.

And then again, being faithful to your call, you gird your loins with might and set yourself in the wings of the wind!
with nothing else in front of you than total uncertainty and the lack of all foothold...

By then, each heart beat should shout out loud; Come what may!

all is well...

A light on Sannyasa...

Taken from: Sanyassa, an inner pilgrimage, by swami bhoomananda tirtha.

What is sannyasa, does it imply necessarily leaving household and putting on the ascetic robe? In taking such a step, no doubt, there is the pious intention of making one’s seeking wholesome and intense. But what verily matters is the constant attention to purify the mind and sharpen the intelligence. The rarity of ascetic renunciation makes it a very valuable and honorable one, but it should not give rise to any feeling of superiority.

The sastras define many different approaches towards sannyas, for example, bahudaka, kuticaka, purna, vidvat, etc, some live by alms, some are wanderers, some hermits… But those who somehow are given to lokasangraha, (mission of social welfare) cannot be like this, their constant and main focus will be on the development of the society and the ashram itself, not only the phenomenal plane but also in the noumenal. These are those who make outreach possible.

Sannyasins live and move with atma-trupti (inner contentment), atmotsaha (inner fervour) and atma-nirbandha (inner compulsion). Though are fully contented inwardly, they nevertheless have a loving concern for the society around. Their societal efforts are solely to ensure the welfare and cohesion of the society and never for their own delight. This often generates some timely inner compulsions, which result in their taking up loka sangraha programmes. Spiritual contentment and irresistible societal concern go together!

Therefore a sannyasin is, in reality not to be judged at all, especially on the basis of external factors, like how he lives, what is his ashram like, etc. A sannyasin who is given to the pursuit of brahmavidya will naturally be immersed in contemplative and introspectional levels of discipline and refinement. External, seemingly rigorous standards do not apply to such a one. To evaluate him/her on the basis of external insignia would be wrong, a disrespect to spirituality itself. Rather than being given to poverty or riches he will be given to the refinement and insight of being unaffected by and equal towards both.

“I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” Philippians 4:12 (st. Paul)

Shankaracarya in his Bhaja Govindam has spoken critically about those who are given only to the external garb and some allied practice and not know where to lay emphasis, they mostly remain rigid and biased, missing the transcendental dimension and the resultant blissfulness.

“The self cannot be realized by carelessness or by improper austeriries” Mundakopanisad 3.2.4

Whatever austere steps the sannyasin feels like adopting in the light of what he had cultivated earlier, he should adopt now. This will also depend upon how he looks at austerity and which level of austerity is helpful to fulfill his purpose. Even the most austere sannyasin may not attain spiritual fulfillment. On the other hand, one who is not outwardly austere may derive fulfillment easily. Therefore, to seek the Truth and attain fulfillment in the pursuit must be the sole aim of sannyasa. If such pursuit will be helped when he has some facilities where he lives, I will say, let those facilities be there. As long as he remains attentive, everything will be alright.

Once his commitment is wholesome, I think, he should be left to himself. Let him stay in a place or wander for a while, let him live with another or with none, if he wants to live on biksha (alms-donations) may it be so!. Actually biksha for a sannyasin is prescribed in our sastras. 

To embrace sannyasa is to live in constant dispossession; therefore the biksha attitude is fundamental as well as wholesome for a sannyasin. When a sannyasin has thus renounced everything, whatever apparently he seems to posess, including “his” Ashram is the outcome of biksha.

“For such a renunciate, the entire world is but a bounteous biksha form his Creator”

                                                              Swami Bhoomananda tirtha