I woke the next morning fairly early to start my day. Immediately after leaving port, I was picked up by a kind and friendly police officer who dropped me off at a museum. I was really interested in finding food, but thanked him none the less and waited for him to drive off before searching for a rickshaw. I soon found one and hired him for the day at 100 rupees. The exchange rate is ~50 to 1. I spent roughly two dollars to be driven around the entire day. The man took me to eat, where I did buy him lunch for his services.
Afterwards he took me to four shops, which I didn’t want to go to. I knew he was getting a kickback from the shops, it turned out in the form of clothing, but I didn’t mind the brief detour in my day. I certainly wasn’t going to buy anything. Afterwards he took me to the market where I did buy some stuff. I bought a shirt and three cashmere scarves. The cashmere scarves were twenty dollars each, an incredible price. The markets were very interesting, and of course everyone wanted to sell me everything, nothing quite like being a walking dollar sign, but at this point I’m used to it. Besides that India is unquestionably the most inexpensive place I have visited thus far. If the rickshaw doesn’t exemplify that I don’t know what will.
I spent the rest of the day similarly walking about and shopping. Walking around India is an experience. The people, the smell, the filth, everything. It is unquestionably the most crowded place I have ever been, almost a billion people in a relatively small space – compared to the United States at least. The poverty is extreme and beggars abound, but you learn to ignore them quickly. The experience is very different. You learn quickly to accept and go with whatever the circumstances bring. Leave a minimum of an extra hour for anything you plan on doing or anywhere you need to be.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Birth of Religion (AoL part 2)
I have had a few requests to expand on the idea of the birth of a religion I briefly mentioned when describing the AoL course. In many ways, I can see how in one hundred or two hundred years the man who started the AoL program could become deified, and a religion will be born from a program designed to assist and help fulfill the average life.
The person who led our program had a very interesting way in describing the man, whom I gather she had met several times. If you asked her directly she wold undoubtedly say she did not worship him, or believe him to be anything other than a particularly kind and generous human being. The reason I said she seemed to worship him earlier is the manner in which she described him. It struck me as incredibly similar to biblical descriptions of Jesus, or historical descriptions of Buddha. Buddha obviously wasn't deified directly, but the connection between being a spiritual separate from most humans remains. On a personal level she was emotionally deifying/worshiping/separating him from the rest of humanity, a small leap from doing so logically.
Aside from the personal anecdotal evidence provided by the AoL instructor, we also watched a few movies about the man who started the program, and his travels across the world. He had traveled across the world spreading his ideas and methods. In many of the countries thousands of people would come to hear him speak. Crowds literally swarmed him, throwing flowers and leaves at him, calling his name, and begging to be close to him. The attitudes of the various crowds stuck me as going beyond the usual pomp and accord appointed to most religious leaders, be it the Pope or the Dali Lama.
Of course this is all conjecture, and most likely I'm reading into something far beyond what I should be, but I found it interesting none the less.
The person who led our program had a very interesting way in describing the man, whom I gather she had met several times. If you asked her directly she wold undoubtedly say she did not worship him, or believe him to be anything other than a particularly kind and generous human being. The reason I said she seemed to worship him earlier is the manner in which she described him. It struck me as incredibly similar to biblical descriptions of Jesus, or historical descriptions of Buddha. Buddha obviously wasn't deified directly, but the connection between being a spiritual separate from most humans remains. On a personal level she was emotionally deifying/worshiping/separating him from the rest of humanity, a small leap from doing so logically.
Aside from the personal anecdotal evidence provided by the AoL instructor, we also watched a few movies about the man who started the program, and his travels across the world. He had traveled across the world spreading his ideas and methods. In many of the countries thousands of people would come to hear him speak. Crowds literally swarmed him, throwing flowers and leaves at him, calling his name, and begging to be close to him. The attitudes of the various crowds stuck me as going beyond the usual pomp and accord appointed to most religious leaders, be it the Pope or the Dali Lama.
Of course this is all conjecture, and most likely I'm reading into something far beyond what I should be, but I found it interesting none the less.
The Art of Living
My first day in India was immediately absorbed by the Art of Living program, as would the following two days. In the program manual, the AoL is described as a three day meditation, breathing, and yoga retreat at Dakshina Chitra, a fairly apt description. The first day was spent touring various different temples in and around the Chennai area. The first temple we stopped at was still in use. Cows roamed around the interior, granting veracity to the old adage of holy cow. Inside we briefly observed the priest perform a ritual; afterwards he gave me a coconut. In truth of fact the caste system is still partially in effect; only men from the Brahmin caste can become priests. Our guide explained all of this to us as we were led around the temple compound. We would visit two more ancient temples over the course of the day.
Later we arrived at Dakshina Chitra, a compound much like Colonial Williamsburg in miniature. It is a tourist area designed to preserve the way of life that existed in Southern India prior to Western influence. They preserve the old way of life through culture, architecture, and multiple displays explaining and showcasing the rapidly deteriorating old ways. After a brief tour of the complex we began the AoL course. Our instructor was a young woman approximately 30 years old, my best guess at least, who had been trained in the AoL. The AoL is a worldwide program, process, border line religion. Our group would take the three day course, and learn the program.
Our first session was very basic. We played some games and did some trust exercises before we started our first breathing and meditation exercises. For those of you that have taken yoga or other breathing exercises in the past, this will strike you as familiar. We learned a new method of breathing through our core which is supposed to fully open the three orbs in our lungs. I won’t profess to understand exactly what this means, but it was more difficult than I anticipated. It also seemed to have the desired effect.
That night we ate our first vegetarian meal of the program. We would only be eating vegetarian for the next few days. It was served in the classic Tamil (the state we were in) manner, on a banana leaf. A variety of different foods, which I won’t even attempt to name, let alone describe, were placed around the banana. We were then instructed to eat with our hands. It was delicious. Undoubtedly, some of the best food I have eaten in my life. Afterwards, an early bed at approximately nine at night.
The next day we woke up early to what I will loosely define as yoga. It was nothing like the programs we are used to in the US. The work out was much more relaxed and less physical, I only call it exercise because that is what our instructor called it. We went through the various warrior stances and a few other basic poses before concluding. At that point we continued with our breathing and meditation.
I now know how to get high off of breathing. When I say high, I mean to literally hallucinate by breathing in a specific manner. I remember at one point looking down at my hands (though my eyes were closed) and marveling at the large red ants that were crawling all over them. It wasn’t scary or bad, just interesting. I also lost all sense of time and place; I was completely oblivious to the fact that I was in India during this breathing session. The process starts the same as the one we learned yesterday. After that we close our eyes and breathe deeply and slowly, more rapidly, and finally at an intense pace for a certain number of cycles and rhythms. My overly analytical mind has decided that it affects the levels of oxygen and CO2 in the brain. At any rate it was a very intense and interesting experience, and ultimately good.
That afternoon we learned more about the program. The AoL was started by a guru several years ago. Many thousands of people have gone through the program and learned its methods and ways. To be honest, aside from the breathing and meditation, the program strikes me as extremely Chicken Soup for the Soulesque. Our instructor is filled with messages of give 100%, love your neighbor, the world loves you, and everything will be alright. I don’t necessarily disagree with the message, but it struck me as over simplified. I shall remain a skeptic. The other aspect of the AoL that struck me was its progression into a religion or a cult. I genuinely believe that our instructor worshiped the guru who started the program. She certainly idolized him and consistently spoke of him as many people speak of other religious leaders, Jesus, Allah, God. It was a brief glimpse in the birth of a religion and the deification of a man. The food continued to be delicious.
The third and final day was spent refining our breathing and meditation practices from the previous day. I have nothing particularly new to add. We came back to the ship at 9 that night. Dakshina Chitra was extremely sheltered from the reality of India, and as such I was excited to see the India that awaited me the next day.
Later we arrived at Dakshina Chitra, a compound much like Colonial Williamsburg in miniature. It is a tourist area designed to preserve the way of life that existed in Southern India prior to Western influence. They preserve the old way of life through culture, architecture, and multiple displays explaining and showcasing the rapidly deteriorating old ways. After a brief tour of the complex we began the AoL course. Our instructor was a young woman approximately 30 years old, my best guess at least, who had been trained in the AoL. The AoL is a worldwide program, process, border line religion. Our group would take the three day course, and learn the program.
Our first session was very basic. We played some games and did some trust exercises before we started our first breathing and meditation exercises. For those of you that have taken yoga or other breathing exercises in the past, this will strike you as familiar. We learned a new method of breathing through our core which is supposed to fully open the three orbs in our lungs. I won’t profess to understand exactly what this means, but it was more difficult than I anticipated. It also seemed to have the desired effect.
That night we ate our first vegetarian meal of the program. We would only be eating vegetarian for the next few days. It was served in the classic Tamil (the state we were in) manner, on a banana leaf. A variety of different foods, which I won’t even attempt to name, let alone describe, were placed around the banana. We were then instructed to eat with our hands. It was delicious. Undoubtedly, some of the best food I have eaten in my life. Afterwards, an early bed at approximately nine at night.
The next day we woke up early to what I will loosely define as yoga. It was nothing like the programs we are used to in the US. The work out was much more relaxed and less physical, I only call it exercise because that is what our instructor called it. We went through the various warrior stances and a few other basic poses before concluding. At that point we continued with our breathing and meditation.
I now know how to get high off of breathing. When I say high, I mean to literally hallucinate by breathing in a specific manner. I remember at one point looking down at my hands (though my eyes were closed) and marveling at the large red ants that were crawling all over them. It wasn’t scary or bad, just interesting. I also lost all sense of time and place; I was completely oblivious to the fact that I was in India during this breathing session. The process starts the same as the one we learned yesterday. After that we close our eyes and breathe deeply and slowly, more rapidly, and finally at an intense pace for a certain number of cycles and rhythms. My overly analytical mind has decided that it affects the levels of oxygen and CO2 in the brain. At any rate it was a very intense and interesting experience, and ultimately good.
That afternoon we learned more about the program. The AoL was started by a guru several years ago. Many thousands of people have gone through the program and learned its methods and ways. To be honest, aside from the breathing and meditation, the program strikes me as extremely Chicken Soup for the Soulesque. Our instructor is filled with messages of give 100%, love your neighbor, the world loves you, and everything will be alright. I don’t necessarily disagree with the message, but it struck me as over simplified. I shall remain a skeptic. The other aspect of the AoL that struck me was its progression into a religion or a cult. I genuinely believe that our instructor worshiped the guru who started the program. She certainly idolized him and consistently spoke of him as many people speak of other religious leaders, Jesus, Allah, God. It was a brief glimpse in the birth of a religion and the deification of a man. The food continued to be delicious.
The third and final day was spent refining our breathing and meditation practices from the previous day. I have nothing particularly new to add. We came back to the ship at 9 that night. Dakshina Chitra was extremely sheltered from the reality of India, and as such I was excited to see the India that awaited me the next day.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Vietnam + Pictures + India
Hey Everyone,
I hope to be uploading pictures from the past few ports soon. I also promise to upload about India tomorrow. I have much to tell. As of right now, I'm sitting in a bar in Vietnam, enjoying a beer. I have also bought Vietnam for the price of $50.00. Yes, it is that cheap.
More uploads soon.
I hope to be uploading pictures from the past few ports soon. I also promise to upload about India tomorrow. I have much to tell. As of right now, I'm sitting in a bar in Vietnam, enjoying a beer. I have also bought Vietnam for the price of $50.00. Yes, it is that cheap.
More uploads soon.
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