Experiencing the NOW
Day 23 (Day 10 of Wonder-Bike Adventure) – 12th May 2018
We wake up early, as usual, for the last leg of our Royal
Enfield adventure. Today we will arrive back in Bangalore, after a little over
200 km on the road.
I get ready to cover up my bare skin for protection against
the sun’s intense rays, my leg burn is by now looking pretty awful, but not
infected and I fully trust my body can take care of it. Given time, space and
loving respect all wounds heal.
Love whispers: Patience is one of the most precious treasures
of Love.
This reminds me of the days back at the WEF Conference in
New Delhi, when I had a huge scab on the side of my nose, from a heat blister
that ensued from our monument visit under the scorching sun in Khajuraho.
Though I was very exposed to the public, with several talks booked and even
Plenary sessions, it didn’t bother me at all and I remember one conversation I
had with my friends Sindu and Lynn when I was playfully, but seriously also,
sharing with them that I had asked my blister scab what it needed in order to
heal properly and that the answer I had felt was “Love”, all it needed was to
be Loved, which for me meant being totally accepted, embraced and allowed the
time to heal. And though many people kept on telling me I would be left with a
mark on my nose, there is no such thing there now, and the same will happen, in
its own right time, with this burn on my leg.
Pedro wants to stop over at another place Atul highly recommended:
Shravanabelagola Jain Temple. It is just a small detour of about 20 km from the
main road so we go there.
Travelling on the road in India is an absolutely out of the
ordinary experience for us. There are motorbikes with five people perched on
them, other motorbikes that carry a load that not even some cars would seem to
manage, regular cars with over 10 people inside, buses with no doors and people
hanging on the steps and sitting on the roof, small children sitting in the front
seat of cars with no seatbelts on, bikes, tucs and even cars driving on the
highway on the wrong side of the road, all types of vehicles overtaking
regardless of whichever vehicles are coming from the other side, many people
travelling on motorbikes with no helmets, many not stopping at red traffic
lights… an incredible maze of free spirited driving that is mind-boggling to
any European, but that we enjoy, on the other hand, for the sense of freedom
this no rules system offers and for the privilege of experiencing this amazing
organic flow that dribbles comprehension.
It is mid-morning when we arrive at Shravanabelagola Temple
– perched high up on a rocky incline, with more stairs than I can count. There
seems to be some sort of celebration up there but there are no cars or other
vehicles where we stop. I decide not to go up. It is already unbearably hot and
damp so I choose to sit in the shade and wait for Pedro.
A group of three young men come down the stairs with a few
big milk barrels and place them at the gate and then head towards me saying I
cannot be in that place. They offer to take our bike out of the parking space,
which at first I feel a bit weary of but then allow and trust. Apparently we
stopped at a non-parking space.
As I sit on the doorstep of a closed shop, I enjoy watching
local life going on, the women’s colourful saris, the calm demeanour of
passers-by, the beauty of simple chores executed with a permanent air of
acceptance. There is this special feeling in India, this special notion that
All is Well, a wise and ancient innocence that transcends common understanding.
Something that runs deeper than our notion of ourselves.
I become aware of some sort of celebration going on up at
the Temple.
When Pedro finally comes down, he tells me there was a
religious ceremony going on up there – possibly blessing elections day. The milk
was poured over the head of a huge masculine figure called the Gommateshwara Bahubali statue, which
is considered to be the world’s largest monolithic statue and this happens to
be one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Jainism, a sacred place of
worship.
After Pedro comes down, we go to the centre of town and that's where all of the action is and where we should have parked in the first place. There are many people around, mostly wearing yellow
and orange attire, and the girls all have flowers, mainly jasmin, in their
hair. Everyone is joyfully celebrating this occasion and it is a pleasure to
see the leisurly hustle and bustle of this holy place.
Once again Atul was spot on with his recommendation. We
cannot thank him enough.
We decide to move on.
The heat keeps on increasing but somehow the fact that our
destination is going back to Bangalore, back home here, makes it more bearable.
Travelling with no plans is a constant practice of NOW, especially
when the going gets tougher. It becomes totally irrelevant to dwell on what has
gone by or what is to come. It is a constant exploration of our Present moment,
no matter how we might be feeling in it. Focussing on each NOW removes the
weariness of a long journey, the temporary discomforts and any sort of longing
for what’s next as well as any need to dwell on judgemental considerations.
Each moment becomes a precious gift in itself, to be savoured fully, no matter
what it contains – each experience unique, adding to the whole magnificent opportunity
of being HERE.
Round about lunchtime we stop at a restaurant on the side of
the highway which is pretty full. It has no air-conditioning, though it is
slightly cooler than outside. It only has one dish, which we gladly accept to
be our meal today. We stay there for over an hour, somehow expecting the heat
to make its way out of our day… but eventually we decide to gather our wits together
and hop on the bike again.
We will find another quieter place to outsmart the
heat.
We stop some kilometres further on, by some closed stores, with
chickens running about and an idiosyncratic Coca-Cola painting on the wall. Alas, a bit of shade.
We observe the coming and going on the highway. There is an
intersection right in front of us so we are amused to see all sorts of
vehicles, including a cow driven cart, cross over the highway lanes to the
other side.
Sooner or later we decide to go that way too and try this interesting
manouvre of crossing the highway.
The place we arrive at is a small village, where everyone is
heading to the voting ballots and otherwise celebrating elections day.
There is a group of men sitting outside a large house and the
host comes and offers us food, inviting us to join their celebration. We thank his
kindness but decline because we have just had lunch.
We move on, looking for a quieter place to rest in the
shade.
We choose a large and beautiful tree, which has a large boulder
underneath. Just the right spot to sit. Ahhhh, it feels good!
Passers-by stare and stare at us, but we figure it’s just
because we are foreigners. One of them finally has the guts to come over to us
and tell us we are sitting on a sacred place – a small temple.
Apparently I
have my foot resting on a sacred stone and I immediately remove it, apologising.
I stand up to go and see the stone and interestingly enough it represents the union of feminine and masculine. Trust our Essences to guide
us to choose exactly this spot to sit for a rest! We feel very blessed, amused
and reverent of this place.
Karma determines that all actions, present and past have an
effect. When our present actions dissolve past pain (of whatever nature), the
effect is Love and thus Dharma - the Flow of Insess. By choosing our actions
wisely, we necessarily choose the effect - therefore our Reality. In this
moment I am sure that this has been a sweet gift offered by our well nurtured
reality.
It is around 3.30 pm when we decide it’s time for our last kilometres.
Arriving in Bangalore does not mean we are at our
destination yet. The city is huge!
We still stop to check the map and gather our breath for the
very final bit.
We enjoy watching a young man weaving straw stools. Nearby
there is a work in progress: someone is in the process of making cane blinds and ladders.
Had never realised these were handmade!
A heap of rubbish right beside these interesting
observations reminds us that India is a land of extreme contrasts, a land that
is either loved or hated with equal intensity. I cannot but love it.
We arrive at Anu and Krishna’s neighbourhood at around 4.30
pm and decide to go for some tea at the Music Museum before “bothering” them.
When I call Anu she invites us to come along. They are
having a celebration with the whole building. This year they had been intently
motivating each other to vote and all are now celebrating the fact that most
did go ahead and make their choice at the polls. We are received with much joy,
safe and sound and with our belly filled with laughing gratitude.
Anu and Krishna show us their finger painted with black ink, which is the system used here to avoid people from voting twice. Interesting and surely foolproof system.
We have a lot to share and also need to rest and after a short while they take us up to their welcoming home.
It is so good to have a loving home to come back to, even
when we are thousands of miles from home... though we are always at home within us. Thank you deeply for your loving care
dear Anu and Krishna. Love you!
💙💚💛💜
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