Why I went to India
They say you can’t visit India without being changed by the experience. I have to agree. Within a few moments of landing I was clicking my heels and thinking, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home. Unlike in The Wizard of Oz I wasn’t transported home. You have to go through the adventure first before that trick works.
As my driver wove through traffic beeping the car horn furiously I sat transfixed. Even though I was in one of the smaller regional cities, I could clearly see what Indian society was about. The first thing I noticed is that unlike in the West where people are usually moving around on their own, in India people seem to move in packs, or at least in couples. Even if it’s just standing by the roadside, or in front of a shop, people are huddled in groups of 3-4. Wherever you look, people are occupying space, doing something or other.
We drove past a college, the kids were walking together and chatting as they made their way home. They all seemed to be so happy and smiling. As we got further out of the centre of town towards the rural areas I started to see a very different aspect. Rubbish literally everywhere. Small piles of it burning on the side of the road. People walking around looking like they hadn’t had a proper meal in weeks and hadn’t bathed in months. Tiny shacks that housed families. Poverty, real poverty. The likes of which I’ve never seen before.
Many looked like they’d never known any sense of security their whole lives. It was heart breaking. India has a population of 1.4 billion people. How many are living like this, without access to the basics like clean air, clean water, food and shelter?
After an hour and half of ducking and weaving around motorbikes, buses, goats and donkeys, the taxi pulled up at the ashram where I’d be spending the week. Inside was a different world. A kind of idealised or perfected version of rural India. Clean, organised and with carts pulled by gigantic bulls with black horns to go from one part of the ashram to the other.
I spent the first four days staying in a hotel style room, in pretty much my usual routine, writing, reading and walking around the place. Though my mobile phone had no coverage, so that was out. And meals were only 2 per day, vegetarian, together with about 500 other people sitting on the floor in a huge hall and with no cutlery. True Indian style.
It was quite moving to sit with that many people and eat actually. The food was delicious and I didn’t find myself missing meat too much. Although by the end of the week I did feel like my muscles were starting to atrophy a little. The long term residents of the ashram were all pretty skinny. And it was very clear to me that a huge percentage of the population at large has metabolic/diabetes issues. A vegetarian diet is clearly important for those on the spiritual path, but it is very easy to get wrong and before you know it you’re constantly snacking on low quality sugar loaded snacks.
After this introduction it was time for the course. The course covered various yoga and meditation practices. To be frank, it was probably the most challenging four days of my life, especially physically, but also mentally and emotionally. I had to dig deep to get through. You wouldn’t think sitting still would be difficult, it’s certainly not for animals, you’ve probably noticed that if you have a cat or dog. But for us it’s very difficult! Mostly because we have so much on our minds, and what is on our minds is reflected in our bodies. So one thing that I learnt is if you can settle the body down, it also settles the mind.
A quote they mentioned to us from the Baghvad Gita struck me, that what in the beginning is sweet will turn sour, and what is sour will turn sweet. I realised that by seeking comfort and pleasure, we actually destroy rather than enhance the quality of our lives. But by taking on challenges, by training our bodies and our minds, which is hard in the short term, we enhance our lives. It’s a simple but profound lesson, because we are so conditioned to pursue pleasure, comfort and relaxation. These things can be enjoyed, but they are not an end in themselves.
That is part of the reason I’m going home. Moving to Thailand was about pursuing sweetness, and I think that’s why it turned sour for me here eventually.
Finally I realised an extension of a principle I already knew, that thoughts and emotions are just like clouds passing overhead. Sometimes those clouds might make a shape that you don’t particularly enjoy. But do you have to keep starring at it? Just let it roll on by like clouds do. You don’t have to stay upset for the whole day just because a particular cloud came by in the shape of a bear. If your objective is to enjoy your day and to be happy, then you’ll let it go. Part of that is realising that your thoughts and emotions aren’t all that important. They come and go. You aren’t your thoughts and emotions. You can watch them, instead of being immersed in them.
Just like your body has its aches and pains, so does your mind. The difference is we don’t have an existential crisis every time our knee hurts, but we seem to think something is wrong every time we get frustrated or sad. The body heals itself if you give it the right conditions and so does the mind. So while it’s a little sore in the moment, try not to get too bothered about it, and see that it’s temporary.
The broad term for spiritual practise in India is Sadhana, it means a tool, by which you can progress on the spiritual path. In the east that takes the form of yoga and meditation, which are speficially designed with this purpose in mind. An incredible amount of effort has gone into the crafting of these tools, over thousands of years.
There are however alternatives. I think many things can be Sadhana if done in the right spirit. Going on a pilgrimage like the Camino de Santiago is an example. It might even be something like fixing up your house, taking up surfing or training for a marathon. It’s a question of your intent, are you just doing exercise, or are you moving towards your true nature by overcoming the limitations of your ego?
So I went to India for that reason, because I needed a reset and as an antidote to the comfort and ease that I had inadvertently sought in Thailand. And now I am clicking my heals and going home.
If you ever feel yourself in a rut then, look not to a luxury resort in Bali or Hawaii, but to a challenge that will push you far outside your comfort zone. That’s how you live fully.