more questions............

From Kathleen in response to my last email/posting:


So, you are not finding time to meditate nor to do yoga, and you eat out each day.  So, it is difficult to imagine exactly what you do on typical days.   Is your TA position all day?

And, now I am wondering what you are wearing---all white?  Flowing?

My response:

Always with the challenging questions!!  I want to say something first about eating out each day......when I use words like the Western Cafe or Canteen or the Indian Canteen, you can't use any Western conception of the words.  Especially for the Indian Canteen.  Because there are no cooking, microwave or refrigeration options in the flats here, there is no other choice except to eat out for each meal.  I brought a few crackers, dry cereal, canned juices, boxed milks, nuts, and dry fruit from NYC but it's hardly anything you can make any real meal out of.  Also, the ashram is feeding thousands of people at breakfast, lunch, and dinner so you are standing in lines that are trying to move people through as quickly as possible.  It's not like you sit at your own private table and someone comes to take your order and then you leisurely eat your meal, call for your check, pay and leave.  The reality is you are moving through a "buffet" table set up with huge pots or trays of whatever is being served for that meal, then vying for a place to sit in a not so large communal area, warding off flies and crows from your food, and mosquitoes from any bare skin revealed.  Additionally, most people have someplace else to be so the turnover is pretty quick of getting your meal and eating it.  Then you wash  your own eating ware and turn it in for reusing by the next people down the line.  At the Indian canteen, even though food is delicious, you can't EVEN begin to think about the hygiene of the place as I doubt it would pass muster with any State Health Department. You are just glad that everything they serve is grilled, boiled, fried, or baked such that any germs in the food have been annihilated.  The few times fresh food is served, we just take a handful of probiotic supplements and hope for the best.  So, all that is to say, I don't spend a lot of time in "eating out" despite the fact that there are really good cooks here in the Ashram. Actually it's not as bad as I have painted it just now, but it's not that far from the truth either.  We have had some nice conversations with people over some of our meals and there are some communal tables and benches that are outside of the sheltered eating area. 

Bob and I were looking down at the ashram grounds from the outdoor landing of the elevator on the 5th floor where our flat is and I was saying to him that it reminded me a lot of a small town we stayed in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula, Valladolid.  The grounds are all sandy clay dirt with open spaces between the various buildings and structures where people can gather to sit on benches and chairs or on the circular retaining walls around the trees that are sprinkled around the ashram. It really reminds me a lot of rural Mexico only with Hindu deities everywhere instead of Christ and the Virgin Mary. 

Some days I flow in white, thought not a sari, way too much fabric involved for that. I like to wear the oversized gauzy white cotton tops and skirts or billowing pants that are very standard wear here and then I have my long flowing white scarf. Other days I go "Western" --- clothes that are comfortable, modest, but certainly wouldn't stand out if worn in the states. Just depends on my mood!

And yes, I should meditate more.... I do at least close to 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the morning of meditation and chanting and then another couple of hours in the evening of some devotional practice like listening to Amma sing bhajans or to a talk by either Amma or one of her advanced swamis, or just sit and watch her give darshan to the thousands of people who come to see her. 

Most days I spend several hours at the University doing TA work and also on the internet answering emails and keeping up with what is going on in the outside world (a vice that is very hard for me to break). Then there is just the daily task of taking care of laundry, cleaning the flat, making various purchases for day to day things (the shops here are only open for window of about 2 hours twice a day (and not at the same time), so you have to hit them at the right time).  The time just goes...........Tuesdays are a big day with Amma during the day, she gives a talk and serves everyone lunch. I finally was able to spend an hour meditating at one of the very special places I wanted to make sure I got to. It was a really special meditation. 

I've just started to do 30 to 40 minutes of stretching each day in preparation for the upcoming yoga class. Doubt that will be enough but at least it is something.

So Kathleen, you busted me!  I am not terribly disciplined in general but have gotten considerably more so since being here--it's all relative..... and I am just a neophyte with lots of growing to do for sure!!!

BTW, the orphanage visit was AWESOME-- a major highlight of my time here.  I will write more about that in a separate email/posting.