Hi everyone! We’re still here in Rishiksh, where we’ve grown quite comfortable. This place is fairly out of the way, enough so that it’s pretty relaxed and uncrowded, which is great. And there’s yoga everywhere, which is even better 
Does God Exist?
I had written an epic post two days ago entitled “Does God Exist”. But, upon further reflection, decided not to publish it. It turned out to be too much of a condemnation of Christianity, which was not the original intent. The bottom line is that, throughout my search for “truth” in our existence (what can be called spirituality), I’ve found that I am attracted to the notion of God as a unifying force, or universal truth, that is revealed to the seeker through the active devotion to self-knowledge through meditation. God (I prefer the term Truth) is all around us, we must simply fine-tune our internal awareness through the practice of meditation to see it. Religions involving an omnipresent external being, that are faith-based rather than experiental, have never appealed to me. I’m really happy to have found an alternative to agnosticism. And a life partner who shares the same viewpoint
OK, enough of the weighty topics. On to some fun!
Potpourri
Some funny things that happen on a daily basis here:
-
Sunday night, about 9pm, we’re walking home from dinner. Out of the ashram gate rolls a ridiculous looking contraption. As we get closer, we realize it’s a gigantic speaker system on wheels, complete with 6 brass horns and 2 massive subwoofers. And it’s 15 feet tall. And it’s accompanied by a 10 piece band. We wait to see what will happen (this place rarely dissapoints with no result). Sure enough, they cranked it up, and we nearly lost an eardrum. Yes, random bands on a Sunday night, loud enough to wake the dead. But not loud enough to wake the Sadhus sleeping 10 feet away. That’s India.
-
Poop. Nothing is so prevalant in India as poop. It’s everywhere. Cows, dogs, sheep, humans, all seem to produce an inordinate amount of solid waste here. Just the other day, Mira stepped in a nice little pile on a walk, while wearing sandals. It was all over her foot. Unfazed, she simply said “it’ll dry”, and continued walking onward. That’s India.
-
The monkeys are pretty hilarious, at least once you understand their game. They are constantly lurking, ready to jump the unsuspecting pedestrian. Many times, we’ve seen a monkey jump from a roof to quickly snatch a bag of food from a stunned passer-by. Never carry an exposed food bag! Many places employ a monkey-chasing dog to ensure the safety of their building. The more advanced locales also employ a man equipped with a slingshot, which seems the most effective monkey-control device. At the end of the day, though, the monkey usually gets its chappati.
-
The range of products and services on offer to the white man is staggering. At the sight of my pale skin, armies of vendors mobilize. “Ganesh?”, “Post Card?”, “Tea?”, “Elephant Ride?”, “Internet”?, “Taxi?”, and on and on and on. It’s pretty funny to watch the wave of sleepy faces suddenly awaken to the potential jackpot that I represent.
That’s all for today. Thanks for reading!
