14 - Dharamsala

We set off, Alami, Michael, Mikhail and myself, from L.A. on a venture wrapped in a certain measure of unpredictability. One thing was sure, though. Michael had awakened one bright day in Santa Fe with a compulsive call to study the 'dharma'. This did not surprise us as we had a dream of him before he was born in which he appeared as a lama; also, my grand uncle, Theos Bernard, who wrote the book, The Penthouse of the Gods, was one of the first Americans to become a lama and was believed by some to be the reincarnation of Padma Sambhava. Not that this means that Michael will become a lama. Maybe the future reserves new ways of teaching - having one's roots in a tradition and going beyond. However, I can see that the Tibetan exodus from Lhasa did open up the world to a teaching that definitely has a message to give in our times, as Yoga and Vedanta did a century ago with Swami Vivekananda and which tallies nicely with Sufism, which we will note as we continue.

Stopping over in Hawaii's luxuriance for an hour on Alami's birthday certainly contrasted with the atmosphere in Japan a few hours later. Tokyo was an impressive beehive of diligence, strife, tidiness, organization. Some faces on the train did convey that ultimate human value which is dignity and self respect. Tokyo was, of course, the obvious place to get a travelling printer for my computer which has served well in communicating this message to you. One could hardly believe the massive stocking of hi-fi and computers in the electronic supermarket. Stacks and stacks of them!

The evening lecture, well attended and beautifully translated, was the very epitome of rapt attention and silent reserve. Then for Korea, sleeping on a heated floor with mats and quilts in a traditional Korean Inn, in a space somewhat like a cubicle with the light filtering through wooden and paper sliding doors. We were too exhausted to see much of the town but the colorful roofs, turned up at their edges, looked quaint in the snow-fall.

A few hours later, landing in the tropical moist heat of Bangkok and charmed by the gracious manner of the Thai folk was rather soothing before the cultural shock of India, however mitigated by Katmandu. What a joy, Katmandu! Here was Tibet right at hand without the communist regime. Bodnath in the morning sun: the serenity of the Tibetan monks, and even of the ordinary folks - the colorful traditional clothes! One was removed in time and space into the twelfth century, strongly rooted, untarnished by materialistic egotism but without its comforts and hygiene.

There in Katmandu I had occasion to converse with Rimpoches, heads of their monasteries. I was impressed with their clarity. high degree of evolution, humor and dignity. Of course, the topic was a parallel between Buddhism and, let us say, classical Sufism. I used to consider Buddhism and Sufism as complementary. rather than contradictory. However, I must say, the more we spoke, the more the differences seemed to fizzle out. We were excited to discover how much we had in common and how well we understood each other. It became clear that by awakening, they do mean what Murshid calls the awakening in life, or at least the Ariadnian thread is maintained, connecting this focus with the 'beyond the beyond.'

Well, admittedly, there is a difference of accent since Buddhism is the way of desireouslessness which is basically non-involvement which precludes achievement. That is why one of the Rimpoches said: "Awakening  is easiest in a cave, more difficult as a monk and most difficult as a householder. Murshid demonstrated that it can be done as a householder, and in the course of the pursuit of achievement. One needs, albeit, to be clearly on the lookout for the way in which the objective pursued tends to draw

What would be the meditations which might foster awakening in the pursuit of achievement? The first step is pulling oneself together and being highly aware in the "here and now", confronting oneself as to one's real intentions in life as seen from one's personal vantage point. The next step would be envisioning a purpose behind the whole enfoldment of phenomena in the universe. The third step would consist in seeing how the "everywhere and always" is trying to work itself out ln the "here and now." And the fourth step would be to grasp one's motivations in the act of self-transcendence, that is, viewing oneself beyond the personal vantage point - while extrapolating this perspective with the personal one.

Replenished with the impressions of our encounter with these "awakened beings", we climbed the hills in sublime mountain scenery to the cave of Padma Sambhava where Michael received the blessing of Padma Sambhava's perceptible presence,

From Raymond we flew to Delhi. And Delhi, as most Westerners know, can be quite a hassle, what with being pushed, flabbergasted by the reckless driving, a harrowing experience one might conservatively estimate as a near miss a minute! One soon learns not to be fooled by the lies of some and becomes rather saddened by the lack of self respect and the lack of respect for others by some, not to mention the incursions in one's privacy. We know, however, that this outer aspect conceals great treasures of wisdom, art, music and architecture. India is, as many know, a paradox. The pushing may be seen as a symptom of the competitiveness that arises out of overpopulation: first come, first served, otherwise, one will be left out in the cold.

The contrast between their rhythm of driving and the western rhythm could be accounted for by the nimbleness of the Indian mind which favors reflex reaction rather than concerted thought, aptly illustrated in their tabla playing. Here, I am speaking of the masses of people of course, since India has produced countless creative and great minds. However, I do feel it is rather inconsiderate to others to drive 80 recklessly. As for some of those lies, I suppose it is the result of centuries of oppression, injustice, poverty, underfeeding, and the resultant subservience. After being rocked to sleep all night long on an ex-British colonial night train, then taking a - three hour taxi ride northeast into the foothills of the Himalayas, we finally arrived in Dharamsala - or rather McLeod Ganj, greeted by the inevitable ice and rain storm.

Imagine a quaint little Tibetan village, two little main streets lined with derelict houses and shops with rudimentary wares and religious artifacts, a temple and market square, nestled in snow-capped mountains inhabited by bears, leopards and hawks. A fifteen minute walk to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama's palace, closely guarded by Indian security, and surrounded by hundreds of monks in their maroon and burgundy colored gowns! The meeting with the Dalai Lama was beyond description. He recognized Michael from the "past", asked him if he remembered him, treated him with honor as a kindred soul, and said there are lots of lamas, but Michael will bring something new. He conferred upon him a specially decorated white silk scarf and took him under his wings. We will be meeting up with the Dalai Lama again at Bodh Gaya (the site of the tree under which Buddha attained illumination) in a few days. And I am looking forward to meditating under the tree opposite the tree of illumination.

Now, at last for Bodh Gaya, an enchanted site centered upon the monumental stupa built to mark the actual place of illumination and, as a matter of fact, a place favorable to illumination right to this day. It is the live center of Buddhism on the planet, studded by temples of various Buddhist orders: Tibetan, Japanese, Burmese, Thai, Ceylonese, etc. Owing to the visit of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the place was seething with Tibetans and Indian beggars. The extent of the misery of these people is Appalling, heartbreaking: the lepers who prefer to share in some of the excitement of the street life, and the destitute mothers with children. the by-products of our ruthless, cruel society! Of what use 100 chapatis when 5,000 would just prove to be a sinecure! One would like to stop everything and help, but all one's help on an individual basis could only prove to be like a drop in an ocean, possibly even perpetrating suffering. The problem is staggering, disheartening.

The Dalai lama led masterly morning sessions, touching into the soul of the thousands listening with rapt attention, every now and again interspersed with mantras, smiling, even laughing all the while. From my view, he was so obviously playing the right game, giving people what they need, fulfilling his role. He is the magnet holding them together as a nation ln exile. But behind that magnificent display, there is some sound invaluable, esoteric knowledge. We visited him once more in private audience. What he said gave just that extra boost to my meditation under the tree opposite the Bodhi tree. He said, 'Sunyata' (the void) does not only apply to the objective world, but also to the subject. It really means realizing oneself as the 'essence' of all things" -   precisely Murshid's words and it works! I was just back in time for the Urs celebration at the Dargah of Murshid.

The precincts have now been beautifully built and nicely upkept, and there is an air of serenity about the place. The being of Murshid was 80 apparent as we paid our homage to the great master whose human rests are enshrined in the implacable stone to bear testimony through the ages! After the traditional ceremonial of the procession of the new shroud, followed by the players of the mullas of the Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, and the inevitable Qawwal (chanting). We listened to two outstanding singers, one being our friend, Pandit Pranath, the other, Sayiduddin Daggar, a very fine performance of the Dhrupad style of singing developed at the courts of the Mogul kings, rare to find amongst the present decadence of Indian music.

Murshid sought to rehabilitate Indian classical music in 1905! It is intended as the language of a spiritual message beyond what could ever be conveyed with words. "You will tune your western mureeds with the music of the soul", said Murshid's Murshid, Abu Hashim Madani, on his deathbed, sending Murshid to the West to spread the Message of unity is needed in our time.
