A long month, in the best way
in India, land of contradictions
where the holy and the material
the sacred and the filthy
the worshipped and the untouchables
are all neighbours
Absurd traffic
ubiquitous cow dung
black staring eyes
a hundred angry languages
hungry, barefoot children tugging at your sleeve
shopkeepers unabashedly ripping off the white folks
Fast, green rivers
stoic, wise mountains
wide smiles, greetings for all
namaste!
jule!
tashi delek!
Along the path, I've encountered
swamis wrapped in orange
south Indian self-proclaimed masters of meditation
old Indian women who spit loudly and talk openly at a silent retreat
new friends from Holland, Spain, Germany, America
travel mates from Israel, Australia, Canada
an old lover from Texas
Tibetan monks
Tibetan laypeople
Hindus, Muslims, Christians, atheists
and true yogis
The enlightenment is subtle
no great awakening
but many small pearls of wisdom
Travel does that to you,
no matter where you go
broadens the mind
narrows the focus
right down to the present moment
the exotic or the mundane
the foreign or familiar
happiness is right here.
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