Tibetan Yogi's and Ugyen's Goodbye

Today I went back to see my brother Ugyen for the last time..He will be leaving to go to Bhutan for a few years... maybe more... to work in a small developing monastery..He just graduated with his graduate degree yesterday in Tibetan language and teaching...I am so proud of him...He invited me for the day to celebrate with him before he leave to Bhutan..So I jumped on a bus and headed out to Kushnalagar bus station and than take a rikshaw to Bylakuppe so see my brother..By the way the bus ride is 60R and the rikshaw is 30R..That's under two american bucks for a 2 hour ride..so awesome..

I arrived and right away Ugyen greated me with a huge smile and hug...than we went off to the dorms so he could show me his degree...He can speak 5 languages..Bhutanese, Tibetan, Hindi, Kanada, and English..all fluently..so smart..He will began his PHD over the next few years while teaching at his monastery in Bhutan..He will travel once a year to do exams in Bylakuppe..He was number 4 in a class of 668 monks..So smart..

I took him to lunch in camp one and we had noodles and Pepsi..They are great together..Not together like mixed...I mean the perfect drink with the perfect food...We than went to the park and walked around for awhile..There is a park named Deer Park in Kushnalagar where the Tibetans go to do laundry and swim..It is so nice..There are deer at the park and you can feed them cucumbers and scratch their heads...It is perfect..



The sad thing is the local Muslims will beat up the monks and take their cell phones and steal their money..Ugyen was telling me of some stories where there have been monks found dead in the river that have been beaten and robbed...It was so sad to hear this...The monks will travel in pairs now and you very rarely see them alone walking on the street..I pray for his safety always and all the monks safety there in Bylakuppe...The Tibetans are kind and loving people...I am so humbled by their giving souls..


Ugyen and I went to the monastery and walked through the prayer wheels and he showed me how to pray while turning the wheels...you go clock wise and every time you turn a wheel and pray it releases your prayer and the prayers before yours...It is so beautiful..There are 1080 prayer wheels and it takes about an hour to walk through and turn them all...The view along the path is so beautiful and the time is almost not even time..It just stops..


We went back to the dorm and talked a little before I had to go..One of his brother monks who studies Tibetan Yoga came in to visit me...His name is Kelzang..We actually moved all of the beds out of the way and practiced sun salutations for about an hour...He did a great job but kept holding his breath...In Tibetan Yoga they hold their breath...In Ashtanga yoga it is about the breath and the flow...There was a little difference...I told him of my teacher Johnna at home in NC..I will take her to meet him next year...I think we will have a good yoga practice the group of us...Johnna..If you can get this guy to breath...I owe you dinner..hahaha...We had the best time..It was so perfect..


Ugyen and I walked a while and than he took me to the bus station in Kushalnagar...I said my good bye and he hugged me and smilled and we parted..He asked me to come spend a month or two in Bhutan next year...I said yes...I can't wait...I want to see where my brother comes from and his family and parents and the lives he is changing..


We have talked everday on the phone since he left...Everytime I  feel I miss him he calls me..It is so funny..If I think about my brother Ugyen...He calls in the next second..He is now home in Bhutan with his family for a few days before he leaves to his new monastery..I am grateful for his safe journey...


Peace and love my brother..

Tashi Delek...

My Brother Ugyen

I have been going to the Tibetan Exile in Bylakuppe over the last 11 weeks to find peace and have a break from Gokulam..I met a monk by the name of Ugyen the week I arrived in Mysore..We began emailing each other and talking on the phone and it turned out he lived a bit of each year in the Tibetan Exile in Bylakuppe..We arranged a meeting..right away we were like brothers..I have never had a connection like this with anyone in my entire life...It is so odd and so normal at the same time..


I arrived at the Golden Temple and called my monk Ugyen..He came down and right away i knew who he was..I had never seen a picture of him and there are thousands of monks at Bylakuppe..I see a stocky looking monk walking in the courtyard and I just walked up to him and said Hi.. I am Jonathan...There were several white tourists and he was walking in my direction as well..He said... I know... I was walking directly towards you..We are brothers you and I...and he just smiled..He put his arm around me and walked me back to the temple where we sat and talked for hours..


Ugyen is from Bhutan and always knew he would be a monk from the time he was very little..He has 10 brothers and sisters...It is so funny because we are so much a like..He loves to eat and comes from a big family and loves animals and most of his family are farmers and his mom is great at gardening and cooking...He asked me how my mom was doing one day and I asked what do you mean..He said he knew she was sick for a very long time and she is doing better now...I just dropped my mouth open because I had never mentioned this to him..He said in deep meditation you are very connected to your brothers and sisters and family..because we are brothers we are always together in the mind..another thing... when I think about calling him... my phone will ring and it will be him...This happens all the time..We are truly brothers in every way..


The first night I was there... him and the other monks who live with him made me dinner..They wouldn't let me do a thing..As soon as I walked in they had orange soda chilled for us to drink..His room mates were making rice and stir frying veggies and making authentic Bhutanese food...We had mushrooms and hot peppers and curried veggies...It was the best food I have had yet in India..They were all laughing at me when I took the first bite because they heard white people couldn't handle spice and they thought I was going to make a funny face..but than they looked at one another puzzled...Than one of the other monks asked if I was really white because I kept eating the hot peppers...Ugyen said no... and they all laughed..I felt so at home for the first time in so long..It was so perfect..


Later that night my brother Ugyen went with me to the bus station and made sure I got on the right bus..He was so worried about me getting home safely...I told him not to worry..He hugged me and smiled really big and asked me to come back in a few days...When I walked into my apartment back in Mysore I took out my phone to call him and the phone began to ring before I could get it out of my pocket...It was Ugyen...He said he was calling me to make sure I was home safely..I said yes and he wished me peace and a good night..


I am so fortunate...I have gained so much love from this trip..I already had so much love in my life..I can't imagine having more... but I do...I am so grateful..


Good night from Mysore

"Where There is Love... there is Life"...Ghandi

The other day I needed a break from the bustle of Gokulam so I walked down to the slums just to look around..It was not a plan I just started walking and ended up in the slums surrounded with a bunch of kids and elderly..The people were so inviting and beautiful..There houses were made of straw and mud and had thatched roofs of palm...I was with few friends and the three of us were in heaven...There was a young girl named Latta who was turning 15 in a few days and she invited us into her house and showed us around..It was pretty much a room the size of a large Western bathroom with a dirt floor and a bed and a little burner for cooking..There was a double sized bed where six of them slept and they invited us to sit on their bed and offered us tea and milk..Here they are poor when it comes to material possesions but rich in love and kindness..They have little but offer us so much...We were invited back to see the family in a few days to visit again on the little girl Latta's Birthday..

So a few days later we walked back to the slums with candy and pastries and cricket bats for the kids..We also picked up a few coconut pasteries for Latta and her family because of the special day..We were greeted with warm embraces and smiles and laughter..The kids went crazy when we brought out our cameras and jumped up and down with joy when we asked to take their picture..They just kept yelling photo..photo..photo..When you show them their photo they get so happy and smile really big..The people here are the beggers you see on the street and the men you see working to take away the garbage from the houses..I would have to guess they are of the low untouchable class..in reality the treat us better than some of the higher classes here in Gokulam..When I see these beautiful people I think of when Ghandi said.."If I am fortunate enough to come back and live another life on this earth...let me be of the lowest class of workers..These humble people... are the heart of India"...Ghandi was so right..These people are the heart of India..They didn't judge us..they didn't ask for anything..they just invited us into their humble home and offered us stories of their past and lovely food...They showed me a new side of humanity..This is unconditional love.  Ghandi also said once.."Where there is love...there is life"...Here in the small slums of Mysore there is love..and there is life..
 

 
Om Shanti Shanti

The Cockroach

You know one of the rules of being a yogi is non-harming other creatures of God..Ahimsa.. whether it be through something you say or something you do to cause harm to others..It makes you really think about what you say and the actions you do that involve not only people but animals and bugs as well...There are some guide lines I believe..Mosquito's carry disease so I think it is ok to repel them in any way possible...I think it is ok to kill a mosquito because if you don't it will feed on you and in doing so can cause you potential harm and the potential harm of other creatures and humans..moths or beatles..not so much..Birds and cows and dogs and even fish I think you should not harm....Please just bare with me here I'm going somewhere...You see I'm a little confused about one of Gods creatures on the chain of life..I'm not talking about politicians either..I said God's creatures..hahaha..I'm talking about the cockroach...It is harmless enough...It does carry disease but it doesn't bite (if it does don't tell me either way) and most of the time here in India there will only be one or maybe two that you see crawling in a corner or coming up through a drain pipe..I think the uneasy feeling you get from the Indian cockroach is that they are usually as big as a small bird..In fact to mention it I think they fly as well...So what do you do abou these creatures.


I was in led practice yesterday and I ended up in the bathroom because it is less crowded and it's like your very own little studio in there..You can still hear Sharath and he walks in every so often and gives you a little grin..I was surrounded with great energy from my fellow yogi's Tom and Andrew and David (from NC) and a strangely Baron Baptiste look alike...so it was a perfect place to be...I got through the point in my series where I stop and continued to watch the beautiful people around me practice until closing..I am so lucky here because Tom and Andrew are all the way through primary and it is a gift to see them practice the postures that are after the point where I stop..Not to mention David has a breath like music..it is so full of intense devotion and rythem..So beautiful..As we began back bends I began my finishing sequence and my giddiness continued...than... right before Utpluthi...I saw it...It was huge... It was black... It was at least 4 inches long ...It was very confident in a creepy way...It was the cockroach..at this point there was no drishti..no focus except for trying not to scream like a little school girl in a building with 150 people deep in breath and the most famous Yoga teacher in the world on the other side of the wall just 10 feet away from me..all I could do was breathe...I wanted to grab the fan cord next to me and smack the life out of the cocky(pun intended) guy..but I just sat there with my eyes on the enormous fellow and breathed...and he kept crawling right toward me..and than.. Shavasana...I'm mean seriously...come the fuck on...so I closed my eyes but on the inside I was freaking out...than it happened...I opened my eyes and Shavasana was over...I shot up and looked around and there was no cockroach anywhere in sight..I looked to the left and to the right and I saw nothing..It was gone...I did see a pile of clothes on the floor just above my head and guessed it had found a home in there but you know that's not my journey...hahaha...I got up rolled up my mat and walked out of the shala...When I got home I told Susie about my little adventure...She was also unsure about the sentence of whether we should exterminate a cockroach or not...So I have decided...as long as it is in another persons space I will respect the creepy fellow...but if it is in my space...It has to leave...maybe I won't kill it but I will remove it with gloves, a paper cup, a face mask, and if I can talk someone into it... their hands... I will attempt(loose words here) to stray from violence towards the creepy roach..but you know...I'm not being honest here..I'm probably going to bash his head in with a flipflop or spray the little fucker with some bug spray...If I start to lose sleep over this I'll figure something else out...

Nite nite..

Indian Hospitality

This week has been a long week here in Mysore..I have seen so much this week that I can only say my love for India is more intense than ever..I know I am constantly writing about how the Indian people are so beautiful but they really are and I am surprised everyday with the love they show me and one another..I was riding the bus this week into Mysore City to get out of Gokulum for the day..It was 97 degrees and I ended up on one of the older buses which is great because it shows you how we take so much for granted like cars and transportation with AC...The busses get packed tightly and you end up hanging out of the door of the bus holding on to the door rail so you won't fall out..This bus was very crowded but not to the point where you had to hang out a window or an open door..I was standing closer to the middle when the bus stopped and a young mother got on..There is no where to sit so she has to stand with her young child pressed against her chest...the next thing I know she hands her baby to a woman sitting down and pushes her way a bit further through the bus to make room for other people..The lady she handed her baby to holds him close and smiles very gently as she rocks the child back and forth...About ten minutes later the mother pushes her way back to the front of the bus and the lady holding her child hands back her little baby..The grateful mother nods and smiles at the lady who was sitting down holding her chlid and than gets off the bus..It was so beautiful..A mother can trust another human so much she will hand off her child to a complete stranger on a public bus to hold while she travels to her destination..I think this shows how magnificant and loving the Indian people are..I think to myself that this country is magical but in reality.... this country is just more evolved in many ways compared to other places in the world..


This week is also a bit sad because I am seeing some of the people I consider family now leaving and going back home..The shala is becoming more crowded and the faces are becoming more and more unfamiliar..I know I should practice detachment but it is hard because in reality I will never see some of these people again..It is bitter sweet because even though these people are gone in the physical reality I have many great memories that I will keep with me forever..I also know many of these beautiful people will be with me in my heart everytime I put my mat down and practice..I am beginning to understand the idea of connection in the spiritual way but there is the emotional attachment to the faces and voices that you get used to hearing and seeing on a daily basis..These people become your family when you need a safe place to go or just need to laugh out loud or sit and have coffee..It is a sad yet happy and beautiful thing..You know some people you have known before from another time..some people you have known for many life times...and some people you have never met and never will again..These people become your family...these people become part of your heart and part of your being...It is a lovely and special thing.
 

In saddness there is always a bit of happiness and in happiness there is always a bit of saddness..I will remember the joy in my heart when I think of the young lady on the bus on the way to Mysore City or the beautiful people I now consider my family I have met here in Gokulam..We are all family and we are all love...We are all one another in each other...and in one another we are love.

Om Shanti Shanti

Holi Festival..Festival of Color

Today was the Holi Festival..Festival of Color...It is the time of year that summer is here and love is in the air..Love of family and friends and community..There is music and parades of people on the street singing and dancing and running around sharing the love among everyone..There is an array of different colored powders (gula) that people will paint you with and fill water balloons with and throw on cows and people as they pass by..It is a celebration of oneness..there is symbolism in the colors meaning that we are all of love and peace no matter what color we are..It is a beautiful festival full of meaning and consolidarity.

We went into town today to eat Thali at the Hotel RRR...There were loads of locals painted in colors of purple and blue and orange and red and pink..It was such a beautiful sight..you could see groups of men colored in beautiful gula... hugging and walking arm in arm while laughing and playing on the street..There were all ages from young to elderly all colored and smiling..I walked into Bombay Tiffany Bakery to buy bread and the elderly man behind the counter was covered in purple..He asked me as I was leaving if he could paint my face and I said yes..he reached back behind the counter and pulled out some purple powder and placed his thumb print on my forehead and cheeks and smiled..It was beautiful..As we walked across the street I saw a group of about 5 college aged men walking towards me covered in hot pink, orange, and purple..I made eye contact and they smiled really big..A few seconds later I felt a huge embrace around me and I was surrounded..The oldest looking one had come over and given me a huge hug and embraced my face in his hands and before I knew it I was covered in purple..Vonya jumped out of the circle to miss the paint..They were so loving and happy..The treated me like family..It was beautiful..he gently caressed my face with his hands and painted my cheeks and face..than he rubbed paint on my hands and arms..They were all so happy and loving..than they hugged me again and wished me well..It was beautiful...As this was going on another gentleman was painting Susie up and down very loving and carefully..I looked over at her and we just smiled..This is what God is about...This love..this beautiful selfless love..I thought to myself..these are my brothers..these are my family..I love these people..I can't explain it..I just felt like at that moment the Indian people were letting me know I was part of their family...They were part of my family...This is my home...Susie and I have been gloating all day..The color on the bodies of the Indian people is just a fraction of the color that is in their hearts..All day we walked around and when people passed they would just look at us and smile really big..I know in their hearts and in my heart we were both thinking..Hello brother..sister..mother..father...you are loved..My heart opened up today and I feel the whole world jumped right in.


Tonight I went to get a chai at the coconut stand and a local elderly man just started talking to me..We sat and talked and just enjoyed the night air..It was another simple conversation in Mysore as the stars above twinkled in the night sky..There is so much going on all over the world but I'm safe here in Mysore..talking to a man under a tree having chai..I am so blessed and it is great..I have my family here and my family in America so no matter where I am I feel whole..Even in my feelings of home sickness I have a brother..father..sister..mother..to talk to here in beautiful Mysore...I am home here and I am home in America..I am home in my heart..I am at home in the heart of the Indian people..I am home.


Om Shanti Shanti

Children are God

Today I woke up at 3:20am for led practice and ended up going right back to bed..I was so tired and sore I couldn't function..My head was so heavy and to put it lightly I was just plain worn out..so I went back to bed and slept until 8:30am..When I woke up I was still kind of sleepy but my stomach was so hungry I needed to go get some breakfast..I now have an explanation..Yesterday I skipped my eggs in the morning..I think with my body type I cannot skip my protein source and function in this heat and while doing this much physical yoga..So this morning at breakfast I had 3 eggs and multigrain toast..I went home and rested the entire day until lecture at 4pm.


Today was the first lecture in two weeks due to moon days and other engagements so I was really looking forward to it..Sharath my teacher talked about yoga and the 8 limbs..He talked about how there is only one yoga..He said it was sad to see people in the west who put their name in front of a flow that contains some or part of the Ashtanga sequence and it is considered yoga..He said there is only one yoga and one yoga system and it is a science that works with the mind and the body..He also said that we have to practice the yamas and niyamas...Ahimsa..Satya...Sharath says to practice other yoga that is not true yoga is not satya and it is harmful for the body and there for is himsa not ahimsa..He said to always be truthful..There are a lot of people he says who come here and they want to be a teacher..There are a lot of people who come here and the already consider themselves teachers..You can not decide you want to be a teacher and become one in just a short amount of time...you cannot become a teacher until you are a student for a very very long time..If you say you are a teacher before you are ready to become a teacher you are not following th rule of Satya (truthfulness)..I loved this..I feel like it is fitting because all I hear around here is...Yea, I'm a yoga teacher...I can show you this..I can show you that..No one ever says.. I'm a student..I am happy to be a student and look forward to being one my whole life..When I am no longer a student than I don't want to live..


Sharath said there is a group of people who used to study under Pattabhi Jois and use that as a credential to teach yoga..In the yoga community his name is very big..One day Pattabhi Jois was on tour and there was a guy who came up to him not knowing who he was and told him he was a yoga teacher..Pattabhi Jois asked him who his teacher was..The man said... Pattabhi Jois is my teacher..Guruji asked this man..Have you ever seen this Pattabhi Jois fellow...and the man said..Well..Of course I have he is my teacher...Pattabhi Jois leaned forward and said to the man..Sir..I am Pattabhi Jois..The man appologized very quickly and went on to tell him he had to make money for his family and that is the reason behind the lie... But this is not satya and even though this man says he teaches yoga it is not yoga that this man teaches..


About this time Sharath's daughter walked into the shala and seemed upset..She just started yelling towards him..He asked her to come over to him on the stage..She was dressed in a yellow and silver costume and had just finished a dance performance at her school..She didn't see him in the crowd at the school so she was upset..He was there but he was not in the front..He asked her to perform for us..She started dancing and singing on the stage in the shala.. No shyness at all..It was so funny..We all hooted and clapped..Than she left..He went on to say in India it is against the law to find out what the sex of the child is before they are born..Children are considered God in India because they have no prejudice and they are so innocent..The child is considered innocent and of God until they reach early teens..I find this interesting..If you think about a child and the way a child acts it is so true..When a child doesn't get his or her way they will throw a tantrum or cry..a child will laugh and cry and scream and yell when he or she feels what he or she feels...As adults we are taught to stuff the emotions back down inside of us and than pay a therapist $125 an hour to bring it back up again..I think even though the childs way of dealing with the emotion is a bit annoying it is more logical..You see about 10 minutes later the child is ok and the previous issue is not and issue anymore..In an adult it is on their mind for hours or days or years..I think this is a very important lesson to learn about letting go of the shit that runs our life..It reminds me of Yoga chitti vritti narodha.. I think I might start throwing more tantrums..hahaha


I ran into Adam and Lissy on their way out of town..It is sad to see them go but I'm happy they have each other and the time we spent together..They are true love in a pure and unconditional way..I will miss them but have a part of them forever..They are very bright light so I know I will see them always if I look hard enough. To them I always wish them peace, love, and freedom.


Today was a good day in Mysore like always..I walked to Loyal World tonight and picked up a coke..On the way home I ended up giving the coke to a kid on the street..I figure it will mean more to the little girl than it will to me..I walked by my little dog friend that reminds me of my childhood dog  Dusty and than came home..Life is good and I'm happy in Mysore..


Om Shanti Shanti