Friday November 20

Why, am I not creative in these India titles!? Give me a break, was at school for five hours, starting after 6 pm for the football game and it was coooold! I literlly felt my fingers freezing cell by cell, but hey I lived! AND we had amazing show tonight, you should have heard the crowed! Anyway here is more India!

This picture was actually taken about three months later, in Vrindaven.

Friday November 20, 2009 5:42 am

    Last night we had a campfire session with Swamiji by the Linga pool. (a large pool/pond where a 21 foot Shiva Linga made from 1008 healing herbs is placed on a solid mercury base) As I am younger by bout seven years then everyone else people where asking me to do stuff for them. For example there is one guy (he is very nice and I am quite fond of him.) Named Saina who talked me into asking the bramacharyas to turn on more lively music. then we where sitting in a semi-circle and Swamiji was at the head of us. The woman next to me wanted me to ask Swamiji to tell stories. OK at darshan last night I asked Swamiji if I could publish my journal from last time I came. (To India that is, in 2008).  He said to go ahead and publish, but then at the campfire he called out my name and asked me to send it to Gopika (The woman that pretty much takes care of his needs.)  I was so ecstatic the whole evening, he called out my name! 

    Last night he told us many wonderful things and suggested that in the morning we take a bath in the Linga pool. My mom did this morning, but at the last minute I chickened out. I went to the Banyan tree and temple instead. Oh yesterday we had this meditation session under the Banyan tree that was in one part very nice, but everyone was trying to sit on the mats they had put out for us and it was so squishy! I think I spent more time begging Swamiji (in my mind), the banyan tree, Dakshina, Anandaswara (the god in the temple), anyone. To release us of the pain [I was sitting cross legged smashed between four grown adults.] finally I thought "OK I am just going to have to deal with it" and then Swamiji says into the mic, "Relax, open your eyes." 

9:02 am 

    Us LBE participants are sitting in the Ananda Sabah (which by the way roughly translates to blissful hall) waiting for Swamiji. I spent most of the breakfast period listening to the problems of a nine year old gurukul child. (Gurukul is the school for children who permanently live in the ashram, also a boarding school, I went there the summer of 2008) OK so I have been in India one week exactly and have been in the program for five days. I still have 85 days to go. We have a sort of group joke with Swamiji, the first day he kept saying "In the 50 days I spend with you guys" so now we keep saying "Swamiji the sign said 50 plus days." and now he always says "In the fifty one days I spend with you guys..." or if he is feeling silly "In the 50.5 days I spend with..."

11:57 am

    We just did an intense meditation for two hours straight focusing on upanishads. (Sitting with the master.) I don't know how well I did. I think I fell asleep for most of it. At least I did not get the feeling Swamiji said we would of expanding. Now we are gathering and getting ready for the next session. 

12:07 pm

    Ok I wrote this poem, at some point yesterday and I will copy it down here. 

~The banyan tree, the banyan tree, this divine plant will forever bless me. Beneath the leaves that make a roof my annoying mind can simply go poof. I look first to the sacred cane's mouth (I have now idea...) and then the enlightened Dakshinamorthi, who will forever face south. My forhead comes in contact with a banyan branch and I decide I always want to be there; not in my house or my old boring ranch. Then I turn to go, but I have no sorrow, the banyan's blessings are with me and I no longer feel very low.~

3:02 pm

    OK so that was poem. Had a nice lunch, gotta go. Afternoon yoga session.

4:50 pm

    Just had our afternoon tea. In my case a cup of hot cow's milk [from the cows right here in the ashram] mixed with sugar, and eaten with biscuits. In American English essentially cookies, but not as sweet as American cookies.