Thanksgiving

By the Ganges, Rishikesh

I have now been in India for three months. There are only a few days more to go before I return home. Already, try as I do not to think about that, my thoughts are tending to that future and the business of gathering up the details of my usual life. It seems appropriate, then, to take stock of what I have lived over the last three months and, in particular, to note those things for which I am most especially thankful.

I organized this trip roughly around the idea of staying in several different intentional spiritual communities, of different styles and inspirations. What might I learn from them, good or bad?

Jama Masjid, Delhi

Delhi traffic

Presidential Palace, New Delhi

If that sounds a little too earnest, I did include close to two weeks of straightforward sight-seeing.  I’ve been fortunate to visit India twice before, but my travel was always restricted to the south of the country. I am thankful for having made the tour of the “golden triangle”: Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. I’m glad to have done so. The taste of that huge sprawling wonder that is Delhi/New Delhi impressed me more than I’d anticipated. Between some of its very real beauties and its crazy, sprawling disorder, I got the sense of a vibrant city that is becoming increasingly proud of its capacities and willing to act on them.

Jaipur Street Scene

Like my ride?

Jaipur Palace Detail

 Jaipur stands out for its breathtaking Moghul history. And what a treat to get a ride on an elephant. My sympathies though lie with the people who are paid to “stoop and scoop.”

Misty morning at the Taj

Agra Fort

 Of the Taj Mahal, well, others have said it far better than I ever could. I like Tagore’s description: “a teardrop on the cheek of eternity.” The Agra fort is also a fine example of Moghul architecture. Apart from that, Agra holds few other charms. (pics) Staying one night in the Ananda Villa Hotel, possibly the dreariest hotel I have stayed in anywhere, ever, didn’t help. There was certainly no ananda (bliss) and the structure could hardly be described as a villa. I took it as a kind of mortification as it happened to be Ash Wednesday the day I was there. 

 I cannot omit Kerala (of which more below, as well). It was a joy to return to that lush, verdant state, truly “God’s own country.” The beauty and hospitality of Varkala are memorable. This town is perched on a dramatic cliff at the bottom of which a white sand beach extends to the Arabian Sea. It’s a great place for a beach holiday where you can combine yoga, shopping, and eating seamlessly. 

Kerala fishermen

Varkala Beach

Now, a list of those things from the spiritual communities for which I am thankful.

Auroville Guest House

Oblate Novices

Fr Joseph o.m.i.

Temple Priest, Kanchipuram (could I try this look at St. Matthew's, Ottawa?)

Out for dinner in Kollum

Along the Ganges in Rishikesh

Main studio, Anand Prakash

Garden at Anand Prakash

1. Auroville. I didn’t know a great deal about Sri Aurobindo and still less about the Mother, but their inspiration has given rise to something remarkable. While I don’t think the Mother was right about a new sort of humanity coming into existence through some inevitable process of spiritual evolution, what people have built there is nonetheless a real achievement. To create a working community out of the voluntary efforts of people from myriad different nations, to be able to maintain that community despite linguistic and cultural differences that remain, and to continue to aspire to a more than ordinary level of conscious communication and decision making is a hopeful thing in this world. Thank you to the Aurovillians.
2. Aanmodaya Ashram. Here the missionary charism of St. Eugene de Mazenod is being lived by his followers not in the sense of trying to convert anyone, but by a daring willingness to enter as fully as possible into the spiritual experience and commitment of others in order to find a deeper unity than differences would otherwise allow. Fr. Joseph’s deep knowledge and understanding of India’s spiritual heritage in particular has been inspiring and encouraging. For the beautiful worship, the spirit of prayer, and the astonishingly spicy food : thank you!
3. Kanchipuram. Aanmodaya sits in the “city of a thousand temples.” I didn’t get to more than a handful of them, but the ones I visited are stunning examples of Tamil temple architecture. They are an important part of humanity’s heritage of artistic and spiritual aspiration.
4. Kollum. I didn’t stay nearly long enough in this lovely little city in Kerala. The highlight was to be able to visit a former student, Fr. Robinson Melkis, who is now dean of studies at the Bodhi Institute of Theology, a Capuchin house of formation. Here I was welcomed into the ongoing life of that community. I am particularly grateful to have seen their gracious balance between a life of prayer and deep engagement with the people of the community around them.



Morning Prayer at Aanmodaya Ashram

5. Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram. My final destination, one that I chose because I wanted to experience a community organized around a yogic way of life. I’ve rhapsodized in other blogs about the setting – Rishikesh, on the banks of the Ganges in the foothills of the Himalayas – and about the quality of the yoga teaching here. The nature of this place is that visitors come and go, some staying briefly, others for much longer stays. At the heart of the community is the family of Yogi Vishvketu, his wife Chétana, and their two young children. There are as well a number of permanent staff who are on site. Vishva and Chétana have created a growing international community of people who have been touched, inspired, helped, and challenged by their vision of a yogic lifestyle. I am thankful to be among that number.

I've never quite figured out how to make Google Blog work for me. The photos never wind up in the order I would choose. Nevertheless, thanks for the interest and patience of any who have followed along with these blogs.

I have to add a final note of thanks to another very important spiritual community that made it possible for me to spend these three months in India: the faculty of theology at Saint Paul University. My thanks especially to the dean, Andrea Spatafora, who supported my request for this time. My colleagues and students at Saint Paul are a beloved spiritual community of which I am proud and grateful to be a member. I will return to them all the more thankful and eager to resume our common work of study and formation for the good of God’s Church and God’s world.