Jill Segal's Newsletter

Winter 2011

_______________________________________________

Reflections of India (November 2011)

I have recently returned from a month long journey (Pilgrimage) to India. The trip was organized and led by Norman Feldman, who leads Insight Meditation retreats and study classes in Buddhist texts world wide, and has been accompanying groups on pilgrimage to the most sacred sites of Buddhism for many years.

We were a small intimate group of 8 like minded souls and we visited and explored; Delhi; Varanasi, the ancient, sacred Hindu city ;  Agra, site of the Taj Mahal, as well as  the four places suggested by the Buddha as Pilgrimage Sites: his birthplace, Lumbini in Nepal; Bodh Gaya, where he attained his enlightenment; Sarnath, where he gave his first discourse; and Kushinagar, where he passed away,  as well as,  Nalanda, Rajgir, and Sravasti, where the Buddha spent considerable time and gave many important discourses.

At each of the sacred sites Norman gave teachings, led meditations and described the Buddha's life. As well, there was time for discussion and opportunity to meet with local people involved in wonderful humanitarian work and learn about the local culture.

This trip was a real adventure and learning experience, and since my return I have been reflecting on what this experience was for me both as an outer and inner journey.

Pilgrimage, for me meant leaving the safety and comfort of home and the familiar, stepping into the unknown and being open to whatever arose.

In my classes I have often used the following quote when teaching about the creative process. My trip to India really helped me to embody the meaning of this.

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.”
~ Alan Alda

Going to India from North America is a real culture shock. Friends had told me about it but I was not really prepared for the mass of humanity all around, the extreme poverty, the dirt, squalor, dust, pollution, unpleasant odours, tenacious, heart wrenching beggars, constant noise, chaotic traffic and road system, and the continual contrasts of pleasure and aversion. E.g. The beautiful women in their exquisite colourful saris amidst so much dirt and squalor.

The constant noise at pilgrimage sites, created by loudspeakers blaring, ardent pilgrims and monks chanting, stray, mangy dogs barking, cars honking, and then suddenly the beautiful singing of the birds in the Bodhi trees.

The opulence and splendor of the Buddhist temples, surrounded by dirty, run down dusty dwellings.

The  bright colours of the fabrics, crafts, fruit and vegetable markets, prayer flags, against the drabness created by poverty, pollution and dust.

I felt like Siddartha Guatama (The Buddha) who left his palace and went into the world, seeing for the first time, suffering, poverty, dirt, squalor, aging, sickness and death. (There were many times when I wanted to go rushing back to the “Palace").

The pilgrimage sites, and India itself, aroused my emotions in many ways, and provided an opportunity to explore myself, my beliefs, and my relationship to life, enabling me to come to some liberating insights. Above all, it really made me feel extreme gratitude and appreciation for my privileged life in Canada and all that this country and life has to offer me.

I learnt about the resiliency of the human spirit, and the ability and drive to survive even in really bad conditions.

In my dealing with the beggars, I learnt how difficult it was for me to see them and to say no to them firmly and compassionately, so that they would leave me alone. They could sense that my 'no' was ambivalent, wavering and not assertive and they would come after me with great tenacity. This was extremely energy draining. It made me look at my own life and question “Who or what are the metaphorical beggars in my life that drain my energy. How do I protect myself and learn to say no with firmness and compassion).

Amongst all the poverty and hardship experienced, I had the privilege to meet amazing people whose purpose in life is to help others and contribute to the end of suffering. The wonderful, warm, compassionate, humble souls of Sister Mary, working to empower and educate the poorest women in the rural villages, and Dr Jain and Sister Sobha working so hard to help to educate the poorest of the village children.

Meeting these people deepened my desire to somehow give back, contribute and make a difference to the lives of others.

As I reflect on my trip I am aware of the many insights and life lessons that I learned both through the Buddhist teachings and the day to day experiences.

I learned:

The meaning of patience and surrender of control
In India, one cannot be in a hurry and one cannot be rigid in ones expectation of how things are going to work out. So often as plans changed due to bureaucracy or inefficiency or situations arising we had to be adaptable, versatile and let go of our expectations.

Compassion, and the importance of being mindful, in the moment, non judgmental and not jumping to conclusions, or projecting my own beliefs and feelings onto situations and people.
Even though it appeared that people were poverty stricken and suffering, I don’t really know how they were feeling. They showed such resilience and ability to survive, and they often appeared to be happy and enjoying their community and families, even though they had very few possessions and comforts.

Appreciation of personal space.
There is not much room for personal space with such a massive population. As we moved through crowds or tried to cross roads, Norman advised us to keep moving into any available space. You cannot hesitate or be polite, you just have to be assertive and claim your space to survive and not get run over or trampled.

Appreciation of my spacious, well constructed home, but also realizing more clearly that clinging to, and craving for personal possessions does not bring happiness. All things come and go, arise and pass. Nothing is permanent. Life is not permanent. There are the natural cycles of birth and death, and rebirth, and these are so obvious and out in the open in India.
So many of the people in the small villages we passed by live in single room homes made from mud and sticks or straw, in various stages of falling down (disrepair). Families and extended families live together in cramped dusty quarters, many without running water, electricity and sanitation. Often during Monsoon season these dwellings are washed away and need to be rebuilt.

Appreciation of having health care and modern medical facilities.
We saw so many people with deformities and illnesses which are treatable in North America.

One experience which really touched me was seeing busloads of elderly people, walking down the road in one of the small towns, all holding onto each other and all wearing eye patches. They had been bused in from rural areas to a Cataract Clinic that had been set up in a tent, by visiting North American Ophthalmologists.

Appreciation of modern education facilities and schools.
In rural villages many families cannot afford to send their children to school.
We visited a couple of private schools that have been set up by humanitarian groups, for children from very poor families. Often the parents of these children are illiterate and earn very little. The children are sponsored and given their books and a wonderful education opportunity. It was heart warming to witness their smiling faces and to see how they love to learn.

Appreciation of traffic safety rules. Eg following the rules of the road, wearing seat belts and helmets for bicycle riders and motorcyclists.
The roads and traffic were totally chaotic. Seatbelts were not worn in taxis and buses. Men driving motor cycles had their wives in saris riding side saddle behind them, holding a child on her lap, as he held a child just behind the handle bars.
Cars driving in the wrong direction on a dual highway.

Appreciation of having an abundance and variety of food to eat at all times of the year.
It was very interesting to talk to some of the women in a small village who are trying to feed their families by growing rice and a few vegetables. We attended one of their educational meetings, in which they were being encouraged to grow vegetables on their roofs if they didn’t have sufficient land for growing food. One of the women, after hearing that we live in a very cold climate wanted to know how we survive when we can’t grow our food in the winter.

I felt embarrassed when I thought about the huge carbon footprint I was contributing to, by being able to go to a supermarket and buying whatever food I wanted, imported from many different countries around the world.

Gratitude for clean air, clean water, green trees and open spaces.
Being exposed to so much pollution of air and water in India, heightened my awareness of the importance of playing my part in maintaining the health of the planet.

In summary, this Pilgrimage to India has been a life changing, transformative experience, and I hope I can hold onto and integrate the important life lessons, and shift in my being, as I settle back into the comfort zone of my life in Canada.

<< Back to Winter 2011 Newsletter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~