Pg 1, Tamilnadu Pg 2 Pg 3 Pg 4, Nadi Leaves Pg 5, Temples Kids_School Pg 6, Auro & Ramana Pg 7, Hosts/Final Day Pg 8, Photo Album
"I bow to Govinda,
whose nature is Bliss Supreme, who is the Sadguru,
who can be known only from
the import of all Vedanta,
and who is beyond the reach
of speech and mind."
Sutra 1,
Vivekachudamani of Shri Shankaracharya
Tom C's Visit To Tamilnadu
7 -22 March, 2007
Visit included Chennai (Madras), Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), Tiruvanamalai, Pondicherry, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Nagappattinam, Velankanni, and not on map, Viatheeswarankoil several hours West of Chidambaram.
The skies were clear, temps in lower 90's, and I must wait until next time to visit the cool temp, lush escape of the Hill Stations with the hills blanketed with jungle and tea plantations. I remained for the most part along the coast of the Sea of Bengal, which carried the devastating effect of the Tsunami, 2 years ago, far inland, leaving in one area alone, 3000 dead or missing. Below you will see the concrete replacement housing that is still under construction for these fishing families, plus the Memorial constructed in memory of this nation-wide heartache.
Below is Tamilnadu on the full map of India. It sits, humid and fruitful, in the middle of the tropics, South East India. Sri Lanka is only several miles from the shores of Tamilnadu. Several Tamil Tiger weapons loaded boats were seized by the Indian Government in the straights between Tamilnadu and Sri Lanka during my visit. While there is no unrest in Tamilnadu, there are clandestine links between the revolutionary forces, Tamil Tigers, in Sri Lanka and weapons suppliers operating in Tamilnadu. This activity was only apparent because I read the local newspapers daily.
You can enlarge any of the photos below, by placing cursor over photo and clicking. Enlarge again by clicking on icon that shows up in photo corner. Temple detail is especially of interest enlarged.
I apologize ahead of time for name misspellings, and any content that got scrambled in my memory and attributed in error to any person or place. Corrections are invited, and this report will be updated whenever more accurate info is available.
TRIP SUMMARY
Here is the summary of my trip I sent out shortly after my
return. I have been very involved in learning Ken Wilber's Integral
Studies model (IS), www.kenwilber.com,
and Don Beck's Spiral Dynamics model (SDi) , www.spiraldynamics.net,
the past 4.5 years. I had been driven by an unnoticed assumption that I
would find some final resolution to my life long query, "What's going on
here?", thru these studies. I arrived back in US to an Integral
Studies Listserve comment by friend and UW Professor, Alberto Vargas, echoing my
essential learning in India, "The answer is not in the intellect.
Structures of intellect are servants to Spirit." This is my response
to Alberto's comment, and a recounting of the essential lesson India left me
with.
Response to Alberto's Reminder
Well, I really should take a day or so to integrate the 14 day
intensive program I just passed thru in South India. But the topic
below is so pertinent, and Alberto has summed up my learning so well, I just
can't help jumping in to embellish.
Alberto, "Also to keep in mind the reasons why we engage in all these
discussions and study and practice: Not to get anywhere, but to give our gift to
the world and alleviate human suffering and be a conduit."
Time after time this is the lesson that was reinforced thru out my travels:
The Astrologer said, "The answer is not in your intellect."
The director at Aurobindo's Ashram said, "Don't spend time thinking."
The Pranic Healer, with a mischievous and reassuring smile, channeled from her Master, "You're in the intellect again. Stop it!"
The Nadi Leaf message was, "Your gift is your soul, not your ideas."
The driver who protected me in a million ways for 7 days throughout South India, could speak little English. Intellect was forced to be quiet.
The elderly lady, Director of Krishnamurti Trust, in Chennai, repeated Krishnamurti's message, "Quiet the mind."
The sign at the entry to The Ramakrishna Center, says, "Silence, please."
The same sign greeted all at Vivekananda House. "Silence."
The director at the Theosophical Society would not meet to talk with me. I was left to wander about the acres of the property, with another driver who could speak no English, silently.
At Ramana Maharshi's temple at Arunchala, at Surya Temple, Jupiter Temple, St. Thomas Basilica, The Church of St. Mary, and all of the other temples I visited, upon entering the center of each, one is required to be silent.
My meditation stabilized while there, intellect became
reliably an object, and quieted, leaving me sitting in the stillness of the
Present...closer than ever to the heart of Being we all seek in all our
efforts.
I finally got it.
IS and SDi are remarkable assemblages of distinctions. In themselves
they are useless, and of no value. Affirming Alberto, as vehicles to
express the Love, Gratitude, and Wisdom that is of our Soul, they can carry
blessings immeasurable. We are the Answer. We are the
Gift. As the mind quiets, we touch that Answer and offer It into the
world. A Blessing shines out from each of us. What wonder.
Namaste - Tom C.
Now on to the details!
Pg 1, Tamilnadu Pg 2 Pg 3 Pg 4, Nadi Leaves Pg 5, Temples Kids_School Pg 6, Auro & Ramana Pg 7, Hosts/Final Day Pg 8, Photo Album
