Swami Vivekananda
January 12 is Swami Vivekananda’s birthday (born 1863). In honour of his birthday, I am posting the speech he made in 1893 at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. He was the first Indian swami, or guru, who really made a big impact on the west. To say he stole the show is an understatement. His speech was phenomenally well-received, and it is still resonating to this day. Watch this and marvel — he spoke extemporaneously, without notes and without preparation. His message of the inherent tolerance of Hinduism is very inspiring — but his wish that the Parliament of Religions would sound the death knell to fanaticism is bitter-sweet since we know it has only risen in the last 100 years.
You can read more about him in recent article called Three gurus who changed the face of spirituality in the west by Philip Goldberg. January 12 is also Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s birthday (he will forever be known as the Beatles guru….).
Personal note: My Mother died on January 12, 1998, a full moon night. I always knew she was a mystic.
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Deepak Chopra at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto
Thanks to MyBindi, and about 25 Facebook friends, I won front-row tickets to see Deepak Chopra at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto — and I also won seats from Zoomer Media, which I gave to well-deserving friends. Almost two years ago, I wrote a blog post about why I admire Deepak Chopra, and how I feel we have the same mission, which is Sharing India’s wisdom with the world.
Deepak Chopra walked very simply on an almost-empty stage wearing jeans, thick-soled boots, a black jacket and jeweled glasses. With no fanfare whatsoever, he began speaking directly to the audience in a straightforward and down-to-earth manner. He spoke extemporaneously for about 90 minutes, with ease, intelligence and an absolute grasp of his material. (more…)
Gandhi statue in New York City
This weekend I was in New York for TBEX 10, the travel bloggers conference. As I was walking to dinner with several colleagues, we unexpectedly came across a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a small garden in Union Square. I did a double-take. I have seen the same statue countless times in India, in the centre of Delhi, in small towns, on mountain ridges, at the seaside — basically, Gandhi is everywhere. His presence in India is palpable, though of course he has been gone for 62 years. For a moment, I felt transported to India or, at least, my idea of India. To me India represents both sights, sounds, tastes and smells — the kaleidoscopic circus of the senses — and a way of being in the world that is based on the belief that we are all part of the same universal life force — the Hindu ideal that underlies Gandhi’s worldview.
The next day I returned by myself, and touched his feet. I would never had made such a gesture before traveling in India.
Spiritual wisdom of India: Mallika Chopra on stage at IdeaCity
On Wednesday, January 20, 10 travel mavens met at the Duke of York pub in downtown Toronto to talk about traveling, blogging, social media, TBEX 2010, following your bliss and other delightful topics. Thanks for coming: Evelyn (Journeywoman), Janice (Solotraveler), Diance (Girlsgetaway), Jaun (GlobalCulture), Natalie (@natcow34), Zinaida (@redsberry), and from Gap Adventures, Greg (@greghayes), Lauara (@millsionaire) and Kerri (@awndrlster_gap).
Pictured above is Evelyn and myself. We had a great time and are already talking about holding another one in May.
When I am in India, I always make time to go to Aurovalley Ashram. I consider it to be my spiritual home and I have written extensively about it on my original travel blog. I have written about what a peaceful place it is, a veritable garden-of-eden, surrounded by meadows, ringed by the mist-covered Shivalik Hills and situated near a lovely, uninhabited stretch of the Ganges River. I have written about my teacher, Swami Brahmdev (Swamiji) and the activities of the ashram. I have written about the profound effect this place has had on me. But I have never written about Sri Aurobindo, the man whose name is given to the ashram. So, I would like to dedicate this post to Sri Aurobindo (August 15, 1872 – December 5, 1950).
Recently, I went to a talk at the University of Toronto by an Indo-Canadian scholar named Archna Sahni. Archna lead a group of us in a discussion about stereotypes and about how India is perceived versus reality. Several people in the group were surprised to discover India’s early scientific discoveries — that predated similar discoveries in Europe — and by the cultural diversity of the subcontinent.
As well as overlooking, belittling, and refuting India’s achievements and virtues, Archna said that the west tends to see India “only through the lens of its problems.” I don’t doubt this statement, but it was a revelation for me to hear it. It made me realize that I don’t see India that way at all. India revived me in so many ways, and I have benefited so much from my travels, and from yoga study and practise. I am so impressed by the incredible wisdom the rishis realized through their own internal investigations, their own awareness, listening and paying attention. This is how I genuinely see India.
Mark Whitwell
After studying and practicing yoga for about 15 years, predominantly in Canada but also in India, I had the pleasurable experience of listening to a very outspoken yoga teacher pierce the veil of western illusions about yoga. He basically said the emperor has no lululemons.
I don’t know what it was like for others in the room, but listening to Mark Whitwell at the Yoga Festival of Toronto in August, 2008, was, for me, a sound for sore ears. I am at a point in my yoga journey when I want to try and understand the original intentions of yoga – without the overlay of western thinking, ideas and culture.
Here I am, having tea with three amazing women travel bloggers: Janice “Solotraveler,” Evelyn, “Journeywoman,” me, and Nora “Hobonora.” We had a magical afternoon at the Red Tea Box in Toronto, sharing stories, inspiration, resources and tips. Sometimes, you just have to leave your computer and actually meet face-to-face the people you connect with in cyberspace.
When my teacher, Swamiji (Swami Brahmdev of Aurovalley Ashram, Rishidwar, India), says something during satsang that he wants to underline, he says, “catch this point.” It’s a great example of a non-native English speaker using the language in a particularly creative and effective way.
I have been back in Canada about six weeks since my latest trip to India, where, among other things, I spent time at Aurovalley Ashram — my favourite place on earth — learning the wisdom of integral yoga and feeling inspired by Swamiji’s complete commitment to transformation of consciousness.
So I am now home, facing a difficult life situation, and trying to “catch this point.” I am trying to process, integrate and put it into action everything I learned from my recent two-and-half-months in India. In some ways the journey begins when you get home. You realize what you’ve learned, how much you’ve changed, and how differently you now see the world.
On the morning of April 14 approximately 10 million people streamed into the sacred town of Haridwar in north India to bathe in the Ganga on the most auspicious day during the 2010 Kumbh Mela. I was one of them. Find out how I found myself alone, and at home, at the world’s largest spiritual gathering.
In Varanasi, where the veil between life and death seems very thin, a boat ride on the river can become a journey to the other side. Come along with me on a boat ride on the Ganges River in India’s oldest, holiest city and pierce the veil.
The Ganges / Ganga River is the Mother of India. The River speaks in many voices as she travels from the high Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. At the source, her song is joyous, full of the the jubilance of youth, the rush of fresh mountain streams, the sincere chanting of pilgrims and the excitement of the onward journey.
