Destiny
The bus rattled its way through the mountains last night, finally arriving at Mcleod Ganj. The
night before last, I could not sleep because I was riveted and locked
into the Alchemist. I read from 4:30 a.m. until I finished the book.
Part of setting up this trip involved distilling my intentions down to
a few words. I tried for some time to find the words. I scribbled
sentences using the word "Dharma",
I wrote of purpose, but the words never encapsulated the feeling and
intention I wanted. But the words from the Alchemist, "To realize ones
destiny is a person's only obligation," did. Or as Mrs. Bhasin
phrased it while we sat in her living room sipping tea, "The sole
purpose of human life is to Realize your Self, the rest, everything
else, is extra curricular activity." So I have adopted these as my
purpose.
Pulling into the crumbling cement fronts at Majnuka Tilla, Delhi,
Dan looked at me as said, "The Deluxe bus stop was nothing like this.
The
bus arrived and Dan and I climbed into our sleeper booths, only to be
told that we did not have our own compartment, we were to share one.
After considerable arguing with the bus serviceman, we relented, and
climbed into a single compartment, laying head to toe. The next 13
hours involved bumping and banging into each other, the window, and the
metal bar preventing us from falling out of the top compartment.
Additionally we inhaled exhaust and rank sewage smells as we chugged
along. But in the end, we made it! And I'm glad for the rough and
tumble experience, although I felt as if I was still shaking the entire
next day (the bus version of sea legs) .
Reuniting with our dear friend Melinda in Mcleod Ganj
is wonderfully welcoming. And it is nice to have such familiarity
here. Daily ritual involves yoga, eating, and touring the area, the
shops, foods, and Tibetan works at Norbulingka, including Thangka paintings and applique.
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