Living in India, or should I say living in Vrindavana, taught me many things.
Brought up in the West, I did not see stark reality displayed so openly before. Gruesome, ugly features of life and death, are quickly covered up, so as to allow us to maintain the sense of having many pleasurable alternatives instead of facing their miseries.
Advertising gives us our aspirations. TV and Movies add the glamour to life. Excitement and thrills of artificial challenges is supplied by an addiction to sports. These and many other similarly non-essentials, augment our enjoyment of life, yet rob us of the inclination to deal with reality.
I may be stepping on dangerous ground speaking this way, but sometimes it is liberating to burst forth with the truth even when you know it will not be accepted.
Back to India and Transcendental Vrindavana.
Srila Prabodananda Saraswati Thakur has written like this:-
"My mind takes a dip in the ocean of Sri Radha and Krishna's wonderful loving pastimes in Vrindavana. Because this abode is brightly shining within this material world, many jewel-like trees, birds, flowers and fruits increase its beauty.
Each and every particle of the land of Vrindavana is touchstone,and every particle of dust in Vrindavana bears the footprints of Sri Radha and Krishna.
Therefore I carefully meditate on the most sanctifed land of Vrindavana ,which is full of effulgence and bedecked with brightly shining jewels"
This is Vrindavana through spiritual eyes. Of course, none of us are capable of such transcendental seeing, but were we so pure we would feel indifferent towards every significant or insignificant feature of this world. All of it would go.
-------------------------------
Now here's another picture from Vrindavana taken many years ago.When living there, I often took my camera with me, desiring to capture something transcendentally inspirational. I now have hundreds of photos of Holy places temples and devotees. Amidst them, this one I found is striking, not for it's beauty, but as a contrast to the values of the "world" I live in.
Poverty, begging, the artificial leg, the lack of coverup, the simple basic needs and expectations from being alive:all these sharply contrast modern society's conceptions of what is enjoyable.
They tell me this body will die. No doubt about it. And the world will not care where or when I go. Nothing is permanently mine, not even my legs! Yes. Life will disappoint me if I think I am going to get anything of permanence out of it.
Is this negative?
Some may say that, but NO it is the truth. Acceptance of truth opens the door to greater quest for meaning. Vrindavana is not of this world, therefore it is not trivial. Removal of our infatuation with the things of this world allows us to understand that fact, and invites us to become included in those who seek transcendence.
I began by saying that India taught me many things and changed my views. The valuable lesson's gift can be summed up in this way...
“The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries..By this culture the Supreme Lord is established within the heart.”
-----------------------------------------------
