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13 July 2008------Back
13 July 2008-----12:20 PM--------------Impressions of India after a month of travelling!
At last in Nepal! I am feeling extremely good since I arrived in Katmandu. I was beautifully and warmly welcomed by Sagun, my Cousin's husband who is Nepali. I must confess that I feel relieved to be out of India for a few days. I seem to develop a love/hate relationship with India especially since I finished my Vipassana retreat. These 10 days not only taught me to deal better with my own emotions but helped me to realise my true impressions of India since my arrival and the culture shock I went through in Delhi, Agra and Varanasi.
Yes I hate the constant hassle of Indian people trying to sell you everything and trying to rip you off all the time, considering that each single Westerner is a wallet. I hate of the noise, the awful smells, the dirt, the lack of smiles and true hearts. I hate the general false spirituality and pujas performed more by superstition than from the heart.....
But where else than in India would have I found this beautiful Vipassana meditation and such lovely Buddhist practitioners? I won't speak about the obvious beauty of the Taj Mahal, of the Rajasthan palaces, of the treasures of India, the silk, perfumes, jewels because that is for me far less important than people. Of course I met some lovely guides, Pappu, Gopal and other people on my way which made my trip lovely one but I am now speaking of the general hectic and harsh atmosphere I have been absorbing like a sponge since the 13 June, just one month ago.
I feel that Gandhi would be indeed very disappointed to see in which state India is. Poverty is certainly not the only reason to this poor state of India.... My new friend Belgian friend, Caroline, a young and lovely women of 30 years old and who also participated to the Vipassana course, is a great traveller and told me that India is the toughest country she's ever travelled to. She has been to Asia, Africa and South Africa and many other countries of North Africa but India is for her the rudest! She is certainly not a naive person and her judgements are very perceptive as well as compassionate. She is working for NGO (non-govermental organisation) and works in third world countries like Africa and Mozambique. For her, Buddhist countries are much more welcoming and respectful. I cannot deny that until now I I did not feel so good in India and tended to be paranoid and stressed by the hectic style of life more than the actual poverty which is also very sad.
Caroline has taught me how to deal with Indians! It was just amazing to see her discussing with rickshaw men and making sure that prices were honest. She certainly knows how to do it! We got all the best deals with rickshaws etc... and I realise how much money I "wasted" in my two first weeks in India being totally ignorant of the lies of Indians and the necessity of constant bargaining. But then it is easy to feel guilty about being a "rich" Westerner in India. Having said that I have to make sure I can finish my trip and do not want to increase my debts because of poor India! My compassion for India exists but what I can do is like drops in the ocean.
I hope my two other months in India will change my mind about the country and I am very aware that India is a huge country and that I haven't yet seen everything! So I will keep an open mind. Sagun told me that South India and Pondicherry were much more welcoming than North India! I know that my time in Bihar should be fabulous because of my interest for yoga, especially Satyananda yoga and the yoga teacher training in the Bihar School of Yoga.
13 July 2008-----1:35 PM--------------Trip to Nepal.
My trip to KTM was fine. I said goodbye to Rupesh who got perhaps a bit too attached to me and who nearly cried... I could easily be his Mum, but I am afraid it did not prevent his feelings and dreams of England... I understand that a lot of Indians do not have the freedom to leave India and to travel. They are longing to know other countries and of course love and courtship with a Westerner seems to them a possibility of realising their dreams.... A very naive and unrealistic thought. The Indian and Western worlds are totally different and in many ways opposite. Women's position is so different here and I am very happy to have been born in Europe and to enjoy the freedom, the possibility to work, to chose whom I want to love, marry or not marry, to travel abroad and alone if I wish rather than cooking chappatis, taking care of children and home with no freedom.
Indians, men as well as women, cannot understand why at 52, am not married and have no children.They seem devastated for me and some offer to marry me.... Extreme compassion with a hidden agenda. Most Indian women are still married through arranged marriages, and at 25 it is imperative that they are married. After this age they have lost their freshness and cannot find a husband!!! Even when they go to university, they seem submissive and docile... After our Vipassana retreat, all the Wester girls were asked all kinds of questions, but the Indian ladies just wanted us to marry and secure our lives, not understanding that work had given us this security. The mentality might be more progressive in big cities, but I haven't seen it myself and the majority of India is still thinking in terms of casts, arranged marriages and dowries.
The Belgian girls, Caroline and Marie and the American/Polish girl Hanka and myself all travelled back together to Varanasi on the 1am train, which was only one hour late! We had a lovely time discussing and sharing our impressions on life, Vipassana and men in a small Gaya restaurant. Gaya is extremely busy and noisy. After a morning chai , we separated today. My Belgian friends went to Kajenjharo to admire the erotic temples and Hanka and myself went to the airport. Hanka was looking for her friend Freeman. I was really blessed to share these two days with these three lovely, adventurous and clever women.
Indian airlines are fine. No delay. The flight from Varanasi to Katmandu only lasted 45 minutes. Very easy to get my visa for Nepal. Only 30 dollars.The air in Katmandu is fresh and it is the first day I am not constantly sweating and having to take 3 or 4 showers a day! The Himalayas are not far away. It is much cooler than India and more important the town is quieter and people are very calm and smiling! I also noticed that there are a lot of westerners, who are probably attracted by the culture and the cool climate....
13 July 2008-----1:40 PM--------------Arrival in Katmandu!
But let us forget about India because I am now in Katmandu! Sagun, the very new husband of my cousin Carole, was waiting for me at the airport and immediately recognised me thanks to the pictures in my website. My cousin has indeed made a good choice. Sagun is handsome, warm, smart and has lovely manners. He and Carole have organised my time here beautifully. Poor Carole cannot come to KTM before Thursday and has to work for Bangladesh UN on an unexpected urgent file. But we should be able to be 3 days together before I leave for Bihar on Sunday.
Sagun drove me in his car to the old KTM. I have a lovely flat on top of the New Orleans restaurant. A refreshing change after all my little rooms in "budget' hotels of India!
Thamel, Kathmandu">-----New Orleans restaurant, Thamel, Kathmandu, with flats on top.
I am very impressed by Sagun who has already solved the problem of my trip to Bihar. Bihar is very unsafe. It is the poorest and most dangerous state of all India. It is very sad because there is also a tradition of true spirituality in Bihar and it is the reason why my school of yoga is in Bihar. But poverty and politics have changed Bihar.... A friend of Sagun who has some family in Bihar is happy to accompany me to Bihar in a car. It is a great relief and I feel so grateful for the considerate attention of my family.
Sagun gave me a map of KTM and showed me the places and temples to visit. He is kinldy offering to come and visit some of them with me. He will join me tonight to the New Orleans restaurant where his Nepali friend, owner of the restaurant and flat, will be playing some blues! I am very curious to hear a Nepali playing blues! But now I will go and visit the streets and feel the town.... before my evening Vipassana session!
Much love to all of you xxx Muriel
14 July 2008------Back
14 July 2008-----2:32 PM-------------- Mythic Katmandu!
So so so wonderful to be in KTM! After one month in the rough India, it is exactly what I needed. First Nepal is smiling and refreshing and secondly I am really taken care of in the most attentive and considerate way by Sagun, the new husband of my cousin Carole. It is so comforting when you are travelling alone, especially in India where much of the attention which Western tourists get is from cunning people who try to profit from you in the most unpleasant way.
Discussing with Sagun in the New Orleans restaurant last night, I understood that the reason behind the lack of civility and spirituality among some Indians and their extreme materialistic view of life, lies not so much in Hinduism and ritualistic practices. It is simply because there are far too many people. It is such a struggle to survive that many people get really harsh. There is not enough work for everybody. The population density is 100 times that of Nepal. One person out of six in the world is Indian.....
It was obviously different 20/30 years ago. I am not sure why. Did Indians understand the opportunities that tourism brought to them? Did their population increase even more? I cannot answer these questions but it is probable that tourism is creating a bad atmosphere, jealousy and harsh cunning plans towards westerners. Of course, Nepal is living mainly out of tourism but the spirit is different. People make money out of their visitors but still respect them and consider them as "gods" and their way of surviving. There is certainly poverty here but I haven't seen the poverty in KTM that I have seen in India. It is polluted and the traffic a bit mad, but not so bad than in India. No sacred cows nor goats and animals in the streets which are paved and much cleaner. So no bad smells... only pollution through cars and motobikes.
It is nice to come to Buddha's original country after my time in Bodh Gaya where he was enlighted and began to teach. Bouddha was a Nepali. He was a rich prince who abandonned his palace, riches and wife to discover the truth. He was a philosopher and travelled to India to learn from yogis and sages to find the secrets of inner peace. He became an ascete but soon discovered that way did not make him any good and did not lead to happiness... and he followed his breath and found the way of Vipassana and liberation.
Tibetans do not look at all like Indians. Their looks are more "Chinese" and their cheeks very high. Their eyes are bright and their smiles large and generous. They are calm and poised.
The Sunday evening music session at the New Orleans restaurant is led by classical musicians doing a bit of fusion. However, their music is based on their traditions of ragas, and sounds very much like classical Indian music. The very talented guitarist was playing ragas on a classical guitar with an amazing dexterity. He has been learning from his most tender age and is also a master of the sitar. He was accompanied by a tabla player and a bass. A singer was giving the tone and the spirit of the music. Absolutely captivating and I realised how much I missed music. The café is based in central Thamel which is the heart of KTM. It is full of little shops all selling jewels, pashmina shawls and Tibetan tankas. It is animated and lively but without the horns of cars and the cows of India!
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The food in New Orleans (see above) is refined. I ate a special vegetarian spinach meal and a banana lassi. Tibetans are not vegetarian and drink and smoke. Beer, whisky, wine, cigarettes. I kept to my vegetarian and non alcoholic diet, which suits me, and my yogic and meditative approach of life especially on this journey. The café is totally westernized with a lot of foreigners, a lot of them living and working in KTM. Only the decorations, the vegetation, the music and Sagun were reminding me that I was in KTM.
--------Waiters from the New Orleans restaurant
I saw some hippies arriving with bandana and long hair, lots of jewels and Indian shirts. It was like a flashback to the 70's! Although hashish is legally forbidden, it is culturally accepted and it is not unusual to smell some marijuana in the atmosphere... I begin to understand why tourists love Nepal so much. I am looking forward to visit the temples and Himalayas!
14 July 2008-----2:45 PM--------------14 July----
----Bastille Day and second day in KTM
My second day in KTM! A resting day well deserved after an hectic month in India! I had a very good night sleep in my beautiful flat. It is very nice to come back to western comfort, with a real bed, sheets and covers, warm shower, "normal" toilets and toilet paper. I also have a lounge where I can practise yoga and could even watch TV if I wanted. This flat belongs to Sagun's friend and is normally rented for long periods of time. I am not using the frigde but I could make tea if I wanted.
I am happy with this comfort and will make the most of it before heading for Bihar and my life in Ashrams and getting up again at 4am every morning. I certainly need a bit of rest and felt very tired all day. I realised I've lost some weight which is fine as I had 3 or 4 kilos extra, but I am now watching that I don't lose more and taking care to eat properly and regularly. I decided to have a long practice of yoga, pranayama (breathing exercise for energy) and meditation to keep practising Vipassana. After this practice and a breakfast consisting of fruits, I went to meet Sagun at his Cibo restaurant which is located 15 minutes from Thamel where I am staying. Thamel is the centre of KTM and is full of shops selling pashmina shawls, Tibetan tankas, Nepali bags and jewels.
I got a bit lost as you cannot see any names of streets written anywhere. This gave me the opportunity to discover the town and I arrived just in time to avoid the heavy rains of the monsoon and to have lunch with Sagun. I came at 1.30pm after the rush hour and before Sagun closes at around 2.30pm. I had delicious panini with spinach and local goat's cheese, a succulous brownie accompanied by a perfumed tea. Sagun explained to me that the goat's cheese is a local product of Nepal and is produced thanks to a French programme which taught Nepali peasants how to process cheese.
Sagun's restaurant is welcoming and very nice. Lovely and simple decoration. The walls are painted in a warm ocre colour with pictures of Nepali children on the wall taken by Carole. One single room with 4 tables unable 16 people to have lunch. 3 people work behind the bar. No kitchen. Everything is prepared behind the bar. The menu consists mainly of sandwiches, paninis, burgers and pastas - Western food which suits the Embassy area. The food is refined and nutritious! Nice not to eat spicy and to enjoy simple flavour of food!
14 July 2008-----4:19 PM------------------The Garden of Dreams
After my lunch at the Cibo restaurant and my meeting with Adbul, Sagun took me to the Garden of Dreams on my way to Thamel. An haven of peace and beauty. Flowers, ponds, lilies, cafe. A place of rest and meditation just near central KTM. I am sure I will go there often to meditate and read. Sagun left me and we agreed to meet again tomorrow at 2 pm at the Cibo for lunch. He wanted to introduce me to the manager but he was not there. Soon a man came to see me. His name was Sonul and he is the assistant manager. We began speaking about Sagun and then about life, Nepal and India. He was dressed as a Westerner and I was dressed like an Indian with my salvar kumees. So funny to see these reverse roles. His ancesters and his grandfather were Indian yogi in origin. He explained that knowledge during that time came from India since Nepal was full of forests. When people (like the Buddha) wanted to study they went to India.
Sonul provides for all his family, mother, brother and sisters, as his parents are divorced, which is not very usual in Nepal. He now goes to the gym every morning, whereas I have come to this part of the world to learn about all the meditative practices of India. It is very obvious that the Nepali people are very happy to adopt western life-styles. They also need to do so, in order to survive and to please tourists. We spoke for more than an hour and he offered me a lassi. Nepalis have really such a charm! I understand how my cousin fell in love with one of them!
Nepalis are very conscious that tourism is their main source of income and survival, but they are not cunning and they truly want to make their visitors happy. Sonul told me how KTM has changed through the last 20 years. I know I am only here for one week and it is not long enough to get to know Nepal and to go trekking. Moreover, it is not the right season for it. I hope I will return on another occasion to visit the Himalayas!
I stayed longer in the garden reading the discourses of Goenka and reflecting on Vipassana and my retreat.
15 July 2008------Back
15 July 2008-----5:50 PM--------------What is Vipassana?
I do not know if I can define Vipassana and meditation. Can you describe wine unless you taste it? Meditation must be first experienced as it is not an intellectual process. Nevertheless, I will try to give a description of the technique to give you a little flavour of the meditation taught by Buddha 2500 years ago. But you have to bear in mind that these are only guidelines which usually make more sense after practice. Also I am just a beginner in Vipassana and was introduced to the technique for the first time on 1st July and my understanding is therefore very limited.
The technique has been lost for many many years and only kept alive from guru to guru in Burma where Goenka learned it and then reintroduced it to India. This technique is probably the most important one in Buddhism and certainly Buddha himself considered it as such. It is through this "insight meditation" that Buddha gained liberation under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya in Bihar, North east of India. liberation in the spiritual jargon means liberation from all the mental impurities, complexes and blockages which usually obscure human beings' minds.
Vipassana's goal is to purify people from their bondages and liberate them from misery. Vipassana deals with the unconscious mind. It is a very deep and introspective mental process involving awareness of sensations. Mere intellectual understanding of wisdom, impermanence, detachment, habitual traps of excess craving or aversion are not enough to liberate people from bad tendencies and to make them really wise. Intellectual understanding is certainly important and can support meditation but it is not in itself sufficient to help you spiritually.
Morality is usually well established through religions and society. Most of us are very aware of what is right or wrong, what hurts others and ourselves but........ usually this knowledge doesn't prevent us from acting in an harmful way to ourselves and/or towards others. We are usually trapped in very strong habits and unconscious tendencies which are very difficult to eradicate even when we are able to recognise them. Bad habits, complexes and mental blockages are always present in the body. Each emotion in life is accompanied by specific manners of breathing and sensations in the body. Just observe yourself when you're angry, your respiration, your heart beat etc... and it is all very clear. Those sensations can stay in the body and can even increase with time if not dealt with. Like a seed they can grow and become really harmful. Of course they can take all kinds of forms and lodge in various places in the body. Headaches, stomach pains, cancers, backaches, muscle cramps etc..... often have emotions as their origins. Alternatively some sensations or pains which are purely physical in origin, can turn into psychological pain.... Some stay very deeply inside the body at an unconscious level and can only be removed with a lot of work.
Vipassana is a Pali word meaning "insight" or "clear seeing." It is a process of purification and cleansing, a way to get rid of mental impurities or blockages through the awareness of sensations in the body. It is a method of self-observation through introspection. It is referred to by Buddhists and non-Buddhists as "insight meditation". It works on impermanence, but it is not intellectual or philosophical. By observing the sensations in ones body, one can see and experience impermanence in one's own body and how all sensations pass and change. Vipassana does not liberate people from their mental ailments with the use of words like in modern psychoanalysis, but focuses on sensations.
For the first 3 days of our retrait, we first concentrated on breath and the air coming in and out the nostrils. We were asked to be very attentive to the quality of our breathing. Was it short, long, shallow, slow, fast ? How was the temperature of the air coming inside the nostrils? From which nostril were we breathing? It was of course uncomfortable to be sitting all day especially when you are not used to meditating for such long hours. But this work can be done sitting on a chair or with extra cushions for more comfort.
On the second and third day, we were asked to concentrate on the breath and the triangle between the upper lip and the point behind the entry of the nostrils. We had to really feel all the sensations in that small area of the body and feel how the sensations on the skin can change. If our mind wandered, we had to bring it back gently to the breath in and out the nostrils and the little triangle. It is amazing how your sensations are subtile and numerous and how you can ignore them if you don't pay attention to them.
On the fourth day, the whole technique was taught. We turned our attention to the top of the head progressing in turn to all the parts of the body as far as the toes, and then back from the toes to the top of the head. We were asked to feel all the parts of the body on the skin (later inside the body too and in the internal organs and spine). Of course some parts of the body are blank or numb, others dense and painful. When a part is blank, we stayed a bit longer to begin to feel it; then we moved to the next part etc.... When meeting painful points, we were paying attention to the quality of the pain. Was it throbbing, tingling, burning... without attaching positive value to the nice and pulsating sensations or negative value (or aversion) to the unpleasant ones.
The surprising element is to see that when you stay longer on a painful point, the pain moves and changes and eventually disappears. Of course, sometimes when the pain was too intense (e.g the crossed leg position), it was sometimes safer to move rather than to get stuck i.e. discovering that one was unable to dissolve the pain through simple observation.
We were monitoring the flows of sensations first from top to bottom, secondly from bottom to top, and then we turned our attention to each part of the body. This sequence was repeated several times within our hourly period of sitting and of strong meditation. The idea behind this process is that each sensation in the body results from a past or present emotion. Each emotion is always accompanied by a specific breathing pattern and sensation in the body. Some can result in headaches or pain in the stomach or many other places in the body. By learning to recognise them and observing them, a process of dissolving is induced. Like washing, the process needs to be repeated a certain number of times in order to cleanse. It is also very important not to react to sensations, either nice or unpleasant ones, as it can result in more craving or aversion. This a powerful way to develop equanimity. Not to overreact to a pain, is a very efficient way to let it go and diminish its effects. So the dissolving of sensations either pleasant or unpleasant consists in not getting attached to them. It seems very simple but it just works. Some pains or cravings might take longer time to dissolve. Sometimes if a pain is too intense and rebels, a correct mental attitude can avoid any worsening of the situation.
Vipassana technique shows very clearly how we tend to react in a simple craving/aversion mode to situation. I have found it very useful even during the short duration of the retreat. Some modern therapies like MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy) use this technique in connection with "the analytical process" to tackle mental disturbances and some types of depression. Jon Kabat-Zin is one of the pioneers of this approach. A Vipassana retreat would not accept any person with mental imbalance as it is not a therapy, but more a spiritual approach.
On the last day of our retreat, we were taught another kind of meditation, the Metha Bhavana meditation or 'the meditation of compassion'. A meditation to open the heart and to dedicate the benefits of Vipassana to others.
A silent retreat of ten days where men and women are separated provides a wonderful opportunity to learn 'a technique and a useful tool for self-knowledge' with as few distractions as possible. It is much more than 'stress relief' or getting more efficient in your professional life, even though these benefits can exist as a by-product to meditation. But Vipassana is much deeper than that and can be a life changing experience.
Vipassana is a natural technique based on the body sensations and what you feel, and how these sensations change according to your own mental reactions. It is therefore based on reality. It differs from a lot of other techniques of meditation which are based on visualisation. It is a very deep and crucial meditation which leads to true understanding of human nature. That is why it was the meditation that Buddha used to teach and the only one method he was offering. You do not need to believe in reincarnation, karmas and sanskaras to practise Vipassana. You can be a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Christian or an atheist. You do not need to belong to any dogma or to follow any dogma. I love Vipassana because it doesn't involve any philosophy or mystical metaphysics. For those interested in knowing more about Vipassana in a Buddhist context, I recommend the excellent book by Goenka called 'The Art of Living'. The transcription of his Discourses are also worth reading.
A retreat is not a way to avoid compassion, to be over introspective, selfish or simply look for 'stress relief'. If you want to give, to be generous and compassionate, it is extremely important to know yourself and to be balanced. A retreat does not mean that you just retire from the world to escape it. It means you give yourself the best chance to go into the world stronger and better equipped to give and be compassionate. Real compassion is very hard work and unless you are calm and have dealt with your deepest emotions and conflicts, you are bound to bring them into 'real life' and in your actions in society. And your compassion can turn short, sore and inappropriate! A retreat doesn't mean you cannot give to people in real life! Many of the people in the retreat were people actively involved in life and humanitarian work like Caroline!
Gandhi was a man of action and certainly not a selfish man. He was devoting 3 hours to prayers each day. It was his way of purification. Perhaps not all of us want to go to this path of purification and realisation. A retreat can be very useful when you begin to follow a spiritual path or when you want to find out about meditation but it is not a selfish process. One of my friends did not understand the meaning of 'retreats', so I feel I have to explain the reasons for a retreat. A retreat is like a surgical operation and you need silence and protection while you are operating on the deepest level of your unconcious mind!
Vipassana or other meditation techniques are only ways of knowing oneself and ultimately becoming more compassionate and liberated from complexes. They are not goals in themselves. You learn scales to play a musical instruments, not to play scales for the rest of your life. Scales and Vipassana are not to be confused with the goals.
There are many ways to know oneself. Vipassana is a beautiful and royal path which I love, but certainly not the only one. Some years ago I was introduced by my friend Steven to another Chinese technique called "standing". It is a taoist art and another dissolving process which is very similar to Vipassana. The process is done while standing, but the same results are expected. It is not surprising that this technique has been developed in different traditions because it follows a natural process.
I am now practising yoga taking Vipassana into account while I am doing my postures and I am looking forward to my training in the Yoga School of Bihar. I want to discuss Satyananda's technique of "yoga nidra" which also has some similarities with Vipassana. I want to understand how the process of purification and cleansing in relation to sensations and emotions is approached in yoga.
I hope I haven't bored you to death with this meditation.... and I am very aware that the best way to know about Vipassana is ...... to meditate! That will give you the real feel! It should not take long to experience the results when the technique is done properly! There are many Vipassana centres where this old technique can be learned!
I found it very useful even in the short duration of the retreat. Some modern therapies like MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy) use this technique in connection with the analytical process to tackle mental disturbances and some forms of depression. Jon Kabat-Zin is one of the pionneers of this approach.
If you were interested in the technique and are a beginner in meditation, I would advise that you try some weekly lessons in a meditation centre. Ten day meditation retreat can be a tough experience if you are not used to meditation. I did find it hard in spite of my 22 years of yoga practice. I confess that I took it a bit easy and practice some yoga and pranayama (breathing exercises) at 4.30am to help with the rest of the day. I also kept a diary of meditation to discover later on that I should not have done it but it certainly helped me to cope with the hard work. 10 hours meditation a day in the monsoon time can be indeed very very difficult and I remember sitting of strong determination with the feeling to be in flames and sweating non stop like in a sauna. Now meditating in Nepal seems so easy!
15 July 2008-----6:33 PM--------------Visit to Patam in KTM
Still very tired..... A lot of rain this morning and my plans are delayed a bit. Abdul comes at 12.30pm and we have lunch at the Cibo. Afterwards visit to the Buddhist temple of Swayambhu. Colored flags on the mountains, many stupas and Buddha's eyes. Oms prayer rolls. I turn three times around the biggest stupa praying for Veronique and Shai, for Taratata, the Thailand project and the Buffon lycée. Then I prayed for all my friends. The air is pure thanks to the altitude and the trees. Many cheeky monkeys play in branches. Even monkeys seem calm! I see old Nepali women in their long dresses praying.
Abdul, who is in fact a Muslim Tibetan, takes me to Patan, another important place of Katmandu . It is full of beautiful temples dedicated to Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu. Thousands of Gods and Goddesses!
The old palace has been converted into a museum full of refined art objects, fabulous Buddhas and Taras.
Nepalis are very peaceful and nice. It is so relaxing to visit the town and so so different from India. It is obvious that Katmandu is a rich town and there are very few beggars. The streets are clean and although I love cows, I must say it is a relief not to see them in the streets eating plastic bags or worse. Adbul is a perfect guide and wants to show me the Golden temple. Other representations of Buddhas. Buddha is everywhere in Nepal but Hinduism is also very present. Abdul also shows me some Muslim tombs. He explains that Nepalis are very tolerant and that there is no conflict of religion in the country. Sign of great intelligence of heart. There are a lot of Buddha sculpture shops in Patam....
My natural curiosity leads me to ask a lot of questions to Abdul about his life, his family, his business. Muslims too have arranged marriages. I can feel that Nepal is more progressive and that Abdul is very westernized and does not follow blindly either his religion or tradition. He tells me about jewels, business, his travels throughout Asia. He speaks 5 languages fluently! I am very happy that he guides me in KTM and it will be indeed very nice to go to Bihar with him. I feel entirely safe in his presence. Gosh these last days are really soothing and comforting! I love Nepal and Nepalis! Tomorrow will be another day of discovery with Sagun, and my cousin Carole will arrive Thursday. We will only have two days to see each other before I leave Nepal for India on Saturday morning.
16 July 2008------Back
16 July 2008-----1:48 PM--------------The Newari People
I meet Sagun at 10am at Cibo. Tea with his cousin Anish. They explain that they are Newari. Newari people represent 5% of the Nepali population. It is a very ancient tribe from Nepal practising tantrism. Nowadays Newari people also practise Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddha too was Nepali and Newari. Sagun has the eyes of Gautama. I can read compassion and wisdom in them.
Both Sagun and Anish studied in Western countries and would like to promote Newari traditions by reviving an old courtyard in town and opening shops and restaurants with the traditional Newari craft and food. They both want to make a living and help their people to keep their traditions which are getting lost. I hope that their intelligence and business mind will be help them to succeed in their entreprise.
They tell me that the tourist industry is not that easy in Nepal because a lot of visitors come through Indian agencies which make more profit than Nepal's. Westerners often first visit India before spending few days in Nepal. They wish their country could be better known and that people would travel directly to Nepal. I think Nepal certainly deserves this as it is far more welcoming than India and also has a rich culture and beautiful mountains.
We go to town and visit the courtyard. Very old houses with typical wooden windows. Women smile at the windows. Children speak to me English. I take pictures. They all learn English at school. Beautiful tree/temple and stupa in the courtyard. This is where the Nepali community celebrate life events and religion. Anish is very religious and never misses an occasion to ring the bell, to turn around each stupa and to recite some prayers to Shiva or Ganesh. Sagun is more discreet and is not interested by religion. He jokes about his cousin but with great tenderness and respect. We walk to the old Durbar Square.
I visit an old and very high house facing the temple. It belongs to Sagun's family. His Mum was born there. The house has been converted into shops and still belongs to the family who rents it. We climb to the roof. The view on the old temple is impressive. Sagun tells me about the tantric practices of the Newars. Newars are close to nature and the different elements of fire, water, earth and air. If I understand, it is more an animist religion than a theist one. A bit like the Indians of America.... We walk , visit the market, I can see and smell spices.
Wonderful. Restful. I can understand why Kathmandu has always been so popular. There are so many beautiful temples and the town is quiet.
Kathmandu was a very rich city in the past with a lot of trading with Tibet. It is still a rich town and for a lot of Nepali, a very expensive city. We keep walking to Cibo where I try some of the best vegetarian sandwiches and eat a delicious French apple pie. Cold coffee. So funny as I haven't drunk coffee since I left India. It is a real privilege to visit KTM with Newars proud of their traditions.
Sagun goes to work and I go to the Garden of Dreams to read and rest. I sleep on a bench but am soon woken by the rain.... I go to the cafe and have a perfumed massala tea. Very few customers. Low season. I have a long discussion with one of the waiters. He notices I am reading a book about buddhism with Goenka's writings on Vipassana. He is a Buddhist. His features are very strong and nearly Chinese. He tells me that he comes from the border of Tibet and his Dad is a lama. Some lamas can marry but still have a very religious life and wear the yellow blouse and marroon dress. He has studied management for 5 years at university. . Very good English. Very smiling and humble. It is very obvious that many Nepali people do not like Indians.... I have the feeling that many Indians look down on people from Nepal.
I am now going to the New Orleans. Sagun will come and join me for dinner. Then jazz at the Upstairs Bar. I am so happy: my cousin Carole will arrive tomorrow and Sagun and I will go and wait for her at the airport at 13.30. Really looking forward to meeting her and knowing her. She is 20 years younger than me and the last time I saw her she was a very little girl!
Much love from Kathmandu xxx Muriel
17 July 2008------Back
17 July 2008-----6:15 AM--------------Jazz in Kathmandu
Another lovely evening in Kathmandu. Sagun meets me at 7.30 pm at the New Orleans. My little flat is just above it and it is easy to meet there. It is a nice place with Western food including vegetarian and non vegetarian meals. At the heart of the touristic Thamel, this cafe/restaurant is mainly visited by Westerners.. There is a little community of Westerners living in KTM, working for UN or trekking agencies. After few days, I recognise some heads. Many come with their laptops. It is the first time since I arrived in india that I can see so many white people. Nepali waiters are absolutely exquisite and considerate. I really hope that tourism and materialism will not waste their qualities of heart. Sagun tells me that it is becoming harder with the problem of petrol and people have to work more and more to afford cars. Will the Nepali smile disappear under the pressure of petrol?
Sagun is very tall, beautiful and looks like Buddha himself. There is a natural nobleness in him, a quiet authority, a modesty, a simplicity and a calm which makes him quite charismatic. What is also very interesting in Sagun is that he is very Western in his attitude and beliefs. Four years in America and an upbringing from educated and quite open minded parents have made him a very modern and open man. His Mum is a Nepali feminist with a PHD in science and having worked for the UN. She is very close to Carole.
Sagun drinks beer like a lot of my English friends and his English is perfect. Conversation and mutual understanding are easy in spite of our obvious differences of race and culture. I understand more and more why my cousin fell in love. Sagun is not religious and sees religion like a like a way to control masses. We agree that religion certainly gives a set rule of morality which doesn't differ very much from one culture to another. Only some religions including Buddhism have kept some mystical practice of meditation which are going beyond morality and mass control. We do not go so deeply in this conversation but I guess it would be easy as I know that Sagun's grandfather was a yogi and wrote many articles on yoga published in India. Sagun is not religious but there is wisdom in his heart. What could be more important?
Our conversation becomes more mundane and Sagun tells me about his new business and the difficulties of his partnership. I tell him about my personal musical projects and my desire to go back to France in the close future. We have dinner consisting of humus and Indian delicacies. I drink wine, my first glass since I travelled, and probably one of my last before I return to England. Ashram life doesn't provide French wine!
We drive to the Upstairs Club to listen to some jazz. Little club. We could be in Europe, Paris or London. Miles Davis and Harlem musicians on the wall. Sagun seems to be the only Nepali. The rooms are full of young expats probably all working for UN. It is packed. The club is on two floors. There is a funky jazz band with Nepali players on guitar, bass and drums. Easy listening and hypnotic bass line. The usual musicians are on tour and I can see that Sagun is disappointed.
But we take the opportunity to know each other and Sagun tells me about his son who is 10 years old and whom I will meet tomorrow. A blond Swiss guy called Christopher, a friend of Carole and Sagun arrives. He also works for humanitarian purposes and knew Carole while they were both working for KTM UN. I can understand that UN is full of people working for very different motives and not only the humanitarian ones. Ambition affects all professions including the most apparently giving ones.... I also try to understand the different difficulties in UN Bangladesh and the bureaucracy and corruption involved with government.
It seems that there are many kinds of poverty. The poverty in Bangladesh and some states of India is very difficult because there are so many people there.... UN plans are also too ambitious to be realistic. I can see that some NGO have more success and efficiency because their goals are realistic and not in the distant future.
It is very interesting to see that there is this life of expats... Sagun tells me that Carole is very different and is not interested in meeting all the expats. I am very pleased and cannot wait to meet her. In a couple of hours now. But I should get some solid breakfast at the New Orleans now.....
18 July 2008------Back
18 July 2008-----9:33 AM--------------Meeting my cousin Carole!
At last I met my cousin Carole. She arrived yesterday at 1.30 pm at KTM airport from Bangladesh where she is living and working for UN. Sagun's son, Christopher, is very impatient to see her. He is a lovely kid, open, balanced and extravert. It is obvious that Carole is his new Mum and it is touching to see all of them reunited. I recognize Carole thanks to the marriage photos. She was blonder when she was a little girl and now wear glasses. Large smile, sweet eyes and sensual mouth. I haven't spoken French for a long time and it is so funny to hear the intonation from Auvergne and the open "o" from the middle of France. It immediately brings me back to Saint Flour and my childhood, my grandmother and my uncles and aunts.
We go to Carole's favorite place in KTM at Bouddha place where there is a huge Tibetan stupa. An important historical place as from this temple, buddhism moved to Tibet a very long time ago. After the invasion of Tibet by Chinese, this place is the refuge of many Tibetans. The mysterious half closed blue eyes of the Buddha on the huge stupa hypnotize me. Carole tells me that she used to come here very regularly when she arrived in KTM, reading on the stupa. The stupa is a bit slippery because of paint thrown from the top of the stupa. We go to a cafe with an excellent view on the stupa and all the place. Some Tibetan horns play their religious prayers... Mountains are surrounded us and KTM. Fascinating town. Carole explains that in October you can see the Himalayas but the monsoon brings clouds and the view is limited and I can imagine the magic of KTM in winter. There is a lot of happiness, joie de vivre, simplicity and natural balance in Carole. Her feet are solidly anchored on earth but her head is also in the HImalayas. I think it is a beautiful story. I can recall the studious little girl with golden hair from Saint Flour and it is amazing to see a beautiful accomplished young woman happily married with a Nepali and living in Asia. It looks like a fairy tale as there is nothing more different than Saint Flour and Kathmandu! It puts all distance and cultural differences into perspectives! I understand how easy it is to fall with Nepal, Kathmandu........... and Sagun and his son Christopher who looks like a little Buddha!
We go to the house of Sagun's parents and I am very warmly welcome by the family. Sagun looks very much like his Mum. The Mum is talkative and lively. I understand she is one of the first feminist of Nepal and has done and is still doing a lot for Nepali women. She certainly educated her sons to respect and value women. We speak a bit about yoga which she also practices (Surya Namaskar or Salute to the Sun). There is a lot of love and understandng between her and Carole. They have both been working for UN and all development issues. Sagun's dad is a quiet man dressed in the European fashion. He studied engineering in Glasgow and met his wife in Edimburgh. We drink tea. I can watch the flowers in the garden and also look at the marriage photos while Carole is having a shower. I wished I could have come to the wedding 3 months ago but I was just finishing my PGCE diploma in UK. A traditional marriage with Newari rites and costumes. A huge marriage with more than 500/600 guests.
We go to the hotel where Carole and Sagun got married. Somptuous place with a swimming pool where Sagun used to work before he opened Cibo. Their friends, Christophe and Precille, come and meet us. Discussions about UN and especially UN in Bangladesh compared to last Nepal UN mission of Carole. Bangladesh government is highly corrupt and corruption affects UN and NGO work. Corruption seems to affect so many levels of the organisation, dramatically reducing the help given to the millions who need it. I understand that working too long for UN in Bangladesh would make you a very sad and depressed individual. Carole is too balanced for that and will choose other ways of life. I suppose that any organisation when big money is involved runs the risk of corruption....... Precille works for handicapped children in Nepal. A lot has to be done and disability has always been hidden in that society. We drink wine and eat "momos" and tapas. Chris plays in the hotel and shows us some of his magic tricks with cards!
18 July 2008-----10:20 AM--------------Yoga practice in Kathmandu
I get up very early and practise yoga and meditation. I keep closely in touch with what is going to be my world for the next month. I love to practise in the morning. It gives me all the energy and clarity of mind I need for the rest of the day.
I reflect more about Vipassana meditation in relation to my yoga practice. It is very interesting to observe how sensations in the body dissolve.... mysterious too.... The dissolution of "tensions" mainly happen between the asanas or pauses. The non-reaction to the stretch involved in the posture is also important to improve it. Progress in yoga depends on the mental attitude towards the "physical pain" involved in each posture. I take great care to stop and rest between each pose to allow this transformation to happen and to observe sensations.
Some yoga meditation practices deal with the observation of thoughts which is also an important aspect of insight meditation. I reflect a bit more about MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy) and think how this "modern" therapy based on the ancient practice of Vipassana has brought together analytical work and meditation. Nice package more adapted to the modern individual and free from the spiritual language.
I have many questions for the yoga teachers I will meet in the ashrams. I know that I am going to ashrams with a strong vedanta tradition. I will find belief in God as well as influence from the vedas, upanishads and other sacred texts of India. I wonder how my "modern" and atheist mind will cope with this aspect. I guess it will be alright as I did not have any problem with the teaching of Vipassana in a Buddhist centre. I always feel I can adapt traditional Indian teaching to my own personal beliefs.
To some, my practice might seem too introspective or even selfish but my view is different. I consider self knowledge to be essential in life. Yoga and meditation certainly do not exclude active involvement in life and social work. They are my personal way of investigating life but, by no way, the only one on this earth!
18 July 2008-----11:06 AM--------------Massala tea with Carole
After my breakfast at the New Orleans, Carole arrives and we go for tea in town. She takes me to a quiet place with a lot of greenery and flowers. First time we're alone together. We discover our lives in Nepal, Kathmandu, Dakha, Paris, Brighton, London, Saint Flou.... we speak of Sagun's son, Christopher, and Véronique's daughter, Shai.
Carole has made for herself a happy life and her 4 years in KTM have certainly been very beneficial. Her professional experience in Dakha might be unpleasant but it is very formative and instructive. Suddenly her friend Christophe appears.... KTM is very small! We share our meal and Carole drinks a lot of water to recover from yesterday's wine. Lovely to speak French altogether!
18 July 2008-----6:14 PM--------------Thakari restaurant in KTM
Evening at the Thakari Restaurant with Sagun, Carole, Christopher and Abdul. The Thakari are a very small community based in north Nepal. Apparently the Thakari are an amazing ethnic population (1% of Nepali people) who live a small village very high in the mountains. This small community succeeds very well in society, studies abroad, returning to Nepal. Their food is excellent and Sagun explains that their village and kitchens are surprisingly clean. I drink their local abricot whisky. So clear and perfumed. Very warming and good for the stomach.
Then I try a traditional Dal Bhat: rice, Dal (mung beans soup), vegetables. Excellent and very filling. Carole tells me about the practice of animal sacrifices in Nepal and I am horrified.... Goat sacrifices for puja of cars. Puja seem to happen very often for all kinds of occasions. Nepalis believe that you need a special puja to protect your car. The puja lasts 4 hours and can costs up to 5000 rupees! The flesh of the poor animal is stuck in the car wheels. Pretty barbarian. Carole managed to have this practice excluded from the International area where she was working for the UN. But UN Nepali drivers were not that happy... Some cooler practices consist in putting a coconut in your car engine for the puja. I knew that Nepali ate meat but did not know that animal sacrifices still survived. Very very old practices indeed!
I organise my trip with Abdul. We will leave KTM on Sunday morning and I should arrive in Rikhia ashram in Bihar on Tuesday evening before Swami Satyananda's birthday on Wednesday. It makes me think that today is the celebration of Guru Poornima, the biggest summer full moon. I cannot see anything here but there is probably some pujas in the temples of KTM.
Tomorrow Carole and Sagun will pick me up at 10am and we will go and visit outside KTM. Hopefully the weather will allow us to admire the mountains.... I will show dicewords to Christopher who likes playing so much! His English is already very good, so this is a great game for him! I cannot wait to be in the mountains!
18 July 2008-----6:21 PM--------------No more news for one month!
I will now say goodbye as I won't have access to internet for the next month. I am leaving Kathmandu on Sunday morning. Happily, Abdul, Sagan's Muslim Tibetan friend, will escort me to Patna. He is going there to pray on a Sufist tomb, and after that, he will continue travelling for his jewellery business. A friend of Abdul's will drive me by taxi to Rikhia ashram.
Even Indians and Nepalis are afraid of Bihari people and I feel greatly reassured to have Abdul with me. Bihar has a very bad reputation for gangsters and maffia. Bihar is the poorest state in India and criminality is extremely high. We will take one bus to the border of India, then one train and finally another bus to Patna. Patna used to be the capital of the great emperor Ashoka. Times have changed! I should arrive in Rikhia ashram, where Swami Satyananda lives, on Tuesday evening . I will only stay there for few days. The days begin at 4am. There is a practice called "seva yoga" (selfless practice consisting of community activities), personal practice, mantra chanting and discussions. Lights are out at 8.30 pm.
After this first ashram experience, I will take another taxi to the Yoga School of Bihar in Munger. I believe it is only 2 or 3 hours from Rikhia. All yoga students are expected to be there on 30 July. Our Teacher Yoga Training will last 3 weeks from 1 August to 21 August. I know that we will get up at 4 am and follow an ashram life. However, I do not have any details about our training except that it is be held in English and for Indian nationals. My friend Marie from Paris will join me on 30 July in the ashram.
I will leave Munger on 22 August and will take a train to Calcutta. I will get a train from Calcutta to Chennai on 23 August and should arrive in Chennai on 25 August. I should go then go to Pondicherry and Auroville and visit South India, Madurai and other Tamul temples before finishing my trip on the beaches of Kerala and Cochin which should be my final destination in India.
I won't be able to update this blog while I am in ashrams and hope to give some news in a month's time when I arrive either in Calcutta or Chennai. In the meantime, I wish you all the best while I am learning the secrets of Indian yoga! Namaste xxx Muriel
Map of Kathmandu------Back
Kathmandu (also known as Katmandu) is the capital of Nepal. As the country's largest city, it is also the home to most of the government offices, embassies, corporate houses, and the palace. The old palace of Newar kings, Kathmandu Durbar Square, which is listed as UNESCO world heritage site, is in Basantapur, next to Freak Street, which was the popular hippie spot during the seventies. The Shah King's Palace stands right next to Thamel - the tourist hub of the country. Thamel consists of two parallel streets just to the west of the palace. It is home to different hotels, ranging from different stars. The palace is at the head of Durbar Marg, a street lined with various shops.
See http://bluedandelion.net/viit/kathmandu_d.htm for more pictures.