Dear Dharma Friends,

Thank you for the many kind responses I received from the first letter sent from India. It reminds me of the love and support we share as a sangha, and it has been an honor to walk the path with these many years. Some of you requested that I continue to take you along as this India journey continues. You are welcome to join us.

After parting with other members of our group, Jon and I flew to Varanasi. Immediately on the drive from the airport into Varanasi I felt a deep connection to this part of India. It is the plains of North Central India through which the Ganga River flows. This is where the Buddha lived much of his life and the area of India in which I have spent most of my time through the years. Once we landed and exited the airport, the smell of the land and air was very familiar, as was the heat and humidity. I felt as though I had come home to a place in my heart I know very well.

As we drove from the outskirts of the city of Varanasi deep into the heart of “Old Town” I could feel the excitement build. I had found a hotel online that was right on the Ganga River in the heart of dirty, gritty Varanasi. Varanasi (the ancient name is Kashi) is said to be at least 3500 years old and it looks it. The narrow winding streets with well-worn large gray cobblestones are lined with small shops that sell the necessities of life and a bit more for pilgrims and tourists. These are the streets where I had the image of my friend Jon and I walking sometime in the past and now we have the good fortune and privilege to be here together again. Walking amongst a crush of humanity, Varanasi is one of the most densely populated cities in the world per square mile and one certainly feels “packed in.” An Indian friend, who lived in the USA, once said “you Americans and your need for space.” Right! Most of us are used to having plenty of bodily space, not so in Varanasi. Think in terms of inches or feet between yourself and people around you, not yards.

There is an annual Varanasi ritual that took place the other day in which women, couples and families who want a child and perhaps have had difficulty conceiving, go inside a temple where there is a pond, and they step into the water and hopefully are blessed with a child. I wasn’t permitted into the temple to view the ceremony therefore my description is limited, but what amazed me was the number of people who were lined up for two miles to participate in this ritual. The Indians are an unruly bunch, so they had barricades made of wood to keep people in line at two abreast with inches between them. And the line went on and on and on from both directions leading to the temple where the pond is located. Some of them had been in line for 36 hours standing during the day in the hot sun. Children and family mean so much to these people that they are willing to endure such an experience.

Situated on the banks of the Ganga River, the neighborhoods of Old Town Varanasi are distinguished by ghats. Each ghat has steps that lead down to the Ganga. Both of the hotels I’ve stayed in on this trip are right on the Ganga River. It’s been wonderful to meditate on the balcony during the morning sunrise and in the evening and see the river flowing by. There are a number of rivers whose confluence upstream contribute to the Ganga. It flows through a vast area of India and, like many things in this country, is considered sacred. We took a boat trip in the early morning and saw many locals and pilgrims saying prayers and immersing themselves in the waters. While I did this in years past without getting sick, the Ganga is now very polluted, and I decided not to risk it. Indeed, traveling in my 70’s is very different than when I was in my 20’s,30’s and 40’s. The steep steps are harder to climb, and I don’t have the energy I once had. However, just being in this spiritual environment is satisfying enough.

I’ve always considered India to be pretty much the opposite of the United States. While materialism abounds in the U.S., a feeling of spirituality permeates India. Much to my delight this hasn’t seemed to change very much over the years. Yesterday I visited the main burning ghat where cremations take place around the clock. Some of the people were there to cremate the remains of their loved ones and others to visit the Golden Temple that is next to the burning ghat and well known in India. India has a rich and diverse history of spiritual traditions and there are many sects within Hinduism, which is the majority religion here. If you are a spiritual junkie, like myself, this is the place to be! One can distinguish if someone worships God in the form of Vishnu, Shiva, or a female goddess such as Durga of Kali by the markings placed on their foreheads called bindi or tilak. Three lines horizontally across the forehead means you are a Shaivite and worship the god Shiva as the supreme being. One aspect of Shiva represents destruction and death, and it is said if you either die in Varanasi or die elsewhere and have your body transported and cremated at the burning ghats, Shiva will whisper Ram (God) in your ear, and you will be liberated from the incarnation cycle of birth and death. Somehow with my Buddhist training I wish it was that easy. But who knows what can happen, and one thing I’ve learned through many years of being exposed to various spiritual traditions and practices is to not make absolute conclusions about what I see or believe. Better to practice the Don’t Know mind and just let it be as it is. If it is helpful to someone on their spiritual journey, then that is what is important.

In previous trips to Varanasi my visits to the cremation ghats were more of a contemplative nature as I saw the bodies being burned somewhat from a distance. However, this time with the aid of a guide, I was able to go to the center of the activity at the main burning ghat. No photos are allowed in the burning ghats area, and I will need to describe it to you. I walked up steps into a covered tower where I could see the whole process unfolding. I was standing in the upper area where the upper caste people are cremated. There were a number of bodies being burned at once. Looking down below in the middle of the ghat was the burning area for people from the middle castes, where bodies were burning at various stages of the process, and then a lower area where those of a lower caste are cremated. Historically India is structured on a social stratification system known as caste. The family you are born into determines what caste you belong to. As a Buddhist monk, I spent considerable time with people considered untouchables, known as Dalits, which is the lowest caste. Their stories were heartbreaking. At that time many Dalits were being converted to Buddhism so they could escape the caste system that has been oppressive to them. However, they knew very little about the Buddha’s teachings and there was a lack of trained monks to help them. Being at burning ghats was a reminder that as far as India has come in attempting to heal the injustices of this ancient caste system it still exists today in subtle ways.

My friend Jon left this morning to visit temples in Allahabad and Lucknow on his way back to Vrindavan where he will celebrate Maharaj-ji’s 50th Mahasamadhi (leaving of his body) and the place where he was cremated. At each of these temples, as he has done throughout the trip, Jon will chant eleven devotional hymns to Hanuman. This is an important spiritual practice for him. I have changed my travel plans and want to spend the remaining time in this part of India, especially in Saranath and Bodh Gaya which has a rich Buddhist history. I’m alone now, but not really, with 1.4 billion Indians surrounding me. I’m looking forward to less traveling and spending more quiet time in one place. This is how I like to experience India!

With love, John