Guru-Ji

The day started with a folk historian discussing tribal songs and objecting to the whole little tradition title. I like his style but he was weak in presentation. Just a poor quality audio recording of some Tamil and Kannada bards. Of course I mentioned the minni-singer trouvere/troubadour critique of courtly love when he tried to argue from the text it seems women had great power in mediaeval India among tribals. I am not sure if I completely intimidated him. He clearly knows a lot more (given that I know nothing) a lot then on tribal songs, culture, dance and is a tribal himself. But I think I intimidated him. He tried to stitch together a metanarrative hiding it with a few sanksrit/pali terms in the hope we wouldn't know what he was talking about. Don't you hate it when people try things like that.

The meal with Dr Tapassum the pudding doctor was a banquet. I prophesied as much.

Then Sri sri Ravishankar (not the sitar playing daddy of Norah Jones the other Ravishankar) was truly uplifting amazing and restored my faith and love for humanity. Quite impressive since our lecturer on Gurus had done his best mainly off the record to suggest Guru-ji was a fraud, a bailum and barney's performer for the West, closely linked to Hindutva fascism and notably silent on the Gujerat genocide. He had warned us how friendly and loving it would seem so no surprises there. We were given a darshan with Guru-Ji because we were taken by DVK. So I did ask if it would be ok to ask Guru-Ji for an official response to the Gujerat genocide since most of his followers in India are from there. (They had a visit of about 1500 guratis on silent retreat while we were there). They said I could ask though Fr Jose added it was more personal questions we were very honoured usually only presidents etc. He is a carmelite. That man will be Prior General one day.

So he got asked to sum up his message. He began smile and serve. And went on about the common humanity, love for all, not to be taken in by outward appearances, not to criticize little things in what we see but to meditate upon the best and the noblest for in so doing we then will begin to see what is really wrong with the world where we must smile and serve. So I asked him. I personalized the question and I asked him. And what a beautiful manchild. He went out to gujerat set up conflict resolution centres he is now in Sri Lanka doing the same for the post-genocide there and in a few days he goes to Pakistan.

He may not be one of us but he casts out demons all the same. I felt in my heart he is the real mccoy. We were told he claims to be the reincarnation of the love of Christ, the silence of the Buddha and the playfulness of Krsna. When asked he affirmed the divinity of all. See God in everyone and see everyone as God. His real claim is that he refuses to grow up and will stay a child forever.

He was beautiful.

After the darshan we had the tour too and they are really welcoming and friendly. We stayed for a celebration of Krsn birth (coincides at midnight with the birth of the Indian republic and Assumption of the BVM) ok that was like a charismatic pentecostal revival meeting. They think he is a Godman.

Even then not so much a showman or it takes real showmanship to appear that natural unaffected and childlike. I took away his blessing. Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti-ii as you do and I hope his smile and love. Some lancastrians felt on balance it was a cult mind.

Getting my sri lanka meditation trip sorted for visa return. but it's a few months off. India is getting better. Beautiful and ugly and multilayered. Only been here 3 weeks this time though I am sure it will get boring again before another bud opens.