Syriac & Pigeons

So I realize again english composition is hard work. I know now I am uncertain how to form a plural in the emphatic state. They don't have articles definite or indefinite but nouns in the emphatic state used to mean 'the - noun'. So grammarians argue then at some point it became a figure of speech. I think you add the two dot sign above the last letter but it can't be that simple, which I think means you can't tell when speaking only by the written word. Or re-reading that I am not sure if you could tell from the written word. I think it's more if you do the composition this is the stuff that holds you up for an hour. Why don't I just have a crack at it get it wrong and have the Donnish Professor James remove my confusion. Now I have earned my place at table might as well make use of his clarity. Then spend the time doing my own studies building up vocabulary and grammar, gotta memorize the conjugations and, Reminds me of Levinas but I mustn't.

Plus I have a couple of roosting pigeons in my bathroom ensuite. They had begun arriving when I was there last and took my one month absence as permission to set up home. Now on my return Desdichado the black night, first nest was on the floor I assume dropped or pushed. Many of the fathers are aware of my guests one had gone so far to suggest that I should clean my room. Cleanse my room. How very dare he. Do I look like some Indian Paramilitary out on a jolly cleansing the other ethnicities from my abode. Apart from that what bi'ness of his is my cell hmmm. Go clean your own dirty habits I say to meself. Although there is a rumour going about that I do not wash my clothes with washing powder. I must protest. I use much Tesco heavily undiluted yet cheap detergent and the water is always very mucky by the end. It's just that my clothes end up moving from their first bright white to desert brown just we call it, hmmm. I think the solution is to purchase darker clothes to begin with. So the pigeons from my brief sojourn at Buckden Towers they are called rats with wings because they can start spreading disease if you aren't careful. It's more the droppings. If they could only be housetrained then who would object to the biblical is it psalm even the pigeons find a home in your temple.

I treat them as a grumpy landlord. Keep the noise down and do something about yer droppings. Now I can begin to smell them and since I have very little nasal power left I am guessing the smell would be quite intense to humans. I shall mention the pigeons to the Hostel Director. Then if he does want to do something about them he can organize the paramilitaries. And if he want to add a small fine on my leaving, that works too. But I feel I am keeping well above payments assuming John the Just comes through with the latest. I am more of an eccentric man of substance travelling from the west, like the Colonel from Fawlty Towers. It's not like they are my pets and I have given them names and am about to set up a pigeon circus, tempting as that sounds. Just too far to fall from the Ox cart and Elephant.

I have thought more on the priest. I think the solution for me is if the Superior General diverts funds from their general fund to provide assistance for young Manjulah then we can call it quits. Unless they are denying the allegation. In which case inquire away. He was going to come back to me in December so he is not in any rush. I am pretty sure the Ashram/Hostel/Orphanage is being abandoned. Or in the code of modern Religious he is leaving it to the Will of God, if it fails it is the Will of God he is unconcerned. What in the West we term Wilful Neglect. Also now this isn't judging this is just showing off my superior theological training to the missionary priest. He has gotten a strange idea into his head that he is not Religious because he does not take the vows of Poverty Chastity and Obedience.

The simple answer is that he is talking tosh usually to people less knowledgeable than even he. First all the baptized are religious in the sense he doesn't understand and the evangelical counsels apply to us all according to our state of life. Benedictines don't take the vows in the vanilla form but a vow of stability and moral conversation. It amounts to the same. The busdriver paradigm is helpful. We tell yer man on his first day when the bell rings start the bus. That is holy obedience. When attractive young people pass by don't molest them, that is holy chastity, and the money you collect you deposit in the bank it's not yours, that is holy poverty. In that sense the Mill Hillers don't take the vows but that doesn't protect them from charges of fraud and if he really wanted to spend his holidays in five star hotels and doesn't like the smell of the poor anymore then why doesn't he just leave marry his cousin for the twenty lac dowry and be set up by his rich uncle in a architect/building firm. This isn't judging but it is surprising how few priests here even after their on average 15 year training remain both pitifully ignorant of simple basic theological ideas and are always in demand for spiritual direction and retreats. Bit like the GP with his prescription pad, a priest can forgive sins and summon down god into bread and wine. Best I could summon is a pizza within half an hour so where has all that superior knowledge ever got me.

The MillHillers seem to have moved to a conversion programme. Paul father was boasting 150 new Caflicks to be baptized by Easter in time for the grand opening of his new Church building. I don't believe that really impresses anyone in the West. You meet the man he isn't a great preacher, he doesn't have any magicko-charismatic powers, he doesn't heal or exorcise spirits and 150 converts in six months is pretty poor. Average Nigerian preacher would bring in that many in the first five minutes of his five hour long service. They figure rice converts or the guy is making up stuff now because he wants more money. There is something in both but not quite.

He had previously said this isn't the point of evangelization but that aside. What you end up with is 150 laminated baptismal certificates kept in family safes. 150 new testimonials for the Lord, I had always assumed he had enough testimonials provided by the Southern Baptists but anyone can get a little insecure over the millenia. They will testify that he is the Lord and Son of God and then they will show you their laminated baptismal certificate. Tribals no more then, a true gift for any child you love. It's not that I want to tell him that is not the point of anything. He knows it's obviously an intermediate step he is taking between abandoning the ashram, and I liked the idea of bringing in primary education conscientizing the women then rinse and repeat, and moving to another building project. Though he will return to England to try to raise more money. I assume the recession will mean his return flights already make that plan non-viable unless he just wants to return to England for a few months.

As for the rest, I really don't wish to judge the man. That's not true. I do want to judge the man but no one has given me the right. He is a patronizing little shit who thinks he is better than the people he lives with because they are tribals and he is a Reddy which is a Brahmin convert except when he comes to England then he is just another paki. What was truly offensive is that he started to treat me as just another wandering tribal. Me the Colonel from Fawlty Towers, dodgy war record, faking alzheimer's and never actually paid any bills yet. How very dare he. If I knew who I is then I would start crying out do you have any idea who I is. Apparently that's a Syriac construction. You is the Lord. 3rd person singular ending goes with first or second person subject.

It's a life he has. Pity nobody appreciates his buildings. I still think the latrines are on a par in the cultural vision with those of the Paris Metro, and the borewell was an abyss, reminded me of that Canadian film with the guy from the young doctor series in it and Natalie Portman, yes no. Now liturgically speaking perhaps it isn't that important where you put the side altars. Well the opposite really but it was a good attempt at imitating a Church cruciform. I would have quite liked to see it when it was done. And all right he doesn't want more money but when I offered him money for a Church he told me the church is not a building he wanted to conscientize the women etc. What it really needs is a Hindu inspired gargoyle perhaps of Ravanna he is already sloping the roof to gather the rain water, so a modernized traditional gargoyle from Mahaballipuram ah I can dream. Buildings return to dust very quickly here if you neglect them. If you have ever seen an unoccupied house in London though same thing happens. But here the insects come very quickly they just envelop the place in dust and it quickly returns to dust. As he is hoping and praying that my visit to the Ashram was the last one does so hate to disappoint the prayers of the faithful.

Anyway I think young Manjulah will profit from a 3k pounds trust fund managed with personal responsibility by the General Council of the Mill Hill Missionary Society or I will find out how to invoke a tribunal in pursuance of a breach of canon law. On reflection I have gone off yer man Paul never really been overfond of the name, though it will do me good to refrain from charitable giving in India. I was surprised more that no one was in the least bit surprised that I might have been defrauded of funds by an indigenous Indian priest. Instead of their being embarrassed or outraged by my complaining it was more a suggestion of these things happen don't take it too much to heart.

Jose is suggesting a Xtian Yoga retreat or a straightforward Trappist one at Kurumusala (something like that where Bede Griffiths nearly started and Francis Acharya finished). He really is quite straight for all his talk of our Hindu legacy, in the end I think he wants the Hindu legacy of Caflicks filtered through Roman Catholic institutions sympathetic to Hinduism Buddhism Jainism etc rather than the heretical partial truth sayers directly. Oh and the meditations are definitely happening. 4am starts are I think gonna be ok. Once I form a habit it's more of an effort to break the habit. I can get into a decent ardhapadmasana problem is I now feel far more bony than I had imagined myself. That will hurt after ten minutes. So step by step. I meditate throughout the day now too. The fathers and nuns occasionally comment. I am growing the silence gifted to me by some buddhists. I prefer it. No siddhis gained by this technique so one less thing to worry about.

Oh well should do a few more sentences and get down to some meditation and oops nearly had a small high there peak through the equanimity. I shall head off towards the Mall and check out the Mac shop just inquire about notebooks and white books and a Xmas time delivery if they give me the specs I am sure Ollie can confirm which one to go for.