It’s that time of the year, when I do a review and assessment of my year gone by. Along with that, I also have a self-evaluation assessment, which also happens at this time. So this Diwali & traditional New Year time have always been a reflective time of the year for me combined with ART activities. (Diwali art helped me improve an emotional imbalance few years back).

While reviewing specific aspects of life like Travel, Work are easier. Doing an overall review on this blog is tricky.

In terms of my ongoing Spiritual sadhana and life in general, I think a few key aspects stand out in the past year,

Isha

I had been looking to be closer to the Isha Yoga ashram for the past many months now and consequently the shift to Coimbatore city happened in mid September. I am quite happy with the setup currently. In some ways I actually wonder whether this is better than living in the ashram itself.

What is interesting is that it is exactly 12 years, a cycle, since 2007 when I first shifted to the IYC as a full time volunteer. So after a whole cycle of staying there, getting angry, leaving, fighting, getting blacklisted with them and now back to living at near the ashram and volunteering with them. The reasons and way the two decisions happened are different, but there is an uncanny circle dynamics taking place. Here Sadhguru talks about the 12 years solar cycle thing.

Ordained Folk

On Diwali day, I sat in the Jain temple area for a lecture from one of the female monks there. And I was just feeling how nice it is to have ordained folk around. The year has seen quite a few interactions with various ordained folk.

At Isha Foundation, one of the enjoyable aspects is that we work very close to the ordained folks. And I know many of them from earlier days so I have enjoyed interacting with them.

In Thailand, I had quite a deep exchange with a Buddhist monk and nun. It gave me a new perspective on some matters and insight into Thervada Buddhism. It also made me realise that while I may look out for “friends on the road”, the people I am really gelling with are the hard core spiritual folk like monks and nuns. It was quite a stark realisation because that puts my ‘social life’ into some perspective.

In Surat, my uncle has a place just by the staying area of Jain sadhus and sadhvis. And they come by to the house very often looking for food or any other matter. I really enjoyed their presence in the house, offering them food and chatting with one of the very senior ones.

In all these different paths, I must say, the Isha Foundation monks are the most downplayed as of now. I mean that they are treated the same as us normal volunteer folk. Compared to my experience in the place in 2007, they now do have some privileges different than others. This is probably due to the increased number of volunteers in the ashram which has led to some segregation of practice areas and dining areas and such. But other than that, there is no ritual or formality when it comes to dealing with them. And that is very interesting. Though I am curious to see how it evolves. Obviously, the presence of a live guru makes a difference but then even in the other paths there are the more ‘impactful’ ordained leaders. But despite those leaders, there is still a whole plethora of rituals that the common folk observe towards the ordained ones.

Lost Pot

I have very consciously been shaping a different and meaningful life for me over the last few years. There are some aspects where I am strikingly different than my usual company. It seems to me that more interesting choices need to be made in my life, to align it better. But what exactly they are, I am not clear.

Also the addition of Isha Ashram in my life has changed the internal situation in many ways.
So I am a little lost about the future.

Trust in the Guru.

🙂