back from India

[Guest guest]

Om Namah Shivaya, all...

I am back from India and Amritapuri, where I stayed for

2 1/2 weeks. Jyotsna, your diaries came alive for me

in some ways there!

I, too, kept a diary, although I think most of it is too

personal for me to feel comfortable sharing here as

you have. But I will probaby post some of my insights

and experiences here.

I found Amritapuri to be very difficult, for the most

part, but well worth it. I grew a lot as a person and

a spiritual being. But it was very overwhelming and

intimidating for me at first, with all the adjustments of being

there and my own emotional issues coming up. It

seems to bring everything up to be dealt with.

I met some of the most amazing people there, and

their stories certainly inspired me. It was a blessing to

have a flat on the 14th floor, where from the balcony

on our level I could view the sunrise in the morning

(where I did my yoga practice) and the sunset in the

evening. I think few vistas compared to what I

experienced every day at Amritapuri.

I do wish that I had spent a little more time around

Amma during darshans. In the beginning, it seemed

overwhelming with the sheer number of people

coming, and also very confusing with how things

were organized, so I kept my distance for fear of

doing something wrong, going in the wrong line, or

offending someone! But I eventually got over that

and had several very sweet moments near her.

Hope all of you are well and happy... I was happily

very healthy most of the time there (only problems

really were the heat and an allergic reaction to the

mosquito bites!), and although I'm happy to be

home, I feel I still have one foot in India, and it

and the people of Kerala are in my heart - as is

Amma, of course.

Blessings,

Achintya