Field Trip

This last week we took a trip to Turuaniomoli (I am sure that I misspelled that, but I really have no idea how to spell it).  Turu is a small town, but plays host to a huge number of religious sites.  Ok, religious sites might not be the best word.  There is A religious site.  That is the nearby mountain that is holy to Hindus as a god (either given by Shiva, or is Shiva, it was never really clear).  The holiness of the area has since attracted many gurus, who have then set up ashrams.  Turu has now become a huge tourist town, attracting tons of westerners who are “seeking.”

We got up at 5 in the morning in order to arrive by 11.  A long detour later, we got there just in time for lunch.  We checked into the hotel, which, although having the appearance of a nice hotel, had some major problems.  Like empty shampoo bottles, swarms of ants, and a cleaning staff that moved and dug through our stuff. 

Quo Vadis was set up as an interfaith dialog center.  It was created to “make space” for conversations to happen.  Ironically, we did very little conversing, and a lot more sleeping on the open porches.  Actually, I am still unsure what exactly how Quo Vadis does this cross religion conversation, since the only people I saw at Quo Vadis were our group and the seminarians.  But clearly they were somewhat successful, because they had conversed enough with the Hindus to get us a special blessing at the major Hindu temple.  A blessing that most Hindus will never get.  Talk about student privilege. 

Quo Vadis was a mixture of a 25% hostel and 75% café.  We ate lunch and dinners there, and breakfast at our hotel.  Quo Vadis was mostly courtyards and gardens covered by wooden or straw roofs.  There was one main building with a library, offices, and a couple rooms for visitors.

We spent the trip mostly with our shoes off in Ashrams.  Everywhere we went, we were told that this certain guru, or sect, had found some form of enlightenment, and that if we only did this, and kept an open mind, we would see changes in our life.  The secrets of life ranged from meditation with pink lights, to sitting in silence and asking “who am I,” to chanting the name of a dead guru, to realizing that you are a point of light right in the middle of your forehead.  A few of us decided that it would have made a good drinking game. 

But all sarcasm aside, the ashrams seemed more like cults of personality.  They all worshipped their founders as if they were gods.  Actually, there is an Indian saying that the guru is god.  When we were talking to some of the devout, they often compared their masters to Jesus.  I am curious. Have these teachers actually obtained some state of mind that makes them special, or are their worshippers just so desperate for hope that they will follow someone who they believe is special.  The gurus themselves ranged a great deal.  Some were dedicated to peace and humanitarian efforts, and would meet with world leaders to help towards that effect.  One guru just sat in silence for years, and people started to ask him questions.  Actually, that one reminded me of Forrest Gump.  He was just some guy who sat down and thought (like Forrest just deciding to run) and everyone else assuming that he was something special, when he really wasn’t.  But maybe that is just pessimism.

Actually, this whole time in India have really made me reconsider how I view religion.  I am really critical and suspicious of most religions, but pretty easily accept my own.  Why am I so suspicious of these gurus, but not of Jesus.  How do I know he was not just one of these great teachers?  Or, I could take the Indian approach and say that they are all paths to the same end.  But I am not sure I completely agree with that either.  I have a hard time believing that the oppressive caste system can be on the same level as the universal love that I have always been taught.

Anyways, that is enough deep religious thought for now.  But India has really given me time to think.  Like why western cultures have different views of hospitality? And when is technology a good thing or an alienating thing?  And how does Andrew gain the respect of people so quickly?

I should stop now while I still can. 

Good night

Andrea