Glimpse of Eden

Who would not like a serene and secure atmosphere of Dhyan Ashram, with plenty of trees, gardens, and water bodies! It is like taking a glimpse of what the Garden of Eden could have been, before the serpent tricked the first parents. The air is cool and the atmosphere is pleasant. There is a silence, which the trees and plants, frantically try to preserve and pass on to everyone who drops in here. It is rightly a place of Dhyan, of meditation, and though our purpose in coming here today is nothing to do with meditation, but we see several men and women who are steeped in meditation.

To forget the self and to be immersed in the thought of the creator or his/her (could we not think of the creator as a feminine force!) creation, or to enter into the inner recesses of oneself and listen to the murmurs of the life-spirit, or to the whispers of the soul! We are too frightened of taking time off, to enter into the self; the most enjoyable trip that is ever possible is to dive into the inner self, because that is where miracles await us, where flowers wait for us to bloom, where birds await us to start their singing. But the world has kept us tied to itself that we find impossible to break free.

I see the men and women of all ages lost in their worlds of prayer and meditation; it is impossible for me to fathom their minds and hearts, but looking at their faces, one thing is sure that their minds are not preoccupied with the material world that we are so busy with; they are probably thinking of a reality which is far removed from the worldly reality we live at each moment of our lives. But to take time out and be by ourselves is what can give us the psychic energy and stamina to go ahead with life, in spite of all the odds which attempt to make our lives miserable.

It is impossible to enter into our inner selves, from within our familiar surroundings; we are interrupted and disturbed at every now and then, that we cannot concentrate on our journey inwards. There are telephones, mobile phones, television, children, friends drop in just to say hello, the familiar songs being played at the neighborhood… these all can become distractions when we make a sincere effort to dive deep into our selves. But a quiet and serene atmosphere such as this can become helpful to plunge into ourselves boldly and courageously.

Besides helping us to dive into the deeper recesses of our own selves, nature has the ability to soothe our wounded selves, and balm our pains and worries. There is no greater companion to us than nature, with all their colors and charm, scent and radiance. If only we know how to appreciate and communicate with nature, then we may spend hours and hours in her company. It does not require great artistic sense to appreciate nature in all her glory, just a sense of wonder can take us a long way in being true companions to nature all around us. But here we are in a privileged place to behold one of the best forms of nature, and I spend a few moments to silently commune with her!

Making of a White Elephant

When we refer to a white elephant, all our friends know exactly what we are referring to. This had become the talk of the town sometime ago, and it is there for all to see. Originally visualized as an architectural marvel, this elephant was designed by a former student of one of our prestigious schools in the city, but we have to tighten our shoe strings in order to complete the building of the elephant, which had cost us a lot. But those who were instrumental in adorning this elephant, still claim that it is all worth it, because it is sure to stay as an architectural wonder to all who would visit the place. However I beg to differ from them, and had been doing so from the beginning of the making of it.

A place of prayer has to be beautiful, no wonder; but more than being beautiful what a place of prayer should be primarily is, providing a conducive ambiance to silent communication of the soul with its maker. The beauty can come only after the ambiance. The ambiance, spiritual masters might call this a spiritual vibration, cannot be created out of nothing; every place may have its own vibration, and if care is taken to discern a place with spiritual vibration, it would benefit all those who sit there to open their hearts to the Maker. Mere external beauty of the building cannot provide the ambiance to pray and commune with God.

I would think that the making of a place of worship and prayer should be left to those people who are spiritually oriented. I have seen several churches and temples, which have been squeezed between several buildings, and there might be too little vibration to pray; however those who design these might argue that if they seek after a place with proper vibe, they might not get one, and therefore should make use of what is at their disposal. I feel that this might be one of the main reasons why many people do not feel at home to pray in many churches. The architectural wonders may become a tourist attraction, but not a spiritual destination. This might be the contradiction that the improper white elephants may cause.

Spending a fortune to build and adorn it with the best of possible décor may not make a place of worship achieve the purpose for which it has been made. There are hundred and one ways to adorn even the ugliest of things, and to make them appear beautiful. Beauticians have a magic wand which can transform anything into an object of beauty; however no beautician can really assure beauty which seeps through the skin of the object or thing, or person. It would be better to bring out the beauty of the benevolent God through the structure and décor of a place of prayer, rather than making them imposing, even strangling the very presence of God.

Unfortunately there is a trend among the Church builders to make them as posh and imposing as possible, and not taking into consideration the sentiments and feelings of the people who would frequent the place to pour out their pain and suffering. If only the people who would use the place of worship were to make their own structure, then they might do it quite differently, saving so much of time, money, and even resources. Ultimately what matters is that the people feel at home, and I wonder how many people will really feel comfortable to pray inside the ‘white elephant’, and it would be a sad sight if it does not take people to God. It might just remain as a relic of someone’s obstinacy and high-handedness, and not a place of prayer and worship.

In the world of the Dead

Every time I go to visit the departed friends at the cemetery, myriad thoughts cloud my mind; I know most of the persons resting in peace here at Dhyan Ashram, some of them had been my teachers, some 'father-figures', some guides; some of their words still ring in my ears. I remember great Leeming; whenever I would ask him how he was, he would tell me that he felt better when he saw me! He was obviously naughty at that age. There is Timmermans, who had a soft-heart for me, during the first year in Calcutta! (In 1984, only in Bangla, it was called Kolkata), much to the embarrassment of many of my companions. And Ernst, who liked telling me stories of missionary activities! And printer, builder Rosnar, who had told me so many times the same old stories of his hunting!

Some I know, get frightened when they visit the graveyard, as if by visiting they invite death to themselves! Far from it, it is a reality that everyone has to be prepared for! But for me it is always a pleasant experience to stand for a while before many of the familiar men, and even whisper something dear to me. It is an invitation for me to enter into their lives, a life that age could not stop. Many of these men, who have offered their lives for God and people, have become immortal in the hearts of the hundreds of men and women whose lives they had touched. They are truly immortal.

I can see the earth, which is so very kind and generous to accept them back to her bosom; she would not like anyone, bird or beast to destroy their bodies, which she had gifted to the world, until they become part of herself! The mute witness to all that these men had done on earth, is again mute when it comes to vindicating some of them for the wrongs they might have committed. The world may take several years to really forgive, but for Mother Earth, she might ask us, forgive what! After all, she is the mother, who will never refuse home to her child!

I wish I have the luxury of time to sit in the cemetery and spend a whole day, speaking to all the persons whom I had known during their lifetime. I dont know if they would be delighted to do that with me, but I will surely be delighted to remind them of my sweet time in their company. And to have someone from the other side of the world is, always a matter of great blessing, because for one thing, I know their invisible presence will protect me from all danger and harm!

Today as I stood before them, there was one little prayer, though that happens to be sign of my selfishness. I want to imitate some of their noble qualities, which surely I lack to a great extent. Many of the men lying here were great stalwarts, and had done some thing marvellous for God and Bengal. When I turn to myself in their presence, I find myself quite small, but while beholding the tradition of which they were part of, I know all their collective strength and integrity will be my food for the way.

I know some of these men were saintly people. I would like to look up to Cukale, who had a peculiar way of pronouncing my name, and had a paternalistic approach to me; this great pastor was a saint, who loved to pain and write poems. When he used to pain the walls of this very same cemetery in 1997, I used to spend sometime with him there, appreciating his art work, which was not a great thing, but he liked doing it! Today I would like to place myself in his presence, looking at him and appreciating the simple works of art he created. I know this way, I will inherit at lease a certain amount of his saintliness.