April 24, 2005
Dear Friends,
Even as you are reading this we are winging our way back to Seattle
through a long series of flight: Delhi to Singapore (with a night
there), Singapore to San Francisco (with a layover there), then on
to Seattle!
Last week we ended our tour of the Himalayas and the Kumoan State.
We bade goodbye to Rob Ivie and the Nagys, our family-hosts at
Kausani. It was a poignant moment to wave goodbye out the windows as
we turned a corner and Yogi Rob was out of sight.
Rob has chosen to live as long as possible in these more remote
regions of India, deepening his Kriya Yoga meditation and communion
with the Infinite. He is a sincere soul who makes long hours of
meditation his avowed goal. His Guru-lineage with Mother and the
Kriya Masters at last have been resolved in his mind and this has
allowed a more concentrated practice.
It
is interesting to note the path taken by each devotee in their
journey to God. Jesus once stated that the Kingdom of heaven is
revealed to a child-like mind, but withheld from the learned
intellectual. How difficult it is to have the purity of mind that
can become single-minded and childlike!
We
are all on this road of attaining the maturity of this child-like
mind, when a soul does not vacillate, nor veer to the left or right.
Like Mother, Master, Papa and the great Ones, they race for the
ultimate goal. And, they give gratitude for the saints and their
Guru who have propelled them to their realization.
After leaving Kausani we wended our way down the mountains with a,
thankfully, slow driver. He was in charge of a brand new Omni van;
the plastic was still covering the seats.
The next morning we obtained our pass (reserved 20 days previously
by Carla), to Corbett National Park. Jim Corbett was a big game
hunter who respected nature and the Indian people; to whose country
he had been born. Although he was one of those Englishmen who felt
India should remain a colony, he was loved, even worshipped as a
sahib and even referred to as a sadhu by the hill people of Kumoan.
The park was renamed in his honor.
The park is noted as the first to be a preserve for the endangered
tiger. Patwal, our driver and guide, carefully guided his Mahindra
jeep through these protected lands. Deer, birds of every sound and
description, elephants and, yes, tigers inhabit these natural acres.
Carla spotted the rare Gharial crockadile swimming down the Ramganga
River. Growing up to 28-30 feet in length these long-snouted,
sharp-tailed reptiles look as if they have come from another age
beyond the reckoning of time.
An
amazing incident involved a fight between one male elephant and five
tigers that we witnessed shortly after our arrival at the Dhikala
Forest Rest House (the details of which are part of my diary that
Carla will make available!)
One early morning we mounted a one-story high elephant and had a
fabulous two-hour ride through the jungles in search of nature’s
flora, fauna and the elusive tiger. Each of our three days was
packed with “safaris” into the forests, rivers and lakes of the
region. The nights were filled with visiting tigers to the camp, the
distinctive call of the nightjar bird, and the low moans and high
calls of wild elephants both near and far. These later noises at
night made us feel that we had stepped into the movie set of
Jurassic Park!
Our time in the park came to a close and on the way back to Ramnager
we visited the Garjia Temple. This tiny temple sits atop a natural
colonnade next to the
Kosi
River. Climbing
the steep steps we delivered our offerings to the priest and the
goddess (wife of Shiva). We in turn received their blessings.
After being in nature’s cathedral for three days, for which we felt
refreshed and relaxed, we definitely noticed the higher vibration
emanating from this temple. Pure nature is wonderful, but spiritual
power flowing from a high intention of man is superior, of that
there can be no doubt.
The overnight train brought us to Delhi, capital of India; where
both Carla and I took turns having bad stomachs. At any time in this
pilgrimage, when one of us was down, the other was up and
functioning; this could switch from one to the other within minutes,
so close was the timing. When both of us were needed to be up and
going, it has been so. The Divine Will has seen to every need,
including cleansing through physical difficulties.
Arriving from Delhi to Singapore we were bodily exhausted from the
overnight flight and the lingering problems with the stomachs.
But, once again Divine Will moved and evidenced boundless energy for
exploring the Undersea World on Sentosa Island of Singapore. What a
marvel it was to stand on a “moving sidewalk” that guided us through
a glass tunnel underwater! Sharks, manta rays, dugong fish (mistaken
as mermaids), colorful clown fish, seahorses and dragons, Emperor
Angelfish, the fantastic looking cuttlefish, and so many more passed
by in slow motion as we were moved through this majestic undersea
world. I have often dreamed of such an undersea glass tunnel, but
until today I have never seen the likes of it.
Thus we have finished our day in Singapore and our four-month
pilgrimage in India; now we leave in the early morning for America.
I
look forward to seeing you all on our return; for some it will be
soon, others after some time. For all who felt an inner attunement
of God in this form during this journey, I thank you for your
ongoing love, blessings and support.
To
all I pray that you are blessed in your realization of the Eternal
Divine.
In
God and Gurus always,
David
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Hickenbottom, January 2005.
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