Sunday, October 26, 2008

First 11 Days Of Anapurna Round - Besisahar to Throng La - The Eastern Accent


I see butterflies dancing in the breeze reflecting their light into me. In each staggering swoop I feel the truth of the universe wavering inconsistently in perfection. How do we know abundance until your focus comes into one, one green leaf, one butterfly wing, one drop of water or the songs of ecstasy extracted from an eagles sway. I have come to commune with the sages, the breath in the ages of vast sums of spiritual wages. To float amongst the clouds but to fall to the roots of the earth like a lightning bolt, steady and strong. What comes through my being is only the thoughts of god and I am here as a beacon, manifesting the pure music within!!!!

These were the first words that I wrote in the 170 pages that streamed out of my heart and soul over the course of my 22 days on the Anapurna Circuit. Let the pictures be your guide through this magical journey into the root of all being, the presence of nature.

The first half of the commune drove me deep into my relationship with nature and all those whom take part in it, including people. Using each and every insect and animal as a reminder of the present moment, I was able to explore the fascinating structures of my minds relationships with human beings and my resistance toward deep intimacy with them. Having my great friends Neti and Clay as guinea pigs and sounding boards I was able to peel back layers and layers of unconscious separation from human beings. Observing the constant flow of nature and pure companionship of the insects and animals around me, I was able to take a deep plunge into these thoughts and make a lasting change. What a blessing!!! What a dynamic journey from 800 meters to 5400 meters. Everyone must take this journey, or some of the like at some point in their life...and....be ready to grow, naturally and completely!!!

My dreams, along with everyone that I conversed with, were profound insights. My strength increased with every step as I shlepped my guitar up the canyons and inclines leading to the loving villages and epic scenery. My camera really could not grasp the grand nature of all the scenes that surrounded us during these first 11 days. Each day was a new journey into a complete new environment with completely different vegetation and animals. Man I could just go on and on, but what I really want is everyone to take this journey at some point.

Walking is a very powerful way to get clear and deep insight into your nature. I now see why Gandhi did such a thing for so long. I really cannot get enough now. I want to walk everywhere, stay in random guesthouses in random villages all through the mountains. Man, what a gift!!!!

There were a few noteworthy moments that I will share briefly on and keep the rest for a book....

The first was The Food....OH boy, food becomes the most valuable substance when you have been walking for hours each day. Now that Anapurna has grown to be quite a repeated mission, most of the guesthouses have a healthy menu to choose from, and thank God to Neti and Clay for having a similar appetite. We GRUBBED!!!! Pastas, pizzas, soups and of course the Nepali Dhal Bhat, which actually became the most expensive thing after some time (No Logic). desserts were our saviour, we blissed in the sugar high that would take us to the next early morning for another day of climbing and falling, which leads me to the next Blessing....

The Second was the Climbing and Falling Aspect of the trek. It is almost like God designed it to be exactly like life. Once you think you have made a huge climb and you have reached your goal, there is a huge downward fall to make your way down into the valley and then climb up again. OH I love the metaphor.....

The Third was a 2 hour conversation with Clay about humanity and consciousness, while submerged in about 4 inches of scalding hot water, enough to warm your whole body with, and starring at the stars and the white outline of Anapurna II. Pure Bliss......

The Fourth was a run in I had with an small owl, which you can see below and in the video. This owl swooped passed me and continued to sit in pure curiosity as I moved from about 50 feet to within 10 feet of the yellow eyed love creature. Finally I sat down in front of it and stared into its yellow eyes, taking me deep into meditation and bliss. Thank you god for such an profound communion!!!

The Fifth was my sick walk over the pass!!!! During the evening in High Camp, I literally felt darkness consume my whole entire existence, diving me deep into a slumber that would last all evening long. Pained with body aches and coughing beyond my limits, frail in weakened muscular action, I felt like I was on a life or death accent into the pass. There is tons of talk of altitude sickness and death that happens in these low oxygen, high altitude regions. The symptoms did not add up though, so I went for it.....Luckily, Clay had the strength of a warrior on this day, carrying my guitar up the steep incline until about 50 meters from the top, giving me the boost of carrying my creation maker to the top. During this 4 hour struggle, I danced through my mind in ways that I hadn't in years. From Fear to Ego, from Death to Light. I honestly thought there were points when I was not going to make it. It was the weakest I had ever been in my life and complete surrender was necessary to complete the journey. Surrender is what I did!!! I took my time, rested every 5 steps, let all the people I had been passing the whole trek pass me by, and finally, In the heat of pain and sadness, the righteousness of the summit came upon me and showered in the light of life.....The rest I will share in the 2nd part....THE DESCENT!!!

The Sixth is ANAPURNA IS CHALLENGING!!!! I was really surprised to see how challenging it was, considering almost 70,000 people do the trek per year. Hats off to all the worlds adventurers!!

A Constant Reminder


We all know it deep in our souls that Nature and everything in it is a pure reflection of the present moment. No animal, plant, or river has any other thought other then the present moment. No place to be, nobody to please, and nothing to hold onto. These species are simply going through the cycle of birth and death and going through whatever their path of service on this earth may be.

So many times on my journey in the Himalayas, I would ponder in my mind if I was DOING the right thing by being up here. Should I be back in America helping my country? should I be back in India teaching?? Am I a bad and selfish person for taking this journey?? Should I give away all my money??? I could go on for days on the incessant repetitive thoughts that tried to pull me away from experiencing the pure joy of spending that much time in the grasps of the moment, immersed in nature. It was truly amazing to watch nature work it's magic on me, forcing me into complete unity and thus merging me into its simplicity by sending me a beautiful butterfly, or a curious Water Buffalo or an extravagant plant or tree. Next thing I know I would find myself completely present with this living creature, conversing in our silence and communing in joy.

Really, Nature is our gift, spend as much time becoming one with it!!!!

This Universe Is Profound!!!

Paradigm Shift Of Love


How many times do we come into contact with people whom say the words, "I am Falling In Love!" or "I Have Fallen In Love!" HHHHMMMMMMM. Let's take a look at the context of these words. Doesn't it seem as if we are setting ourselves up for failure (Fallure) even before we have a chance to love something or someone.

Take a look at the tree in the picture above. This tree has a choice on how to grow on this slope. If the tree has the idea that its life is looking down all the time then it would have grown down the slope, but if you look, the tree has grown toward the rise of the slope, thus standing strong and upright, climbing the hill of life, not falling down. We can be more like this tree and choose to live our lives facing our challenges (the uphill slope) and "GROW IN LOVE" or "RISE IN LOVE"

Many of us do not understand the power of our words, thus we go around diminishing our experiences with what flies our of our vocal chords!!!

Let us create a new Paradigm on LOVE today, and when the wonderful bliss of love for another object or person arises, let us be like the tree and GROW or RISE in love. Then the so-called fall of attachment and desire will be only another chance to improve our lives and our consciousness!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Kathmandu - Nepal


AHHHHH, a deep breath from India, even though not one is needed. It is truly amazing how different a culture can be that shares a border and so many of the customs as their neighbors. Just from the flight in, I settled in amazement of this great city settled in the foothills of the Himalayas. The vibration caught hold of me even on the flight in. I was intrigued at the red brick that consumed the landscape of the Valley City.

As I got off the plane, I was instantly me by a man whom took me to the Yellow House, just outside of the main tourist drag Themal. The first blessing was the ability to connect with my great friends Clay and Neti from California, whom I will be traveling with into the circuit. Really, I actually came to Nepal just to renew my visa, but Anapurna was calling, and how Grateful I am that the power of the Himalayas Called!!!!

One thing I noticed first off about Kathmandu is that it is a completely unorganized city. Almost like there was no city plan and the place just sort of naturally grew into the chaotic mess that it is now. But, blessed be that inside all of that choas is the stillness and serenity of Tibetan Buddhism, whose monastaries and Temples are in abundance all over town.

Nepali people are a little edgier then the Indian people, a little more free with their speech and, my god, for the first time in a year, I was able to enjoy a live rock band!!! And, even though they only play cover songs, it was a treat just to see the vibe. The people still retain that heartfelt love and smile, but with a little bit of a Western Flavor of introspection and solitude combined.

It felt nice to be in Nepal, a different spin on Eastern Culture. It was really, nice to be with a few people that are from my hometown, thus opening up the sarcasm and quirky speech patterns that can only be understood by persons from Southern California. If felt surreal to know that the worlds highest peaks are only a few hundred Kilometers away, and even better, I a few days, I will be walking amongst them.

The Yellow Guesthouse is an incredibly amazing journey, just a tad bit outside the Tourist Beat, it is tucked just enough away to give you the peace and serenity you need to prepare for your journey into the mountains. Their chefs prepare some of the best Western and Nepali food that I have ever had, including Pesto Pasta!!!! The staff is Divine, the location is perfect and the rooms are sweet, clean and full of love.

The last blessing of Kathmandu was we were able to go and see an live Nepali Group called Katumba!!!(see video below) WOW. They took us on an dynamic journey through the heart and soul of Nepali Music. We sat in the front row and connected with the musicians as they blissfully and joyfully played through their songs. The setting was inside the oldest part of Kathmandu, Patan, in which we caught a glimpse of the distant Himalayas at sunset. Oh, what a blessing. A different vibration, a different culture, all with the same love for life. I feel blessed to have entered into Nepal.

For Pictures from Kathmandu click here.


Katumba Live Video