Change of seasons

When I arrived here in Tiruvannamalai at the end of September is was very hot in the shade it was around 37 degree. At that time I only saw in the morning and the evening lots of traffic and people on the road. In the afternoon I only saw tourist on the street cycling or walking. Most Indians were hiding in there houses.

But now with the coming of the rain and the drop of temperature to around 27 degree. I can see a lot of live on the street, every body is out. The water tanks who were empty just one month ago are all full again and sometimes even overflowing after a lot of rain. The roads are now muddy instead of dusty and I have cold because of the drop in temperatures. The leaves on the trees are green again, the dirt is slowly waste away.

Between the moments of silence there are horns

When I sit in one of the tea stalls along the road to Bangalore, opposite the Ramana Ashram. I hear and see loud buses and lorries passing by. The buses are overloaded with people and they seem always in a hurry, using there horns very frequently and very loud, so loud I cannot speak during that noise. The lorries are overloaded there load is bulking, they use there horn as frequently as the buses. But between the horns there is silence.

Between the horns there is silence.

When I sit in one of the tea stalls along the road to Bangalore, opposite the Ramana Ashram. I see the dragon flies, the bushes with the purple flowers, the Banjee tree, the Sadu's washing there orange robes in the tank. I see cyclist and motorbikes full of people passing (3 people, mom, dad and child is not an exception). I see the mountain and the sky how beautiful to be here and between this there are the horns.

One month later and I'm still in Tirunvannamalai

One month later and I'm still in Tirunvannamalai. Somehow this is an amazing place although there is not so much to see apart from the Ramana Ashram, Sivasakthi, Werner, Aum Amma and the walk around the mountain Arunashala. On full moon more then 150.000 people walk bear feet around the Arunashala.

But somehow I like this place it feels like I entered the Bermude triangle. I came full of plans, I came here to stay a few days to relax but I'm still here. It happens with many people some people ending up here for more then 12 years. Like Laxman he comes here for the last 12 years, everyday he walks around the mountain a walk of 15 km, he starts everyday at 4 Pm in front of the Ramana supermarket.

I found a small room at the feet of the mountain behind Ramana Ashram, the reason I love my small room is the huge rooftop. Every morning at 6:30 am I do hatha Yoga by my selve. The yoga postures I use I learned them one year ago in Rishikesh with Trika Yoga. Sometimes I ad some postures which I learned during my stay in Dharamsala with Akhilesh or with Yaron and his Zen and Yoga.

In general my day in Tirunvannamalai looks like this:

6:00 am I get up and take shower
6:30 am - 8:15 am I do yoga
8:15 am - 9:30 either I have a light breakfast with Idly and coffee or I go to the Ramana Ashram
9:30 am I walk to Siva Sakthi
9:45 am - 10:40 Darshan with Siva Sakthi (meditation)
10:40 am till 11:30 either Ramana ashram for more meditation, a walk around the Samadi or I have breakfast.
11:30 am till 2:30 Brunch
2:30 Pm - 3:30 Pm Ramana ashram
3:30 Pm another break with reading, coffee, walk etc
5:00 Pm till 5:30 Pm Darshan with Siva Sakthi
6 Pm till 7:15 Pm Ramana or Dinner

Sometimes this schedule is different because of monsoon rain( a couple of cm) or I make a walk with Laxman around Arunashala. On Wednesday I go to Papaji video Satsang at ChandiDevi house. Here they show videos of satsangs with Papaji. On Sunday morning I go to an Italian couple they invite people to sing Kirtans and Bhajans together and sometimes on Sunday evening I go to Aum Amma. Darshan with Aum Amma is something you have to experience by your self because it impossible to describe this, but it is with a lot of flowers.
And this Saturday I went to Werner, a German guy who gives Satsangs on Saturday and Tuesday. Last Saturday I went for the first day and I'm sure I will be back.


Books I have read or finished:
Powers within - Collection of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother compiled by A.s. Dalal

The Tibetan book of living and dying - by Soqyal Rinpoche, This is an amazing book, it reads a bit slow but what is said is great.

The teachings of Ramana Maharashi in his own words - by Arthur Osborne, It is a very good book about Ramana teachings.

Who am I - by Ramana Maharashi

Stonehenge - by Bernard Cornwell, this is just a thriller playing 2000 B.c, for me a nice change from all these spiritual books.

Living by the words of Bhagavan - David Goldman, I just started with this book but the first 60 pages are great it about Annamalai Swami who one was a disciple of Ramana