Turquoise Dreams

While you are waiting

2011-10-04T02:19:00.014+06:00

Goddess Uma

While I met my husband when I was just 21, a lot of my friends who are now entering their 30's are still looking for Mr.Right, and society especially Indian society certainly does not make it easier for them, and nor does facebook, with its pictures and pictures of happy couples, exotic holidays and babies, not everyone can feel sympathetic joy when they are going through unsure times.....
I ache and feel for my friends even though I've been married for some years now, I wish I could do something to assure them that everything will be fine, and they will meet the right person and they will just know it with each passing day of their lives....and so I wanted to share with my woman friends Meadow Linn's blog, 'Savour the Day', I happened to find Meadow's blog while browsing thorugh her mother, Denise Linn's website (I adore her mother for her book 'Sacred Space').

I identify with Meadow on one common ground, how she lives her life in creative colourful celebration, expressing it through her love for food. Check out her recipes and delicious photos to go with them at the end of each post.....

Most of the times, I can be quite the introspective bear, and I balance that side of me as I process my thoughts and emotions and do something creative and useful with my life no matter what is going on in the background :-) be it with my art-practise, cooking a lovely meal, re-arranging the look of my home, a small kind gesture for a friend, any creative act becomes a source of joy and can transform the initial pain or worries into an acceptance of life's mysteries through the path of creative living.

I always say to my friends, no matter even if you have the most loving and healthiest of relationships / marriages you still have to learn to be with yourself, and know who you are, or else you'll just be lost for at least a decade in playing your different roles of good worker, mother, lover, wife, friend....and then suddenly you'll ask you're self, who is the real me?

Everyone is an artist of life, all my woman friends are great cooks, lovers, sisters, daughters, weaving together the tapestry of life as only a woman can with her intuitive nurturing wisdom that only grows with age.... :-) like a gnarled old tree or fine wine :-)

Marriage has brought with it it's own challenges, and today I read in Dr.Wayne W.Dyer's book, 'You'll see it when you believe it', that, "We often love someone who represents an undeveloped part of ourselves". Now I'm sure this sentence will mean different things to different persons....

take care lovely ladies, sleeping Goddesses waiting to be awakened :-)

love + light
x

Tree spirit

2011-09-27T22:58:00.003+06:00

Dreamin'
Originally uploaded by kidrdaso

One day I hope to find my own tree, under whose shade I can just be me :-)
I already do feel close to a rain-tree where my parents' live, its twisted branches are so familiar to me from years of looking at from the window and playing hide and seek as a child around it's trunk....
may there be more trees amongst us
we need our tree-spirit friends

love + light
x

Owl

2011-09-25T21:00:00.001+06:00

Owl
Originally uploaded by Shailendra Pandey

awww....what a sweet pair!
love owls 4ever!

love + light
x

Buddha image from Alchi Monastery, Ladakh

2011-09-21T22:01:00.005+06:00

It is my dream to one day visit Alchi Monastery in Ladakh, sigh! I came upon this beautiful image of Sakyamuni Buddha on Buddhist Art News, click here to see more images. On reading the article I was happy to know in advance that photography isn't allowed inside, that way I won't feel disapointed when one fine day I actually do visit Alchi Monastery, I imagine I can always sketch what inspires me... which I find is a much better way to appreciate and assimilate art :-)

love + light
x

Rainbow Blessings

2011-09-11T17:00:00.006+06:00

As the last of this season's monsoon showers come to an end, I'm reminded of the beautiful rainbows we were witness to last year. On one such siting, I remember, the sun was about to go down, and I saw this beautiful wide arc of the rainbow, straight from a children's story book, rising from the horizon in the south-east and descending in the north-east. I was so overjoyed that I immediately started to text some of my closest friends to tell them of it, one of them called me and we stopped doing whatever is it that we were doing and just stood near our windows and balconies admiring this gift from the heavens, breathing in this transient display of of ethereal light, it was hard to belief, here in Bombay! such a beautiful sign!

(The picture above is of another rainbow siting, the one I'm speaking of was a complete arc, even if I could have taken a picture, it would have been only a part of it, as it was so wide!!! from one end of the city to the other..)

Rainbows always feel so magical, they stay in the sky for all of us to see only for a brief period of time, making their appearance all the more special, because we know it won't last, it will change...
it is a simple natural phenomenon really and yet it evokes so much awe and delight....

Personally I love to think of rainbows metaphorically as spiritual lessons or realizations even gifts learned or received after the dark challenges of cloudy days...like a metaphysical treat! :-)
may we all see the 'rainbow' in our cloudy days....

love + light! :-)

Crabby Crab

2011-08-28T19:11:00.001+06:00

Crabby Crab
Originally uploaded by jmpp333

I love the toy and the photo of the cute crab on the tank, it all comes together beautifully doesn't it?

Antinoüs Mondragone

2011-08-05T23:41:00.001+06:00

Antinoüs Mondragone
Originally uploaded by Yvan LEMEUR

Such beauty!

I stood before a Qin terracotta warrior

2011-06-10T13:40:00.039+06:00

Ever since I can remember I've always had an affinity for all things oriental, arts, culture, landscape ... I cannot explain it, maybe its a past-life thing, which was one of the many reasons why I could not miss the oppurtunity to see Emperor Qin's famed terracotta warriors face to face:-> Two of these exquisite warriors were exhibited at Mumbai's Prince of Wales Museum (now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahaliya) as part of the exhibiton, 'Treasures of Ancient China’.

The exhibiton has since ended and I myself went to see it only the very last day. These exquisite, life-size warriors, a whole army of them, were discovered buried near Emperor's Qin's mausoleum, making it this century's most sensational find. The terracotta army, has also been declared as the eight wonder of the world!

Before coming in to see the exhibition, as eager as I was, I had paid for the use of my camera, only to find a symbol pasted on the entrance-door which made clear, photography was not allowed in this particular exhibition !!:( So I said to myself, never mind, I'll take pictures of the other regular exhibits that I enjoy and have been meaning to photograph :-)

I was happy to find other than myself, the notable playwright Meher Pestonjee, accompanied by two children. It made me smile to hear her describe the artifacts to them. Sometimes its nice to be an observer and know there are others who love and appreciate art as much as you, there is a certain kind of warmth in this:-)

As I walked through the exhibition, enjoying the intricately-detailed metal objects and ceramic-ware from the different ages, I took time to read the texts on display which explained their history and chronology. Incidentally I'd recently read, Chinese Myths by Anne Birell as a result of which not all the names of the different ethnic groups that came to form the Chinese nation seemed absolutely unfamiliar.

The exhibition was spread across three rooms, and the two warriors were displayed in a small room to themselves. Seeing the terracotta figures within the confines of a small space, could not have conveyed the feeling of witnessing them in the burial pit as part of entire army which had tood silently for centuries until their discovery, but even the opportunity to see a piece of history was good enough... :-)

Being a student of Buddhism, I'm intrigued by the way Buddhism evolved along with the previously existing Confucianism and Taoism in China. This is is one area I would love to learn more about. Apart from the warriors and the various other impressive artefacts that were displayed, one artefact that stood out in my mind was a stone stupa, (shaped like a small dome) maybe 3 ft high and under 3 feet in diameter. (Unfortunately I have no picture to support this description with due to the reason I mentioned above) On its sides were niches, within each of the niches (two I think) was a seated image of the Buddha in high relief. Foliage of trees, in low relief ornamented the plain surface of the dome. The stupa also bore a chinese inscription which I could not read of course, but still this stupa intrigued me...you see, one does see stupas and other Buddhist monuments in India, but the inscriptions here are in the native scripts, ( Brahmi, kharoshti), seeing the stupa with an inscription in chinese said to me, more than what books can convey that, look! how how far Buddhism had travelled! :-)

I leave you with a few pictures from the Tibetan Arts section to enjoy...
one more thing, the exhibits being encased in glass, have some amount of caused reflection.

Tara, Nepal, 18th century A.d.

Prajnaparamita, Nepal, 17th century A.D, Prajnaparamita is the personification of 'transcendental knowledge' embodied in the Prajnaparamita-sutra (Mahayana scriptures)

Matrika (Mother Goddess) From set of Ashtamatrika (eight goddesses), Nepal, 14th century A.D

Bodhisattva Manjushri with his shakti, Nepal, 18th century A.D (Manjushri is the Bodhisattav of Wisdom, that which he holds aloft in one of his arms, is an adamantine sword which cuts through ignorance)

Terracotta Buddhas, Mirpur Khas, Sindh, Pakistan, 5th century A.D. this is one of my favourite exhibits, I love the beautific smile :-)

love + light!

Spring diary

2011-04-18T11:58:00.011+06:00

Hello everyone :)

Have you noticed any trees around your neighbourhood which are in full bloom? Don't you just love the bright colours of spring? the thing that fascinates me the most is the sight of a tree completely dry, devoid of leaves, fully crowned with fragrant flowers!

This Sunday I took a walk in Aarey and the path-ways were lined with fallen blossoms, makes you wish the rest of the city was kept that way...

Now, a little bit of what I've been upto, last June-July, I'd enrolled for the Post Graduation course in Buddhist studies at K .J.Somaiya Centre for Buddhist studies . One of my teachers whom I have grown to love and adore, Mrs. Sharda Sanghvi suggested I try the Pali language class (Diploma) and before I knew it I was studying both!

It has since been an amazing journey, and I wish to keep studying, exploring....
I'm grateful to Mrs. Sanghvi for putting me onto Pali, without which my studies would have been incomplete.

If your wondering, Pali is an ancient Indian language, older than classical sanskrit. The Buddha taught in Pali and majority of the Buddhist texts are preserved in it. Hence, its importance.

At present, I'm studying for my exams, just got over with Pali and I have four more papers to give (Buddhist studies), so wish me luck! :)

I wish to leave you with these pictures of Lotuses I took during my last vipassana course at Dhamma Pattana, Gorai. They inspire me towards my goals :)

Love + light!

Urban serenity

2011-03-13T12:59:00.006+06:00

Hello! :-) Today I would like to share a few pictures of our resident Buddha, he is just over an inch in height. Sometime back I had placed him at the root of a potted ficus, in a symbolic gesture to invite Buddha delight and protection into our home. The little house I bought from 'Mitti', a store selling ceramic products at Versova road. Recently, my sis-in-law brought to my notice how it seems as if the Buddha is meditating outside his hut, I never thought of it that way, how lovely!

hope you enjoy this tiny landscape......peace and serenity to everyone!

may all beings be happy! :-)

love + light!

Buddha Purnima, May 27th, 2010 at the Global Vipassana Pagoda

2010-06-06T17:19:00.020+06:00

We had our first showers yesterday and it was wonderful to feel the cool breeze and see children playing in the rain. The weather has much improved since the auspicious day of May 27th, Buddha Purnima Day, weather department said it was the hottest day in May in the last 5 years!

I remember everyone in the Pagoda fanning themselves with whatever piece of paper they had with them, but spiritually, the day was wonderful! Thousands of meditators gathered at the Global Vipassana Pagoda, Gorai. One could truly feel the pure vibrations of dhamma in the air :) (dharma, Pali)

On this day Guruji Goenka unveiled a 21 feet high statue of Gautama Buddha, a gift from the Government of Myanmar (Burma). The Buddha's golden robes shone brightfully in the sunlight and the extreme humidity was made bearable by Goenkaji's teaching on the dhamma.

Here are a few pictures from that day :)

From a distance the Pagoda ressembles a golden bell placed on the horizon :) To reach the island of Gorai on which the Pagoda is built one needs to take a ferry either from Malad-Marve Beach or Gorai Jetty (Borivali).

The interior of the dome is purely functional, serving only as a hall for meditation. While being seated I like the sight of a few pigeons who have managed to get in, as they fly across from one niche to another under the great dome. I also like the Dhamma wheel depicted in gold, the only adornment at the top-centre of the dome.

The Large entrances have a beautiful slanted arching shape. Due to the sheer scale, if you happen to go out and then return, it takes a good deal of looking around to find your seat !! :)

The Pagoda is still not fully complete and each time I visit, I'm delighted to see some new developments. I liked this juxtapositioning of an unfinished part and the rich gold-yellow of the Pagoda.

The Pagoda glowing in the intense evening sun.

The 21 ft high statue of Gautama Buddha, gifted by the government of Myanmar (Burma). People were really happy with the smiling presence of the Buddha :)

An elderly monk descending towards the jetty at the end of the day.

You may watch Guruji unveling the Buddha's statue here

If you wish to visit the Pagoda, or if you are visiting Esselworld do drop by as it is on the same island. You can get more information at their website.

Wishing you a good week :)

and good rains!!!

Love + light!

Weak Tea Weak Mind Mug

2010-05-31T01:04:00.001+06:00

Weak Tea Weak Mind Mug
Originally uploaded by mooosh ♥ miso funky

For all those who love their tea strong ! ^ ^

Love + Light!

A whale of a time!

2010-05-15T12:27:00.011+06:00

Ever since I can remember I love making things out of paper, my good friend Gaurika will remember, once during our J.J days, we had gone to Sanjay Gandhi National Park to do landcape painting (ah! those were the days, were'nt they? hehe....)and the sun was really beating down on us, as a solution I took a sheet of newspaper and folded it this way and that, made a tear and made a quick hat for her....I hope memory has served me right.... :)

Which brings us now to origami, I was browsing the net once more to learn something new and I made this whale. I love creatures of the sea, must be something to do with my Piscean moon-sign :)

(I pasted the whale on white paper and painted few atmospheric strokes around it, you can learn to make it here)

I found some simple origami designs for children, in fact I wish to share this with Gaurika's little girl, maybe my neighbour's kids (if they haven't learnt it in school yet) and also some of my close friends (just to feel like children again :))

I was so happy to find some origami paper at the local student supplies store while out on my grocery errand yesterday. These are lovely solid colours, but I hope to find subtler shades too :)

If I question myself why I like doing these simple crafts, I don't know... maybe my art-practise is becoming quite research based, and maybe I read so much that I like to balance it with something that takes you to being a child...or perhaps I like the unpretentiousness of it....some years back I would even buy children's books and I have always enjoyed folk tales, myths, legends, creation stories, etc from around the world. I would collect these books for their beautiful illustrations and stories that got you dreaming :)

I will share more creatures of the paper soon as and when I fold them :)

Have a lovely weekend!
Keep cool :)

love + light!!

The Shrine-room

2010-05-07T17:18:00.007+06:00

Lately, I’ve been thinking of the symbolism and spiritual significance of a shrine. Often, when I’m reading a book, the word will surface, highlighting a different association or meaning of the word, thereby sparking off new brain-waves! :)

We are all too familiar with shrines, being in a deeply spiritual land. Personally, I think of a shrine as a physical as well as a mental space, where your inner-self retreats to, where you can still the muddy waters of your heart-mind. Physically, this space can be a meditation hall/room or even a cell, similarly a prayer hall/room. I also see the shrines in which we place an image or a sculpture of our personal/family deity as symbolic of the shrine within us. As if the shrine outside has a corresponding or parallel space within - a space where our higher-self resides.

Coming to the title of this post, I knew the shrine-room was the working-title for my current works after I exprienced an "aha!" moment, while reading it in venerable monk Sangharakshita’s book, Living with Kindness. :)

Love + light!
Happy Weekend :D

P.S: To Old Vipassana Meditators- Guruji S.N.Goenka will impart metta and discourse at Global Vipassana Pagoda, Gorai as part of a one-day dhamma seminar on May 27th, call and register in advance, get their number from the Pagoda's website.
Be Happy! :)

Spring, Igatpuri: 2 day self-course.

2010-05-01T09:46:00.015+06:00

Last weekend I attended a two day self-course for old vipassana students at Dhammagiri, the Vipassana Meditation centre in Igatpuri. It is hard to believe that two days of turning your attention within can bring about so much peace and change in one's life. I feel better, renewed and I couldn't have gone at a better time, even though temperatures have been hovering around 35 degrees celsisus. There were beautiful flowering trees and the birds twittered and babbled from dawn till dusk :)

Igatpuri was where it all began for me, and it is a pleasure to return each time. As I grow older, I now appreciate more things, for example like being able to meditate in a peaceful environment where the meditation hall is kept ready for you much before you have entered, where the paths are swept of fallen leaves each day, where your meals are lovingly served, and teachers watch and listen patiently to everyone, over 200 women in each course and as many number of men too.

It was delightful to be in the midst of nature, walking past well kept flower-beds from the meditaion hall to one's room. You open your door and you are outside :) Sorely miss that in a flat.

Its funny how as you get older you look forward to hours of meditation and then listening to the discourses at the end of the day. The mind due to its conditioning isn't very helpful but expereience tells you otherwise and you know how much you will learn and enjoy the spoken wisdom after you have put in your practise for the day :) (theory and practise should go hand in hand- Goenkaji's words).

Here are a few photos I took of place before and after the course. Hope you enjoy :)

Walking area for women.

Imposing mountain facing Igatpuri Vipassana Centre

View of the mountains as one walks out of the meditaion centre.

Near the main gate is the recently erected replica of the Ashoka stambha.

As you enter you pass through the elegant Myanmar gate, which reminds one of the story of how the teaching of Vipassana was lost to India but was preserved in Burma, from where it returned to India after 2,500 years and then spread to the world.

love + light!

Have a lovely weekend!

Nature therapy- Aarey guest House

2010-04-22T10:25:00.013+06:00

Aarey Guest house is my favourite part of Aarey Milk Colony, your cellphone will not receive any network here, so the moment you enter to the moment you leave, you are alone.....with nature and give or take a few more people :)

Spring, summer has such an intoxicating effect, I think I love all seasons, even hot and humid April... there are many trees in brilliant bloom right now..... many parts of the world will be witnessing the earth returning to life with buds and young leaves reassuring us of nature's eternal cycle of impermanence.

Here are a few pictures I took during my last walk at Aarey Guest House, enjoy! :)

The path leading up to the guest houses situated on top of a hill, when you reach the top you get a beautiful view of the city. I took these pictures in the evening.

Didn't get a very good shot, but you may notice pods bursting with cotton.....red silk cotton tress? will find out...

African wattle tree with its yellow blossoms strewn on the path, I love these blossoms, this is my "Indian Spring" :) they are the flowers that inspired me to take pictures in Aarey, if you walk in the New Zealand Hostel area, you will find entire canopies of these trees in bloom, and the delicate blossoms raining on all and sundry....

Gravel and flower in what is called the "golden hour", the last light of the sun which has a magical effect.....

my favourite picture, in the background is a defocused image of a lady, resident of the forest no doubt, collecting wood for domestic purposes......

and here is a link to a beautiful website that will give you information on the Flowers of India.

Have a lovely weekend!
Love + light!

Jacob Hashimoto

2010-04-19T10:28:00.013+06:00

Slip into vapour, Jacob hashimoto, 2005,

The other day I was going through a fabulous book, Sculpture Today, and I came across Jacob Hashimoto's delicate yet durable art-works which exist between sculpture and painting. What I like best about his work is how a traditional technique such as kite-making with rice paper and bamboo frames translates into striking installations made up of myriad tiny parts which appear to float or cascade.

Here is more on his work from Artnet.
(b.1973) Jacob Hashimoto cuts rice paper into small geometric shapes and glues the shapes to delicate wooden frameworks, which he attaches to black fishing line and ties to long wooden pegs at the top and bottom of his rectangular, wall-mounted, waterfall-like hangings. The pegs are evenly spaced from side to side across the top and bottom of the piece.

The artist ties six roughly overlapping layers of shapes onto each peg, creating a dense, kaleidoscopic multi-level field in which a given shape may be visible or hidden, depending on the angle of view. The hanging seems to move as we walk past....

Slip into Vapor could almost be a landscape. Measuring five feet high and four feet wide by 7.5 inches deep, it is composed of paper ovals, each roughly four inches wide, which are mounted on X-shaped frameworks and suspended between 13 wooden pegs at the top and 13 below. White and blue ovals, suggesting clouds and sky, comprise the upper half of Slip into Vapor, while darker ovals in the lower half could be rocks, soil or vegetation. The artist collages long slices of green paper-like grass onto some ovals and puts fanciful decorative designs on others. As the viewer walks by, these peep out to surprise and amuse.

Hashimoto begins by making wooden frames from tiny sticks, tying them together with thread, and affixing translucent rice paper to them. If he wants color or a design, he collages it onto the paper shape -- nothing is painted. When a framed shape is ready, he dips it in acrylic resin for strength. After creating a large inventory of these elements, he selects shapes of different size and design, and strings them on nylon line, which he employs because it does not stretch. Now he is ready to tie the strings to the pegs.

Origami Buddha by Takashi Hojyo

2010-03-30T09:43:00.012+06:00

This perfectly folded stunning Buddha is by Takashi Hojyo, a contemporary Origami master living in Tokyo. Hojyo creates figures especially rich in texture and three-dimensionality, utilizing pleats and multiple layers of paper to build depth in his subjects with attention to pose and gesture.

Origami never fails to amaze me. I would love to make this Buddha, and have it amongst my 'soul-objects' of inspiration. Personally, I prefer designs that are more minimal and leaning towards the abstract. I hope I find instructions to make this beautiful design and try my hand at it :)

While I was looking on the web for an Origami Buddha, I also found the site of India's own Origami club! Origami Mitra . My friend Sarita had told me about them while I was working on the installation I did at the Kalaghoda arts festival, which used origami lotuses. I found them through my flickr page, they have a group where you can pool in origami pictures.

Sources: Robert Lang's Origami website

Hope you enjoyed the image.
Love + light!!

Lotuses of the Floating World

2010-02-02T15:23:00.023+06:00

An installation of hundreds of paper lotuses made in origami style.

Kalaghoda Arts Festival 2010,
Horniman Circle Garden
6-14 February
10.00 a.m – 10.00 p.m

At last this Saturday I will be able to see a wish fulfilled, hundreds of lotuses planted in the earth. This will be my first time showing in Bombay and I'm happy to begin this way, in the open, in a garden (I'm a complete nature person). So if you are anywhere near Horniman Circle Garden between the 6th and the 14th do drop by anytime between 10.00 a.m and 10.00 p.m. I plan to teach how to fold these beautiful lotuses. There will be plenty of other events too.

About the installation.
The lotus is a leitmotif in my work, for what it symbolizes and its metaphysical associations. My art-practise runs parallel to my own journey on the path of dharma. It is an earnest effort where I not only read but have a practise to support it (Vipassana mainly). This installation is a three dimensional extension of being on the path.

About the choice of medium.

I am attracted to the organic and fragile nature of paper and yet it can be quite durable. I like the idea of sculpting something out of it, origami is one way to explore this.

About the core message.

When I first learned to make to these lotuses I was filled with an urge to see them in an undulating mass, over a lawn, maybe. Through this installation I want to say to people, look, you don't have to go to some far away village to witness a pond or a lake filled with beautiful lotuses, to witness a lotus all you need to do is take a square piece of paper, sit quietly and fold. Opening its petals to full bloom is like awakening to the Buddha nature inside.

I compare this act to creating an island of refuge within ourselves where you can return to from time to time. We all live in a densely populated city and there are no lotus ponds near us, but still there is hope, human imagination can transform a mere piece of paper into a lotus flower, an absolute symbol of enlightenment. That is my message, no matter how bad the situation, one can find ways to find a balance, to create beauty and true peace in our lives.

Gratitude
Lastly, one post is not enough to thank my family and friends for their love and support. Yogeeta, Sanhdya, Harsheet you have really been there for me. Yogs thanks for all the help and designing my card. Sandhya for listening to me with all my updates on the progress I was making, Harsheet, I know you don't like thank you's but here it is, I appreciate it all. Behzad for being there while I installed and dismantled and largely for just being you, Nyela thanks dear for the lovely mornings at the garden, Himanshu for suggesting the venue, and my dear friend Sarita too. This project has been like waiting for a empty stretch of land to collect rain and then burst in lotus bloom.

Love + light!

P.S: there is a place where white lotuses bloom in the rains :) and where there are humans there is plastic! and yet the lotus grows above it all :))

The way of the artist

2010-01-24T21:03:00.008+06:00

In a few days from today, I will be putting up an art installation as part of the annual Kalaghoda Arts Festival, the details of which I will post next.

Being a vipassana meditator my on-going project made me think very much of the attitude and intention of an artist. While reflecting I remembered Gurji Geonkaji's words,

" A balanced mind is very necessary. But a stage where you are totally free from ego, where the ego is totally dissolved, takes a long time. When one has reached the stage of anagami, then at the depth of the mind the ego has significantly melted away and at the stage of arahant there is no ego at all.

But for ordinary Vipassana meditators, at least they have to make sure that they have started dissolving their egos. Any artist who is pratcising Vipassana properly will see a big change in her field of art whatever it may be. The art shold be pure in the sense that it will never be used to arouse passion in the minds of others, anger or hatred. With the practise of Vipassana she will become a better artist wit the effect that through the medium of art one will be able to give people a sense of peace and harmony. One has to judge wether this wholesome direction is developing or not."
Guruji S.N.Goenkaji.

From time to time I find myself returning to these words of Guruji and often I have not been sure if I understood at the experiential level, neither did I know if my art could in someway convey a feeling of peace and harmony to people. I have never consciously tried to alter or filter my work ever but if my upcoming installation does bring delight to people then I think I came a hair-breadth of a hair-breadth closer to what Guruji is talking about.

May more and more people get a glimpse of pure dharma :)
love + light!

Kashmir, Dharma Songs

2009-12-23T14:39:00.004+07:00

Kashmir is a music video from an album"Dharma Songs" sung by "Guruji Gyomyo Nakamura" Direction & Camera by "Rigzin Kalon" and edited by "Kapil Rana"

Kashmir Music Video

2009-12-22T02:36:00.012+07:00

The song, Kashmir is part of Guruji Nakamura's music album, Dharma Songs. Guruji spends his time between Ladakh in India and Japan. We respect him very much for building Shanti Stupa in Leh.

A while ago Guruji requested my husband Rigzin Kalon to make a video . It was shot entirely in Srinagar this autumn. Kapil Rana has edited this video, whom Rigzin has previously worked with and shares a great rapport .

My favourite part is where all the boys are flying kites together in the end, it felt like a picture postcard moment of sweet innocence. Personally being Rigzin's other half I got to know of so many things behind the scenes, for example, the boys are non-actors, they are local kids he hired. He said they enjoyed themselves throroughly doing their part. And so many similar stories. I'll spare you the one where he had to change his script and his crew left filming due to a death threat from a religious group. Sigh! Three words, Compassion, Wisdom, Tolerance. Such is the condition although times have greatly improved.

Love + light
May Guruji's Dharma Songs spread real peace, real harmony!

That Christmas-y feeling

2009-11-30T13:46:00.052+07:00

I was at Chimanlal recently to pick up some handmade papers. While I waited for them to get the roll of papers I'd ordered, I happily looked around at the charming items on display when this delightful little angel caught my eye, (how close we are to Christmas!) Immediately I bought a few :)

Flat at first, the angel opens up like this to reveal an adorable silhouette :)

so minimal yet so delightful.......I plan to get some more to give my friends, to send positive angel energy :)

**************
Christmas lights on Hill Road.

This Sunday I was in Bandra to assist my teacher at a free Dance Yoga Workshop she gave as part of Celebrate Bandra Festival. The venue for the workshop was a quiet tucked away garden called Malla Park, off Pali Malla Road. For me, more than the workshop was the joy at discovering this little garden (even though it is called park!). To get there you have to take the lane just besides The Bagel Shop, on Pali Malla road which is near Rizvi College and enroute St.Anne's church. After the workshop ended I wound my way down from Pali market to Hill road and there I came across these colourful Christmas decorations :)

Honestly, my pictures don't do full justice. I remember it was much brighter.

Christmas is never as Christmas-y in any another part of the city, the little cribs on display, the winding narrow lanes, the old homes, the bakeries, the goan accent (what men!) I miss that... but what is there to miss, really! I'll just swing by and breathe in the ambience, take a stroll down Chimbai/memory lane :)

may everyone have a very warm Christmas...

love + light!

A jewel in this ocean of samsara

2009-11-24T00:36:00.016+07:00

After having watered my plants I was busy getting on with my day, when while walking across the room, I saw the run-of water caught like a jewel in the leaf. This sudden gift of beauty reminded me of a conversation I had yesterday with a friend who is in the midst of intiating a public arts project ( my best wishes with her). We were discussing about the city, it's extremes, the contrasts, how we all battle with it on a daily basis. I spoke of Thich Nhat Hanh's gatha (verse), "In the garbage I see a rose, in the rose I see garbage...", meaning when you take out the trash you do it with the understanding that a rose can/will come out from it and when you see a rose you know that it too will wilt and turn to garbage.....I was hinting at seeing the contrasts around us, as being impermanent....changing, beauty turning to ugliness, that which is repulsive to beauty...but on reflection while I was alone I realized all this also questions the very meaning of what we consider as beautiful.

It will be interesting for me to see how I view this in future, my own relationship with the city is always changing, I try not to react, but it is there, all the chinks in the system....I try to be the change rather than expecting the city to change around me. I try.

All I know is a seeking mind can find beauty even in the mundane and be uplifted till the next mundane joy comes along.

Love & light!

Kundan earings

2009-11-20T23:02:00.013+07:00

Come Sunday morning, and one of the sweetest person I know of is to be married, she also happens to be my dear friend Pradeep's sister. Good things always come in twos :)

Indian weddings are always such an extravaganza, it's not just the bride but all the women-folk invited have to go through the agony and ectasy of what they will wear for the ocassion, often there are not one but multitple events to attend!

And so after discussing with my friend Nyela about what we would both be wearing I realized my outfit could do with some pretty earings and hence we come to this picture.

Meaning I bought them today.....any excuse to shop :)

Love & starlight!

I'll be doing Mayur asana when I'm all grey

2009-11-13T16:56:00.003+07:00

taken from Travelling yogi
Loved this pic I saw at blog-site, Travelling Yogi, so what do you want to be when you grow up? Inspired or what!

Love & light!

1000 star hotel

2009-11-13T15:56:00.001+07:00

1000 star hotel
Originally uploaded by Antti-Jussi Liikala

Hi there, I stumbled upon this picture on flickr.
What riveted me was not just the great photo but the title of the pic.
I believe in the concept f the "1000 star hotel" too
thebest things in life are for free!

Love & light!
starlight! :)

Home - a personal mandala

2009-10-27T16:01:00.006+07:00

Flowers are natural mandalas. Speaking of which, our homes can be our personal mandalas too. Read the following excerpt from Juliet Pegrum's book The Vaastu Home.

(even if you don't keep vastu shastra in mind while while doing up your home or office space.)

"Accordinly, if we design our homes in line with Vastu principles, they become our personal mandalas, in tune with both our true selves and the world that surrounds us. Whenever we enter our homes, we become aware of our intrinsic place within the universe, a sense of connection with all things that bring happiness and fulfilment to our lives"

It would be amazing if one arranged their home with the above philosophy in mind, even if only guided by intuition, everything would be so sacred, every corner so loved!

Love & light!

Towards becoming people of "presence".

2009-10-26T13:32:00.008+07:00

Last evening I was at my girl-friend Harsheet's place, and I borrowed from her book-shelf, Dr.Judith Orloff's Guide to INTUITIVE HEALING. I took it along with another book simply thinking it will be good to go through not realizing what powerful statements the doctor makes.

I wanted to share this paragraph for today,

"It's important to grasp that intuitive healing begins with the individual but is not simply personal. we become catalysts for something beyond the self. as we turn to love more and more, we generate energy others can feel. I am talking about "presence," being able to radiate love without saying a word. just standing next to a person with this quality brings enormous comfort. Our goal is to become people of presence. The love each of us generates radiates into the world, expanding ripples on the pond, not limited by time and space. Love has a voice. It has compassionate arms that reach out from you to your family, your community, the globe."

I will leave the message to sink in with no further discussion. For me it confirms so many things I read, felt and knew were true.

Love & light :)

Peace

Landscaping my balcony

2009-10-25T13:08:00.012+07:00

I don't know if I have a green thumb, as they say but I love having plants around me. Blessed is a home that is full of vibrant plants. My yoga teacher's balcony is so organic, it is like a miniature jungle, and I was not surprised when a pair of purple-rumped sunbirds made a hanging nest among her creepers. Each class we could see and hear the chirpy little ones until one day the egg hatched and the baby flew away. Such positive energy!

May more and more people in cities fill out their windows, balconies, terraces and building compounds with helpful plants and trees!

wooden bird chime

ficus in a ceramic pot

happy little corner with pudina/mint in a polka-dot ceramic pot, money-plant which I intend to grow like a screen, small jade with a little Buddha scuplture which is not visible here and a hanging plant with three diffrently coloured flowering plants. It will be fun to see them grow :)

Love & light!

From my library- Rumi's Daughter

2009-10-23T15:40:00.010+07:00

image taken from sufibookstore

Lately i've been getting this urge to read voraciously. I have been looking around in bookstores for material to read read, if you know what I mean, to be transported to another time and space, to live in a world populated with ideas and people that make you feel as if you changed after turning the page. And so I quickly finished reading (need to slow down sometimes!) the first book that came my way, Rumi's Daughter by Muriel Maufroy.

Kimya, as she was called really did exist, she was adopted by Rumi and married Shams, his spiritual friend. The story is set in Anatolia at the time when the Byzantine Empire was at its decline and the threat of Mongol invasion loomed. Here is a link to an extract fromt the book

http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/extract.htm?command=search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=1844135837

Why did I read it? The reasons are the same for me to recommend it. I feel a call to such places that remind me of fountains, turquoise, poetry and tea, to be in the world of Jalalud'din Rumi and whirling dervishes for a while. Rumi was a mystical poet, born in 1207 on the Eastern shores of the Persian Empire. Altough the book itself does not carry his verses an interest in Sufi philosophy is enough to draw one to read about the girl-woman Kimya's burning journey towards the Infinite.

Love & light!

getting started

2009-10-21T18:14:00.005+07:00

Finally! I joined my hands and thanked the universe when the technician left. I could not believe that I could now surf the net, blog and check my mails once more....ever since I moved I have been living without the internet, at first I barely missed it but soon, I started feeling deprived at not being able to blog, post pictures on flickr, simple things like that. Contrary to what some may say, I don't think having a cyber life is addictive or leads to poor social skills, true, there are some who overdo it, to me it is just another mode of communication suited to this age and I know that sharing in this way through my blog leaves me with a feeling of 'expansion' :)

love & light

Blessed

2009-10-08T23:53:00.009+07:00

view of the hills from home and the sea of concrete which I have come to see simply as homes of many many

families....every morning is beautiful with the sky, clouds and hills, there is a watefall too in the distance!

Dear friends apologies for a long blog absence, I hope these last two months have been good for everyone. Life in Bombay is as they say has been, "same same but different" (ha..ha)....in my earlier posts I had mentioned that I recently moved to a part of the suburbs that was until now unfamiliar to me. I will simply say I feel blessed living near Filmcity in Goregaon east, I enjoy the morning sunlight and view of the hills. We now stay near Aarey Milk Colony, that lush green expanse. It is tranquil there and I love to go there for early morning walks and my greatest delight is to be able do some bird-watching on my own :)

Soon I will be sharing more of my explorations, of the feathery kind and of the arty kind too. For instance I've been meaning to share the poetry of a dear artist and friend Sarita Chauhan. It will be my pleasure to share her writing on my next post.

Till then love & light! (literally Diwali is just round the corner!)

Poetry of artist Sarita Chouhan

2009-08-02T22:13:00.121+07:00

It is a delight when you have friends who not only paint but also write. For a while now I've been meaning to share the art-practise/writings of dear artist and friend Sarita. Originally from Delhi, Sarita lives with her husband, a script-writer for feature films and daughter in Bombay.

Some months ago I had visited her well-lit studio which is located in a nice residential locality at Four bungalows. Over tea we discussed art, life and other interesting matters. That day while going through the artist statement of her 2001 series, I happened to read the poem, 'There is one tune. And there is one song'. I was struck by her intimate understanding of 'stillness' and ‘movement within stillness', very subtle concepts. Since then I have wanted to share it on my blog.

A little about the artist- Sarita’s works were recently part of Studio Practices at Chemould Art Gallery. She has been exhibiting her works in solo and group shows since 1998. Her fifth solo exhibition, ‘appear, re-appear’ was at Museum Art Gallery, Mumbai, 2008, which I missed :( but made up for partly with the studio visit :)

I leave you with her poem,
as always love and light! :)

There is a one tune. And there is one song. Mix media assemblage on paper, 217 x 184 cms, 2001.

There is one tune. And there is one song.

If there is any stillness, let me feel it.
If there is stillness let me keep looking at it, till the time it makes me still.

And then both of us can come closer.
Be one and move together.
Move together and dance together.

We will go on moving till we again become still.

Now we lie still.
We are still. We are silent.
It seems nothing is moving. Everything is still. There is no sound but silence.

And then there is movement. Silence is also moving. What looks still is also moving.
Stillness is no more stillness. It is movement.

It is moving now. And with it everything around is moving.
There is one tune. And there is one song that is going on. And in its music all become one.

Sarita Chouhan, 2001

Never work a day in your life!

2009-07-29T17:43:00.011+07:00

Boatman rowing people to Janjeera Fort, Murud, along Konkan coast.

“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
- Confucius.

Recently I bought a book with lovely inspirational quotes and photographs, as a gift for a close friend. After returning from the bookstore when I was leafing through the book myself, on the very first page, I read the above quote. I paused for while, it felt as if it was life was speaking to me, especially now that I have embraced my new artist's life. I thought, how true, if you choose to do what you love then naturally you look forward to it each day. It becomes a play, you think ,“How best you can do this or that?”

Confucius' saying I think also points towards adopting a more positive attitude towards the existing profession we are in, because if we are not doing it with a playful attitude then it certainly becomes a job!

This same fun-filled attitude reminds me of one of my favourite persons, Marie from France. We met in Ladakh and stayed together for nearly three months. When about to try anything new for the first time she would cheerfully say, “It can be fun!" (and these activities could be anything, washing clothes, learning to make rotis and rajma!) I loved this attitude! When she left I felt as if I had learned something important.

So I would say even if you are presently doing something, of which even a small part is not what you like, then you have to ask yourself, if it is only the attitude which must change or perhaps you have to ask yourself a deeper question, what is it that you really want to do ? and then work towards it. Visualizing about it, I would say is the first step, the rest will happen as you take each step towards that goal. I am working on it too.

Love and light!

New Beginnings

2009-07-21T14:42:00.000+07:00

Hello everyone :)
I know it has been a while since I blogged but let me not go on about that, what is important is that i'm writing again :) Well, I hope this time has been fruitful for everyone, in relation to the individual life-lessons we are all here to learn.

This month brings big changes for me. First of all I finally left my job at the art gallery - The Guild. Now that I've done so, it becomes clear that leaving Guild was really about commitment, to accepting that, yes, I truly want to be and live as an artist. My learning at Guild had come to its end. Presently, I'm taking each day as it comes, visiting artist-friends and sharing our works and thoughts, and most of all I finally moved into my new home which is really just a cozy flat, that I will also double up as a studio for my art-practise. I could not be more grateful to the Universe for revealing to me what path I must choose.
Surprsinlgy I am not afraid, not having a structure to my day like I did when I was working, each day I try to complete one task or a part of it, for instance, getting my kitchen to be functional, putting a few ferns in my balcony....our home is still all bare and Rigzin, my husband has yet to see it, but I'm putting my energy into it, vibration after vibration :)

I will post more about my experience at home/studio and around me soon.

Love and light and wishing you all the most romantic monsoons! :)

Making that Quantum Leap

2009-06-06T11:32:00.021+06:00

'Leap of Faith' by Laurel Schwartz.

Have you ever had the experience, where, for no particular reason, you kept hearing a word or a particular phrase in your head and you didn’t really know why? and then when you were least expecting it, someone mentions it to you or you read it in a book or a magazine without having made a conscious effort to know its meaning or significance. Déjà vu anyone? You see, for a while now I’ve been hearing, ‘quantum leap’ in my head. My first strong memory/ association of it is from a passage in Susanne F.Fincher’s book, 'Creating Mandalas'.

“Early Buddhists established the belief that there are two planes of existence, two absolutely different worlds, between which there is no communication......one world is our familiar reality in which karma operates, and which is forever dying and being born again. The other world is nirvana, which is reached by a quantitative leap when karma, and the force which derives from it, is stopped or suppressed. This is accomplished when, through cognition and living experience, it is realized that the universe is “solely a becoming a flux” (Tucci, 1961:3). This arrests the momentum of the karmic process, and makes possible the leap into nirvana."
- Excerpt from ‘Creating Mandalas’ for insight, healing and self-expression by Susanne F.Fincher.

On reading this I had an aha! moment....I had never understood (on an intellectual level of course) how one could go from one's present mental state to that of total enlightenment (still a long...long way for me).

Nirvana or no nirvana, what has stayed embedded in my head is the phrase, ‘quantum leap', it has become my newest mantra (if I have'nt slipped into my old habbit-patterns....again!) towards reaching a goal however mundane or cherished! You can say I am able to trick my mind into doing things it would otherwise take ages to accomplish.

For example, if I say to myself during my saddhana/yoga practise, especially in a difficult pose, or one in which in which I'm trying to push my boundaries, that, I’m going to 'make that quantum leap', than I do! Which means there is hope for us mere mortals.........
by way of a quantum leap :)

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While surfing the internet for an inspiring image to go with this post I stumbled upon artist Laurel Schwartz ’s site. I love it that her paintings seem like personal mandalas as she does them intuitively, being guided by her higher self. These are my words but do read her artist statement :)

Love & light!
Om

Balance the Universe

2009-05-24T15:14:00.004+06:00

Too loud and we are not heard.
Too bright and we are not seen.
Too fancy and we are hidden.
Too much and we are obscured.
Let speaking come from deep within, from the quiet place.
Let silence speak.
Listen for silence.
Hear the sound between words.
Be patient and attentive.
It is the surface that is apparent.
Give time for depth to find depth.
During each moment, balance the universe.

The Tao of Relationships
Ray Grigg

Love & Light !

Splashed! & Yoga Inspiration- Jai Sivananda!

2009-04-24T17:56:00.022+06:00

I've been Splashed! by Zooms Her island life and way of thinking uplift and intigue me ^_^
I was very pleasantly surprised to find that my blog had been splashed for being inspiring (^_^) Before I go on any further,
the Splash award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring blogs. When you receive this award, you get to:
1. Put the logo on your blog/post.
2. Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your Splash award.

So I'm splashing my Yoga Teacher, Shameen Akhtar's blog Jai Sivananda (^_^)

Scorpion Pose!

My life has changed for the better after taking up her classes, she is from the Sivananda tradition and I thoroughly enjoy the challenges that come with it...ha ha...what am I talking about? I mean headstand for beginners! Kakasana (crow pose) and a no-nonsense attitude! I'm splashing my teachers blog for the daily inspiration she provides us. You can read more about her on her blog.
You can also find information about her classes and workshops in Bombay.

I like the vibrant positive energy embracing the Sivananda style yoga has brought into my life, I also adore my yoga buddies - I have a wonderful set of people to do my sadhana with (^_^).....

I have gone from not being able to do even six rounds of Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) to doing a minimum of 12 on my own, and today, my head touched the ground in Mountain Pose! (during Surya Namaskar) yeah! I jumped for joy...sigh! the joys of yoga ^_^

Thank you Zoom, for splashing me.... Thank you Teacher for turning your life into a beacon of light (^_^)

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Pictures from our class at Bandra- Carter Road promenade...the venue has changed since.

The only person not in these pictures is Rakhi, because she was taking them!

That's our teacher, top left....and the brave class!

Nina in grey, doing headstand, she goes up so lightly in headstand, vow! I still need help from my teacher.....(... getting there...^_^)

Tammy in headstand, then - a new student, she can now do it on her own!

This is the usual mood of the class......we don't take ourselves so seriously....(^_^)

Nina executing Kakasana or Crow Pose, Simple at it seems, this is actually a 'difficult yet easy' pose, you see, it is all in the mind, you float up and shift your weight, such that, it rests entirely on your wrists...mmmm....(^_^)....your mind needs to be one-pointed, focused.

that's me!! ^_^ Chakrasana (Wheel Pose)..this pose comes quite naturally to me (one of the very few..ha ha)...so since I can do the basic pose, I would of course have to try the more advanced level, which is raising one leg! phew! it takes great muscular co-ordination and most of all letting go of the fear that you will fall. When I try raising one leg, it feels as if I'm glued to the ground!! ha ha.....but Im working on it.......

Sometimes it feels good to be a work in progress and the little triumphs that come along the way propel you further towards your goal......FLOAT!!!!!!!!

Love, light & beauty! ^_^

Solitary Delights!

2009-04-16T12:13:00.021+06:00

Have you ever felt completely at ease with yourself when alone at home? even though a part of you wished that everyone hadn’t gone out? Have you ever travelled alone at some time and felt refreshed with the new perspective that came with it?

The stretch of time alone can be a few moments, for example, stepping into the kitchen when you have many guests at home or it could be longer, such as a walk by yourself, or, an or even a month or more of travelling alone.

Is there a bit of a hermit in all of us? I suppose in varying degrees, yes. I’m certainly not anti-social but spending quiet time alone for me is like food and water....there are days when even though I’m having a relaxed day with my husband, by evening, I simply tie up my shoe-laces and say, “Alright, Im going out for a walk” ^_^ and I return refreshed, calmer and with new insight.

Increasingly, I’m enjoying my time apart from Rigzin (he is from Ladakh and is currently engaged in projects for the national television network there). I miss him especially on Sundays but gradually I see this theme changing, I feel happier as I am looking forward to fulfilling new art projects, even this blog has become an affirmation of positive living and sharing ! ^_^

A chat with my yoga teacher the other day helped me to realise and accept that I like being alone! at least for some part of the day...... for instance, after a long day at the gallery I like to have a coffee by myself, (at the Barista ,near Regal cinema ) ....I don’t usually read books in cafes, although a magazine or newspaper is more welcome. Then I like to walk to the station! yup! that’s a long walk! from Colaba (Radio club to Churchgate station) but it frees my mind...I look at the art-deco buildings, the sky, notice something I had’nt noticed before....mmmm...I think one can enjoy the company of people more if one can be alone and at ease with one’s self. Or better still when one when is alone, you will find, in between the thoughts which are constantly flowing, you stop and notice what is happening in(side) and around you. This "pausing", and for a while not giving all our “daily tasks” too much importance can only add more depth and meaning to our lives ^_^

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Pictures from my wanderings ^_^

A pond inside Bhandavgarh National park (forest), Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India. This was such a peaceful spot when we came upon it, and I remember we spotted a crested serpent eagle perched on a branch. The solitude of this serene place reaches out to you even through the picture...sigh!!!

Tea by myself. Imagine finding Hongkong style tea on the menu in Beijing and it is exactly like the stronlgy brewed black tea sweetened with milk and sugar (kadak chai, Bombay style!) that we drink in Bombay! ^_^ truly, a solitary delight! ^_^

One of the pleasures of travelling in trains in Bombay when there are hardly any people is you can put your feet up and relax as the breeze rushes in through the open windows...everyone does it...one of the many many interesting things about Bombay.... ^_^

Pink! Imagine my delight when I hopped into this pink rickshaw ^_^ .....one more solitary delight!

Evening tea with crackers.... ^_^

Saw this adorable Tom-cat outside a fancy light-fixtures store in Kalaoghoda, just besides the resaurant, Khyber Pass.

The pleasure of observing the evening sky turn gold and pink while walking across Oval maidan (maidan means an open area to play in/ have outdoor activities).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lastly, Poems of Solitary Delights by Tachibana Akemi (Edo period, Japan), I love the poems' honesty, and simple wonder of the natural world. Although, it may seem it is about a person who was a poet and a painter of long ago, when I read it for the first time it had an wonderful effect on me, I laughed and smiled....so true , I said.... as I identified with some verses. ^_^ Read on and see which verse you identify with...ha ha.... ^ ^

Tachibana Akemi

Poems of solitary delights.

What a delight is

when on the bamboo matting

in my grass-thatched hut,

all on my own,

I make myself at ease.

What a delight it is

when, borrowing
rare writings from a friend,

I open out
the first sheet.

What a delight it is
when, after a hundered days

of racking my brains,

that verse that would’nt come

suddenly turns out well.

What a delight it is

when of a morning,

I get up and go out

to find in full bloom a flower

that yesterday was not there.

What a delight it is

when, skimming through the pages

of a book, I discover a man written of there

who is just like me.

What a delight it is

when everyone admits

its a difficult book,

and I understand it

with no trouble at all.

What a delight it is

when I blow away the ash,

to watch the crimson

of the glowing fire

and hear the water boil.

What a delight it is

when a guest you cannot stand,

arrives, then says to you

‘I’m afraid I can’t stay long,’

and soon goes home.

What a delight it is

when I find a good brush,

steep it hard in water,

lick it on my tongue

and give it its first try.

Love & light!

Meditations in colour. Works 06

2009-04-05T11:41:00.030+06:00

My first painting about colour and meditation.

Before you move on to new things it is interesting how one feels like accepting and acknowledging the past. I am on the verge of putting together a new body of works with their roots in various ideas and thoughts that have been dancing around in my head for a long long time, some have emerged as a painting or two, but now I have this urge to go the whole hog....... ^_^

They say the journey of one thousand miles begins with one step. It will be my pleasure to show to you in coming months what I have been thinking, drawing, painting and writing about. But before the new comes please review with me my 'old'. ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know I keep talkng about the time I spent in Ladakh (bear with me some more ^_^) and one of the questions that was most often put to me, especially by Ladakhis themselves was , "So, what did you do with your time?" They were refering to winter, if you have ever been to the airport at Leh in winter, you will notice, there is a long line of people at the departure terminal and the arrival is nearly empty! Well, i don't blame anyone, year after year of isolation can be absolutely monotonous I guess. No malls, no multiplexes, nothing, just mountains and deafening silence in winter (in summer Leh is a complete contrast, all green and vibrant with people ^_^)

Coming back to what I did while I was there.....gosh! I could write a book! what did I do? I cooked....dal, potatoes, carrots ....ha! ha! I'm veg! washed my own clothes under open sky in summers, with the glaciers in view, and what a view! !

I remember my walks with great fondness (ah! how I miss those walks!), after my walk I would return to my room and paint or draw from my mind's eye what I had just seen - a copse of leafless trees, a horizon of mountain peaks.....clouds floating in the distance, leaves of apple trees....anything.

At the end of the year, my husband (then boy-friend) and myself found that I had accumulated quite a few art-works, and he said to me, why not put up your works here in Leh? at the time I thought it was a great and silly idea, at the same time.

You know how it is when nature conspires to help you, my dear brother-in-law, had opened a restaurant in Leh, called Golden Dragon (he is partner of the popular Golden Dragon restaurant in Delhi, Saket) partly to be with his wife, who being ladakhi prefers to spend half the year of the year in Ladakh ^_^ (who would'nt?)

Well, Kelly, my brother-in-law, offered me his newly done up restaurant! and so one August we got my paper-works (and just a few oil-paintings) framed locally and my husband banged in the nails and hung up my works and I had myself an informal exhibition! ha! ha! that was fun! no arty crowd! nothing! just local and foreigners who were pleasantly surprised to see art-works as they entered the restaurant...they certainly were'nt expecting any of that! One does see thangkas, yes, but not intimate rendering of one's stay in Leh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are a few of those works, I have given a little description to each work. Hope you like them, sorry, if the images are'nt very sharp and all.......

Prayer-flags and tree in winter....the carved face of the frame was made using readily available decorative strips of wood used in interiors of traditonal Ladakhi homes. I saw them being sold in a shop beside the framer's and decided to experiment. To my luck, the framer got it right and it worked! ^_^

I called this water-colour Gyurmet after my husband's second name, it means 'unchanging'. Ancient trees do have something unchanging about them...... ^ ^

Thangthong house. This was the view from my room - a traditional Ladakhi home belonging to our neighbours, the Thanghtong family. Peeping behind the tall poplar is Shanti Stupa. You get a marvellous view from up there of the valley ^_^

Autumn leaves I, II & III
A set of three water colours depicting autumn. I have used actual autumn leaves- poplar, birch, capturing their shape by placing them on paper and painting around them, and repeating the process till I was satified, till it looked balanced, complete.

I have experimented with composing by accident as opposed to planning.

This was inspired when I saw for the first time a path laid golden yellow with leaves after a very windy night. ^_^

This one I did with leaves from a place called Phey, not to far from Leh. Rigzin took me there while on a shoot( he is a film-maker) and while he was filming with his crew I was left to wander around as I wished, so I painted and even got chased by a male dzo (cross between a yak and a cow, used for farming) gosh was I scared! ha! ha! ^ ^

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Thank you so much for allowing me to share this with you. It takes more than one to do that ^_^

I wish I return with new and inspiring art and I wish you great success in all you chose to dream of!

Love & light !

Haiku: inspiration.

2009-04-02T23:08:00.008+06:00

Small watercolour by me, Magpies in Winter, 2005.

Poetry has always been my love besides painting. I discovered my deep love for poetry from the far east early on in art school. I would go to its little library and read the only book they had on the subject, Japanese verse. I would write the poems down.... contemplate on them, the sounds and thoughts which perhaps had been locked away in that musty library for many many years! It was’nt a lending library which meant that the book could only be savoured within the library itself!

I cannot explain but for some reason I relate to and enjoy oriental poetry- Japanese Zen masters, Chinese poets.........Amongst the various forms of Japanese poetry, haiku is my favourite,^ ^ I love its spare and ‘grounded in the present moment’ feeling.....It is amazing how 17 sylablles of a haiku can move your entire being. ^_^

Here is an excerpt from a book, ‘HEART a personal journey through its myths and meanings’ by Gail Godwin. She writes about the significance of the heart in a haiku. I choose to present this way of explaining about the haiku because I’m sure a mere definition of anything is always easy to find, what escapes us is the essence which is often so subtle,.. very subtle in the case of the haiku ^ ^

“The heart concept is central to the practise of haiku, Japan’s distinct form of poetry. Though haiku comes from the word haikai, which means ‘sportive’ or ‘playful’, it has a precise rule of form: it must be seventeen syllables in a 5/7/5 pattern. Characteristically it is attentative to a specific time and place and season, and it records or implies the evanescence of all existence. Its images arise naturally out of the kokoro – the heart-mind; they are felt and perceived at the same time. Even today, Japanese crtics evaluate a poem by two standards; its kokoro (sincerity, conviction, ‘heart’) and its craft.....The ideal haiku is not only spare, clean, swift, and resonant; it has amari-no-kokoro, a heart-soul quality that reaches beyond the words and leaves an indelible aftertaste."

Now to read some haiku which I consider part of our rich human heritage! ^_^

Basho (1644-1694)was the greatest of all haiku writers who crystalised the style. In his later years he was a student of Zen Buddhism, and his poems are an artistic expression of its philosophy.
(from ‘An Ode To Nature’ by Adi F. Merchant)

Spring:

a hill without a name

veiled in morning mist.

Soon it will die,

yet no trace of this

in the cicada’s screech.

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The poet in me.^_^

Untill now only a few have borne with me as I shared with them my poems, my heart’s pouring forth. Unlike painting, I do not know where the flow of words comes from! It’s source is much more mysterious to me. Of one thing I am sure, the heart is the main conduit. A sort of place, , where we gather, assimilate things, experiences and then they pour out as poetry or maybe a flower arrangement! ha ha..

I have presented a few verses from the time I was in Ladakh. Hopefully they are bearable to read...I hope ^ ^ They ar’nt haiku, but inspired from the general spirit of haiku. This “less words” style suits me very much ^_^ It feels nice to leave things open-ended, leaving the reader to associate as his present state allows.

Wind shaping clouds,
sky holding earth,
moon lighting our steps.

Dragon-wind blows,

leaves rustle praise.

A sickle-moon stood still,

harvesting done

someone left it in the sky.

Morning enters the room,
conversation of birds
lingers in the trees,
a stray cloud finds its way home.
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Love & light!

In the Capital !!!

2009-03-31T02:03:00.026+06:00

Towards the end of this winter (only for the north of India, really!) I spent a few days in Delhi with my husband. Allow me to share my travel photos.......

Streets of Delhi
Detail of a rickshaw – we don’t have these in Mumbai! ha! ha! It was funny to ride in these....

Red Fort- Walking midst History.

Here is where the Republic Day Parade ends each year which we all see broadcast on National Television, this was the first time I stood there! ^_^

Inside the Red Fort: Diwan-e-aam, the Emperor held court here with the common people.

Squirrels! they were everywhere!

Thousands drive by the Red Fort each day where the Yamuna once flowed.

We had hired a guide, who in poetic hindi explained to us its history for only Rs.100!! and we stood listening to him besides, the emperor’s chambers, I imagined the emperor and his family enjoying a pleasant morning - the Yamuna flowing by... the forest beyond in mist.. a peacock’s cry renting the still air! ^_^ ...Sigh!

The Emperor' private mosque is now closed to the public, so we were peering through the jali windows.

Inside the mosque is a fountain where the Emperor could perform the ritual washing of hands and feet before saying prayers, isn't that beautiful? a fountain to yourself ^ ^

The Bath house which was meant only for women is also closed to the public, if you look closely, (not too clear here), the floor is in-laid with precious stones, such as lapis lazuli and mother of pearl.

Majnu -ka -Tilla: vibrant Tibetan Community.

We stayed in Majnu-ka -tilla, which is really far from South Delhi and the airport! but we loved it!

From all corners one can smell Tibetan incense burning.....mmmmm.....

I truly admire the Tibetans for making something good out of the place they have been given by the Government ^_^ . You will find many travellers staying at the hotels here. Dalai Lama's serene portrait smiles at you benevolently when you enter all shops, restaurants, travel agent offices and hotels ^_^

At M.T you can eat thukpa, momos, drink butter tea....buy incense, jewellery-turquoise,coral....or just walk around, it is much safer than most parts of Delhi ^ ^ which is what I like best about M.T.

A monastery at M.T- the monks inside were preparing decorative sculptures made out of dough in preparation for Losar, the Tibetan New Year ^ ^

Mithu Sen , for free!

The travel to Delhi also coincided with artist Mithu Sen’s exhibition at Khoj residency. While I was there, a writer-friend called requesting me to collect an art-work from Mithu Sen and so I arrived at the opening, knowing nothing about the show!

The pink rooms, everything blew me away! and I was so grateful that Shubhalakshmi had requested me to come to Khoj ^_^ The show was suffused with love! Pink love!

Above: The art-works to be given away, displayed (hidden) in kitschy bags fashioned from pillow-cases! Mithu Sen is to the far right.

About the show: Mithu Sen had invited people through her blog and website to write letters to her and in exchange she would give them an art-work done by her for free! They could do what they wanted with the art-work, ...even destroy it, but .....with love!

Kutub Minar- eternal splendour.

My jaws dropped when I saw the Kutub Minar for the first time! India is beautiful! This is such a magnificent example of Islamic art! ^_^

Within the surroundings of the Minar are these beautifully carved pillars.

Detail of carved walls of entrances and arches, reaching high up.

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There is so much more to share but these pictures should suffice, I can't wait to explore more of Delhi- ruins or otherwise ^_^

Love + light !!!

Re-visiting Igatpuri - Vipassana, insight meditation.

2009-03-10T11:18:00.023+06:00

The view from where my room was.
A detail of the bell which was rung to call for meditation and meal times taken in the morning. From here one could see the sun rise over the distant hills like a dome. It filled your being with gladness. A perfect way to begin the day. ^_^

The bell in the pavillion, the architecture is in Burmese style.

View of the entrance to the Pagoda. At the top are little wind-bells which tinkle most beautifully in the wind. I have taken these pictures when the sun has'nt completely come up yet. By noon the gold of the pagoda shines brilliantly against the blue sky

Letting it all sink in, sharing the dhamma. (dharma)
I've just returned from a ten day course of Vipassana meditation. Although this is my fifth time, it feels as if the work has only now begun. True, the earlier courses did help me, I derived much benefit from it. I used to suffer from migraines, and I mean suffer! but from the time I did my first sitting, gradually the migraines lost their intensity and faded away. Of course, the meditation is not meant only for those with migraines or serious emotional and mental issues. With Vipassana, that is something that just happens once you start practising , all these psychosomatic illnesses start going away.

About the course
Now, what is Vipassana meditation? The word Vipassana means insight, to look at things in a special way, from as many points of view. This technique of meditation was discovered and taught by the historical Buddha 2,500 years ago. Please read the official site to get better and more accurate information, I am after all only a student. http://www.dhamma.org/

Experience of other meditators.

While surfing the internet, I found much to my pleasant surprise plenty of blog-posts by first-time vipassana meditators, most having done the course while travelling in India or abroad. While doing so I found out that Alanis Morisette wrote the song, 'Thank You' afetr finishing her first course, vow! now I know the reason to the lyrics, I had always wondered about the song, hmmmm... I am posting links below but bewarned each one's experience is unique although everyone agrees it is beneficial in the end.
http://www.adventureguide.com/articles/Vipassana.htm
http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-138927.html http://lifecoachesblog.com/2008/01/07/thai-sojourn-vipassana-part-1/

A basic sketch of the ten days

When you join the course you for 10 days, you are asked to take five precepts, (no intoxicants, no stealing,....) which will strenghten your sila, (pali language at Buddha's time in India)that is morality. This is essential to the practise. You also refrain from speaking to your co-meditators for nine days. Of course you may speak with the teachers regarding the technique or the management if you need anything. All this has a good reason which becomes clear as you go deeper into your practise and the practise requires you to go very deep indeed. Take my word for it. On the ninth day you can talk as much you like and make friends with everyone. ^_^

Next for three and a half days you will practise samadhi, that is concentration, mastery over the mind. What is the tool with which you will practise? your breath, natural breath, for this is universal.

By the fourth day, now that your mind has become sharper and concentrated you practise Vipassana, which means you observe the sensations on your body wether pleasant or unpleasant and remain aware and equanimous. No one becomes a master Vipassana medtitator in a ten days course but you are taking the first step on the path to liberation.

By practsing Vipassana, you are developing wisdom from your own experience since none one can help you but yourself. Vipassana is a non-sectarian practise and anyone can do it without giving up their own faith or beliefs. It is a universal practise. In my own experience I have seen people from all denominations of life at the course. I find this experience hugely good for my ego. It brings me straight back to earth. In everyday life we tend to separarte ourselves from those we don't want to mix with. But here we are meditating with Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Old people, young people, the rich, the poor, people from different counries, everyone, we are kind to all. Everyone is treated equally.

On the last day you break your silence. Before that, you learn a new meditation, metta-bhavana, where you share your goodwill with all beings.Each course after metta and breaking silence, my eyes glisten, as if my heart is melting. One has to see for oneself the joy on everyone's faces. ^_^

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The reason why I am writing in such detail about my ten days is because I feel a great need to share this technique with others. So that it may help others as well. There is nothing mysterious or complicated about Vipassana. The teaching is so clear , it is as if you can see straight to the bottom of the lake. But the first dip in the waters only you can take.

Usually I shy from mentioning about Vipassana knowing people may not want to make a committment of any sort let alone give the technique a fair trial. But there are thousands who have done so and onl for the better of it. Come see for yourself. Do a course some time in your life. The Bodhi seed is there in all of us. ^_^

My own resolve
We have been so conditioned to look and see outside of ourselves that it is impossible to understand a life where after dinner instead of watching T.V for an hour which although may be entertaining we can instead medtitate, that too a practise which will help change our habbit patterns.

One has to have to have strong determination if one wants to bring a change in one's life. With continued effort it can be done. I intend to do so without losing heart. If I do happen to miss an hour of sitting in morning or evening , due to travel or any other reason, never mind I pick up and start again. Always the middle path, no extremes. ^_^

Love & light !
In the words of Goenkaji,
May you be happy! May you be liberated! ^_^

Additional links
Vipassana introduced in Tihar Jail, Documentary "Doing Time Doing Vipassana
http://www.dhamma.org/en/av/dtdv.shtml
modern medicine/health and vipassana
http://indiahealthtour.com/alternative_healing/meditation.html

Stars - The Orion

2009-02-08T15:28:00.005+06:00

Star People
Back in school, the first time my class was told we could write an essay on anthing we wanted to, I remember writing on stars - how they were were born, supernovas.....I was fascinated by stars even then. There is something about the night sky, it humbles you. The brilliance of the stars in the sky-dome fills you with wonder.

Astronomers have divided the sky into 88 constellations and I recently learned waht I thought were constellations are asterisms ! smaller apparent star patterns within a constellation, like the Big Dipper (in Ursa Major), the Little Dipper (in Ursa Minor), Keystone (in Hercules), and the Pleiades (in Taurus). There is always so much to learn! (^_^)

The native Americans talk about Star People in their culture, fascinating, as if we are meant to communicate with the stars (^_^)

Orion in Colaba
Sometimes I like to stop by at Searchword, a bookstore on Colaba Causeway, (near Cafe Mondegar). While browsing, I found a charming illustrated pocket-book on stars. I have presented here the picture of Orion. Why Orion? It is easy to see in the sky and I simply enjoy spotting it ^_^
According to the book, The Orion is,
A magnificent constellation of the equatorial region of the sky, representing a hunter or warrior with his shield and club raised against the snorting charge of neighbouring Taurus the Bull.

In Bombay's night sky where stars are barely visible, Orion is seen clearly and with the help of the book for the first time I could see the hunter's arm raised and his belt. To me it felt like a major discovery! This made me refer to another book, for children (^o^) A Skyfull of Stories by Shobha Viswanath. Shobha has written that the Orion was perceived by the Greeks as a great hunter, by the Japanese as the long sleeve of a komono, in ancient India, it was known as Mriga, the stag, to the Egyptians, he was Osiris, God of light, .......phew! It is amazing how different cultures see so many different things in the same constellation !

From astronomy's point of view, two of Orion's stars , Betelgeuse- a red supergiant and Rigel are among the ten brightest stars in the sky! enough mystery and star-power to dwell on!

Star - light- connecting with ancient powers.
I think we need a little bit of star gazing every evening even if it is a few constellations up there, to help us rekindle a harmonious feeling of one-ness with the universe. Or we could go into the country-side even if it is once or twice a year and later connect with those times spent making a wish on a shooting star. (^_^)

Love & light.

The colour of love

2009-02-06T12:06:00.004+06:00

Valentine's Day is around the corner, and I thought I might indulge in a cuddly image (^_^)
Pink is the colour of Universal Love and this pink hibiscus bloomed today amongst my potted plants, it was a sign, love! an offering!

But there is more to love than romantic love, I loved what Sonia Choquette says in her book, Trust Your Vibes, that love is a self-generating vibration. Is'nt that amazing ! which means the more you love the more you receive. So why wait to be loved, why not use this day to remind ourselves of Universal love and send out warmth to everyone, when you give warmth the first heart to be warmed is yours.

Love & light (^_^)

Green Tara

2009-02-01T13:07:00.000+06:00

Green Tara, Sculpture in wood.

Green Tara is the most widely worshipped and beloved of all Taras in the Indo-Himalayan Buddhist world. Tara means both 'Star Lady' and 'She who carries across', that is 'Savioress'.

Green is a calming and soothing colour, which suggests that the green form of Tara is particularly effective for those who want to overcome anxiety and develop fearlessness.

How Tara was born
In one version, Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Lord of Compassion, appears in a cloudless blue sky, and seeing that despite all his efforts there is still so much pain and heartache evrywhere, he begins to shed tears. The tears fall to earth and form a great lake. From the lake grows a pale blue lotus , and on the lotus appears a pincess, her body made of green light.

Her mantra is Om tare tuttare ture svaha.

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The Tara you see above was given to me by my husband, when he came this time from Ladakh, interestingly enough he found the sculpture in Delhi !

She is beautiful and her beauty grows on me each day :) Prior to Green Tara I have only had with me two small Buddhas. One has to be ready for such a relationship with an image/sculpture of an evolved and compassionate being. Everything comes in its own time. Time being the sacred element. Earlier I would not have known how to relate to a deity but now I am able to which is perhaps why I asked Rigzin for a sculpture of Tara in the first place.

The Feminine Divine has always interested me which explains my being drawn to Tara. For this post, I have sourced two books - Female Deities in Buddhism by Vessantara, a nice informative slim volume, and Goddess Divine Energy by Jackie Menzies, a big book with full page colour templates, magnificent!

There is no realisation, within and without, so when I read and learn about these female figures ( female usually only in principle), I learn something not only about a culture through its mythology but I also feel myself being empowered.

It is as if I learned something about another aspect of myself, it could be a primordial 'me', which was dormant or unknown to myself and this knowledge, experience makes me feel more aware and complete.

Love & Light

Walking with child and feeling like one.

2009-01-29T12:34:00.001+06:00

One of the simple joys of life is to take a walk with a child holding their hand, the exchange of energy is wonderful. As you can see, here I have presented two facing pages from Thich Nhat Hanh's book, The Long Road Turns To Joy on walking meditation.

Walking with a child is meditation itself, even having a child around invites you to meditate, that is, practise awareness in present moment. The child will stop you in mid-conversation about something that was'nt so important after all (but to us evrything is so serious). I like these moments when you must stop whatever is it that you are doing and pay attention to the world around you in the present moment.
My girl-friend Gaurika's little girl sure does a pretty good job at this, being two years and old and all. I love it when she makes momentraily interrupts our conversation, and for a while I have stopped thinking and am just being....Thich Nhat Hanh is right when he says, a child is a bell of mindfullness.

Love + light

Winter migratory birds off the coast of Bombay

2009-01-28T00:45:00.011+06:00

Please Lower the volume as you play this - the engine is loud!

Every winter quite a few species of migratory birds visit the coast of Bombay (or Mumbai, the new name). One of the species to look out for are The Pink flamingos. They have finally come to Sewri as they do each year and I'm hoping to see those pink beauties :)

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The video here is of terns following the boat enroute from Elephanta island to The Gateway of India. If you throw crumbs of bread or biscuits, they catch them in mid-air, delighting the passengers with their arial feats.

Oh! and please ignore the muddy waters of the Arabian Sea even further muddied with Bombay's pollutants. But I promise you it was sheer delight after a morning of bird-watching, walking around ancient sculptures and carvings at Elephanta island ending with these innocent white terns and the cool morning air!

Love + light

Take a walk !

2009-01-24T23:02:00.004+06:00

A shaky video taken by yours truly during a walk with B.N.H.S in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali, yes, this is in the city!

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As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth,
so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind.
To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again.
to make a deep mental path, we must think over and over
the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.
A quote from Speaking Tree column in Times of India newspaper. Un fortunately, I cannot trace the name of the person who has been quoted.

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Waking is tone of he most enjoyable of physical activities for me. To put it simply, I must go for a walk! It seems to lighten me up, as if I have opened the windows of my mind for some good airing. And who says one has to walk in a zen garden or by some very scenic beach! So many times I am deep in some thought, and I notice a tree's leaves turning red, and I think oh! I must return with my camera next morning to capture it against the morning light. I'm taken out of my abstract world of thoughts and ideas and into the real world of change, decay, transformation, beauty and wonderment.

When you take a walk, it is as if you are at eye-level with the world, the beggar on the street, the kids running by you in the park, somewhere while mulling over the past and future issues you start observing the world outside and it is my belief , realisation is always within and without.

So there you have it, go take a walk, alone,with a friend or yur lover.

Someday I would love to learn walking meditation :) especially after reading Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh's pocket sized book, The Long Road turns to joy, A Guide to walking meditation,...mmmm....something to think about and look forward to :)

Happy New Year of the Ox! Happy Paths my freinds !

Love & Light

Gathering perspective with colours and numbers & Chritmas Warmth

2008-12-24T11:55:00.008+06:00

Everyday vibrations
Recently I found this lovely book by Louise L. Hay, Colour & Numbers- your personal guide to Positive Vibrations in Daily Life. If you have been reading my blog then you must know I am deeply interested in colours (and numbers to an extent). Louise has presented in a simple and charming way how to calculate your personal year, personal month and personal day numbers and colours, hmmm...you won't believe how this has helped me or rather how I've been experimenting with it.

It may not seem so, but I take forever to decide what to wear, you see I'm the the intuitive dresser, ever since I feel more about colours I wonder about what colour I feel like wearing!
But after consulting with the book over a period of time, I've realised as long as I get in touch with the overall theme/mood of the day, it doesn't matter if I'm wearing amethyst or not.

Illustration from the book for personal year 7.

Understanding the past and preparing for the future
One morning as I was looking to see the colour vibration for the day. I decided to calculate my personal year numbers for the past few years and the future to see if an interesting pattern emerges. Doing so made things so clear! Understanding the theme of the year finally allowed me to make sense and accept the nature of past events. For instance, when most of my friends were getting jobs in the real world, I went off into the Himalayas and stayed in Ladakh for nearly two years! I found out those years were represented by numbers 6 and 7 and colours, indigo and violet respectively - very spiritual and inner years, time to give to yourself. Remarkable! When I read that it cleared away so many why's, that was the time I truly went inward. Knowing this just showed that everyone has different lessons to learn, one simply cannot compare. Everyone path is unique to themselves. Isn’t that amazing!

Some more insight was revealed, 2008 for me was represented by 1, a year of beginnings, how interesting, I kept feeling throughout 2008, hardship and at the same time immense satifaction of new beginings.

The future- looking ahead
Coming to 2009, next year is supposed to be a time of rest for me, where I let the seeds grow which I sowed last year, mmm....again it is so close, lately I've been feeling as if I just want to take things easy, just run around less, physically at least, let the ideas incubate, rejuvanate, practise what I've been learning, do my yoga sadhana, meditate.... and I've even changed my work routine to allow that! Once again , bang on!

Even the Humming Bird rests
I read a very good article and I have posted the link below if you feel brave enough to read it. All you artists and thinkers please do , its called "Even the Humming Bird rests" by Amy I. Wink. Amy speaks about, allowing the mind to be quiet, to rest, so that true creativity can flow
http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/Yogaplus/Article.aspx?id=3015.

Christmas Warmth

Stars lit up high in a tree outside a restautant in Colaba. They looked so dreamy and celestial.

Details of ornaments in my little Christmas tree :)

Wishing you all a very warm Christmas and Joyful New Year !

Love +light!

Breaking Blog Silence

2008-12-17T14:57:00.005+06:00

Flowers, Temple of Heaven park, Beijing. I chose this picture because it reminds me of a flower laden path towards a brighter future.

I am finally breaking blog silence. So many words have been said about the unfortunate events which occurred from 26 to 29 December 08 in local and international media. At the time, wether you were in a train or were simply walking down the street, you only heard about the horror of the unfolding events.

It was surreal to find oneself caught in this web of interdependence, where we were turned into spectators of death and destruction. While we slept, ate and watched the continuous stream of media footage, people lost their lives, were injured and traumatized for life, something in me and everyone changed, irrevocably.

During those days and in the aftermath I could not bring myself to write anything about it which would be published on the internet. Of course I spoke about it, it was all one could think about.

Seeing men with guns in camouflage guarding the station where I alight for work , walking past metal detectors, listening to announcements alerting you to unclaimed baggage that may contain explosives is giving me a glimpse of what life must be like for people in conflict-zones.

Realizations – within and without.
Inward - I don’t see myself coming to town (as we call south Bombay) six days a week anymore. All life is precious and I might as well live as if I am on a sacred journey. Outwardly, where do we go from here? I will leave asking of major questions to more knowing minds but can we re-write history in a brief period? After I read ‘Three Cups of Tea’ by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin I realized that the problem is very deep rooted. I would think it has to do with ignorance, no education, a situation where madarasas crop up sooner than non-secular schools.

Respect in our hearts, sending out love.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Zen Master who has done a lot for promoting peace and I like his writings. The first book I had read was 'Old Path, White Clouds', it changed me and I have read more books written by him since then. Recently he visited India.

In his pocket-sized book on walking meditation , Thich Nhat Hanh speaks about, how on his return to France after witnessing some shocking incidents he was repulsed by the contrasting sight of people living extravagantly, and he vowed to live in such a way that would help others.

Coming back to what I said about being on a sacred journey, with respect in our hearts for the lives lost and so that peace may grow we can go about our daily lives sending out waves of peace and harmony. Every positive thought matters, cultivate them today.

Returning arrows with flowers
Another thing, I could not understand people’s reactions – all those hate sms’s, what was that all about? Fixing appointments between terrorists and God ! have we forgotten ?
“An eye for an eye, makes the whole world blind” – Gandhi

Related links
* Plum Village where Thich Nhat Hanh lives http://www.plumvillage.org/
* more about Three Cups of Tea http://www.threecupsoftea.com

Peace, love , light and harmony !

A Mayan Prayer

2008-11-27T18:34:00.001+06:00

Most of us were at home today, watching the news, many did'nt sleep at all last night and most sad of all at least a hundred people lost their lives.

As I was cleaning through my things, I found this Mayan prayer I can relate to very much. If I had to choose a prayer to say , this would be it and I cannot think of a more appropriate time when we need positive vibrations.

Mayan Prayer

From the east, house of Light,
may wisdom dawn in us,
so we may see all things in clarity!
from the north, house of night,
may wisdom ripen in us,
so we may know all from within!
from the west, house of transformation,
may wisdom be transformed into right action,
so we may do what must be done!
from the south, house of the eternal sun,
may right action reap the harvest,
so we may enjoy the fruits of planetary being!
from above, House of heaven,
where star people and ancestors gather,
may their blessings come to us now!
from below, house of the earth,
may the heartbeat of her crystal core
bless us with harmonies to end all war!
from the centre, galactic source,
which is everywhere at once,
may everything be known as the light of mutual love!

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Tomorrow is New Moon, a day to sow seeds of new thoughts and actions, dreams of a brighter future.

Love + light

Thinking of Christmas.

2008-11-23T17:49:00.001+06:00

3 Things I love.

2008-11-22T14:20:00.013+06:00

The cloud has lifted and I'm back to sharing things that make me happy :D
Earlier I had started to make a list of 100 things I love / am grateful for, this time I will share three more.

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6. Illustration of leaf forms.
This dictionary has been around in my family for so long that entire sections of it have crumbled away, therefore everything ends after alphabet v , ha ha , but it is still very dear to me....What I love here is this particular page , illustrating the various forms of a leaf, don't you just love the detail?

7. Children's story books.
Another peculiar interest of mine is to collect children's books with illustrations - magic-realism/ fables/ mythology . In fact I once did illustrations for a freind's story which hav'nt been published yet.

Aww! love this detail , the author has dedicated the book to her father, so warm.

pages from the book......wish I could share with you the story, feel like a child again.

8. Fish. J'adore this circular shoal of fishes in a chines paper-cut. I'm very drawn to the form of a fish, and it's a good thing that they are an auspicious symbol too, for example in the the Tibetan Buddhist tradition part of the eight auspicious signs, are a pair golden leaping fish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just celebrating some beauty can cheer you up and it is so true it must lie in the smaller things in life.

Love + light !

The monologue- Passing thoughts.

2008-11-21T01:55:00.005+06:00

Passing thoughts , passing clouds.

Monologue

Today, I did a whole lot of talking..........at work, at an art get-together, coffee with a friend, bumped into more freinds, yack, yack, yack and yet now that I am alone I think it is harder to cease a conversation with others than with yourself !

Wether we are all by ourselves or in a room full of people, truth is, we are'nt listening to what the others are saying, we are only listening to ourselves! I know so because I see myself do it every time......I try to quieten fom within but the talkative mind drums up again!

On another passing thought, I cannot always make sense of what I am doing working at a gallery, or for example, today, why was I at a get-together where the key words were -

market, buyers, contemporary, modern, auction houses and oh! one sensible person said 'aesthetics'. I often wonder what karmic lessons have I got to learn from being here?

What comes to mind is most unlikely,

" Sometimes be in the mountains , sometimes be in the market" - Osho.

Love + light :)

Rumi and the inner voice.

2008-11-19T01:45:00.010+06:00

Pale sunlight,

pale the wall.

Love moves away.

The light changes.

I need more grace

than I thought.
- Rumi

"The Essential Rumi" compiled and translated by Coleman Barks and published by HarperSanFrancisco (1994).

Picture: from SUFI Expressions of The Mystic Quest by Laleh Bakhtiar, one of my fav books to go through as of now for the pictures as well as the text.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What if something is bothering you? Can you accept your limitations as you blurt you are cracking while keeping appearances under pressure? How dignified do you feel with your straight face since you do not fool yourself? You know you do not feel good inside.
During such times, I try to think things through, to pause. Even though I may be pensive or melancholic, rays of compassion from somewhere touch me or if nothing else, the emotional pain gradually subsides. In the aftermath Goenkaji’s words always ring true, “It is ephemeral, this too shall pass away”. And I feel so foolish for amplifying every word and action in my mind.

Today suddenly it came to me, Rumi’s words, "Pale sunlight,
pale the wall...need more grace than I thought" - one of my favourite verses.
Also this thought, “The seeds you sow today are the fruits of tomorrow”.

I'm sure you identify with answers such as these which just pop up in your heart/mind, calming you down, reassuring you, reminding you to stay on a higher vibration so that even though you waver you regain your balance and simply walk on.

Love +light

Woman and leaf.

2008-11-15T01:45:00.005+06:00

Woman and leaf

This is a water colour on paper I did more than two years ago. I have not repeated this theme recently. I chose this watercolour which is quiet and shows inward reflection, perhaps because thesedays that is how I feel.

The colours of the leaf and of the woman are those of autumn, they also reveal how the watercolour began, the first washes of warm colour, then the darker colours surrounding the two motifs

There is very faint horizon which is really the outline of a low mountain range. I could see this mountain from the window of my room in Leh (Ladakh), the hour is when night falls and you see the first stars and the clouds reflect the very last light after the sun has gone down.

Although my paintings are realistic they are done from the mind's eye. I find this practise very interesting, it allows me to see, feel, absorb and live with a certain idea and then one day I draw or write about it from my heart-mind. One could say there is a poetic feeling to my work.

The leaf is commonly known as camel's foot. I'm drawn to leaves and I like to make studies of them in watercolours or simply to pick them up and have a closer look for their beautiful colour, shape.

There! I have waxed eloquent enough ....will post more images of sketches and drawings since I would like to give the feeling of an artist's diary/journal/sketch-book which is more personal.

Love + light

Guru - thoughts on what is our/my understanding of "Guru".

2008-11-11T01:31:00.015+06:00

It is fun to see how things are connected. Reading a book or 'reading from the book of life' as the Chinese say (which means to learn from experience - life itself) can make you see deeper, often very unexpectedly something reveals itself to you of which you were'nt even aware you were thinking of or had stopped thinking about for a while. When you least expect it, you read about it and the inter-connection/ relation takes you by surprise. In one such moment, I was reading 'the Zen commandments' by Dean Sluyter, where he elaborates about who is a "Guru",

"Related to the word "gravity", it signifies someone who's heavy where the rest of us are lite, who has the gravitas to be grounded, as immovably as a rock, in the unchanghing nature of reality, even as the rest of us our blown away like dry leaves.........In some Asian cultures one might call a dozen people "my guru". Every teacher, as he or she points toward infinity, stands in a slightly different place; the spot on the horizon where all those pointing fingers converge is where we want to go."

After reading this, I thought of the day I visited my girl-freind. She was in the midst of preparing her home for Diwali and when I asked her what she was doing, she said she was cleaning the space where she kept her "Gurus". I liked the fact that she did'nt say "Gods", by calling them "Gurus" she had intensified their benevolent presence. No more were they deities to be feared but Gurus, pointing to us the way.

Thinking about what the author says of having many Gurus, I feel fortunate to have been introduced to Buddhism, I don't take to it outwardly by way of rituals but have allowed it to grow slowly. I feel blessed to invoke Medicine Budda or as my husband affectionately and respectfullys says in Tibetan/Ladakhi - Sangyes Men-Lha and Sakyamuni Buddha or the historical Buddha. I feel happy to think of Guruji Goenkaji and my Reikhi teacher Dr. N.K.Sharma. Although, I may not see or meet my teachers/Gurus I feel happy simply to think of them, I am lifted even if it is an inch.

To all my Teachers of the Past, Present and the Future -
my deepest gratitude.

Love and Light.

5 Things I love/ am grateful for.

2008-11-09T14:45:00.017+06:00

After reading Samantha Honey's November cheat sheet and blog I decided to make a list of things I'm grateful for. I've added my own take on it . I'm naming it as things I'm grateful for as well things I love since it is almost interchangeable for me. The list is supposed to be of a 100. But I'm making mine 5 at a time on this blog in no particular order. I have simply added as it came to me. So, here goes :)

1. Rigzin and his newspaper.
There are times when I wish there was no news, he can stay like that for what may seem like hours! Ironically, it is also what I love about him :)

2.Beads! love them, am always curious about different shapes, stones, colours....I only buy one when I feel I'm ready to enjoy something new. Here, I love the hand - painted look of the ceramic beads. It is an on-going love.

3.Butterfly! this pretty little creature sat on my fern earlier in the day...am glad I got a decent shot of it. Love such moments!

5. Sunlight coming through the leaves. Love mornings, afternoons of such translucent beauty. Simply watching the light is enough learning for the day sometimes.

5. Breakfast time. Am grateful for my time in the morning before I head of into the 'world'. It is time of quiet repose where I drink tea or coffee, watch the plants, trees outside, read the paper...simply be.

I hope you have enjoyed the 5 things I love/am grateful for. I intend to keep thinking of more.

Think of a list of things you enjoy and make one even if it is for yourself. I promise,it will most certainly leave you feeling happier

Have a lazy Sunday :)

Love and Peace

Gaurika's Rangoli.

2008-11-04T02:16:00.011+06:00

This Diwali my girl-freind invited me help make the Rangoli. Of course, Gaurika did it all by herself but not without me babysitting her little daughter who made her own creations with the coloured powders. What remains of that afternoon are memories and these pictures. The Rangolis are all swept away making them so ephemeral, so beautiful.

~~~~~~~~~~

First, she draws a sketch (as you can see she has studied painting in art school), then she makes a base with a mixture of mud (suited for this purpose)and water. Then she draws out her lines with loose white powder. Next, she fills it in with colours that come to her, notice the turquoise and purples, so Piscean!
The final touches - much like in the sacred art of thangka painting where the 'opening of the eyes' brings the thangka to life, she adds fresh petals, candle and tea-lights giving the Rangoli its own radiance.
Happy Diwali!

Happy Diwali !

Tasting with Heart

2008-11-02T00:19:00.018+06:00

A delightful gastronomi-cal series on National Geographic - The Food Lover's Guide to the Planet, has me lying on my stomach, sprawled in front of the T.V Set...and it has some brain food as well, meaning you travel around the world learning about – molecular gastronomy (!), trompe l’oeil in food, food bloggers and in the last episode, combining aromatherapy oils with food and a chef in France who takes inspiration from walks in his garden - plucking this, smelling that...mmmm....now we’re talking

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I partucularly loved the French scientist who apparently defined the term 'molecular gastronomy'. Here is a man of science after your heart, he says, good food is not about technique or skill it but about love! So go watch a programme about food and enjoy your dal chawal or even a chai at work even more or better still experiment!

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My Food Story

Spring time in Bejing, circa 2008, in a certain Golden Lake Cafe, I waited long for this steaming vision . The vegetables, sauce and the noodles were so delicious, I hurt my mouth trying to eat it quickly since I was getting late to be somewhere. This meal is one of 'the' favourite meals I have had the pleasure to..wait, not eat but to 'see, smell, touch and taste'. Thanks Chef! Xie- xie!

Bon apetit to all!

Love + light!

Blue.

2008-10-26T22:12:00.005+06:00

It all started with a hook in the middle of the wall. I had been away for almost two years and when I returned my folks had put this hook. (In what used to be the balcony, now extension of living room and still have'nt asked them about the hook)

Being inclined to making improvisations to my surroundings I had been thinking of hanging some kind of lamp. My most favourite corner to sit in happens to be dressed in stripes of blue, and one evening while ambling down colaba causeway (where else!) I stopped by at a stall selling these lamps and other curios mostly for tourists...and decided on this Blue one.

Somehow the atmosphere of my favourite corner is evolving into hues of blue, sea green, mauve....and the blue-ness of the glass acts as a accent. It's nothing expensive but I'm deeply into 'living' colour and my most sincere apologies if I ramble on and on about it. :)

Firstly, Blue is the colour emanated by your throat chakra which has a lot to do with expression. Add a little red then you get indigo which is the colour of your brow chakra.

Colours do have a deeper meaning and a function in our lives other than adding an easthetic value. So, let's see what does S.G.J Ouseley say of the attributes of BLUE in the book 'Colour Meditations'

BLUE.The Symbol of Inspiration and Devotion.

The spiritual nature.

Deep clear blue, pure religious feeling.

Pale ethereal blue, devotion to a noble ideal.

An excess of blue in the aura signifies an artistic, harmonious nature and spititual understanding.

Bright blue, loyalty and sincerity.

A little tip I learnt from Pauline Wills book Colour Therapy is you can breathe in colour into your aura. Now, this is my improvisation - When you are outdoors and you see the sky, imagine you are taking it in - it's beautiful blue colour. Isn't that simply wonderful?

I found Pauline's book when I was living in Leh at Leh-Ling bookshop. (the only bookshop open in winter!). It was my first book about colour therapy and since then much abused from caryying about, underlining sentences and the likes. Pauline Wills has given a set of asanas to perform to enhance each chakra, where you visualize breathing in the colour while you stay in the pose. My favourite part though is *'Pink Rose Contemplation'. I experimented a bit and tried it with various fifferently coloured flowers , since in Leh during summer flowers grow so well in the garden. Although the meditation/contemplation lasted only for a few minutes it was exciting to note how each flower triggered a flow of energy in a different direction, also the intensity varied, was it the colour? it was exciting to practise and discover nonetheless.

* ( I suppose Pink is recommended as it is the colour of unconditional, universal love, just as in crystals, rose quartz is advised)

Returning to the colour Blue, Pauline says,

This is the colour which symbolizes inspiration, devotion, peace and tranquility.

If you have ever done a course of Vipassana ( as taught by S.N.Goenka) , if not you can always ask a freind who has, you will notice the meditation cushions at all centres are always a deep blue...I think as I read elsewhere blue helps you in your spiritual aspirations.

May we all have blue skies and calm hearts

Happy Diwali!

Love + light!

Fishes, hers and mine.

2008-10-23T22:51:00.020+06:00

Minam Apang's "War with the Stars" at Chatterjee & Lal .
It is very rarely that one sees such a distinctively creative body of works. Minam has certainly been doing better with each show and I predict she will soon leave the realm of the 'contemporary art scene' and join the league of masters.

I am no art-historian so feel free to disagree with me at large. I found the mood of the show to be very oriental - the colour and texture of the paper, the dark richness of the ink, , the imagery - organic and fluid. I was also reminded of the varied, illustrative styles that have emerged, dating back to Hokusai and then Manga. The delicate, finer than hair-strands pen-manship defy and her imagined creatures intrigue.

I looked up C&L's website and found no images of the paper-works that speak for themselves (I intended to paste a link to her show)......would love to see the show go on a little longer....inspiring, truly indeed.

Now, you must must be wondering what are these images about? Well, this is the fish I made in pottery class, and I have juxtaposed it with Minam's invitation card - the thought just came to me in a flash of artistic inspiration. You see, fishes appear in my art-works as well, they just do. Perhaps, I feel drawn to the water element. Apparently , I found out a while ago I am a Piscean by my Moon-sign. At first I said , no! that can't be , and then I saw the signs!.. goodness! Now Im making peace with it. It's true I do walk around in shops guided by some unseen force and never have a shopping list....I am dreamy and I love the colours- turquoise, purple...sea- blue, sea green...and the list goes on....all attributes of a Piscean gone mad (in a good way). So, I've decided to use it, to embrace this side of me rather than try to be 'practical', I have some lovely friends who complement this dreamy nature of mine.

In conclusion, hence proven, even if you are a dreamy, apparently 'head in the clouds' person (Believe me I have been told that!) you can thrive in this dog-eat-dog world, in Bombay! or any where else! :)
Love + light! (Incidentally, today the first lamps of Diwali were lit)

Doing my bit for peace- Lao-Tzu shows the TAO Way.

2008-10-21T21:36:00.002+06:00

Open book

what do I read?

Lao Tzu speaks

the watercourse way

If you cannot trust yourself, you cannot even trust your mistrust of yourself – so that without this underlying trust in the whole system of nature you are simply paralyzed. So Lao-tzu makes the sage, as ruler, say:

I take no action and people are reformed.
I enjoy peace and people become honest.
I use no force and people become rich.
I have no ambition and people return to the good and simple life.

(Excerpt from TAO The Watercourse Way by Alan Watts with collaboration of Al Chung-Liang Huang.)

***************

On a high

-er vibration

They say we are moving from the age of Pisces to the age of Aquarius (Satyug) and Kalyug is apparently not going down without a bang. But that is no reason for people to give in to their baser instincts. It is infinitely better to tune into higher vibrations and not to fall in with the prevalent atmosphere. We always have a choice to walk on the noble path. I suggest , (that first includes me!) no more complaining, send out positive vibrations in all directions, the first person to benefit will be ourselves :)

**************

Saturday Shopping

2008-10-19T11:06:00.011+06:00

Saturday evenings after work, are alway liberating. From the first step outside I feel relaxed...my weekend off begins ( I work ony three days but I work hard!) and this Saturday I treated myself to a nice coffee (read Capuccino) and a great sandwich.
The gallery is at Colaba which is quite a hip place. It so vibrant as you walk down colaba causeway with all the wayside stalls - a girls delight...silver jewellery , bohemian bangles, scarves, clothes, cafes, books...
and so naturally I shopped!

After coffee, sandwich and my tummy satisfed I realised now would be a great time to find a white T to wear as a backdrop to all the jewellery I collect. (The red necklace is from an earlier find at Colaba). Also on my wish list was a cool T. The dark blue T-shirt with the phoenix print immediatey caught my eye and we went home together! love the oriental look.

This bangle reminds of tribal jewellery, the thick anklets that women wear. My hands are thinnish so it isn't very often I find a beauty which fits...after I tried it on this one just stayed on my wrist. I like to shop intuitively, that is, when you just know this piece is for you.

The embossed/relief (?) pattern reminds me of leaves, foliage :)

Wishing everyone a great Sunday !
Love + Light

When you need binoculars with your tea

2008-10-16T23:10:00.003+06:00

Andheri used to be wooded in *Salim Ali’s autobiography, “The Fall of a Sparrow” , it must really hard for anyone to believe I manage to do any bird-watching!... as a matter of fact, it is one of my most enjoyable and rewarding things to do...while sipping tea to lookout for birds!...or gaze without purpose into the canopy of the trees ......you see there are gorgeous little sun birds..with their curlew beaks..that come feeding in the morning for nectar from fersh flowers, weaving birds...pied crested bulbuls..babblers...oriental magpie robins (depending on the time of year)...you can hear the coppersmith barbet’s tok!tok!tok! heard the coucal (Bhardwaj) a while ago and once a trio of drongos were merrily flitting from tree to tree!

What’s for breakfast? roti to be had with fruits, cheddar cheese and some earl grey tea...
*Salim Ali is synonymous with Bird-watching and BNHS (Bombay Natural Historal Society).

Over Breakfast

2008-10-13T09:45:00.010+06:00

Morning musings - Breakfast... garden creatures - not a garden really ! ha ha.. just plants outside the window and an assortment of shells and stone! and little light for Buddha inside...
Peace! :)

A Bowl of Serenity

2008-10-12T23:27:00.001+06:00

"Nothing special" things to do on a Sunday- pick a flower fallen on your path, take it home, place in a bowl of water in the sun.

Sacred Corner

2008-10-12T16:27:00.006+06:00

We all love to create little arrangements of our favourite objects, a favourite photograph, some flowers... which slow us down, allow us to pause, remind us of our goals or what is simply sacred to us, objects which we feel happy to look at.

For me, I love to create ‘still lifes’ which reflect my mood. What’s in my sacred corner says a lot of different stories, for instance, the little shrine is really meant to hold a time-piece, I bought it in Kochi, Kerala and the Sakyamuni Buddha living inside I found through serendipity. It is from Thailand and has a beautiful ornate oriental look.

Sigh! I just feel peaceful looking at the arrangement. On a deeper level I think we can’t help create symbolic offerings, it seems as if everything has a secret life of its own and a deeper meaning.

Love + Peace !

Water for Life

2008-10-06T13:48:00.002+06:00

While going through a site I read About Dr.Hado and his photographs of Water-crystals..it is beautiful and insightful to see the effect words, prayers have on water. It has been re-affirming for me to see this - I have long known that one can charge the water they drink with reikhi, but to see pictures! it does blow you away, it is magical. Follow the link below and see for youself.

Love + light to all!

https://www.hado.net/index.php-

One stem of Pure-Heartedness

2008-10-02T19:59:00.003+06:00

It is said that there were eighty-four thousand virtues of perfection practised by all Bodhisattvas, but they are no more than so many leaves and branches growing from the one stem of pure-heartedness.

-Soyen 1987,78

from Simple Zen by C.Alexander Simpkins PH.D, Annellen Simpkins PH.D

From the one stem of pure-heartedness....is there such a thing as a pure heart? we all think we are pure-hearted. In India we are all brought up to believe there is goodness in everyone much like we believe the Ganga to be pure and have curative properties. We have so much faith in it, even if it may carry deadly pollutants, it is sacred!

So is the notion of a 'pure heart' the same with us? an illusion? or is the 'pure-heart' like the Bodhi seed, buried deep somewhere waiting to germinate, to grow into a tree , a forest of enlightenment.

Dunno ......till then it is enough to try and be pure.

"It is the emptiness wthin that must feel comfortable."

2008-10-01T16:58:00.007+06:00

The Boundless Room
No walls and there is no dwelling place. The room that is too small cannot be lived within. It is the emptiness wthin that must feel comfortable.
The place that houses a man and a woman's togetherness must define but not constrict, enclose yet be spacious. In the dwelling of two together, find the boundless room.

-The Tao of Relationships
by Ray Grigg.

The verse I quoted is from one of my favourite books I love to dip into...often one needs to be reminded of the poetry in life. Taoism's dual way of looking at things holds a timeless appeal- both qualities are always present in a pair of, let us say opposites - emptiness, fullness.
When I bought this book from a second hand, way-side bookstall, near my home- I thought I was being sentimental- The Tao of Relationships!! look at the title! Wrong.
I have read this verse to my freinds and they have fallen silent while listening to it.

Sometimes I forget about the book- at others I remember, I suppose "It is the emptiness wthin that must feel comfortable."

Lunar musings-

2008-09-30T23:31:00.003+06:00

In Hemmingway's 'Old Man and the Sea',

the Old man refers to the sea as a woman,

is she not likewise affected by the moon? he says....

(he meant the waves are an effect of the moon's gravitational

pull on the earth, it being mostly water)

sometimes I wonder...

about the connection

between the moon,

the water

and

being

woman...

Sunday mornings

2008-02-17T11:53:00.000+06:00

Its late Sunday morning just half hour short of noon, the incense burns sweet smoke, leaves rain down with a little help from the wind. I opened my eyes and found the sunlight to be so beautiful, I don't think I ever noticed the golden clarity of spring light.
Sunday mornings also include the newspaper and it seemed as if there were more crimes against, women, the elderly, and even an arms expo! Anyone who as done a meditation course with Israelis will know they have more baggage because of the conflict they breathe in.
That said it is interesting to observe all of it does not drown the call of the birds going about their duties this spring.
Love and light to all.