Whatever will be, will be

Everyone at the homestead had already taken off by the time Courtney and I got back from yoga, a bit later than anticipated. But it was ok ... I knew where they were all headed. Courtney took a few moments to get settled into her new room which had just been vacated. I headed out to our favorite tourist restaurant, Unity Pizza for Atli and Eva's farewell lunch. Maria poked her head around the outdoor canopy and waved me over to the table. Our housemates Warren and Kahu were already there, along with a few other well wishers.

It had only been a few weeks together but it sure felt like we were losing two members of the family. We had come from all different parts of the world, had our own reasons for winding up in Bhagsu, but after spending two weeks sharing one bathroom, lots of food and more than a few laughs it was time for the Icelandic contingent to return home. I started to think about my own impending journey back to the US.

We sat around our table we reminised about our time together in Rishikesh. I couldn't help but remember our teacher Khush's words at our graduation ceremony. He warned us, tried to prepare us for what was sure to await. No one comes to India and returns the same person, especially not after spending so much time and effort pursuing spritual practice. We all could have just hung out in Rishikesh or Dharamsala and smoked ganga with the stoner sadhus, but instead we all choose to spend our vacation doing 6 - 8 hours of intense yoga and meditation per day.

When your friends and family see you again, notice the physical changes, hear you speaking about God realization and watch you practicing hours and hours of yoga each day, they'll be convinced you've lost your mind. They'll start to think you're brainwashed. The people who love you the most, who you care about more than anything, will judge you, will question your motives, will be sure they know what you should be doing with your life, better than you yourself could possibly know.

I remember shaking my head out of frustration as Khush continued speaking. I had experienced the extremes of this very behavior first hand. I looked around the table at my cohorts with a bit of envy. It seemed like every one of them could point to the love and support their families gave them on their journey. How they were encouraged to go. How they answered all the eager questions about what they were doing. How they helped make all of this possible, helped take care of their worldly responsibilities while they were away. I was just getting to the point with my family where there seemed to be the beginnings of some level of acceptance. That's what happens when you're from an Indian family and dare to be just a little bit different from what is the norm.

But Khush told us to forget about those distractions. Sure, treat your inquisitors with love and compassion, but stay true to yourself. When you are accused of being irresponsible for not taking part in the material economy, when you hear that you are selfish for pursuing a goal greater than your own desires, when you are told you are a drain on society for not contributing enough ... don't believe those lies. Instead take a second to ask yourself what these people who belittle your path are contributing to the world. Mostly just stress and anxiety as a result of working jobs they dislike. A degree of lust and envy as a result of unrealized desires. At best a few dollars to United Way or some other charity which makes them feel better about themselves.

The world we live in only becomes a better place as the people in it spend the time and effort to make themselves better on an individual level. By raising our own awareness we raise the level of consciousness of the entire planet. I've had plenty of moment where I debated going back to an easier route, running with the rest of the sheep in the pack, banging my head against the walls of material possessions, relationships, fame and worldly respect that people swear is the path towards true happiness. But once you've acknowledged for yourself that there will always be a greater Truth than those things can provide you'll never be fooled again.

After lunch Atli and Eva headed down the long road to the auto-rikshaw stand, loaded up with all their belongings. They turned down all the offers to help carry their load, they knew they were capable of dealing with all the baggage they had brought with them. And I knew the same about myself.