During the 10 days Vipassana Meditation
Camp, my roommate was a girl from Germany. There was a Noble Silence rule that
nobody could talk or had any eye contact, we were both living in our own world
in the first nine days. Not until the noble silence was over on Day 10, we then
realized we were like a long lost friend to each other, how close were our
thoughts, how close were our feelings.
Christina came from Germany, 33 years old
this year. At the age of 16 she realized she wanted to be a physiotherapist, to
treat people with their pain and body problems. When she finally entered this
industry, she thought may be she could add different techniques in it, such as
massage, yoga, Ayurveda, etc., to help people search for calm, peace and
happiness.
Started from a very young age, when she was
still living in Germany, she wanted to travel to different places. She wanted
to see how people live in little materialistic world and less comfort lives in
very poor and simple countries.
In the recent years, she became less
attracted to the luxurious life. She wanted to live in a more basic life, in
simpler circumstances, to experience different culture, and to find more
spirituality.
Three years ago, she went to Nepal, a very
poor country, for one year. She had her first Vipassana course in Nepal. She
felt she changed after her completion of the course, and decided to do it
longer time, in Nepal and India.
2 years ago, Christina found a job offer of
physiotherapist in a clinic in Delhi. However, Delhi is such a busy, polluted,
and crowded place, she could not find her calmness. It was very exhausting to
work long hours. However, she knew deep in her heart, she was there for a
reason. She would take half a year off to travel in India afterwards, to search
for the calm she needed.
November last year, Christina started her
journey. She went for a Sivananda Yoga teacher training, and she attended the
Vipassana course again, to develop her inner growth. She knew deep in her
heart, she doesn’t want sightseeing, shopping, or be a tourist, she spent 2.5
months to learn yoga philosophy in an ashram, and attended 2 more Vipassana
courses to learn and serve other meditators. She considered herself lucky to
have all these experiences.
Now she knew she would spend more than 6
months time, to do more yoga, serve more, learn more, meditate more, to
establish herself. Her goal is to live with yoga and Vipassana, choosing them
as her way of living. Later on she could use them to give to people in some
way. However, she also needed to learn to let go, worries, society expectations
on her, why she wasn’t earning money, not getting married, having kids, find a
good job, live a secured life. She needed to purify herself, live in a simple
and free life. She wish to live with same minded people. She knew it will be a
whole life time job, to see what’s inside of her.
She wants to settle somewhere, give to
people. She avoids going to too many places, or try too many things. She has
been trying things and looking for the right ones in the past 10 years. She has
now found yoga and meditation. She wants to be professional in them. They are
good and suit her. They are her big gifts already.
She is grateful for the opportunity. She
believes there is always learning from each other, they are all gifts.
In India many people do not have the
chance, may be because of poverty, or family commitments. She believes in Karma,
may be she didn’t do it in her last life, may be she worked hard and earned
this. She is happy, and grateful to have this chance and is free to pursue
that.
Regarding her purpose of traveling, many
people go to see the outside world. They visit places, take photos, but they
are all impermanent. Real travel doesn’t matter where to go, see what things.
It is more important to feel inside. Real travel, real sightseeing is inside of
oneself, and to give. She likes nature, good environment to think about and has
good liberation.
The more she travels, the less move she
has, and will settle in one point at the end. It really doesn’t matter which countries.
She is thankful to have a wonderful life and thank to the universe.
There is an old saying said by a Guru, if
you end up in India now, must be life take you to that spot, because they need
you there.
When I listened to Christina’s sharing, I
felt so touched and so connected to every sentence she said. She came from
Germany, I came from Hong Kong, and we met in India. It was such a close
feeling to meet a long lost friend. We both like nature, hope to use our own
power to make the world a better place. We do not want to live in society’s
expectation, live the same lives everybody else does. We both have a travel
logbook, to write and to draw our memory in the journey.
Christina gave me a card she bought in her journey
as the gift in exchange. There is a painting of Ganesha on the card.
She wrote some words for the next person
pursuing dreams, and they are also words for me:
Dear sister or brother,
Always remember to live your dreams, listen
to your heart and the voice deep inside of you. You can never be wrong. May
Ganesha remove all the obstacles to live your life to the fullest! May you be
happy and share all your love!
Your sister from Germany
Ganesha has 2 meanings:
He is son of Shiva in Hinduism. He lost his
human head, has an eleghant head, which means he is very pure because he has no
ego. He would do for others, for the world and for the people with his heart.
Second meaning is to remove all obstacles, and
doubts. He gives good protection, opens the way, let people head towards light
and enlightenment, has a strength to go on, face and do, and grow inside.
2/3/2014
Train journey from Cheriyanad to Kollam
夢想專訪2 - 德國治療師的靈性之旅夢
「真正的旅行，最重要的不是去哪裏，是內心怎樣感覺，是內在的，真正的觀光是在內心，是學習去給予」
在南印度我參加了一個十天的內觀課程，和我同房的是一位來自德國的女生。不過，由於課程規定，我們完全不能和任何人交談和有眼神接觸，我們一起共住的頭九天都是各自各生活，直到第十天打破沉默後，大家才驚嘆著對方像是一位一見如故的好友，大家的思想是那麼的接近，感覺是那麼的親切。
自小的助人夢
Christina來自德國，今年33歲。她16歲開始就想當物理治療師，因為可以幫助人們處理身體上各種痛症，後來她也進入了這個行業，她還希望能加入其他技能，如按摩、瑜珈、印度古老醫療法等，幫助人們尋找平靜、平安和喜悅。
很年輕開始，還在德國生活的時候，她就想到其他國家旅行，到不同地方，看看貧困、簡樸的國家人民，在物質不足的情況下到底是怎麼樣生活。近年來，她越來越想離開奢華生活，去試一試簡單生活，她想體驗不同文化，尋找心靈富足。
向世界出發
三年前Christina了離開德國到了尼泊爾一年，那是一個很貧窮的國家，她第一次參加了十天的內觀課程。完成後她發覺冥想能夠改變人們，於是她決定逗留在尼泊爾和印度地區，以便能花更長時間去鑽硏這門學問。
幸運地，兩年前她在印度德里找到了一份物理治療師的工作。不過，德里是一個很繁瑄、污染、人多車多的地方，完全找不到她想要的平靜，加上長時間工作真是一件很疲倦的事情。不過她知道，自己是有原因逗留在這裏的，她之後要用半年時間在印度旅行，去找尋內心需要的平靜。
心靈之旅
去年十一月開始，Christina展開了她的旅程。她上了瑜珈導師課程，又再次出席了內觀課程，加深了內在成長。她清楚知道，自己不是要當遊客，去觀光購物，她花了兩個半月在修道院學瑜珈哲學，又上了兩次內觀課和學習服侍其他靜修參加者，她覺得自己很幸運能夠有這些體驗。
現在，她應該會花至少半年時間，繼續鑽研瑜伽，也會多做侍候和冥想去建立自己。她的目標是以瑜珈和冥想作為生活方式，將來再以它們去幫助別人。不過，對於社會上普遍的標準，別人的眼光，為甚麼不去賺錢、結緍、生兒育女、找份好工作、過一些安穩生活，她要學習放開和克服內心的恐懼。她要淨化自己的心靈，用簡單和自由的方式過活，她希望能跟相似想法的人一起生活，這會是一生的功課，去尋找自己內心到底想要些甚麼。
她希望能在某處安定下來去服務別人，她不需要去很多地方，試太多東西，因為過去十年已試過很多東西了。現在找到了瑜珈和冥想，她要鑽研下去把它們變成專業，這兩樣東西已經很好很適合自己，它們已經是很大的禮物。
常懷感恩之心
Christina很感恩自己能夠有這些機會。她相信，在每個人身上她都能有新的學習和體會，這些都是祝福的禮物。很多印度人沒有機會，可能是因為貧窮，或是要照顧家庭。她相信karma，說不定上輩子沒機會追求，或許這些都是她經過一番努力後換取回來的。現在她很快樂、很感恩，這輩子有機會、有自由去做這一切追求。
旅行的意義，很多人去看外面的世界，看名勝古蹟，去參觀不同的地方，拍照，但那些都不是永恒的。真正的旅行，最重要的不是去哪裏，是內心怎樣感覺，是內在的，真正的觀光是在內心，是學習去給予。她喜歡大自然，讓自己能夠在一個很美好的環境中思考和釋放。
當旅行越多，移動就會越來越少，最終在某處停下安定下來。所以，甚麼國家其實真的不重要，她很感恩生命是那麼的美好，感謝宇宙的給予。有一位大師說過，若果現在來到印度，一定是因為生命把你帶來這裏，因為這裏需要你。
一邊聽著Christina的分享，一面想為甚麼她說的每一句話都跟自己那麼有共鳴。來自德國的她，和來自香港的我在印度遇上，那種他鄉遇故知的感覺悠然而生。大家都喜愛大自然，希望用自己的力量去令世界更美好；不希望跟著社會的標準走，過著一模一樣的生活模式；我倆都有一本旅行記事簿，記錄旅途上自己的感想和速記圖畫。
最後，Christina 把一張在旅途中購買的禮物卡送給我做交換禮物，上面有印度教象頭神(Ganish)的畫像。她在禮物卡上寫了一段說話送給我，也送給下一位追夢者：
親愛的兄弟姐妹；
時常記著，要活出夢想，聆聽內心的聲音，你永遠也不會錯的。願印度教神象頭神除去你所有的障礙，把生命活到最好。祝福你快樂，把你的愛分享出去。
你的德國姐妹上
印度象頭神有兩個意思：
第一，他是印度教濕婆神的兒子，他失去了人頭，只有大笨象的頭，代表他很清純，不會自我，會用心地為世間上其他人做事
第二個意思是他會除去所有障礙、疑慮，打開前路，給予保護和祝福，讓人們有力量向光明前進，達到內心的成長
2/3/2014
寫於南印Kerala, Cheriyanad到Kollam的火車旅途上
