The Journey of my Philosophy Part-2: Mushroom thought-clouds and the Dalai Lama

If you haven’t checked out the first part of the journey, travel HERE

The journey that set the foundations for my reality eventually led me to seek out further wisdom that would culminate into much needed insight for the perilous road ahead. My path led me to more wondrous locations and incredible realizations that furthered my longing for the “truth behind all illusion”. The adventure called LIFE had just begun!

Vattakanal

With the intense awe of the power of our psychology on the reality we live in, my need to figure out the real reality got even higher after my trip to auroville. I had a lot of new ideas to integrate and I was no longer sure of what actually is to be believed. So much of what I thought was woodo science seemed to be having very practical implications. I decided to take the trip into nature and listen to what the planetary gnosis had to offer in this chaos. Since I had gone deep into the ideas of Terrence McKenna, I was well versed with the effects of psilosybin, aka magic mushrooms.

The mirror in the sky
The mirror in the sky

(For those who still haven’t been introduced, psilosybin is the natural entheogen that acts to slow the pre frontal lobe and enhance the other functions of our brain. This end up increasing the amount of information that enters into our consciousness and heightens our sensory perception resulting into absolutely novel thoughts, feelings, sights and insights. I had read enough about it to try it for myself.)

Vattakanal is another place on the hummus trail that has to offer natural growing mushrooms and a awe inspiring setting into nature of Tamil Nadu. This solo travel turned out to be the most adventurous trip I ever had, for entirely different reasons. For the first time I had realized, even if momentarily, that all philosophies and religions are trying to say very simple thing in different complicated ways. Everything is one. Quantum mechanics is understandable, even if only ideologically,

Through the looking glass
Through the looking glass

but it’s a goddamn real characteristic of the wonderful universe we live in.

All of a sudden I had a deep respect for Osho and Buddhism, who were directly pointing at this unchanging eternal truth.

McLeodganj

Knowing the truth and living the truth are two different things. Epiphanies are only the beginning of our doing.

I visited Himachal for a whole month at the end of winter. The Wanderer that I am wandered to many snowy places, discovering new places and exploring the lives of villages in the wild. In no place did I stay for more than 2-3 days. But that trend ended when I reached mcleodganj.

The temple of awareness
The temple of awareness

A very famous hills station, that is the Tibetan settlement in India, has a tons of things to offer. Apart from the very obvious gorgeousness of the surroundings, it also boasts to house the holy Dalai Lama himself. I had the fortune to attend one of his lectures/ceremony inside the Lama temple. The monastery was more than full on that chilly Sunday morning. I could see the excitement and holy feeling in the eyes of all people present there. After the ceremony, which I didn’t understand any part of, Mr Lama settled in a comfortable chair beneath the mike. They had a wonderful system of live translators in huge number of languages from the Tibetan lecture that was given. We could set out radio to our preferred language to understand what he is explaining live. I didn’t have no radio and

Wisdom to insight
Wisdom to insight

had to look for someone ready to share it with me. I met a beautiful Spanish girl who would share one headphone with me for the English translation. (Well more about that later.) At that time I was too excited to gain a little understanding in Buddhism from the chief himself. And guess what, the lecture was on ‘intro to Buddhism’! For next two hours I was lost into the ideas of this holy man who asked everyone to question everything that is taught, even if the teaching comes from Buddha himself. Without self understanding, maturity is not possible and so isn’t enlightenment. I was hooked.

The bells of truth
The bells of truth

When I came out of the lecture, I saw the lives in mcleodganj a bit differently. Physical survival is the most important thing, as everywhere else, but their lifestyle was designed to practice balance, to practice remembrance, of the ultimate truth of oneness. Kindness is just the byproduct of that remembrance, damn I had to come long way to get that.

The long road to redemption
The long road to redemption

Right now I am at the crossroads that every Traveler finds himself/herself at. You have found the truth, the answer, but what do I do with it, decides the course of rest of my life.

About Mihir Jagdish

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2 comments

  1. Wouldn’t it be to end abruptly without summing up what is it that the author here realized is the truth (and how it rings true of the ‘Quantum Mechanics’ too)?

    Of course, truth is not something which is spoon fed, or presented ready-made. It has to be felt, as a first hand experience, and hence explored individually (I feel this resonates with what I believe is said of Buddhism). Even then, a sharing the basic philosophy gives those who seek truth too, orientation! Which helps!

    So I would really look forward to someone of you share it here! 🙂

    • You said it very right that truth has to be felt personally and I too believe only then does it have substantially. Regards to the truth that I mentioned at the end of this article, it was the realization that everything is one. And living a life remembering this truth is what emits kindness. I hope this is enough fodder for our contemplations for the moment. Peace.

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