Antidote to Scarcity

When one is on a pilgrimage there is uncertainty. In such a state, the mind looks for certainty and sits as the gate keeper to raise red flags. On the other hand the ones who have walked this path before tell us to just have faith and you won’t sleep hungry and without a roof.

One of the rules for a traditional pilgrimage is "ask nothing and refuse nothing" which reminds us of Brother David. This means one has to have faith in humanity and trust. To step into this way of being takes time and this results in hoarding. Hoarding on to food, extra bedding for cold, the usual route and many other mind patterns. When we walk with all of this we start feeling comfortable and secure in the first few days. Slowly one starts feeling the weight of all that, alI that I kept storing for tomorrow.

In the first week my mind went through so many mental calculations that I stared feeling more tired of it then walking. There would be times when I won’t eat so that I don’t have to share my food. Finally we decided to just give it away. We stared sharing it with children who came running to us greeting Narmade Har. The smiles that they shared fuelled us and gradually the weight of my mind and my bag started reducing. It is in the giving that we receive as Nipun bhai says.

The design of the universe is crazy. As we stared giving, we stated receiving. We would give in this village and people would give us in the next village.When we walk in front of their homes they invite us for tea. When we walk from their farms they offer us groundnut and sugarcane fresh from the harvest. The oldies who are sitting out in the sun bless us. When we reach any where at lunch time, they offer us from their share. In the evening when we reach a village, a bunch of them arrange for a safe place for us to sleep. Some offer us money to buy food and the offerings are endless.

Everywhere around us we are seeing the abundance in nature. Tall trees giving shade. Birds singing songs. Cranes on the river banks taking its gentle flights. Small puppies licking my toes. Dew drops shining like pearls as the early morning sun rays touch them. Squirrels running ahead of us. Butterflies spreading their colour across the green field. Bells of the evening prayer. Night lamps far in a home helps me to connect with someone whom I don’t know.

It’s interesting how each day I walk to this new village, I sleep under a new roof, eat with new people, as things starts to get a little comfortable and certain, it’s time to move on:)

And as walked we were singing "We have enough we are grateful share the the blessings bodhi swaha" fondly remembering Rev. Heng Sure.

This design has taught me to trust. There is a higher plan which is taking care.