The other day I left the forest with Mayapur, one of the new monk trainees. The bumper was directed towards highway 101 South which would take us to Santa Rosa. We needed some more boards for the deck we are building around the temple.
Mayapur was reading verses from the Bhagavad-gita as we were gliding down the curvy roads, and we talked about some points in the commentary and tried to learn verses by heart. I love these kind of spontaneous study situations. These books and the state of mind it has spawned from are just bottomless. The further I go in this thing the more it opens up and the more it makes me realize how much we are missing out in our everyday lives.
It’s not so weird for me anymore to go back among civilization, but it was funny to observe Mayapur’s reactions. He was out in the city first time in the three months he’s been here. We really do live in our own world up on the mountains and it affords an incredible possibility to be as focused on spiritual matters and thoughts as possible.
Cities are undoubtedly really fascinating for the mind and senses. Everything is designed to make a strong impression on us. I’ve really learned to be in awe of the advances that humanity has taken. Once you have taken some distance to the western way of life and you enter cities kind of as an alien, from one angle it’s really fascinating. This time in Santa Rosa my main feeling about it was that everything takes so much effort and energy to produce. The asphalt under our truck, the light bulbs of the neon signs, the bolts in the park bench legs. All the small things that we never think twice.
I remember floating over London in the night time on a United flight last year. As the sea of lights was spreading to every direction below me under the pitch black sky, I breathed deep just from thinking about the amount of energy, thought and organization it takes to keep such a huge community going. Every detail, every single parking meter and dirty floor has to be attended to by someone.
Cities are awe inspiring from one point of view, but if you are attached to the glimmer and glamor, it becomes problematic. We waste our energy into things that feel nice for a while but wear out fast. The disposable culture has surely invaded our value system and sub-consciousness. The need for quick fixes and constant pleasure spikes in the otherwise flat life-diagram seems to be going into ever more extreme measures. Materialism really seems to be a self-devouring project. The more you want to enjoy the more you will hurt yourself. The more sensual input you get, the number you’ll become. The more high you get on Saturday night, the worse downers you’ll have on Sunday.
We got the boards, picked up some potatoes from CostCo. and got back on the road. Mayapur said that he felt like he didn’t belong to this place and I had to agree.
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