Greetings IndiaMikers: A Journey through India

Svetoved

Hello fellow travelers, I have decided to finally post on this forum for it proves to be very informative and the crowd seem like very dedicated and experienced travelers. A little bit about who I am and why im on IndiaMike.
I am a spiritualist and a follower of many different thought schools such as some yogic practices and meditations that I learned from all sorts of spiritual traditions primarily in the ancient indian spiritual context. My attention toward india came to me quite recently in California where I was working as a horticultural volunteer at a Buddhist mandala temple complex, at that time I was primarily a practitioner of the buddhist world view and practices. A man I met there named Dr.Pillai taught me different attention forms and interesting value systems in what he called Nadi and Vedic astrology. He informed me of a temple site near Kerala that could be of interest to me and that it was built by a powerful guru lineage. I want to journey to India.
Some of you are experienced travelers, what would your advice me on traveling India ascetic style? Would it be possible to travel around with nothing but a rain sheet and a tough sleeping bag? What about food, is the land in India plentiful in most places, so that purchasing everything from cities is not always necessary? What are some of the traditional paths through india that are know for spirituality in the past? If one was to go there for an indefinite amount of time, would money be an issue if there is virtually no expense? What about self protection? All these questions I have about india, I have never been to a place like that.

machadinha

Um, a word of advice: Being poor is much easier to do at home where you know your way around.

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Nick-H

I don't know that it would be that different from doing the same thing at home.

In posher areas you'll be chased away by security men and possibly police if you try to sleep on the street. In poorer areas you may be robbed (or worse) of what you have got.

If you wanted to live the life of a wandering sadhu, then first you'd better learn the way of the wandering sadhu, then you may receive rice in your pot. Otherwise, what are you? Another nutty tourist!

I really don't know rural India. You will almost certainly, at least occasionally, be fed, I would have thought.

Even though I do not know village India, I do know people you would consider to very poor, and I can assure you that an extra mouth at the table is the last thing they need.

Remember that, even in the village, this is the age of TV and mobile phone.

I have been asked for money several times by well-dressed Indian people on some sort of pilgrimage. Then I wondered what right they had to have other people subsidise their religion, and I won't give any longer. If their religion requires them to scrounge their way around India, let them not do it on my money, which I need every bit as much as they do. The old woman, or the obviously sick man --- they are welcome to my cash.

You will get bitten by mosquitoes, maybe murdered and robbed, or probably, at least, catch diseases pretty quick.

Sorry to be the cynical old grump around here, but my advice? File under Romantic Daydream!

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dzibead

I can't offer any advice on the spirituality side, and I'm not entirely sure what is meant by traveling "ascetic style" (you mean like a sadhu??? good luck with that !), but I do know that there isn't a "rain sheet" and "a tough sleeping bag" on the face of the earth that can stand up to the monsoon. You don't want to be sleeping out in the open anyway, as you're bound to get hassled. I assume you will be carrying at least some money with you (otherwise, how do you plan to pay for your food and at least occasional transportation?). Trying to sleep out in open is a good way to get yourself robbed - or worse.

The question "is the land in India plentiful in most places, so that purchasing everything from cities is not always necessary?" is puzzling. Of course food doesn't have to be purchased in cities. Do you think Indians travel into a city every time they want to buy food? But food does have to be purchased. You aren't going to be able to "live off the land" -- and don't expect that people will give you food. There are more than enough local, genuinely impoverished beggars without some foreigner from an affluent country artificially adding to their numbers

Your question "would money be an issue if there is virtually no expense?" is also puzzling. Of course it's possible to travel and live cheaply in India, but there's always some expense involved, and without knowing how much money you plan to take with you we couldn't possibly say whether money will be "an issue."

Finally, as for staying in India for an "indefinite time," forget it. You can't stay in India for longer than 180 days at a time on a tourist visa, unless you plan on becoming an illegal alien there!

I suggest you consider traveling in India for a couple of months without trying to go the "ascetic" route, to see whether it would be even remotely feasible for you. It seems to me that you have a very naive and romanticized idea of what traveling or living in India in "ascetic style" would entail.

Cross-posted with Nick - same message to the OP!

Nick-H

You might even have your toes nibbled off by rats!

Tapestry

You can decide to give up your home, your livelihood, your money, your clothes, your security and your food, but you cannot decide not to abide by Indian visa regulations. On this front, you'll have to keep your feet on the ground and design your spiritual journey around that 180 day rule.

Svetoved

thanks guys this does offer a certain type of reality check if you will about asceticism in india for a foreigner. I was gearing toward more like staying at a temple complex and even for a period like the 180 rule scenario. I guess it just isnt happening now a days like in the old school times of years of ascetic journeys you read about the old yogi masters hmm

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capt_mahajan

Even, today, specially in non-urban India, many ascetics survive long term on alms given by villagers and better off traders or businessmen. There is a culture here which respects asceticism, even if some/many are phony.

I am not talking about the 'Babas' and con-men, but of simple ascetics, who have taken 'sanyas' and renounced the world.
Hindus respect this more, given that sanyas is a stage of life as per the scriptures. But I have seen old Muslim ex zamindars and such feeding some of these guys with equal respect.

A foreigner, specially if a fair skinned one, may not be granted the same courtesy. His credentials would be suspect, and there would be an automatic assumption he is rich, or in any case is a part-time ascetic.

mary10

Hmmm.... Question: if you would truly be ready to live like a sanyasi, would all these question on how to travel, where to buy food and what to wear even be applicable?
Just chill out. Its better not to imitate something that is not real for you. You can still enjoy visiting different spiritual sites and be ripped off to the left and right. No need to look (and smell) like a caveman for it! Besides, being a real sanyasi you would never be 'allowed' to eat in a restaurant, buy food from anyone, or go about as a tourist or purchase anything... Are you ready for that? When you follow the path in the real way, it is very strict and very self-restrictive.
Apart from that, half of all alcoholics and druggies in India are faux-sanyasis in orange garbs (!). Its an easy path for them for a lazy life and food without the need to work - and a good excuse at hand.

India has such a rich history of spiritual happenings, there are places of significance everywhere you go. But as foreigners we miss out so much by not knowing the language. India is a land of magic and fascination, hidden underneath piles of garbage... One must see beyond the surface to understand the tremendous wealth of India.

Svetoved

You guys are very informative.
See I don't see it as being constructive to the indian populace and ethically in general to go ask of food those that are poorer than me here. Id rather be giving!! Besides like you said foreigners arent regarded as part of that ascetic scene there and I dont want to be seen as a lazy bum hippie or a druggie.

What interests me is going to some of those temples and learning some meditation techniques.

Tapestry

That you can do, just start designing your trip around those things. But coming to India to meditate and visit temples still isn't free, the travel and living expenses are going to cost you. But there are certainly ample opportunities in India to visit temples and to meditate.

rangers

So u r into an Eco spiritual journey to this mysterious sub contiment?

Well First of all you must remember..Nothing can be generalised in any term in India.
You will see many nations put to One called India.
If u r 1stimer its diversity will amaze you.

So far as moving like a sanyashi..a true sanyashi yes possible..but then your journey will not start from a hotel.It should originate from an ashram or something similiar to it.

Some of the ashrams and gurukuls have wide spread branches in spiritual places all over India.( perhaps not in Goa).
Then things will be clear to you and you have people and friends and followers who can support your journey through.

Some of the Asrams will guide your journey in to most scared and beutiful places.
The single most thing happens to 1stimer is about..Confusion..of your visuals u come through or social rituals.So these Asrams are the right places who can clear your confusions.If you keep your mind open.

The nicest thing about a spiritual journey in India is...RETURNING TO SIMPLICITY.

wish u miles of smiles
Sanjay

mary10

You may wish to look into the HareKrishna movement in India. They have been around for so long and have quite nice programs for meditation, veg food - and the interesting of all - a huge number of branches all over India where you can stay if you are a member. You get membership by a onetime fee. I've heard their temples are beautiful and huge.

I dont know how accurate this info is but at least this is what I have been told...

shashank.aggarwal

Hi Mary...your info is very correct !!

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Nick-H

Is that the same as this (ISKON)? I thought it was, but I can't see anything about membership there on the site. Probably I didn't look in the right place!