Principality of Ripping Someone Off

This is a principle that some businessmen must hold on to closely in India. It is a very strong principle. One must hold onto it by any means necessary. It is known that if a westerner visits India that the salesman(of clothing or art store), taxi driver, or auto rickshaw driver will charge you double. As a westerner you must understand it and either accept it or bargain hard. Now, I am originally from NY and my parents are Haitian so I bargain hard! What can I say? The Principle of Ripping someone off is sooo strong that the businessman can be so broke and hungry that they will still follow it. It doesn't matter, they must hold onto this by any means necessary. To take an auto rickshaw is generally 10 Rupees(RS) per KM, but the auto rickshaw driver will double or more than double this. One night I was walking with a friend and we had 1 km to go, a rickshaw stopped and asked us if we needed a lift, so we said where we were going and he asked for 40 RS. We said 10 RS and he said no and drove off. My girlfriend and I laughed because he was going in the direction that we were heading. This was a straight road and the only turn he could make was after our drop off would have been. So we said he rather not make any money than to get the 10 RS. How crazy...10 RS could have been his breakfast. This has happened on several occasions to me and other foriegners. The rickshaw driver will quote an enormous price and then won't bend and is willing to lose out on the money. I keep on looking because eventually someone will agree to the right price. If not, I walk and hope to lose some of the weight I have put on by eating so much rice here.

Mooji

I headed to Thiruvannamalai and once there, everyone said you have to see Mooji. Mooji is from Jamaica, but lives in London now and travels giving satsang. Satsang is a question and answer format that helps one become self realized. I arrived in Thiru (abbreviated) on January 21 and saw Mooji on the 22nd. I was like wow all these people traveled near and far to India to learn from a black man. How funny is this? People were bowing to his feet, crying, laughing and trying to get as close to him as possible. I don't know if he is Christian, Hindu, or what, but it doesn't matter. Your specific religion doesn't matter, because there is only one God and all religions pretty much teach the same thing but in different ways. Mooji is definitely enlightened and he genuinely cares and wants to help us become enlightened. After the first week of going to Mooji's satsang I decided to stay in Thiru until Feb 15, which is when Mooji leaves India. Mooji really gets you to think about who you are and tells you to sit in silence. Silence is the key to self knowledge which brings peace. One cannot find peace through the outside (external things) only from looking within. He asks questions to help you realize who you are. During his satsangs I had so many aha moments and felt really great. I got to the point where I can let go of attachments and know that I am not my body or mind. I am That. I was and Am before I was Renee or before I was a daughter, sister, psychotherapist, etc. I am Presence. In Thiru, the people walk 14 km around Arunachula Mountain every full moon. Mooji organized a walk for January 29th which was the full moon and his birthday. That day satsang was extra special. The energy was more intense and Mooji was in rare form. Usually after satsang Mooji will go downstairs and sit quietly but this day he first loving threw candy in the air and people were graciously catching the candy. He then walked through the crowd and gave out candy to everyone who was sitting. People were receiving the candy with tears in their eyes and hugging and thanking him. At this moment I decided to attend his birthday celebration. At first I wasn't, but the energy was so great I had too. So I bought the ticket for 200 rupees (RS). After he went downstairs they gave out cupcakes as well. It was awesome. So later that day, everyone gathered at 5:30 pm to walk with Mooji around Arunachula. It was awesome to see so many people gather to walk with Mooji. It was really heartfelt. Mooji would switch up and hold different people’s hands from young to old as he walked. This 14km walk took 4 hours due to the large crowd and not being able to walk fast. I was exhausted and my feet hurt but I was so ecstatic. The people of Thiru walk around Arunachula barefoot every full moon as a remembrance of and devotion to God. There were thousands of people that came out just to walk. I am truly blessed to be able to have witnessed and be present to such an experience. Then on Feb 1, Mooji had his birthday party. This is a man who says he does not socialize nor have conversations unless it is to teach or be taught, so I wondered how good the party would be. To my surprise this was the best party ever. There was no alcohol and obviously no drugs allowed at the gathering. The hotel was beautiful and had a gorgeous swimming pool. Tons of people showed up for the party. Everyone was able to let loose and be free in a good way to enjoy themselves. I danced so much and did not care how I looked or who was there. This was such a liberating experience. They played music with themes on love and freedom. They had performances, great food and Mooji spoke at the end. Words really can't describe my overall experience with Mooji. Well after I spent the last 2 weeks with Mooji, I decided to be brave enough to ask him a question. So on Feb 3 I went up for the first time and asked him about my mind. I told him that my mind is constantly chattering and thinking and I am trying to let that go and not analyze everything so much. I want to just be. I am aware of what is happening but haven't been able to let it go. Mooji got me to the point of stillness. I can't even describe what happened, but I am almost there. At the end of our discussion I gave him a hug and he told me that something special was going to happen to me soon. A few people thanked me for going up to ask him a question and said that I was inspiring. Mooji quotes: “Empty your mind so God can work through you.”; “Conquer thought by the certitude that there is no such thing as thought”; “To forget everything is to remember the self”. Link to Mooji pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/rmadolphe92/Mooji#