Amazing days on my spiritual path

I have been having the most amazing days going around this city. Last Sunday, Ami Wheeler and myself had our day off from the KYM. Ami is a wonderful teacher and friend who is also finishing up her last internship..we made an intention over two years ago to come to India together and finish..we have been sharing our little guest house and the company is priceless.
We hired a driver, Anbu, to take us all around Chennai. The home of many Spiritual teachers and profound diversity in religious beliefs...however, the common thread of all spiritual paths is the understanding that we all are seeking the same Divine Light..that the paths lead us to our own Peace arising out of the awakening of the Inner connection to our own True Nature. This Self calls us home.
We went first to the tomb of St. Thomas, one of 12 Apostles of Jesus. The Basilica, one of only three in the world that is built over the tomb. Built in the 16th century originally by the Portuguese explorers and then rebuilt by the British in 1893..
I was not expecting the emotional response I would have upon entering the tomb..but I was brought to tears and awe struck at the devotional commitment of the fellow worshippers. I was humble to imagine St. Thomas by Jesus side in Israel. He went outside the Roman Empire to teach the Gospel...maybe I loved and admired his fearless devotion and how he first traveled from Israel to Kerala on the Western Coast of India..at the time in history going back to 52AD!! Imagine life then traveling..and I complain of not having water all day yesterday in my apt..Our level of tolerance for any discomfort is almost non-existent. The heat is fierce here,and power goes out daily and without any warning..life is acceptance..and the ability to just go through these discomforts with Grace..I am in deep admiration for the legacy of this special soul..


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From there we when onto the the Vivekanda House..in honor of this important World leader and Spiritual teacher. I have known about Vivekanda for many years..all people living in Chicago should know since he was the very first Swami to ever travel to the States and he spoke in Chicago in 1893 at our World's Fair when we hosted the first Parliament of World Religions. I love numbers and dates and always keep a journal of important dates..no accidents in the Universe..he spoke about tolerance for all religions and that humanity must embrace diversity and put and end to fanatical ideology and violence that arises from righteous thinking in the mind of biases..in the most amazing speech, he shared the love of all religions to work in harmony..the date of this speech ..SEPT. 11th 1893,, exactly, 108, years later..we have Sept.11th,2001.. 108 is the mystical number of a complete cycle. How timely to have the message again..






I will continue the tour later..it is time for my own practice...

Location:India