Welcome to the Bonus Material for Bare Feet Bare Soul: Mystic Dancing with the Divine!!
This spiritual memoir is an intense ride through mystical experiences and a peek into the contemplation aspect of our practice of Trikaya Buddhism as I share the intimate realizations I processed during my adventures. Enlightenment is not the end of the journey; in many ways it is only the beginning!!
The sketch I did a few months before I knew Rama existed … I don’t usually draw but it spontaneously came through me while I sat below Coit Tower in San Francisco. You could say this is when he first introduced himself through the inner planes of attention!
In case you don’t know what he looks like, here’s Rama on a rollercoaster!
And in the classic business suit look he had when I met him in person.
Here are a few photos and poems inspired by my visit to India, which helped inspire some of the chapters within Bare Feet Bare Soul. Enjoy!
Kali Temple in Bengaluru
Down the alley filled with cows,
One of the many homes of the Divine Mother.
Standing in front, I called to Her
Stepping over the threshold
She welcomed me home.
Tears of joy and release
Burst from my heart.
I bowed in deep devotion.
Seeing her image above the shrine,
She filled me with Her light
Clearing away maya’s veil.
I see Her even now
On the crowded city street
Shining,
Shining
My heart is Her’s
She is mine.
Stepping in front of the sacred stone
She bowed through me
Touching my forehead on the floor
She rushed through me
Destroying and creating
Every layer of Being
Tears streaming down my face
Her water washing this body.
In the backyard, the ancient tree
Stands witness to time
Surrounded by only a few of
Her countless images
I wished for an offering to give
A few steps later, a random lemon,
Shining and perfect against the wall.
Placing the offering
At Her feet
My heart melted into the earth
Her body and mine
As One.
The tree called to me,
An old friend
From another time
When she was a sapling.
Mother Kali grows through the branches,
Spreading blessing upon the wind.
Upon the roof, a nest of bees
Dances in Her hair
Each bee, an individual
Merging back into Her.
Prasad is given,
I offer all to Her
Waves of love
Overwhelm the body
I drink the sacred chai
Tears release once again.
Leaving the temple,
She holds me close
Knowing no separation
I prostrate upon the floor
Giving thanks for
Her.
3/5/2019 Bengaluru, India
Tapaswiji Ashram
Empty ashram
Shiva lingam
Surrounded by flowers
Cared for by an emanation of Mother
Om Nama Shivaya
Om Nama Shivaya
Om Nama Shivaya
Water offerings to the Shiva lingam
As we chant and dissolve
Into emptiness
In meditation, the Divine Mother
Shares a vision
Three flowers grow
One at a time,
Petals of a massive flower
Filling the land
First a purple blossom
Then a white bloom
And finally an orange one
Out of the void
Spiritual community arises
Restoring the pathway
Once walked
On this sacred ground.
3/5/2019 Sat-Chit-Ananda family home And Vedanta Tapaswiji Ashram
Gudur town of Andhra Pradesh
Maha Ananda Siddha
The man covered in ash
Welcomes us to his home
Blessing all who stand before him
Concrete and dirt
Marble and holy statues
The chaos of construction
A temple rises from his earthen cave
Structures to hold the people
And the sacred energy of Shiva
Sunshine and fire
Burn away all obstructions
Clearing the way
For the inner light
A place of connection
To power
Astral tubes sliding
From here to there
India and China and Japan and
America and Europe and more
Mother Kali shines
Smiling upon us
Stillness Silence
Even on the bus
Rama appears before me
As we pass through
A tiny town
Crowded together
My Teacher smiles
And fills my heart
On the way to Tiruvannamalai
3/6/2019
