Fred's Ways for Earth to Survive Page
all text copyright 1999
Fred's Journal through Asia
(note added (November 5h 2007)This journal was originally written Starting December 9th 1985. We flew to Narito Airport in Japan on December 11th, 1985. My father had passed away in August 1985 4 months before so I was going through some profound changes. In 1985 I was 37 years old as was my wife. My children were 14, 12 and 10 years old.) I wrote this next introduction I believe in summer 1986 after we got back. I'd like to share a little of part of what made me who I presently Am. This will be excerpts of my trip to Japan,Thailand, Nepal and India. The five of us flew from San Francisco on December 11th 1985. First let me share a few philosophic realizations from this trip.
Meditation equals attainment of realization
Action equals teaching which helps bring about future realizations of enlightenment for all beings eventually
Regeneration Renewal Awakening
When the mind has no place where it can stop (and become limited)
the Mahamudra(Great Attitude) is present.
By cultivating such an attitude one attains supreme Enlightenment
Help:From all points in the universe to all points in the universe.
The following is my journal that I wrote as it happened. This journey was a pilgrimage for my 3 children then aged 10 to 14 and my wife and I. It changed us all forever. We traveled by train and bus and boat as much as possible to get to know the people in Thailand, Nepal and India. Though our culture shock was fairly severe in Thailand and Nepal we were devastated both for good and ill by our cultural experiences in India. India was in many ways like going back 1000 years in history, especially out in the country. People's attitudes both towards each other and us were at once quaint and overwhelming. What is overwhelming as I speak to you now is that the population of India has at least doubled from what it was when we were there in 1985&6. Though I have friends that have returned to Nepal and India every year or every few years being a family man that has not yet been possible for me. I hope to return within the next 10 years. The journal begins.
Fred's Journal through Asia
penned in my journal while traveling through Asia starting
12-9-85
We leave for Thailand day after tomorrow. After so many years the
waiting will finally be over! What we will find I cannot completely say.
The only culture changes that would be more different than the onces we
will meet would be off planet.
I can see why God had me wait until I was mature enough not to get
caught in the past. This journey will make my family all truly citizens
of the world.
December 11th and 12th 1985
We are crossing the international dateline. It is 5:41 pm Wednesday
San Francisco time and 10:41 AM Thursday Tokyo time. It has been over 55
plus years since my soul was living in another body in Asia and 40
years since I died as 12 year old in a nuclear blast in Japan.
The food on the plane was a combination of oriental and American. There are a few Americans here in 1st class on the top front of a JAL Boeing 747. Most of the people here are Asian. A lot of Japanese businessmen are here in 1st class. The plane looked very clean and new when we first saw it this morning. We seem to be flying very high. I think we are close to 40,000 ft. The highest clouds are 20 to 30,000 feet below us. The fluffy white clouds are below us. Amidst them the jewel of the Pacific Ocean. The clouds and ocean span out from this altitude for hundreds and perhaps thousands of miles. Amazing!
Friday December 13th 1985
Well we're here in Bangkok, Thailand. We landed in Tokyo at 4:30 pm yesterday. Beautiful flight. The feeling of Japan wasn't as self confident as I had expected. The feeling at Narito Airport was of a people who have a different set of problems than Americans but who are closer to each other than Americans are. Body language is different. A man in a full dress suit at Narito Airport was acting strange (at least to my understanding). I didn't know if he was gay, had a leg problem, was being macho or what so my resonse was to ignore him while being vigilant.
When we walked out of the Bankok, Thailand Airport 20 Cab Drivers tried to grab our bags to take us in their taxi's. We settled on 500 bhats($23) for 2 taxis, and 200 bhats $10 for a clean room at Sweety's Guest House. Very clean. (No bugs) and beds with sheets only. No covers. too Hot!! and beds 3 feet off the floor. 3 ft ceiling fans run all night to survive the sweltering humid heat. And this is December!
Most roads seem to have no speed limits as we travel to Sweety's at about 1am after flying over 21 hours total since San Francisco. So they drove us as 70 to 90 miles an hour to our destination. Many 3 wheeled gaily colored taxis. Most cars and buses are made only in Orient or Britain. I haven't seen any American cars yet. Sweety's has a 3 foot by 3 foot Buddhist Thai pagoda on its roof terrrace. The temperature doesn't seem to drop below 80 degrees farenheit any time of day and the humidity never seems to go below about 95%. Thai script looks a lot like Sanskrit, Hindi, or Tibetan charactors. However, it's illegible to westerners like us who are untutored in Thai so we can't read any business or street signs.
December 16th
Koi Samet is an Island 3 hours from Bankok. Since I last wrote we had a difficult friday morning, December 13th, trying to find out where we were in relation to the Nepalese Embassy. Almost no one spoke English. After a very frustrating 2 hours we finally got on the right bus that was going the right direction. On the bus we met a sophisticated Thai woman who spoke English and who was helpful. We also met Nairoosee pronounced Niiroos for short. He wa a 22 year old Thai from the Malaysian Thai border. He is from an area near Koi Samoi Island which is a tourist trap for Europeans and Yanks like us. It is ten hours by bus and 17 hours by train. If we had more time we would go there.
We rode a fishing boat converted for tourists out to Koi Samet Island. It was a long boat that was diesel power. It must have been 20 to 30 feet long and about 8 feet wide. On the bow danced a man in womans dress. I had no idea what that was about. Years later I saw a TV special that spoke of the Island Priests, who dress like women and are priest Shamans. They also dance like women. I guess he was blessing our boat so it wouldn't sink which from the look of the boat was a possibility. When the boat landed it beached itself so we had to jump off into the water with our gear. The water at the bow was about 2 to 3 feet so I carried everyone's gear ashore and left me oldest son to watch it. Then I piggybacked my wife and daughter ashore. My youngest son got pretty wet. Nairoosee travelled with us to translate and bargain for us. He was indispensible. We paid him $50 even though he said he had so much fun with us he would have done it for free. That night we ate Prawns cooked in garlic on the beach and got a hut for $5 a night that would fit us all. Toilets and showers were all outside. For $1.5 we could have rented a grass hut that fit 2. There were many young Germans and Europeans in the Grass huts.
The next morning Nairoosee took us to some coconut palms and asked the owners if he could climb one so he could get us coconuts. They said yes so we had a coconut feast. He climbed up 20 to 30 feet to get the coconuts barefoot as he had since he was a boy. Later in the day we rented masks and snorkels for about a dollar a day. We were told to watch out for poisonous rock fish and sea snakes. Also we were told not to put feet or hands into giant clams or they would close and we would drown. Some were 3 to 4 feet across. The next day we rented a windsurfer and several of us tried surf sailing. We surfsailed, snorkeled and explored until we were all exhausted.
December 17th 1985
Back at Sweety's Guest house last night. We were all very tired.KC and Stan got sick. Stan through up on the boat back to the mainland. A young 20 year old Thai helped comfort Stan. Thailand is forcing us all to be more adaptable. We worked 2 hours filling out our visas for Nepal. Nairoose has been in Cairo, Egypt for 6 years studying english, Arabic and French. Travelling with us is helping him with his English and the Cultural background of Americans.
We met a nurse from Seattle who was travelling with a young German Carpenter who was going around the world on a one year trip. She said that the 1st week in a country or area you pay the most for everything until you discover what is reasonable. This is because one bargains for most things and unless one knows the real value of something one is taken advantage of.
December 19th
We are sitting in the Bangkok Airport waiting to go to Nepal. We have adapted to survival as tourists in Bangkok. Now we must adapt to Katmandu and Nepal. It is chilly in Katmandu. We arrived at 5:10 pm. A Japanese man from Hokaido(Northern Japan) sat next to me on the plane. He said it was his 3rd time in Nepal. His first time was 10 years ago.
12-22-85
12:22 am
We just drove by car and bus down many of the same roads Marpa Lotsawa travelled when he came to india to learn the dharma from Maitripa and Tilopa. We crossed from Nepal to India at the town of Raxaul. Indian Immigration wasn't very polite and Nepalese Immigration cancelled our visa. We lost $75 in that deal. It will cost us $75 a head to return to Nepal later. Our driver "Johnnie" was more than kind. We enjoyed greatly his help and friendship during our journey from Katmandu, Nepal to Raxaul, India. We stored our backpacks at the Maha Laxmi Guest House in Katmandu. We put what we needed in our new Army duffel bags and drove off with Johnnie. Out drive from Katmandu to the Indian border was the most impressive in our lives. 2 ft wide suspension bridges 200 feet long, smiling children speaking their only English "Hello" and "Bye Bye". Water buffaloes walking in a circle grinding corn. People tried to smuggle things into India on the bus. I was nervous that we would be pulled into a bad situation because of the smugglers but God covered us as usual. Tomorrow morning we take the train to Bodhgaya.
December 23, 1985
Last night we met Geshela at the Kalachakra Initiation. It was a very magical experience. We signed up as foreign recipients of the Kalachakra Initiation from the Dalai Lama. There are 500,000 people here for this initiation. Some have walked 6 months from Tibet to get here even though they will not be allowed to ever return home. There are about 10,000 of us from Europe, the Americas, Australia, Japan Etc.Yesterday morning we too the train from Patna.In Bodhgaya people are nice but on the way here it was difficult. People stared at us like we are circus animals on display. Many who hate the British spit on the ground when we come by. Some are nice but most are rude. It is difficult to cope with many of the strange attitudes here. I long for Nepal and Thailand.
December 24th, 1985
Today is beginning of the Kalachakra for us. The Thai Temple is very beautiful here in Bodhgaya. I love to visit it. Geshela is staying in the Monks and lamas quarter behind. We are now staying at the Magadh University at the International Meditation center for 50 rupees a day($5) which is 1/2 of what we paid before. It is the cleanest and nicest place since the US. There is a canopy for the 10,000 westerners like us who are not used to the heat. Since most westerners live in colder climates the don't want us passing out. So we are grateful for the benefits to westerners. We ate in front of the Thai temple. When we finiished and walked out of the door magically Geshela was there. Many magical signs have been given to us concerning our dharma connection to Geshela.
7 pm Some of us survived the push and shove of the rush of people after the Kalachakra. Rowshie's beachwalkers were ripped off her feet in the crush of people. Most of the people here aren't very westernized or sophisticated. I don't think any people died that day. But a few days later several people died in the crush. I wasn't in that one I had learned my lesson.
We learned that Sakyamun Buddha attained enlightenment after doing Asanas and ascetic stuff in Bodhgaya. Then he went to Sarnath and taught the Lam Rim or (Middle path) of the newly realized buddha way to 5 Brahmins who he had known before. Sarnath is near Varanasi(Benares)
Christmas Day December 25th 1985
Geshela told us to put one Kushi branch under our mattresses. One branch under each of our heads and one under each of our upper bodies. We were told to watch our dreams between midnight and 3 am. December 26th
Rowshie got sick Christmas Eve. KC got sick last night. I've felt unusual off and on for two weeks but I've stayed fairly healthy.
December 29th Sunday Today we met a wealthy Tibetan family. The served us hot buttered tea which was very strange to our pallets. We are not sure what is going on there. We could speak no Tibetan and only their son could speak English.
December 31st, 1985 New years eve
We moved to the Thailand Temple last night. Since transportation is harder to come by since the kalachakra ended we decided to move closer to Geshela. He is just a few doors away. We ate with our American friend Vince at the Buddha Belly- a cooperative kitchen for westerners. It is our first western food in one and a half weeks. We are all getting thinner as it is difficult to get good food and good water. But we are having fun. The Bodhgay culture is so stimulating! Windy says it's so stimulating it's exhausting. We go to the Maha Kali caves with Geshela, Lobsang and may JJ Singh tomorrow.
Jan. 6th 1986
(Hartzells, Geshela, Lobsang and Vince) We are all travelling by train (sleepers) overnight from Varanasi to Agra(Taj Mahal) and then on to New Delhi to get US visas for Geshela and Lobsang. We had an interesting journey to Varanasi by train two days ago. We left Bodhgaya January 3rd and Gaya the 4th. So many people have so little and they all want everything we have. One has to be at least 10 times more on guard than in the states. Everyone tries to get everything we have any way they can get away with. It is very depressing to deal with the totally ungrateful attitude of "Whatever you give me it is not enough." However, without their ruthless attitude they would not survive here. Too many people and not enough food or jobs.
Thursday January 16th,1986
I've been doing a lot of practices lately instead of writing in my journal since Rowhshie's been so sick. We left New Delhi and headed up into the mountains when Rowshie got Deli Belly. She had a bad reaction to medicine there. After that I intuited that most tropical illnesses die off in the mountains. Also I had heard great things about Tibetan Doctors.
As we entered Dharmsala by bus we magically met Lama Ayang who had given us Phowa in Santa Cruz, California.As I was unloading our Baggage off of the top of the bus Windy was speaking with him. She introduced Geshela to him. We then moved into the Kailash Hotel with a most spectacular view of the Himalayas rising above us.Upper and lower Dharmasala are at 5600 feet and 3600 feet respectively. It's about 60 to 70 degrees farenheit during the day and below freezing every night. We are looking around for weekly rates in other hotels. The whole family with the exception of Rowshie went to meet Lama A. He asked us to come again this morning. I came alone. He gave us a letter of introduction to the head of his Lineage. And sent us off to meet him.
January 17th Stan is allergic to something here. We need to get more medicine for him so he stays well. Rowshie is still weak from her bout with Deli Belly but she is getting better. We are at 5500 feet now in the Green Hotel. 1st hot shower in two weeks. Only cold ones until now. Hot is wonderful!
There are many golden colored monkeys, mongooses, and large silver and black apes.The silver and black ones look to be 4 to 5 feet tall if they stood up like humans. We are told not to go into the pine forests at night as apes and monkeys hunt in packs and can be dangerous. The eat small dogs rodents and whatever they can find. We visited a Hindu temple in I believe Varanasi before New Delhi. It was dedicated to Hanuman, the monkey God. We had to be protected from monkeys competing over food temple offerings by monks wielding 5 to 6 foot staffs common to police and miltary here in India. Bank guards carry double barrelled shotguns instead of pistols. This really indicated to us the gap between rich and poor. In New Delhi in an underground mall, men in plain clothes carried kalashnikov submachine guns. To increase the surreal nature of our experience in New Delhi, there is a park above the underground mall where men ask to clean your ears for a small price with miniature spoons. They showed us letters of reference from many westerners. We weren't impressed. But it was difficult not to laugh because of the cultural difference. Many experiences we had seemed to be out of movie and could not be explained in any way by us to this day.
January 20th 1986
Many amazing things have been happenning here in Dharmsala. We met Tara, a lady from Minneapolis,Minnesota. She went to see the Tibetan Oracle. I wanted to go but I didn't get a clear feeling for me to go. Because I am psychicly very sensitive I got it very strong that I would need special preparation to be present for experiences where Tibetan oracles sometimes levitate while foretelling the future while possessed in a controlled way by Tibetan dieties. The Nechung Oracle wears a headdress of about 150 pounds while possessed so he doesn't fly away while predicting the future. The headdress alone would kill a normal unpossessed man to wear.
I've had many strange experiences but peace is coming too. Dharmsala is definitely connected to the heaven realms. If one is sensitive like myself the feeling is both unmistakable and amazing! Magic, dharma and reality cannot really be separated here. The consciousness of the dharma minds and hearts of the Lamas and the people here create a whole new kind of space time continuum than I've ever experienced before anywhere or anytime in this lifetime. Thubten and Deshek have been invaluable in assisting Geshela and us as translators.
January 21 1986
Yesterday I went to a Heruka Tsok Puja with Tara and Thubten. such peaceful wrathfulness. Tara and I were the only westerners. All the rest were monks and lamas and one Geshe.
Today we went to visit a Yogi Geshe who is an accomplished Siddha. He has been meditating most of the last 30 years. His last stint walled away meditating was 17 years. He went to New Delhi last month to Give kalachakra teaching for the first time in 17 years. His place reminds us of Yoda's in Star Wars. He may have been one of the inspirations for Yoda as some of Jim Henson's puppet makers had visited Dharmsala. When I took Geshela to see Return of the Jedi later in New Delhi he laughed very hard at the Ewoks as they were speaking primitive Tibetan in the film.
Thursday January 30th 1986
Thubten was a monk until 25 when he gave his robes to a Lama to hold for him so he could care for his parents when they passed. Since Social Security doesn't exist here this is a common practice. Thubten came to get me and my family today. He said he had gotten permission to share something very special with us. He was beaming. We followed him one or two miles on foot to a remote cabin. Several monks met us at the door and greeted us Tibetan style. They were very warm to us and put us immediately at peace. They showed us into the living room.
In the center of the room was a very accomplished lama sitting in the center of the room on waist high table. We were told he had been meditating here like this without food or water for almost two years.It was as if he was in suspended animation. He was sitting in full lotus in the Amogasiddhi mudra. The energy in the room was indescribable. I was so moved I went outside and sat down and cried in amazement and joy for 20 minutes. In most of the world we are born, we live, we die. A+B=C. But this was something else. This was something that has forever changed the way I perceive life and death. Windy and I both felt forever changed by the experience. The children were shocked once again and they said it made them question life in america in a new way.
Tuesday 4 am. We left for Rewalsar(Tsopema)by bus as Geshela, Thuben and Lama A. had all directed us to on separate occassions. We arrived a 1 pm. We rented 3 rooms a the Nyingma Gonpo(Temple) for a total of 30 Indian rupees or $2.50 a day.
We saw Padmasambhavas footprint in a rock. It was my size foot with my size 14 Vasques Cascade hiking boots on. Also we saw the cave where Padmasambhava attained enlightenment and taught Mandharava, Princess the dharma. We then met the Lama in charge of the Gonpo next to the footprint and the 50 meditators or so who were meditating in the Padma caves. The sky had turned violet when we saw the footprint in the rock. As we started tea and food with the Lama a violet lightning storm began and then rain. Very auspicious connection. Very good. God help all beings in the universe to enlightenment quickly so all suffering ends.
January 31st 1986
There are two blue dragons carved into the Temple near where we are staying.
Febuary 1st 1986
We had lunch today with a lama whose lineage allows marriage and children. They helped us understand the dharma better just being around their family. He is one of 5 brothers and all of them are Tibetan Tulkus. Stan liked playing with their children and so came back many times to visit.
Feb 13th 1985
We're in New Delhi again. Geshela may be staying nearby tomorrow. Rowshie wants to live in Rewalsar(Tsopema) for one year with her tibetan friend but we said no. She really likes Mandhrava.
Valentines Day February 14th 1986
We're stying at the Hotel Vishal. No Geshela yet. I'm feeling better. Bought strepcils as we all have strep Throat(KC had it 1st). We've been travelling in Asia over 2 months now. Travelling has its ups and downs. KC is well and knows a snake charmer that he calls the Cobra Man.
It is good to have western food to eat again at the Lords Restaurant. There are no western Restaurants in Rewalsar and I was getting quite thin. I'm making a comeback I think. I met a local fortune teller that was recommended to me. He said I would have 32 years good luck Starting this Sunday until 2018. I want to make a video of Geshelas teaching with Thubten translating.
February 15th 1986
We met Geshela standing in the doorway of the Venus Hotel. He had been there for 24 hours. He was very happy to see us. We told him we would have breakfast with him tomorrow. He is like a magic father.
February 16th Sunday
Riding the bus to Katmandu. It feels good to be going back near our plane home. 2 months in India is a long time with no linear people to count on. A few priceles friends but most just want our money.
Saturday March 8th 1986
In Shermontant, Helambu District, Nepal. Beautiful place. Nice people. Our guide, Tensing brought us to Yangri Lodge here. We saw Mount Dorje Lakpa today. It is 23,240 feet high and saw several other peaks 16,000 to 25,000 feet hight. We are at 8,600 feet hight here at Shermontang, a Shermpa village. Yesterday we walked from Tarkeygyan, another Sherpa villiage. We stayed at Tensing's Aunt's house here. I also met a young Tibetan woman who sold us chocolate and Tibetan trinkets. I also wrote a letter to a California friend for a tibetan man and his wife and daughter. He had just finished a 4 month reatreat being walled away and meditating in the dark. I met someone called Tashi which means good luck or fortunate. Friends took us up into the high jungle above 9000 feet today. Windy and I ate our first Himalayan snow today.
Wood carvings and open fires which soot the ceiling and travel out the eves of every Sherpa house. Amazing! The fires are mostly used for cooking. The temperature gets down almost to freezing in the house every night. Very hearty people.It snowed while we were there. Wooden Buddhas and many bronze or brass tibetan dieties on every alter inside each house. Tibetan prayer flags flap in the breeze outside each house. It's another world. Stainless Steel plates are the rage in Sherpaland. They don't break!. Diet is apples- Rice and Dahl and potatoes and a little hard candy once in a while. Also salt tea with butter.
Sunday March 9th 1986
Still at Shermontang which means Garden place. We've walked almost 30 miles so far from the last dirt road the bus could make it to without getting stuck. On the second and third we walked up the river to Malemchi Pul and then we walked up the river to Malechi Khola. The next night was Kiul, a new Lodge with open windows. It was raining so we had to nail plastic on the windows with a wooden hammer. Cow poop on the floor to dry and thicken is the daily rule. It's an adobe type dwelling. The Lodge was amazing as it had electric lights generated by a water impeller set in the river outside by the lodge owner. Our night of the 2nd at MalemchiBul was very pleasant.
Monday March 10th
I got sick from to much walking straight down 6000 feet elevation today while carrying to much weight in my backpack. Windy massaged my feet, back and legs. I took a muscle relaxant and I'm beginning to feel better now.
The next day Windy began crying from exhaustion. We had walked about 50 miles up and down over 6000 feet in elevation with full backpacks. As if in answer to our prayers, a taxi drove up a seemingly impassable trail within a block of us. Two rich Nepali landowners were dropped off. I quickly rushed up and asked how much to take us to Boudanath next to Katmandu. He had been so well paid by his previous fares he charged us almost nothing to return. It was less than bus fare and saved us a whole days aggravation. Thank You God and all the Tibetan Dieties! Addendum:Added November 6th 2007
My children who went with me to Asia are all adults now in their thirties. One is a lawyer, one is a fire captain and one is in medical school. All their lives were irrevocably changed by these experiences. KC got married on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa this year. Windy I eventually divorced. I was remarried in 1995. I'm still married to the lady I married then here in 2007. We have an 11 year old daughter. Though I took a trip for 3 weeks with my now 19 year old daughter (born after Asia trip) to Europe in 1999 when she was 10 I have always felt the high point of my life and the most meaning to my life came from this 4 month pilgrimage to Asia with my family. While I was there I remembered many past lives there and met many souls I had associated with in those lives once again. Though there was hunger and death and despair in India, there was also life like I don't see in America. There was a line in Blackhawk down by a native Somalian that was:"We here in Somalia live short amazing lives but you Americans live long boring ones." This was my experience, especially in India. I felt more alive than I ever had before. I was more scared at times but also more alive constantly and aware of everything while there. It was a heightened state of being. There was no TV to escape into. There were no supermarkets to escape into treats. There was only raw life and people struggling,praying and sometimes dying right in front of us. You could say we were usually traumatized to a greater or lesser degree. But most of all we were amazed in a way none of us ever expected to be from anything we would ever experience on earth. We were amazed at the breadth and depth of the human experience. It is 100 times what I ever thought it was or could be. I stand completely amazed at what humans are spiritually and physically capable of!
New! Saturday August 5th 2000
No comments:
Post a Comment