kodaikanal and nirvana

oy! I'm trying to upload some videos but it's taking an eon and a half, so I don't know if I'll meet with success on that front today. In the meanwhile, some pictures of KodaiKanal, College Guest House Style, and courtesy of our resident Austrian, Thomas (who I don't have a picture of, harumph).

Yesterday I parked my sweaty carcass in a neighboring city/hammock, The City That Has Yet To Be Named, since KodaiKanal was occupied by our resident male Swiss (who lives in Spain), Clemens. Here he is, yesterday, while we all enjoyed talking about Perfection and Community and whatnot.

Along with his wife, who is still in Barcelona, he runs a sort of shelter/home for dogs and is involved with the care of animals. They've also visited Tamera community in Spain, which I've heard about. He said that in the harvest season they're always looking for help. Sounds really nice, harvest and community in Spain! I think my former house mate Blanche told me about Tamara (not sure on the spelling). It bears investigation!

Yael and Ajit sitting opposite, while we drank a (very cold! yeah!) non-alcoholic beer, and ate samosas:

(Yael abstained from the beer and instead took a spot of tea which she said was really tasty)

Yael says, regarding Perfection, that it's more about Good-Enough. I love that. Clemens remark leans towards Perfection being an attitude: if you love (embrace) what Is, whatever IS, is perfect. I love that too. I am inclined to lean both ways. I asked how do you define perfection? Is it static? A pinnacle? If so, isn't it likely to die, if no new information is being integrated? Diverse and open systems are ultimately more stable, in the long run, and can continue evolving. A state of health? Balance? Evolution? Yael commented that Enlightenment (when conversation inevitably wandered in that direction) includes Non Duality. And we all agreed that while we may not yet be that, we can appreciate its virtue :)

Ah! A video has uploaded. I was walking along a path that leads away from Arka, the internet cafe, and a line of cows were ambling along the main road. A woman drove by on her TVS (motorbike), in a sari. Wonderful.

Clemens, incidentally, almost shares my father's middle name (Clement) and we almost share a birthday, although I am one year his senior. Clemens' birthday is February 28th. I said me too, and then felt compelled to add that actually, I was born at just past midday on February 27th, in America (mountain standard time). I celebrated my birthday here in India on February 27th, but woke up on the 28th to realize that actually, at the time-point of my birth on the 27th, it would've been 12:30am the next day here. Same time, different date. I try to explain this to people and immediately they say, "Oh, so you're cheating." Nooooo, it's the same time, but in America, it's called one day, and in India, they've already begun another. So really, in India, I was born on the 28th.

Anyway. Wrap your head around it, or don't, we have a 12 or 13 hour time difference, and I celebrated twice.

Yael has left for Delhi, she'll go to a Vipassana retreat, and I'm wishing her well. I really like Yael and we both wish there was more time to hang out and talk and everything. I miss her already.

Here, another video has uploaded! Walking further along the path, two trees leaning into one another creak and sigh with the help of a constant breeze. Along comes a man on a bicycle with a light load (really):

He saw that I had a camera so gestured for his photo to be taken: Here's a recording of the grounds, with some birdsounds and landcape views from the room I'm staying in. Loads of birds in the early morning - there are a few who aren't singing at this particular time. They're more active later in the day and even at night.
okay, well, I've been busying myself here for about twenty minutes trying to upload and it's not complete yet, so I'm trashing the effort and I'll try again some other time. I need to move out into the world of sun and heat and people now. a plus tard!