Last Travel update from Vilcabamba
Saludos a Todos,
Well this is my last update from Vilcabamba Loja Ecuador. I will be leaving this pueblo pequeño, on 25/11/08. I will miss this little slice of heaven, this sacred valley and all the rare and wonderful characters it has attracted and maintains through its magical aura. I recall a few years ago, when I left from Buenos Aires how i wrote to all of you that I felt everyone should visit B.A.at least once in their life...This is definitely how I feel about this place as well.
I feel good. I am still on the road after 61 months and I see no end in sight. I feel like I am being reborn as a Buddha every moment. I have actually begun to remember to breathe without trying. I find that If I listen to my breath, the noise in my head stops. The noise of my mind (radio-head) is like traffic: it never starts, it never stops, and it doesn't go anywhere. Its just there. but I tell you all this truth...It is only there, when "I am" not. When "I am" present "I am" peace. And I am peace! We all are peace if we just stop, and let it be. This is of course a lot more tricky than it sounds but worth the effort, I promise!
"There is no WAY to peace...Peace is the way" Thich Nhat Hahn
Many of you who knew me When I was a resident of USA will recall that I was an impatient person. I have "worked"on this (patience), the Buddha´s third paramita Quite a lot since I was in Malacca Malaysia. I hung around there with a group of Mahayana Buddhists and this was the advice they gave me.
Patience is the "enabling" force that allows all the other cosmic laws to manifest. If one is patient all things will come. One must realize that only the ego is impatient the true inner self is never in any hurry. Well...except when you are late for your bus!!
I protected my impatience. I loved it as a part of my "self". Same as my anger, my indignation, my honor. My My My all ego bullshit. I have found the first step is to recognize that there is a difference between the true inner self and the ego. Now I give my true self the opportunity to "drive the bus" and take us (all my fragments) to The Nirvana of Enough.
I am seeing the world as if with new eyes. The eyes within. Not looking at what i may cling to and/or grasp, but only at what "is". I am happy to leave things as they are now and comfortable with the fact that they will change (are changing) all by themselves. I love this Zen haiku:
Sitting quietly
Doing nothing, spring comes
Grass grows by itself
I was right about the American election. I predicted that a democrat or a republican would win and I was Right! Amazing! don't you think?? I hope that America will change for the better, but the truth is I am skeptical. It is also true that my true inner self doesn't really care, but my ego self is still hoping for change. I don't care because I know that the only thing that is inevitable in the world of duality of the physically manifested universe is change and so it is and so it will be.
Once I began to accept the duality rather than wish and hope for tranquility (unity). I found a very nice peaceful place, a warm glowing refuge within my self. I understand that in the law of transformation of energies there are always 3 forces and they must always change and "conquer" one another and thus become one another. I just sit back and let it all be. My "jihad" is internal. I am working on conquering my false self and trying to allow my true self to be. And thus to become one.
I ate some (only a couple of bites) fried pig meat the other day and I have had dolor de vientre (belly ache) now for 2 days. These are the lessons one learns. How many times must one be taught the same lessons? Wow it tasted sooooo goood!!! But its like beating up your "enemy" it feels good but you only hurt your self.
I went to a really nice party last night. There was a lovely band of 4 men who played Andean music. Acoustic guitars, instruments that look like a mandolin that i don't know the names of, and a few types of flutes hand carved from wood . They also had a variety of tamburs ( drums) and many of the revelers took up small drums and we all danced beneath the moon and the stars and drummed and everyone had a great time!
I had some whiskey and this helps me to feel less inhibited about the way i dance. I dance from my inner self, that is to say, I just move harmoniously with the music. i don't "know" any steps. i just like "groovin and movin". So my ego of course tries to stop me from dancing, because the ego is ALWAYS in conflict with the inner self. The mechanism my ego uses is a certain sense of embarrassment. A certain mild paranoia. Its as if I feel that others are watching me and judging me.
Then there was a big cake that was really good and we all had cake. There were a lot of little kids from the vecindario (neighborhood) and i love to watch that look of delight that blossoms on their face when they get a really big piece of cake. There was a little dance contest for the kids and a little boy won a premio (prize) of a little plastic man on a motorcycle. he was so happy!! The other kids were happy with their big pieces of cake and I was happy and so all the world was at peace and joy in my little slice of heaven...
I met two people ( cor-Neil-ius and Merry Prankster, a married couple) from The Republic of South Africa in June when I was in Mancora Peru. I met them again here in Vilcabamba about 4 months ago. I told them about a really nice house to rent with two bedrooms, a kitchen a bathroom with hot shower and a lovely garden of cesped (grass lawn) and fruit trees, coffee trees and flowers. It rents for US $120.00 per month.(Ecuador uses US dollars as the official currency). So we have been next door neighbors for the last 4 months. We frequently get together and share dinners.
I live just on the other side of a valla (hedge) from them. Neil has a real taste for cake and he is like a little kid (he is my age) when he sees a great big cake! he is delighted at the sight like a child. his inner child is very happy. These two people and I have become close friends. I am looking forward to seeing them elsewhere in my travels here in Latin America. I am hoping to see them again when I go to Africa and hope they and I will be able to travel around on their home continent in future. I have learned a lot from these two. I look at stones and the earth in a different way. I see that just as flowers are the blossoms of the plants, so to are crystals the flowers of the earth. I have been reading a lot about the vibrations and frequencies of crystals on the internet. Very interesting stuff.
Plants consume the earth in the form of crystal salts they leaach out of the soil through their roots. We too consume the earth in the form of vitamins (vital minerals) when we consume the plants. We are the earth. We are made of the same stuff the plants are made of. If we don't love ourselves we don't love the earth.
I have been enjoying the new lettuce season here. The markets are filled with scrumptily delicious sweet fresh lettuces!! Like VietNam! I have been eating a lot of salads. I have finally found some hot ahi (chili peppers) in the market as they too are in season here now. Also there are all kinds of beautiful fresh beans. The only one i know the english name for is fava beans. here called haba. And fresh shelled peas, all you could ask for! I have been cooking about 90% of my meals at my home. I have been exercising by walking and doing push-ups and yoga stretching exercises. I am feeling nice and healthy and have again lost some weight.
I will begin traveling North towards Trinidad-Tobago in 5 days. My updates will be more frequent once I get back on the road. I hope as always that these words find all of you peaceful and happy.
Here are a few quotes to think about until next time.
Peace and love,
Rambling Roberto
"If you want to be like the buddha you´ve got to do like the buddha" Me Myself Rambling robert
"Be careful what you pretend to be...you ARE what you pretend to be" Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
"Its nice to be important, but its more important to be nice" Lois Eckstein
"Cultivate peace first in the garden of your heart by removing the weeds of selfishness and jealousy, greed and anger, pride and ego. Then all will benefit from your peace and harmony." Amitabha (bodhisatva of the pure land)
Well this is my last update from Vilcabamba Loja Ecuador. I will be leaving this pueblo pequeño, on 25/11/08. I will miss this little slice of heaven, this sacred valley and all the rare and wonderful characters it has attracted and maintains through its magical aura. I recall a few years ago, when I left from Buenos Aires how i wrote to all of you that I felt everyone should visit B.A.at least once in their life...This is definitely how I feel about this place as well.
I feel good. I am still on the road after 61 months and I see no end in sight. I feel like I am being reborn as a Buddha every moment. I have actually begun to remember to breathe without trying. I find that If I listen to my breath, the noise in my head stops. The noise of my mind (radio-head) is like traffic: it never starts, it never stops, and it doesn't go anywhere. Its just there. but I tell you all this truth...It is only there, when "I am" not. When "I am" present "I am" peace. And I am peace! We all are peace if we just stop, and let it be. This is of course a lot more tricky than it sounds but worth the effort, I promise!
"There is no WAY to peace...Peace is the way" Thich Nhat Hahn
Many of you who knew me When I was a resident of USA will recall that I was an impatient person. I have "worked"on this (patience), the Buddha´s third paramita Quite a lot since I was in Malacca Malaysia. I hung around there with a group of Mahayana Buddhists and this was the advice they gave me.
Patience is the "enabling" force that allows all the other cosmic laws to manifest. If one is patient all things will come. One must realize that only the ego is impatient the true inner self is never in any hurry. Well...except when you are late for your bus!!
I protected my impatience. I loved it as a part of my "self". Same as my anger, my indignation, my honor. My My My all ego bullshit. I have found the first step is to recognize that there is a difference between the true inner self and the ego. Now I give my true self the opportunity to "drive the bus" and take us (all my fragments) to The Nirvana of Enough.
I am seeing the world as if with new eyes. The eyes within. Not looking at what i may cling to and/or grasp, but only at what "is". I am happy to leave things as they are now and comfortable with the fact that they will change (are changing) all by themselves. I love this Zen haiku:
Sitting quietly
Doing nothing, spring comes
Grass grows by itself
I was right about the American election. I predicted that a democrat or a republican would win and I was Right! Amazing! don't you think?? I hope that America will change for the better, but the truth is I am skeptical. It is also true that my true inner self doesn't really care, but my ego self is still hoping for change. I don't care because I know that the only thing that is inevitable in the world of duality of the physically manifested universe is change and so it is and so it will be.
Once I began to accept the duality rather than wish and hope for tranquility (unity). I found a very nice peaceful place, a warm glowing refuge within my self. I understand that in the law of transformation of energies there are always 3 forces and they must always change and "conquer" one another and thus become one another. I just sit back and let it all be. My "jihad" is internal. I am working on conquering my false self and trying to allow my true self to be. And thus to become one.
I ate some (only a couple of bites) fried pig meat the other day and I have had dolor de vientre (belly ache) now for 2 days. These are the lessons one learns. How many times must one be taught the same lessons? Wow it tasted sooooo goood!!! But its like beating up your "enemy" it feels good but you only hurt your self.
I went to a really nice party last night. There was a lovely band of 4 men who played Andean music. Acoustic guitars, instruments that look like a mandolin that i don't know the names of, and a few types of flutes hand carved from wood . They also had a variety of tamburs ( drums) and many of the revelers took up small drums and we all danced beneath the moon and the stars and drummed and everyone had a great time!
I had some whiskey and this helps me to feel less inhibited about the way i dance. I dance from my inner self, that is to say, I just move harmoniously with the music. i don't "know" any steps. i just like "groovin and movin". So my ego of course tries to stop me from dancing, because the ego is ALWAYS in conflict with the inner self. The mechanism my ego uses is a certain sense of embarrassment. A certain mild paranoia. Its as if I feel that others are watching me and judging me.
Then there was a big cake that was really good and we all had cake. There were a lot of little kids from the vecindario (neighborhood) and i love to watch that look of delight that blossoms on their face when they get a really big piece of cake. There was a little dance contest for the kids and a little boy won a premio (prize) of a little plastic man on a motorcycle. he was so happy!! The other kids were happy with their big pieces of cake and I was happy and so all the world was at peace and joy in my little slice of heaven...
I met two people ( cor-Neil-ius and Merry Prankster, a married couple) from The Republic of South Africa in June when I was in Mancora Peru. I met them again here in Vilcabamba about 4 months ago. I told them about a really nice house to rent with two bedrooms, a kitchen a bathroom with hot shower and a lovely garden of cesped (grass lawn) and fruit trees, coffee trees and flowers. It rents for US $120.00 per month.(Ecuador uses US dollars as the official currency). So we have been next door neighbors for the last 4 months. We frequently get together and share dinners.
I live just on the other side of a valla (hedge) from them. Neil has a real taste for cake and he is like a little kid (he is my age) when he sees a great big cake! he is delighted at the sight like a child. his inner child is very happy. These two people and I have become close friends. I am looking forward to seeing them elsewhere in my travels here in Latin America. I am hoping to see them again when I go to Africa and hope they and I will be able to travel around on their home continent in future. I have learned a lot from these two. I look at stones and the earth in a different way. I see that just as flowers are the blossoms of the plants, so to are crystals the flowers of the earth. I have been reading a lot about the vibrations and frequencies of crystals on the internet. Very interesting stuff.
Plants consume the earth in the form of crystal salts they leaach out of the soil through their roots. We too consume the earth in the form of vitamins (vital minerals) when we consume the plants. We are the earth. We are made of the same stuff the plants are made of. If we don't love ourselves we don't love the earth.
I have been enjoying the new lettuce season here. The markets are filled with scrumptily delicious sweet fresh lettuces!! Like VietNam! I have been eating a lot of salads. I have finally found some hot ahi (chili peppers) in the market as they too are in season here now. Also there are all kinds of beautiful fresh beans. The only one i know the english name for is fava beans. here called haba. And fresh shelled peas, all you could ask for! I have been cooking about 90% of my meals at my home. I have been exercising by walking and doing push-ups and yoga stretching exercises. I am feeling nice and healthy and have again lost some weight.
I will begin traveling North towards Trinidad-Tobago in 5 days. My updates will be more frequent once I get back on the road. I hope as always that these words find all of you peaceful and happy.
Here are a few quotes to think about until next time.
Peace and love,
Rambling Roberto
"If you want to be like the buddha you´ve got to do like the buddha" Me Myself Rambling robert
"Be careful what you pretend to be...you ARE what you pretend to be" Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
"Its nice to be important, but its more important to be nice" Lois Eckstein
"Cultivate peace first in the garden of your heart by removing the weeds of selfishness and jealousy, greed and anger, pride and ego. Then all will benefit from your peace and harmony." Amitabha (bodhisatva of the pure land)
posted by Rambling Robert | 7:01 AM
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