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The teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi / Re: Journey of Faith - Niall Anglin - Mountain Path - Jayanti 2005:
« on: May 16, 2016, 11:20:28 AM »
Having been raised as a Catholic I wondered about the strange ways of a God who could give us prophets
and saints hundreds of years ago, who were now no longer to be found. We seemed forsaken.
I read Be Here Now by Ram Dass, the American disciple of Neemkaroli Bala, and quickly became aware that
such saints abound in India even today. From that point onward i could not sit still, and set out making plans
to go find them for myself. I had by that time learned the all important principle that it is the Guru who draws
devotee to him, despite the devotee's feeling that it is he who is exercising his free will in deciding to find the
Guru.
My trip to India in 1977 entailed flying from Toronto to London, hitchhiking to the English coast, taking a ferry
to Holland, and then hitchhiking from there into Germany, Denmark, back down through Germany, Austria,
Italy and Yugoslavia till I reached the Greek Islands. I traveled in an inspired mood and planned especially
to visit the island of Crete in Greece, which I had heard was a spiritually charged place. I spent six weeks
in the Mediterranean on the three islands of Corfu, Crete and Rhodes. I had set out to hitchhike as far as
it proved worthwhile mode of transportation, but that half died in Italy and became hopeless in Yugoslavia.
So from Greece I traveled by bus through Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan, Pakistan and into India.
contd.,
Arunachala Siva.
and saints hundreds of years ago, who were now no longer to be found. We seemed forsaken.
I read Be Here Now by Ram Dass, the American disciple of Neemkaroli Bala, and quickly became aware that
such saints abound in India even today. From that point onward i could not sit still, and set out making plans
to go find them for myself. I had by that time learned the all important principle that it is the Guru who draws
devotee to him, despite the devotee's feeling that it is he who is exercising his free will in deciding to find the
Guru.
My trip to India in 1977 entailed flying from Toronto to London, hitchhiking to the English coast, taking a ferry
to Holland, and then hitchhiking from there into Germany, Denmark, back down through Germany, Austria,
Italy and Yugoslavia till I reached the Greek Islands. I traveled in an inspired mood and planned especially
to visit the island of Crete in Greece, which I had heard was a spiritually charged place. I spent six weeks
in the Mediterranean on the three islands of Corfu, Crete and Rhodes. I had set out to hitchhike as far as
it proved worthwhile mode of transportation, but that half died in Italy and became hopeless in Yugoslavia.
So from Greece I traveled by bus through Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan, Pakistan and into India.
contd.,
Arunachala Siva.