Isha Vidhya, with all your patronage and blessings, has, from one school in 2006, grown to six schools presently. Close to about 2000 children (70% under scholarships), have made rapid strides in their lives and now we are able to see noticeable difference in their approach to life and education. All this is possible through valuable contributions from likeminded people like you. We thank you for what you have done to the lives of rural children.

Now, with a donation from a corporate donor, we are now ready to start our 7th school in Vanavasi, near Mettur (Salem). On the 3rd of April 2010, we plan to start construction of the school by performing a ground breaking ceremony.

After the usual 6 hour journey spent half dozing, I arrive with plenty of time to reach the sathsang venue. I manage to negotiate a decent price for the auto ride, though the driver doesn’t seem to have a clue where we’re going and asks other drivers every ten minutes. Almost an hour passes this way, and we’re nearing the destination. I see a sign to turn right, but it’s not the right one. I see another sign to turn left, and I am filled with relief. Waiting for the third sign, which never came, we drive interminably down a narrow lane lined with walls and farmhouses behind them. It is almost a European quaint, except for the impending nightfall and my clenching heart–few people around, I can’t find the house, no street lights, angry auto driver…

Finally a motorcycle driver and a phone call re-directs us back the way we came. Driver bhaiyya is saying something like “You don’t know anything about Delhi, you just got here, you don’t know where we’re going, I shouldn’t have listened to you,” etc. I feel upset, but realize it was just the release of the pent-up tension I was feeling at not finding the destination. We reach, and I feel utterly stupid for having lost awareness of the gravity of mortality and the fleetingness of life.

This feeling stays with me all night, as I’m continuously reminded: Life is so fragile, any moment it could go. But after being with Sadhguru and other Isha meditators, I’m filled with such an intense energy that it was hard to go to sleep. I read some of my friend’s copy of “Eat, Pray, Love,” skimming the passages for “Richard from Texas.” I had just met him last month at the Isha Yoga Center. Though the encounter was brief, his charm and wisdom were unmissable.

Inbound Journey:

I had a comparatively more leisurely morning, but still rushed to eat and get on my way again since I didn’t know how long it would take to reach the bus station. I arrived with plenty of time, but still managed to give myself a stomachache.

As I near Jaipur, I come online to see that “Richard from Texas” has also died. Then our bus slows down as we pass a totalled car, getting flipped right-side-up from the ditch in the center of the opposite-bound lanes. A group of villagers have gathered as the rescue team. How concerned these people seem about the travelers, who they’ve never met; how forgotten they are by the rest of the world and the march of “progress”. I stare at the looming hill behind, a huge, sandstone precipice jutting out at the top. My “Why?” seems to hang just above, getting tossed about in the sandy winds. The stones seem so wise, to know much more than I ever will about death.

We’re nearing the station and they switch on the lights. Sitting just behind the driver, I witness a touching ritual that must be commonplace with drivers across India. The conductor’s face is upturned, hands together and open: he’s reciting something. So I glance in the direction where he’s looking and am not  surprised to see two silver gods, encased in a plastic box and mounted on the wall, and a couple colorful stickers of more gods below. I look back at him; he brings his hands over his head like he’s pretending to smooth down his hair.

It makes so much sense that it’s almost humorous. Of course the roads are so treacherous that only the gods can get you through alive.

But that’s just the sad part: relying on make-believe when the distance between life and death is the same as that between awareness and unawareness. One careless act can cost precious life.

And we are the gods with the tremendous responsibility and burden to bear: being aware.

The Teacher’s Meeting commenced at 8:30 am on 19 August in Spanda Hall. As everybody was assembling, a busload of teachers, still in their whites, arrived at the gate. It was inspiring to see their joyful anticipation and commitment as they quickly unloaded their luggage and sped towards the hall to reach the session on time.

After Guru Pooja, some teachers shared their experiences of the major events of recent months, such as Ananda Ala in Andhra Pradesh and Anandha Alai in the Nilgiris. The number of classes that happened in a relatively short period of time was astonishing – certainly a challenge and a chance for teachers to stretch themselves beyond the limits of what they thought they could do.  Another teacher proudly reported that the Hyderabad meditator base had doubled in just three months. A teacher from the US conveyed how seeing the reach and impact of Isha Yoga in India had given her new inspiration and drive to help establish the Isha Institute of Inner Sciences and various centers across the US.

In a question and answer session, Sadhguru addressed a variety of topics including programs, Linga Bhairavi, devotion and death. In addition, the teachers learnt about the Dhyanalinga Temple Completion Project, an opportunity for everyone to enable Sadhguru’s vision. A moonlight dinner in Spanda Hall garden closed the day.

The next morning, Tamil teachers raced off to organize the Green Tirupur tree planting events. Those who stayed back trekked to a sacred space in the Velliangiri Hills, known as “Sadhguru’s caves,” where they spent time meditating and enjoying nature. After two days out in the virgin forest, they joined the other teachers in Tirupur to bring some green life into the city.

The teacher’s meeting was a refreshing break for the teachers in their otherwise frantic schedules; a chance to review, reexamine, relax, recharge, and finally re-embark on their mission to reach out to others through Isha Yoga programs and events in India and around the world.

Here is what a few teachers shared:

THE TEACHERS’ MEETING:

It was great being back in the ashram and meeting all the teachers after five months of non-stop traveling. I thought I had had all my adventures, and nothing could shake me anymore. I was in for a great surprise, though, when we went trekking to Sadhguru’s Caves and spent two nights in the wilderness. Suddenly I realized I had become a city girl – and jumping from one rock to the other to find a bathroom was quite a refreshing change. The first night I got a little anxious when rain started to pour down on us, but seeing all these cheerful faces quickly dispelled my urban grumpiness. Doing practices and meditating there was awesome, and just seeing the teamwork was so humbling. In the end, I had thoroughly enjoyed the stay in the jungle. –Veena

I’ve just started Teachers’ Training a few months back and this was my second Teacher’s Meeting. While initially I was excited to attend, I fell sick just before the event. Still I somehow made the journey down to the ashram and was duly rewarded by spending time with Sadhguru and the teachers. It is such a pleasure hearing them share about their experiences and basking in their joy. I must admit that I was reluctant to go camping, but in the moments I was able to accept being there, I felt such an intense oneness. The environment was very conducive to meditation, which seemed to happen effortlessly. I felt such a deep gratitude to Sadhguru for making my life seem like a dream. I never could have imagined such possibilities opening up for me as have been available through Isha. –Becky

THE GREEN TIRUPUR TREE PLANTING:

Taking part in the tree planting in Tirupur was a touching experience. When I held a sapling and put it in the ground, I was quite moved at the realization that the sapling was pulsating with life and I was taking part in nurturing it. The planting itself was no longer just an activity. –Hajra

The target of the Green Tirupur initiative was 25,000 trees in one day. I was thrilled but to some extent not so optimistic about accomplishing the job. I was very much humbled at the end at the way it all happened– it was 28,500 plus… I bow down to each and every volunteer who threw themselves into this magnificent yet in hindsight seemingly simple task.

As a teacher, I have always been speaking with pride and enthusiasm about Project GreenHands in the programs. But this was the first time I got an opportunity to actually get involved in the planting hands-on. The moment we got onto the field, the action just sucked us in. Everyone was running around, planting saplings, filling pits with manure, and getting water for the saplings from people around… It was quite inspiring to see the public spontaneously jumping into action along with us. Being a Sunday, many of the residents joined us on the streets to lend a green hand. One little girl even came up to one of us and offered the small packet of water that she was drinking to water a sapling.

At the end of the day, the event had transformed from an Isha initiative to a people’s movement – which is what Sadhguru always seeks to create. I am eager to see these trees fully grown and the impact it will create in the city as well as in the hearts of the people in Tirupur. –Swami Dhiraja

For more info on the Green Tiruppur Movement:

Stalin inaugurates Green Tirupur Movement

Deputy Chief Minister M. K. Stalin inaugurated the Green Tirupur Movement of Isha Foundation by planting a sapling on the Corporation Town Hall premises here on Sunday.

The Isha Foundation volunteers with the involvement of different stakeholders in the conservation of environment planted as many as 25,000 saplings of 34 plant species across the city.

Many houses were made in the traditional hut style: thick walls made out of sand, round in shape, with thatched rooves. They blended in seamlessly with the surroundings.

I have never seen so many stars as I saw there. I milked a cow and held a baby goat! A big thank you goes out to everyone who made my visit so special.