Bodh Gaya and Vipassana- Part 2- The journey

I love train journeys. I can't help but draw parallels with life itself. Isn't life a one way train ticket- you get on board with some who will eventually leave you half way to catch a super fast express forward, others who meet you on the way making every moment enjoyable but making no promises of where they plan to break the journey. Some who get on your nerves and to avoid them, you request the TT to change your seat. But if too many people happen to get on your nerves, the TT would probably stop entertaining your requests and point out that the problem perhaps lies with you. In a journey, you are at your best in the beginning. When you start getting comfortable with seeing familiar faces, you start seeking permanence and wish you see them everyday. You start believing that meeting them was perhaps the purpose of your journey which it is not. You become vulnerable and they also get to see you at your worst. Everything is ephemeral and people you wanted to hold on to sometimes need to leave you behind. They would head for the same destination anyway but may be not on the same train that you picked. And when they bid farewell- they could either be grateful for the moments they spent with you and cherish them for life or scar you citing your vulnerabilities as the reason they rejected you as a co-passenger. It's up to you to realize that there's nothing sad in accepting that we are on our own always. That's the thing about love, life and train journeys- no matter how long they last and where they take you, they are always worth it. And this belief awaited to be strengthened as I completed my 14 hour train journey from Cuttack to Gaya.

Coming up next: Last Part: It's not just Elizabeth Gilbert who found love after meditation. It's not an epic ending. Just a prologue to an eventful start.