E. Interview - After more than 9 month

 

-        9 months have passed. how are you physically.

o  Sometimes shoulders hurt from carrying luggage; with a professional hiking backpack, this pain would be less, but it is only slightly disturbing. But during the rainy season, also when I had bought new chappals, my feet were often sore. Once it was so bad that I had to rest in one place for eight days. - Quite atypically, a peaceful dog once bit me, just like that. – Apart from that: sometimes a few bones crunch during the morning fitness exercises; but that wears off after a few repetitions. – With food it's like this: If it's very spicy, my stomach sometimes hurts. That's why when people ask for food preferences, I ask for less spiciness. – Apart from that I feel perfectly healthy.

 

-        And how is it mentally? Did you sometimes have thoughts of breaking off the trip?

o  In fact, there were periods of weakness. In summer I always longed for Italian ice cream parlors and good pastry shops. I spent many afternoons there in longing thoughts and found my trip too one-sided. – There were also phases in which I had the feeling that things were progressing far too little or too slowly internally. I wish I had a real guru or an understanding spiritual leader who could tell me what I have to work on. – Well, with the help of Vipassana I overcame the phases of longing for lots of ice cream and good cake. And the longing for a good teacher or guidance has given way to the (still shaky) trust in being able to trust the inner, eternal guidance in myself - even having to trust.

o  It sounds a bit fatal: since all tents have been taken down for me in Germany and I have no other external security, I have no choice but to move on. So this need is beneficial. Thinking the other way around: The idea of ​​being in Germany and sitting there on the sofa or in front of the PC, being financially supported by the state... that doesn't feel attractive to me at all at the moment.

 

-        So you're getting closer to your enlightenment?

o  Oh hopefully!

 

-        Can you describe something that developed into you on the inner journey?

o  The most important thing, at least at the beginning, was and still is Vipassana: the careful observation of which signals the head sends to the body and then observing them non-judgmentally - the problem then dissolves layer by layer. You can call it “soul cleansing”. The Indians call it "Aatman shuddhikeren".

o  This is followed by a more concentrated perception of my crazy world of thoughts ("Monkey-Mind") and the rough labeling of the corresponding feelings. Gradually I realize that I am more in control of my thoughts.

o  Lately I've been trying to be more mindful of all external stimuli: seeing, hearing, feeling, etc. more consciously. – In the last few weeks I have often eaten slowly, paying attention to the movements of my hands and mouth. And it's true: One eat much more consciously - the whole situation becomes more real and intense.

 

-        And the confidence that nothing really bad will happen is still strong?

o  Yes. It keeps getting tighter. It's honest that I haven't had any worries about finding a suitable place to sleep for months. Even the thoughts of money hardly bother me anymore. I've finally become a bit more generous and donate something myself more often. - I realized that compared to other seekers I have the huge advantage of having been a mendicant friar and having learned to trust God like a good father.

 

-        It's not that far to Pakistan. When do you think to cross the border there?

o  I plan to get there in early 2023. I would like to spend Christmas again in the Bodhi Zendo (Tamil Nadu) and meet a friend in Rajasthan.

 

-        If everything goes well: When could you arrive in Assisi/Italy?

o  So far I've been traveling slowly. Roughly speaking, it took me a year to cover 2,000 kilometers. It's another 8,000 kilometers to Assisi; that means another 4 years. That matches the validity of my passport. But as mentioned earlier, the outer journey is secondary. What is more important is to be pure again at some point and to immerse yourself in every moment of life with its deep, sacred beauty.