69. Report - Unbelievable surprises keep happening...

On the melancholic route towards the Pakistani border, I still have beautiful moments. I rejoice at a wall in front of a school beautifully painted with an express train. I smile about a (intentional?) spelling mistake: "We are supper fast!"

 

And as if word had got around in this sparsely populated area, everyone offered me milk tea and behaved in a friendly and interested manner. I particularly enjoy the calm, wise manners of the old men.

 

It's nice to walk with trust in the divine. I feel very blessed in this wonderful country of India by the many, many good people and the spiritual atmosphere that is at work in this country.

 

My inner development is progressing. I now often feel immersed in the present moment and experience deeper layers of existence. I hope one day not only to be free from the many inner knots and negativities, but also to stay permanently in this deeper state of being.

 

Father Amasamy, the founder and former leader of the Bodhi Zendo, once said that an enlightened person is not automatically human mature. In order to be mature, one must above all learn to deal with unwanted, adverse situations in a relaxed and trusting manner. The small sense of achievement in moments of stress confirm that this path is the right one. When everything goes our way - that is neither human maturity nor the art of living.

 

That's why I already thought that one/I had to experience all possible situations of suffering in life on myself in order to become mature and free of fear. Is that a sensible, healthy attitude?

 

We will see.

 

In the afternoon of that day, as I sit in a meadow and talk to a friend on the phone, two men appear. One is a little younger, the other older. They wait patiently for the call to end. Then they come and talk to me.

 

They identify themselves as undercover cops and want to see my passport. They explain that I am in a region that is restricted for foreigners. I apologize because I didn't know that. I also explain to them about the visa, which has expired since long. They seem content. I promise them to change my itinerary and leave the region the next day.

 

In the evening, however, when I arrive at the famous ashram with the powerful Maharaj, I am greeted unfriendly by an elderly man who snarls something about "pass". No problem, I'll go to the pooja first.

 

In the end I speak to the temple priest about the overnight stay. He refers me to the gnarly old man who is said to be the famous Maharaj and that I should bow low to him.

 

I do all that too; the Maharaj seems content and grants the accommodation. I bring him my passport, which he is no longer interested in.

 

Someone else wants to see him later: after dinner, a group of men appear; some in police uniform, some in civilian clothes. They ask a lot of questions. Not only do they check my passport, they keep it. When they leave and it's time to sleep, one of Maharaj's people puts his bed in front of my sleeping quarters - he has to watch over me at night. After a few minutes, someone locks the door from the outside. - I'm trapped.

 

The next morning I am driven to the district capital by several police officers. We're waiting in an interrogation room. When other officers arrive, the police officers leave the room. After a few minutes, 12 Indian intelligence officers are sitting around me. 4 of them keep record, the others put their questions, sometimes like arrows. They jump back and forth with their questions; sometimes I can't even finish answering because someone wants to know something completely different.

 

Of course I'm very excited. But there are several brief moments when I feel calm inside and ... don't enjoy the situation, but observe with interest and nonjudgmentally. Very relaxing!

 

After an hour or two they give me a break. Afterwards someone said that I am exposed as "harmless", i.e. I am not a spy for Pakistan and also not an enemy of India.

 

The next day they bring me back to this agency. This time there is no interview, but pressure is being put on me to book a plane ticket and leave India in the next days. They also apply for an immediate exit permit. Alternatively, they offer me an Indian prison. I'm sooo sad.