O.k so the power is out 16 hours a day now and I have exactly 28 minutes…Here we go. So my Yoga/meditation training is finished tommorrow and has been a very eye opening experience with only one step of 8 steps being the actual Aasana Yoga itself (stretching the body). The rest is breathing, meditation, social and self responsibilites……. etc. etc. etc. Through the class I met a kid about 7 years younger than me and he told me of a type of meditation a lot of locals use and he said it was free. I told him to take me there. He did and I applied. I passed the screening process and was accepted. They take 50 people per 10 day session. Here it is. I will be completely cut of from the rest of the world from the 16th to the 27th with complete silence the whole time and meditation for 10 hours a day with one hour everyday for instruction by a monk/teacher and also a group question answer session in the hall. I hope my teacher speaks english….if not who cares I mean it’s not like I can talk so Nepalese/English…..what’s the difference right…. I do not know exactly where it is but is in the hills outside Kathmandu in a completely quiet serene place with no interruptions. Vipassana means “to see things as they really are”. It is a logical process of mental purification through self observation. It is one of the most ancient meditation techniques of the Indian subcontinent. It was rediscovered 2500 years ago by Sidhartha Gautam (Buddha) and is the essence of what he practiced and taught during his forty five year ministry. I will supposedly practicing 3 steps of meditation. 1 is abstinence from actions, which cause harm. Second for the first three and a half days we will pratice Anapana meditation, focusing attention on breath. The third is: purifying the mind of underlying negativities. The last six in a half days is the practice of Vipassana, One penetrates one’s entire physical and mental structure witht he clarity of insight. Complete silence is observed for the first nine days. 10th day we resume speaking.

I do not know exactly what they do to you when you fart but I hope it does not involve some sort or caning, stoning or tar/chicken feather treatmentO.k. You have an idea of what I may be going through. I have heard of a lot of peole running off and I can see why with only one meal a day and silent for that long……..holy shit right!!!! I cannot sit and meditate for longer then 20 seconds without squirming around or my mind racing so I may be running real fast with monks galore running after me with brooms (do monks use brooms?) because I broke the code of silence !!!!

Anyway just another experience that is for all religions and no religion is taught there……It will be one helluva time………..damn I kind of want to bale but I am not going to…..I am sticking this one out. I guess if you can get past the first 2 days it gets better and by the end supposedly you are supposed to be able to see a flower bloom……..ha ha ha I know right……..God it’s gonna be good.

I love you all and oh yeah I started taking guitar lessons 2-3 weeks ago 3 days a week and it is going well. Real begginner stuff with 3 other Nepalese kids that keep trying to show me up every classs………especially this one know it all suck up kid named Bishnu……Man I cannot stand that Bishnu!!! but I’ll get em……… Will have to get caught up on the missed lessons when I get back!!! That and when I get back it’s go time I got a lot of work to do over here.

times a runnin out

Blessings and Namascar,

Camen