Road Tripper
/The road trippers sat at their usual table in the favourites corner of the café, here they were free to furiously discussed their next pilgrimage. They had been given the nickname “Road trippers” during their high school years as they annually went on pilgrimage with their families to their homelands. The group was formed through high school interfaith gatherings. They supported each other even though they came from different religious and cultural backgrounds. As they matured so did this strength of the group. The name of road trippers stuck.
A few years ago, one of the members suggested that they visited each other’s pilgrimage place as a group, instead of venturing off on their own. By embarking on a group pilgrimage to each other religious homelands this encouraged a deep understanding of each other’s religious backgrounds. At their bi-annual meeting they planned and discussed their next road trip, whose homeland they would visit, the cost, how long they would be away and accommodation. Is their family they could stay with?
Even so one of the members didn't want to go on the next pilgrimage. Sarah, was the who made the suggestion of a pilgrimage to the various homeland as a group. She had hoped this would inspire her and renew her faith in her religion. Initially there was a temporary renewal. It didn't last, discontentment and hopelessness returned.
Quietly Sarah started exploring new age alternative spiritual practises. The road trip wore open mindedness as a badge. They did like to think of themselves as open minded but underneath they disapproved of alternative spiritual practise that was outside mainstream religion. She knew they would openly disparage such exploration.
Sarah explored, shamanism, crystals, Taoism, various styles of meditation. Apart from costing her a fortune, she failed to find happiness and contentment in any of these alternative practises. She was feeling very disillusioned with the whole spiritual religious path and was on the brink of throwing everything in.
She was sitting on her veranda in the sun looking out over the valley when three thoughts popped into her head: first all she wanted to do was to meditate all day: second she wanted to finish all her karma, and come back karma free in her next birth and third “if this spirituality is so good for me” she thought “how come it is costing so much!”
A girl she had met several times at different spiritual gatherings came to visit. Sara shared a few of her deep thoughts.
‘Ah’ said the girl “come and do this meditation course and we can meditate together.”
“Not really interested in doing anymore courses as it's costing so much and I not really getting much out of it” Sarah lamented.
“Oh”! it's free” exclaimed the girl.
“Free” thought Sarah “and when you get there, they ask for a donation.”
“Come”, said the girl “it's just round the corner. There's a new course starting on Saturday here's the phone number. I have to go now I'll see you later”.
Sarah watched as the girl wandered down the street “well, no harm in checking it out” Sarah thought and gave them a ring.
Much to Sarah’s amazement no one asked for a donation: money was never mentioned “huh” was all Sarah could think of to say. She attended every session even though she was a bit hesitant after the lesson on God. The Sarah realised you couldn't really have spirituality without God. What intrigued her the most was the word ‘sanskar’. This word intrigued her so intensely, that when the course had finished, she adopted all the lifestyle choices and put into practise the spiritual points of knowledge from the morning classes.
This medication practise satisfied all her curiosity, gave her a good understanding of the law of karma and how to settle her accounts in this birth through the meditation. This practise encouraged meditation through the day. They referred to meditation as a spiritual pilgrimage. “A road trip” she thought “without leaving my home”.
By Jennifer Forrest
From: Australia