Once when the salutations to Madurai Meenakshi and Trichy Ranganathar were done, it was a painfully slow trip to Thiruvannamalai (TM) courtesy the snail-speed bus. It was as if Sunny would have overtaken it! After what seemed like I had travelled to Pluto and made my return journey to Earth, I reached the sacred Siddhar-inhabited abode of Lord Siva. Checking close to the temple gave me an unlimited access to visit the temple as many as times as I wanted but since my Vipassana (Vi) was scheduled to begin from the next day, the temple darshan was just limited to only one time. Just like how you get a perfect 10 by a single throw in a bowling alley, it was a fantastic feast for the eyes to have the blessings of Lord Shiva adorned in full glory then.
As the Chennai Vi Centre had a jam-packed date blocking for more than a month, I had to choose the TM Vi to reap in the full benefits of the wondrous science imparted by the great Buddha to this world. The TM Vi was under construction during my 10 day stay there. I did not know that until I reached the place with the help of a friendly receptionist at the centre who gave me the directions over the phone and a regular auto wallah who used to commute to the place. Though there was a bus plying directly from TM junction, the frequency is such that it is like a rain in the desert. Not wanting to be unpunctual, I took the recommended auto man by the receptionist.
It was a pleasant and a relatively long ride through the fresh and refreshing village air that was imbued with unadulterated love, kindness and nature. Filling up the requisite forms, all of us were shown to our respective dorms by the same receptionist with whom I had the conversation earlier in the day. There were multiple dorms separated by a curtain and each was spacious enough to accommodate 3 beds with a fan and an open cupboard. To my utter astonishment, people from all walks of life, ages and different nationalities had come to receive the holy practice of training our always jumping and skipping mind into a steady, stable. calm and ordered state by the time-honored practice of Vi.
There were also women, young and old, in our fold with the total strength of our batch being 25-30. Of course, the women folks had separate and distinct sleep quarters. Naughty, Naughty! We are speaking about the long-established, soul purifier and mind cleanser Vi and not any kinky porno movie!
The D-time had arrived like an accelerating F1 car. The 10 day hell began without thoroughly understanding then that heaven could be reached and achieved only when you pass through the fiendish gates of your worst nightmares.
X---To Be Concluded---X
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