#24
Hermit, that yogi is my guru
who can untie this song.
A tree stands without root,
Without flowers bears fruit;
No leaf not branch and eight
Sky-mouths thundering.
Dance done without feet,
Tune played without hands,
Raises sung without tongue,
Singer without shape of form––
the true teacher reveals.
Seek the birds, the fish’s path.
Kabir says, both are hard.
I offer myself to an image:
the great being beyond boundaries
and beyond beyond.
from the poems of Kabir
I'm heading out for Asia on Sunday. There is more “work” this time yet than in the past, mostly concerts and interfaith events of which I am very happy to be a part. Here’s brief summary of what I'll be up to:
Jan 8th-14th I'll be in Singapore, giving a retreat for the World Community for Christian Meditation on the weekend. They are my sponsors for this whole trip. We will be "premiering" "Echo of Your Peace," the compilation album that I put together this year mainly at their request for distribution in Asia, which I also hope to use as a greatest hits/retrospective album to make available next year, especially during the concerts in Italia.
Jan 14th-21st I will be between Chennai (Madras) and Sri Ramana Ashram at Tiruvanamalai, for sure a concert at Gurunkal Theological Seminary in Chennai on the 18th. This is as a guest of my good brother the Rev Joshua Peter. He is organizing a few interfaith events in the days ahead, and I shall just go along for the ride and count on him to organize my travel, or at least get on the right bus.
Jan 21st-Feb 6th I'll be down for a too-short stay at beloved Shantivanam (Kulithalai), though Jan 25th I am to go back to Tiruvanamalai for a concert at Arunai Ananda, the hotel where we sang last year. "A concert for westerners" JP said it would be.
All the above are in Tamil Nadu, South India.
Feb 7th I will go back to Chennai for a day, offering an Ash Wednesday retreat day for Gurukal Lutheran Theological Seminary (!) where my friend Theophilus is a student. I'm still shaking my head a this one, not sure why or what I am going to do or say. But how could I say no?
Then north by train, through Delhi, and Feb 9th-27th I am signed up for a yoga retreat at Yoganga Ashram in Dehradun.
Feb 29th I will return to Singapore, for two or three concerts, and then they (the WCCM) are sending me March 2-8 to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for a retreat, concert and youth event.
God-willing I will be back March 12.
Counting on your prayers, assuring you of mine.
