Bali, the land of a 1000 temples and a million smiling faces, a truly magical place where nature is so entwined in peoples’ existence and where the spiritual and materialistic worlds so effortlessly blend together, creating a perfect symphony of matter and spirit. In February 2017 I visited Indonesia for a week along with 250 other like-minded spiritual seekers from 30 countries around the world to soak in Bali’s offering of spirituality. A predominantly Hindu population but at the same time very tolerant to Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and the catholic faiths; no where in the world do you feel more welcomed and cared for than in Bali.
We spent most of our time practicing meditation in a conference room that was transformed into a beautiful golden temple. This room was used to stage meditations, musical performances and became the meeting place for the 200 odd yogi’s for most of the day.
During his life Sri Chinmoy himself used to spend nearly two and half months of the year visiting Asia during December-February when his students from around the world were given the opportunity to spend time with him practicing their meditations under his inner guidance, as well as encouraging us to enjoy simple fun activities like plays and musical performances. This was so that we could bring forth a child-like consciousness; a powerful tool in simplifying our thoughts and making meditation easier.
For me it was a chance to take a break from my every day routine and focus on my own spirituality and at the same time meet my fellow brothers and sisters from around the world; all of whom share a common love for meditation and spirituality. Each day, the longer I spent meditating, I could feel my body getting stiller and my mind getting more one pointed and focused until it became easier and easier to enter into deep meditation.
The simple nature of Balinese people, their kind and smiling faces and their devotion in even the simplest of actions make Bali a haven for spiritual seekers. Sri Chinmoy himself once commented that in Bali even nature meditates for you.
