A dead man cannot react….

I do not take motorbikes often maybe because there are no opportunities in Singapore or anywhere outside of Bangalore. So, it is a mode of transportation I am not ‘familiar’ with, but it appears that aside from the auto or 3 wheeler, the motorbike is the next most common transportation I use while in Bangalore.

When it comes to motorbike, Bro Raj is the usual person I ride with. He is a very safe driver, probably because of me.

There was one night – we were running late and he took more risks than I had seen or felt before. I remember thinking – ‘I cannot react to anything or else it would be an awful journey’. What amazing effect a firm decision can have. I suddenly remembered the ‘die to self’ precept. If I am dead in the flesh and alive in the spirit, i can truly detach from the environment – bikes coming too close for comfort, autos weaving from the left and from the right, cars impatiently honking their way around the bike, oncoming traffic coming into our lane, or we being in the oncoming traffic lane, pot holes in the ground –filled with mud water, people crossing the roads without a sense of boundary – and not feel an ounce of anxiety. Truly, I have never been so ‘detached’. I hope this stays in my memory forever – i can detach and not be all bothered about things, events, people!!!

This is different from the detachment Buddhism teaches. This is emptying oneself of the flesh [‘old man’ in biblical terminology] and allowing God to infill the spirit man with the Holy Spirit. It is not punishing oneself or being removed from the world [in some quiet place to mediate]. It is going about everyday responsibilities, including riding motorbikes in a crazy road system, and not be affected at all by the events around us because God is in charge.

The monsoon came a little early to Bangalore this year, which brought down the temperature after each downpour. I was blessed with great 20 degrees weather on a couple of days.

One night, Bro Raj was taking me back to my host’s apt after a meeting. Neither of us noticed any signs of impending rains. There was no hint whatsoever.

The next morning I read about the rains in the paper and there was bad flooding everywhere.

The rains only came down after Bro Raj had returned home and settled in. I was oblivious to the heavy rains.

Imagine what it would have been for both of us, travelling on the bike, drenched, cold and miserable.

In this case, God held back the rains till we had returned home. In a separate blog entry, I will share how God held back the rains for the boys under Bro Raj’s care so that they could have a great swimming hour…..