Bodhi Zendo - Abide where there is no abiding

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This is not a resort or tourist attraction; but for those looking for a non-religious spiritual get-away, Bodhizendo offers three day meditation course every first Thursday of the month. You can stay here at any time of the year if you follow the monastic order. Bodhizendo was set up by Fr.AMA Samy, a Jesuit priest, an independent Zen master, combining the Hinduism, Christianity and Zen Buddhism. The center offers bread and board for a meager Rs.350/- per person per day. The rooms are basic and neatly furnished; the best housekeeping we have ever seen. The entire center runs on eco-friendly solar heating with a very minimalist approach. A very well landscaped center garden and zen garden surrounded by deep valleys and lush greenery including a vegetable garden. While staying here, me wet many interesting and people from around the world who all have one common goal- to live a meaningful life. 

Read more about the meditation: http://www.intromeditation.com/Wordpress/bodhi-zendo-monastery-in-india/

To reach here from Coimbatore, you need to take a bus to Palani (3hrs) and board another bus heading towards Kodaikanal (2hrs) and get down at Perumalmalai, 12km before Kodaikanal, through the winding road, which makes the bus a vomit comet. A 30min walk from Perumalmalai junction through St. Joseph's Farm will take you to Bodhizendo.

The nearest railway station is Kodai Road but easily accessible is Dindigul Junction. From Perumalmalai, you can go to Dindigul (2hrs) and Madurai(3hrs) via Vatalagundu. Another option is Thekkady via Vatalagundu-Theni-Cumbum-Kumily (4hrs,Rs.55) Locals say there is a route from Kodai to Munnar via Kilavarai with 7km walk if you get permissions from the TN Forest Department. There is a private bus (Rs 750, 5hrs) from Kodai to Munnar via Bodhinayakanoor which starts only if they enough passengers. The easiest way to reach southern part of TamilNadu or Kerala from here is to take a train from Madurai or Dindigul. There are many trains to Chennai and Bangalore from Dindigul. If you are travelling to Cochin or Coimbatore, take a bus to Palani and proceed further. Dindigul and Palani are in two different directions from Perumalmalai and takes less than 3hrs by bus.

The schedule is as follows :

5:30 am : Wake up gong
6-7 am : Formal Zazen (sitting meditation)
7-8 am : Breakfast
8-9:30 am: Samu/Seva
9:30 am : Coffee/Tea
10:30 - 12 noon : Silence
12-12:30 : Free zazen
12:30 - 1:30 pm : Lunch
1:30 - 4 pm: Silence
4 pm : Coffee/Tea

5:30 onward Silence
6 - 7 pm : Formal Zazen
7 - 8 pm : Dinner
8-8:30 pm : Free zazen 

Samu/seva is expected from everyone for 90min a day. During mini-sesshin (3days) and long sesshin (6days) there will be longer hours of zazen- 7hrs with breaks in between. You need to spend at least 3days to settle into this quiet experience of soul-searching. We spent close to five weeks here including a long sesshin in June. Any time is ideal time to visit the place but from December to May the house usually is full. It is not necessary to come during the sesshin, other times are equally useful and worthy. At the time of our visit the master was present and he left to Europe for 3 months. 

If you want to work on yourself, spend a few days here. You may go back with a different worldview.

This is the practice of Shikantaza: just sitting, just observing, just being here and now, with no seeking and no goals. It is the intimacy with oneself and with the world. This is the Zazen of intimacy.

From the book:  Zen heart,  Zen Mind
The teachings of zen master AMA Samy

Toy train and a birthday gift

(C) IRCTC

A birthday gift can't be better than this according to me - a ride on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway miniature train munching homemade chocolates, with my soul mate. We took the ride from Udaghamandalam (Ooty) to Mettupalayam. The train runs on diesel engine from Ooty to Conoor and changes to steam engine at Conoor. Not only the ride but the scenery too gets fascinating Conoor onwards. The chugging and puffing of the steam engine takes us a few years back, with the hot white puff of steam giving a fairytale effect. The huge mountains, numerous tunnels and the breath-taking bridges - increases the level of excitement and the adrenalin rush. Little past Conoor, we were lucky to spot a wild elephant running ahead of us on the track bewildered by the screeching horn of the train. It was surprising to see the steam engine run so fast, when it reached the plains. The ride is something to be experienced and not possible to express merely in words. The concept of Mountain Railways is flabbergasting!

It is easier to get the tickets for the downward journey (Ooty-Metupalaiyam) than upward (Metupalaiyam-Ooty). As the train takes the same route uphill and downhill it is not disappointing travelling downhill. Second seating costs you Rs.25, starting at 2:15pm and reaching Mettupalayam before 6pm.

Apart from Nilgiri Mountain Railway and homemade chocolates the reason to go to Ooty was to visit Keystone Foundation (www.keystone-foundation.org) in Kotagiri. In Ooty, Raja Lodge (0423-2443512, #5, Mannuvel pillai st, main bazar, near bus stand, opp railway station) is a good option with double rooms ranging from Rs.300-600, former with shared bathroom and the latter with private bathroom and water heater. While in Ooty, we were obliged, faute de mieux, to stroll through the Botanical Garden - very popular amongst Bollywood as well as south Indian movies for romantic song sequences. Thanks to the rains and low number of tourists, for proving the following sentence from Lonely Planet about the garden wrong - "Look out for a fossilised tree trunk believed to be around 20 million years old, and on busy days, roughly 20 million Indian tourists".

Kotagiri:
Nilgiris comprise of three popular hill stations - Ooty, Conoor and Kotagiri. Kotagiri being the oldest of the three stands at an elevation of 1800m amidst tea estates. The road to Kotagiri passes through one of the highest points in the locality of 2400m. Keystone Foundation in Kotagiri is an NGO working for betterment of the indigenous communities. The unique talent of few indigenous communities is honey collection. The organisation mainly focuses on honey collection and related products. They encourage indigenous people to collect honey the traditional way and keep a watch on ecological balance through experienced environmentalists. They market all products made my indigenous people and sell through the marketing label Lastforest. They have Green Shops that sells the products like honey, soap made out of bee wax, locally grown organic spices etc. These shops are to be found in Kotagiri and Ooty. They also run a Bee Museum in Ooty, which apart from having interesting facts about bee also showcases informative and educational movies (not commercial movies). The ride to Kotagiri from Ooty itself is interesting which takes a little more than an hour. Unlike Ooty, you will not be disturbed by touts or guides here and you can wander on your own in this clean town.

The pleasant weather and the welcoming people of Kotagiri made us stay in Kotagiri for a day instead of Ooty. Kotagiri enjoys a climatic advantage over Ooty in that it is protected by the Doddabetta mountain range from the onslaught of the south-west monsoon. Restaurant next door dishes up delicious Tamil Nadu style meals, but no dinner. Interestingly Kotagiri has got a lot of schools ranging from Government to International Boarding Schools. The main income of the place is from tea and agriculture, tourism has not picked up in this hill station of Nilgiris. Next morning we set off to Ooty to board the long awaited Nilgiri Mountain Railway miniature train. Stay at
Ramesh Vihar Hotel, HRM Buildings, Kamaraj Square (Tel : 04266 271346, dbl Rs 825), better than a few cheapies on the same road.