Sunday, October 2 2011

Taizé

During my holidays in august, I spent three days in a small village called Taizé, not far from my parents' farm. This is not only a village, but also a place to rest and pray. Not a sacred place, but somewhere you can go to take a break with habits, leave stressed life behind, all problems... Leave it for a while, and focus on your relationship to God.

I always felt good in this place. I already came several times, but it was for only one day, each time. This year I spent three whole days there, and it made a real difference; I could appreciate even more the break with my everyday life... With exam to prepare, stress at work... The calm of the church gave me what I needed to balance.

Pray. Sing. Repeat. Sing again. Silence. Feel God so close in this silence. Ask the good questions. Let the answers come. Slowly. Finally understand[1]. And sing again. Going out of the church, have a look at the watch and realize that I stayed there during more than two hours... as it seemed like a few minutes.

And last but not least... Got a new cross-bird ! ;)

croix_taize_20111001.JPG

Notes

[1] maybe...

Thursday, September 22 2011

Memories

In this hour, he should be on the road between Mumbai and Pune. Back home...

For me, this is the second time. Become friend with a wonderful person, and see this new friend leave after a few months... Hear these people tell how I'm mad, because I wish to know more... About them, their country, culture, language(s), religion...

Why am I closer to them than to any other colleague from my own team ? Why did I open this part of my blog specially for them ? Why do I feel this strong link with Bharat[1] now ?

One would maybe answer with karma... I think I just accept this marvelous occasion to meet and share with others... I think we all gain experience in this ; and I consider me so lucky living all this !

So yes... Sometimes it's painful, sometimes I feel a bit sad... But compared to taste the sweet of friendship, it's nothing ! :)

Fir milenge... See you soon, here or there !

Notes

[1] and even why using this name in place of India ?

Wednesday, September 14 2011

Tensed

It was... maybe something like a challenge, or a joke. A friend told me today "You can just tell 'tensed' as your next title for Tigreek... You are always like this !"

Thik hai... You are right. Yes, I'm tensed before an exam... And I can assure you that yesterday was not the worse... I was quite confident, thanks to you all ! I knew I had my friends all around me, with thoughts if not in real... And it was probably the greatest force to feel this.

And you are right again, yes, I'm frightened by my boss. And I hate fight with others about work. I just dream about a work where we can trust everyone, tell as if everybody was acting for the same goal, and not having some hidden reasons in each sentences they say...

Anyway... Believe this if you can, but I learned a lot from indian people, and I'm far less tensed in my everyday life than I could have been a few years ago :)

And this evening, even if my daughter is ill, even if my boss is getting me under pressure, even if my house is in a mess, I feel free... Exam is done, I can have a break... And think about next step : next course, challenge, objective... Tensed ? Depends on the moment... but also on dedication ;)

Wednesday, September 7 2011

Voice from God

My Truth is in the whisper of the wind, the babble of the brook, the crack of the thunder, the tap of the rain.
It is the feel of the earth, the fragrance of the lily, the warmth of the sun, the pull of the moon.

I finished Conversations with God, from Neale D Walsch. This book is awesome... Full of surprises, humor, truth, joy, hope... Most references are from christianism, but some are from East countries : hinduism and buddhism.

It's not something like a new religion, or going against religions. On the contrary, I think it's something good to read when you follow a religion. For me, it was another point of view to continue my way to God...

Thursday, August 25 2011

To be or not to be ?

In indian society, I probably wouldn't exist... I keep thinking this, each time I hear that people should marry somebody "from same caste, same region, same religion". Here in France, this rule was also right until a few decades. Even if not so clearly expressed, it was how the society was built.

Same caste ? Even if there is no caste in France, you can find some differences from the social environment, which can be very strong... My father was from countryside, from a farmers' family ; my mother grew up in a rich family from a quite big town...

Same region ? In India, it seems that "region" goes with "language"... This is a very rich culture, with more than twenty spoken languages. We don't have this in France. Of course, you can find some people from Brittany or Alsace, who can speak their own regional idiom. But there is only one official language, and all people speak french, at least.

Nevertheless, my parents came from different regions : my father from Burgundy, where there are again some farms cattling cows ; and my mother from a rich suburb of Paris...

Same religion ? In Hinduism as in Christianism, there are different ways to follow religion. Here in France, most of christians are catholics. But few of them are protestants (around 2%). And so were my parents : one catholic, one protestant...

Thus, as you can see, nothing would give them to get together. It was a bit difficult, and in the family we always have some pressure on some subjects... Culture is even different from one family to the other...

But we are there. Me, my sister and brothers are now some kind of a mix... No problem about "caste" or region, as we all moved for our studies and work. But for religion, as we received education from both our parents, we are living our complex faith, just between two communities... Sometimes it's very rich, because we share two different cultures, two ways of thinking ; sometimes it's more difficult, because we are considered nor in one community nor in the other...

Monday, August 15 2011

Happy Independence day !

Today is Independence Day in India... Since more than sixty years, India is a new country, and no more an english colony, even if english is kept as an official language...

New country but old culture, old realms put together to become a strong nation. One of the most ancient society in the world still lives in the heart of this country, of these people ! And I think that the indian national anthem gives a good feeling of this special mix...

I wish a very happy Independence Day to all my indian friends !!

indep_day_in.jpg

... in France today is holiday - chutti - also, but with religious origin. Catholics and orthodoxes celebrate the day when Mary, Jesus' mother, died and has been directly raised to heaven with her body.

Friday, August 12 2011

Mass

It's a strange feeling. On a sunday morning, being back after a week away. Back to 'my' church... But with this special feeling... Maybe it's because of holidays ? Maybe because of people who are not the same as usual ? Because of the way to sing and have joy in the celebration ? I don't know... Like something "it's good to be back" !

And during the mass, I was thinking "I should explain this on blog... but how ?"... I would like to share you all the feelings, all the special moments which occur during the celebration...

Like the songs we have on each important time... And the chill I feel when I sing with others, and with my whole heart. Even if I don't know the language[1], I know the meaning, and I feel it strong.

Like somes gestures made by children... Maybe they don't have 'faith' yet, as we can call it, but a special and very kind way to understand some symbols, feel that what's happening does worth. They are like naive models, and sometimes it can be good for us to observe them and foloow their way... Become simple, honnest, true...

Like the priest's talk about the Bible... It's often told with good sense of humor, even for very serious topics, and it gives us some ways to think about... For one minute, one hour, or sometimes one week !

Like silence after quite strong times... To keep focus on what we just heard, saw, felt... Go in self heart and enforce the faith... Or just pray, a few more minutes...

Like this very great moment, when we believe that Holy Spirit is coming to transform bread and wine in Body and Blood of Christ... The entire mystery of the mass is in these few minutes, and you can really experience the force then in the church...

I feel so lucky to have this, and believe in my God, and have the chance to live this each week ! :)

Notes

[1] in fact, as a religion's student, I know it, but I already felt the same with songs in german... for example

Tuesday, August 2 2011

Processing...

Since several weeks I try to prepare a text on families... Wedding, children, family and joined family... All these concepts are different in France and in India. Not the same way to see all events that matter in life...

When I ask for something, the answer is getting me to many other questions... The way we are thinking about families here or there, how we live, if we follow religion or not... And also the new subject of complex families we have in Europe, with people having divorce, and getting married a second time, with another person who maybe has also children... Then make these children brothers and sisters as they don't have anything common...

This subject can be huge, I think... And quite representative about the society where we live... Tell me about your family, and I'll tell you who you are !

Wednesday, July 27 2011

True God

A true Master is not the one with the most students, but the one who creates the most Masters.
A true teacher is not the one with the most knowledge, but one who causes the most others to have knowledge.
And a true God is not One with the most servants, but One who serves the most, thereby making Gods of all others.
Conversations with God, Neale D Walsch

What a chance, what a programme, what a challenge ! Become a God, following our God and learning from Him... What a hope also...

Tuesday, July 19 2011

Thanks God !

This day started as an usual day... Monday morning, waking up, going to work...

But something is different... More smiles, unusual wishes... My phone rings, I can hear voice from old friends I lost since months... My e-mail is also becoming full with all messages I received.

Thanks all friends.
Bahut shukriya...
Thanks God.
For this day, for all friends, family,
for all these links, and...
for love.

Love will hold us together...

Sunday, July 10 2011

Babel's spirit

I found this photo and thought it was in the spirit of this blog... Trying to link different ways, views, cultures, faiths !

universal_hello.jpg

(And just for the fun... Who will guess something a bit unusual about the person on this photo ?)

Wednesday, July 6 2011

Open your eyes !

There's only one God.

Today I heard - or more precisely I read - it for the second time in a few months. Both from indian people.

For us europeans... Hum, ok, let's assume. For me, french with christian culture, God is one entity, well known to be one, unique, almighty, everywhere. He should be the only one to pray. But the image I had from India and hinduism[1] was that many gods exist there, and each one with a different way to be prayed, adored, or celebrated.

And for the second time... How could I think something different ? Why am I surprised about feeling well in a church for a non-christian ? I'm praying God, but was so blind about other's religion ! I believe in God, one and universal, but I need others to remember that, indeed, we have same God.

Shukriya, my friends. Thanks for opening my eyes.

Notes

[1] Often linked, but probably less in reality than in my mind !

Sunday, July 3 2011

नमस्ते

Here is the first page of a new section in my blog. It starts as my friend is leaving France, after three months in Paris for work... And these last months were so rich... I started talking about her in this post and a bit later also... And as we were becoming friends, I translated these posts for her... And was wondering : what about writing in english ? With, of course, some words in hindi...

Thus born this page... Slowly, because I write far slower in english than in french... But why not ? If we can share experiences, feelings, prayers, stories... anything which can make us closer, and maybe make others want to discover us, I think it would be a benefit.