“It was almost 80 km left to Santiago de Compostela. Guru Jára had just said: “We will meet in Santiago in front of the cathedral in two days… if I am still there.” After I recovered from the shock, I asked in the near bakery if they could show me on the pilgrim map where I was and where the path continues. This last part of Santiago´s pilgrimage is very beautiful; it leads mainly through the woods and it directly invites for deep contemplation. One more thing was helping me to delve into myself; Master recommended us to pray to Virgin Mary from the beginning of the pilgrimage. (We started in Lourdes, where the healing spring of Virgin Mary is, and after Santiago, we were supposed to continue to Fatima in Portugal, the place of her multiple revelations). I stuck to the prayer as the drowning man holds on to the piece of floating wood and I started to understand Guru´s words about the immense power of traditional prayers repeated by generations of people during the centuries.

As the inner pressures were fading away, I realized that I was longing for the possibility to wonder by myself and Master made it possible for me. After some 20 km, I met another pilgrim from our group and I realized than everybody received the chance to go on their own. Thanks to our encounter, we dared to go overnight and we continued in the contemplations keeping the distance so that we could see each other. When the tiredness came, we slept near the road. After two hours, barking dogs woke us up. We knew from the Guru’s teachings that a barking dog announces a delay on the road, so we hit the road with the sky full of stars above our heads again. We reached the cathedral the next day at one o´clock in the morning. Until these days, after twelve years, I am still able to remember the feeling of humility and gratefulness as I was descending the stairs and I saw Master waiting at the arranged place…”

Nechbet           .

 

Friday,  21st  of April, 19th day of the Pilgrimage to India
“As Guru Jara suggested, I set out to visit Dalai Lama’s domiciliary monastery. Guru told me to not be angry with myself even if I fall asleep, because the subtle energy of repeated meditation in the monastery will work on my aura regardless. As was said, so it happened. Because I was tired, I kept dozing off during my attempts to meditate, however, I was left feeling very refreshed. On my way back to the mountains, I managed to wave to His Holiness Dalai Lama, who was said to be coming back from his journey to Japan. His clasped hands as a sign of the salutation of the divine within us, which I interpreted as a blessing for my upcoming 40 hours alone in the Himalaya forests in the altitude of around 2500-2800 meters, northeast form McLeod ganj. All of that was recommended by Guru Jara in order to allow me to get closer to myself away from people, to clean my inner self and not to be afraid of bears and snow leopards. For those will not, allegedly, as according to Guru’s answer to my question about the safety of the stay in the wilderness, ruin their karma by eating a rather gaunt hermit.”

Pavel           .

“We traveled with Guru Jara through a lot of beautiful, rare and sacred places almost all over the world. We had the chance to experience mysticism firsthand, we were exploring fascinating places, cathedrals, we walked through several parts of Santiago´s road, we visited healing springs in Lourdes, we were training our body, mind and heart in the climbing area El Chorro in Spain, we were learning strong will while rock climbing in Morocco, we touched the essence of yoga in Indian monasteries… All of that was interlaced with theoretical and practical teachings from all the fields that Guru Jara taught.

Despite the fact that we often traveled in groups, everyone was experiencing his own disengagement from the stereotypes of everyday life. The pilgrimages brought a new perspective on everyday concerns for everyone; they gave them a great chance to touch their own soul and to be in the present moment in such a way, which a warm sofa at home could never provide you. We often experienced extreme situations, which tested how we are concentrated on the present moment “here and now”.”

Luci

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