Rude Awakenings - Forest Sangha Publications

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2Over the BorderA J A H N S U C I T T OSitting upright, emerging from the dark to take in a cold and unfamiliarworld ... the lights of the carriage, which have been on all night to illuminatethe nocturnal comings and goings of phantom fellow voyagers,grow dim as daylight blooms. Cries of tea—Chai garam! Chai garam!—are echoing the desire in my mind. It is my birthday, forty-one today, andI need to start suckling.However, as my lifestyle does not permit me using money, and furthermoreI have made a vow not to ask for anything, I have no way ofprocuring tea. Nick is awake but gazing dully out of the window obliviousto such needs: “Rotten night. I was cold and there was so muchracket.” He then swings back into his bunk and huddles under a blanketin a doze. Tea passes, stridently advertised; giant pots and cups on a tray,within a few tantalizing feet of my desire, spawn a few spluttering emotionsand then they cease.The carriage had filled up in the night, and the travellers were eagerto enter the day. The man in the suit got his belly back in order and hisbag out from beneath his seat. In the dim light there was a scramble ofbodies as a final spasm in the carriage, accompanied by a clatter andscramble and flurry of bags, delivered us in Lucknow.2 3
^0 F I R S T M O O N 06The damp grey morning was littered with people—a few in a rush,others randomly strewn around, barefooted, squatting on their heelswith heads wrapped in cloth. Staring. A few blanketed forms were stillasleep on the platform. Seven in the morning is a threshold that must becrossed gently, especially on a raw and empty stomach with a thick head,but arrival meant galloping behind Nick, who was in organizationalmode. Of course every notice board said no train to Gorakhpur. Gettingout was not going to be easy.Nick left me in the tea room at Lucknow station while he foraged forbiscuits. He returned having found the station master’s office. “Ye-ee-s;he reckons there’s a local train to Gorakhpur at eleven something thisevening. The whole city is under curfew because of the Ayodhya riots;none of the through trains from Delhi are running, so as to prevent organizedfundamentalists from pouring into the area. So what would youlike to do, Bhante? There’s nothing worth seeing or doing in Lucknow,might as well stay here for the day.” Interesting way with options, Nick.I straggled along behind Nick as he went through the ticket queue forthe left-luggage office and checked out the waiting rooms and the cafeteria.We in turn were subject to scrutiny by various stares: Nick is allred—red hair and beard and red freckles (Indians think he has some kindof skin disease)—me, head newly shaven, bald and white as a baby andswathed in ochre-brown robes. Thus the stare, whose chief function isto keep our curious presence at an objective distance. Its glassy qualityemphasises that contact is not what is sought. In fact, if you speak tosomeone sustaining a stare, they become disconcerted, as if you hadsomehow defiled a sacred ritual.The duty to keep the stare going was passed from person to personas we cantered up and down the platform, the staircase, this office, andthat notice board, arriving where we started with a few fragments ofinformation. All this getting nowhere proved to be quite a business—itwas soon eleven o’clock and time for a meal. In the cafeteria we snareda waiter who moved around with such a highly developed stare that he2 4
Page 4: RUDE AWAKENINGS
Page 8: The mindful exert themselves;they a
Page 13: ^0 F O R E W O R D 06mystically emb
Page 16 and 17: PrefaceWhat follows is the narrativ
Page 18: The First MoonT H E M I D D L E L A
Page 21 and 22: ^0 F I R S T M O O N 06chomping.
Page 23 and 24: ^0 F I R S T M O O N 06deities with
Page 26 and 27: ^0 P I L G R I M S 06things around
Page 31 and 32: ^0 F I R S T M O O N 06and pedestri
Page 33 and 34: ^0 F I R S T M O O N 06government w
Page 35 and 36: ^0 F I R S T M O O N 06too attracti
Page 37 and 38: A J A H N S U C I T T O^0 F I R S T
Page 42 and 43: ^0 B O R D E R 06managed to ignore
Page 44 and 45: ^0 B O R D E R 06Buddhist holy plac
Page 46 and 47: ^0 B O R D E R 06a Buddha except th
Page 48 and 49: ^0 B O R D E R 06the maelstrom, som
Page 50 and 51: ^0 B O R D E R 06I read a sign in t
Page 52 and 53: ^0 B O R D E R 06to Bhairawa, the n
Page 54 and 55: ^0 B O R D E R 06of homage to the B
Page 56 and 57: ^0 B O R D E R 06the grass bank fac
Page 58 and 59: 3Leaving HomeA J A H N S U C I T T
Page 60 and 61: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06ascertain
Page 62 and 63: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06take arou
Page 64 and 65: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06region an
Page 66 and 67: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06wanted us
Page 68 and 69: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06mother: s
Page 70 and 71: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06We stoppe
Page 72 and 73: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06to allow
Page 74 and 75: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06conversat
Page 76 and 77: The Second MoonL U M B I N I T O VA
Page 78 and 79: 4The ObserverA J A H N S U C I T T
Page 80 and 81: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06with a lot of t
Page 82 and 83: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06contemplative b
Page 84 and 85: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06After that we e
Page 86 and 87: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06forbidden. Reli
Page 88 and 89: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06told me about t
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^0 O B S E RV E R 06to sit beside t
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^0 O B S E RV E R 06With this move
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^0 O B S E RV E R 06the back; the d
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06live in th
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06Eventually
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06to a prese
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06of his kne
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06found so d
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06of them sp
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06stupa, try
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06wanted to
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06and a dark
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06from the e
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River Gandak, Part 2
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06ebbing out
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06violent at
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06That topic
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06friendly f
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06The boat w
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06was time t
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7The Kingdom of the LawA J A H N S
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^0 T H E L AW 06A sub-lieutenant in
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^0 T H E L AW 06was built in the gr
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^0 T H E L AW 06to get over the wor
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^0 T H E L AW 06accept any fare at
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^0 T H E L AW 06and milk sweets I b
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^0 T H E L AW 06the surrounding tre
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^0 T H E L AW 06a small house near
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8CyclesA J A H N S U C I T T ONovem
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^0 C Y C L E S 06long while for the
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^0 C Y C L E S 06thosebirthsanddeat
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^0 C Y C L E S 06There was a tea st
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^0 C Y C L E S 06The land we were p
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^0 C Y C L E S 06the Indian “West
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^0 C Y C L E S 06parothas straight
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^0 C Y C L E S 06ignore thirty boys
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A J A H N S U C I T T O^0 C Y C L E
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9The Deathless DrumA J A H N S U C
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^0 T H E D R U M 06Once...when I wa
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^0 T H E D R U M 06was a way of enh
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^0 T H E D R U M 06Sangha at Amarav
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^0 T H E D R U M 06scriptures descr
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^0 T H E D R U M 06job, but had eno
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^0 T H E D R U M 06Vaishali’s gre
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^0 T H E D R U M 06less.” And the
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^0 T H E D R U M 06had been a notic
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^0 T H E D R U M 06Striding across
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Mid-Bihar
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06is losing it
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06I had learne
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06cycle—a va
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06the way acro
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06in Bettiah.
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06newspaper th
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06There is not
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06that India h
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A J A H N S U C I T T O^0 T H I R D
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06bigoted mons
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11Dark AngelA J A H N S U C I T T O
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06on. Then for
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06directly in h
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06something cos
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06a cycle ricks
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06is generously
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06body in order
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06majority of t
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06there are man
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06wound about w
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06It happens to
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06there. After
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06I contemplate
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12Letting GoA J A H N S U C I T T O
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06enough for A
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06marketplace.
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06to be comple
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06there with n
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06main road, t
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06blue antelop
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06formlessness
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06even, about
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06been a stray
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06cool—I sta
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06them, but my
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13Landing PlaceA J A H N S U C I T
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^0 L A N D I N G 06gone. And the di
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^0 L A N D I N G 06more assertive.
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^0 L A N D I N G 06manager facing e
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^0 L A N D I N G 06I was left alone
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A J A H N S U C I T T O^0 L A N D I
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^0 L A N D I N G 06Ajahn Sucitto in
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^0 L A N D I N G 06Ahlee, and the m
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^0 L A N D I N G 06moment we were b
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^0 L A N D I N G 06much either. I f
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06admit that a
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06regretfully
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06a ministerin
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06to think of
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06filter like
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06More than an
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06Gotama milk-
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06the sun, alw
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A J A H N S U C I T T O^0 T H I R D
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06many-headed
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06abandoned Ed
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EpilogueSo many people helped us bo
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NotesP R E FA C E“The mindful exe
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^0 N O T E S 06C H A P T E R 6 : S
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^0 N O T E S 06C H A P T E R 1 0 :
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GlossaryAbhidhamma (Pali) one of th
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^0 G L O S S A RY 06chillum (Hindi)
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^0 G L O S S A RY 06Mahayana (Sansk
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^0 G L O S S A RY 06sabong (Hindi)
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Vinaya (Pali) the monastic discipli
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^0 B I B L I O G R A P H Y 06Conze,
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^0 B I B L I O G R A P H Y 06Raven-
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Recommended ReadingB U D D H I S T
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IndexAAbhidhamma, 213, 284, 295Adi
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^0 I N D E X 06HHajipur, 171-73, 18
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^0 I N D E X 06Nalanda and, 210-11,
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