Siddhartha

One of my favorite books (and not just because it's only about 120 pages) is Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I always recommend it to people, and if you don't like reading... I believe they've made a movie, as well. =P In short, the story is about this guy named Siddharth and his friend. They decide that they want to really find Truth and become Enlightened. A "Buddha" - a truly Enlightened One - crosses paths with them, so they decide to become his disciples. Siddharth soon realizes that just listening to the "Buddha" and following his way isn't going to lead him to "Enlightenment"... his inner voice tells him that he has to find his own path, go through his own experiences, and then... whatever is meant to happen will happen... that that is his path to "Enlightenment". Siddharth leaves the "Buddha" and embarks on his own journey which takes him through many stages - getting fully engrossed in the material world, sensual, world, medation, and finally finds himself learning from a River and it's boatsman. When he meets his friend again, his friend is still searching for Truth, while Siddharth has found It.

On this day, we spent most of the day with Aadarsh Amdavad visiting their various projects. One of these projects is the "Mobile Clinic". They have 12 doctors (all of these doctors were students in the Yoga class, felt touched by the service and decided to volunteer their time as well!) The Mobile Clinic gives those of the lower middle class - free doctor services and medicine. These people usually have a set budget where every rupee is already allocated towards food, shelter, etc. They can't afford to be sick. Therefore, this service is provided. We got to the Mobile Clinic, and there was this 13-year-old boy there. At first, I thought he was a "street kid" or a kid that worked in that building or something. But then, he started helping take stuff out of the van and setting up the mobile clinic in the office. We talked to him... his name was Siddhartha. His dad is a night watchman for this same building. Siddharth goes to school from 6:30 am to 12:30 pm, and twice a week, after school, we walks for 30 minutes to help volunteer at the clinic. I was really amazed by this kid, and the other volunteers just raved about him. But for him, everything was completely normal and natural. I wondered about what must be his motivation... but that's the thing about children, if left uncorrupted by the world and society around them, they just do what they think is right and what feels right. Here was this child, Siddharth, creating his own path...

Here's a picture of Siddhartha, me, and Jatinbhai (who has basically been our guide for Aadarsh Amdavad, and has really done a lot for us, and has done selflessly and with a lot of love. =)