As editor of this blog I try to keep a low profile. But then I’m sometimes asked to put one of my pieces on here that Swamiji has taken a liking to, from one of the three other blogs that I run; one of them is about my other life in Africa
So when I told Swamiji about the problems we were having in Eastern Zambia this year, and how I’m trying to do a bit to help, he asked me to write a blog post here. If anyone is moved by the story they may want to help me,
I’m aware that there is much hardship in the world right now. I don’t know how to begin to react to the savagery and unfairness that is the hallmark of many of the financial and political rulers of this planet. It’s easy to throw the arms in the air and say, ‘The problem is too big’.
This was in fact how I felt when I first went to East Zambia… ‘What am I supposed to do here, there’s too much poverty, I should just go home’. But circumstances contrived to bring my first ‘project’ under my very nose in the form of a young deaf girl, Ketty (left) who needed an education to express her precocious intelligence, and after that it was easy. Life unfolded in a beautiful way. I don’t get stressed if I can’t help in a particular situation, but I’m surely moved by people’s hardship.
When I first met Swami Nishchalananda, I told him that I was stuck in my meditation practice, and asked if he had any advice for me. He started telling me a story instead.
The story was about his teacher,
Swami Satyananda Sarawati,
going to his teacher, Swami
Sivananda and asking a question
about an aspect of his practice.
Swami Sivananda told Satyananda
to stop being concerned with
himself and to practice
Karma Yoga.
The story was about his teacher, Swami Satyananda Sarawati, going to his teacher, Swami Sivananda and asking a question about some aspect of his practice. Swami Sivananda told Satyananda to stop being concerned with himself and to practice Karma Yoga.
Swamiji looked at me after this story and said, ‘I don’t really know why I just told you that story’.
‘I do’, I replied, ‘I’ve just booked three months out in East Africa, pretty much the poorest part of the world. I don’t know why, I’m not some do-gooder, just needed to experience that life for some reason.’
‘Well, there you go’ Swamiji said laughing. And of course he was correct. What an adventure! If you’re interested, you can explore that story in my website Ulingana. But he was right in the sense that I had no time to think about myself and my experience. Life was too ‘bright’, too ‘in-your-face’. New culture, new country with its customs, so much to learn about before you even started thinking about what you might do there.
Anyway, after sponsoring Ketty to go to specialist deaf school, her family gradually adopted me; I stay with them now and we built our Yoga hall next to the house. So, I’m part of that community and I hurt when they hurt.
I got involved with Yoga from an early age, but it wasn’t until I was taken under the tutelage of Swami Nishchalananda that this awareness that we all share the same Life really started to grow. It doesn’t mean ‘I love everyone’…. far from it! Some people I just can’t get on with. It’s on a more fundamental level than that. Swamiji’s focus in shared practice is often on the domain of the Heart Chakra, and it’s here that compassion comes to the forefront of one’s life I believe.
Compassion brings us to the point of this post. In my Zambian community we have drought this year. It’s bad. We’re in the hunger gap anyway when the fruits of last year’s harvest run out before the next one is ready. But this year there won’t be a harvest. Welcome to the world of rainfall-dependent agriculture. Locally there are no stockpiles of maize, the staple food. And most people have very little money unless they are lucky enough to have a job.
So, I have started a fundraiser. We’ve already worked out the logistics of supply, storage and distribution. We need to buy maize now, as much as we can before the price goes through the roof. If you want to help us, the fundraiser is here on GoFundMe . Any donation at all is a great help to us and we thank you so much.
I’ve already made a start, and some have donated; I sent some money out by money transfer and our first recipient has received hunger help for her family.
Here’s a lovely story about how she came to us – ‘A Sweet Story’
Thanks so much for reading this, and thanks Swamiji
for giving me this space and opportunity.
Swami Nishchalananda 
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