Hoday was my first time at Matrimandir. I had a guided tour 6 years ago, which is a prerequisite for going there alone later. It's also useful to have a rough idea of what kind of place it is, how to behave there, what would disturb others.
I was often carried here during my Monday meditations in the Zen circle in Bremen. It was a place of peace and strength. Sometimes it seemed as if it was trying to tell me something. Well, it certainly didn't stop me from coming to Auroville.
It took several attempts to get into the inner chamber of the Matrimandir. I'm not a fan of imposing my own will and so I take little hints about waiting or practising patience seriously. Others might ignore these small obstacles, but they develop their own logic. If I let the first stormy impulses in me calm down through small warnings from others, by just coming back another time, then another time I am invited to enter, bypass all the bureaucratic obstacles and simply follow my now much calmer and more focused impulse. So I was invited to Matrimandir today, despite the rain.
Meditate
A large part of what happens during meditation is actually not that difficult: quieting your thoughts, clearing your head, opening your consciousness, breathing and feeling that your own existence is part of the whole. Leave the ego behind and give your consciousness space to connect with other consciousnesses. Hold on to the miracle of life and merge with the pure self. Having arrived in the state of the unified self, thoughts can be completely realigned, and in no time at all, connections and insights into world contexts emerge that would otherwise be difficult for me to grasp. It's a bit like writing, only not as a subjective expression, but as a transcendent experience.
This may sound a little strange to some. But I can only recommend giving it a try. Some people get high on sport or drinks, others on pleasure and media marathons. Why not give your mind a little rest? Our consciousness is the most fascinating thing we have, it's the only thing that counts, and it's quite constricted in the daily grind.
The Matrimandir is a place that supports these processes. Many people have talked about how strong this place is. I have always smiled a little. Smiling is not wrong, but now I smile a little differently.
