Nine Lives - In Search of the Sacred in Modern India By William Dalrymple - Creative portraits of nine religious men and women in contemporary India who are pursuing alternative paths, far from the engines of progress and development. - Book Review by Sun and Planets Spirituality AYINRIN

 Nine Lives -

In Search of the Sacred in Modern India

By William Dalrymple -

Creative portraits of nine religious men and women in contemporary India who are pursuing alternative paths, far from the engines of progress and development. -

Book Review by  Sun and Planets Spirituality AYINRIN 

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The staggering acceleration of development and modernization in India has catapulted the country's economy to nearly the third largest in the world. In Nine Lives William Dalrymple, the author of six acclaimed works of history and travel, has chosen to focus his attention on "a collection of linked nonfiction short stories, with each life representing a different form of devotion, or a different religious path. Each life is intended to act as a keyhole into the way that each specific religious vocation has been caught and transformed in the vortex of India's metamorphosis during this rapid period of transition."

The result is a very special book that opens our eyes and hearts to the exotic and astonishing diversity in India's hothouse of spirituality.

Prasannamati Mataji is a Jain nun whose life is very austere and built around the ascetic practice of giving up attachments. She eats very slowly since it is required that no winged insect, ant, or other living creature might have fallen into her food. If she finds anything, she must reject the entire meal and go on a fast. Avoiding all acts of violence is a major practice for the Jains. Mataji's companion had tuberculosis and decided to starve herself to death. Although she is still young, Mataji has made a decision to follow in this path of ritual suicide.

For three months a year, Hari Das is a dancer who plays the roles of various deities in Hindu festivals. Going into a trance and becoming a god happens during a period of spiritual intoxication. The rest of the year, he works as a digger and jail guard. An even more precarious life is that of Rani Bai, a member of the ancient profession of the devadasis — those who have been dedicated, or "married," to a god or goddess — who once worked in temples but now are forced to operate out of their homes. Instead of fighting Christian missionaries and Hindu reformers, these women, who see sex with as many as eight men a day as their sacred work, do battle with AIDS. Dalrymple's other portraits include a shaman who is a "hereditary singer" of an ancient epic poem, a Tibetan monk who went against his tradition to fight the Chinese and now is in exile, a Tantric worshipper of the goddess Tara, a blind Baul (wandering singer), and a Sufi "lady fakir," who worries about rumors that conservative Muslims in Pakistan will destroy Sufi mosques and holy sites.

Dalrymple does not offer commentary, opinions, or judgments about these nine religious practitioners. The book includes a comprehensive glossary of terms, a bibliography, and index, making it an excellent resource.

Nine Lives

In Search of the Sacred in Modern India

By William Dalrymple

William Dalrymple's story of a Jain woman's devotional walking practice.

A Book Excerpt on Devotion

" 'Everyone had warned us about the difficulty of this life,' said Prasannamati Mataji. 'But in reality, we had left everything willingly, so did not miss the world we had left behind. Not at all. It is the same as when a girl gets married and she has to give up her childhood and her parents' home: if she does it in exchange for something she really wants, it is not a sad time, but instead a very joyful one. Certainly, for both Prayogamati and me, it was a very happy period in our lives, perhaps the happiest. Every day we would walk and discover somewhere new.

" 'Walking is very important to us Jains. The Buddha was enlightened while sitting under a tree, but our great Tirthankara, Mahavira, was enlightened while walking. We believe that walking is an important part of our tapasya. We don't use cars or any vehicles, partly because travelling so fast can kill so many living creatures, but partly also because we have two legs and travelling on foot is the right speed for human beings. Walking sorts out your problems and anxieties, and calms your worries. Living from day to day, from inspiration to inspiration, much of what I have learned as a Jain has come from wandering. Sometimes, even my dreams are of walking.

" 'Our guru had taught us how to walk as Jains. While walking, as well as meditating on the earth and the scriptures, and thinking of the purpose of our lives, we were taught to concentrate on not touching or crushing any living creature. You have to be aware of every single step, and learn to look four steps ahead. If a single ant is in your path you should be ready to jump or step aside. For the same reason, we must avoid standing on green plants, dew, mud, clay or cobwebs — who knows what life forms may be there?

" 'Not hurting any sentient being and protecting the dharma is really the heart and soul of the dharma. We believe there is a little of paramatma — the spirit of God — in all living creatures, even those which are too small to see. So much of our discipline is about this: only drinking filtered water, only eating in daylight so we can really see what we are eating. At the end of each walk we do a special ritual to apologise for any creatures we have inadvertently hurt.' "

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