Sex, loneliness epidemic, Buddhist Japan

Lost in Translation (with Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray

Hiking far from the maddening crowd

Mindful Breathing, Four Elements

Sometimes it's enough. Sometimes one needs to get away, faraway, far from the maddening crowd, Dharma Bums in search of enlightenment. On return to the U.S., it's straight to Dharma Bum Temple in Southern California.

Imagine wandering in ancient India (Buddhist Emperor Ashoka's Great Bharat) in search of peace and a permanent end to ALL further suffering (disappointment, lack of fulfillment, ill, woe, misery).

Wandering like one lost, suddenly one is not lost. One is a wandering ascetic, a shramana (shaman), on a spiritual quest for stillness and wisdom (samadhi and panna). Going about from village to village in search of alms, like a deer that lists where it may, one stumbles on Thimmappana Betta Twin rocks.

• The ultimate origin of Sanskrit sramana (Buddhist Pali samaṇa) may be the Evenki language word сама̄н (samān) "shaman," possibly via Middle Chinese or Tocharian B; however, the etymology of this word, which is also found in other Tungusic languages, is controversial (see Shamanism § Etymology).
• A wandering ascetic (Buddhist monastic) has three pursuits: training in the higher virtue, higher thought, and higher insight. One must follow these pursuits keenly, otherwise, it is said, one's presence in the Buddha's Monastic Order (Sangha) will be like that of an ass in a herd of cattle (A.i.229).
• A samana (or shramana) is a person "who labors, toils, or exerts...for some higher or religious purpose" [1][2], "seeker, or ascetic, one who performs acts of austerity" [3][4][5][6]. The term in early Vedic literature is predominantly used as an epithet for seers (rishis) with reference to śrama associated with ritual exertion.
• The term in [pre-Hindu] Vedic (and subsequently Hindu) texts does not express non-Vedic connotations found in post-Vedic Buddhist and Jain canonical texts [7].
• During its later semantic development, the term came to refer to non-Brahmanical ascetic movements parallel to but separate from the old Vedic religion [4][5][8].
• The śramaṇa tradition includes Buddhism [10], Jainism [9], and others.
• In this Noble Sangha (attained spiritual community) four kinds of monastic are to be found: stream-enterers (sotāpannas), once-returners (sakadāgāmins), non-returners (anāgāmins), and full-enlightened ones (arahants). These are not to be found among the followers of other dharmas, contrary teachings (Samana Sutta, A.ii.238).
• The Samana Sutta (A.iv.340) covers the different names by which a Tathāgata ("Wayfarer," the word the Buddha chose in referring to himself) is known.
• (Descriptions derived from the Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, Samana Sutta, by G. P. Malalasekera, Pali Text Society, London edited for Wisdom Quarterly by Dhr. Seven)

(All Trails) It's an easy hike to Thimmappana Betta Twin rocks in Ramanagara, Karnataka, India.

DIRECTIONS

The trail to Thimmappana Betta Twin rocks is only 0.6 miles long with a 91-foot elevation gain. It will take 30 to 60 minutes to arrive. The Twin Rocks near it are one of the popular tourist destinations in Kuttagallu.

Spectacular views make up the landscapes of this location, which are green with a bit of a rocky outcrop. Along with being green, this location is diverse as well and is home to various species of flora and fauna.

The trailhead rests by Bettada Kalyani at Kuttagallu and can be reached via various transportation options, such as taxi, cab, private vehicle, or foot.

TOP SIGHTS

Thimmappana Betta peak, Chakrateertha Pond. Twin Rocks. Expect some pesky mosquitos along the trail. It may even rain. It is not crowded. The best time to go is after summer and before monsoon season. Parking: Free, small lot. More

How shall we meditate when we get there?

Standing in the face of adversity

"Meditators, there are five types of warriors found existing in the world. What are these five?

"There is a warrior who, on seeing a cloud of dust [stirred up by an enemy army], falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot engage in battle. This is the first type of warrior found existing in the world. More

• SUTRA: How the Buddha's 'warriors' practice

Lonely people under anesthesia (video)

What happens to lonely people under anesthesia?

(Medical Secrets) Streamed live on May 5, 2023. #depression #surgery #loneliness #loneliness #depression #surgery

What does loneliness have to do with surgery? Why did the surgeon general declare a loneliness epidemic?

💛 Visit Dr. Kaveh's psychedelic medicine clinic in California (harmonyinfusion.com) 🔵 Ask personalized questions on VideoMD: videomd.com/dr-23/anthony... ⭕ Join the discord: discord.gg/FTYbxH6yNB

He shares the impacts of loneliness on both mental and physical health, exploring the associated risks of heart disease, stroke, and dementia. As loneliness continues to be a pressing issue in today's society, understanding its far-reaching consequences becomes increasingly important.

Loneliness has been linked to various health issues, affecting not only emotional well-being but also increasing the risk of several chronic conditions. We'll discuss the connection between loneliness and the following health risks: heart disease, stroke, dementia. We will also examine the unique challenges loneliness poses for individuals undergoing anesthesia for surgery.

In particular, we'll explore how worsened depression or anxiety can heighten the risks of postoperative pain and nausea.

Can ketamine cure mental-emotional issues?

💔 Heart Disease Risk and Loneliness

Research has indicated a strong association between loneliness and the development of heart disease. Lonely individuals may be more susceptible to inflammation and high blood pressure, both of which are risk factors for heart disease. Additionally, feelings of isolation can contribute to unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as poor diet and lack of exercise, further exacerbating the risk of heart problems.

🧠 Stroke Risk and Loneliness

Like heart disease, loneliness has been linked to an increased risk of stroke. The stress and inflammation associated with chronic loneliness can lead to vascular changes, which may contribute to the development of stroke. Furthermore, loneliness can result in poor health habits and increased stress levels, both of which can elevate stroke risk.

🔍 Dementia Risk and Loneliness

Loneliness has been identified as a potential risk factor for dementia. Social isolation and a lack of mental stimulation may accelerate cognitive decline, increasing the likelihood of developing dementia. Research suggests that maintaining strong social connections and staying mentally engaged can help protect against cognitive decline and dementia.

💉 The Implications of Loneliness for Anesthesia and Surgery

For individuals undergoing surgery, loneliness can pose unique challenges. Specifically, the worsening of pre-existing depression or anxiety due to loneliness can increase the risks associated with anesthesia and postoperative recovery.

In this video, we'll discuss how these risks manifest themselves, including: Increased postoperative pain: Heightened anxiety and depression can lower an individual's pain threshold, leading to more significant postoperative pain and a higher demand for pain medication. Greater risk of postoperative nausea: Those with worsened depression or anxiety may be more susceptible to postoperative nausea and vomiting, a common side effect of anesthesia. Prolonged recovery time: Mental health issues related to loneliness can interfere with the body's natural healing processes, potentially lengthening recovery time and increasing the risk of complications.

This live stream offers a comprehensive look at the far-reaching effects of loneliness on mental and physical health, emphasizing the importance of addressing this issue to ensure overall well-being.

By understanding the risks associated with loneliness, including those related to anesthesia and surgery, we can take steps to alleviate its impact and promote a healthier, more connected society. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more videos on health, wellness, and the power of human connection! 

This video/speech/channel DOES NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL ADVICE. Patients with medical concerns should contact their physician. If your concern is an emergency, immediately call 911. This information is not a recommendation for ANY THERAPY. Some substances referenced in this content may be illegal, and this content is not a recommendation for, or endorsement of, their use in any way.

What's "suffering"? A lonely Valentine's Day

Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Global Tiny World; Lana Del Rey; Ven. Nyantiloka

No, ugh, get off me! You're not what I want!

If one listens closely, one might notice the tragic melody playing in the background as this guy gets stuck inside a makeout sandwich between two happy couples. Somewhere there's a match. Quick, look, to your right! We can only keep our fingers crossed in the hope that this photo was snapped in jest. If not, this guy’s social life could be more depressing than one might first assume. Viewers who feel sad for this guy, line up. May he get a partner soon to accompany him on Valentine's Day, to the beach, and goodness only knows where he wants to go.

Wait, I can't compete with all the other beauties craving limited resources on the beach.

What did the Buddha say?

I'd date him and cling to him and lose him.

Q: How in the world could the Buddha say, "All life is suffering"?! That's preposterous. I'm not suffering right now...right?

A: It's true, but only in English. In English we're not "suffering" right now. There's no sadness, no nothing that would fall in the range of agitation to agony. What word could we better translate what the Buddha said? He used the word dukkha. All states of existence (not just this life in this relatively nice human plane world, one world of countless human worlds) are unsatisfactory. That is, they are all incapable of fulfilling us. There is no freedom from craving, from aversion, from boredom.

What the Buddha taught is more shocking than "all life is suffering," which is very misleading. It's not all suffering, as he himself pointed out, or else no one would stay. It's all disappointing, it's all unsatisfactory, it's all beset by woe and ill.

Our state of health is beset by ill. What does that mean. We are liable to get sick. Our youth is beset by aging and breaking down. Our beauty is beset by fading and loss of beauty. We don't always look our best, AND one day our best will be downright ugly and unsightly. More than that, it's already that way. Only our minds are trained not to pay attention to that. We are taken with beauty, youthfulness, health, and all the things we like. These things disappoint us.

• Moreover, it isn't just that they're disappointing, they're illusory as well. They seem permanent when in fact they're impermanent (passing away at every moment) and impersonal (seemingly me and mine but actually not under my control, not doing as I wish, not behaving as I would have them behave). These the Buddha called the Three Universal Marks of Existence.

In the better worlds, do they suffer, too?

In these things we cannot find fulfillment and satisfaction and rest. There are better worlds, better states, better planes of existence, and the Buddha does NOT advocate them. He taught that these exalted worlds, too, will disappoint, are beset by loss and decline, that we will meet with the results of our deeds (karma) even there, which will bring us back here and worse. Many of our unskillful deeds will drags to worse states of existence. Who's got time for that? We're living it up right now. I don't want to know that, I don't want to think about that, I don't want that to be true. Who's the stick in the mud bringing that up? Killjoy!

The Buddha offered something that wouldn't disappoint, wouldn't depend on rebirth -- in any world, on any plane of existence. Because, you see, once one knows the cause of the problem, one can do something about it. But even more fundamental is to know the problem. What's the problem?

• Who is free from this problem? First stage

Suffering (dukkha, disappointment, unsatifactoriness, woe, ill) is the problem! That is mentioned first just as a good doctor in diagnosing a patient would point out, "You see, you got this big mass killing you. What caused it was [insert cause, probably bad eating]. What can be done about is we can remove the cause and cure you. What being cured would mean is this state of health. Can anyone guess what that state of freedom from suffering, freedom from disease, freedom from liability to future suffering is called?

• Hint: Kurt Cobain, who suffered a lot heard about it, became a Buddhist in his head, and thought it would be a cool name for his new grunge group. Then Courtney Love ruined his life, allegedly, not that he was helping himself much with the quick fixes trying to patch up all his suffering, depression, and woe.

It's not clear why people jump the gun and get upset with the Buddha, an ancient teacher who lived about 30 centuries ago. A little investigation would clear things up immediately. Let's see if we can't dig up his own words because, after all, he defined suffering/dukkha so everyone would know what problem he was talking about exactly:

There's a problem and there's a solution.

As the first of the Four Truths that lead to awakening/enlightenment and the second of the Three Universal Characteristics of Existence, the term "suffering" or dukkha is not limited to painful experience but refers to the unsatisfactory nature and the general insecurity of all conditioned phenomena [things that depend on supports for their existence] which, on account of their impermanence, are ALL liable to suffering.

This includes also pleasurable experience, what we cling to, what we temporarily have or possess, what we are trying to extract pleasure, satisfaction, and fulfillment from.

So "unsatisfactoriness" or "liability to suffering" or "incapable of fulfilling" would be better translations of dukkha. Therefore, the first ennobling truth does not deny the existence of pleasurable experiences, as is sometimes wrongly assumed by Westerners. This is illustrated by the following sutra texts: 

"Seeking satisfaction [fulfillment, pleasure] in the world [the world here means all states of becoming, rebirth, rearising, being], meditators, I pursued my way. Such satisfaction in the world I found. Insofar as satisfaction exists in the world, I have well perceived it by wisdom.

"Seeking misery in the world, meditators, I pursued my way. Such misery in the world I found. Insofar as misery exists in the world, I have well perceived it by wisdom.

This is better than clinging, release by wisdom

"Seeking ESCAPE [release, freedom] from the world, meditators, I pursued my way. Such escape from the world I found. Insofar as an escape from the world exists, I have well perceived it by wisdom" (A.iii.105).

*"If there were no satisfaction to be found in the world, beings would not be attached [cling] to the world....

"If there were no misery to be found in the world, beings would not be repelled by the world....

"If there were no escape from the world, beings could never escape from it" (A.iii.106).

Help. I'm hot, 21, and have no friends (video)

Myra West, 8/19; DT; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

21 Years Old: I Have NO Friends

In this video I [Myra West being hot and of sound mind] give a quick timeline of my life since childhood, and how I have never had friends. Now I'm 21 [now 22, neurotically anxious, and still single with no friends], trying desperately to make friends, and it's just not working out. I'm sure there are people who can relate."

I'm Gus Dapperton. I help the Supalonely.

Have you reached out to Gus Dapperton? He seems nice. All that going to church, you'd think some nice boy-next-door would take an interest. Myra, this sounds like a case of karma (our deeds now or what we do, and our deed before or what we've as both bear fruit).

I was homecoming queen. Now I've got ink.

This is good news because there's something we can do about it, but "bad" news because it seems to say our results are only our doing. Things are not only our doing, but there's something we can do: Karma means "intentional action."

A certain sage revealed the Four Bases of Popularity* (Sigalovada Sutra), which would eventually bring us close and warm friends plus many acquaintances and fans. The popularity may make it hard to be an introvert, so become an AMBIVERT. Enjoy the company and de-stress with joyful solitude sometimes. Meetup.com will help with meeting people. Thanks for joining.

I'm so lonely (Jomny Sun).

Only a change in our ACTIONS (thoughts, words, deeds) will bring about a change in our situation. Myra, how do we learn what to change? The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to us or to explain itself. No person is obliged to like us, feel comfortable around us, befriend us, or reach out to us. People want things. We want things, too. Stop expecting handouts. Let's make ourselves valuable and desirable. It goes for everyone. Add value. And even when we learn, if we learn, it will take PRACTICE, which means jumping out of our comfort zone. It'll be scary, and fun, and terrifying, and sad, and unfair, and that's life. Think of all the unseen beings (angelic devas) around us encouraging us and holding our hands to help us adjust to the human world.

*KARMA: Four things to be Popular

There are four bases of popularity.

1) Generosity, (2) sweet speech,
(3) Helpfulness to others,
(4) Impartiality to all,
As the case demands.

These four winning ways [called the Four Bases of Popularity] make the world go round,
Like a linchpin a moving car.
If these in the world were not found,
Neither mother nor father would receive
Respect and honor from their offspring.

But since these four winning ways
The wise praise and approve in every way,
To eminence they attain,
And praise they rightly gain. More

Can science solve online dating? (video)

Amy Webb (TED, Oct. 2, 2013); Ashley Wells, Crystal Quintero (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly


How I hacked online dating

Amy Webb was having no luck with online dating. The dates she liked didn't write her back, and her own profile attracted crickets (and worse). So as any fan of calculus and data would do: she started making a spreadsheet. Hear the story of how she went on to hack her online dating life -- with frustrating, funny, and life-changing results.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) on Technology, Entertainment, and Design -- plus science, business, arts, more. Facebook.

If the Buddha Dated:
Zen and the art of falling in love...

At once practical, playful, and spiritually sound, this book is about creating a new love story in our lives. Drawing from Christian, Buddhist, Sufi [Mystical Islam], and other spiritual traditions, If the Buddha Dated shows how to find a partner without losing yourself. Dr. Charlotte Sophia Kasl (author of If the Buddha Married), a practicing psychotherapist, workshop leader, and Reiki healer for 30 years, offers practical wisdom on using the path to love as a means of awakening. If the Buddha Dated teaches that when you stay loyal to your spiritual journey, you will bring curiosity, fascination, and a light-heart back to the dating process. More

Science: What can mend a broken heart?

CC Liu, Crystal Quintero, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly; Maanvi Singh (npr.org)

Can tea soothe the spirit and melt away pounds? (5 teas that melt fat/yahoonews.com)

Penguin sweaters in Australia help birds avoid poisoning after contamination by oil spills due to a few capitalists' impact on environment (Phillip Island Nature Parks/CBS News).

.

Scientists on what can mend a broken heart

Morning Edition, Feb. 16, 2015

If I don't get you, oil will! (Amos Nachoun/ABC)

[What hurts more than what Buddhism calls dukkha -- not getting what one wants, being separated from the loved, contact with the unloved? We translate this wide-ranging Sanskrit word as suffering or unsatisfactoriness. It hurts.]

Don't eat me, Mara. I'll reflect.

Anyone who has suffered a break up knows it can take time to get over it. While isolation or wallowing in self pity is not a great idea, reflecting on a recent break up CAN help speed up the healing process.

• AUDIO: LISTEN NOW (1:57 mins)
• Download 
• Nothing Higher to Live For: A Buddhist View of Romantic Love
• Real Love: A Valentine's Special
  (Love Sex Money, WNYC.org, Feb. 14, 2015) Sometimes love fits neatly on a card. Sometimes, it spills over into rehab, divorce, or a call from a former Wyoming senator.   

Through A Lens Darkly: Black photography fades up to joy

PBS tonight: documentary shares the good and bad of black history through American photography.

(Facebook) "Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People" is a two-hour PBS documentary film and multimedia project that explores the ways black communities in the U.S. have learned to use the medium to construct political, aesthetic, and cultural representations of themselves and their world.

• Code Switch, Race, Black Lives Matter: Reading List

America loses Poet Laureate to Mara (Death)

Philip Levine, who found Poetry on Detroit's assembly lines, dies at 87: In his six-decade career, Levine found grace and beauty in the lives of working people, especially the people and places of his youth. He was a United States poet laureate and a Pulitzer Prize winner. 

• Books, Poetry, Remembrances

Beyond BPA: Court battle reveals shift in debate on plastic danger

In 2007, a plastic called Tritan became a hit, partly because it was free of the chemical BPA. Then, a competitor began suggesting that Tritan products contained other chemicals that act like estrogen.

Maybe they'll listen to music (Andrew McCallister/The Crossroads Project/npr.org)

Climate scientist uses arts to stir hearts for Earth's fate

(Joe's Big Idea) Physicist Robert Davies worked with a classical quartet and two visual artists to create a musical performance about climate change. The music and images, he says, help the information take hold. [Otherwise attendees agree with the facts and figures without taking action to save energy and the world.]

Why is the USA polluting the seas with trash?

A fisherman collects water on a beach littered with trash at an ecological reserve south of Manila in 2013 (Francis R. Malasig/EPA/Landov).

 .

Trash is coming, not the cleanup.

(NPR/The Two-Way) Plastic is one of those inventions that transformed the world. It's light, durable, and lots of things can be made with it.
 

But it's also transforming Earth's oceans -- and not in a good way. A lot of plastic ends up there. Scientists are just now getting a handle on how much plastic trash has gone to sea. Up until now, estimates have been very rough. It's hard to measure waste in the oceans; after all, salt water covers 70 percent of the planet.

 

But another way to figure out what's out there is to measure how much debris is coming off the land. That's what engineer Jenna Jambeck, at the University of Georgia, decided to do (publishing her findings in this week's issue of the journal Science). Jambeck was a good fit for the job. More
 

Scientists start to uncover mysterious grey goo [chemtrail cloud?] killing birds. The substance coated the feathers of hundreds of birds in the San Francisco Bay last month, killing more than 300 (cbsnews.com).

• Tons of plastic pellets: Hong Kong's typhoon cleanup could take months 
• Navy funds a small robot army to study the Arctic
• American police keep killing people with impunity 
• California man's murder case prompts new state law The law, which took effect in January, makes it easier for a defendant to get a conviction overturned when experts recant their [perjured] testimony.
• VIDEO: Beating the war drum: ISIS militants beheading hostages

[The CIA sets up situations governments can exploit as propaganda that serves as pretext for joining the U.S. military-industrial complex's war on the Middle East using Islam/Islamists as a convenient target. (AP) The makers of the video identify themselves as the Tripoli Province of the ISIS group -- the Islamic militant group that controls about a third of Syria and Iraq]. War propaganda from mainstream media cheerleaders:

• Video purports to show ISIS militants beheading hostages [to anger you to demand war rather than merely accept it]
• [Angelic] Kayla Muellers' [heroic] boyfriend: I wanted to save her [but I didn't, so let's attack them and kill them all]
• Egypt [joins CIA and MIC as it] strikes Libya and pushes for international action [more from the Middle East neighbors]
• New ISIS video shows execution of 21 Christians
• Egypt takes on ISIS with airstrikes
• Egypt airstrikes target ISIS camps in Libya after mass beheadings
• Chicago neighborhood supplies Ukranian army
• Bob Simon's last "60 Minutes" report: Curing Ebola 
• Forecast: Another arctic blast to come
• Bank hackers pull off $1 billion cyberheist
• Teens more sleep deprived than ever
• "Fifty Shades" burns up the box office

Katy Perry frantic about divorce (video)

Amber Dorrian, Wisdom Quarterly

Nothing hurts more than heartbreak (dukkha), which along with impermanence the Buddha defined as two-thirds of the problem of phenomenal existence (SNL/Celebjihad.com).

In a devastating turn of events, poor Katy Perry (Catty Purry) has been dumped by British comedian Russell Brand after 14 months of marriage to the "ET" songstress. Now as she descends into a funk or a wild acting out spree to compensate for the loss, she is likely to listen to less pop and more trip hop such as Portishead's "Sour Times." What else is she to do without a New Year's Eve date?

The Buddha's Advice
"O meditators! What is the Noble Truth of suffering (dukkha)? Rebirth is disappointing, aging is disappointing, death is disappointing; sorrow, crying (lamenting), physical pain, grief, and despair are disappointing; associating with the unloved is disappointing; being separated from the loved is disappointing; not getting what one wants is disappointing. In brief, the Five Aggregates of Clinging are disappointing" (SN 56.11).

• Dukkha: disappointment, misery, woe, ill, suffering, distress, pain, unhappiness.

It's over. Brand files papers in LA (eonline.com).

• Every choice has great potential for the future
• Russell Brand and Katy Perry breaking up
• Katy Perry divorcing Russell Brand or vice versa
• Katy Perry cries, overcome with emotion
  

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Thailand's Supernatural Tattoo Fest

At a large temple just west of Bangkok, one of the strangest Buddhist festivals in Thailand takes place. Once a year thousands of young men gather at Wat Bang Phra to be tattooed by the temple's monks. Travel with Lonely Planet.

Buddhist monks who give tattoos? We got up at 3:30 am at Wat ("temple") Tunnati in Bangkok and were out by 4:20 am. A group of 50 to 60 people had already gathered. We were soon on the road, arriving at Wat Bang Phra at 7:00 am.

We started with an offering to the Buddha. Then went straight to the tattoo room where three Buddhist monks were giving tattoos. That's odd enough. But then there's "the power." What is "the power"?

People with these tattoos go into a trance. They start screaming and running wildly. (I'm due for one in the next month). Here's my version:

The Real India: Lonely Planet

Map of India (courtesy of LonelyPlanet.com)

Visiting India can be daunting. But the allure of fulfillment promises adventure, growth, and no small dose of culture-shock. Lonely Planet guides, the shoestring traveler's Bible, have been escorting intrepid pilgrims for years. Here's a sample excerpt.

Morning bathing, Ganges river, ancient Benares (Lonely Planet)

• Varanasi, the city of Shiva, on the bank of the sacred Ganges, is one of the holiest places in India. Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the waters of Ganges, a ritual that washes away all sins. The city is an auspicious place to die, since expiring here offers moksha -- liberation from the cycle of birth and death. It's a magical city where the most intimate rituals of life and death take place in public on the city's famous ghats [bathing steps]. It's this accessibility to the practices of an ancient religious tradiontion that captivates so many visitors. In the past, the city has been known as Kashi and Benares, but its present name is a restoration of an ancient name meaning the city between two rivers -- the Varuna and Assi.

For independent and first-time travelers, a good guide is a must. One that tucks away in a backpack is ideal. You'll get the most out of your trip at the lowest possible price by following its timely advice. Frequently updated and rarely outdone, Lonely Planet is the gold standard in down to earth travel information.

Volunteering in India (Korina Miller, Lonely Planet, June 2007)Group of Paharia children (Lonely Planet)

The week before I arrived, they found a cobra in the kitchen. I'm not a snake person (nor a bug person for that matter) and when I'd agreed to volunteer for a month in the foothills of Jharkhand, in India, I hadn't realised that tree snakes, cobras and scorpions would be part of the deal.

Not that it would have stopped me. As an undergraduate in Communications and Development, I wanted first-hand field experience, and Dakshinayan promised me just that. Cheo Project was based amidst a group of small villages of mud and grass huts, home to the Paharia tribes. Considered "untouchables" in the Indian caste system, these communities survive by hunting, gathering, and cultivating maize. Maize is roasted on campfires and eaten all day. Every day.

My life in the village was a stripped-back existence. I was teaching rudimentary English in an informal school to a group whose numbers ranged from three to thirty students, depending on how much work there was to do at home or in the fields. Three times a day I carried buckets of water from the well, which was the only water source and a 20-minute walk away. I learned how to make chapatti (flat bread) and how to keep the cookfire going in the rain, so I was able to help out with meals. I walked on the narrow forest trails from village to village for meetings, classes or visits. I'd trek the three hours to the weekly market and back up the hill with supplies. Checking my sleeping bag for scorpions and the tree near the outhouse for deadly snakes became second nature. Such drastic adjustments to my lifestyle were quickly absorbed into routine. What required more time was fitting in.... Read the entire story

All that adventure and potential danger, too!

• Travel Warning: Areas of Conflict
  Foreigners in the western state of Rajasthan should be aware of ethnic conflict in the region....On June 18 [2008], the Gujjar community reached a peace deal with the Rajasthan State government and this is expected to relieve tension; however, travelers in both Delhi and Rajasthan should stay alert and avoid getting caught up in any public protests. Several Indian regions are prone to occasional conflict; Jammu and Kashmir (as distinct from [predominantly Buddhist] Ladakh) are subject to political violence and travelers should seek consular advice before entering any area bordering Pakistan. Similar advice should also be sought before travel to Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, and Manipur in northeast India. There are militant groups operating sporadically in some rural areas of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Orissa.

Well, package tours and traveler's insurance are always available. Of particular interest to Buddhist wanderers is India's only remaining Buddhist city, the enchanted Leh, Ladakh. If you visit the Buddhist Circuit, remember to walk directly into Nepal to see the Buddha's birthplace and hometown, Lumbini and Kapilavastu. The real danger is actually invisible and likely to take you down unless you're meticulous, as one female traveler found out:

• Dani Katz (writing for Whole Life Times)
• Also recommended: short videos shot in India

For everything you need: Lonely Planet - India