Bartholomew - Journeys With a Brother: Japan to India--Bartholomew and the Dalai Lama in the Himalayas

Other Books by Bartholomew

I Come As a Brother:A Remembrance of Illusions

From the Heart of a Gentle Brother

Planetary Brother

Reflections of an Elder Brother: Awakening from the Dream

All of the above books may be ordered directly from:

White Dove International
P.O. Box 1000
Taos, NM 87571

or by calling Hay House, Inc., at (800) 654-5126

Informal tapes of 600 recorded sessions with Bartholomew, as well as
information on talks by Mary-Margaret Moore, may be ordered from:

Mary-Margaret Moore
P.O. Box 1414
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

Please visit the Hay House Website at: www.hayhouse.com

Copyright 1995 by The High Mesa Foundation

Published and distributed in the United States by:
Hay House, Inc., P.O. Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100 (800) 654-5126 (800) 650-5115 (fax)

Edited by: Joy Franklin and Mary-Margaret Moore Designed by: Rene G. Nol Hay House editorial: Jill Kramer

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use other than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews without prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bartholomew (Spirit)

Journeys with a brother : Japan to India / Bartholomew.

p. cm.

Originally published: Taos, N.M. : High Mesa Foundation, 1995.

ISBN 1-56170-389-3

1. Spirit writings. I. Bstan-dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV,

1935 II. Title.
BF 1301.B3574 1999
133.93dc21

99-34632

CIP

Originally published by High Mesa Press, January 1995

ISBN 1-56170-389-3

02 01 00 99 4 3 2 1
First Printing, Hay House Edition, September 1999
Printed in Canada

This book is dedicated to
Seekers and Finders
everywhere.

With the deepest appreciation and
gratitude for Bartholomews
loving tenacity.

Caught Between a Preface
and an Acknowledgment

A s editor of the Bartholomew books, it has always been my delightful assignment to choose what particular material to use and what form it should take. The journey described in this book happened seven years ago but remains vividly present to this day. It was a journey that often demanded that we change our previous notions of reality, and challenged us to uncover the personal lessons embedded in our experiences. It was perhaps the most demanding physically, and at the same time the most deeply rewarding, of all our adventures. The events as we lived them were such an intimate reflection of Bartholomews teachings that I felt a narrative would be the best form for this book to take. I hope it will give the reader an opportunity to relate to his or her own wisdom in a new, more personal way.

I would like to express my gratitude to those intrepid explorers who accompanied us and who were willing to reveal their fears as well as their triumphs so the reader could share all our experiences. The first-person impressions are my contribution to the story, and the spiritual wisdom and lighthearted humor come from Bartholomew.

My appreciation to Justin Moore, who kept the tapes and equipment functioning; to Phyllis Johnson for her uncanny ability to translate our editorial scribbles into something more understandable; and to Mary-Margaret Moore, for the graciousness, patience, and good humor with which she met my constant requests for more information, more editing, and more interviews.

And my deepest gratitude to Bartholomew, who has transformed the idea of a journey home into the possibility of freedom in this lifetime.

Joy Franklin, editor

T his book is about a tour that a group of Americans and Australians took with Bartholomew to Japan and India. It brings to life the wondrous and frightening experiences that were a part of each of many such tours we took together during the 18 years we spent working worldwide with Bartholomew.

While on these trips, we saw many amazing things, visited many exotic and beautiful places, and met many fascinating people. But the most important part of each tour was, for me, what went on in our inner world. Each time we traveled on the surface of the planet, we were changed in the deep, unseen inner core of our Being. We were changed in dramatic and inspiring ways, and those changes never left. In Christian terms, this could perhaps be called the quickening of the spirit.

The trip to Japan and India played a great part in that quickening process for me. I had studied Zen Buddhism for years before my work with Bartholomew, and still find it to be one of the clearest mirrors for Truth on the Earth plane. To actually experience some of that clarity in the Zen gardens and temples of Kyoto was a high point. When we found ourselves atop a mountain in a shrine that had been the focus of pilgrims for centuries, none of us needed to try to feel the power of the site. The power was absolutely present, as close as breath, as warm as the sunlight. We cried, we laughed, we became Silence Itself. Wonder of wonders.

Then, in the high Himalayan mountains, again the overwhelming Presence of Silence. No need to find it or tune in to it. All that was needed was the willingness to fall out of the mental chatter of mind and fall into the open arms of the Silent Moment, filled with vast peace. No matter how difficult the external world wasand we had moments of extreme discomfort, both emotionally and physicallywe always felt the ever-present option to fall once again into that ever-waiting Space. Suspended high above the clouds, looking down onto the world below, you could sense the possibility of letting go of ones old world and awakening into an awareness that was ancient beyond ancient, yet pristinely new every moment. I look back on those solitary walks along the valley rim as some of the most grace-filled moments in my life.

For me, one of the many great gifts from India to the world lies in its being the birthplace of one of the most awakened beings of this or any century. I am referring to Ramana Maharshi, the Sage who brought us the direct approach to the Self, to Godthe approach of being willing to discover Who we really arenot who we have been taught we are, but Who, in our experience right now, we are. When we ask, Who am I? and do not answer with thoughts we have been trained to believe but simply see directly in this moment what is really there inside, we find something (or nothing) far different from what our minds have postulated.