India: A Gateway to Another Way of Being • Part 1
Where It All Began
My fascination with India took shape long before I ever set foot there.
It did not begin with a trip. It began with a person.
One of my favorite Romanian writers was Mircea Eliade. By the time I discovered his work, he was already a world-renowned scholar of religion and a professor at the University of Chicago.
I was a teenager, and I was completely in love with his writing.
And he was in love with India.
In the late 1920s, he went to India to study with a respected philosopher. He lived there for several years, studied Sanskrit and philosophy, and practiced yoga. He became immersed not only intellectually, but existentially, in Indian thought.
Across his journals and later writings, he described India as offering a different relationship to reality. It revealed a spiritual dimension of life that the West did not emphasize. Through practices like yoga and meditation, his understanding of life, time, and self changed.
I learned something essential from him.
India is not just a place.
It is a gateway to another way of being.
The Moment of Decision
As the departure approached, the world added a new layer.
There is tension in the Middle East. The United States is at war with Iran. There are airspace closures, flight changes.
My original Middle East route had to be redirected through Canada.
And for a moment, I paused.
Is it wise to go?
Is this the right time?
And yet, beneath the questions, there was something steady.
A quiet knowing.
I still felt pulled to go. I decided to stay on course.
Before Departure
As I write this, I see myself at Washington Dulles International Airport. It’s the day of departure. I always plan to arrive at the airport long before I need to.
Not because I am afraid of missing the flight, but because I refuse to miss the moment.
I walk. I breathe. I drink water like I am preparing my body for something sacred.
Because I am.
There is a space between where you were and where you are going.
Most people rush through it. I choose to live inside it. To soften. To empty. To arrive within myself before arriving anywhere else.
I am not waiting. I am transitioning. Leaving behind what no longer needs to travel with me. Making space for what is ready to meet me.
The plane is not the beginning. The state I enter in is.
Travel, like life, is not about the destination.
It is about the energy you bring into the next chapter.
First Contact
I remember my arrival in New Delhi as if it is happening now.
It was past midnight, and I was walking and walking and walking toward customs.
The airport felt immense. Endless corridors, soft light, people moving quietly through the night. And there I was, on my own, moving through it all with a kind of childlike joy that is difficult to explain but impossible to forget.
There is something extraordinary about arriving in a new country on your own.
Your senses sharpen. Your awareness expands. Everything becomes vivid.
It is not just that you are in a new place. It is that you are fully inside of it.
When you travel alone, the place becomes your companion. There is no buffer. No conversation pulling you away. No familiar presence to anchor you to what you already know. Instead, you are in direct contact with everything around you. The sounds, the movement, the unfamiliar rhythms of life.
It feels like stepping through a portal.
A quiet shift where the mind becomes alert, the body becomes present, and the world begins to imprint itself on you in a deeper way. Not just as memory, but as sensation. As feeling. As something that stays.
The images become sharper.
The sounds more distinct.
The people more alive.
And the experience becomes more exhilarating.
There is a depth to it that doesn’t stop fascinating me. Not because of the place itself, but because of what it awakens in me.
A heightened state of being.
A deeper presence.
A more intimate connection with life as it is unfolding in front of me.
This is why I love traveling on my own. Not to be alone, but to be fully with the world.
A Moment of Uncertainty
By the time I completed customs in New Delhi, it was well past midnight.
The airport was still full of people. Alive, moving, awake in a way that felt unfamiliar for that hour.
I was met by my transfer service.
One person guided me to a door.
Another took me further.
Then another led me outside to the driver.
There was a structure to it that I did not yet understand.
For a brief moment, I wondered. Why so many transitions? Why this level of care? Is it safe to be here on my own?
And then, just as quietly, I chose to trust.
The service was reputable. Everything was organized. I followed the process and allowed myself to stay present.
The Drive Into the Unknown
I entered the car sometime after 1 AM.
The driver did not speak English. Somehow, I understood it would take about an hour to reach the hotel. And then, the city revealed itself.
Traffic. Movement. Density. At an hour when I expected stillness, there was intensity.
Cars, trucks, tuk-tuks, cycle rickshaws. People moving alongside the roads. Life unfolding in every direction.
It felt chaotic at first.
I sat in the back seat, watching it all like a film I had just stepped into. At one point, I took out my phone and recorded a short video. I sent it to my daughters.
“This is my first contact with India.”
Even through a screen, I wanted to share the exhilarating feeling of it with my girls.
Return to Stillness
When I finally arrived at the hotel, I texted my daughters again:
“I made it, I am safe. I love you.” They are used to me traveling alone.
I checked in. Entered the room. Closed the door. I have no problems sleeping in a hotel room. I fall asleep before my head touches the pillow.
And when I woke up, for a moment, I did not know if it was day or night.
I moved slowly. Practiced yoga. I always carry a yoga mat in my backpack. I brought myself back into my body, into my breath, into the present.
India: A Living Civilization
India is difficult to comprehend at first because it is not a single story. It is many stories. It is not one culture, one language, one history, or one belief system.
India is a subcontinent. A vast, layered civilization where everything seems to exist at once. Ancient and modern, sacred and chaotic, structured and fluid.
India: Essential Context
India is home to nearly 1.5 billion people, making it one of the most populous countries in the world. Its scale is not only numerical. It is cultural, linguistic, geographic, and historical.
There are more than 22 official languages and thousands of dialects. Entire regions feel like different countries, each with its own traditions, rhythms, and ways of life.
Geographically, India stretches from the Himalayas in the north to tropical regions in the south, from fertile plains to desert landscapes like Rajasthan, where much of my journey unfolded.
It is not a uniform place. It is many worlds, existing together.
A Tapestry of Belief
In India, religions do not replace each other. They layer, overlap, and continue together.
So instead of asking what came first and what came next, it is more accurate to ask:
What appeared, and what was added over time?
This is what I came to understand.
The earliest spiritual system in India is the Vedic religion, dating back to around 1500 BC and earlier. It was based on the Vedas, ancient sacred texts, and was deeply connected to nature and ritual. Over time, this evolved into what we now call Hinduism.
Hinduism has no single founder. It is not one unified system, but a vast and flexible spiritual framework. It remains the major religion in India today, deeply philosophical and incredibly diverse in its expressions. It is the foundation layer of Indian spirituality.
Around 600 BC, Jainism emerged. It is one of the oldest religions still practiced today and is centered on nonviolence, discipline, and ethical living.
Shortly after, around 500 BC, Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha. It focuses on understanding suffering, cultivating awareness, and reaching liberation. Although it originated in India, it spread across Asia and today plays a smaller role within India itself.
Between roughly 700 and 1200 AD, Islam arrived in India, first through trade and later through conquest and political rule. It became a major force during the Delhi Sultanate and reached its peak during the Mughal Empire. Some of the most iconic structures in India, including the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, were built during this period.
Around 1500 AD, Sikhism was founded in the Punjab region of northern India. It brought together elements of Hindu and Islamic thought and emphasized equality, service, and devotion. I experienced this living tradition at the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi.
Christianity also has an early presence in India, dating back to around 50 AD through trade routes, though it became more visible during the British colonial period.
What matters most is this:
India is not a sequence of religions replacing one another.
It is a foundation of Hindu thought, with Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity layered on top of it.
All of them still exist.
All of them are lived.
At the same time.
Understanding the Divine in Many Forms
As I tried to understand Hinduism, I realized very quickly that it does not fit into the categories I was familiar with.
It is not a religion in the traditional sense of having one founder, one book, or one defined structure.
It is a vast philosophical system, expressed through stories, symbols, and many forms of the divine.
At the center of this understanding is the concept of Brahman.
Brahman is not a god in the way we might think of one.
It is the ultimate reality, the universal consciousness, the source from which everything comes and to which everything returns. It is infinite, formless, and beyond human description.
From this one reality, different expressions emerge.
Among the most important are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, often referred to as a cosmic trinity.
Brahma is associated with creation, the beginning of all things.
Vishnu is the preserver, the one who maintains balance and sustains the universe.
Shiva represents transformation, often described as destruction, but more accurately understood as the force that dissolves what no longer serves in order to allow something new to emerge.
Together, they reflect a cycle that exists not only in the universe, but in life itself: creation, preservation, and transformation.
Krishna is one of the most beloved manifestations of Vishnu.
He is not just a deity, but a deeply human and approachable figure, often depicted as playful, wise, and full of love.
Through stories and teachings, especially in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna represents guidance, devotion, and the path of living with awareness and purpose.
What became clear to me is that these are not separate, competing figures.
They are different ways of understanding the same underlying reality.
Different lenses through which the human mind can relate to something infinite.
And in that way, Hinduism does not ask you to believe in one form.
It invites you to recognize many expressions of the same truth.
The Question of Suffering
As I moved deeper into understanding India, I realized that Buddhism, although less visible in everyday life today, is one of the most important spiritual traditions to have emerged from this region.
It began not as a religion in the traditional sense, but as a response to a very human question:
Why do we suffer?
Buddhism was founded around 500 BC by Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha.
He was born into a royal family in what is today Nepal, in the foothills of the Himalayas, and was raised in a life of comfort, protected from the hardships of the world. But when he eventually encountered sickness, old age, and death, something shifted. He began searching for a deeper understanding of existence.
He left his life behind and devoted himself to that search.
After years of exploration, he arrived at a simple but profound realization.
Suffering is part of life.
But it is not without cause.
And because it has a cause, it can also come to an end.
This understanding became the foundation of Buddhist teaching, often expressed through what are known as the Four Noble Truths.
Life includes suffering.
Suffering arises from attachment and desire.
It is possible to end suffering.
And there is a path that leads to that end.
That path is not about belief.
It is about practice.
It invites awareness, discipline, and a way of living that brings clarity to the mind and compassion to the heart.
What stood out to me is that Buddhism does not focus on a creator or a god.
It focuses on the mind.
On how we perceive, react, and attach meaning to the world around us.
At its core, it is a path of understanding, of observing life as it is, without distortion, and slowly, through that awareness, loosening the patterns that create suffering.
Although Buddhism originated in this region, it gradually spread across Asia and became deeply rooted in countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, and Japan.
Today, its presence in India is more subtle, yet its influence remains profound.
What I came to understand is that Buddhism is not about escaping life.
It is about seeing it clearly and, in that clarity, finding a different way to be within it.
History: A Civilization in Layers
India’s history follows the same pattern. It is not a straight line. It is a structure built over time.
One of the earliest known civilizations in the region is the Indus Valley Civilization, dating back to around 2500 BC. It was one of the world’s first urban societies, with planned cities and advanced infrastructure, though much of it remains a mystery.
As I already mentioned earlier, around 1500 BC, the Vedic period began, shaping the early philosophical and spiritual foundation of Indian society. This period gave rise to the ideas that would later develop into Hinduism.
Between 500 BC and 500 AD, India entered what is often referred to as a classical age. Powerful empires such as the Maurya and Gupta dynasties emerged, and the region became a center for advances in mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and spiritual thought. It was during this time that Buddhism spread widely.
From around 1200 to 1500 AD, Islamic rule became established in parts of India through the Delhi Sultanate, introducing new cultural, architectural, and political influences.
In 1526, the Mughal Empire was founded, marking one of the most influential periods in Indian history. Under rulers such as Akbar, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb, the empire expanded and produced remarkable achievements in architecture, art, and governance. This is the period that gave rise to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, two of the most significant places I visited.
At the same time, regional Hindu kingdoms, particularly the Rajputs in Rajasthan, maintained their own power and identity. Their legacy is visible in the great forts and palaces of Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur.
From the mid-18th century until 1947, India came under British colonial rule. This period reshaped the country through infrastructure, trade, and global integration, while also setting the stage for its independence.
In 1947, India became an independent nation. Today, it is a democracy that continues to evolve rapidly, while still carrying all of its historical layers within it.
A Complex Social Structure
Another layer I tried to understand, both before and during my journey, was the caste system.
It is one of the most talked about and often misunderstood aspects of Indian society.
Traditionally, the caste system was a way of organizing society into different groups, based on roles and responsibilities. Its earliest form can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts, where society was described in four main categories, known as varnas.
At the top were the Brahmins, associated with knowledge, teaching, and spiritual guidance. Then came the Kshatriyas, the warriors and rulers. The Vaishyas were responsible for trade and agriculture, and the Shudras were associated with service and labor.
Outside of this structure were groups who were historically marginalized and later referred to as Dalits.
Originally, this system was connected more to function than to hierarchy. Over time, however, it became rigid, inherited by birth, and deeply tied to social status.
Today, the caste system is officially abolished under Indian law, and discrimination based on caste is prohibited. At the same time, its influence can still be felt in certain aspects of society, particularly in rural areas and in social dynamics.
What became clear to me is that, like many aspects of India, this is not a simple concept.
It is historical, complex, and evolving.
And just like religion and history, it is not something that can be understood through a single definition, but rather through context, nuance, and lived experience.
When It Begins to Make Sense
India is not a civilization you move through chronologically. It is a civilization you step into.
Ancient systems, medieval empires, spiritual traditions, and modern life all coexist in the present moment.
History here does not disappear, it accumulates, and once you begin to see it this way, everything you experience starts to make sense.
Be The Change
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
We hear these words and we think of the world. Of systems. Of people. Of everything outside of us.
But what if the real place to begin is within?
Because the world we experience is shaped by the state we live in.
If there is chaos within, we see chaos.
If there is pressure within, we create pressure.
If there is clarity within, we begin to move differently, speak differently, choose differently.
And slowly, the world responds.
Not because we forced it to change, but because we did.
Maybe the invitation was never to change the world first.
Maybe it was to become the version of ourselves from which a different world naturally emerges.
What This Part of the Journey Taught Me
When you remove familiarity, awareness expands naturally.
Traveling alone is not about being alone, but about being fully present.
Understanding begins when you stop trying to simplify complexity.
Not everything in life is meant to be linear. Some things are meant to be experienced as layers.
The world does not change when you travel. You do.
Traveling by Design.
Live by Design, Not by Default.
Until the next horizon,
Coach • Traveler • Believer in Intentional Living
