BANGALORE AIRPORT INDIA. I was sitting near my gate, way too early as usual, and was passing the time by learning Japanese. While I was focussed scribbling the different characters of Hiragana on my paper, a corpulent middle-aged man in a suit sat down next to me and flipped open his laptop. He seemed inconspicuous.
At first both of us were minding our own business, until the man folded down his laptop, looked at me curious and asked „What are you doing there?“ Little did I know that I had just encountered the wisest person of my year-long trip, his wisdom and the magic of the encounter impacting me until the day.
„Learning Japanese,“ I said, „I want to become an English teacher in Japan.“ I had no idea why I was so open with this stranger, but something in me wanted to share this fact in his presence. He smiled, apparently piqued by my personality. „Oh, it looked to me like Chinese,“ he said. He reached out his hand, „Hi, my name is Piyush.“
I took his hand, a big hand. „Nick,“ I said, „a pleasure to meet you.“ „The pleasure is mine,“ he replied, still with a canny smile on his face. „So Nick, tell me the story of how you ended up here at Bangalore Airport, obviously traveling India, and decided to become an English teacher in Japan.“ I remember looking into his eyes, scanning for any hidden agendas. Some bad experiences during my month in India had made me cautious. But in those eyes, I only saw a sharp mind and a lot of life experience. Putting my guard down, I told Piyush my story.
ABOVE: Mysore in the state of Karnataka. I visited the city for a week before leaving the state trough Bangalore Airport. Prior to my arrival, I was unaware that Mysore is known as one of India’s yoga capitals.
LEFT: Mysore in the state of Karnataka. I visited the city for a week before leaving the state trough Bangalore Airport. Prior to my arrival, I was unaware that Mysore is known as one of India’s yoga capitals.
I told him that I was on sabbatical, taking a year off from police work to travel the world. Through a combination of meaningful conversations with exceptional people, life experiences, and a lot of contemplation on my travels, I had decided to quit the police and handed in my resignation. At the same time, I had applied for a Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand. The visa was granted, but the police wouldn’t let me go that easily. So, I had decided to spend the remaining three months of my travels in Eastern Europe and India.
In Bosnia, a Japanese traveler had told me that I could also apply for a working visa in Japan. Having no knowledge about this until then and always wanting to spend an extended period in Japan, I had made up my mind: first one year in New Zealand, then one year in Japan. That’s how I ended up at this airport, learning Japanese.
Piyush was listening attentively while I was telling the story, slightly nodding. When I finished, he only said, „That is what you are supposed to do now.“ I was somewhat puzzled by this statement, and I must have looked that way. He only smiled again, seemingly knowing something that I didn’t.
Obviously having found an interesting conversational partner, I asked Piyush about his life. Freely, he told me his story, but I couldn’t help but also pick up a vibe of mystery while he talked.
Grown up in an Indian family living in Portugal, he didn’t have an easy childhood. While I am not going to elaborate on his private matters here in this entry, he told me that his challenging background led him on a search for answers and truth. Answers and truth on the existential questions of life. Who was he? What was he supposed to do in life? What was life itself? The list goes on. I could empathize.
So in his adolescent years, he went out into the world, traveled, trying to answer these questions, which most of us try to avoid answering. And his path led him to immerse himself in all world religions. Truly in all of them: Judaism was his mother’s religion, Islam he learned in Saudi Arabia, Buddhism in China, Christianity back in Portugal, and finally Hinduism when he decided to move back to India, his country of origin.
He proved his statements, which admittedly, I found hard to believe at first. He showed me old pictures on his smartphone and laptop. Pictures of his younger self traveling through the Arabic countries. Of him having a bald-shaven head, wearing the orange robes of Buddhist monks. Of him with two old yogis in the Hindu city of Vrindavan.
While studying and practicing the world’s religions gave him at least some of the answers he was seeking, they didn’t get him to the core of truth. So he looked for answers in different domains. After starting a successful business in China, he used his wealth to start a foundation to help the poor and downtrodden. He showed me pictures of crippled, poor people receiving food in Mumbai and of stray dogs and cats receiving the same in Goa. But still, he recognized that this was an act of ego, of self-gratification. He told me that he also didn’t find the core of truth there.
RIGHT: The Sri Chamundeshwari Temple in Mysore.
Located on one of the holy Chamundi Hills, this is the temple of the Hindu goddess Durga – the slayer of demons.
ABOVE: The Sri Chamundeshwari Temple in Mysore. Located on one of the holy Chamundi Hills, this is the temple of the Hindu goddess Durga – the slayer of demons.
I remember that he grew quiet, briefly gazing out of the window, watching the activities on the landing field. For me, this story was a lot to process. I had always known that the world religions wouldn’t lead me to self-fulfillment. They were useful tools, at the least. But I believed that self-less contribution was the way to find peace with life. Was it not?
„Come on,“ he said, „let’s grab something to eat. I’ll invite you.“ Despite my protests, we settled down at the KFC in the terminal. Fortunately KFC in India has vegetarian options. Ironically, Piyush was also a vegetarian. „China,“ he explained. „When I lived there, I saw what they do during their Dog Meat Festival. Believe me, seeing street dogs being thrown alive into boiling oil turns everyone into a vegetarian.“ Suddenly, my veggie burger didn’t taste that good anymore.
Still asking myself what to do with life if contribution is not the answer, I asked Piyush what the most important life lesson was, which he learned on his journey. He looked at me with his canny smile and said: „Whenever you remember, ask yourself the question: What am I supposed to do now?“. Then he continued to eat his meal.
I sat there, having finished the burger, trying to figure out what that meant. Does it mean to always be present? I had already picked up this lesson in my life: to always stay in the Now. You can’t change the past, and the future is yet to be written, so the Now is all we have and where we find peace of mind. Eckhart Tolle’s teaching at its best.
ABOVE: The Palace of Mysore Amba Vilas. Preparations were made for Mysore’s Dasara festival. The whole palace is illuminated by 96.000 lights during the autumn months.
We went back to the gates. Now in a deep contemplative mood, I had the urge to tell Piyush that I was struggling to find my life purpose, the kind of meaningful work I wanted to do in life. I revealed my struggle. Again, the canny smile. „It’s simple,“ he said. „Ask yourself the question: What am I supposed to do now?“.
That’s when the insight struck me!
„So asking myself this question,“ I said slowly, „and acting with full presence and devotion upon the answer that is given – that is my life purpose and the purpose of life.“ Piyush nodded. And then he said some words I will never forget:
„That is right,“ he stated. „Life will give you more than one life purpose. And those life purposes will end in cycles. You will know when the cycle is ending when you ask yourself this question and slowly the answer changes. Then the new answer is what you are supposed to do.
But there is more to it: The Universe is infinite and everything in it is connected. You don’t know what the universe is planning and how the connections will play out. And you don’t know how that what you are doing now will help humans and other living beings in the future.
For example, if you are learning Japanese now with full presence and devotion, you will probably help some kids in Japan. Maybe these kids will follow their own paths in life because you taught them English.
And maybe, because you taught kids in Japan English, you will find through this act your next life purpose. The life purpose with which you are helping someone BIG TIME then.
The main thing is to ask yourself the question every day and act out the answer with full presence and devotion. This is what you have to do.“
I was stunned and grew quiet. The feeling of joy, insight, and understanding was enormous.
Afterward, we chatted a bit about superficial stuff. We found out that we both loved Cobra Kai, and I told him that the newest season just came out that day. „What a coincidence,“ he said joyfully, „Now I have to figure out how to explain to my wife and kids that I am supposed to do THAT once I arrive there.“ We laughed.
„I have to board my plane now, Nick.“ He stood up, and we hugged each other. „Probably we won’t meet again. But I enjoyed this encounter very much.“ I thanked Piyush with all my heart. He didn’t want my gratitude. Instead, he said, „That was what I was supposed to do this evening.“ A canny smile, and then without turning around, he got in line at his gate.
There he went, and I had just received the most impactful advice of my life. Being at Bangalore Airport, four hours too early, studying Japanese, and being open to a conversation with an inconspicuous stranger. That was what I was supposed to do back then.
