I’m reading a fascinating book at the moment which Jennifer gave me for Christmas –

It’s called: JESUS, BUDDHA, KRISHNA & LAO TZU – THE PARAELLEL SAYINGS. 

It’s written by Richard Hooper, and the book looks at the sayings of these great spiritual masters, and finds similarities in what they said.

And the similarities at times are quite extraordinary.

I’ve always been fascinated by Comparative Religion – finding the commonality in the world’d religions.

Richard Hooper grew up as a Christian, and in fact was going to join a seminary. But from a young age he’d always had a problem with the dogma of Christianity. As he tells it:

“I remember one night – I was about 12 years old – the paster of our Church was talking to our youth group. He was telling us that anyone who didn’t believe in Jesus would not go to heaven. intimating that they would go to hell instead. This statement shocked me.

“I raised my hand and asked the pastor: ‘Do you mean to say that even someone living in a faraway place like India who has never even heard of Jesus will go to hell because they don’t believe in Him?’ To my utter amazement, the pastor said yes.” 

This started the author on a life long quest to learn more about eastern religions. And it drove him away from Christianity, believing that it was too dogmatic and hardline.

The author then goes on to detail how the Bible in fact is only an approximation of what Jesus said, because the Gospels as attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written by anonymous Christians between 70 CE and 120 CE, well after the death of Jesus. And so the writers of the Gospels were not eye-witnesses to what was said – and in fact given the time line they probably didn’t even have access to eyewitnesses.

They were later interpreters of what was said to have happened, and what was said to have been spoken.

Jesus and Buddha were historical figures, unlike Krishna and Lao Tzu – and their words were handed down orally over many generations before they were committed to scripture. This leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Also the Gospels were written in Greek, whereas Jesus spoke in Aramaic.

Hooper cites a group of New Testament scholars called The Jesus Seminar that believes that as little as 18% of the words attributed to Jesus in the canonical Gospels are actually words spoken by Him – the rest was written by later Christians who believed they were writing the spirit of what Jesus said.

I find this really interesting.

Krishna is a mythical figure – an avatar ultimately of the Hindu Godhead Brahman – and Lao Tzu (meaning Old Master) is also considered by scholars to be a fabrication of perhaps many ancient sages. Hindus in fact believe that both Jesus and Buddha are / were avatars of the same God force as well –  and this is where the parallel sayings in this book are so fascinating.

Here are some examples:

JESUS:
Original man has one original mind. It was unified.

KRISHNA:
To attain the One, one’s mind must be in harmony with itself.

BUDDHA:
The sky has no east or west.
Nor does it make distinction between this and that.
Distinctions arise from the human mind alone. 

LAO TZU:
He who says he knows, knows not.
He who truly knows, says nothing.
Unite all things as one whole. 

or this –

JESUS:
In the beginning the Word was moving towards God, and God was the Word.

KRISHNA:
Before He manifested Himself, He existed within Himself.
Out of Himself He manifested all things.
He is known as the One who alone exists. 

BUDDHA:
Universal Mind is like a vast ocean.
On its surface waves disturb its tranquility, but beneath all is serene and unmoved.
Having no personality all things exist in it. 

LAO TZU:
In the beginning there was only Void.
Within the Void there was the One.
The one is without form.
It has no features.
But within it all things exist. 

It’s been less than 24 hours since I announced the Indian Tour, and we’re already almost full!

We now have 8 people confirmed.

I wouldn’t want this tour to be more than 10 people.

Highlights will include:

• The Taj Mahal at sunset & sunrise
• Staying in the best ashram on the Ganges at Rishikesh
• Visiting the Red Fort in Delhi
• Visiting the markets in Haridwar on the Ganges
• Visiting the Dalai Lama Temple in Dharamsala
• Getting in amongst it all on the beach at Mumbai at sunset, as the gigantic Ganesh statues are taken down to be immersed in the sea – a unique and spectacular end to the tour.

So if you’re thinking of joining us, I’d suggest you get in fast.

bill@gonetours.com

We are organising a tour to India in October this year.

We’re calling it the Mother Ganga Tour.

It will be two weeks, visiting Delhi, the Taj Mahal, Rishikesh and Haridwar on the Ganges, the Dalai Lama Temple up in the far north in Dharamsala, and then finishing off in Mumbai.

In Mumbai we’ll take part in the incredible Ganpati Festival celebrations – where millions of people take their gigantic statues of the elephant God Ganesha down to the sea, where they immerse them in the waters.

It’s an amazing spectacle.

This is not a walking tour, although there are some wonderful walks around Rishikesh and Dharamsala. It’s more of a spiritual tour of India, although there’ll be plenty of time for shopping, sightseeing, and eating the glorious regional food.

Jennifer and I have been to India countless times, and we know these areas well. We’ll stay in beautiful hotels, and we’ll have local guides and drivers.

Itinerary and costings are to come, but please let me know if you’re interested.

bill@gonetours.com

I think this one will fill up fast.

My wife and I are in Sydney at the moment for business meetings, and last night we had dinner with friends.

Wayne and Libby Pashley are amazing people.

Professionally, they are top of their tree.

They are sound designers for motion pictures, and they're not only the best in Australia, they're amongst the best in the world.

What's a sound designer?

Imagine going to a movie in the cinema, and you're watching the pictures but there's no sound. What they do is they create the sound.

The sound you hear in movies is there because of the work of the sound designer. It is one of the most complex crafts in the filmmaking process.

And Wayne and Libby do big movies.

Their credits include:

• The Great Gatsby
• The Lego Movie
• Happy Feet
• Babe

They recently finished working on MAD MAX – FURY ROAD, George Miller's fourth instalment of the iconic franchise. That's a big sound job, as you can imagine.

Oh and they've also done some of my films too…

They are special friends and special people.

Last night Wayne told me an amazing story.

Shortly after Christmas, their cat went missing. They loved their cat. And it had never gone missing before. But they couldn't find it anywhere.

They searched everywhere.

For days they walked through their suburb, calling out the cat's name, knocking on neighbours' doors, printing up posters to put on power poles, phoning the animal shelters and the local council – all to no avail.

They were becoming more and more frantic.

And upset.

Their children would break out into tears at he mention of the cat's name.

Still it remained missing.

Wayne and Libby had a friend staying with them at the time, and so they had to be bright and cheery with their guest, but underneath it all they were grieving.

It was as though they'd lost a member of their family, which I guess they had.

Now, Wayne is not a religious person. He's not a regular church goer, but he does believe in the kind of stuff that Jen and I believe in.

A few days after the cat disappeared, Wayne was dismantling their Christmas tree. He reached up to take the angel off the top of the tree, and as he grabbed it something induced him to say to the angel:

Angel of Mercy, please bring us back our cat.

He said this out aloud to the Christmas decoration.

As he was putting the angel away in it's bag, he heard Libby outside screaming with delight:

WAYNE, GET SOME FOOD! I'VE FOUND THE CAT!

Wayne was stunned.

Absolutely stunned.

He told me, across the dinner table last night, that he heard Libby's voice literally ten seconds after he'd spoken to the angel, just as he was about to put it away.

Okay, that's an amazing story, right?

It's true.

It's what happened.

I told Wayne that what I've learnt so far from those that I've interviewed for my PGS film is that things like that will happen to those that believe, or wish to believe, to validate and encourage that belief.

Like getting the perfect parking space.

Little ticks of encouragement.

Anyway we had a glorious evening together. We stayed late, swapping stories, catching up on stuff, laughing a lot, while the restaurant staff piled chairs up on tables around us.

We didn't want to leave, there was so much to talk about.

And as we walked back to our cars in the dark, and as we hugged and said our goodbyes, I thought about the powerful nature of our friendship.

Of the powerful nature of true friendships.

Of love, really.

It's something very special, and something to be treasured.

(Rick, a work mate, with Jennifer, Libby, Wayne)

(Taken with my iPad camera.)

(Notice the correct amount of headroom)

The book I’m currently writing, Photo Camino, is principally a guide to taking photos on the Camino.

However I am peppering it with a few anecdotes.

Here I post an excerpt of what happens when someone offers to take a photo of me…

I pity anyone who offers to take my photo. They don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. First I instruct them on what to do, which straight up offends them, because of course they know how to take a photo. These people are usually the ones who ask. “Which button do I press?”

I then watch like a hawk as they take the shot, and I know immediately that it’s not going to be any good. They proudly hand me back the camera, kind of like TAH-DAH! and wait for me to check it and tell them what a great shot they took.

So I check it, and of course the shot is completely unacceptable.

I show it to them and explain patiently where they got it wrong – mainly framing and headroom issues, but sometimes they’ve got the focus wrong too. And then I ask them to do it again, which stretches the newly acquired friendship somewhat. So begrudgingly they take the shot again, and again I check it. And again it’s not right. So once again I tell them what’s wrong, and how they can do it better – ignoring their growing sense of enmity towards me, as if it’s MY fault that we have to go through this charade.

So they take another shot – and it’s better but not perfect – and then we take another – and by now I can feel their barely suppressed rage radiating out towards me like heat from a wood-fired stove – and being a pilgrim, I forgive them.

Often it’s focus. They somehow or other get the automatic focus wrong, which to me is incomprehensible, so I put the camera on manual focus and pre-focus for them. I make sure the exposure settings are correct, remind them of the framing and stress NOT TOO MUCH HEADROOM, and then finally when I’m sure that they can’t possible get anything wrong, I allow them to take the shot.

I ask to check it once again, and for a moment I get the feeling they’re about to hurl the camera into my face. But they hand me the camera, their agitation now undisguised, as if they had some place better they needed to be. 

By now the sun is setting, we’re losing light anyway, and the memory card is full. The shot is ok – not great  but ok – so I thank them, using all of my not inconsiderable charm, and watch as they walk quickly away, breaking into a run…

Please – help me out here.

I want to discuss the twelve most iconic shots on the Camino in the book I’m writing – Photo Camino.

Here is my list –

1. The gates or bridge at St. Jean
2. The Virgin on the Route Napoleon
3. The metal statues at Hill of Pardon
4. Burgos Cathedral
5. The winding road
6. The Meseta
7. Lyon Cathedral
8. A yellow arrow shot
9. The Crux de Ferro
10. 100kms to go marker
11. Standing in square in front of Santiago Cathedral
12. Shot with Compostela

Please give me your comments and suggestions –

Better still, give me your top 12 iconic shots…

I’ve been quiet lately, in part because I’ve needed to withdraw and consider what has passed, and what’s ahead.

But also I’ve had my head down writing the Photo Camino book.

I’m now 20,000 words in, and I’m on track to have the text finished by the end of January. I’m thinking the book will be about 50-60,000 words.

It will then require editing and proof reading, and then design work to include various photos and illustrations.

It will be a practical guide to photography on the Camino, covering such topics as what camera to take, how to shoot landscapes, the most iconic images you’ll find along the way, how to avoid too much headroom in a shot 🙂 and so forth.

It will also, I hope, be stamped with my “voice,” and will be peppered with relevant photographic anecdotes.

It will also include a lot of my photography, but only to illustrate certain points that I’m making in the text. It’s not a coffee table photo book – it’s a practical guide. That said, there should be some nice shots in it.

I’m finding it hard to write. (I find all writing hard though…) I’m writing the book for those that don’t have a clue about photography, and yet at times I do have to explain some technicalities. I’m keeping it simple though.

Ultimately, every part of the book links back to the Camino, and the unique challenges and opportunities that a pilgrim / photographer will face.

The book will also touch on the philosophy of using photography to “see” along The Way, and to intimately connect with your surroundings, and those that you meet.

I hope to have it published by March or April, in time for those spring and summer pilgrims who might wish to get some tips before heading off on their journey.

If there are any subjects you think I should include, please let me know.

(billpgsblog@gmail.com)

I’ve settled into a daily routine which I wish to maintain throughout the year, and indeed throughout my life. It’s based on the daily routine at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram, in Rishikesh.

They begin their day at 5am, before sunrise, because from a yoga perspective that’s the most potent time of the day. So I wake up at 4:44am, and by 5am I’m doing my pranayama, then my yoga, then 25-30 minutes of mediation. That takes me up to 7am.

It sets me up beautifully for the day – and if needed, I have a 20 minute nap in the afternoon. I’m usually asleep by 10:30pm, which is how Jen and I saw in the New Year.

Interestingly, I notice that I am now able to do asanas that even a few months ago were impossible because of my bad knee. The yoga is getting in there and doing wonders. I do believe yoga is a magic pill. I’m even thinking of trying a long walk without my knee brace.

So at the moment I’m pretty boring.

There’s a chance that Jennifer and I might be going to Turkey sometime this month, to do some filming for the PGS film. We’re waiting to see how things unfold.

If we’re meant to go, then we’ll go.

In Australia it’s New Year’s Eve.

Soon I will break a three day fast with a glass of champagne.

Hell of a way to break a fast – (only Chinese green tea since Sunday night) – but hey, it is New Year’s Eve after all.

Tomorrow I start A Course in Miracles.

Daily lessons, 365 in all.

Life changing, so they say. And reading through it as I have already, I can believe it.

Jennifer did the full course a couple of years ago – all 365 days – and it forged a major change within her. She still carries with her what she learnt doing the course, and it informs the way she looks at everything.

I’ve tried getting into it in the past, but I found it to be dense and difficult to navigate.
I feel now that I’m ready for it.

Here is the Wikipedia link to it:

A Course in Miracles

The book is large, complex, and a real head-bender.

It was written by two Professors of Medical Psychology from Columbia University – Helen Schucman and William Thetford. They began in 1965, and it took them ten years to write. Professor Schucman said she was transcribing from messages she received from Jesus Christ – although The Course diverges fundamentally from Christianity.

Interestingly, before receiving messages (through symbolic dreams and a “Voice,”) that would later constitute The Course, Professor Schucman described herself as “conservative in theory and atheistic in belief.”

The Course has been described as “Satanic” by some, and others have referred to it as a “New Age Bible.” It is intensely metaphysical.

Here is a link to the book on Amazon, if you’re interested in buying it. You can also pick it up on Kindle for $8.50 –

I begin the course with a level of trepidation, because I know it’s going to be hard going at times. But I feel it’s something I have to do. And I’m now ready for it – whereas before I wasn’t.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, to those of you in our time zone, Happy New Year! And to those of you in the US or elsewhere, same tomorrow!

I know this year is going to be a cracker.

How do I know?

Because it’s written in my stars…

I’ve woken up before dawn here in Mudgee.

The birds woke me.
A cacophony.

It’s Christmas morning here.

I had to think – what does that mean?

It means swapping Christmas presents, it means a big lunch, it means family, it means putting aside all those petty grievances and giving out love.

Or trying to.

In Australia it means heat, blasting sunshine or cyclonic storms, it means the beach, it means the bush, it means seafood and beer and talk of cricket and collapsing in the afternoon from too much of a good thing.

But what else does it mean?

Was a special man born today?

Are the stories true?

I’m not a Christian, but in my own quiet way I’ll take time to celebrate the day as a Holy day. Soon I’ll go downstairs and meditate, and consider the wonder of it all.

I’ve learnt a lot this past twelve months.
I’ve learnt that it’s all very simple, really.

You’ve just got to trust & surrender.
And ignore fear.

And know that what you need is in your heart.

The truth.

Hey – thank you.
All of you.
Thank you for helping me make this an extraordinary year.

You’re amazing, you mob.
Bloody amazing.

Each one of you.