Go to the Monkey Forest and learn meditation for free<\/p>\n
Ida Indawati Khouw, Contributor, Ubud, Bali<\/p>\n
The small town of Ubud, about 20 kilometers north of the
\ncapital city of Denpasar, never loses its attraction as a center
\nof Balinese arts.<\/p>\n
It has a lot to offer, from traditional massage to courses on
\narts like batik and wood carving.<\/p>\n
But most interesting of all is probably the \"spiritual
\ntourism\" introduced by the Meditation Shop on the main street of
\nJl. Monkey Forest.<\/p>\n
The modest business stands side by side with other shops. It
\naims to attract visitors looking for \"alternative tourism\", like
\nOlga Kulanowska, 38, from Australia.<\/p>\n
\"I want to recharge myself and feel the energy of Ubud,\" she
\nsaid. Kulanowska visited the shop every evening during her stay
\nin the town.<\/p>\n
The Meditation Shop offers everything from books, CDs and
\ncassettes on meditation but the main selling point is the roughly
\n40 square-meter room where visitors will feel the silence and can
\ntrain the mind in positive and peaceful thinking.<\/p>\n
In short, the shop is there for those looking for a spiritual
\nexperience.<\/p>\n
\"We simply called it a shop when it was established in 1990.
\nThe building is designed as a starting point for people to rest
\nand get information (about Brahma Kumaris),\" said Frank Wilson,
\nan Australian businessman who is the coordinator of Brahma
\nKumaris World Spiritual University (BKWSU) Ubud branch, which
\nruns the shop.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1936, BKSWU is now an NGO affiliated to the United
\nNations in consultative status with the Economic and Social
\nCouncil of the UN (ECOSOC) and Unicef. There are more than 5,300
\nBrahma Kumaris centers in the world, six of which are in major
\nIndonesian cities, such as Jakarta and Surabaya (East Java), as
\nwell as Bali. The headquarters of the BKSWU is in Mount Abu,
\nIndia.<\/p>\n
Brahma Kumaris (literally, sons and daughters of Brahma) was
\nfounded by Brahma Baba (1876-1969), an Indian businessman who
\nexperienced a series of powerful visions in 1936, giving him new
\ninsights into the innate qualities of the human soul, revealing
\nthe mysterious entity of God and explaining the process of world
\ntransformation.<\/p>\n
The exterior of the shop encourages passersby to stop for a
\nwhile. Some just read the sign board \"The Meditation Shop\" out
\nloud with amazement, while others have to try to find out what it
\nis all about.<\/p>\n
Guests will be greeted as peaceful souls. \"May Peace Prevail
\non Earth\" is the warm welcome carved on a wooden pole that stands
\nin the front yard. The same message is repeated upon entering the
\nshop: Om Shanti (I am a peaceful soul) is inscribed on the door
\nthat opens at 5 p.m. every day.<\/p>\n
Visitors interested in joining the free meditation exercise
\ncan simply take a seat on the rows of cushions or chairs that are
\nset up so as to create a comfortable atmosphere.<\/p>\n
To market peace to anybody regardless of their religious
\nbelief through meditation is the shop's business.<\/p>\n
Dim lighting, a candle, the scent of flowers and meditative
\nmusic are some of the means used to put visitors in a peaceful
\nstate of mind.<\/p>\n
They are encouraged to focus their eyes on the candle light or
\non the so-called golden red light, believed to be the color of
\nthe spiritual world and the symbol of energy.<\/p>\n
\"Those are provided as the physical objects to focus the eyes
\non,\" Wilson said.<\/p>\n
Get into as comfortable a position as possible -- hopefully
\nyou will be able to join the one hour meditation session that
\nstarts at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n
Don't know how to meditate? Just take part in the five free
\nlessons held every day starting at 7:15 p.m. Before the economic
\ncrisis, quite a number of visitors from various countries joined
\nthe meditation classes.<\/p>\n
The course focuses on Raja Yoga, the king of all yogas, which
\nrecognizes the intrinsic spirituality and goodness of every human
\nbeing. It is hoped that people will rediscover the goodness
\nwithin themselves through practicing Raja Yoga.<\/p>\n
The yoga focuses on people's minds and does not involve any
\nphysical positions or physical aids, but rather focuses on
\npracticing meditation, concentration and realization (being in a
\nstate of total concentration).<\/p>\n
Raja Yoga is taught as a way to promote peace.<\/p>\n
\"We share what we have. If we have negative feelings of anger,
\nfear and revenge, it is those feelings that will be spread to
\nothers. Thus we want to change them into peace, happiness and
\nlove,\" said Wilson, who started co-ordinating activities at the
\nMeditation Shop in Ubud in 1995.<\/p>\n
Wilson realizes not all of the visitors will experience the
\nreal yoga. \"Maybe some get a lot, others just a tickle,\" he said.<\/p>",
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