The Road to Dharma

It's mid-September,

and these Indian monsoon rains

have lasted a month longer than usual.

It's not what I expected

for my second motorcycle journey

into the Himalayas with my guru.

On our first journey, I didn't even know how to ride,

- but face the fear of death... -

...and I've come of age.

Now, together with my teacher,

we'll take the group on what's more than adventure

It's a pilgrimage.

Sheered cliffs,

- road killer traffic... -

...high altitude hiking,

all to reach four sacred Himalayan peaks

in search of inner freedom.

But these monsoon rains

have been washing out villages,

destroying bridges and roads

that lead to the four sacred peaks.

But every adventure,

every pilgrimage has its challenges,

especially when we're seeking something as precious

and elusive as freedom.

Whatever world we inhabit,

we start creating myths and symbols and...

start giving meaning to things that they don't have.

And it takes deep courage to even pay attention to it.

How am I part of a little bubble

and how am I wasting my life trying to maintain that bubble?

So one has to ask oneself.

Why would I not alter?

Why would I not alter this world that I inhabit?

Why would I not pop out of this bubble?

How am I being enslaved by the world I inhabit?

Am I the world or the world is me?

- -

This is not a journey to feel better.

Do you understand?

You come here to transcend.

The base camp for our journey

is Rishikesh, India,

where I've been coming yearly for the last nine years.

I consider it my second home,

and the world considers it the birthplace of Yoga.

We're nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas

and right along the banks of the holy and mighty

Ganga River.

It's a place of ashrams, of yogis,

that only in recent years, as this boom of Yoga and spirit,

has spread across the world,

has become a bustling place of tourist,

a place of commerce, pilgrimage, adventure,

and a hotbed for those seeking truth.

When I come to India, it's to study with my teacher

and our leader on this pilgrimage, Anand,

who, although younger than I,

possesses the wisdom of the sages.

He grew up here, on the lap of his guru,

when Rishikesh was just a small, small town.

Leopards, elephants, deep jungle.

Just the bells of the ashrams

and rarely the sound of a car or a honk.

Look at this mango tree.

I used to climb up here then sleep sometimes.

-Climb up on top. - You sleep?

Yeah, sleep on the branch.

-You've never done it? -No. You, you hang something?

No, you sleep. You go up,

and then you let your legs hang on one side,

on your arms maybe, then sleep.

Have you ever sleep... slept on a tree?

No, never.

In one sense there's this deep tradition.

Walking with guru and student on these paths

said to have been walked for thousands of years.

When the mountain has always been

a little more radical, modern, adventurous,

and some might say even too risky.

He had a Vedic prophecy

that he'd die in an accident in his late 20s.

But despite that, we rode over the highest paths.

Some might also say that I, too...

am too risky.

Two years ago, I had never ridden a bike,

and went on a trip with Anand and seven others

over the highest road in the world, the highest pass,

and basically, learned how to ride in India

amidst the altitudes, the snows, and the traffic.

And for myself, I have this passion,

this desire to transform,

to walk deep into the Himalayas,

to motorcycle again

through this adventurous traffic and cliffs

and see what is just inside me that is dying...

dying to die.

Dying to crack open.

What part of me wants to...

...relinquish...

and show the light that has, uh...

been, you know, saying, "Hey, hey! What about me?"

This is who I am, yeah.

The eight riders and the eight passengers

will arrive tomorrow.

Most are new to India, to Anand,

and some are even new to riding.

They'll get the exact trip details when we meet.

But they all know we're in for something

more than a yoga class,

more than a wisdom talk,

and more than a motorcycle adventure.

It's a real quest to four sacred sites

and will each reveal to us aspects of freedom.

Kedarnath,

Tungnath,

Badrinath,

and Hemkund Sahib

and it's hidden Valley of Flowers.

We get there

to a mix of road killer motorcycle traffic,

washed-out roads,

high altitude hiking,

all while being pushed by a guru.

Pushed to go inside and pushed to go deep.

So it's fitting that this pilgrimage begins here

at the deep and powerful Himalayan-fed Ganga River,

which, much like our journey,

is incredibly sacred

yet incredibly dangerous.

I don't think I'm gonna swim across the Ganga like last year.

The river is really, really high from all this flooding, so...

I mean, Anand was talking about jumping off the bridge

into the Ganga and then swimming across, but...

it's not something I want to do.

And so, the monsoons have lasted

over a month later than normal.

Not only making the Ganga flood,

but causing problems throughout the hillsides,

the towns...

and our road to the first sacred peak.

Twenty-nine, 31 people died.

Twelve injured, 29 disappeared.

Still not found.

Because of the road went or is this through a village?

-"...on the way..." -"On the way..."

-So the... -Midnight.

"At midnight, the cloudburst happened and..."

Wow.

Wow.

There's so many cloudburst in one, in one season, you know?

- - Oh, god.

Yeah.

- It was the rain? -Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So the road to the first peak, Kedarnath,

is experiencing cloudburst and flash floods.

It's clear this isn't a journey for beginners.

But the first rider to arrive was just that.

She learned how to ride a motorcycle

just six weeks ago.

As soon as I saw the film,

I raised my hand and told Adam, "I got to go!"

But, like Adam,

I don't know how to ride a motorcycle.

And so, the fears that have been coming up

came up while I was on the motorcycle

the very first day.

I scratched up my arm, I got dismissed,

I fell three times, I smashed into a wall.

But I knew I needed to go so I didn't quit.

Look at that. Oh, my god.

I'm impressed.

I'm really looking forward to leaving less than 12 hours.

Like, less than 12 hours and I'll be on a plane

to the Himalayas.

And, I just feel like, man, this is just...

This is gonna change my life. This is going to change...

It's like changing my fingernail polish,

except it's gonna be permanent.

I'm so excited!

Ciao!