Experience in supreme love
Nausheen Rahman recommends a strangely soothing book
The blurb on the cover says that Elizabeth Gilbert's latest bestseller is "One Woman's Search for Everything"; this woman is Elizabeth herself. Set in three different countries (Italy, India and Indonesia), the book is thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking and generously sprinkled with words of wisdom. The search Gilbert is talking about involves a search for peace and for the real person in herself. She sets off on this year-long quest all by herself also to find a balance between pleasure and devotion. Elizabeth, the central character of this superbly written book, is in her mid-thirties and has recently gone through a very painful divorce. A passionate but stormy love affair had followed, which, too, has ended. She is very disillusioned with life in general, and romance and men in particular. She has nightmares, and feels very unsettled and unsure of everything. She goes first to Italy and, in her "pursuit of pleasure", she indulges herself (but is determined to stay celibate)!! She derives pleasure from learning the beautiful Italian language and eating plenty of the even more beautiful Italian food. However, her loneliness and sadness persist. Elizabeth gives us a panoramic view of the city of Rome, its people, the language and the food. Other lovely cities, Venice, Florence, Sicily, are visited and described. In the midst of all the aesthetic pleasure, we come across stirring thoughts: "Even in the eternal city, says the silent Augusteam, one must always be prepared for riotous and endless waves of transformation." Elizabeth says she had come to Italy "pinched and thin", but was leaving it knowing that she had "collected" herself, "through the enjoyment of harmless pleasures, into somebody much more intact." (In other words, she had put on considerable weight). Her next destination is a tiny, remote village in India, where she goes on a "pursuit of devotion". She tells us about her life in an Ashram, the different types of meditation and of yoga (Sanskrit for "union"), etc. Very skillfully, she blends Western and Eastern philosophy (Freud's ideas, sayings by Sufis and so on). We get spirituality in its pristine state, side by side with a no-holds-barred sensual and sensuous language. The concept of God, the "all-inclusive and unspeakable entity", is marvellously arrived at, at various stages of this book, which is not easy to place in a particular genre. Being attracted by the "transcendent mystics" of all religions, Elizabeth Gilbert's version of God is "an experience of supreme love"; she says she believes in 'a magnificent God'. She also has a lot of faith in her Guru, an Indian woman. (The word 'Guru', we are told, is made up of two syllables, which mean "darkness" and "light"). She wants to be very close to God, but without becoming a monk, without totally giving up worldly pleasures. Her writing is a candid exposition of her own character flaws in a disarmingly honest and straightforward style. The book contains quotations which are like revelations because although we are not unaware of the ideas, they cause us to look at spirituality with new eyes: 1) "Our whole business in this life is to restore to health the eye of the heart whereby God may be seen", (St. Augustine); 2) "Meditation is both the anchor and the wings of yoga. Meditation is the way"; 3) "There's a difference between meditation and prayer, though both practices seek communion with the divine. ---- Prayer is the act of talking to God, while meditation is the act of listening". In today's mad, complex world, comes Eat Pray Love, a book we can enjoy on various levels. Reading about yoga and meditation is the next best thing to practicing yoga and meditation. Elizabeth is constantly talking to herself and to God, analysing, questioning, facing up to facts. She has a very hard time with some of the rigorous rituals in the ashram, but manages to overcome most of the difficulties through her willpower. We realize the truth of "Destiny is a relationship a play between divine grace and willful self-effort." All through the narration, we also see the writer's ability to view things and situations humorously. She leaves India after having found "acres of grace". Her last stop is Indonesia; this leg of her journey is called "Pursuit of Balance". She arrives in Bali where two years back, an old Balinese medicine man had predicted she would return. Her stay there is full of interesting episodes with intriguing characters. She finds her palmist medicine man, Ketul Liyer (who treats all kinds of ailments and can be anywhere between 60 and 105 years old). She befriends a Balinese healer, Wayan Nuriyasih; this woman, also, in her late thirties, is a "hands-on doctor". One very touching episode is where Elizabeth helps collect funds to buy Wayan a house. It also gives us an insight into the "culture of poverty". We are shown the wonders of healing, come to know of the "Four Brothers Meditation", a not-often-heard-of meditation and read about the communal life of the Balinese in which the family compound is the most vital thing. Elizabeth meets a few eligible men and receives compliments; this sets her thinking: "Am I young and beautiful? I thought I was old and divorced". Her relationship with Felipe, a charming Brazilian in his mid-fifties, develops. It is through this development that the writer finally understands herself. She gradually resolves her doubts and fears on her own. In the process, we get a peek into her soul. We embark upon a soul-searching journey with the author, but into the bargain, also get a good dose of wit, humor and romance, a romance which is a lovely mixture of fairytale and hard-core reality. This book has been made into a film. Julia Roberts, who plays the leading role, says she is giving this book to all her girlfriends. My suggestion to everyone is not to see the movie before reading the book.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments