Let Me Carry You Home
Susan Kiskis, a native of New York City, realized around the age of 20 that she needed to learn more about religion and find peace within herself and with God. This began her journey to India and her new-founded relationship with Buddhism.
She chronicled this trip in a new book, Let Me Carry You Home. Her story to finding enlightenment was not easy, but India taught her how to come home to herself. Kiskis’ experience with the dancing, chanting, happy Hindus, led her to search for God in India.
Instead of finding the divine, she ran down the stone ramp of Hawa Mahal escaping from men following her. On the road to Sarnath, her husband tried to shield her eyes from the bloody remains of a man, the latest victim of India’s lawless traffic.
Dirty children with torn clothing at Dungeshwari Caves asked for money, but settled for sweets instead. Military guards lined the streets in Bodh Gaya during election day, while a stray dog slept near a Buddhist nun.
In Varanasi, the smoke of the cremation ghats reminded Kiskis of the short life we live. In each city, Kiskis racked up a list of sins, from pretending not to see the woman with blue-black skin at the train station in Mumbai begging for money, to walking away from a dog covered in maggots tucked up into a corner in an alleyway in Varanasi.
Neem Karoli Baba said, “Love everyone. Feed everyone. Remember God.” In the middle of India, Kiskis found herself surrounded by the unrelenting cruelty of mankind.
She lost God. She lost her own compassion. She lost herself- until she finally understood what her guru meant when he whispered, “Let me carry you home.”
Kiskis is a non-fiction author. She is also a certified yoga teacher, activist, and public speaker. Based in Pennsylvania, her books are guided by her intuition and inspired by her deeply seeded case of wanderlust.
