For some it may come as a surprise, for others it is nothing new; Tim will go on an unpaid leave for 6 months, of which he spends about 5 months in India and the United States.
Why? I’ve been engaged in Hinduism for many years now, sometimes more intensely than others. But I’m convinced that the Hindu philosophy of the vaisnavas suits me best. After two years spending at the workplace, I’ve decided it is very important to spend time on this.
On the 2nd of February my flight leaves to India where I’ll go to Vrindavana. This is a holy place for most Hindus. So you can say it is a pilgrimage. On the 19th of February my flight leaves to San Francisco where I’ll spend 4,5 months in a Hindu monastery. Here I’ll deepen my knowledge of the philosophy and its daily practice. I’ll also aid the monks with their daily duties from website maintenance, cooking to building a new temple.
Some people have asked me why I’m going to a monastery in the US. The reason is simple. I feel at home in the US, but even more I feel at home at a monastery where the monastics adapt the philosophy to modern circumstances without losing sense of the centuries old truths.

I’ll update this website during my journey, so keep posted if you’re interested. Always feel free to comment.