Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Tuesday, Dec.11/07 - Toronto, Ont.
Over the past few days there have been several visits to homes of congregational members that has kept the stomach content.
A satsang is a program designed for giving and gaining good association., speaking on spiritual topics, conducting some chanting with refreshments to cap off the program. These refreshments are usually very hefty and a swami is advised to bring an entourage to help share in the honoring of delcicious food. Satsang programs are usually held at the home of someone who invites family and friends to participate. The living room or basement facility becomes occupied with people while the kitchen is equally busy. Several years ago the United Church of Canada’s national magazine “The Observer” described a satsang quoting me as a transcendental Tupperware party. Seriously though, they are an enriching experience. When people sometimes ask what has happened to the Hare Krishna’s (“We used to see you at airports or on the streets.”) I can frankly answer that satsangs are one of the vents that keeps us busy these days.
For me the real “juice” of the event is in the chanting and the speaking. The food (prasadam) is a bonus.
Out of the house and into the zone of good clean air, one monk, one nun and I strolled (and slid) through Moore Park ravine. Now white haven, the snow laden tight valley offers an ideal peaceful setting for chanting on beads and accumulating kilometers for good health and mind. But serenity broke when one of us packed a snowball and fired it at another. I cannot exactly recall how the snow warfare broke out but all I can say is that becoming a child for a few minutes is as relieving as a good foot massage.
6 kms.