Thursday 8 January 2009

Sunday, January 4th, 2009

Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

I will not speak of snow any longer. The weather here on the west coast insists on not freezing but only near-freezing. The end result is a world of slush, a wet mud and snow substance. Routine has it that I must trek through whatever the ground offers. Only rarely do I get discouraged. A brave entourage accompanied me this morning.

When you think about what our feet traverse over in one lifetime, we contact many substances. Today it's slush. Other days it's ice, snow or mud, sand, gravel, pavement, grass, rocks, etc. I remember being raised on the farm and how Jerry, my brother, and I slid on those rubber boots and would spend hours pitching manure onto the manure spreader while stepping in the soggy stuff all day. These are all very diverse forms of ground that support us.

In the evening I was asked to speak about ground. To be more specific I was asked to speak to our Burnaby congregational gathering about the land of Kuruksetra. Chapter One, Verse One of the Bhagavad-gita identifies the sacredness of this vast tract of land south of the Himalayan Foothills. It was there that major spiritual functions took place, a major combat that created a blood-drenched land. More significant is that here was the ground upon which Krishna Himself spoke delineating on the subject of inner healing.

For me, speaking about philosophical and moral truths makes me a happy chappy. I'm right at home there enjoying it as much as a slush walk.

5 Km

Burnaby, British Columbia, January 2009, 13 images

No comments: