Thursday March 5th, 2009

Toronto, Ontario
"The Hind-Jew"

Each day health gets progressively better, as far as leg mobility is concerned. To help me in the foot-recovery department is Maheen, a Sri Lankan cab driver. He spends 2 or 3 hours at the ashram everyday cleaning pots in kitchen, cleaning the washroom and handling garbage. Bless his soul. When I was in the prime of pain he would massage my infected right foot. Bless his soul once again. Now that I can manage to walk some distance I asked Maheen to take me to a spot in the downtown, where I would be forced to make it back to the ashram instead of walking some convenient loops. I measured a distance of 4 km, and while taking a walk (with a limp of course), I had time to reflect.

During the morning sadhana, or spiritual exercise, a presentation was made by Barry Brown, a journalist, before a group of us monks. I had intentionally invited him to speak about his passion, which is the India-Israel connection. I had known Barry for years. He was a former monk and he is also known as Baladeva, as he was initiated by our guru Srila Prabhupada. Back in 1975 he and I traveled together as monks in the southern states while on our mission most endearing was our getting arrested and jailed for 3 days; the charge being soliciting literature without a permit. That was an interesting time. I won't forget Greensborough, North Carolina and the deep south, where some people are not always so deep.

In any event, Baladeva and I and a third monk used to travel and stay in motels. We would open up the motel rooms' dresser drawer and pull out the Gideon's Bible or St.James version - Whatever they had. We would read some passages and then see some Vedic connections with ancient Indian culture. Incidentally Baladeva introduces himself to people nowadays as a "Hind-Jew". Being born Jewish and then coming to Krishna Consciousness I believe that he is really on to something when he speaks about his theory including dates and people of the pre-Jesus era. Surely the true traditions, that is Judaism and Hinduism, both having existed for thousands of years, have much in common. In his presentation, it was evident that not only these two paths he was putting into parallels, Baladeva referenced a book, "Anacalypsys" by author Geoffrey Higgins, where he says that once there was a world religion that worshipped the negro god Kresna. Higgins further went on to say that Stonehenge was a temple where Kresna was honoured. That's very interesting material, Baladeva. Keep-up the good work on your reserach.

4 Km