Monday, June 14th, 2010

Corrections, Ruins and Pasta

Calcata, Italy

At Villa Vrindavana I was asked to speak again this morning from the book Bhagavatam, Canto 4.

The theme of the day was “punishment” and it's place in our world. Its a touchy topic in some way.

Some people have naturally been at the recipients’ end and did not feel that it helped matters. Some people will tell you that discipline is highly necessary in order for there to be correction. We also talked about punishments of the past that have been clearly causes of abuse. Surly the role of Guru is to give direction and correction when needed and physical punishment is never even a consideration. One of the key points addressed in the purport explanation by our guru, Srila Prabhupada, is that all things be done with sensitivity and compassion and as he puts it “without vengeance and with love”

We spoke about the mood of “sentimentality” and how the world with its combination “senses and mind” can get you into trouble. We could try to steer away from self-pity scenarios, be less of a victim and more of a victor kind of person.

As far as how I’m being treated goes, all I can say is that everyone in Italy is very loving. I was taken to a new destination, the home of Mukunda, a 34 year devotee just outside of Rome. He drove me to a conservation area along the Treja River. As we walked the trail he pointed out to me a wild boar with her piglets. Then he pointed up to an ancient town, Calcata (sounding like the city in India). These beyond the thick vegetation on the top of volcanic cliffs is a city occupied by hippies and artists-

A city sat there since 700 A.D

We decided after the trek to drive up to what could have been ruins if it had not been for the rescue of the free spirit people. A patron saint of the town, Antonio, is remembered with a memorial image at the entrance of the tight and narrow nooks and lane ways.

What a charmer of a place this is.

Mukunda also took me to a cave at the edge of a cliff, a place he’s thinking of purchasing.

“It could be ideal as a retreat place” he said.

“Imagine the chanting and the music you could have here”?

I could see his point

Our day ended with some pasta in our bellies, compliments of Mukundas wife, Anubhava.

9 KM