Saturday, January 8th, 2011

The Changing Bodies Blitz

Detroit, Michigan

Before a 400 kilometre drive down the 4-0-1, the country's busiest highway, and with thru stops along the way before reaching a destination, I took to some trekking. The blitz to London, Chatham and Windsor where chosen obligations for family, friends, devotees.

In Windsor friends Tom and Betty had cooked up a simple but wholesome veggie meal which I always have the honour to consecrate before spooning to my lips. After lunch, Tom had shared an old black and white TV series with host, Boris Karloff. It was dubbed as the best series that's never been seen (don't ask why it never went on the air, I don't know).

One episode was irresistible for Tom to share. Called, "The Veil", this drama brings you to Delhi in the 20s when a young woman had received a proposal for her hand, marriage by a fellow named Krishna. She cannot accept the offer because she admits to already being betrothed to a man from her previous life. She had died prematurely, you can say, leaving behind a husband and a son, Ram (played by George Hamilton) who is about her own age.

The story is fun. It pokes at the plausible scenario of reincarnation. The girl's mom speaks with more of a Transylvanian accent than a woman from Delhi and George looks half Indian. The only thing that qualifies the piece as Indian apart from the subject, which India cannot monopolize a claim to, is the use of the word, "Namaskar!" Produced in the fifties (is my guess) the production was a real honest attempt at looking out-of-the-box for that time. I admired the attempt.

Speaking of reincarnation and our trip, the two other monks, Surya and Deva and I, we felt as if we stepped into different bodies. Each stopover, each place was different, although we remained the same persons. Our last reincarnation was in Detroit where we were greeted by a most vibrant community including some who trailed over from Ohio.

What a day! Much was accomplished in solidifying relationships. Detroit, not only being in another place but country, was just the icing on the cake, as I had the opportunity to speak from the Gita on Krishna's sublime nature.

4 KM