A Mouse In Our Temple
Toronto, Ontario
A church mouse had made his presence at the cozy lounge corner of our temple room. He was small and cute but staggering about, I don't know why.
It was slightly embarrassing, you see, because a school teacher came a moment early as students were just trailing in. The teacher adored him until he was caught in a cup by one of our brahmacari monks and released in the park near the Prabhupada tree.
We were compelled to wonder what good fortune the little critter has gone through being inside a temple, hearing mantra meditation and perhaps having the luck to nibble on some crumbs of sanctified food, prasadam? The other question arose, "What kind of pious or devotional activities did this little guy perform to bring on this auspiciousness or good fortune, being in a sacred space?"
It was saint Bhaktivinod who expresses in one of his songs that he didn't mind being in a bug's body so long as he would be born in the home of holy activity. There would be so much merit and benefit in that.
It happened that where the mouse did his little dance, at the cozy lounge corner of the temple room, that two groups of students from Thomas Merton Secondary School sat to hear from our humble self about the Absolute. Prodded on by the teachers to offer some advice to the grade Eleven pupils, I was inspired to say, "I know some of you are checking out the options of enticement out there. There's parties and other forms of experimentation but as long as you maintain a spiritual base you will always be protected and be fortunate.
6 KM
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