Habana, Cuba
My old friend, the Malecon, the sea wall on Cuba's north coast in Habana,
allowed me to walk by its side. I introduced Hayagriva to this
fourth-time-around visit to the wall where couples hang out in the evening.
Both of us looked suspicious as we carried our meditation beads in their
pouches. As we walked along the seaside across from an embassy, security took
notice and radio waved some message to each other as we passed by them.
Suspicion is still a reality especially in Cuba's capital where very strong political
statements are made that span municipal billboards. When we left the Malecon to
adventure into a residential street a squatting man raised his eyebrows and
asked about the pouches, or what we called bead bags. He admitted that he
thought they were a gun with bullets. Three years ago a young lad mistook the
bag for a money holder, yanked the bag off my neck and ran off with it; never
to be seen again. He must have been disappointed at its contents: a strand of
35 year worn down meditation beads.
I relayed my story
about suspicions to a group of 40-or-so theology students under Professor Hans
guidance at a university hall. The pouch I demonstrated with beads was a new
image for some of them. The presentation was geared around the philosophy of
the Bhagavad-gita and it took a clean one hour to explain the text which
outlines a soul's great moment of doubt. An equal amount of time was taken for
answering questions.
To recall a few of
them:
1) "You mentioned that the Bhagavad-gita lists some of the traits of
the soul. What are they? Can a soul's material dharma and spiritual dharma be
combined? Are Christ and Krishna the same?"
1) The soul possesses the attributes of sat: eternity, cit: cognizance, and
ananda: pleasure
2) The Gita's message largely encourages to use your material talents in
the service of God.
3) Christ and Krishna are one and different. Their purpose is the same:
they are different individuals. in the Gita Krishna declares Himself as father
to all and Christian theologians, at least some, declare Christ as the son of
the father.
7 KM
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