Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

Colours In All Holiness

 

Toronto, Ontario

Saintliness is not the monopoly of the saffron clad. In our tradition (origins, India), saffron is reserved for the celibate monks. In other traditions the colours range from light to dark in anything you can find from the rainbow. When you consider the Buddhist renunciants I’ve seen (mainly at airports) men will sport yellow or some dark ochre colour depending on the religious order. Perhaps there’s more colours I haven’t noticed.

In Christianity (my childhood background) it was the Capuchin monks that I got familiar with, they look like Francis of Assisi, with robes that cover their entire body including full sleeves and a hood attached. Many priests in the other orders are dressed in black. And in early Canadian history, a group of Jesuits if I’m not mistaken, known as ‘Black Robes’ hit the shores of the Atlantic coast with their jet black attire and matching imposing and rimmed hats.

I recall on Yonge Street years ago being approached by a man in blue jeans who made a threatening and silly remark about my dhoti and overall apparel. He said, “Jesus never wore a dress,” referring to my clothes. And I replied, “He never wore jeans, sir.” It was a moment of culture clash I guess you could say. Over this last weekend a saintly man, Nityananda Das, from Dallas, came to visit us in his dhoti and kurta (origins again from India) and he was in white. White is also a colour of the pure. He is a happily married man and his two sons are both recently married. In our tradition you can be a family man and be a priest at the same time.

Nityananda is an impressive guy. He was born in Fiji of Gurjurati background and he comes across as a highly professional devotional person. He’s articulate, sophisticated, and stand upright in an approximate 6’3” stature. His wisdom and assertiveness was much appreciated in regards to speaking powerfully about a harmonized effort to advance higher consciousness. He comes across not only like a Brahmin in his delivery, but also like a ksatriya (a king). We welcome NItyananda back for more of his precious association and his white lightening passion.

7 KM