“We Are Jewish”
Toronto, Ontario
After doing a marathon and suddenly coming to a halt, or even a break (as in my case), it is easy to go through some withdrawal symptoms. I have been habituated to a 30 plus km daily jaunt. With a flight from Regina to Toronto eating up time and then an engagement with an “Evening of Bhakti” I then end up at the same juncture many times before. With no real physical activity today I am left destitute.
It’s quite simple to understand. I just can’t fall asleep even though it’s past midnight. What to do?
I’ve learned from the past to just get up and start walking. So I picked up my reclining self and went down the Yonge St. trail.
Two fellows approach me at the stoplight at Yonge & Bloor. “Are you Hare Krishna?”
“Yes I am!”
“Can you give us some truth, something to think about? We are Jewish, by the way.”
The light changed. We started walking. And I said, “Yes, essentially we are not these bodies. We are the spirit within the body. Establish who you really are first. You are not a machine (this body). You are the engine inside the machine.”
“That’s good,” said the one guy.
“We come from a Jewish background.”
“Jews and India get along. I go there every year,” I explained. “I have lots of friends who are Jews.”
“Yeah, well, we’re hated all over the world but not in India.”
“India has always been accommodating, especially the Hindu mindset. Tolerance, patience is taught.”
We then parted our ways as they took a different route. They know “our place”, our ashram on Avenue.
“Please come and visit us when you can.”
After a trek up and down what was a noisy street I returned back to the ashram and slept like a baby.”
8 KM
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