Friday, September 20th, 2013

Love And Not Logic Conquers

Grassy Lake, Alberta

“The best things in life aren’t things” is a saying that fits our lifestyle description quite well.  Daruka and I have every item we need to sustain our simple program.  It’s very little though – an old car, a small supply of food in a picnic cooler, our humble clothes (in my case, robes), our tent, and a bank card that withdraws from our account and then replenishes itself in an ever so ‘just enough’ manner.  We have our Gitas which purge our brains.

I should say there’s more though, there is the road and with it, the people.  One motorist stopped to talk, his name is Sibhu, and he’s from South India.  We got to discussing about the various forms of yoga – karma, bhakti, ashtanga, jnana.  Jnana refers to logic, or analytical processing.   Bhakti, the yoga of the heart is my prescription, which is also inclusive of the other forms of yoga.  Bhakti addresses love, not mundane, but divine love.  It may be interpreted as being emotional or sentimental.  My argument with Sibhu was a bhakti yogi is so trained to keep a lid on extreme emotions. Ultimately bhakti expresses emotions and appreciation for the Ultimate Source.

“Logic,” I explained, “does not conquer, but love does.  Love for the Divine is more powerful than logical thinking and philosophical speculation.”  Subhu also took the position that we have to go beyond a deity.  I agreed.  We can acknowledge the beyond factor in divine sound such as in chanting.  For the world in which we live, pure sound vibration transforms people.

I believe that Sibhu who admitted to not being raised in conventional ways couldn’t speak from a full devotional experience, yet he didn’t dismiss my position.  I met him on his way home from an evening shift, he works with the handicapped.  I hope that our paths will cross again.

I spoke of appreciation for the Divine Creator at a yoga centre in Medicine Hat and then I lead a Hare Krishna chanting session.  The group seemed to get absorbed and feel the love coming from their own mouths.

Our last stop before reaching our sleeping destination for the night and a second installment of trekking was at the home of Tarun Patel and family where warmth in the form of hospitality and fuel for the tummy put a glorious crown on the day.

31 KM