Monday 2 December 2013

Monday, November 25th, 2013

Cool Cuba!
 
Matanzas, Cuba
 
It´s winter so water can be rough, like it is today. Hayagriva, my assistant monk and I, consider that the waves on the Atlantic were doable for a swim, but we stayed at the edge. After a fight with the waves and a good attempt at singing mantras simultaneously, we went to dry as the local lifeguard came around only out of curiosity.
 
“Where are you from?”  he asked.
 
“Canada,” said Hayagriva who manages in Spanish. We let people know we are part of a spiritual mission: Krishna Consciousness.
 
This is my fourth trip to Cuba and I can see the family is slowly growing. In Matanzas, the home of Hari Keli has become a regular meeting place for enthusiasts in bhakti yoga. Little has been done to the building repairs and needs. Foreign finance seems to be the way to resolve that problem. Devotees who joined the Salwan family and I, came from Alberta and are offering to help.
 
The greeting of local people, who mostly have converted to vegetarianism and bhakti, was a resounding welcome. Such zeal! They are so genuine in their devotional expression. My dear friend, Iksvaku, is here to do the translation for a class I gave on the lesson number one from the Bhagavad-gita; that is the soul’s persistent journey through various lives.  “If death comes tomorrow, don’t lament. A new body awaits you.”  Several times I used the phrase, “Why Cry?” and the group repeated the message. It was as if they were learning a Sanskrit mantra and some English at the same time. In any event, the message, well, they got it, at least in rational perimeters.
 
Nitai from Edmonton, Canada, has a reputation for bhajan singing and he led a killer kirtan, although his voice could have used some amplification. Folks here just can’t afford to buy or to rent. You’re lucky to earn $15 US or Canadian in a month.
 
To highlight the evening apart from chanting, the youth enacted a drama written by Alberto, a playwright. That sure pulled my heartstrings.
 
May the Source be with you!
 
5 KM

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