Saturday, January 4th, 2014

THE WALKING MONK SEES BEAUTY DESPITE DEVASTATION...

 

Toronto, Ontario

 

Gorgeous After All

 

From a plane or bird’s eye view, 17% of the city is tree, bush, or grass covered (now snow). The recent ice storm pulled down and disturbed much of this natural wealth. It’s unsettling to see this at first glance.

 

I caught a personal glimpse of the damage done while walking a...long what was the ancient aboriginal trail on Davenport Avenue. Currently, it’s a curvy road situated by a modest escarpment. Whatever still remains of many trees stripped of substantial branches appears barren. Someone will say that it will make way for new growth. I suppose it’s true.

 

I decided, in the course of the trek, to just sit on a bench by a park, to lean back and absorb the brightness of the day with sun and reflector snow combined to bathe the face. I then dwelt on the Gita’s words, bhuta grama sa evayam bhutva bhutva praliyate, “vice is invoked and then put to rest repeatedly.”

 

Under direction, nature will recycle, replenish, it tends to demonstrate defeat with one season and then show hope in another. With a white blanket she puts all that’s visible to sleep, and it’s often done with a soft gesture. She’s not always stormy. Then, with time, which is the most powerful demo of the deva (God), everything awakens.

 

Near my bench, a jet black squirrel scurried about over the snow cover, checking out lunch possibilities. Maybe he was hoping I was giving handouts. Others have probably done the favour before, but I admit to being a meagre donor. My pocket was empty. I decided to give a mantra.

 

Here goes, “Hare Krishna. Can you hear me little fellow? Does it excite you? And stir up a Saturday night fever?”

 

He wasn’t listening I suppose, but I appreciated his presence anyway as he dashed off. He seemed resilient over an apparent devastation by nature. Granted, we are not talking of the aftermath of a war zone, quite. We are just looking at a physical transition of nature, as branches had fallen in different directions. This park will take on a new face before long at springtime. There was actually some beauty in what I saw and I didn’t have to strain to see it when understanding the purpose of the transition. Here you have it, black-barren trees, upright and strewn, and then a bushy tailed black is beautiful little guy poking around against a pure white backdrop. It’s all downright gorgeous.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

6 KM