Montreal, Quebec
The Noise of Winter
I set out at 3 AM. Overnight snowplows had scraped the streets addressing the surprised flurries. Even at this hour, you hear the occasional home snow shovel scratching a concrete surface. Someone, somewhere is moving the white fluff in order to make a walking passageway.
I’m doing alright and contributing to music with a crunch crunch sound of my boots gripping the snow. Snow doesn’t make sound, but it invites. Somehow, snow is a silencer and a softener of sorts. I can appreciate being in its presence.
I came indoors after some time to partake in sadhana. Hours later I met with Khosro Shemiranie, editor in chief of Journal Hafteh, geared to the Iranian/Afghan community. Khosro and I sat in ISKCON’s library room with the window to our backs. Khosro asked questions pertinent to spirituality, mainly honing in on the concept of fear.
I offered to say that fear is dealing with the unknown and living with the uncertainty of being harmed. It is a component of life.
He also asked me about my major walks, and how fear played into these treks. I told him that initially I carried the fear of whether I’d be accepted or not. Would a public that’s mostly secular embrace the notion of a monk who hails from a tradition not yet well known. Khosro wanted to know if I had overcome that fear, and I said, “Yes, people seem to accept the principle of pilgrimage and the good workout that goes along with it.” I explained that as long as you bear self confidence, believing in your own spirit as distinct from the body, people will end up admiring who you are and what you are doing.
As we spoke with that window to our backs, I was actually angled in such a way as to catch a glimpse of the outdoors. I could see that snow had turned into crystallized ice on the trees. Suddenly, a branch of a tree snapped off, and it came crashing down with all the crystals. It came with an incredible noise, the noise of a wintery day.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM
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