Saturday, February 13th, 2016

Saturday, February 13th, 2016
Montreal, Quebec

Underground Sound

The pace back and forth inside Govinda’s restaurant with chairs and tables to the side was very well warranted.  For two reasons I felt it so.  Number one is that my good friends, Parama, Mathieu, and the chief/chef of the place, Shankar did the same- pacing up and down while chanting meditatively.  I rarely see them and, hence, felt that precious moments are hard to come by.  I couldn’t see myself going out for a trek alone.

The number two reason was that it was extremely frigid outside.  Skies were clear.  The sun shone.  The cold spell is on at -40 degrees Celsius including the wind factor.

Before leaving this Ottawa region we took some snap shots of the Parliament Buildings outdoors.  The buildings are handsome, but the weather-- too cold.

It was smart that the devotees in Montreal planned for us to have an all-out kirtan session in the heated underground Metro, the city’s transit system.  Indeed it was warm- too warm.  About twenty of us made it to the depths of heat at the Snowdon station.  For the passersby we provided a perky sound, one that some might like to sprint to.  Ultimately the sound is meant to be a serenade to Krishna.

Ah, yes, if only we could truly be in love with God!

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Friday, February 12th, 2016

Friday, February 12th, 2016
Nepean, Ontario

In the Freezer

“Winter’s finally set in,” said the dog sitters who took that break for her squatting puppy.  Of course she was speaking to me, although you’ll catch a lot of pet owners to have long conversations with their animals.

Another dog walker braved the powers of winter along this same trail.  Unaffected in spirit, he broke into a smile and noting the wind’s direction he remarked, “It’s great to have the wind on your back, isn’t it?”

I concurred.

I had this dire need to be out in the thick of the cold dynamic, being cooped up inside for some hours.  “Do not be intimidated,” is my motto.  The forces of weather can be fierce.  The beauty of it is that you can take it in a very spiritual way.  It can make the man meek.

As today’s sun fell, so did additional snow.  It did deter some people from coming to the evening’s sanga held in the home of Surendra. Those who turned up were happy for the occasion because this evening we were destined to have fun.

I read from the story of Arjuna’s kidnapping Subhadra.  This would make a stupendous drama.  When I read it I realized I have to be sensitive to some of the audience as these tales are new to their ears and the stories details may fly over their heads. For example, a question may arise such as “How can one approve of kidnapping?”  In actuality Subhadra, the princess, was totally consensual to the relationship with Arjuna, while some family members couldn’t agree- at least in the beginning.

The pastimes of Krishna and His friends require some clarification like most any subject matter. That then should serve to end confusion.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Thursday, February 11th, 2016

Thursday, February 11th, 2016
Nepean, Ontario

Some Rail, Some Trail

Via Rail has these new trains and I was a fortunate passenger to board one of them, destined for Fallowfield, one stop before Ottawa, the nation’s capital city.  Surendra, my host, was there to meet me at the station after a super comfortable ride.

At his home I was treated by him and his good spouse, Sushma, to a great meal featuring bindi (okra).  Their young daughter, Yashira, had gone to school to watch the student’s performance of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

I was committed to at least an hour’s walk which I accomplished, always, by the mercy of guru and Krishna.  It felt like minus 15 Celsius but we Canadians are used to that at this time of year, eh!

Such conditions can be very conducive for concentration on the maha-mantra.  The trail and the night were of an ultimate quiet, all but for one pedestrian near Longfield station.  There were no other people.  I may have said this before, that prescribing to chanting in an indoor environment can be a temptation to talk about whatever.

Today’s most enthusing moment arose from a reading and discussion from the Bhagavatam 2.1.6. It sets the goal for us all.

“The highest perfection of human life, achieved wither by complete knowledge of matter and spirit, by practice of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead.

The objective in life is to meditate on the Absolute.  How you achieve this is through the system of being a jnani, or yogi, or karmi but “the finishing touch” as put by author, Srila Prabhupada, is to make contact with strong devotional person.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Wednesday, February 10th, 2016

Wednesday, February 10th, 2016
Toronto, Ontario

A Source of Happiness

I did considerable soft-pounding on the snowy forest-trail.  The images before me were leafless trees that reveal more bark than anything outside of their height and width.  Millions of footprints, both human and canine, are hard to distinguish unless close-up.  You see, it is all one soft and wonderful white surface before you.  It is something that bears its own beauty.

I had gone solo on the late afternoon period.  It allowed for some low-volume chanting and brisk walking.  I couldn’t say that I missed traffic as I relished the time in the ravine.  And I can admit that spotting that low blue spruce bush struck my fancy.  Clumps of the white stuff clung to its needled branches.  Only browned brittle leaves fallen from deciduous trees remained trapped in an interspersed.  It’s actually gorgeous.

For some people a two hour foot-journey in the nippy cold would be an austerity.  For me, I thrive on this kind of thing.  It’s voluntary and not even sacrifice.

So for as sacrifice is concerned I like something I read from the Gita today which should

possibly ring as truth to the ears of many.  Bhagavad-gita 4:31 “O best of the Kuru Dynasty, without sacrifice one can never live happily on this planet or in this life: what then of the next?” Happiness is something we all chose to have.  It doesn’t always come naturally.  You do have to make some endeavour.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Tuesday, February 9th, 2016

Tuesday, February 9th, 2016
Toronto, Ontario

No Thanks, I’m…

Anne Lise, who co-ordinates chanting sessions for Bhakti Lounge, had offered to stop by with Uber Taxi to give Uttama and I a lift to the venue.  The venue was at 569 Spadina Ave. with Toronto U., at the Multi-Faith Centre.

“Anne Lise,” I said, “thank you for the offer but I really need to walk every day.  “This is my opportunity.”  So Uttama, with mrdunga drum strapped around him with care, and I took to the halk-hour trek there and back.  Common mantra for the past has been, “No thanks, I’m walking!”

Now if I may correct myself, if maya, the personification of illusion, was to be a true vixen with me I would use the mantra, “No thanks, I’m chanting.”  I would not blurt it out but mentally I would refuse to indulge in things perceived as adharmic, unprincipled.

The turn-out for the event was small.  Chris and Elizabeth showed up, and so did Kathamrta as well as Anne Lise. With Uttama and I, that makes six.  Together we did chant and together, in a circle we did dance.  That was clearly the direction we were going in.  We were making what you could say sattvic body movements, all motivated by the chant.

We got our work-out in.  We were a six-pack.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Monday, February 8th, 2016

Monday, February 8^th, 2016                                           
Toronto, Ontario

Death For Sure

A yaksha is usually described in the Vedic literatures as a nature-spirit who oversees some hidden treasure of the earth like a tree or a body of water.  In the epic tale of the “Mahabharata,” pious king Yudristhira had met a yaksha in the forest.  This yaksha was a guardian of a lake and at that lake the king was forbidden to drink from this its water until the yaksha could have some questions answered.

His questions were of a philosophical nature and the king answered each question masterfully.  One question asked was “What to you is the most amazing thing?”  To which king Yudhisthira responded by saying, “the most amazing thing in existence is that everywhere we see death taking place but one believes that he/she will not die.”

Eventually the king was permitted to drink and all was well.  It did strike me in the course of today’s walk through residential Rosedale that death is all around.  I received information that a young man-- we met at his father’s birthday ten days prior-- had been shot to death at his home in Guyana.  Thieves were attempting to break in.

On that same day I received an e-mail stating how one of my travelling partners in my earlier monk years, Subal by name, got hit by a tractor-trailer while cycling in Vancouver.  He didn’t make it to the hospital.

As painful as it is to be the recipient of such bad news on the topic of a sudden passing, we must be convinced that this feature of death is inevitable for all of us.  We might consider that ego allows us to believe in a false sense of immortality.  Perhaps we can conclude that the atma itself (the soul) is truly resident.  Bear in mind that the body is not.

 

My respects go to Chaitanya and Subal.

May the Source be with you!

7Km

Sunday, February 7th , 2016

Sunday, February 7^th , 2016
Scarborough/Toronto

To Walk

I was compelled to walk my last hours away

After speaking at three venues all in one day
And conjuring up what was appropriate to say
To listeners in helping them on in some way

I went for the stroll to put any closure

To this day, to give balance and utter composure
But I look around me at a world in a seizure
That is so much removed from proper procedure

Left-over Christmas, now Valentine hearts

The doors are all closed to all shopping marts

Until they do open when a new day starts
When breakfast is served with pancakes and tarts

I was compelled to walk my last hours away

After we sang a chant making us all feel okay
Away from a world we do say ‘No way Jose’
It is here at the temple we feel we’re at play

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Saturday, February 6th, 2016

Saturday, February 6^th, 2016
Toronto, Ontario

Eating Like You Should

My good friend, Akhilananda, drove up from Salem, Ohio to spend a day in a devotional environment. We did trek the Yorkville neighbourhood. He liked it until some slight pain hit him in the hips.

We did then go for some delicious Krishna food called prasadam at Govinda’s. Eating time is perhaps time-out for feeling gratitude. I was reminded of some excerpt from the book “The Higher Taste”.

“Walking through a supermarket, people may forget a very basic fact of nature- it ‘s not mom but God who makes food. There’s something mystical about the way food grows. You put a tiny seed in the ground. It sprouts, and by the mysterious life force within it a food factory arises - a tomato plant producing dozens of tasty red tomatoes, an apple tree producing bushels of sweet apples. No team of scientists anywhere has yet invented anything as amazing as the simplest green creation of God.”

On the menu was a squash soup; a lovely lentil dish called sambara; kofta, a veggie ball set in tomato sauce; aloo gobi, which is an unforgettable potoato/cauliflower curry; matar paneer, a cheese and pea combinations; basmati rice; veggie fritters known as pakora; and a flat bread called chapatti as well as other items.

It all went down well before the stomach got a chance to hurt.

Not too much of anything right?

Let’s familiarize ourselves with the well-known verse from the Gita, “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.”

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Friday, February 5th, 2016

Friday, February 5th, 2016                                                     
Toronto, Ontario

Revealing

You always find something fresh, new and revealing on a walk especially when it is outdoors as opposed to walking on the basement treadmill.  Because of the ever-changing nature of nature itself, whether it be weather or just the wear-and-tear that occurs from aging, each season unfolds a new growth and new death.  It’s never the same.

At the Brickworks, a repurposing space had begun when an old brick could have been

demolished.  Some wise and sensitive people decided that the quarry, untouched for years, had value.

Nick, Mandala and I roamed the grounds that were reintroduced to indigenous vegetation.  At one appealing spot at the bottom of the dug-out area an aesthetic blend of colour captured our eyes, with green algae water in the pond reflecting snow-cycles under a fallen, haunting tree, which held by its roots a massive clump of dirt.

At the quarry’s north cliff an ancient beaver skull was more recently found, its size being like that of a black bear, a relic left from the former ice age.

Every time I come here it’s a new face and there’s new information of a world worth viewing and reviewing.  Walking through the features of nature always fascinates and leaves you feeling reincarnated like nothing that our concrete jungle can provide.

May the Source be with you!

8 Km

Thursday, February 4th, 2016

Thursday, February 4^th, 2016                          
Toronto, Ontario

Re-Membering

When peers get together  magical things happen.  For instance one of my god brothers helped another one to get back on track to chanting his prescribed amount of japa meditation.  The fellow had fallen short of his vow to his guru in this regard for some time. So it took his buddy (a roommate) just a little coaching and hence the derailing is now history.

The person who had fallen from grace (so to speak) is now a happy chappy.  It was four of us god brothers who took to part 2 of going down memory lane.  Our additional person was Danapati who has this photographic memory about the past.  We visited our old temple, an impressive Victorian home on 187 Gerrard.  Currently an accounting firm occupies the space.  Around the corner on 109 Pembroke St. is a three story apartment building which accommodated our guru, Srila Prabhupada, in 1975. This then has sentimental value to us.

We also ventured over to Allan Gardens, one of the oldest parks in the city with an indoor botanical garden.  It was in this facility that Krishna devotees would sit amidst banana and papaya trees and do their japa chanting- meditation.  It was in those days, the early seventies, that a lotus flower just might have gone missing from this horticultural centre and would have made its way to our temple across the street, to find itself on the altar.

But I don’t think it was Gods doing.  In general I would say we were a family.  Yes the four of us were members of a family.  We were re-membering.

May the Source be with you!

5km

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016

Wednesday, February 3^rd, 2016                                   
Toronto, Ontario

By Surprise

It took us by surprise when a woman walking behind us, hearing us talk about the seventy-plus storey high-rise, began to speak to us to clarify a point.

“Yes, it was from this building that, during its construction, a massive piece of glass fell from an incredible height that came crashing down onto the street level.”

We weren’t sure if the accident occurred from this building or another one.  She went on though.

 “It’s a condo building.  You have to watch it when you walk in the area, especially at 7AM when everyone in the building wakes up for work, flushes their toilets at the same time.  Can you imagine all those people creating all the sewage at once?!”

To that remark we had a good laugh.  It was my dear friends Drupada, Garuda, Kevala and I who took this walk down memory lane.  Yorkville was the place, the haven for hippies in Canada. Garuda was one of those who lived here in the late sixties.

Someone said if Haight-Ashbury is the centre of the American hippie world, then Yorkville was Canada’s hippie heartland.  I recall coming to this street in ’71 and it was a big tourist attraction.  It was packed with people.  Many musicians started their career here.  Now, it has become a high-end posh neighbourhood.  Garuda also relayed to us where he first met Krishna monks, at the Colonnade on Bloor St. Drupada met monks at Ryerson U. just a few blocks away.  And it was the corner of Bloor that I did pioneer with Hiranyagarbha, now Professor Jan Brazinski, the Krishna consciousness movement, armed with incense and books.  It is endearing to remember these places and events.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

4Km

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016

Tuesday, February 2^nd, 2016                                                                   
Brampton, Ontario

Mild Winter

Mild winter – but grey skies

Walking in the burbs with little surprise
I thought, “If blind, but somehow wise
I could see with such special eyes.”
 

Ravine, with ducks in the creek

Happy and quacking from their own beak
Having each other in their own clique
On one’s own one is very weak.

Walking with Nanda and his big dog

By the reeds and that odd log
Now less grey, absolutely no fog
Our pace is a walk, no chance it’s a jog.

The pic on the plague shows “this is a newt
Swamp sparrow”, oh so cute
If not for birds the world is mute
Until the world can hear that flute.
 
The icy pond, not safe to tread
It would be safer to stay in bed
The first step taken could be “your dead!”
That’s what nature has always said.

The trek was too short to really enjoy
For Nanda, the dog and this old boy
But at least we engaged the legs to employ
They are our tools, they are our toys.

May the Source be with you!

 

5km

Monday, Febuary 1st, 2016

Monday, Febuary 1^st, 2016                                                                           
Georgetown/Port of Spain

Comparing Notes

Since I’ve stayed in Guyana for a few days and previously in Trinidad, it was natural to compare notes about the two places and then draw an opinion.  Even without me trying to do so, people from either territory would offer theirs.  You can always view and observe the best when on foot.  Walking the neighbourhood tells all about a place. Here’s my two cents worth in a nutshell:

Trinidad is the more prosperous place, at least up until now, with oil being pumped out.  The public reaps some benefit from this commodity.  At the same time it is more of the self-indulgent place, materialistic.

Guyana, on the other hand, rich in resources, doesn’t have much to show for itself.  I mean to say that public needs are lacking.  Here in Guyana life is less hectic and perhaps less sophisticated.

Prabhupadeva, one of our prominent leaders in Guyana also confirmed my conclusion by saying, “that’s to our advantage.”  He was saying the Guyanese are easy to take to the spiritual side of life.

I’ve been coming to these two countries for a few years and I enjoy my time immeasurably. Yesterday I took personal time with a host of people in Georgetown, so much so that I had no room for the most meager trek.  I’m also observing that the three storey buildings going up the “Nimai Pandit Study Centre” including temple, commercial kitchen for mass food distribution, monk living quarters, and restaurant, are a sign of piety that the Guyanese display.  Funds are still needed (and they are coming) to complete this glorious facility for this year, which is to open in July in honour of the 50 years since the birth of the Hare Krishna movement. 

It looks good for Guyana this year.

May the Source be with you!

5km

Sunday, January 31st, 2016

Sunday, January 31^st, 2016                                 
Georgetown, Guyana

Dry

Guyana is becoming dry like a bone, so the locals tell me.  I heard the same while in Trinidad. Little or no rain has happened for days.  Another piece of information that I find interesting is that a huge oil reserve has been found and the next-door-nation, Venezuela, is claiming a portion of Guyana as theirs.  The issue went all the way up to the United Nations.

Sounds like the face of greed rearing its ugly head.  For one’s sustenance what’s more important water or oil?  We have problems, some nature-imposed and some people-imposed.  There’s no escaping the problems of life. Still one try’s to alleviate as many problems as possible.  It’s the natural thing to do.

It might be an idea to identify the ultimate problem.  What our dear guru, Srila Prabhupada, had us acknowledge is losing our sense of real purpose.  Somewhere along the line in time we lost touch with the great Creator and came to the position of self-service.  By “missing the point” we obtain a material body wherein we attempt to play the role of God and thus live a pretentious life thinking that we will make out okay on our own.

Illusion always produces problems.  The Gita informs us that from the highest sphere to the lowest (including earth) there are problems.  Now to jump to a positive note, one young man, Satyananda, a medical student came forward today to accept Vaishnav diksha spiritual initiation. His new name is, Saci Suta, a name for Sri Chaitanya, the master of mantras.

Blessings came from all.  The Nimai Pandit Study Centre, where he has been studying our theological traditions alongside with his secular studies, was a packed house to hold the ceremony.

May the source be with you!

0km

Saturday, January 30th, 2016

Saturday, January 30^th, 2016                           
Berbice, Guyana

Farmers

Farmers might be considered stewards of the earth as long as too much damage is not done to the soil, the waterways and so forth.  During the course of our short jaunt we met a lively turkey farmer.  For the life of me, I couldn’t understand his accent.  When it comes to Guyanese folks’ speaking I must put my ear close and maybe ask them to repeat the message as well as to slow it down.  This very animated man was delighted that we would take his photograph in the midst of his flock and that we would send it around the world.  In our keen interest to communicate with him I dare not ask what he will end up doing with the poor things- the turkeys.  I do appreciate though, that he’s a man of God.  This was obvious by how well he took to Drona, Raphaldo, and I all dressed in dhotis.

We also connected with Steve. Steve saw us down the road, some six kilometers, on his way home from work, we were in his neighbourhood.  The strategy of walking to get people’s attention is a technique that works.  Steve was on his bike now and he stopped out of curiosity. So we chatted about spirituality.

Drona and I also did the same in the Berbice area.  We just walked up and down streets, met people, asked their names, took photos with them and left them with mantra cards.  As we would leave them they would start chanting, especially the children, most probably for the first time.

To a fully capacitated home, owned by Arjun, I spoke from the Bhagavad-gita 10.9 on the topic of counteracting gossip by conversation about the Supreme.  At this night-spot it was astounding how people responded to the message and to the kirtan.  Very successful! People responded to a relevant topic- gossip.

 

May the source be with you!

5km.

Friday, January 29th, 2016

Friday, January 29^th, 2016                          
Crane, Guyana

Three of Us

Drona, Raphaldo and I waited till the sun’s intensity would subside before embarking on a trek towards the home of tonight’s sanga.  It was 5:20pm when conditions were okay and we moved westerly towards the end of the highway.

For most of our 1 and a half-hour walking we were a few meters shy of the sea-wall. Breezes were truly pleasant. The sun’s descent seemed rapid.  It is remarkable being witness to the good work of Krishna devotees in Guyana.  People know us.  They like us. To many we are known as the Krishnas.  They address us with a “Haribol!”  They see us distributing Krishna food called prasadam.  They see us performing kirtan in the streets and hear that sacred sound at home engagements as the vibrations leak out through the windows.  Generally we present ourselves in the face of the public as a happy bunch.

 

On our way to the sanga motorists looked while homeowners and shoppers waved and shouted HARIBOL!  This is all a result of the determination executed practically, through the above mentioned avenues.  Finally when we reached the sanga destination I was given a chair and a verse from the Bhagavad-gita to speak from, 2:41 “Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose and their aim is one.  O beloved child of the Kurus the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many branched.”

May the Source be with you!

7km

 

 

Thursday, January 28th 2016

Thursday, January 28th 2016
Bartica, Guyana

In Bartica

50 is the golden number today.  Guyana is celebrating its 50 years since independence.  It is also a half a century since the official registering of Hare Krishna in the western world.  In July of 1966 ISKCON was born in New York City.

Also this year, Bartica becomes an official town since its inception.  Its population is 17,000 people and I am told it has a major port for goods, such as diamonds and gold.  Because of the areas rich red soil, the Amerindian word bartak was used and a mispronunciation left it with the name it has today.

To reach here at least 50 of us took the four hour ferry from Guyana’s West Coast, along the river Essequibo and then after an hour drive from Georgetown.  You are talking about remoteness but not so much that we find tribal folks in this area.  That venture is saved for next year. Surprisingly all modern amenities are here.

Our purpose in Bartica was to expose the residents to the maha-mantra through the method of Pada-Yatra, a festival on foot.  This is how I got my walking today, at a guess-timation of 6 Kilometres.  Our culmination point was at the quaint community centre ground where we had the chance to interact and display Krishna Consciousness to locals.

It was on the long boat ride to reach here.  That became a high point when we reserved an hour for kirtan and a reading from the book Swamiji, subtitled “An early disciple, Brahmananda Dasa, Remember his Guru.”  Every chance I get I have my head sunk in the text.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Wednesday, January 27th 2016

Wednesday, January 27th 2016
Georgetown, Guyana

A Mention of Jonestown

I’ve had discussions with Damodara Swami on the 9/11 conspiracy case.  Yes, monks do have opinions.  This morning though, we did harbour on the topic on what makes a community healthy in spirit.  We simply endorsed what the experts say on the subject- along the lines of common vision- teamwork, integrity, and so on.

The flight to Guyana was short – one hour.  As the plane came closer to the land, while making its descent, I remarked to the passenger next to me as we both peered out the window, “Look at the endless amount of trees, rainforest.” Then he was responsive, saying something about a community of the past.

He said, “When I see this (the inland forest) I think of Jim Jones and his Jonestown, and the disaster.”

“Yes I remember that.  Not a healthy situation,” I responded.

I was garlanded and greeted by a group of Guyanese followers once we landed.  Bless their souls.  It was also some of those souls that accompanied me to the seawall at Georgetown for a much needed walk.

Wet-ness was splashing from the waves, crashing against the wall, but more so was the moistness derived from within the body.  The sweat was good.

One great quote that came to me today: “Darkness cannot put out darkness.  Only light can do that.  Hate cannot cancel out hate, only love will do.”

May the Source be with you!

9 km

Tuesday, January 26th 2016

Tuesday, January 26th 2016
Longdenville, Trinidad

With Water and People

“That’s a corn bird,” said  Kartamasha, pointing to the feathered creature flying above us.”  The tail is yellow and in other parts.”

I was trying to catch sight of the bird’s colouration but he was moving, and then was high in elevation and the moment I was informed, we happened to be in the ocean’s water.  Attentiveness also went to the oncoming waves as they were somewhat abrasive if you didn’t watch yourself.

Time spent in the water was invaluable. We are 75% water in physical constitution.  It makes perfect sense to be submerged in it.  I know that during marathon walking times, massage and swimming offer the greatest relief.

As is usual on my trips to Trinidad, a visit to a beach like Las Cuevas brings a group of us together for meeting the ocean and then having a bhakti picnic.  To qualify the term ‘bhakti picnic’ I mean sitting down on the sand, eating Krishna food, and holding a kirtan.  The food and company were fine.  For the kirtan some creativity was implemented.  The picnic pot lids became our cymbals and the food canteen became our drum.

After the beach affair more fun ensued.  In Longdenville, a group of people filled the ISKCON centre for the second consecutive day.  Our topic of discussion was based on the intro of the book “Chaitanya Charitamrta.”  Here we learn of the origin of the magnanimous avatar Sri Chaitanya, an inspiration for all those who engage in the Kirtan Movement.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Monday, January 25th 2016

Monday, January 25th 2016
Port of Spain, Trinidad

Awkward

I can’t boast to have walked today.  I can’t even brag that I have spread out my arms, flapped them and took off in a flight.  Flying I did but by way of sitting in an aircraft, Caribbean Airlines, destination Trinidad.

It was an awkward sit.  I was in seat 9B.  A father and his teenage daughter were in A and C.  That meant I was in-between them. Before we had actually settled in I suggested that they sit together as I could see they were karmicly linked, by blood.  The father declined the offer.  “No, I would rather take the aisle seat.”

“Okay, this should be interesting.”  I thought, “Maybe they are a little ticked off with each other.”

That clearly wasn’t the case.  Between the computer works each one of them was doing at their individual seats, they did have fairly amiable communication while I was in the middle.  I leaned far enough against my chair in order that they would see each other.  At least twice I leaned to the extreme forward position in order that they maintain a conversation while I would stretch and re-position.

It was interesting.  I had to maintain a neutral disposition in all of this.  After the six hour flight and landing in Port of Spain I was driven to the ISKCON Longdenville Centre.  By evening time I was asked to speak on the verse from the Bhagavad – Gita 12:17.

“One who neither rejoices nor grieves, who neither laments nor desires and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things- such a devotee is very dear to me.”

May the Source be with you!

0 km

Sunday, January 24th 2016

Sunday, January 24th 2016
Toronto, Ontario

Protect Your Actual Self

It was Shelly’s birthday.  As is often done, when a member of the community has a birthday he/she will visit the temple.  They may catch the early service – at 4:30 am as she did.  Shelly came with her mom.  She is very self-motivated and wanted to be there for the chanting and the blessings.

Blessings are regarded as a favour from the higher-ups, ultimately the highest up (Krishna). The dictionary also relays something about protection when speaking about blessings. Protection is quite the priority for people these days.  Much finance is invested in it, in the most practical sense, involving everything from installing cameras, securing locks everywhere, keeping a guard dog, learning self-defence and so on.

For the general populace there is a form of danger that is overlooked.  That danger is called maya.  Our guru, Srila Prabhupada, once said of his students that they have a problem of not sufficiently fearing maya.  By maya he meant the temptations of the world.

Actually, the illusions of the world are something to be concerned about; hence we need protection - a spiritual protection.  When we don’t obtain protection we become most vulnerable.

It is essential that the soul, which is our true identity, be guarded.  Chant the name Krishna and give it a try, if you haven’t already. Chant and be happy. Be protected!

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Saturday, January 23rd, 2016

Saturday, January 23rd, 2016
Hastings, Ontario

Going to the Country

It was totally my pleasure to go to the country with Kevala Bhakti.  A young, well, younger than me, person.  Our drive was just shy of two hours to see Fil and Sukhayanti who have launched an ambitious agrarian program involving cows and land.  They also launched two baby girls recently, twins, actually.

A lucky family.

Why do I say that?  The answer to that question is, country home, barns, land, clean air, river nearby, each other, health, God, and a purpose.

Kevala Bhakti and I had our hand at serving the bovine these compact green pellets.  It came to mind on the return journey, the lyrics of Bruce Cockburn in his song, “Going to the Country”

Look out the window, what do I see?

Cows hanging out under spreading trees
Zoom!  They’re gone behind the sign
White letters pointing to the long white line
And I’m going to the country
Oh la la la la la la
I’m going to the country
Sunshine smile on me
I can smell the grass growing in the field
Wind in my hair tells me how it feels
Farm houses, silver roof flashing by
Tractor – trailer truck says goodbye with a sigh
And I’m going to the country
Oh la la la la la la
I’m going to the country
Sunshine smile on me
Birds singing, I’m singing in my bones
Doesn’t much matter now where I’m going
Get it when I get there is what I’ll do
If I get enough I’ll give some to you
And I’m going to the country
Oh happy as can be
I’m going to the country
Sunshine smile on me

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Friday, January 22nd, 2016

Friday, January 22nd, 2016
Toronto, Ontario

Perceptions

If you are going to go on pilgrimage to India, this is not a bad time of the year to make that move.  I don’t know too many winter buffs amongst those from the great white north, Canada. An escape to warmer climates is what snowbirds do.  I’ve seen the great migration of bhakti yogis exit stage right for the land of Bharat around this time for years.

Personally, I take well to the austerity that comes with the cold, and I think sometimes I’d rather be an ice cube than a fire brand.  No, I’m not a fan of India’s balmy summer, but I’ll go next month out of obligation and for recharging the spiritual battery.

I do mention the warmth of people when they leave for the holy places of pilgrimage.  I mention this because I don’t see Praveen.

Who is he anyways?  Praveen is a gentle soul.  Whenever I’m in town, he will join me for that trek that Mandala and I take.  He just left for India.  We take a stretch along Yonge Street. We meet employees that have this luminescent yellow green attire while they’re on their way to the waste management depot.  They say good morning, we say good morning.

We also see people waiting at the bus stop at Bloor before the subway opens.  They are all so quiet.  When they see us, they kind of perk up at our sight, when they see Praveen in his standard white dhoti, I’m sure they wonder, “Muslim?”  When they see me in the saffron, the likely assumption is, “Buddhist?”

Whatever the perception, there IS a perception, and if they are left thinking, even momentarily, “God’s people” or “two religious paths getting along with each other”, then I think it’s a plus.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Thursday, January 21st, 2016

Thursday, January 21st, 2016
Toronto, Ontario

The Traffic Moved

The traffic moved ever so slow
On Bloor through the sprinkled snow.
The usual passion did not show
Like a lazy ball with little “go”.

Mandala and I moved quite fast
To combat the chilled Arctic blast.
The traffic we seemed to go right past,
Our feet fueled and totally gassed.

Shoppers are few in the January blues.
Christmas is gone, its lights blew a fuse.
It’s that timely circle, no new news.
In the glum of it,  there’s debts and dues.

We were quite glad, stepping the street,
Venting the power of our body heat.
You measure life by strides on the feet,
Making each move neat and complete.

We stopped to visit our tattoo friend
Working hard and that to no end.
Ten minutes went, that time we did spend
Till it came time to go round the bend.

It was night, the day said “Closed!”
All seemed still, perfectly posed.
We arrived home, I showered and hosed.
I read and wrote, then finally dozed.

May the Source be with you!
7 km