Monday, April 25th, 2016

Monday, April 25th, 2016
Calgary, Alberta

Two Guys and the Worms

On the Greenway Trail we did tread, but in some spots it was more like a hop. With fresh spring rain that had come, earthworms were appearing out of their hiding; they tried their very best to make the crossing over the pavement. They just don’t always make it across, however. The obstruction for them is human trampling. I don’t believe it’s totally intentional for us to squish these guys, they are a little hard to spot as they crawl along at snail’s pace. One might be careful not to accidentally split one in half. Contrary to popular belief, when a worm is cut, the two parts don’t necessarily continue on living as two worms, only one part survives. In any event, Gaura Chandra, Radha Madhava, and I, were prudent and danced around the humble creatures.

It was day number two for speaking at RMCA in the Bridgetown area. There I met Griffin, who is from Austin, Texas. He uses his feet, since he is a runner, and he is making his way to Vancouver (not by running) to participate in a marathon run when he reaches his destination. I was impressed to see him with a bead bag containing his meditation beads. Chanting and running are important to him.

After our morning walk, I also had the pleasure to meet Curtis, a local chap, a yoga student, an athlete. We met at Gaura Chandra’s home. This guy is quite sattvic, thoughtful, polite – rare in today’s world. Curtis is a bare-footer, he gets around with his feet in the raw. I caught a glimpse of his soles, they looked pretty red and healthy. Curtis really enjoyed the kirtan we had in the living room.

To Griffin, Curtis, and the earthworms, I wish you the very best.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Sunday, April 24th, 2016

Sunday, April 24th, 2016
Edmonton/Calgary

Everything Connecting

The steps to the house lead to the front yard footpath which lead to the sidewalk, which lead to an endless lane, which lead to a trail in a park, which lead to a gravel pathway, which lead to a winding forested dirt trail, which lead to a road crossing, which lead to a paved trail, and which ended up at the school yard.

All this ‘new’ territory for me in Rutherford Heights became a small wonder which became almost the same wonder as I reversed direction in order to get back where I came from. The big illusion of the discovery is that the mind tries to convince you that you found it all. In reality, city planners had it pegged out before you even knew these city walkways were manifesting.

I guess it’s a little like some of our ancestors discovered the new land, North America. Europeans declared, “We discovered it,” but people were already residing there. And before those First Nations resided there and made, perhaps, some unofficial declaration, the Creator knew all about everything, even before a worn trail was to come into existence, about every mountain and valley, and how they would change over time through nature’s evolving and eroding ways.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Saturday, April 23rd, 2016

Saturday, April 23rd, 2016
Edmonton, Alberta

A Day for Chapattis

Bala, Anish, Venkat, and I took to the White Mud Park trail. When I entered, I knew I had been here before, a giveaway was those familiar chickadees that flit through the spruces and hang around even in the winter. Like any other creature in the woods, they try to cash-in on a good meal.

Those cute feathered objects, creatures of the Prime Entity, Krishna, were out on their version of a scavenger hunt. You can play along with the game, just provide some bird edibles and hold them in the palm of your hand. We tried small stones and placed them in that palm suspended in the air. One feathered fellow used my hand as the landing base, inspected the goods, but was not interested. He flew off.

Fortunately, Anish brought a bag of broken off chapattis, some raw rice, and millet, thinking that some of the animals out in the forest would be interested, animals such as squirrels and birds. We found that we didn’t score well with rice, nor the millet. The chapatti material, which is prasad (consecrated food) broken into small bits did attract the chickadees. Their able pointed beak would grasp them with ease. They would take off to a nearby branch, perch there, and gobble up the flatbread crumbles.

The little guys were very happy.

Bala, in particular, worked really hard that day in the food department, especially in its preparation. By evening time he had cooked up a large batch of chole, chickpeas in sauce, rice, halava, chapattis (this time not crumbled up). A salad was also added, all prepared for the group at the event, Spirit Matters.

Yes, we all indulged in food and in mantra. In many ways we were like the chickadees.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Friday, April 22nd, 2016

Friday, April 22nd, 2016
Edmonton, Alberta

Burn Sage and Sweet Grass

I received from Marquis or North Ontario, a letter of a send-off nature for the kick-start of the coming journey across the US from New York to San Francisco. Likely, the trek will start on May the 10th or 11th of this year at Tompkins Square Park. It will be made official within the next few days. It will be a walk to commemorate 50 years of the Joy of Devotion. Our guru, Srila Prabhupada, came to America from India in ’65, and then registered the International Society for Krishna Consciousness a year later in New York City.

I’m seeking blessings from all the readers to make this hike a successful one. Doubts emerge from time to time. Please pray that my legs will hold out okay. As I trekked with a friend, Bala, today in a nearby park, I felt some strain on an ascending trail. So Marquis, a true friend from First Nations, and a walker himself, wrote:

“Enjoy your walk, and don’t party too much in New York!

Will definitely say a prayer and burn some sage and sweet-grass for you! Good luck, and may the universe look over and give good grace on this journey, as I’m sure it always is.

Sincerely,

Marquis.”

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Thursday, April 21st, 2016

Thursday, April 21st, 2016
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Purple Gaze

The colour purple suddenly flashed into people’s faces.  Popular musician, Prince, passed away and, as far as I know, his fans affiliate him with that hue.  I confess that I’m fairly ignorant of the pop star for two reasons.  Number one, he’s after my time.  I joined the renounced order at age 20 in 1973.  As far as I know, Prince was unknown at the time.  Secondly, as a monk you just don’t go and pursue that genre of music or stage performance.

Bless his soul, though.

It was just interesting, and likely not a coincidence, that one of our guests at a home program tonight was all in purple.  It was not intentional for this person whom I met once before, goes by the name of Purpley Pauline.  She regularly dons herself in this colour-- that’s just her.  At the home of Visvambara and Mahasundari, a small group of us were discussing the story of Prince Dhruva, which is really a story about determination.  Purpley Paulina was really enjoying it.

I can see that Paulina is a determined person with her shades of purple, including her hair, hat, and lipstick.  She was very consistent in this.  I just didn’t peer in detail at the rest.  I could appreciate her listening skills, her willingness to sing along with us, and her relishing the simple pasta that we had on hand as our meal.

When chanting with Purpley Paulina, I did not bother to ask her about her preference of colour.  We stuck to the issue of Krishna Consciousness, and the need to paint our life with the various colours of the rainbow, the full spectrum of the various ways to serve the self (the soul) to service in Krishna.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Wednesday, April 20th, 2016

Wednesday, April 20th, 2016
Winnipeg, Manitoba

From My Window

From my window at Woolsley Street, I can catch a view of the Assiniboine River.  It reminds me of the Ganges River in India.  The Ganges has meant so much to so many people over millennia:  a place to bathe, a place for sacrifice, a place to clean, a place to meditate, a place to meet, etc.

The river, Assiniboine, also has borne significance to the indigenous First Nations peoples and Europeans.  It was once a highway for canoes.  It was also a source of water for wildlife and humans.  It was a travel route for trade, and also a place for battle in some circumstances.   It is a natural wonder.

At the Assiniboine Park, Doug and I watched a bald eagle swoop down to attempt to catch a prairie dog (ground squirrel).   Despite his high speed and power of wings, he could not succeed.  The squirrel retreated to his hole.  The eagle will endeavor again, I’m sure.  This is not something you see every day.  You see these daring forces of nature occur because you are outside and you are walking.  For many people who are house or office-bound, walking or moving through the wind, under the now budded trees, is a bold step.

I had mentioned earlier on to Visvambar, my host, “Why not open a window?  Bring in some prana (force of energy) into your apartment.  Invite the outdoors to your indoors.”

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Tuesday, April 19th, 2016

Tuesday, April 19th, 2016
Winnipeg, Manitoba

A Will and a Prayer

I had just arrived in Winnipeg and it was at the airport that I had my first meaningful exchange with anyone, and that was after I climbed into Daruka’s car.  A man at the pickup area approached us at the side of the car after I shut the door.  In an urgent state this man indicated that he wanted to say something before Daruka pressed on the gas pedal. I opened the door.

“I believe in the power of prayer.  Can you say a prayer for my 34 year old son undergoing surgery today?” he asked, although I’m a total stranger.  I asked the man for his son’s name and his condition in order to make that personal appeal to Krishna to honour the patient for his ultimate welfare.

Daruka, being my support person on 1 ½ times across Canada, is the perfect guy to take a stroll with and catch up on pedestrian memories.  We were passionate about getting soft and near to muddy trails along the Assiniboine River that runs through the city of Winnipeg.  With his blue front Amazon pet parrot perched on his shoulder, and I being the monk attired person that I am, we apparently excited a young guy by the name of Will who was in some way doing what we were – seeking some tranquility by the river and catching a view of the odd log or goose adrift.

Will spontaneously blurted out in amazement, “This is meant to be!”  Free spirit that he is, he was standing there shirtless and revealing an array of tattoos, including an ‘OM’ insignia on his torso.  He expressed, “We are all one.”  I didn’t disagree with the ecstatic young man, but I ventured to say, “Sri Chaitanya was a great teacher, who explained, ‘All is one and different’.”  I also expressed that in Sanskrit, and he tried to follow me with the proper pronunciation, and he did so with 95% success.  We chatted on.  We then parted, but before doing so, we exchanged hugs, and Billie the parrot offered a bow of his head.

Will carried on the path and left us with saying, “Where there’s a Will, there’s a will.”

May the Source to be with you!

10 km

Monday, April 18th, 2016

Monday, April 18th, 2016
Regina, Saskatchewan

The Park is the Best

Vijay and I had a fairly solid program together at the temple on Retallick Street.  He resides there on the top floor but rarely has someone to share in the chanting and prayers in the morning.  He is most often alone, but keeps devotional sanity by hearing kirtans over the internet.

We both also took to the road, the Trans-Canada Highway, for a stretch in order to make it to our destination, Victoria Park.  There Jahnavi, her three kids Adrian, Rose, and Lily, as well as Vijay, Ramesh and I, gathered for doing that good old grassroots activity – kirtan.

Incidentally, we sat on the grass in a circle fashion.  We were not loud-- not ‘in your face’, so to speak-- but light in volume and somewhat sweet in flavour with voices and instruments.  This type of an approach is an attractive set up.  We positioned ourselves near the playground where families gathered and children do what they do so well.  It didn’t take long before people gravitated to our circle, one-by-one, to join in. I believe that the attraction is in the sound, the formation, and the components to that circle.  We were non-threatening and we provided a safe corner in the park where we did sit and chant.  We stopped singing after a short while and then had an exchange with people.  At least two people accepted copies of the Bhagavad Gita.  To Matt, who received a copy, I said, “Here’s an ancient voice that we can all relate to.  Enjoy it.”

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Sunday, April 17th, 2016

Sunday, April 17th, 2016
Saskatoon/Regina

Third Day on Ram

Above me, periodically, a single bird, a couple, or a flock, would fly overhead – geese, hawks, ducks, a pink gull. Wait a minute!  A pink gull?  Yes!  The sun had just about risen and that magic colour that emanates from it reflected on the gull’s white down. 

I had swirled around to the streets at Willow Grove neighbourhood.  I practically got lost.  My bearings misplaced in the process of walking.  Maybe I was looking at the birds too much.  It was great, though, I tallied 10 km.  I tagged on another kilometre when Kasyap went to fill up on gas on the way to Regina via the Louis Riel Trail/Highway 11.  I put on yet another kilometre when walking with priest, Vijay Krishna, in the area of Regina where First Nations people live.  “That’s more like it,” I thought, “12 kilometres in one day.”  But, it is merely a warm up for the big trek to come in the US – New York City to San Francisco.

This evening I had read a section from the Ramayan to a Sunday gathering in Regina where Ram-Nauvami is being celebrated today.  Author, Krishna Dharma, has done a splendid job on its translation into English.  Everyone was tuned-in to the story of Ram being put into exile, and the citizens of Ayodhya, who, out of profound love for their leader, followed Him; camping out and lying on the direct ground in an attempt to sleep.

One person listening to the reading asked a question, “Why were Ram and Sita separated a second time?”

“Because the first one worked.”  (Laughter). 

What I explained to the gentleman was that the absence of a loved one intensifies the love.  I then asked him a personal question, “Are you single or married?”

“Married.”

“Is your wife with us here today?”

“No, she’s in India.”

“Do you miss her?”

“Very much!” (Laughter).

“You get the point, then?”

“Yes!”

May the Source be with you!

12 km

Saturday, April 16th, 2016

Saturday, April 16th, 2016
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Second Day on Ram

Tarun and I took worn paths along the South Saskatchewan River.  Pelicans, geese, ducks, and seagulls gravitated to the water while we stuck to the land.  Tarun became like a tour guide for me.

“Here’s where they have outdoor summer Shakespeare…  Here is this sculpture garden… And here’s what I call the Rail Bridge.”  So we crossed it over the river.

He wanted to know why Ram would impose on himself, agony through the separation of Sita and vice versa.  Answer:

“Separation (not to be mistaken for ‘we’re getting separated’).  Intensify the lover and beloved’s relationship.”

Tarun and I walked to the Karma Conscious Café.  The owners wanted some chanting to happen inside the café, so I obliged.  Great session it was.

A second gathering of people came to the home of Kasyap and Panchami to honour Ram-Nauvami this evening.  There were a good number of kids, so I asked them to sit in front of me as I read a portion of the Ramayan.  The approach was more like storytelling with some charades put in the mix.  This appeared to engage them thoroughly.

Laura, Cory, Darren, and Karen-Anne, also showed up simply because I invited them from the café, since they seemed curious and spontaneous.  To the sound of the ukulele, guitar, and drum, everyone had dance-stepped to the rhythm of the beat.

Ram must have been pleased.

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Friday, April 15th, 2016

Friday, April 15th, 2016
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

A Support Man Emerged

This was a milestone of a day.  Not only because the calendar marks it as Ram-Nauvami, the birthday of Ram, but good news came my way.  I had been struggling to find a support person to execute a planned cross-US walk to honour the 50th anniversary of Iskcon.  My former trusted Daruka, of Winnipeg, just can’t make it this time.

I would have preferred an American citizen with an American license and an American vehicle.  After all, the plan is to trek through America.

About a week ago I received an email from an Abhimanyu Arjuna from Florida.  He expressed, “I need to travel with you,” indicating he needed a change.  This was a perfect queue to reach out to him.  It was a “YES” from both sides.  I need to know if he’s ready for the responsibility, and also, if he’s actually ready to put up with me.

This was a major breakthrough.

Tonight students from India, the US, Brazil, and Canada, came to have a casual meet with myself and hosts, Kasyap and Panchami.  When I say ‘casual’, I mean to say that we went less formal in the structure of things-- in regards to celebrating Ram-Nauvami.  We allowed ample time for questions which were most stimulating.  One of the students was strongly advocating that experimenting with life is superior to blindly following a religious system.  He had a firm belief in science.

“Fine,” I said, “just try experimenting with chanting in all sincerity, and you can test the results.  This can be directly perceived.”  It all became a light argument in the beginning, but he actually toned down and appreciated that application of wisdom tested in time has so much credibility.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Thursday, April 14th, 2016

Thursday, April 14th, 2016
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Going Conscious

 Kasyap and I took to the trails in a North East suburb of Saskatoon.  The layout of the area was pleasant with well landscaped hills, land depressions, and creeks.  The problem is that it’s all designed for the automobile.  Too much distance to the market place makes it impractical.

Oh well.

After the trek, Kasyap and family took me to a new vegetarian café called the Karma Conscious Café.  The operators/owners are the Patawari brothers.  They asked that I lead a chant.  A drumming circle was arranged for backup.  Clients as well as friends and family got involved.  I was then asked to give a talk.  I picked up their promotion card and stood there before the crowded enthusiasts carefully analyzing the branding words as I spoke.

“ ‘Karma’ means ‘activity’.  You want to make sure that it’s positive activity.  Then there’s good response, good karma.  The food here is animal cruelty free, so that implies ‘good karma’ food.  Then the word ‘conscious’ implies to be sensitive.  Being that we are in human bodies, we have the opportunity to be sensitive to our essential needs.  In essence, we are all spirits.  We are not these bodies.  This is something that humans can comprehend.  A distinction between the machine and the mover.  As humans, it is within our capacity to understand the separation.  When we act on this basis then we demonstrate that we are alive and conscious.”

The words were well received.  I asked the group if someone could Google the word ‘café’.  That then would complete the definition of the term ‘Karma Conscious Café’.  I asked the attendees if this was the only vegetarian restaurant in town.  I also expressed to the owners if they would make the food prasadam, meaning offered.  Some of the items bear onions and garlic, so that would be out of the question.  Initially their baked goods had eggs, but I discouraged it and so they found a great egg replacer.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Wednesday, April 13th, 2016

Wednesday, April 13th, 2016
Toronto, Ontario

Tom and Sam

Tom came to visit from Windsor.  I’ve known him since the ‘70’s.  He and his wife, Betty, are retired school teachers.  Tom accepted his first teaching job way up in Northern Canada, in Spence Bay, with children in the Inuit community.  It’s quite remote up there, but he tells me he’s seen a lot.

Much less than Tom’s experience, I’ve also had a chance to interact with many indigenous people during my cross country walking.  They’ve always been nice to me and I suppose in part it’s because being a monk, I am distinctly different, and also part of a minority.

Tom came up by bus to do some personal research work, but it was also with a spiritual intent, otherwise he wouldn’t be participating in our morning spiritual program.   We both took to the streets in Rosedale to chant on our japa beads.   For a good hour I heard Tom put out his best effort toward attentive listening to the sound of something so sacred.

While Tom was gone doing his research we had a visit from Sam who lives in Brockville.  Sam came to me with his right hand in his meditation bead bag.  He was chanting in a serious tone.  We actually got to talking about the power of mantra meditation and how it becomes the chanter’s time to communicate with the Creator.

“To those of us who commit daily to 16 revolutions around the strand of 108 beads, it allows you 2 hours to communicate with the Big Chief-In-Charge.  And that’s not bad,” I explained to Sam.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

Tuesday, April 12th, 2016
Miami, Florida

Meeting Tom

Since my arrival here, walks were frequent enough.  Once, along the docks at Coconut Grove, and then taking shape as public chanting-- hobbling along Lincoln Road on Miami Beach.  However, this morning I constrained myself happily to pacing within the temple walls on Virginia Street.  It was on the plane back to Canada that became my public time, especially with Tom.  Tom is a rather large built man who is around sixty, who asked me, upon knowing I am his neighbouring passenger, “Are you a Buddhist monk?”

“No, I’m a Krishna monk.”

“Oh, Hare Krishna?”

“Yes!”

“I used to go to your temple on Sundays for the feast.”

“Really, on Avenue Road?”

“Yeah.”

“That was probably in the late 70’s?”

“Yeah, probably!  I was living on the streets at the time, and you guys helped me.”

“What are you doing now?” I asked him.

“I’ve got a business, a trucking business, a multi-million dollar business.”

“Great!”

He asked, “Are you guys still doing the Sunday thing and doing the chanting ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare….?”

“We sure are!  We can’t let it go.”

Tom and I hit it off real well.  And then the elderly lady sitting to the other side of me caught on to the conversation.  We chatted about pilgrimage and cracked some jokes amongst the three of us.  The flight was fast.  I made it home, only to meet another Tom.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Monday, April 11th, 2016

Monday, April 11th, 2016
Miami, Florida

Wind, Water, Sun

I’m often taken to surprise venues for a natural experience when I’m here.  Today I was whisked away by a group of devotees wanting to bond amongst each other and the water.

We were taken to Biscayne Beach for a sail on a catamaran.  Between the bunch of us we were divided by two sailing vessels, and that left me with Macul from our group, as well as two expert skippers (if I could use that term) by the names of Berthol, from Munich, and Graham, from West London.

Sailing we did, in what seemed like an endless bay.  It was good to meet the water, wind, and sun.  I had been hankering for that.  It was equally good to meet these two fellows who are both on their last sailing venture before tomorrow’s flight back to Europe.  Their art is all about catching a gust of wind, adjusting weight, and pulling pulleys to adjust the sails.  It has much to do about balance and flying with the wind.  Berthol and Graham showed us just how fine a science their maneuvering is.  They also had their sincere questions, “Do priests in your order get married?”  Answer, “Yes, but I vowed to stay single all my life, celibate even.”  Question, “Do your monks ever encounter a certain amount of stress?”  Answer, “Yes, in our line of work you absorb a considerable amount of negativity from people unloading their personal problems, but it’s like sailing, you tighten the ropes of the sails, balance it all, and avoid tipping over.  We chant and have downtime, like now.”

We ended up going quite a distance from the beach, near private and gorgeous homes worth millions. Berthol and Graham had their own realizations about money - it can’t buy you happiness.  After we returned to the beach the two guys wanted to make sure they got a photograph with Macul and myself in full regalia.  That was a very novel experience for them.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Sunday, April 10th, 2016

Sunday, April 10th, 2016
Miami, Florida

Where The Sun Does Shine

Miami is a place where the sun shines, a lot.  Dolphins, manatees, and sharks frequent some of the waters by the beach areas.  Unfortunately I don’t seem to locate them in any of my strolls along the water way, the Atlantic Ocean.

Also in Miami you get the feeling that there’s lots of affluence here.  Money, however, doesn’t always bring happiness, and that’s seen in some of the wealthy motorists that go by.

I can verify the unsatisfied feeling by some of the Miami residents who come to visit our center.  Every time I make that visit to the temple here, I see people who look curious and are wanting to go deeper into looking at their lives.  That’s a good sign, of course.

It was my dear god-brother from the Gainesville area, Tamohara Prabhu, whom I teamed up with to eliver the Sunday Open House message from the Gita, Chapter 6.  Both he and I had shared in some good communication with some new-comers.  What’s interesting is that it’s the third time that Tamohara and I did a presentation together.  We seem to complement each other in our delivery; his being very sober, equipoised, and informative, while mine can be, as he put it once, more theatrical.   It takes all kinds to make up a community, doesn’t it?

What personally hurts me, however, is that I feel we could offer more to our guests, hospitality wise.  Perhaps the knowing feeling I have within is a healthy one, one that urges towards improvement. Whatever we do, I feel, is never adequate enough.

May the Source be with you!

0 km

Saturday, April 9th, 2016

Saturday, April 9th, 2016
Maple, Ontario

I Was Dropped Off

I was dropped off by my driver, Yadu, at my request to get some walking in.  I completed a satsang, a session of chanting and talking at Yadu’s home.  He invited a whole group of people, friends and family from New York City, Albany, and locally, to hear something about higher consciousness.  It went well.  I spoke from the Gita, 6.9, about having that equal mind attitude towards everyone.  I also read a small portion on Krishna’s life, and informed everyone there of the Golden Year 50th anniversary of the mission started by our guru, Srila Prabhupada.

The feast served was great.

And then Yadu dropped me off, as he had the last time I paid a visit to his home.  There, at the starting point, Eglinton, near Bathurst, I had some time to myself.  I walked by Lorne Green’s former residence.  No, not the Ponderosa, but an old apartment where he stayed in the 40’s.

It’s a Jewish neighbourhood and I passed by at least 2 of the synagogues.  I noticed that there’s usually some billboards up in front of these places of worship promoting pro-Israel issues.   Apparently, the communities are fundraising through the avenue of walking and running projects.

Bomb shelters are one of the motivations behind the walking and running project.  That’s for Israel, of course.  Maybe one day, Canada may find it essential to have bomb shelters.  I don’t like the thought of it, but as we see it, with current affairs, things such as bomb shelters may become a reality one day.

Unless we come to terms with genuine spirituality, I don’t believe the peace-and-love formula will come through.  Still, the simpleton that I am, I believe that if everyone took a wholesome walk for an hour and a half each day, it would go a long way to calming the nerves in all of us.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Friday, April 8th, 2016

Friday, April 8th, 2016

Toronto, Ontario

On and Off the Sidewalk

Someone got sick on the street.  I did not see it in full action, just the after-effects.  I had to, like others, tip-toe around the rejected contents of someone’s stomach.   Actually, there were three pools of it, each coloured differently, all lying in the same vicinity on the sidewalk downtown.  I figure it was three different people.  It’s not the kind of stuff anybody wants to analyze.  What I can say, though, it was somewhere in the pizzeria district, and I imagine that there was some hard beverage in the mix.

One good thing about the cold, as in Canada, is that it paralyzes the stench.

One chiropractic clinic along the way of my walk had a catchy phrase affixed to its window.  It reads, “The six most dangerous words – I thought it would go away.”

How true this phrase is about so many things.  We live in a circle of denial.  The ego says, “No, I’m not old” even when I am.  “Yes, I’m beautiful.”  “Yes I’m good.”  “No, my drinking isn’t so bad.”  “Yes, I have a temper, but it doesn’t affect so many people, majorly.”  And so on.

The phrase in that window had me thinking as I walked on. 

“Hey, I like your garb!” shouted a fellow, who I assume had a few drinks.  Sounds like he was partial to my robes.  You see, it was night-time and I was finding that the urban energy had many interesting things to offer.  When I returned back to the ashram, I read a verse from the Gita which was riveting in some ways.  From Chapter 6, Verse 9:

“A person is considered still further advanced when he regards honest well-wishers, affectionate benefactors, the neutral mediators, the envious, friends and enemies, the pious and the sinners, all with an equal mind.”

I adore this statement by Sri Krishna.  It discourages judgmentalism.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Thursday, April 7th, 2016

Thursday, April 7th, 2016
Toronto, Ontario

Two Conversations

Yesterday I had been at the line up for seeing Customs when coming back into Canada, and just as there were about 5 people in the cue before me, the young fellow behind me, tall and Afro background, asked,

“Are you a monk?”

“Yes!”

“What do you have to do to be one?”

“There are some disciplines to follow, but they can be a lot of fun.”

“Sounds okay, but in my case there’s things I’d like to do before I get strict with myself.”

I responded with a, “Why not consider being a monk before getting worldly?  That way you’ll regulate the pleasures of life and not get so extreme with it all.  It’s best to put the horse before the cart.”

The Customs officer demanded my attention, so the conversation ended with the chap, but on smiling, appreciative terms.

That’s about the only walking I can report on for the day.

Another great conversation, short and sweet, occurred today between Mary and I, while I was sitting in Govinda’s, a dining facility situated within our temple/ashram.  People know that our building was a former church.  Mary came for a take-out at Govinda’s, but it was not her first visit to the building.

“I used to go to Sunday school in this building.  My parents got married here.”

“Oh, when?”

“They got married in ’52.”

“That’s remarkable.” 

And indeed we found it both astounding that she had gone full circle as far as a visit is concerned.  I hope she comes back again.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Wednesday, April 6th, 2016

Wednesday, April 6th, 2016
Dubai/Toronto

In the End/Good Landing

Goodbye to Mauritius, it’s been absolutely delicious.  A final visit to the beach which was a jewel crowned place for my stay.  Now, I’ve been well on my way by air and catching up on things.  For instance, I’m nearing completion on reading the book, “Guru and Disciple Book” by author, Kripamoya Das.  A sentence struck my fancy, “Srila Prabhupada (our guru), once told a follower that the disciple should have a relationship of ‘good friends’ with a guru, but the job of the guru was to occasionally remind the disciple, ‘Who is the disciple and who is the guru’.  I’m also catching up on mundane news. There’s a lot said by Donald Trump, and there’s a lot said about Donald Trump, but this is not news.

More from the extreme extremists, Isis:  they have recently sent a five minute video proclaiming London, Berlin, and Rome, as prime targets after the murderous attacks on Paris and Brussels.  The speaker in the video is quoted saying, “Nations of the cross, this message is for you.  Your options are few.  Either join Islam, or pay tribute, or face the war.”

That is chilling to hear.

Conclusion on the mundane stuff is that we are in a world of turmoil, threat, and terror.  Can anybody calm down out there?  How about some pranayam, breathing, so that we can ease up?  What about some asanas, stretch poses?  Maybe we can reach beyond the impossible.  There’s also chanting that is there to ease and to please.

May the Source be with you!

0 km

Tuesday, April 5th, 2016

Tuesday, April 5th, 2016
Flacq, Mauritius

Last Stroll in Flacq

It had rained briefly overnight.  The air was moist and the sun was trying to burn through as it was on its morning rise, but the clouds were somewhat stubborn, doing their upstaging. 

Dinanath knows the town, Flacq, like the back of his hand, as the expression goes.  I don't know if I’ve ever studied the back of my hand.  The lay-out of the place does not resemble a grid or square line on a graph.  The streets wind like a creeks.  It is Dinanath who leads us to walk along the road-side.  

I'm in front of our single -file.  We walk and chant with our japa beads.  I offer a hand-gestured wave to oncoming traffic.  Those motorists and cyclists do, indeed reciprocate, most of the time.

We, our pedestrian crew, are in kurtas, and dhotis, and that doesn't threaten or intimidate anyone, except for perhaps someone of another religious sect.  People here are predominantly Hindu.

I was reflecting on the previous night's moving kirtan, through the streets of Camp de Masque.  The count of chanters was over three hundred and fifty people, all followers of Krishna.  In such a quiet town nothing goes on, but for a few stray dogs barking, and now here we were.  All in all, enthusiasm shone through from the chanters and the on lookers, from their front-doors and verandas.  It all appears to be so colourful for us and them.  I will admit, though, that we did not merge.  The villagers were watching and listening while we carried on with our mantra that gives us life.

In the evening I left to go back to Canada.

May the source be with you!

9 km

Monday, April 4th, 2016

Monday, April 4th, 2016
Petrin, Mauritius

A National Park Trail

Wild guavas, green parrots, and traveller’s tree, a cousin to the Bird of Paradise, are some of the features of Black River National Park, where two dozen of us indulged in its naturalness.  On our trek on one particular loop we enjoyed some incredible vistas.  Noticeably, no mosquitoes were present.  That's a victory.  But, you know, I do miss a moose or a bear sighting.  Here in Mauritius you get little wild life, on grand scale.

“Ooups! I did spot a small creature running across the trail,” I told Kala, the organizer of the walk.

The trek was great as a form of a community-builder.  Bonding is so important to put in the classification of a human need, and so I'm grateful that each time I come to this isle of Mauritius some event like this happens.

When a community is institutionally based there's often a routine of activities that may restrict the friendly flow of communication.  Things sometimes get formal, when it's imperative to be able to loosen and laugh.

Our trek through endemic, indigenous, and invasive plants, over red, volcanic soil, included crossing three creeks as well as movement along the edge of a major reservoir.

I asked about swimming, but the reply was a speculation on eels being in its waters, so you can forget that idea.

We culminated the walk with a picnic.  On the menu were ekadasi dishes.  We relished this non-grain day which occurs every fortnight.

May the source be with you!

13 km

Sunday, April 3rd, 2016

Sunday, April 3rd, 2016
Flacq, Mauritius

Being Out

When Krishna was a child He was close to the animals, plants, the hills and low-land, the forest, and clear fields.  He was very much for the out-of-doors, perhaps making a strong endorsement towards this kind of life.  

He was given responsibility at the earlier phase of His life.  Call it chores if you want.  He, amongst His buddies, herded cows.  There was lots of time for carefreeness.  He had space to run in, and a home to love in.  Nanda and Yasoda were foster parents.  The parents of His birth were held in prison and in hiding for quite the time.

Aindra, Dinanath, Kala, and I walked through the sugar cane fields again.  We reflected on our own lives as being rather rural.  In this way we shared a commonality amongst ourselves and even with Krishna Himself.

On this great day I spoke to a full capacity group on 3 occasions.  The first venue called for speaking about being a serious member of the Krishna family, Iskcon, and how good behaviour meant a lot.  Our talk was aimed, more so, to the four new initiates – four women; Saguna, Nama Chintamani, Divya Jnana Shakti, and Anasuya.  Also, two men and another female received 2nd initiation.  The latter were Dinanatha, Vadevyasa and Damayanti.

My second talk was to the Bon Acceuil community, where I took the opportunity to share details of last fall's Boston – Butler – NYC walk.  This was to encourage outside activities. 

Finally, at the home of my host, Amar, one hundred guests came to hear of Krishna as a youngster addressing a serpent, formally a demigod.  Here again, we shared the notion that clean activities with people in nature was the way to put balance in life.

May the source be with you!

7 km

Saturday, April 2nd, 2016

Saturday, April 2nd, 2016
Flacq, Mauritius

When the Breeze of Bhakti Blows

It can become difficult to breath in between sugar cane fields.  It was such a relief to come upon a harvested, cleared-away crop, where the wind could breeze through.  It also helped being on and elevated part of the land.  A cool ventilation became our reality when this morning’s group reached the highest plateau.  Ahhh!  So nice!

The group – twenty members of the Vedic Cultural Centre in Flacq – invited us to their guru puja, the ceremony to honour the guru, Srila Prabhupada.  That was followed by a class I was asked to give on the subject of “the rarity of devotion.”  It's an intriguing topic and one that receives apparent contradictions.  The Vedic literatures claim that bhakti (devotion) is hard to come by.  Still we hear statements in the Gita where Krishna expresses that many, many people have become purified by knowledge of the Absolute. 

One thing I can say for certain is that there was no shortage of devotion in the performance of our youth group this evening.  Those “stiff, ironing-board” volunteers I spoke of earlier (no derogatory intent there) really loosened up in the drama “Krishna Is...”  They excelled. 

My purpose in devoting so much time to the youth wherever I go is to infuse in them a bhakti experience as well as to empower them as team-playing, future leaders.

It's an attempt at succession planning.

May the source be with you!

5 km

Friday, April 1st, 2016

Friday, April 1st, 2016
Flacq, Mauritius

The Eye and the Sun

When the sun comes up in Mauritius it can come quite fiercely.  I was reminded of something our guru, Srila Prabhupada, had said. “The scriptures say that the sun is an eye of God, so unless Krishna sees first, we cannot see.  We have to construct an artificial sun.”

It's true that with the sun we could see the road before us.  It lights up the way.  Nevertheless it became intense with our 8.2 km trek a la mère, the ocean.  It becomes forgiving once you reach the cooling waters and get the full pleasure in its indulgence.

Our walking group had a good read on the pastime of Krishna's eating dirt.  Our age range is anywhere from 6 to 60.  That last figure is me.  I'm 63, OMG.  Frailties keep coming up reminding me of where I'm slowly headed.  It is walks like this morning's that will help to prolong as far as possible this lovely life in spiritual consciousness. 

One other thing that gives me life is the work with the youth.  It is night number 3 for our drama preparation that will be held in the local sportsplex.  The group that's come forward is really taking it seriously, and being that today was the last day of school, with holidays beginning tomorrow, their spirits couldn't be higher.

The group, which is normally a more studious type, now treated our practice space like a gym.  There's more I see of life than of death in the course of the day, and even the gecko that remained motionless for hours doesn't depress me so.  I just hope it captured a mantra or so before he left his body. 

May the source be with you!

9 km

 

Thursday, March 31st, 2016

Thursday, March 31st, 2016
Flacq, Mauritius

Sweet Trails

Kala had it in his plan, for anyone interested from our Bon Acceuil community, to join us in the trails through the nearby sugar cane fields.  Well, that did transpire.  Thirteen of us made our way along silky smooth soil and then some rocky soil.  Even paved trails were hit, but all the same it was sugar cane country, only sometimes interrupted by pineapple.

The walk was lovely, even during the times where we got lost.  That wasn't in Kala's plans, though it always contributes to an adventure.

At one point, out of the blue, one of those towering plants moved.  It started to jerk and rustle.  We couldn't make out the cause.  After several moments of stillness from our side, a man emerged with a sickle and a bunch of leaves in hand.  His clothes were of a camouflage colour and he had a mesh hood on his head.  He spooked us. 

He's probably stealing for his cows,” Kala suggested.  The man went about his way rather silently despite our obvious presence.  Sugar cane attracts wasps which explained the needed hood.  Also, the long sleeved shirt and pants explain protection since the leaves can cut through your skin. 

The morning jaunt was all about walking and japa meditation.  The afternoon afforded us a swim at Belle Mare.  The evening drew families from all around to bring their kids, either as volunteers or just to watch how we re-enact the pastimes of Krishna.  Yes, indeed we are pulling together the drama, “Krishna is...”  The youth are both shy and introverted, but we see the potential in them.  They nevertheless come across with a fairly good stage presence.

It's rewarding.

May the source be with you!

5 km

Wednesday, March 30th, 2016

Wednesday, March 30th, 2016
Flacq, Mauritius

Cutting Short the Life

Here in Mauritius the health department is right on top of things.  When you enter the country at customs you show that you’ve filled-out a yellow slip, which you sign to confirm both where you've been recently, and what might be any physical issue for you.

I indicated on my slip that I have no ailments, but given the fact that I was recently in India and Africa, a nice man from the health unit came to follow up at the household I'm staying.  A blood sample he did take.  No phone call from him would be a good sign.

For my health I took that trek from Flacq and let my host and some other local followers of bhakti lead the way through the town and outskirts, which are mostly sugar cane fields.  Admittedly, after a day in the air or in airports, addressing one’s life-span is important. 

With the same group, we sat after walking to review a verse from the book, Bhagavatam. While reading a chapter entitled “the passing away of Bhisma,” what captivated us all was some hopeful epiphany, the remark in the verse that Krishna's mere glance at the Kauravas shortened their duration of life.  Luckily for the Kaurava army, the bad guys, their life was abbreviated.  More days of existence would mean more offences to the public.  More offences means more bad karma.  Krishna, in the form of the Health Department, decided that a virus had to be eradicated.  The Kauravas lost lives, big time, in the war at Kuruksetra.

May the source be with you!

7 km

Tuesday, March 29th, 2016

Tuesday, March 29th, 2016
Durban, Johannesburg, Mauritius

On With Two Words

It was a gimmicky line but it made a good point.  At the Durban Airport, in the waiting area, Kala and I admired the expansive picture of the first plane to soar in the air with a caption expressing that it didn't take off in seconds, rather, “It took 6 years.”

To get something good in life it takes hard work.  In the Bhagavad-gita much reference is given by Krishna to two words used over and over again.  They are yoga and yajna.  Both words imply discipline. Yoga, in the literal sense, refers to linking or re-connecting to the Divine.  It means to be obedient, to co-operate and be a team player-- with the previous teachers, one’s guru, and God.  It is a type of surrender where you renounce your independence.

Yajna, in traditional definition, refers to sacrifice, much in the same way that yoga is connecting.  Chapter three makes strong statements to this end.  “Work for the satisfaction of Vishnu, otherwise work (activity) binds you to this world.”

It is all a matter of how you channel your Karma.  We are all born with a certain psychophysical structure and when directed properly, towards a disciplined aim, towards the Absolute, then good results will come. 

“Be not attached to the fruits of your labour, but be attached to the duty, the discipline,” Krishna also states in chapter three.

Kala and I took the flight to Johannesburg and then on to Mauritius.  The flying was smooth, especially if it were compared to when the Wright brothers took their first crack at it.

May the source be with you!

0 km

Monday, March, 28th, 2016

Monday, March, 28th, 2016
Durban, South Africa

Looking At the Cooking

Before my morning circle stroll around the temple I decided to pay a visit to the guys doing all the cooking for the big event, “The Chariot Festival.”  Beginning at midnight about two to three dozen men fill these pots (40 plus) with broad beans on one side and rice in the other side.  Many kilos of grains go in each pot for the cooking, and each pot serves one hundred people.  Yesterday the meal prepared was biryani, something South Africans love.  Today the alternate preps were on “The Beans,” Anil told me.

I was there to show support to Anil and his comrades as we all stood in the smoky atmosphere.  “We ordered these pots from India, but we made a more high-teck burner underneath.  With the metal wall around the burning wood it saves a lot of the fuel,” said Anil.

The room where I'm accommodated is on the second story just above the outdoor kitchen.  I hear the crackling of the fire during my light sleep.  Sometimes a gust of smoke bellows up to make a partial appearance in my room.  I also hear the chatting of the cooks below, but it is the chatter of happy chaps. My sleep is slightly interrupted at times, but I really don't mind since it is a small trance of “devotional commotion.”

Such interruptions are too little to be agitated.  After all the cooks are doing such a noble thing, cooking night after night for the hundred thousand head count.

Unsung heroes!

May the source be with you!

7 km

Sunday, March 27th, 2016

Sunday, March 27th, 2016
Durban, South Africa

The Japa Gang

There is a regular group of us, a non-official japa mob, which takes to circling the temple in the morning. I use the word mob, (maybe gang is more appropriate) to indicate that we are a dangerous lot.  Armed with a mantra, we are committed to declaring war on the illusion of our own world.  When you bond together, to get down to business, it produces a positive end result.

Sadbhuj, a monk I've known from Germany, came to join our walking crew and after an hour of the forward move on two fronts – the physical trekking and the spiritual chanting – he remarked, “this is a good program!”   

I'm dying to know the type of birds that fly over us.  They are of different breeds from those I am familiar with.  I asked the “gang” if anyone has heard a loon before.  “No!”

“Well, Google it.”

His cry is the most haunting/mystical sound you'll ever have heard on earth.  It's a sound of eeriness, reassurance and calmness all wrapped in one.  Check it out!  I've never really heard Krishna playing His flute, but I would say that nature is cutting it close when you hear this bird show off.

Many hours were spent, not with the japa mob (that occupied one hour) but with our drama crew working hard to première the play “Mr Puri.”  It highlights a monk who’s trekked hundreds of miles.  He travelled a lot, and with a heavy load of sandalwood for his worshippable deity Gopal. Our troupe did marvellous.  This is a real passion for me – putting together stories in theatrical format, apart from walking and listening to the loon.

May the source be with you!

7 km

Saturday, March 26th, 2016

Saturday, March 26th, 2016
Durban South Africa

It Started With Kreeshan

I met Kreeshan again after six years.  We affectionately referred to him as a member of the KKK.  Along with 2 other young volunteers from our drama projects, these comrades all had the first letter to their first name as a K, hence the name of the club alleviated to them.  Actually, Kreeshan is now no longer a young teen, like when I first met him.  He's got to be 30 now.  Easily.

Recently returned from Dubai, after the oil industry met with challengers, Kreeshan is back with family and friends.

On the second day of the Chariot Festival, people are coming by the thousands to get involved in sacred sound and food mostly.  On an annual basis I'm asked to lead as Dance Master in the Bhakti Cloud Tent. It's magic.  Practically at the start of the half hour session, it's a handful of people but by the end the place is rocking.

When in Durban I usually get the opportunity to walk down sinful lane by checking out fair food.  I really mean to say “junk food” but I don't want to be offensive to prasadam, sacred food that’s offered.  Chips (French fries) are something I rarely get.  I was confessing to Bhakti Chaitanya Swami that I go on a non-health kick when I come. Even though the fries are good for the tongue, they are terrible for the tank.

I was concerned about the exertion of my dear friend Kadama Karana Swami, another monk, who's recovering from cancer surgery. The cancer was exacerbated by a bullet shot he received some years ago in India.  He's an inspiration as far as monastics are concerned.

May the source be with you!

7 km

Friday, March 25th, 2016

Friday, March 25th, 2016
Durban, South Africa

Under the Sun

Heat!  Humidity!  Stupidity!  That's if you don't address the heat properly.  Kala and I decided to declare war on the sun by purchasing these straw-like cowboy hats. People commented “Fashionable”.

Yes, the Chariots Festival, in its 28th year in Durban, had kick-started at 11.30 AM after a speech by monk Bhakti Chaitanya Swami. Afterward a dance troupe performed.  Coconuts with camphor cubes aflame the tops were thrown and smashed in front of the leading chariot of Balarama.  This is a regular part of the ritual before the pull of rope that mobilizes the chariots as the walk of the leg begins.

Everyone gets to walk.  That is the unique thing about this festival.  I would say that this 2 1\2 to 3 kilometre walk is not what people are used to.  Participants in the event come in their fancy cars. Furthermore walking at this time of day, under intense sun, is also novel for South Africans.  Like all over the world people love cars.

Just as we were about to embark on this walk to pull the chariots, one cream-coloured auto (the make I don't know) slowly plied through the crowd as a service vehicle.  It got me reflecting on how it is such an endeavour to secure one of those machines.  They are expensive. Convenient?  Maybe!  Destructive?  Yes!  In so many ways.

In any event, it was nice to observe the organics of people walking such a long distance (note the sarcasm) and even enjoying it.

May the source be with you!

9 km

Thursday, March, 24th, 2016

Thursday, March, 24th, 2016
Durban, South Africa

Togetherness

You are taking a little bit of chance walking anywhere near or in the downtown of Durban at night, but I was near the weekend, security patrolled, marquis where we had our drama practice.  I needed some solo time, a few minutes to chill before Tamohar, my driver, would pick me up to take me back home.  He made sure I wouldn’t walk through the seediest part of town.  The short strip I did trek was odd.  It was not too late, just after 9.30.  It’s hard to imagine any foul play when there is no one on the street to do anything.

When Tamohar did eventfully stop for taking me off the street, I asked him, “Would Nelson Mandela be happy with the way things turned out in Africa?”

Tamohar, being a South Africa, gave his honest opinion, “No, he wouldn't be happy.  Mandela worked hard for freedom, for a world that would honour fairness.”  To take a quote from Mandela himself in this regard, “Another important building block for new democracy is the love and goodwill we show to each other.  That is the spirit of Masakhan, of bringing one another together.”

The vision of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, similarly amplified “Togetherness.”  Merely through the practice of sankirtan we can achieve a likeness of unity – unity and diversity.

South Africa is a great venue for experiencing the universal motion of singing and dancing for the races of all souls.

May the source be with you!

5km