Friday, October 28th, 2016

Toronto, Ontario 

Real Lounging

Santosh and I walked to Spadina Avenue to the Multi-Faith Building to do a presentation on “Tales from Trails,” with sponsors, the Bhakti Lounge group.  After the hour-long talk, I asked if anyone had any questions.

Indeed they did.  Here are some, with abbreviated answers:

Q: You mentioned the moose you met in New Brunswick.  How did seeing the moose humble you?

A: He is a majestic creature and next to me, I was small.  That is our position.  As spirit—we are small.  The Vedas say our dimension is one ten thousandth the size of the tip of a hair.

Q: You say you see that all things out in nature, on the trail, are divine, or sacred.  Do you find that God is present more so in nature, on the road, than in the temple?

A: God is omnipotent and omnipresent, everywhere.  Although the temple is special within Divine presence, I find it helpful to see that presence in all things, in all places.  This is Krishna Consciousness!

Q: How does a walk become both physical and spiritual?

A: Walking is a physical experience that offers health benefits.  When chanting goes on simultaneously, you make a spiritual connection.  It is a perfect marriage of matter and spirit.  Call it “balanced.”

Q: Where do you find your support person or team?

A: There is always someone connected to our community who craves adventure, or who needs some down time, or who sees it as a service to the world and God.

May the Source be with you!

9 km

Thursday, October 27th, 2016

Toronto / Brampton

Come to the Temple

  

I went two blocks east and two south to get to the Staples stationary store from our temple ashram.  It was an adjustment to make to this fall, Halloween weather—slightly nippy, wet, and fresh, after coming back from India.

I asked the store clerk (or one of them) “Where can I find your Hilroy notebooks?”

“Just down this aisle, sir!” he said while pointing straight ahead.  “Kailash, will you help him?”

So, there was Kailash, another worker.  He remembered me.  He’s been to the temple several times.  He seemed happy about that, as much as he appeared content with  his work and being busy.  Kailash and I chatted as, at my request, he showed me some white-boards.

“Please come this weekend.  We’ll celebrate Diwali (New Year’s) on Sunday, then Govardhan Puja (another fest) Monday.”

“I’ll really try,” said Kailash.

My exchange at the payment counter for the Hilroy was a continuity of sorts.

“ISKCON?” said the clerk.

“Yes, Hare Krishna!”

“I’m from Bangladesh.  I have gone many times to the temple in Sylhet.  Is the problem over between the people from the mosque across the street and the Krishna temple?”

I told him I wasn’t too aware of the details and hopefully peace will reign.  “We celebrate Diwali; please come to our temple here.”  It’s all about hospitality.

Speaking of which, in Brampton a jovial sanga was held at the home of Hatish and Rita, for chanting, philosophy and feasting.  People came.  Our message was the same.

“Celebrate Diwali with us this weekend!”

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Wednesday, October 26th, 2016

Delhi/Amsterdam/Toronto

Airhead

  

My day was maximized in the air.  Many people today, in fact,  spend a good length of time in flight.  It never used to be that way.  In the days of yore, those seafaring ventures we read about were for the adventurous.  I believe Europeans especially took to the vast stretches of ocean purposefully to explore and conquer.  “Queen Mary,” “Blue Nose,” and “Titanic” are names of famous and daring vessels that journeyed incredible nautical miles.  Of course, there’s the “Mayflower” which brought over the pilgrims to the U.S.’s east coast.  The infamous Columbus had his largest of ships, the “Santa Maria.”

It’s all history.

For thousands of years, our indigenous people sported more modest boats—canoe and kayak—and stuck more to rivers and lakes for sustenance purposes—food and travel.

Let’s see now, most of us homo sapiens thrived on land travel and reaping what bounties the soil provided.  There never was an account of ancients expending time in the air unless you probe into the stories of aliens, UFO’s, and so forth.

In the Vedas, there are plenty of tales giving accounts of vimanas, aerial devices moved by higher beings from another era.  The sky was the destination of mystics, some good and some bad.

That’s mythology, according to some.  Or is it history or non-fiction, and still going on?

In any event, my travel in the air was alright, except the middle-aged person behind me, in conversation with fellow passenger, had the foulest tongue.  He was a real AIRHEAD.

May the Source be with you!

1 km