Friday, 24 November 2017

Friday, November 17th, 2017

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Be SATTVIC!

One of the brahmacharis—monks—led a group of us to a lake, twenty blocks away.  “Very nice,” he said, before we embarked on foot.

Many of the sidewalks are uneven with tiles wide or narrow, and some cracked, but that’s all okay for a walker.  An uneven terrain is always advantageous for foot contact, and I like the fact that streets are hosed down with the abundant water available early in the morning.  It is routine that condo owners have their portion of the walkways cleaned.  https://instagram.com/p/BbnmobQFVjS/

Eventually we made it to the lake, a haven in a bustling city.  Trees are happy here, yet trees are plentiful also in most residential areas.  There are some brains used in city planning.

The brahmachari who led our group, to and fro from the ashram, is a humble soul.  The ashram here is a storehouse of renounced young men.  It reminds me of the old days when I joined and many young Canadians took up monastic life.  Argentina is perhaps a less perfect place.  Money, political stability and comfort are in less quantity.  Perhaps it becomes an easier fit for young folks for these reasons.

I did have to correct the brahmachari’s walking technique since I found he was shuffling his feet, leaving his feet to not lift high enough.  I told him, instructively, that he needed to use his knees just a little more.  “Walk in a sattvic way.”  This means ‘thoughtfully’.  “And be nice to your shoes.”

In the class I gave, based on Canto 4, I emphasized the point of doing and being sattvic.  To act in goodness is the launching pad for establishing real love, bhakti.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

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