Monday, 3 June 2019

Tuesday, May 21st, 2019

Toronto, Ontario

Park of Free Spirits

In my heart, I get excited when I know I'm a member of a chanting party, in a park full of free spirits.  I feel like a kid with video games.

Bellevue Park is one such place where the wild and wonderful go.  Many artists.  Many open minds whose thoughts easily spill out.  This tiny park has been recently renovated.  As I mentioned to Gregory, one of our newly-made friends today, "Our tax-payers money put into good use."

Gregory is a guitarist.  He came over to share some of the mantrashe knows.  One of them is in honour of Ganesh, the elephant avatar.  "He removes obstacles on the path of devotion," I relayed to him.  His buddy, also a guitarist, came along and remembered us from last year.  He did no strumming, but chumming—yes.

We also sang the bhajan to honour the lion avatar, and then on cue,  a fellow came around with his massive pet cat—a mellow fellow, really.  ‘Big cat thought’ was in the air.

Friendship was also established with three Irish women who were as curious as hell to know about our clothes, the names of the four of us monks, and what we actually believe.

"What in a nutshell do you believe?  What is our purpose?" they queried quietly.

"We are ultimately here to serve the universe, its people and the Creator.  We are spirits mandated to serve others.  We are not these bodies, but while we have them, we learn, and whatever we cannot gain in experience in this life, we hope to achieve in the next."

They liked what they heard.
5 km

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