Saturday 7 September 2019

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019


Toronto, Ontario

Moving As A Monk

I'm back at the spot in Kensington Market for chanting on the grass.  With me are David, Nicholas and Nimai, a young chap from Mexico.  We are not a professional bunch of musicians, but we follow a simple beat with some standard expressions on the mrdanga drum, while David uses shakers.  We can't be too loud either with instruments or voices.  We don't care to be either.  There's other sources of music going on including a piano situated at the edge of the park.  Strange thing is the piano was installed there on a concrete patch by someone I know, Anil.

Anil is a member of our community and has been coming to our ashram/temple since he was young.  He explained that the piano is a new addition to the neighbourhood, and that it's getting used more and more. 

"A great idea!" I said to him.

People actually do not sing, play music or dance enough, let alone walk.  Many of us are like still furniture.  Too sedentary.  Rocks do more movement, than some people, by rolling through erosion, hikers tottering on them or reacting to earthquakes, volcanoes and sometimes hurricanes.  In any event, we need to be more mobile.

When our chanting session was over, the four of us walked back to the ashram after my goodbye to Anil.  There is always magic that happens when moving from block to block on the streets.  You meet people, old acquaintances and new.  Without fail someone knows the Hare Krishna.  For some, it's Buddha (since we look like one) and this excites, calms, or at least moves a person, emotionally, because we are moving as a monk.

May the Source be with you!
4 km


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