Wednesday, 1 April 2020

Tuesday, March 24th, 2020


Toronto, Ontario

We Are Affected

I believe people should be careful in the matter of overdosing or over-exposing themselves to negative signals. Now that everyone is homebound, corona broadcast is very much in everyone’s face. Mass media is doing a good job of informing the public about safety measures to protect persons from the sometimes fatal virus. As a result, at least in our neighbourhood, people are prudent about wearing masks and/or social distancing. At the Whole Foods store down the street, purchasers getting groceries, form long queues adhering to the two metre distance between each other.

Living in the ashram does offer a peaceful spirit. Our use of devices is limited so we are not hearing about depressing reports. Still I’m somewhat affected by grim attitudes outside.  During my stroll today, I could see all the uncertainty in peoples’ lives projected on their faces as being too forlorn.  So I decided to sit on a park bench. I sat beneath a coniferous tree and looked at it in all its splendour. A gentle breeze put branches into a smooth motion. Its animation, its colour, and its scent, all gave me hope.

In His famous devotional prayers, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the kirtan monk, wrote that from a tree we can learn acceptance and tolerance. That tree, which was a spruce, made me feel much better. Adding onto that, I was chanting the maha-mantra and this gave me a bonus of morale boosting. In many ways when one is trained in monastic life, one does have a better chance at adjusting during challenging times like this. Those of us residing in the ashram for the time being are fine, but what about those who cannot afford Whole Foods or even less? What happens to them?

May the Source be with you!
4 km




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