Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Rosedale, Toronto

 

Shaking Hands With Many

 

Every time I step out the door it becomes like a handshake with the elements. It is the greeting of friends. After a day of interaction with comrades inside the ashram, and on the phone with the members of our spiritual family, I found further fortune in my connecting with nature’s buddies. Mr. Air, Mr. Raindrop, Mr. Snow, Mr. Ether and Mr. Breeze were all together. It was night and in the course of ambling along I eventually saw Mr. Moon peaking as well. Oh, he was tall; up high.

 

The sound was extraordinary. Because of the thaw all that was hard from frost was now dripping and dropping and trickling. It was a concert of sound. Very sweet! Nature was on no lock-down. The beauty of it all was a human silence. Except for a small group coming out of a home you couldn’t help but sense the tranquility.

 

It is hard to imagine us not meeting at Old City Hall this year, where we are accustomed to beating mallets on drums and pushing mantras with out lungs after the countdown for the New Year. Anyway, we are booked up for an hour’s slot of kirtan at 7:30 a.m. EST, nighttime in India, which is closer to the actual change of calendar.

 

May the wind blow that page!

 

I also wanted to offer a reminder that we are broadcasting our film, “Rolling the Dice” via YouTube, 4:45 p.m. EST. I pray for impeccable technological output. In fact, I’ve prayed for a lot of things this evening. Especially for the diminishment of confusion that has arrived from the Covid-19 virus. May bewilderment be replaced by clarity with the help of mantra.

 

May the source be with you!

3 km

 

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Rosedale, Toronto

 

The Topic

 

Victor came to join me today while the source of vitamin D was upon us. Sarthak also came, a first time for him. He just arrived from India. He already has his PR, permanent residency. “PR used to mean public relations,” I said.

 

My two companions laughed. I know when I was a teen that term used to imply something kind of dirty, illicit or whatever.

 

Halfway into our walk I received a call from Nicholas and Gabriel. Oh yes, it’s our weekly Gita discussion at 2:30 p.m. We rushed back and I jumped for that great weekly opportunity and had to bid farewell to Victor and Sarthak.

 

Chapter Three is entitled “Karma Yoga” and a section of it addresses lust, but we didn’t quite reach that topic, yet it did enter our conversation. In fact, we didn’t get beyond one verse; text thirty. Of course, both guys, whom I would easily classify as devotees, are in their twenties. We also delved into the subject of women and their place in the Vedic context as well as today’s context. The topic was stimulating.

 

Anyway, more to go over when we will discuss the position of gay and lesbian life with respect to Krishna consciousness. We know that sex is on the minds of many people. Of course, no one is against it but some guidelines are given on how to perceive the issue from a Vedic point of view. We will definitely cover the subject next week, hopefully when I am stationary and have completed my walk for the day. We’ll also discuss it with my walking companions, one day.

 

May the source be with you!

4 km

 

 

Monday, December 28, 2020

The Annex, Toronto

 

Approaching New Year

 

I would like to express a happy new year to all the readers and also say that we should not be so torn by the social circumstances of these days. This is the play of the mundane world. There is always some agitation.

 

At noon I had lunch with one of our ashram residents, Uttamananda. He brought up a topic that is indeed upsetting. As he is driving through the day he sees how the big chain box stores are permitted to be open for business. However, “The small persons doors are required to be shut down.” (If so) he was implying that it is not fair. Such is this world. It is often perceived as unfair.

 

During my walk this evening (and usually I do go in the evening, when it’s safest) I chose to meander the resident areas through The Annex, so I did not pass by those mom-and-pop shops mentioned above. In my own contemplation of the pandemic dynamics I thought again of such unnerving exploits of this world but as I moved along, avoiding ice patches, I came to a resolve simply by thinking that life sucks when one is in mundane consciousness. “Remember Krishna, who’s not of this world.”

 

I believe I made a woman and her young son uneasy as I was sauntering along. When the streets are wet, slushy and salty, as they are these days, I preferred to wear practical clothes, so I doned a black coat with a hood and black pants. I sported stark white tilka markings on the forehead, which might have thrown them off their equilibrium a bit. It is a sign of Vishnu and it is auspicious; it’s not really mundane.

 

Happy new year!

 

May the Source be with you!

5 km