Thursday 21 July 2022

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Cherry Beach, Toronto

Getting Around

We were on our way to the Tommy Thompson Park, a shaded-in-spots trail where cyclists and pedestrians share the space, when a man on a bicycle stopped to ask if we had any drugs. His articulation was weak and so we had to ask him to repeat himself. We were still wet from the swim at Cherry Beach and in our swimwear, not recognizable as monks. With me were Emanuel, Karuna, Ryan, and Arjuna. We didn’t really come across looking like folks who take substance to get high. He was naturally disappointed when we couldn’t deliver.

We had also met two young Punjabi men who came out of the lakes’ water. Somehow or other, they could detect our identity. “Hare Krishna,” said the stockier one. “Back home I’m involved,” he said.

The devotional clothing that we normally wear, the dhoti and the kurta (or for women it’s a saree), is a trademark for Hare Krishna devotees. The night before, when I returned from my walk and was about to reach the ashram door, a neighbour walking his dog asked, “How are those robes in the heat of summer?”

“Oh! Very cool and comfy,” I said. I wanted to say more about the freedom those of us feel in our attire, but the gentleman was on his merry way. The kind of freedom is like the liberated mood of Narada. He moves about in light monks’ clothes, delivering to people the sublime sound of the maha mantra. We should be like him; travel about, hear from people and deliver Krishna in the form of sound.

May the Source be with you!

5 km



 

 

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