In Montreal This Weekend
Montreal, Quebec
Today is the day of Ratha Yatra in Montreal. This city seems to attract cultures from around the world. It’s French language insistence doesn’t deter Francophones from accommodating so many events. This weekend the city hosts the world’s largest jazz festival. Posters throughout the city are boosting Milesmania. That is referring to Miles Davis, a favourite of mine. In 1973 when I became a monk I put Miles and other masters of music to the side for devotional music, kirtan and bhajans.
Our Ratha Yatra is modest compared to the Jazz Festival as far as attendance goes. Those who come to our event get charmed in a unique way. Leonard Cohen, poet and vocalist revolutionary, came to the Montreal event three summers ago. He informed me that he met the Swami, Srila Prabhupada, in the sixities. Cohen stayed to hear some of the chant.
Like all years, Ratha Yatra creates a buzz for many different kinds of people and in different ways. It literally means Chariot Festival and that is most definitely what it is. It is a singing event, a food festival, a cultural display and a rope-pulling project and it is also most emphatically a walking venture.
In fact, it dawned on me that here we are on St. Laruent, making that turn at Mount Royale, and on foot with hundreds of pedestrian pals. Undeniably we are looking at a very happy walking festival.
10 KM
B L O G S P O T
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Friday, July 9th, 2010
She Scores!
Toronto, Ontario
She is a sweet singer with a golden voice. I consider her one of my spiritual daughters and now with the news she brought me, the paternal instinct became further enhanced. Her name is Karanamrita and she popped into Toronto to attend a wedding which I was not able to attend (although regrettably it was a marriage for another spiritual daughter).
Karanamrta has been singing for the yoga kirtan circuit but she admits to discovering a love for a whole new kind of activity – walking. She tells me she just returned from the famous Santiago walk in Spain. She covered hundreds of kilometers on foot and her plans for more of the same are just brewing. Tuscany is her next stop for a wanderlust experience.
I asked her why she was doing this and in so many words she conveyed the need to see herself more, to go deeper inside and see the divinity in everything. She spoke about the rhythm of the road, the freedom that walking offers, the reflection that comes about and the toughness it builds internally and externally.
We both concurred on the principle that very few people know what you are talking about on this subject until he or she applies to the process of carefree walking itself. It is rather uncanny that something so simple like walking could have such a mystical edge to it.
I would go so far to say that the magical harvest reaped from simply moving your feet IS a best kept secret. I have heard from many peers, spiritual bros, who have confessed to doing less car travel. Now I have found a daughter who has taken up seriously to marathon strides.
One day she covered 51 km. That’s an accomplishment, Karnamrta. Keep singing those songs and keep going those miles.
6 KM
Toronto, Ontario
She is a sweet singer with a golden voice. I consider her one of my spiritual daughters and now with the news she brought me, the paternal instinct became further enhanced. Her name is Karanamrita and she popped into Toronto to attend a wedding which I was not able to attend (although regrettably it was a marriage for another spiritual daughter).
Karanamrta has been singing for the yoga kirtan circuit but she admits to discovering a love for a whole new kind of activity – walking. She tells me she just returned from the famous Santiago walk in Spain. She covered hundreds of kilometers on foot and her plans for more of the same are just brewing. Tuscany is her next stop for a wanderlust experience.
I asked her why she was doing this and in so many words she conveyed the need to see herself more, to go deeper inside and see the divinity in everything. She spoke about the rhythm of the road, the freedom that walking offers, the reflection that comes about and the toughness it builds internally and externally.
We both concurred on the principle that very few people know what you are talking about on this subject until he or she applies to the process of carefree walking itself. It is rather uncanny that something so simple like walking could have such a mystical edge to it.
I would go so far to say that the magical harvest reaped from simply moving your feet IS a best kept secret. I have heard from many peers, spiritual bros, who have confessed to doing less car travel. Now I have found a daughter who has taken up seriously to marathon strides.
One day she covered 51 km. That’s an accomplishment, Karnamrta. Keep singing those songs and keep going those miles.
6 KM
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
Some Pride
Toronto, Ontario
It does happen. The tendency to be proud and to display it is very strong. Here is how I got hit with it this very day.
I woke up at 2 AM, showered, donned my dhoti and wrapped my chauddar around me in such a way as to expose some torso because of the heat. I set out for walking and chanting on my beads thinking proudly, “I’m such a good boy, waging war on the mind doing my mantra meditation so early. I’ll return to the ashram to wake the other monks at 4 AM. After all not all twelve residents take the morning sadhana so seriously and therefore, show up a few minutes late. They seem so dependent on me.”
All was still and silent through the quiet Rosedale neighbourhood where I chose to walk and where air conditioners were running hard. A good hour and a half passed and I made my return to the ashram. I knocked from door to door but received no reciprocation from anyone. Every last door was locked. Not a sould responded to my call. “Wise guys!” I thought. “They can hear me but they are feigning sleep on the pretense of working hard the previous day. Perhaps another excuse is that the heat is restricting sleep.”
Anyways, I was thinking all of them. I then looked up at the main clock at the end of the corridor realizing a discrepancy with my new digital watch. I was off by an hour. The main clock read 5:05 AM. I was surprised.
That meant that everyone was already up, had showered and were already in attendance in the temple room finishing some recitation. Therefore, I ended up being the late one. Nevertheless, I did feel some embarrassment.
I do get guilt-ridden when missing any morning spiritual practices. It is very important to me and it is important that I benefit from the grace that comes from attendance in addition to being the example.
8 KM
Toronto, Ontario
It does happen. The tendency to be proud and to display it is very strong. Here is how I got hit with it this very day.
I woke up at 2 AM, showered, donned my dhoti and wrapped my chauddar around me in such a way as to expose some torso because of the heat. I set out for walking and chanting on my beads thinking proudly, “I’m such a good boy, waging war on the mind doing my mantra meditation so early. I’ll return to the ashram to wake the other monks at 4 AM. After all not all twelve residents take the morning sadhana so seriously and therefore, show up a few minutes late. They seem so dependent on me.”
All was still and silent through the quiet Rosedale neighbourhood where I chose to walk and where air conditioners were running hard. A good hour and a half passed and I made my return to the ashram. I knocked from door to door but received no reciprocation from anyone. Every last door was locked. Not a sould responded to my call. “Wise guys!” I thought. “They can hear me but they are feigning sleep on the pretense of working hard the previous day. Perhaps another excuse is that the heat is restricting sleep.”
Anyways, I was thinking all of them. I then looked up at the main clock at the end of the corridor realizing a discrepancy with my new digital watch. I was off by an hour. The main clock read 5:05 AM. I was surprised.
That meant that everyone was already up, had showered and were already in attendance in the temple room finishing some recitation. Therefore, I ended up being the late one. Nevertheless, I did feel some embarrassment.
I do get guilt-ridden when missing any morning spiritual practices. It is very important to me and it is important that I benefit from the grace that comes from attendance in addition to being the example.
8 KM
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Monday, July 5th, 2010
Another Great Ratha Yatra
Toronto, Ontario
I picked up a copy at the reception desk of the “India Observer” newspaper. On page 18 is an article called “Another Great Ratha Yatra” written by yours truly. Here it is:
Every summer the city of Toronto hosts events that appear to the public like layers upon layers of flavours of delectable ice cream scoops stacked onto a delicious crusty cone. There are events such as a Caribana with the flavour of the islands’ music and dance; the Jazz Festival with its New Orleans musical flair; reflections of Athens with the Greek festival; the light heartedness of the comedic Just For Laughs. The scoops keep coming. But perhaps one of Toronto’s best kept secret events is Ratha Yatra (translated as “The Festival of Chariots”), which has its rootes deep down, stemming from the eastern part of India.
There’s everything “Indian” about Ratha Yatra festival like the large temple-domed chariots with colours loud enough to make you gawk for a while. There are sari-clad ladies swaying to music and men who take to serious finger tapping on two headed drums. Then there’s the food; everything hit by some spice, yellowed with curry, and beckoning you to want seconds.
And there’s also everything not so “Indian” about the festival, like the usual Toronto potpourri or kichari; people participating from (I hate to say the over-used phrase) all walks of life. There are men in pants as well as dhotis. African djembes are popping out beats in the air. Ancient mantras are vibrated sometimes with the twist of Bollywood, but you’ll find vocals in crooner tones as well, and sometimes catch a dash of rock on the instrumentals.
Here is one of the most stunning attributes of Ratha Yatra – it’s booze free. Please don’t get me wrong. There’s no free booze. In fact drinking is taboo here. And if someone is found ‘high’ on something he or she may even be escorted out, lovingly of course. That is unique!
The event is billed as a chance to “Feed Your Soul” and it’s the spirtual overtones that make this party stand out. What to do? You can’t make any excuses for the overtones because anything that is sourced from India, especially the oldie-but-goodie stuff, has that undeniable mystic edge to it.
How so?
Well, for case in point, let’s just take the original story of the Ratha Yatra itself. King Indradyumna was a man hoping to get closer to God. He heard of an extraordinary beautiful icon of Krishna secretively worshipped by a tribal chief in a place tucked away in the eastern hills of the district of Orissa, India. The king was intensely curious but his search for this sacred icon went in vain when he discovered it missing. The icon was never found (Maybe hijacked by the chief?). The king then took the next course of action.
He commissioned the most expert sculpture of the time to carve out of a wooden log an image of Krishna in whom he could repose his love. Since Krishna is usually never alone, two companions, Krishna’s brother and sister, Balarama and Subhadra respectively, were also whittled out of the one log. The monarch could not get a better-packaged deal. In the end, you have a happy king who accepted three, very crude and simple, but adorable images who reflect the joy of each other’s company as demonstrated by their wide eyes and oceanic smiles.
Now, how does a chariot ride fit into the story? The Puranas tell us that once, on a solar eclipse, the three famous siblings, Krishna, Balaram, and Subhadra went on a journey via chariot to the north in Kurukshetra. This pleasure ride is reenacted annually in the city of Puri situated on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. It’s an event that has gone on for at least two millennia and pilgrims come from far and wide anticipating a chance to pull one of the three celestial ropes attached to the chariots.
There you have the story in brief.
What if some innocent bystander was to come along and ask, “Just what is this all about?” Well, I would say, “It’s a rope-pulling event but much more. One day, Krishna, along with his brother and sister wished to go for a pleasure cruise to catch the favourable breezes and receive their followers. This momentous occasion is being re-enacted right here on Yonge St. moving south to the Toronto Harbour. It’s a story from India. If you pull the rope you’ll make the king happy.”
By the way, Toronto, which now boasts the 38th Annual Ratha Yatra festival, has no monopoly on the program. Ratha Yatra – the festival of chariots – occurs in cities around the world and is sponsored by ISKCON, better known as the Hare Krishna movement. And the Toronto community just happens to host one of the largest Ratha Yatra gatherings in the western hemisphere. If you travel around and check those other sites, then you’ll see that the added feature here is the ecstatic kirtan (chanting session) as it moves and resounds uproariously at the bast of Yonge, under the Gardiner Expressway. The youth call it the ‘Toronto Tunnel’. That portion of the event is like the cherry on top of all the flavourful scoops of ice cream.
Oops! I forgot about Centre Island. I don’t know how we can fit this portion of the event on top of the cherry. That takes a whole new ice cream cone by itself. Let’s call it a tofu mango ice dream. Oh, and the kitchen department did inform me that the free feast on the island includes delicious edibles for vegans as well. Other features are Yoga Meltdown (an outdoor yoga festival), live theatre and music, kirtan chanting, exhibits, and an active kiddie corner too.
To wrap this up (before the ice cream melts), I have a confession to make – I have been involved in Toronto’s Ratha Yatra almost since its inception. The event is growing and seeing a good future. We just don’t need city strikes and torrential rains to visit us for this splendid outdoor event. The history shows that spirits have never been dampened. It’s extremely popular. It’s high energy. Throughout the year, wherever I go in the GTA area, dressed in my robes, I have people come up to me reciting like a mantra “Hare Krishna Ratha Yatra, Centre Island”. That’s a good sign, because they and their family members and friends have had the experience of their lives – a good time, a social gathering and a pilgrimage of sorts.
Do come and pull the rope! Make the king happy!
Ratha Yatra: Festival of India
Saturday, July 17th and 18th, 2010
Parade starts at 11 AM on Saturday @ Yonge & Bloor to Centre Island.
Festivities take place on Centre Island all weekend – Saturday 12 – 9 PM and
Sunday 12 – 6 PM
Toronto, Ontario
I picked up a copy at the reception desk of the “India Observer” newspaper. On page 18 is an article called “Another Great Ratha Yatra” written by yours truly. Here it is:
Every summer the city of Toronto hosts events that appear to the public like layers upon layers of flavours of delectable ice cream scoops stacked onto a delicious crusty cone. There are events such as a Caribana with the flavour of the islands’ music and dance; the Jazz Festival with its New Orleans musical flair; reflections of Athens with the Greek festival; the light heartedness of the comedic Just For Laughs. The scoops keep coming. But perhaps one of Toronto’s best kept secret events is Ratha Yatra (translated as “The Festival of Chariots”), which has its rootes deep down, stemming from the eastern part of India.
There’s everything “Indian” about Ratha Yatra festival like the large temple-domed chariots with colours loud enough to make you gawk for a while. There are sari-clad ladies swaying to music and men who take to serious finger tapping on two headed drums. Then there’s the food; everything hit by some spice, yellowed with curry, and beckoning you to want seconds.
And there’s also everything not so “Indian” about the festival, like the usual Toronto potpourri or kichari; people participating from (I hate to say the over-used phrase) all walks of life. There are men in pants as well as dhotis. African djembes are popping out beats in the air. Ancient mantras are vibrated sometimes with the twist of Bollywood, but you’ll find vocals in crooner tones as well, and sometimes catch a dash of rock on the instrumentals.
Here is one of the most stunning attributes of Ratha Yatra – it’s booze free. Please don’t get me wrong. There’s no free booze. In fact drinking is taboo here. And if someone is found ‘high’ on something he or she may even be escorted out, lovingly of course. That is unique!
The event is billed as a chance to “Feed Your Soul” and it’s the spirtual overtones that make this party stand out. What to do? You can’t make any excuses for the overtones because anything that is sourced from India, especially the oldie-but-goodie stuff, has that undeniable mystic edge to it.
How so?
Well, for case in point, let’s just take the original story of the Ratha Yatra itself. King Indradyumna was a man hoping to get closer to God. He heard of an extraordinary beautiful icon of Krishna secretively worshipped by a tribal chief in a place tucked away in the eastern hills of the district of Orissa, India. The king was intensely curious but his search for this sacred icon went in vain when he discovered it missing. The icon was never found (Maybe hijacked by the chief?). The king then took the next course of action.
He commissioned the most expert sculpture of the time to carve out of a wooden log an image of Krishna in whom he could repose his love. Since Krishna is usually never alone, two companions, Krishna’s brother and sister, Balarama and Subhadra respectively, were also whittled out of the one log. The monarch could not get a better-packaged deal. In the end, you have a happy king who accepted three, very crude and simple, but adorable images who reflect the joy of each other’s company as demonstrated by their wide eyes and oceanic smiles.
Now, how does a chariot ride fit into the story? The Puranas tell us that once, on a solar eclipse, the three famous siblings, Krishna, Balaram, and Subhadra went on a journey via chariot to the north in Kurukshetra. This pleasure ride is reenacted annually in the city of Puri situated on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. It’s an event that has gone on for at least two millennia and pilgrims come from far and wide anticipating a chance to pull one of the three celestial ropes attached to the chariots.
There you have the story in brief.
What if some innocent bystander was to come along and ask, “Just what is this all about?” Well, I would say, “It’s a rope-pulling event but much more. One day, Krishna, along with his brother and sister wished to go for a pleasure cruise to catch the favourable breezes and receive their followers. This momentous occasion is being re-enacted right here on Yonge St. moving south to the Toronto Harbour. It’s a story from India. If you pull the rope you’ll make the king happy.”
By the way, Toronto, which now boasts the 38th Annual Ratha Yatra festival, has no monopoly on the program. Ratha Yatra – the festival of chariots – occurs in cities around the world and is sponsored by ISKCON, better known as the Hare Krishna movement. And the Toronto community just happens to host one of the largest Ratha Yatra gatherings in the western hemisphere. If you travel around and check those other sites, then you’ll see that the added feature here is the ecstatic kirtan (chanting session) as it moves and resounds uproariously at the bast of Yonge, under the Gardiner Expressway. The youth call it the ‘Toronto Tunnel’. That portion of the event is like the cherry on top of all the flavourful scoops of ice cream.
Oops! I forgot about Centre Island. I don’t know how we can fit this portion of the event on top of the cherry. That takes a whole new ice cream cone by itself. Let’s call it a tofu mango ice dream. Oh, and the kitchen department did inform me that the free feast on the island includes delicious edibles for vegans as well. Other features are Yoga Meltdown (an outdoor yoga festival), live theatre and music, kirtan chanting, exhibits, and an active kiddie corner too.
To wrap this up (before the ice cream melts), I have a confession to make – I have been involved in Toronto’s Ratha Yatra almost since its inception. The event is growing and seeing a good future. We just don’t need city strikes and torrential rains to visit us for this splendid outdoor event. The history shows that spirits have never been dampened. It’s extremely popular. It’s high energy. Throughout the year, wherever I go in the GTA area, dressed in my robes, I have people come up to me reciting like a mantra “Hare Krishna Ratha Yatra, Centre Island”. That’s a good sign, because they and their family members and friends have had the experience of their lives – a good time, a social gathering and a pilgrimage of sorts.
Do come and pull the rope! Make the king happy!
Ratha Yatra: Festival of India
Saturday, July 17th and 18th, 2010
Parade starts at 11 AM on Saturday @ Yonge & Bloor to Centre Island.
Festivities take place on Centre Island all weekend – Saturday 12 – 9 PM and
Sunday 12 – 6 PM
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Hot Days!
Toronto, Ontario
It is steaming hot and a trip, a short drive to the lake at 5:15 AM offers some relief. Today it is Lakeshore west where a trail lies in the area of Sunnyside Beach. It is rather nauseous in a way with traffic whizzing by for the greater part of the trail.
Kayaks glide along the water for those who have found the paddling a meditation. And gulls take breakfast spotting it from the air. At least one did swoop down to make a catch, a tiny flopping doomed fish. Prey and predator were moving frantically until the swallow was completed.
Back to the ashram and you’ll find the heat is on again. We Canadians are not so accustomed to the high 30 degree Celsius weather with the humidity factor. Most of my day is preoccupied in working on our latest production, “The Three Lives of Bharat”, a drama set for outdoor stage in Montreal this weekend. It is very engaging keeping me out of trouble. The actors perceive it as hard work but work they love.
Between practices the water intake has increased. The tap runs more these days for making lemonade and for taking extra showers. This ordeal cannot compare to the scorching heat of India’s balmy weather and when I reflect on what was sweltering days of my youth working for eight intense hours a day in the tobacco harvest. That was the ultimate austerity. As a student earning a small income I learned much about toughness from the tobacco field work. In some ways the physical workout and good sweat set the stage for my Krishna consciousness.
I’m grateful for the hard work.
6 KM
Toronto, Ontario
It is steaming hot and a trip, a short drive to the lake at 5:15 AM offers some relief. Today it is Lakeshore west where a trail lies in the area of Sunnyside Beach. It is rather nauseous in a way with traffic whizzing by for the greater part of the trail.
Kayaks glide along the water for those who have found the paddling a meditation. And gulls take breakfast spotting it from the air. At least one did swoop down to make a catch, a tiny flopping doomed fish. Prey and predator were moving frantically until the swallow was completed.
Back to the ashram and you’ll find the heat is on again. We Canadians are not so accustomed to the high 30 degree Celsius weather with the humidity factor. Most of my day is preoccupied in working on our latest production, “The Three Lives of Bharat”, a drama set for outdoor stage in Montreal this weekend. It is very engaging keeping me out of trouble. The actors perceive it as hard work but work they love.
Between practices the water intake has increased. The tap runs more these days for making lemonade and for taking extra showers. This ordeal cannot compare to the scorching heat of India’s balmy weather and when I reflect on what was sweltering days of my youth working for eight intense hours a day in the tobacco harvest. That was the ultimate austerity. As a student earning a small income I learned much about toughness from the tobacco field work. In some ways the physical workout and good sweat set the stage for my Krishna consciousness.
I’m grateful for the hard work.
6 KM
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Place of Pilgrimage
Toronto, Ontario
I make it an annual trip there. It’s not far. East on Lakeshore Boulevard is a trail which is a place of pilgrimage. In the summer of ’75 our guru, Srila Prabhupada trekked here on the same boardwalk that we now have the fortune to experience. Edged at the beach of Lake Ontario is plank against plank set in the sand.
Since that time, now 35 years later, hundreds of thousands of people have lightly pounded on the same path as this pure devotee had done. Some benefit does come to the numerous walkers and runners that tread the same track of this most remarkable soul. Wherever the great pious soul wanders a spiritual power is deposited. That power can be absorbed by all subsequent foot travelers. That is their good fortune.
One of my favourite verses from the book, Bhagavatam, regarding sacred space is as follows:
Bhavad- vidha bhagavatas
Tirtha bhutah svayam vibho
Tirthi kurvanti tirthani
Svantah-stena gadabhrita
Translation:
My Lord, devotees like your good self are verily holy places personified. Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn all places into places of pilgrimage.
7 KM
Toronto, Ontario
I make it an annual trip there. It’s not far. East on Lakeshore Boulevard is a trail which is a place of pilgrimage. In the summer of ’75 our guru, Srila Prabhupada trekked here on the same boardwalk that we now have the fortune to experience. Edged at the beach of Lake Ontario is plank against plank set in the sand.
Since that time, now 35 years later, hundreds of thousands of people have lightly pounded on the same path as this pure devotee had done. Some benefit does come to the numerous walkers and runners that tread the same track of this most remarkable soul. Wherever the great pious soul wanders a spiritual power is deposited. That power can be absorbed by all subsequent foot travelers. That is their good fortune.
One of my favourite verses from the book, Bhagavatam, regarding sacred space is as follows:
Bhavad- vidha bhagavatas
Tirtha bhutah svayam vibho
Tirthi kurvanti tirthani
Svantah-stena gadabhrita
Translation:
My Lord, devotees like your good self are verily holy places personified. Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn all places into places of pilgrimage.
7 KM
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Sunday, July 4th, 2010
Nothing Wrong With That
Up-State New York
Wherever I travel to attend a festival I’ll meet someone who will ask, “Did you walk here?” and I’ll say, “I wish!” It has become a common joke, which I consider flattery really.
It becomes an embarrassment when you can’t boast doing even a measly four kilometers like today. You make the best of everything. Here, we are, five of us adults, crammed in a small Hyundai, meant for four people on a ten hour trip. So I’m reminded of our Inuit people of the north who would for some months know only darkness, stay in their igloo nestled under animal skins and have a tiny light fuelled by whale oil. They would lie there and tell stories to pass the time away.
Our situation going through Pennsylvania and New York states in our small car isn’t anywhere near as austere. We do have stories to tell – lots of them and so passengers and driver discussed a touch about each others’ marital status. One person expressed the satisfaction of being single. The others in the vehicle likely will be betrothed down the line. For myself, well, the writing is on the wall. I’m single and I intend to stick to vows.
I have expressed even recently in Halifax to an eager gathering of fifty young people, “some of you will choose to remain single and celibate and there is virtually nothing wrong with it. For some of us we have got stuff out of our system in a previous life. You may consider that you have another purpose in this life than having families and the sweet bitter entanglement that goes along with it. There is nothing wrong with that.”
I implied that such persons don’t have to be made to feel guilty and that a spiritual centre will fill the gap that would lead to loneliness.
4 KM
Up-State New York
Wherever I travel to attend a festival I’ll meet someone who will ask, “Did you walk here?” and I’ll say, “I wish!” It has become a common joke, which I consider flattery really.
It becomes an embarrassment when you can’t boast doing even a measly four kilometers like today. You make the best of everything. Here, we are, five of us adults, crammed in a small Hyundai, meant for four people on a ten hour trip. So I’m reminded of our Inuit people of the north who would for some months know only darkness, stay in their igloo nestled under animal skins and have a tiny light fuelled by whale oil. They would lie there and tell stories to pass the time away.
Our situation going through Pennsylvania and New York states in our small car isn’t anywhere near as austere. We do have stories to tell – lots of them and so passengers and driver discussed a touch about each others’ marital status. One person expressed the satisfaction of being single. The others in the vehicle likely will be betrothed down the line. For myself, well, the writing is on the wall. I’m single and I intend to stick to vows.
I have expressed even recently in Halifax to an eager gathering of fifty young people, “some of you will choose to remain single and celibate and there is virtually nothing wrong with it. For some of us we have got stuff out of our system in a previous life. You may consider that you have another purpose in this life than having families and the sweet bitter entanglement that goes along with it. There is nothing wrong with that.”
I implied that such persons don’t have to be made to feel guilty and that a spiritual centre will fill the gap that would lead to loneliness.
4 KM
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Saturday, July 3rd, 2010
Festival at the Susquehanna River
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
I felt so honoured to be present for the memorial anniversary of the passing of my dear monk friend, Bhakti Tirtha Swami. It has been five years since his leaving us. In retrospect I see him as the personification of the principle ‘unity and diversity’. His presentation, style, dress code, demeanour was bold, daring, fresh, different. He broke through conventional boundaries and would open up topics that some of us would be shy to talk about. He was like a chameleon adjusting to diverse situations and all the time so much advocating a ‘oneness’ factor. He would emphasize unity, harmony and cohesion; to work as a unit.
At the samadhi tomb of the Swami at the Gita Nagari farm where the service was held, I was asked to speak something and this thought came to mind, “Here is the embodiment of the philosophy of Chaitanya “achintya bhedabheda” or, simultaneously oneness and difference.
For the afternoon our party drove to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s capital city, for their summer’s music festival. Incorporated into the festival was a mini Ratha Yatra. Swamis from other parts of the US came such as Bhakti Caru, Veda Vyasa Priya and Chandrashekar to enrich the program with their presence. I spoke with Gauravani who is doing the kirtan (chanting) circuit traveling and singing. He shared time on the stage with our drama troupe for “Lonely People”. He does that excellent singing presentation with his group.
One thing that was novel was hearing Chandrashekar Swami quote a Christian speaker as the swami and I had a casual talk, “There’s a God-shaped hole in the heart that only God can fill.”
6 KM
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
I felt so honoured to be present for the memorial anniversary of the passing of my dear monk friend, Bhakti Tirtha Swami. It has been five years since his leaving us. In retrospect I see him as the personification of the principle ‘unity and diversity’. His presentation, style, dress code, demeanour was bold, daring, fresh, different. He broke through conventional boundaries and would open up topics that some of us would be shy to talk about. He was like a chameleon adjusting to diverse situations and all the time so much advocating a ‘oneness’ factor. He would emphasize unity, harmony and cohesion; to work as a unit.
At the samadhi tomb of the Swami at the Gita Nagari farm where the service was held, I was asked to speak something and this thought came to mind, “Here is the embodiment of the philosophy of Chaitanya “achintya bhedabheda” or, simultaneously oneness and difference.
For the afternoon our party drove to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s capital city, for their summer’s music festival. Incorporated into the festival was a mini Ratha Yatra. Swamis from other parts of the US came such as Bhakti Caru, Veda Vyasa Priya and Chandrashekar to enrich the program with their presence. I spoke with Gauravani who is doing the kirtan (chanting) circuit traveling and singing. He shared time on the stage with our drama troupe for “Lonely People”. He does that excellent singing presentation with his group.
One thing that was novel was hearing Chandrashekar Swami quote a Christian speaker as the swami and I had a casual talk, “There’s a God-shaped hole in the heart that only God can fill.”
6 KM
Friday, July 2nd, 2010
Top Ten
Port Royal, Pennsylvania
Before the long haul to Pennsylvania by rented car, I squeezed in two and a half kilometers on foot in the town of Russell, Ontario. Our driver was Nitai Priya, but passengers, Gaura, Sing Lung Wong and myself had time to kill. Usually it’s my job to insert the spiritual element into these trips. So I asked everyone including driver if we could act as a self proclaimed panel of judges on coming up with our top ten favourite pastimes of Krishna.
Here is what we came up with; our top ten (and not necessarily in order favourite to less favourite):
1) Krishna kidnapping Rukmini
2) The gopis (cowherd maidents) blocking Krishna from leaving their village, Vrindavan.
3) Krishna smiling while his friend, Arjuna, was confused.
4) Krishna washing the feet of attendees at the Rajasuya sacrifice.
5) Krishna consuming the meager rice of poor man, Sudhama
6) Krishna’s mother, Yasoda, looking into the mouth of her son, and seeing the cosmic form.
7) The bumblebees that spoke to Radharani, Krishna’s confidante.
8) Krishna duplicating or cloning himself as many cowherd boys.
9) Krishna massaging His elder brother, Balaram’s legs.
10) Krishna wrestled down the bulls to win Princess Satya as His bride.
Dear readers, what are your tope ten favourites? I would like to hear from you.
3.5 KM
Port Royal, Pennsylvania
Before the long haul to Pennsylvania by rented car, I squeezed in two and a half kilometers on foot in the town of Russell, Ontario. Our driver was Nitai Priya, but passengers, Gaura, Sing Lung Wong and myself had time to kill. Usually it’s my job to insert the spiritual element into these trips. So I asked everyone including driver if we could act as a self proclaimed panel of judges on coming up with our top ten favourite pastimes of Krishna.
Here is what we came up with; our top ten (and not necessarily in order favourite to less favourite):
1) Krishna kidnapping Rukmini
2) The gopis (cowherd maidents) blocking Krishna from leaving their village, Vrindavan.
3) Krishna smiling while his friend, Arjuna, was confused.
4) Krishna washing the feet of attendees at the Rajasuya sacrifice.
5) Krishna consuming the meager rice of poor man, Sudhama
6) Krishna’s mother, Yasoda, looking into the mouth of her son, and seeing the cosmic form.
7) The bumblebees that spoke to Radharani, Krishna’s confidante.
8) Krishna duplicating or cloning himself as many cowherd boys.
9) Krishna massaging His elder brother, Balaram’s legs.
10) Krishna wrestled down the bulls to win Princess Satya as His bride.
Dear readers, what are your tope ten favourites? I would like to hear from you.
3.5 KM
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
At Parliament Hill
Ottawa, Ontario
Every year near the war memorial, a short jaunt from Parliament Hill, devotees of Krishna set up a stage with awning and sound equipment on this day. It’s Canada Day, the birth anniversary of a nation and at 6 am, the modest stage is assembled to contribute to the celebration.
By the time our small Toronto delegation of five had arrived, the Queen had already completed royal renderings but the kirtan (chanting) was in full swing. We merged with the vibrant chanters. Within minutes I was led to the microphone. My dear friend Mahajan hit the keyboard and went for seventies funk playing to the Maha-Mantra.
The chanting drew in the public. One Japanese young woman jumped into the enthusiastic dance circle. Her companions insisted on staying outside the loop. They periodically tried to pull her away from her ecstatic dance. She fought back fiercely but lovingly resisting the oncoming advances of her friends. This was so entertaining to watch.
I had sensed that the kirtan was mellow previously and that the chanters were up for a change of rasa (mood). They were so happy when we shifted gears. And the dancers? Well, our Canadian flag pole became the limbo stick for those who wanted to go as low as they could go. A competition sprang out of this, and all the while the chanting sound was rising from the crowd.
Those that didn’t make a sound stood sedate and others engaged, jaws-dropped, seeing the fun approach to spiritual expression. It was nothing dull or drab.
I began to think that Chaitanya, the father of kirtan for the age, was the master-mind behind making spirituality so very attractive. What a blessing it is to be a part of this experience!
6 KM
Ottawa, Ontario
Every year near the war memorial, a short jaunt from Parliament Hill, devotees of Krishna set up a stage with awning and sound equipment on this day. It’s Canada Day, the birth anniversary of a nation and at 6 am, the modest stage is assembled to contribute to the celebration.
By the time our small Toronto delegation of five had arrived, the Queen had already completed royal renderings but the kirtan (chanting) was in full swing. We merged with the vibrant chanters. Within minutes I was led to the microphone. My dear friend Mahajan hit the keyboard and went for seventies funk playing to the Maha-Mantra.
The chanting drew in the public. One Japanese young woman jumped into the enthusiastic dance circle. Her companions insisted on staying outside the loop. They periodically tried to pull her away from her ecstatic dance. She fought back fiercely but lovingly resisting the oncoming advances of her friends. This was so entertaining to watch.
I had sensed that the kirtan was mellow previously and that the chanters were up for a change of rasa (mood). They were so happy when we shifted gears. And the dancers? Well, our Canadian flag pole became the limbo stick for those who wanted to go as low as they could go. A competition sprang out of this, and all the while the chanting sound was rising from the crowd.
Those that didn’t make a sound stood sedate and others engaged, jaws-dropped, seeing the fun approach to spiritual expression. It was nothing dull or drab.
I began to think that Chaitanya, the father of kirtan for the age, was the master-mind behind making spirituality so very attractive. What a blessing it is to be a part of this experience!
6 KM
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Walk on Behalf of Someone
Mississauga, Ontario
From the window of her moving car the young blonde shouted out, “Are you a monk?”
At that moment a large van wedged its way with in the lane between her and the sidewalk. She vanished and couldn’t here my response which was, “I’m the real McCoy!”
I was on my way to the subway to take it to the end of the line. From there I trekked a good ten kilometres through the suburbs of Mississauga not just for an adventure but as a dedication to a deceased devotee, Sukadev, who passed away just the day before.
Dedication walks are extremely powerful. The walker sets himself or herself as a form of prayer simply through the act of walking in honour of someone. Putting leg power into the well-being of a loved one is a strong way to communicate with that person. I recall in 2003 while on one of the three Trans-Canada walks I decided to dedicate one day to Keshava Sharma, one of our shining youths who is very active in service to the community. I walked to wish him well.
That day happened to rain for eight straight hours which began as if on cue with him with my first step. It got so wet to the point that I could not sit anywhere dry and it was practically all countryside meaning there was no place for a break. I ended up trekking those eight hours straight with 40km under my feet investing them, in a subtle way, to a young guy who deserved the dedicated attention.
I take such reflective walks as moving prayers.
If there was time for a second question to come from the blonde such as, “What do you do as a monk?” which is a natural follow-up query, then I would say that one of the things monks do is to walk in dedication.
12 KM
Mississauga, Ontario
From the window of her moving car the young blonde shouted out, “Are you a monk?”
At that moment a large van wedged its way with in the lane between her and the sidewalk. She vanished and couldn’t here my response which was, “I’m the real McCoy!”
I was on my way to the subway to take it to the end of the line. From there I trekked a good ten kilometres through the suburbs of Mississauga not just for an adventure but as a dedication to a deceased devotee, Sukadev, who passed away just the day before.
Dedication walks are extremely powerful. The walker sets himself or herself as a form of prayer simply through the act of walking in honour of someone. Putting leg power into the well-being of a loved one is a strong way to communicate with that person. I recall in 2003 while on one of the three Trans-Canada walks I decided to dedicate one day to Keshava Sharma, one of our shining youths who is very active in service to the community. I walked to wish him well.
That day happened to rain for eight straight hours which began as if on cue with him with my first step. It got so wet to the point that I could not sit anywhere dry and it was practically all countryside meaning there was no place for a break. I ended up trekking those eight hours straight with 40km under my feet investing them, in a subtle way, to a young guy who deserved the dedicated attention.
I take such reflective walks as moving prayers.
If there was time for a second question to come from the blonde such as, “What do you do as a monk?” which is a natural follow-up query, then I would say that one of the things monks do is to walk in dedication.
12 KM
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
To A Lovely Person
Toronto, Ontario
One of the senior members of the Krishna community has passed away this morning. Dr. Gelda, also known by his Sanskrit name as Shukadev, was driving home from the club when his heart failed. Fortunately his automobile safely spun into a parking lot. He was 85.
Shukadev loved Srila Prabhupada, the guru of the Hare Krishna, who became the most influential person in his life. He would share with family and friends the story of the 70 year old swami from India who embarked on a ship in 1965 coming penniless to New York City. He would tell how this great spiritual pioneer became know as Swamiji in the beginning and later more reverentially as Prabhupada, attracted the hippies, artists, musicians, intellectuals and free spirited youth of the time and set them on a path of positive direction.
I ventured over to Trillium Hosptial where Shukadeva lie. His family of two generations his junior and friends were there in mourning. We chanted for him in that crammed hospital room, the emergency department.
Shukadeva would have been happy to know that his departure a huge shipment of Prabhupada books arrived at the downtown Krishna temple; books that land in the laps of some lucky readers who chose to purchase them. I was impressed with the monkey chain formed by the young men of our community to carry heavy box after heavy box of these books. They looked like Hanuman and the Simian army carrying boulders to build the causeway over the Indian Ocean. They were loving it.
Shukadev is smiling because of the book invasion. I was happy to see the fun myself.
Condolences to the family of Shukadev who has a lovely heart.
9 KM
Toronto, Ontario
One of the senior members of the Krishna community has passed away this morning. Dr. Gelda, also known by his Sanskrit name as Shukadev, was driving home from the club when his heart failed. Fortunately his automobile safely spun into a parking lot. He was 85.
Shukadev loved Srila Prabhupada, the guru of the Hare Krishna, who became the most influential person in his life. He would share with family and friends the story of the 70 year old swami from India who embarked on a ship in 1965 coming penniless to New York City. He would tell how this great spiritual pioneer became know as Swamiji in the beginning and later more reverentially as Prabhupada, attracted the hippies, artists, musicians, intellectuals and free spirited youth of the time and set them on a path of positive direction.
I ventured over to Trillium Hosptial where Shukadeva lie. His family of two generations his junior and friends were there in mourning. We chanted for him in that crammed hospital room, the emergency department.
Shukadeva would have been happy to know that his departure a huge shipment of Prabhupada books arrived at the downtown Krishna temple; books that land in the laps of some lucky readers who chose to purchase them. I was impressed with the monkey chain formed by the young men of our community to carry heavy box after heavy box of these books. They looked like Hanuman and the Simian army carrying boulders to build the causeway over the Indian Ocean. They were loving it.
Shukadev is smiling because of the book invasion. I was happy to see the fun myself.
Condolences to the family of Shukadev who has a lovely heart.
9 KM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)