Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

I Had Lunch

Mayapura, West Bengal

I had lunch at the school of Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami. As you enter his 19 acre property, you are immediately transported to another time. There are impressions there of old with the common local thatched roofs. The drain pipes that you see are rather classy. A yoli, a prehistoric creature cross-bred with lion, elephant and crocodile has water running though spilling out into a larger gutter.

Everything is quite natural here including the organic dahl, veggies and rice they grow right on sight. Under the shade of one of the huts sat an American monk to my left and to my right was an African monk. Kiddie Corner was a South American monk who told a joke about mosquitoes. Those guys are on our minds in the night even if you use nets. Here it goes

There was this mosquito family, Papa Mosquito, Mama Mosquito and Baby Mosquito. The baby was growing very healthy and strong. It came to a point in time where he was to go on his first flight. His parents supported him so well and were proud that he was to take on this great achievement. Baby Mosquito happily flew on his was and returned back safely. His parents inquired, "Well, what was your experience?"

"It was a great flight. Everywhere I went people were giving me so much applause!"

I relayed this re`latable joke to my room-mates Goura and Prem, who had returned from their  evening performance of "Krishna, the 8th Boy". They were feeling good about being the recipients of an appreciative audience. Applause they got and fortunately our room was a mosquito-free zone to add to the pleasantness we encountered.

7 Km

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

The Danger to Spiritual Life
Mayapura, West Bengal

I went to the Chaitanya Bhavan to meet an Australian friend, Nrsimha Kavacha. Our occasion was for business of a different kind. We were initiating talks about spiritual fall downs and exploring the multiple reasons and possible solutions for preventing the dark hour that the soul my go through. The man in the renounced order can also be vulnerable prey to human nature and we have seen the sad results of inattention to spiritual regimen.

To greet me at the door was a friendly body-building priest by the name of Simha Gauranga. He can be described as a warrior with neck as thick as his head. Jokingly he said "Many people in this building are counselors. I'm a canceler. People here are involved in devotee care. For me it's devotee scare."

"Okay, there's a place for everyone in this world."

When Nrsimha welcomed me to sit for a discussion we did then proceed to discuss the topic of those symptoms and habits which could cause a scare and a cancellation for spiritual life.

Here's the initiation installment of thoughts:

1) Poor sadhana (not honouring the standard rules or attendance at group functions)

2) Imbalanced lifestyle -- not enough time for exercise -- too many hours at the computer -- over eating.

3) Too much adulation (over praise)

4) Isolationism -- not enough time with peers.

5) Too many disciples -- taking a load impossible to maintain.

 6) Over-worked -- stress -- multi-tasked to the max.

7) Money -- personal handling of funds and recipient of generous donors -- large inheritances.

8) Exposure to disciples of opposite sex.

9) Being mechanical -- following routine -- superficial imposition of oneself -- "not being yourself".

6 Km

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

Be By Giants

Mayapura, West Bengal

Fine very tall brass deities, known as the Panca Tattva (features of Krishna in the age of Iron), were flanked to our left. Four swamis and I along with our chairperson this year's AGM Hrdai Chaitanya, where set to speak to the world-wide community of devotees. Each of us read a portion of the resolutions arrived for the year 2011. This put a devotional closure to our meetings.

After this a maha-mela (major festival) of the name of Krishna was inaugurated. The venue, the Panca Tattva Hall, was packed with devotional chanters, marking the start of a several day festival. Enthusiasm was peeking as the night chanting heightened in volume and pitch. It all seemed to be about reaching heights this evening.

My nasty cold kept me up for hours in broken sleep. I took to chanting japa by pacing the rooftop of our accommodational building, the Gada Bhavan. Like so many structures in the area the roof is a flat surface. Beyond this flat roof are the stars in the sky. And beyond that is so much more space and existences -- galaxies.

We are but tiny spirits, little fire-flies against the heavenly bodies that remain lit up above. If we can just remember our nature of smallness, of fragility, then we might have a chance at spiritual success. We must live in the truth and not the lie that I am so very significant.

I was seemingly up high but I was still so small and humble.

6 Km

Monday, February 20th, 2012

After the Show

Mayapura, West Bengal

An elderly eastern-European man approached me after our second showing of the drama "Krishna, the 8th Boy". With a rather wearied frame but sparkling eyes. He said something most encouraging. "I was with professional theatre all my life. What you just did is very professional."

"The mercy of guru, Prabhupada," I said as that's where credit does lie. A shy guy from rural Canada couldn't get this together. When I met those monks in late December of '72, they who were Prabhupada's students, my life changed forever.

On his way out the the venue, the samadhi auditorium, the well-known ascetic, Radhanatha Swami who congratulated the cast, then came to me. It was reciprocal hugs. He and I share time together with our peers hours at a time on chairs discussing issues. It's our AGM for 2012 and it can get serious and sometimes even bland. I mentioned to Radhanatha, " You know those meetings are a special service that we participate in, but if I was to pick and choose between the meetings of management and working with the youth on dramas it would be the latter." He laughed and knew where I was coming from.

There is everything joyful about the show. As the director I sit back on a stool in the technical booth and watch that venue fill up with monks and lay members, all sitting snugly together. There cannot be anything more satisfying than watching excitement build up and then reaching that crescendo with a final applause.

There is a form of ecstasy in all of this. Perhaps people are feeling the beginnings of a state of bhava (intense feelings). Because the subject is spiritual it cannot be related to the mundane.

By the end of this day it took a good three kilometres of walking to wind down.

6 Km

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

Morning is Special

Mayapura, West Bengal

Morning is Special -- always, especially before the awakening of the world.  In Mayapura there is no exception to this rule. Humans are visibly few.  The chaukidhar (security guard) might also be asleep.

Walking along the periphery of guest houses another life becomes prominent.  A choir of jackals fill the ether.  Luckily pesky mosquitoes are not a reality as of yet.  The air is still a trite cool for the little buggers.

Perhaps I shouldn't be so prejudice towards such little entities, bothersome as they are.  They are naturally part of the food chain and should probably be given credit.

Speaking of food, its delicious coming from the kitchens of Mayapura.  Too many choices.  I confine my palate for noon-time meals only, which is a tasty kichari (rice and moong dhal beans mixed with a variety of veggies).  Papaya chunks is my only breakfast.

Health keeps up except for a bad cough.  Colds and throat issues are common here.  People say it's the dust that clogs the upper gates of the body.

In the evening the youth organized a spontaneously powerful presentation of devotion.  Kish, of the popular Mayapuris Bhajan Band, set up a talent show. He had selected artists like magicians, singers, acrobats, dancers.  They were good.  When some technical difficulties arose I was asked to come to the stage to fill up the space (or kill some time).  This is not the first time I've been called on for this service.  I started a kirtan or a choir if you will.

The morning and evening came together with sound. The day began with jackals and ended with angels.   This means that the evening can also be very special provided all attention is given to the Creator.  Yes?

7 Km

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

Approving Monks

Mayapura, West Bengal

I was slotted to join the sannyasa candidate committee. What a treat! What a special service!

What this means is I'm a member of a team that approves new monks. It involves looking at candidates who may have been married and fulfilled their family vows but now wish to go for the final segment of their life as a celibate teacher who travels. When I say "may" it means there is another scenario which is something like this -- a bachelor devotee now wishes to make the balance of life a committed one to devotion.

Our group looks at the portfolio of each candidate with information including his photo, name, age, marital status, the sponsor, his particular service, where and for how long. We then have a personal interview with the individual. If there is at all some doubt about the candidates then people are brought in who know the candidate and then another interview is persued. A new candidate is put on a five waiting year. If no objections arise then in each passing year the candidate is jumped up until finally an initiation for this purpose takes place.

Since this program was inaugurated in '92 there has been a great rate of success. Out of the dozens of candidates that have gone through the system to evolve then as official "swamis" only one person was unable to maintain his "sannyasa" status. That's pretty good.

It is some of the first takers to the renounced order that encounter a higher rate not sustaining their vows. In the early days (60's and 70's) risks were taken. Men at a very early age in their life that entered the strict order were usually the ones to experience difficulty. In order to avoid life catastrophes such as this it was decided to implement a system to safeguard individuals.

Unfortunately, a daily strong walk is not a requirement for a candidate. After all if you become a monk you should be strong of body, mind and spirit; right?

6 Km

Saturday, February 17th, 2012

ILS Success

Mayapura, West Bengal

The ILS stands for ISKCON Leader's Sanga. Leaders from Africa, China, South America, Europe, Australia, North America all came for the sanga or association. When delivering their testimonies at the closing events, Mukhya From Florida, for instance, told the body of 400 people that the spiritual seminars were a highlight in her devotional life.

Some how the program that went on for a week resonated with attendees so well. It was informative, inspiring. It created a cohesion that was unparalleled. The motto of the strategic planning that is behind these sessions is "More Devotees, Happier Devotees." That's a smart goal -- to see the numbers of spiritually-driven people increase in the world. They may not all become monks but they will definitely be more spiritual.

It was without discrimination that Sri Chaitanya, the father of kirtan chanting, enthused people of his time (five centuries ago) to honour the path of bhakti (devotion). He was completely successful in accomplishing this even though his target audience was the subcontinent of India. His program would eventually reach global appeal.

My morning entailed a walk and then a three hour sit at an inaugural event for a new children's playground. At the Sri Mayapura International School a program was conducted by students displaying their talents through song, dance, drama and music. I was impressed with the fact that here also, there was representation from all over the world. Future leaders -- spiritual leaders, at least a percentage of the children will take a lead to promoting a more spiritually induced world.

That is promising and hopeful!

6 Km

Friday, February 16th, 2012

Day of Bliss

Mayapura, West Bengal

Today was a perfect day of bliss. And why that is so is because the hard work of assembling a major theatre production came to fruition. It was staged and it was loved.

It is a fact that walking ventures have not been at a passionate speed. A nasty cough has been running me physically down. The show, however, our production of "Krishna the 8th Boy" which had one week's preparation, was pulled off leaving an audience satisfied. That compensated for the lack of doing what I love - walking.

We had to do some cutting and pasting to the piece. One segment of the play just doesn't work. A particular melancholy mood in one scene seemed to drag on so a decision had to be made. I had to abort that segment, as difficult as it was. The critical eye must always be alive in order to remove undesirables.

The program flyer that was distributed to the audience which arrived from the printers minutes before the show was a slick masterpiece with title in front, "Krishna the 8th Boy". An image of Krishna's eyes and brow is set there. Inside is a picture of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, sitting on a rocking chair. It was a photo of my choice because it was in this image that you see him having enjoyed a drama about Krishna. It was staged in New York. It is a classic photo.

Also in the program was a synopsis of the story, scene by scene, with bio-sketches.

This was a production that really pleased people. I'm happy about the outcome. Therefore I said that it was a perfect day of bliss.

I want to thank all the cast and crew, especially Bhumi for being the evening's host.

5 Km

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

A River in Danger

Mayapura, West Bengal

The main nerve or hub of activity for the area is the Ganges River. Besides the sacredness of her holy waters, she offers a very practical service. Her liquids provide energy for agriculture. Rice paddy fields are common in the area. She is food for the rice which is food for the population.

Rivers are so much taken for granted though. Do we ever think of them as a life-line? The sastras (spiritual texts) remind us of their contribution. If you resort to the automobile or motorcycle for travel you so much cut yourself off from the environment around you. The Ganga, that powerful source of energy, can so easily be forgotten, even here in Mayapura. As was the case last year on my visit here I cursed those who drive their scooters in the dhama (holy place). I'm a big opponent. When someone zooms by I blurt out, "You should walk!" Again my intent is to offer the idea that we all need to get in tune, or in touch with the world around us.

With signs up in Mayapura, pilgrims here are made aware of another river, one that is in great danger of losing life. That river is the Yamuna. Signs read, "Save the Yamuna." This river with source from the Himalayas flows south east eventually appears to lose speed and content before it drains itself. By the time it reaches after Delhi, the Yamuna is so ravaged and polluted that pilgrims and residents of Vrindavan can't experience her full former glory what to speak of the practical irrigational services she commits to. It is not unheard of for rivers to dry up totally.

The signs encourage all to submit to a petition, a worth while and simple service anyone can do. I have little information at this point on who's behind this campaign but it seems to me that we need to establish such obligations in at least a small way. It's the right thing to do -- get informed and offer some help. Contact www.saveyamuna.org

5 Km

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

On Pride

Mayapura, West Bengal

I met a fellow on the main street of a place called Saskatoon when we talked on the subject of pride. I was on my third walk across Canada. This fellow saw me take a break during that 40 km day and wanted to talk.

"What do you think about pride?" He asked.
"In general, it's harmful but it depends on which type of pride we're talking about."
"In my opinion, it's all evil, every form of pride." He asserted.

I really couldn't agree with him. There was no middle-ground thought for him. I walked on.

At the ISKCON Leadership Sanga right here in Mayapura I felt a great pride and would argue with anyone about it being an evil pride. Spiritual Krishna Conscious leaders from all over the world, the second-in-line of command (I would say) had converged in Mayapura to discuss and learn how to be more effective at leading. A young couple from Toronto, Radha Mohan and Shyama Mohini put forth their presentation to the body of leaders, numbering 300-400 describing their monthly sankirtan festivals which is really an outreach program. They handled themselves so well.

I felt a sense of pride, but not arrogance, because they were our kids, so to speak. They are from Toronto, Canada, my home.

Their delivery was pakka, which means very good. I guess you could call it a kind of feeling a healthy achievement.

I had mentioned somewhere prior in this blog that our guru was first discovered by an American English teacher looking for a guru. When he saw him in New York's east side he described his demeanour as looking like an aristocrat implying that he carried a sense of pride. The pride was not a self-consuming one. The holy man he met was representing a tradition and culture that was nothing to be shameful about.

So, there is such a wholesome thing as pride as in "I was proud of my son, my daughter, etc. etc."

Monday, February 13th, 2012

The Day's Early Meet

Mayapur, West Bengal

By 5:30 I've already made the rounds, a circumambulation around the samadhi of our guru. It's a good walk, a safe one. By then I've attended a mangal arati worship and a vigorous dance and chant in the main temple room.

Then it's a daily ritual to see the two young ladies, Visnupriya and Laksmipriya. They are elephants. Monks have no business visiting the women folk of course. It's a short jaunt to get to their home amidst gum trees and where they are looked after by a trainer and his family who also live on site with the two giants. The family is not bothered by the fact that I arrive with a walking companion or two to see the elephants at their rising or breakfast. It seems they like to be rubbed on the nose. They are long strokes as you can imagine.

This early greeting with the elephants comes natural to me. In fact I got a flash back. When a teenager at a 5:30 rising I would be greeted by an animal of magnitude. It was our family milk cow. Dad would wake me. I wouldn't see him, but hear him with a knock on my bedroom door. I would rise, dress, put on coveralls and leave for the pasture, there to trudge through the early morning dew laden on the alfalfa and grass. I would look for her, the Holstein cow through the mist, have her rise and dutifully she would rise to routinely make it to the barn.

I would tie her inside a stall, rope her hind legs, feel her warmth and her good smell and then milk her udder empty.

Being with the elephants brings me home here in Mayapura. It's a peaceful and pleasant experience amongst so many other pleasant experiences.

5 Km

Sunday, February 12th, 2012

The Kutir

Maypur, West Bengal

Our guru, Srila Prabhupada, began his mission in '65 registering it a
year later in New York City. New York did not become his headquarters.
Los Angeles became the address for his publishing house, the
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. This west coast U.S. city he declared as a
headquarters at least for the western world. Indeed L.A. Became the
forerunner for devotional endeavours for many years, but it was
Mayapur that Prabhupada identified as the international hub.

Odd as it seems, when he informed the world (or at least his students)
of this news there was only a grass hut on site. This grass hut was
his private kutir or dwelling. Eventually as time passed, one after
another, buildings popped up to house deities of Krishna, and to
accommodate residents and visitors.

This kutir is now a unique spot where all of the magic began. It is
the root of all activity here. In honour of our guru and given that
such historical and devotional significance lies here, a 24 hour
chanting goes on. When all else is in slumber on the grounds, this
place remains alive with sound that transforms.

Inside the kutir is set a permanent deity of our founder. There it
receives the product of which was meant to impact the world with the
great mantra of deliverance. At any point that I have walked by I hear
that special sound, "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare
Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare."

6 Km