Friday, February 15th, 2013

Wrapping It Up in Guyana

 

Georgetown, Guyana

 

Any trekking executed today was done inside the Nimai Pandit Study Centre in the shelter of overhead cooling fan blades going at high speed. Just to remind you, I’m near the equator. It was a back and forth pacing.

I was not alone. In my company were resident members of the centre doing the same. I believe that my chanting and pacing became somewhat inspirational for those younger members here. The whole idea is to be an example by visibly engaging in sadhana, which is an actual mental (and with pacing, physical) workout.

Unless the younger folks see us seasoned bhakti yogis demonstrating the prescribed sadhana, they will not follow. Those of us who have been around for sometime must take the lead. Then those that follow will become natural future leaders. Leaders can only lead if they follow the standard procedures. There is no room for a double standard. There is a science to all this self realization, and it needs to simply be followed in order for some personal revelation and transformation to take place. I personally become enthused when I see the younger crop of people believe in and practice the lead that I take in this regard. It gives me hope for the future.

It was time to pack up today and to bid farewell to this wonderful group of people. They were a cooperative bunch in assisting me in the outreach programs that we participated in. Frankly, not so many Swamis come around to the various centres we run in Guyana, it’s a bit of an isolated place. And having a very tiny airport, this jewel of a place does not receive much traffic. But I’ll definitely be coming back next year.

On the return flight, I was asked by the nice elderly lady sitting next to me if I could fill out her customs form. I was glad to. And when I arrived after Canada customs duties and waited for my ride, an elderly man asked if I could dial the phone for him on long distance. Here, again, I was only too happy to do so. These acts of assisting others is expressed by our guru, Srila Prabhupada, as a way of practicing austerity of the mind (Gita 17.16).

If one is to be a leader, it really means that you take a servant role. It gives the greatest pleasure.

5 KM

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Holes on the Path      

Georgetown, Guyana

The coastal road in Guyana is rather decent. I met the engineer four years ago when it was freshly being paved. He happened to be a guy from Hamilton in Canada and he was an East Indian Hindu. Nice guy! The secondary or residential roads are another story. They are holey as holey could be. (“Holey” as in potholes). With the monsoons being what they are right now those fairly large moon craters collect rain water, hence you have the dynamic “It was pouring cats and dogs and I was stepping into puddles”.

                 

There is a seawall as a safe haven which has few cavities, although I discovered it to be somewhat unholy. The other evening when we climbed up the top of the wall a man on the other side of the wall was just pulling up his pants next to his girlfriend. I found it a little odd. Then further on other brahmacharis and I noticed numerous cars parked next to the seawall. They were not empty, so I figured it out that at this time of day it might not be the best route for a group of monks. This is lovers lane.

                 

Now, this evening my host Khemraj hosted major satsang gathering at his green painted house. The principle highlight for the evening was the hard-worked-at drama ”Gita Concise” with the youth. Each member of the cast was new at stage presence yet when they stepped up on the riser with lights pouring over them and grand music (permission allowed) to fill the space, I was super proud of them. Krishna’s message got out there in a beautiful and as classy way as possible.

              

“Well done” I thought, “well done”!

               

4 KM

 

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013

In A Green Painted House

 

Cummings Lodge, Georgetown Guyana

I stay in a house that’s painted green. The owner of the home owns a green cab business. He dresses with a green top, has plenty of green plants around his house, offers me a green towel for my shower along with Irish Spring green soap.

 

His home, on 4^thStreet, shared by a very fine wife and daughter, is guarded by two mangy dogs, liked the stray ones you find in India. I believe these two neglected boys have no names so I call them Jaya and Vijay, names of Vedic security guards in Heaven. In their misery, loss of hair and taxed by some disease, they bark at any slight movement. It’s taking quite some time for them to get use to me as I approach the gate several times a day on return from some engagements.

 

I had returned from a full morning in Crane including a modest walk with other monks from Guyana down a rural and green country road. The hour and a half stay at the University of Guyana Hindu society was really enlivening. Several concerns lie in the mind of these bright young students. They have issues dealt with very passively over the Christian conversions from Hindu members. I have been told more than one time that prasadam, blessed food, is condemned by Christians to take and how father and son, mother and daughter are separated over such religious issues. Some of the students in the group very sincerely inquired about what they considered extreme opinions that Krishna devotees take on the position of some popular deities such as Shiva and Durga. We did confirm that kirtan is liked by all and that their practice unites.

 

Prior to late a evening drama rehearsal members of the Nimai Pandit Study Centre and I conducted a Satsang at the Persaud’s residence. These are folks who operate NTN TV for Guyana and also have a connection with me in Canada through a recently deceased brother of theirs from Toronto.

In any event I spoke about the advanced technology of live broadcast to Sanjaya, secretary to the blind king, as describe in the epic the “Mahabharata”. From the subtle science of mysticism, the battle of Kuruksetra was observed from a far during the advance Vedic age, from the extraordinary time we have the even more subtle science of the self, which I highlighted in my talk. By early morning 12:30 I took some rest in the green painted house.

 

4 KM

Thursday, February 7th, 2013

Getting Such Mercy

 

Miami, Florida

 

I was needing vitamin D. I was ready to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty doing some gardening. That would mean I could have some sun. Believe it or not, the sun was just too strong for such exposure, and an opportunity arose for a swim at Key Biscayne Beach instead. It was a clear 8 KM walk back to the ashram from the beach. I got my sunshine while pining to do some work on the ground tomorrow before leaving for Trinidad. The potential for an eye popping nostril sniffing flower garden in and around the temple ground is phenomenal.

My time is more leisurely spent in Miami, though not idle, there was also an anticipated kirtan to take place at Coconut Grove and the place next to it, the ghetto. The community does delight in this ancient practice of kirtan. So, I led a 30 person strong sankirtan party through that place of attempted enjoyment. We saw faces lit up as we were on fire with the love of kirtan, the ultimate sound for the age. It is just the formula that brings everyone together.

This procession of 2 kilometres I add to the tally of the day. I scored a beautiful 10, received vitamin D and blessings from the chain of teacher who made kirtan their lifeline, which includes noneother than the magnanimous Sri Chaitanya.

10 KM

Wednesday, February 6th, 2013

Lost!

 

Miami, Florida

 

“Oh no! I lost my guru!” went his frantic mind. Garga Muni, a local astrologer, had set out to pick me up at the Miami airport. In fact, he came early, as did my flight. But our paths did not cross. Garga made his way to the info booth and had a pager message over the intercom, “Will John Vis (my legal name) please come to concourse D on the second floor.” So, I did, and was found. Garga Muni was relieved.

He considered himself lost at one time and then became found once he took to Krishna. As the song Amazing Grace expresses, “I once was lost but now I’m found”, we all may have found ourselves to be wretches at one time, until we came upon our spiritual calling. How desperate souls sometimes get.

After a fairly complete day of meeting, greeting, counseling people, I took to Grand Avenue at Coconut Grove. Walking the expanse of Grand Avenue put me through the high and low ends of American life. The high end was rowdy with liquor in their stomachs and liquor in the air. The low end, a potential danger district, was more quiet, but no less disillusioned. I felt a sense of compassion because of the lostness of their situation. Why do people resort to either the foolhardy lifestyle, or the near poverty level? This is America, and in many if not most cases, citizens have choices. In my thought process what also came out is I feel myself so fortunate to be in the spot where I am, being in a renounced order. I guess it is part and parcel of the vocation to feel the emotion of sympathy.

I question the way folks are, and yet I understand that when there’s a gap in your life, you have to fill it in with some substance. My lingering thought on the matter is, “Spiritual values can fill the vacuum and make things right. If we do that then we don’t need to feel lost, ever.”

5 KM

Bhaktimarga Swami: A Life Dramatic

http://news.iskcon.com/node/4883

(featured on ISKCON News - Jan. 25th, 2013)

Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

Warm and Cool

Alachua, Florida

Arvind, 14, and I set out for the temple in Alachua at 6 AM. It’s a perfect measuring distance for me – 3 miles or 8 kilometres to be exact. It’s also quiet and the route is also 50% dirt road, or rather, sand. Always good for the feet.

A chaudar was needed. Recently I was given one as a gift, a smart looking ochre Kashmiri shawl. It’s cool outside for Floridians, though. Once Arvind and I arrived at the temple, we were met by warmly clad devotees. The walk, as usual, for one hour, stoked the fire within – another great reason for trekking on a regular basis.

I led the kirtan chant in praise of guru, and then delivered the morning class from the book, Bhagavatam, 10.14.54. It was an interesting verse with a coolness to it, meaning, it had merely two sentences for an explanation, which is not much to go on as far as philosophical content is concerned. I decided to ‘wing it’ while trying to stay on topic. Sometimes it’s like that. I really pressed hard in prayer for Krishna and guru’s mercy to allow me to say something meaningful. The thrust was, “Are you moving devotionally? Or are you in a spiritual slump? Are you going forward or in reverse? Our guru, Srila Prabhupada began a movement. Are you turning with its wheels?” Questions need to be asked of ourselves, otherwise there is no introspection.

In any event all listeners physically there, all 40 or so, remained attentive. There was also laughter at jokes made, which is a way to get warm.

After the class, the local priest Chaturatma, lit the fire for an agni hotra, while the weather’s temperature also rose with the sun’s rising. For Canadian blood it had become perfect. Two candidates for 1^stand 2^nd initiation sat by that fire to engage in the next step towards spiritual progress. Jagat Vira, who was so eager for his 2^nd or brahminical initiation, passed all the tests necessary to achieve this honour. And Arjun, a young family man, accepted the name of Abhimanyu. I was particularly thrilled to hear Abhimanyu’s new music with a genre he calls Krishna Tone. It’s a fusion of reggae and hip hop.  At least, I liked it, it’s filled with mantras and it’s easy to listen to.

Both Jagat Vira and Abhimanyu are warming up to Krishna.

As evening set in much later, I was asked to meet with the youth for a theatre arts workshop, all with the hopes that those who came would use this art form in Krishna’s divine service. We went through the session. I could see that many young people are not used to having a swami as their close companion. What I really want for our young members is to be happy people, to be settled in a solid relationship, and to find themselves engaged according to their nature, and to run it all with the Absolute in mind.

10 KM

Monday, February 4th, 2013

In The capsule of Speed

Gainesville, Florida

Within the capsule of the speedy plane we, the passengers, remained very still, immobile. We were as if frozen in time. Having it been necessary I arrived early in order to make that 6:10 AM flight to Florida, I shared in the same karma along with everyone else on that American Airlines. By the time we launched off the ground we were all on part two of sleep.

My final destination for the day was Gainesville. The airport is pleasantly puny, yet tiny as it is, and as obvious as I am in my robes, my ride just couldn’t find me. Of course, I darted out for the outdoors as soon as possible through the front entrance to meet real air while being in anticipation for the pickup.

“This might be the only walking I achieve for the whole day,” I thought. I was right, because the day was filled with other doings, which included a meeting of the members of the Krishna House situated near the campus. This is where students have the best of both worlds. At Krishna House you can live in residence and benefit from the spiritual program, and at the same time not neglect your studies at the U of F.

We are mainly looking at young students who came who are so enthusiastic for kirtan. I stepped into a lively session that was in progress. And kindly enough, the lead singer asked me to take over. After the good sweaty kirtan, we all sat down and they asked me to speak from the Gita on the chapter, “Nature, The Enjoyer, and Consciousness. “ The verse, “purusho prakrti sto hi…” deliberates on the soul’s stepping into prakrti (material nature) for the first time and entering into the world of wonder and change and speed.

It’s a different world from the realm in which we came. It’s exciting at first glance, then it eventually turn pale and even terrifying. The verse goes on to express that the vulnerable soul passes through good and bad experiences. How true this is.

At the end of my talk, Marlin from Cuba raised his hand to get my attention. Indeed, I let him speak. Very emphatically he voiced insistent on the pleasure that is derived from the change of bodies, “It’s all a happy experience when you live for the moment.”

“Yes, Marlin, I agree, but some people do not karmically have the capacity to see things as you do in a positive light. They have a negative perception on all they see, and they admit their suffering. Therefore, I suggest that whether happy or distressed, let’s just honour the higher taste – the spiritual outlet of Krishna consciousness and move on, or rather, move out of this world all together, and reach the destination of the painless spiritual world.”

I believe that Marlin’s passion on his point subsided and that he bought into the idea of the advantages of being devotional.

0 KM

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

Happy Family

Toronto, Ontario

Sam was there and Alex, Amit and Maha Mantra. The girls were there too, Kathleen, Anne Lise and Sandini. Their fearless leader, Mangal Aarti, who was also there, had arranged our meeting at Kensington Market, perhaps the most chant friendly location in the whole of the Greater Toronto Area.

And that’s why we (I was honoured enough to be there as well) conducted a Nam Sankirtan Party, and a party it was. We had fun, and so did shoppers and browsers. It was the first public chanting arrangement for the group from Bhakti Lounge, Mangal Aarti’s little baby (baby as in project).

I was deputed to establish our processional route in addition to being the chanting leader. Hare Krishna Hare … is what we sung in receive and response format. It met with pedestrian approval as the sweet sound tended to come through cold biting air. In fact, Maha Mantra Das, our monk who first heard of Krishna about two years ago transcended the briskness of the day as his powerful fingers tapped the ends of the mrdanga drum. He’s become quite skilled at it. He was our hero.

We snuck up the common streets that make up Kensington, such as the street with this very name, and Nassau, and Baldwin, with their graffiti bound vintage clothing nooks. In Kensington “anything goes” that excites the creative and radical types. When a small chanting party such as this trails through the streets (and I’ve done this for 40 years now) you gauge the success of the program by the attitude in which the participants project themselves. It was evident that Sam, Alex, Amit, M. Mantra, Kathleen, Anne Lise, Sandini, Mangal Aarti and I were like one big happy family.

4 KM

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

Meetings – Walk-ins

Meetings!

Toronto, Ontario

Before putting my feet to task today, I was tied up in meetings. These meetings of course are another form of sangha (spiritual association). There were 3 sanghas in a row, and I partook in the first 2, to do with visionary objectives, addressing challenges, conjuring strategies and so on. We had a talk about arranging our own youth bus tour for Canada, and then a talk about acquiring a stage for our devotional entertainment. We also spoke about looking at how to pursue or secure a rural retreat involving land and building.

My laurels got fatigued during these sessions, but mind and spirit did come alive. There was a feeling of progress made, of moving ahead and conquering maya (illusions).

The prasadam (spiritual food) is just fabulous on Saturdays at the ashram, and today was no exception. The consumption of the sacred and edible is a true delight. Then, Ashok came to visit. He’s a First Nations flautist, and often pops in with an assortment of flutes. He comes to play before the deities of Krishna. A beautiful serenade. Ashok has some East Indian blood in him, but from what I understand, he does maximize his time with his more predominant Native background, apart from mingling with mainstream society. He partook in the excellent prasadam available at the ashram.

Elesh also came around with a specific purpose. He’s well known internationally as an actor on a reality TV show from India. His talents have no limit. I asked him to come to show one of our monks, Maha Mantra, some bhangra dances for an upcoming drama that I’m taking to the stage in India and South Africa. Elesh enjoyed a plate of prasadam also, that’s our culture. You must have something to eat when you visit the ashram. There were multiple visitors after what seemed to be multiple meetings. And then there was time, yes time, that most precious of all cosmic features. Time allows space or room for activity. My physical, psychological and emotional needs drove me to don my most biggest coat, my most able boots, and determined will to put indoor comforts to the side and to move forth on a walk.

After 2 ½ hours of taking to the streets for the balance of the day’s activities, I returned to the ashram and honoured the leftovers of most delicious prasadam.

10 KM

Friday, February 1st, 2013

By The Club

 

Toronto, Ontario

I sometimes take my daily trek along University Avenue and pass by a place where a friend of mine worked as a waiter for years at a University club. He told me of a Dr. WG Bigalow who used to frequent the prestigious club. As a world renowned heart surgeon in the 60’s and head of cardiovascular surgery at the Toronto General Hospital, Dr. Bigalow Had urged systematic research to determine the nature of the soul. He was at one time noted to saying, “If there is a principle of vitality, what is it?” I presume that he was speaking about consciousness when he said, “The soul doesn’t exist anywhere specifically, geographically, it’s everywhere and yet it’s nowhere in the body.”

I had looked at these statements from what was news in Canada during the time that our guru, Srila Prabhupada, was in Montreal. He responded to Bigalow’s observations, that there is a noticeable sudden lack of life or luster to the eyes when a person passes. In a letter by Prabhupada sent to the surgeon, an excerpt on the topic goes as follows:

“Just as a spark that comes from a fire appears to be extinguished when it falls away from the fire, the spark of the soul originally comes from the spiritual world to the material world… then falls down into three different conditions called the modes of nature – goodness, passion and ignorance.”

He also expressed in his correspondence that the soul is present in the heart of the living entity and it is the source of all the energies which maintain the body. The energy of the soul is spread all over the body, and this is known as consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada was very much encouraging the scientific research of the soul, but also cautioned that despite its presence in the body, it is so mystical that science may discover its symptoms, but not its actual location.

I get a personal boost when walking by the university club and what connections it has to do with our guru, soul dialogue and the openness to explore a worthy subject.

8 KM

Thursday, January 31st, 2013

Blind! Homeless! War! The Past!

Hamilton, Ontario

In Vancouver at a performing arts festival, people will be on the ultimate experiential walk when they will be on a two hour walk through the city. The catch? They do it blindfolded.

Personally, I’d love to participate in the experience and build up an appreciation for not only sight, when devoid of it, but also sounds, smells, textures and especially the steps you take which become more meaningful. It’s my luck that I won’t be around for it, but I like the thought.

I had learned about the upcoming program from glancing at the front cover of The Globe and Mail at a newsstand while on my daily trek. Next to it was a stunning picture of a homeless Irishman, photo taken in London 1970. The photo journalist, Don McCullin, has captured the weather worn face of his subject, whom he calls Neptune, on display at the National Gallery in Ottawa. What captured my eyes from this front page was not only news from the blind walk and the grubby looking Neptune, but the remark made about the Hare Krishnas. McCullin mentioned how the Krishnas would come around at night giving these people soup, “Then they’d dob their faces with that absurd kind of religious sign.” McCullin was referring to the earthen tattoo that we Krishna monks are known to bear on our foreheads. It looked like one of our fellows was trying to anoint Neptune in addition to feeding him.

More photos of McCullin were featured in the paper, yesterday’s addition – impressive shots taken of Vietnam, Cypress, and a protestor of the Cuban missile crisis in London, 1962. Sigh… people dislike war, but they love visiting nostalgia, whether good reminiscences or not.

Today I trekked less and got driven by Indresh, an active member, to Hamilton (an hour from the ashram) to see my former ashram in-charge, Visvakarma. The purpose was to see him and speak about an idea he had. Having just come from Lithuania at a Krishna fest, he had the concept to duplicate a retreat similar to what he experienced, to Canada.

I was skeptical about it because of the perceived mammoth logistics it would take. As the three of us spoke, I grew fonder of the idea as we interrupted our sangha (association) looking at photos of the old days.

“That’s it,” we thought. The idea of a Vaishnava memory retreat seemed cogent. Legacy! The sweet old days! Nostalgia! Pioneering Krishna Consciousness in our home land! These things resonated with us. And so, a seed was planted to launch such an event.

5 KM