Friday, April 11th, 2014

Mahebourg, Mauritius

By the Sea 

In 1802 the French and English had a fierce naval battle at the bay here near Lion’s Mountain.  Kala, Tamohara and I ventured along the town’s sea wall catching the salt infused currents.  We stumbled upon an impressive arts and culture outdoor amphitheatre, a prospective place for a bhakti show in the future.  The occasional Banyan tree graced the coast line dwarfing us.  Young men at soccer filled a playing field.

Clouds above threatened a downpour.  We found shelter from a giant Banyan.  Then a more serious onslaught of rain compelled us to head for a roof by a rehab drug clinic.  Oh, yes, even here on this tiny Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, social ills challenge the human race.

Our trio continued our exploration of the town.  If we could, we would want to boast having touched each street, but time was pressing, calling for an engagement at the auditorium of the local Durga mandir.  Eventually the place filled up.  I realized that translation from English to Creole was necessary for my message to be understood, so a person by the name of Kaunteya did so.

And this message was that while we venture our way through myriad species of life, the soul’s obligation is to reach the human’s actual potential.  “I am not this body,” I stressed.  And we let everyone there go home with reciting and hopefully retaining these precious words in Sanskrit,  “Aham brahmasmi!”  More definitively we are saying, "I AM SPIRIT".

May the source be with you!

4 KM

Thursday, April 10th, 2014

Dubai,  UAE
 

Moving with Time
 
Downtime! Much sitting in the aircraft. Emirates, world 

class airline has conditions or facilities conducive 
enough for japa meditation, reading and writing,  all that 
I relish doing.
 
There's time to talk to the passenger sitting next to 
you, however, sometimes you respect the fact that its also 
 their downtime, or rather up-time. The flight from 
Toronto to Dubai is at an unimaginable height, need I 
detail the figure? Its just very high and very cold, 
outside.
 
It flashes to mind that we could be victims of a 
mysterious disapperance, going of the radar screen, as in 
the case of the recent Malayasian airline that appered  to 
vanish in thin air. Always a good reason to chant divine 
mantra's with more intrepidity.
 
Time presses  on with window shutters closed  which makes 
it confusing to decifer the hour. But thats ok. In the air 
with such incredible speed (exact figures unknown to me) 
you really enter a timeless zone, keeping an eye on 
boarding time is significant but once  off from departure, 
it really doesn't matter much. In a way its off-time.
 
A lay-over in Dubai with a six hour span and a  hotel 
voucher in hand permitted horizontal space to actually 
sleep which is practically impossible in the plane. 
Arabian Park Hotel was the space that was destined. No 
need for its lounge, its drinks or non-veg food. I'm a 
monastic that can keep  cheap thrills at bay.
 
And also, until the new day, new dawn or dusk we do not 
tarry but move forward with ever changing time.
 
May the source be with you!
 

0 KM (except for moving in the airport)

Wednesday, April 9th, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

Go It Together

I received a call from Michael who took to the Trans Canada Highway in 2001/2002 on foot with a backpack.  We made an agreement to go it out together on the road for a three week stint. 

Starting in mid May we plan to drive to Taber, Alberta, the spot from where I left off last summer.  We will stop a bit along the way, put on our shoes (I, with Crocs), while he will be equipped with camera, hopeful to capture the beauty of the road, the rhythm of walking, and all that visual vista stuff that people usually see as post cards.  The filming will be like a reenactment of the walk I did last summer, until we arrive at Taber, when business will be as usual to complete a fourth trek, bringing me to the edge of British Columbia.

I’m really looking forward to it because in addition to having the usual company of support person, Daruka, and his blue front Amazon parrot, there will also be Michael, a most amiable person.  Up for the challenge will be those occasional cool prairie breezes, and then the intermittent warming Chinook winds coming from the Rockies.  There will be the upward downward trends of pacing once hitting those lovely mountains.  I will not be surprised to hear the jazz of the road, that is, the last clumps of snow, sliding off the arms of the coniferous trees, and the feet making the beat gritting the gravel on the highway shoulder.  It will also be the time of invigoration, rebirth, of so much life springing into action. 

Michael knows the road I’ve tread, he’s done it before – the Crow’s Nest Pass.  And, of course, we’ll be seeing smart crows in flight, and I’ll be dreaming of smooth sailing swans during naps which will take place by the side of the road that will offer a peace like nothing else.  Hare Krishna! 

Thanks for calling, Michael, it’s a deal.  We’ve nailed down the date, May 17^th. 

May the Source be with you!

2 KM

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014

Owen Sound, Ontario

Who’s The Artist?

In the midst of this morning’s meanderings I stumbled upon Tom Thompson’s Art Gallery.  Who is Tom Thompson?  A noted Canadian impressionist landscape artist he was.  His body was found mysteriously in the wilderness while on a canoeing trip. A result of foul play?  It’s not really known.  He’s loved and remembered for defining the natural esthetics of the north.  I admit, it’s nice work indeed. 

I’ve been an art lover for years, including the art of nature. The artist behind the elemental combinations of the out of doors should not be denied.  “Who’s behind the placement of patterns of life?” we might ask.  “Does it have to be a person?”  If we settle for intelligent design, as some people use the term, then we admit to personal implication.  Where there’s intelligence there is a brain.  Brain refers to a person.  Where there’s design, we should come to terms with a designer. 

Being that it is Ramnaumi today, a small group of us at the quiet place of Owen Sound, reflected on the classic Vedic personalities known as Ram, Sita and Lakshman, who spent a long and interesting 14 years in the jungles.  A good part of that phase was the travel by foot from the north of India to the south at Rameshvaram.  Shastra, ancient texts like “The Ramayan”, tells of how the three wanderers enjoyed the features, smells, sights and sounds of the wilderness.  Their apparent exile or banishment was actually a blessing. 

Our trip back to the big city, Toronto, allowed our eyes to see a transition.  Behind us was not only the green spirit of the docks at Georgian Bay, but also rolling hills, farms and forests, all now to be replaced by highways, high rises and high expectations of tantalizing pursuits.  Frankly, there’s nothing more boredomsome than peering at square warehouses and the monotonous looking apartment buildings of a modern day city.  You have to ask, “Who’s the author of such pathetic creations?”  Not the Great Spirit, that’s for sure. 

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Monday, April 7th, 2014

Owen Sound, Ontario

Just Before Ram

It was the eve before Ramnaumi, the birthday of Sri Ram, that I arrived at this small city of natural beauty all around.  Along with Rajneesh and family, we ventured to this Georgian Bay area to meet acquaintances, one of whom shared foot travel with me.

Garuda, is now 66, and was with me in British Columbia on walk number 3 when we encountered a grizzly bear and got close to being breakfast. That’s a story unto itself, and one I don’t personally mind reliving.  Anything that impels one to slide into a prayerful mood, isn’t necessarily a bad experience, however adventurous. 

There’s only a 5 year difference between Garuda and I (I’m the younger one).  He’s always been an active man, but is feeling the aches and pains of aging as of late.  Always enthusiastic for chanting, we found he and his clan, with two younger generations, were absorbed in doing just that.  His three sons are rock musicians.  In reality, for them, kirtan is where it’s at.  Another area where we share a passion is in trekking sections of the country’s oldest foot path, the Bruce Trail, which runs along Owen Sound’s escarpment. 

Our union with Garuda’s clan at the home of hosts Rajesh and Alka, was a warm up for the coming day’s Ramnaumi.  We did so through kirtan chanting, feasting, of course, and reading of memories of our guru, Srila Prabhupada.  We especially were hearing of his morning strolls by the Pacific.  He would go at a pace that was hard to keep up.  In this regard, he was always ahead of the game in comparison to his students, in practically every category of activity that you could imagine. 

It is a Vedic colloquial term to follow in the dust of a holy person’s lotus footsteps. 

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Sunday, April 6th, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

Towards Personalism

A college student came to see me for agreed upon meeting at venue, the streets.  It became a question and answer session on foot on this most sattvic day.  The sky was clear and bright, air was fresh, there was hardly a breeze. 

I can say for myself, I felt the same forecast within.  I think my friend from Whitby, Ontario, the college student, was of a similar state.  I could tell by the questions and the way he was receiving and digesting my responses.  He was curious about the long walks I’ve done.  To that, I explained that light and long travel aid in the process of detachment. 

“Is that like nirvana?” he asked.  I was relieved to know that the phrase wasn’t just a name to him for a hot rock band, but that it means something quite different. 

“Nirvana is a word found in the Bhagavad Gita, and it’s a term very much clutched onto by the Buddhists.”  I explained that we are referring to a state of mind beyond the mundane, beyond the hankering and lamentation of this world.  Although nirvana may not be complete so far as total spiritual fulfillment is concerned, within popular Hinduism the equivalent to nirvana would be moksha.  For Krishna conscious pursuers, the state of completion anticipated is union with the Divine in personal service.  It is a highly personalistic approach to life. 

The student and I agreed to meet again and to have more parlance while walking. 

Equally enjoyable to walking and talking through the quiet residential Rosedale neighbourhood, was the evening kirtan which followed right after a successful run of the drama, “Little Big Ramayan”.  The incredibly hyped kirtan with pulsing drum beats and high strung voices took a strong personal involvement, and many people were there participating.  And it was my arm that reached out to bystanders of the kirtan, pulling the eager and shy ones into the dancing circle. 

One teenager that I pulled in stood there very flushed red, shrugged his shoulders up and down, as if declaring, “I don’t know how to dance!”

“Relax,” I said, “you’ve already got unique style.”

May the Source be with you!

6  KM

Saturday, April 5th, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

Three of Us

All of us crave Sunshine, as long as there’s not too much of it.  It was a pleasure to walk towards its disc which was making a slow descension into the western sky.  The west side of the street going north/south was unfavourable for walking because I wanted the sun’s embrace.  I switched directions to College Street.  I ended up face to face with him.  There were no more imposing buildings.  It was nice, but like anything in this world, you take sookh and dookh (happiness and distress), sad and asad (good and bad).  Basically, you receive a duality.

Along with that generous glow of the sun, came the wind.  Unexpectedly, to me, as forceful as he was.  He also got blocked by buildings eventually, just as the sun did.  Now, I had two guys coming at my face.  It was interesting to see them partnered.  I had their company.  There are three of us now until I turned another corner going north on Croft Street.  Once again, I was in the shadows of the buildings.  I was seemingly alone, but not.  Paramatma (Supersoul) is always in the heart. 

Croft Street is more like a back lane with mostly garages on both sides of the asphalt.  There is pleasant graffiti, and some not so, meaning unsophisticated.  People have left their mark. 

On Bloor Street, I meet my companions again, the sun and the wind.  The sun had moved by now, humbled by time, or just being on time.  Perhaps defining time.  Not exactly, it is said in the Bhagavatam, out of fear of Him, the sun shines.  Who then, in actuality is defining the time factor. 

Finally, I made it home, the temple ashram, where you enter a timeless zone, where all is spiritual, and where there is relative peace.  I say relative because there are humans in the space, and they are not perfect. 

I’m reminded of the joke about the human ego, “Nobody’s perfect, I’m just a nobody.”

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Friday, April 4th, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

Fun Pun

I did not go outside the walls of the ashram building today.  It doesn’t mean I was confined, as in prison.  I was joyfully locked in with service – and service of a different kind.  I’m speaking about theatre.  The dramas!  The directing! The performance!  I put several hours into our practice of the drama, Little Big Ramayan.  Doing “plays” is a marvelous creative outlet.  And it’s approved (rather, receives blessings) by the previous acharyas or teachers in the line of devotion.  In fact, our guru, Srila Prabhupada, loved dramas that have a spiritual message.  He went so far as to say that the play is better than the book.  He loved the theatre and even acted when as a student in his college years, he played the role of Adwaita, a close associate of Sri Chaitanya, father of kirtan in the modern age.  Our guru also liked Charlie Chaplin.  He would not go out of his way to the cinema, mind you, he wouldn’t have anything to do with extreme mundane entertainment.  Once, on the plane, he had a few chuckles watching the guy with the funny stick, hat and moustache. 

Now, speaking of fun, what about pun?  Someone sent me from a facebook source, a list of puns called, “Punography”.

Here’s are some real dillies:

I tried to catch some, I mist. 

A guy I know is addicted to brake fluid.  He said he can stop any time.

How does Moses make his tea?  Hebrews it.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, then it dawned on me.

The girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I never met herbivore.

I’m reading a book about antigravity.  I can’t put it down.

I didn’t like my beard at first, then it grew on me.

How do you make holy water?  Boil the hell out of it.

When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble. 

What does a clock do when it’s still hungry?  It goes back four seconds.

I wonder why the baseball was getting bigger, then it hit me.

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

Gems

Some of today’s lessons that came out of our Bhagavatam session this morning were gems.  In sutra form, here’s what we came up with from 8.5.26 and its purport:

Sense perception is not complete to understand.

You may see, but you may not be able to understand.

Seeing Him is not as important as appreciating Him.

Prayers are heard and the needful action is taken.

Desire less and deserve more.

Engage yourself or encage yourself.

Another major gem of the day was spending time with our recent most visiting monk, Devamrita Swami, over an excellent meal prepared by Mangal Aarti.  I had trekked to the apartment where he was staying.  My return to the ashram, however, was by cab, and that encounter was another gem. 

The cab driver was curious, “Do you go to India?” he asked.

“Yes, once or twice a year.”

“Which part?” 

“The eastern side, mostly, Bengal.”

“Do you know any Bengali?” asked the taxi driver who told me he’s from neighbouring Bangladesh.

“I know some songs, do you want to hear one?”

“Yes.”  So I sang, in its entirety, ‘Gaya Gaura’ to the cab driver.  He was testing me. “Can you tell me what it means?”

“Yes, do utter or sing the honey like names of the Supreme regardless of status or mood, and benefit.”

The driver was really happy.  He sparkled. 

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

Dharma Protects

My destination point isn’t usually a tattoo parlour, but it was today.  Down the street I went.  I turned degrees, opened the door, walked to the receptionist who said, “He’s in today, just go to the second floor.”  Up the stairs I ascended and into one of the cubicles.  There he was – the chief. 

 

Owner and operator is Cuban born, Jovany (AKA Jamuna Jivan), who was my cook in 2007 during a walk through northern Ontario.  He’s become adept at the artistry of tattooing, and he’s in the middle of crafting.  And no, I’m not there to get a tattoo.  Monks in our order use temporary tattoos with something called tilak, an earth based substance which washes off at each shower.  And if not that, the sweat will erase it.

Jovany was working on a young man’s bicepted left arm.  The design looks great, if I must say so.  The owner of the arm, which is pivoted under a pillow with work in progress, is Faris, who hails from the middle east.  Jovany stopped his work when he saw me and presented his obeisance right there in front of me, while he uttered, “This is my guru.”

The two of us got to talking while Jovany kept working on Feris’s arm with gorgeous armour like design.  Jovany was talking about life and its bumpy surprises.  I indicated that if dharma is executed, then there is always protection.  Feris then got into the conversation, “So, what’s dharma?”

“To follow the duty which is natural to you.  When a person is dutiful then it’s beautiful, righteous.”  I elaborated, of course.  Feris mentioned that he’s originally from Dubai, to which I responded, “Oh, I’ve been there.  I walked a good stretch one morning in that city, but I was restricted from wearing my robes and had to settle for civies (civilian clothes).”

Our conversation went on with me doing most of the talking, and while watching the penning of ink into Feris’s skin.  With one glance I noticed a poster of Ghandi on the wall with a caption that read, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”  This hinted at karma, but our talk stuck to dharma, which ultimately leads to good, inherent reactions of karma. 

Feris, the client, was listening intently.  So was the chief, Jovany.  I’m not sure that most tattoo parlours get into deep discussions.  At least, the other cubicles seemed a bit mundane in spirit when I passed by them during my exit from the shop. 

It was a walk and a talk well worth being part of.  I think I’ll browse around more in the tattoo making department in the future. 

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Tuesday, April 1st, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

Be A Fool

I passed through 61 April Fools in this one life.  At the Tuesday Sanga, the evening’s presenter, Praharana, spoke on how we are all more or less fools for being in this world of suffering.  She, however, explained that joy could be had by taking to the spiritual component.  Her message spoken at the ashram was well received.

It was only after the time of her presentation that I went on my daily walk.  Vrindavan, one of our dedicated devotees in our community here, drove me at my request, to his home.  From there I would walk back to the ashram, a mere 6 KM distance.  I recall when I first tackled the longer stretches for training.  A couple of my colleagues at that time thought I was slightly foolish to go on a 22 KM trek (a first), and to do it on a winter afternoon when a snow storm suddenly hit.  I had lost directions while trying to reach my destination point, the home of a friend.  Eventually I was found through the aid of a call by payphone.  No panic, it was fun being a fool.  Anyways, it was all done for the training perspective. 

This fine afternoon I had a second visit from Michael over for lunch.  One year, Michael had trekked the nation from Newfoundland and then to British Columbia.  He’s experienced.  We discussed a number of things, even the possibility of doing some walking together this summer.  In our talk, he concurred that no one really understands the practice of marathon trekking, what positive effect it has, until you just go out and do it yourself.  In fact, anyone who has taken up the challenge of lengthy pilgrimages will wonder, “Why doesn’t everyone do this?”  As Michael confirmed about his noble walk, “Those were the best days of my life.” 

My remark would be, “If you can’t be foolhardy, then you’re just a bland bro.”

Be adventurous, be a fool. 

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Monday, March 31st, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

Walking Helps

Two mature women noticed me ambling along on Bloor Street.  They began to speak and ask me if I was praying after seeing my right hand fingering my beads.

“Yes, as a matter of fact.”

“Maybe you can help us?”

“I’ll see if I can,” I said, and prepared myself to listen.

“Did you know that medicare in Canada could get compromised?  You know that Tommy Douglas brought medicare to this country?”

“Yes, and by the way, last summer I was on a pilgrimage and I was walking in the district where he was born and raised.”

“In Saskatchewan, right?  Well we just came from a meeting and his daughter was there, she’s about 80.”

“Is that right?”

“Please help us.  Fill out this form, put in your vote for the Government to renegotiate for the new Health Accord.  We are really concerned.”

“Sure, give me a few of your forms for the people in my ashram.”

“So, you’re a Buddhist?”

“No, Hare Krishna.”  We parted congenially.

The big concern in the US today is just that, medical health.  Obama is trying to secure a reasonable health care system for Americans.  It seems there’s a need.  There is, of course, a lot that can be said about investing in preventative illness through education.   If you look at the average diet people are on in North America, it’s no wonder ailments are on the epidemic level.  Anyways, I vouch for and would vote for healthy food and a karma free diet for all human beings.  Walking helps.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM