In Or Out
Toronto, Ontario
The term ‘take the cake’ is derived from the culture of something from the Cake Walk in Europe so I learned today. Claude DeBussy’s music masterpiece, ‘Gollivogg’s Cakewalk’ (1908) was played by piano virtuoso Linda Ippolito in the opera house. I was there to hear her play her music, and it was definitely like eating dessert.
Just before indulging (with the ears), Dustin, one of our members, and an accomplished opera singer, invited and accompanied me to the concert at noon. And also, was it ever a sweet treat to have a sneak peak at the main hall, one of the very best acoustical rooms in the world.
Security was kind enough to arrange for lights to power on as Dustin and I entered this hall of glory. Dustin, who has sung for the Queen and other dignitaries, asked that I sing from the stage, so I did. ‘Samsara davanala lida loka…’ This is a song honouring one’s guru, the master of life. I also sent the sound of the maha mantra, Hare Krishna, out there. Yes, acoustics are right on.
Two days earlier Dustin sang a line or two of Mario Lanza’s “Be My Love For No One Else Can End This Yearning”. These penetrating lyrics can easily apply to Krishna and the prema, love, that comes thereof from service, which begins with hearing. Sound does impact, when spiritual, it does so absolutely. In any event, Dustin really appreciated the fact that the mantra permeated the ether in a space where sound is so much transmitted.
A second installment of mantra transmission happened in the out of doors with a group of brahmachari monks, we ascended perhaps the highest elevational point in the city (which is not to hold your breath about). Nevertheless, we sang, overlooking a valley from a small amphitheatre where walkers, cyclists and runners frequent. Those who showed up by chance seemed to enjoy the sweet taste to the ear.
Mantra – whether indoor or outdoor – is seen as compatible in either place.
8 KM
B L O G S P O T
Friday, 31 May 2013
Thursday, 30 May 2013
Wednesday, May 29th, 2013
That one I just sent was a mistake! Here is the right one:
Grant Me
Toronto, Ontario
In a fast car you would never notice plaques of historical significance. I ambled along my way near Mud Creek when I stumbled upon a plaque which honoured the Tamils of Sri Lanka who fought for justice from the 80’s up to 2009.
The other day on Bathurst Street, I noticed a plaque near one of those prominent synagogues, it was in front of one of those wartime apartment buildings. It read, “Actor Lorne Green from 1941 – 1944”. Remember Ben Cartwright from Bonanza? Then in Northern Ontario you see this small obscure marker which is the marker for Terry Fox’s last steps on his famous ‘Marathon of Hope’. Running on one leg, dying of cancer, he could not push himself any more. He seized running and died shortly thereafter. Hardly a soul knows of this marker because everyone is just going too fast.
The philosopher Nietzsche said that the greatest ideas occur when walking. You think and hear and see so many things that are wondrous and which has everything to do with a creator. The double rainbow of yesterday gave testimony of the amazing imagery captured in the course of a walk.
All this simply reminds me of a prayer by author, Richard A Hasler. I will modify (Krishna-ize) it:
“Lord (Krishna), so many creative people have had their imaginations stirred in the most unlikely places. Grant to me a consistency in my walking regiment, that I may be ready to hear your word (Supersoul) speaking to me, showing me things I never dreamed possible.”
7 KM
Grant Me
Toronto, Ontario
In a fast car you would never notice plaques of historical significance. I ambled along my way near Mud Creek when I stumbled upon a plaque which honoured the Tamils of Sri Lanka who fought for justice from the 80’s up to 2009.
The other day on Bathurst Street, I noticed a plaque near one of those prominent synagogues, it was in front of one of those wartime apartment buildings. It read, “Actor Lorne Green from 1941 – 1944”. Remember Ben Cartwright from Bonanza? Then in Northern Ontario you see this small obscure marker which is the marker for Terry Fox’s last steps on his famous ‘Marathon of Hope’. Running on one leg, dying of cancer, he could not push himself any more. He seized running and died shortly thereafter. Hardly a soul knows of this marker because everyone is just going too fast.
The philosopher Nietzsche said that the greatest ideas occur when walking. You think and hear and see so many things that are wondrous and which has everything to do with a creator. The double rainbow of yesterday gave testimony of the amazing imagery captured in the course of a walk.
All this simply reminds me of a prayer by author, Richard A Hasler. I will modify (Krishna-ize) it:
“Lord (Krishna), so many creative people have had their imaginations stirred in the most unlikely places. Grant to me a consistency in my walking regiment, that I may be ready to hear your word (Supersoul) speaking to me, showing me things I never dreamed possible.”
7 KM
Tuesday, May 28th, 2013
At the Crack…
Toronto, Ontario
At the crack of dawn pink skies and blue clouds danced about. Then a cloud released a drop here and a drop there that hit the surface of our faces and shoulders. It was as if the sun was arresting those clouds. But those candy flossed giants pulled free. Then, behind us in the westerly direction came a rare and beautiful silent self invited sky guest. The song ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ took on a new meaning. There beyond a glorious arch of a rainbow came a second rainbow.
That’s exactly what we saw. Spanning the entire city were two arched wonders, one on top of the other.
“Awesome!” said a neighbour who was walking his dog and passed by us. The mere vision humbled us all including dog and master. This put us on common ground turf.
“Of course there’s no God,” was the sarcasm blurted out by myself. Whether God or nature (how can you separate?), we were being pulled together. No pot of gold was required as fairy tale or make believe mind set would have it. We were just happy looking at the sky.
Apurva, Praveen, Shanti and I were content to behold with our eyes those two unexpected visitors. We knew they were with us only momentarily, that became so evident as giant puffy clouds enveloped the sky. A light rain was now heard and not seen, nor hardly felt because by now in our promenade we were under green canopies of trees, they sheltered us like anything. They were natural roofs until we maneuvered our way out of the ravine’s foot path.
We really did feel like the happening was like a kid’s story book. As Apurva confirmed, “The colours and the fragrances – OMG. “
The area we were in was Rosedale where neighbourhood gardens endorse the surreal nature of our morning walk. We were definitely not indoors and we were definitely not on this planet. Catching a glimpse as to what will come in the future, we saw the spiritual world.
We hope and we wish.
5 KM
Toronto, Ontario
At the crack of dawn pink skies and blue clouds danced about. Then a cloud released a drop here and a drop there that hit the surface of our faces and shoulders. It was as if the sun was arresting those clouds. But those candy flossed giants pulled free. Then, behind us in the westerly direction came a rare and beautiful silent self invited sky guest. The song ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ took on a new meaning. There beyond a glorious arch of a rainbow came a second rainbow.
That’s exactly what we saw. Spanning the entire city were two arched wonders, one on top of the other.
“Awesome!” said a neighbour who was walking his dog and passed by us. The mere vision humbled us all including dog and master. This put us on common ground turf.
“Of course there’s no God,” was the sarcasm blurted out by myself. Whether God or nature (how can you separate?), we were being pulled together. No pot of gold was required as fairy tale or make believe mind set would have it. We were just happy looking at the sky.
Apurva, Praveen, Shanti and I were content to behold with our eyes those two unexpected visitors. We knew they were with us only momentarily, that became so evident as giant puffy clouds enveloped the sky. A light rain was now heard and not seen, nor hardly felt because by now in our promenade we were under green canopies of trees, they sheltered us like anything. They were natural roofs until we maneuvered our way out of the ravine’s foot path.
We really did feel like the happening was like a kid’s story book. As Apurva confirmed, “The colours and the fragrances – OMG. “
The area we were in was Rosedale where neighbourhood gardens endorse the surreal nature of our morning walk. We were definitely not indoors and we were definitely not on this planet. Catching a glimpse as to what will come in the future, we saw the spiritual world.
We hope and we wish.
5 KM
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Monday, May 27th, 2013
The Dentist’s Heroes
Toronto/Brampton
It is an annual event for a small group of us monks to visit a dentist’s office for an afterhours chanting session. Doctor Netan Bobby Bakri is a young dentist who hosts us for chanting. It is always a month or so before the Toronto Chariot Festival.
A Vedic custom, you could say, is to have priests come over to your home or place of business and ask them to bless your establishment. We were lead to the first room of the clinic, the children’s play room. A large poster of superheroes dominated the wall. Before we began chanting our mantras for fun, we identified each hero, drawing a comparison to a Vedic character.
Superman, in blue, is Krishna. Green Hornet is Ram. Wonder Woman is Durga. Some guy in gold tights is Gauranga; then Batman, the guy in black at the bottom of the poster was ascertained to be Yamaraja, the lord of death.
To be honest, the archetypes in the picture, unknown to the Bengali brahmachari monks who accompanied me from room to room, primarily matched or redefined the heroes. They put their Vedic spin on it.
In another room where the patient’s dental chair reclined, we identified this comfortable seat as the divine bed stead of Vishnu. There were even adjoining nozzles that resembled snakes. Snakes generally adorn and shelter Vishnu’s head while he lies down. In the next room one wall displayed rotten, decaying and damaged teeth and gums. Here we likened the dreadful images as reflections of the dodgy age in which we live – Kali Yuga, where the number of heroes are in the decline. Finally, the last room, and office, had affixed to the wall a replica of Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’. This impressionistic piece reminded us of Arjun, the hero of the Gita, and how he saw the awesome cosmic form of Krishna.
Just comparing these western prototypical personalities to Vedic superheroes and avatars gave us a good laugh.
On a more serious note, the dentist has been reading BBT books, in particular, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He loves it when remarks are made by the author, Srila Prabhupada, when he smashes the scientists. It looks like our dentist friend can relate to the real heroes.
7 KM
Toronto/Brampton
It is an annual event for a small group of us monks to visit a dentist’s office for an afterhours chanting session. Doctor Netan Bobby Bakri is a young dentist who hosts us for chanting. It is always a month or so before the Toronto Chariot Festival.
A Vedic custom, you could say, is to have priests come over to your home or place of business and ask them to bless your establishment. We were lead to the first room of the clinic, the children’s play room. A large poster of superheroes dominated the wall. Before we began chanting our mantras for fun, we identified each hero, drawing a comparison to a Vedic character.
Superman, in blue, is Krishna. Green Hornet is Ram. Wonder Woman is Durga. Some guy in gold tights is Gauranga; then Batman, the guy in black at the bottom of the poster was ascertained to be Yamaraja, the lord of death.
To be honest, the archetypes in the picture, unknown to the Bengali brahmachari monks who accompanied me from room to room, primarily matched or redefined the heroes. They put their Vedic spin on it.
In another room where the patient’s dental chair reclined, we identified this comfortable seat as the divine bed stead of Vishnu. There were even adjoining nozzles that resembled snakes. Snakes generally adorn and shelter Vishnu’s head while he lies down. In the next room one wall displayed rotten, decaying and damaged teeth and gums. Here we likened the dreadful images as reflections of the dodgy age in which we live – Kali Yuga, where the number of heroes are in the decline. Finally, the last room, and office, had affixed to the wall a replica of Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’. This impressionistic piece reminded us of Arjun, the hero of the Gita, and how he saw the awesome cosmic form of Krishna.
Just comparing these western prototypical personalities to Vedic superheroes and avatars gave us a good laugh.
On a more serious note, the dentist has been reading BBT books, in particular, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He loves it when remarks are made by the author, Srila Prabhupada, when he smashes the scientists. It looks like our dentist friend can relate to the real heroes.
7 KM
Monday, 27 May 2013
Sunday, May 26th, 2013
Identifying the Enemy
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Sing Lung Wong and I took to the bush at Camp George Forbes. There is a trail but it's been obscured by winter dynamics. It's covered with fall leaves and winter weather sent down twigs, branches and even trees. It had become a natural obstacle course.
We like it that way. It makes for a natural work-out.
While I love the forest, there's something about it that doesn't like me - poison ivy. I spotted it, stayed my distance from it and even pointed it out to our troupe at a stop-over at the Niagara River's whirlpool, where its' gorge suddenly twists to take a whole different direction. The place is awesome as a vista wonder.
On our return journey I found myself in spots and by evening I discovered symptoms of a rash. How mystical this plant poison ivy is. I don't even have to touch it. Somehow, through an indirect way I contacted it's juices. Maybe it was a handshake by someone who was in contact with the culprit or when I pressed for soap in the public washroom the previous user may have been in touch with this three-leafed character? I don't know. But I've got it.
The great saint Prahlad voiced a message about adversaries and he wasn't referring to people or plants. He laid the finger on the actual enemy. In the book Bhagavatam he expressed it and made it clear. "The enemy is not lust, anger, greed, madness, envy or illusion. The antagonist is the mind."
7 KM
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Sing Lung Wong and I took to the bush at Camp George Forbes. There is a trail but it's been obscured by winter dynamics. It's covered with fall leaves and winter weather sent down twigs, branches and even trees. It had become a natural obstacle course.
We like it that way. It makes for a natural work-out.
While I love the forest, there's something about it that doesn't like me - poison ivy. I spotted it, stayed my distance from it and even pointed it out to our troupe at a stop-over at the Niagara River's whirlpool, where its' gorge suddenly twists to take a whole different direction. The place is awesome as a vista wonder.
On our return journey I found myself in spots and by evening I discovered symptoms of a rash. How mystical this plant poison ivy is. I don't even have to touch it. Somehow, through an indirect way I contacted it's juices. Maybe it was a handshake by someone who was in contact with the culprit or when I pressed for soap in the public washroom the previous user may have been in touch with this three-leafed character? I don't know. But I've got it.
The great saint Prahlad voiced a message about adversaries and he wasn't referring to people or plants. He laid the finger on the actual enemy. In the book Bhagavatam he expressed it and made it clear. "The enemy is not lust, anger, greed, madness, envy or illusion. The antagonist is the mind."
7 KM
Saturday, May 25th, 2013
Attitudes
Cleveland, Ohio
I managed to put in a meagre kilometre of steps before heading off to the U.S. and eventually to Cleveland. We got drilled at customs and then got more than mildly chastised by an officer for parking in an area prohibited as we waited for our second car. Okay, that was our fault, a gingerly approach of correcting could be effective.
Our destination was Camp George Forbes, a retreat outside Cleveland which is frequented by inner city kids who get a taste of the out-door world and outdoor activities, camp fires and so on. Our devotional drama troupe was accommodated in a rustic cabin as were other attendees, mostly of Afro-American and India-American background.
The event was called, "Uniting Srila Prabhupada's Family" and is in honour of a spiritual peer who passed away in 2005 from cancer - Bhakti Tirtha Swami. He was an outstanding monk who was very self-austere and so very kind to everyone else.
We arrived at a time where a panel discussion was held covering the topic of gratitude. On the panel included Radhanatha Swami, Bhakti Caru Swami, Bhakti Vasudeva Swami, Malati, others, and your humble servant. With this group we were extolling the glories of such a special person, Bhakti Tirtha Swami, who is very much missed by all who knew him.
More festivities involved a kirtan chanting session led by members from Ghana, Africa. Then, on with the show and the drama, "Gita Concise." Never before had I, nor any of our troupe, experienced such appreciation.
The attitude of gratitude was very strong. It was something I won't forget.
To quote Bhakti Tirtha Swami in addressing his master Srila Prabhupada, "When I try to calculate all that you've done for me, I am bursting with gratitude...I thank you for arranging my rescue!"
6 KM
Cleveland, Ohio
I managed to put in a meagre kilometre of steps before heading off to the U.S. and eventually to Cleveland. We got drilled at customs and then got more than mildly chastised by an officer for parking in an area prohibited as we waited for our second car. Okay, that was our fault, a gingerly approach of correcting could be effective.
Our destination was Camp George Forbes, a retreat outside Cleveland which is frequented by inner city kids who get a taste of the out-door world and outdoor activities, camp fires and so on. Our devotional drama troupe was accommodated in a rustic cabin as were other attendees, mostly of Afro-American and India-American background.
The event was called, "Uniting Srila Prabhupada's Family" and is in honour of a spiritual peer who passed away in 2005 from cancer - Bhakti Tirtha Swami. He was an outstanding monk who was very self-austere and so very kind to everyone else.
We arrived at a time where a panel discussion was held covering the topic of gratitude. On the panel included Radhanatha Swami, Bhakti Caru Swami, Bhakti Vasudeva Swami, Malati, others, and your humble servant. With this group we were extolling the glories of such a special person, Bhakti Tirtha Swami, who is very much missed by all who knew him.
More festivities involved a kirtan chanting session led by members from Ghana, Africa. Then, on with the show and the drama, "Gita Concise." Never before had I, nor any of our troupe, experienced such appreciation.
The attitude of gratitude was very strong. It was something I won't forget.
To quote Bhakti Tirtha Swami in addressing his master Srila Prabhupada, "When I try to calculate all that you've done for me, I am bursting with gratitude...I thank you for arranging my rescue!"
6 KM
Friday, May 24th, 2013
Blue and White Paint
Toronto, Ontario
Jagannatha and I drove downtown to pick up some makeup. It was not for me. I don’t wear any makeup, but Jagannatha does. He will drench himself in a blue body paint from head to toe practically. He plays the role of Krishna in our drama, Gita: Concise, something we will stage in Cleveland this weekend. We are looking forward to it.
After the purchase of a bottle of blue paint and a bottle of white paint which gets mixed together, and in the course of our return, I saw a cluster of Muslim men doing their midday prayers. They were doing their ablutions just outside their tiny mosque near the bus station. I guess the place was so jammed up, some followers were forced to do their prayers on the street. I appreciated their level of commitment.
At first glance, I thought, “This is odd that people are engaged in their spiritual practices in the public like this.” It seemed odd and also familiar at the same time. Oh, yes, of course, we do that too. We, the Hare Krishnas, are known the world over for our extroverted spirituality. Why, just the other day, our monks along with students went up and down Yonge Street in a casual celebratory procession, 50 strong. The mix was great, like the blue and white paint.
The group passed by Dundas Square where a rock concert was in session. When our procession went by, heads turned and faces lit up. Some people made their way to step in line to join us. This naturally qualifies as a walk as much as it is a chant. The drums were pulsating and karatals (cymbals), were clanging. The mantra was echoing, bouncing off store front walls, and in the case of stores that had their doors open, the mantra got trapped inside.
If that isn’t a display of anti-material fervor, I don’t know what is. The public accepts it, we don’t impose, they love it. The chanting makes people happy. We’ve been at it for 40+ years on this street. You’ve got everything else going on here. Why not throw something spiritual in the maya mix?
6 KM
Toronto, Ontario
Jagannatha and I drove downtown to pick up some makeup. It was not for me. I don’t wear any makeup, but Jagannatha does. He will drench himself in a blue body paint from head to toe practically. He plays the role of Krishna in our drama, Gita: Concise, something we will stage in Cleveland this weekend. We are looking forward to it.
After the purchase of a bottle of blue paint and a bottle of white paint which gets mixed together, and in the course of our return, I saw a cluster of Muslim men doing their midday prayers. They were doing their ablutions just outside their tiny mosque near the bus station. I guess the place was so jammed up, some followers were forced to do their prayers on the street. I appreciated their level of commitment.
At first glance, I thought, “This is odd that people are engaged in their spiritual practices in the public like this.” It seemed odd and also familiar at the same time. Oh, yes, of course, we do that too. We, the Hare Krishnas, are known the world over for our extroverted spirituality. Why, just the other day, our monks along with students went up and down Yonge Street in a casual celebratory procession, 50 strong. The mix was great, like the blue and white paint.
The group passed by Dundas Square where a rock concert was in session. When our procession went by, heads turned and faces lit up. Some people made their way to step in line to join us. This naturally qualifies as a walk as much as it is a chant. The drums were pulsating and karatals (cymbals), were clanging. The mantra was echoing, bouncing off store front walls, and in the case of stores that had their doors open, the mantra got trapped inside.
If that isn’t a display of anti-material fervor, I don’t know what is. The public accepts it, we don’t impose, they love it. The chanting makes people happy. We’ve been at it for 40+ years on this street. You’ve got everything else going on here. Why not throw something spiritual in the maya mix?
6 KM
Saturday, 25 May 2013
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
I Had A Chat
Malton, Ontario
Before I took to the day's trek (which ended up being extremely brief) I had a chat with someone in the sitting room of our temple ashram. This is the very place where our guru, Srila Prabhupada, spent time. From that second story room I could see through the arched window two fellows in the distance climbing an angular building crane. It was a careful climb upward - way up.
I admit I was distracted while in the course of our dialogue. My mind raced to something I heard our guru say in the summer of '76 in Detroit. I was but six feet away from where he was talking about the leading demon-character from the epic 'Ramayan' - Ravana. The story goes that Ravana was building a stairway to heaven. He did not succeed, however, in his attempted ascension because he lacked the qualification to enter this sphere. According to Prabhupada the practice of intense piety earns one a post in the heavenly abode. Pious? Ravana was not. Therefore Ravana's program was an utter failure. The message was that at least one has to be a 'good person' before one can achieve such greater heights.
I resumed conversation after this inattentiveness on my part. Within such a short span (seconds in fact) my detour went on this lazer-speed mental journey. So much mental territory had been covered.
I was slightly embarrassed when my eyes met with the eyes of the conversationalist. My excuse was that it was just so unusual to see two construction workers make their way manually up this huge crane. I did not voice even a subtle apology. I only hoped for pardon by being super-attentive from there on. I tried to compensate. Overall the talk was friendly, productive.
My day wound up in a suburb, Malton, with a fantastic devotee family who treated me to a great Malaysian meal. After the meal, at a relaxed moment I once again thought of the two guys on the crane anticipating some high-rise heavenly scenerio like Ravana, I'm sure the building will get completed and I'm also sure that ultimately happiness will not come to the future residents unless some soul connection takes place.
4 KM
Malton, Ontario
Before I took to the day's trek (which ended up being extremely brief) I had a chat with someone in the sitting room of our temple ashram. This is the very place where our guru, Srila Prabhupada, spent time. From that second story room I could see through the arched window two fellows in the distance climbing an angular building crane. It was a careful climb upward - way up.
I admit I was distracted while in the course of our dialogue. My mind raced to something I heard our guru say in the summer of '76 in Detroit. I was but six feet away from where he was talking about the leading demon-character from the epic 'Ramayan' - Ravana. The story goes that Ravana was building a stairway to heaven. He did not succeed, however, in his attempted ascension because he lacked the qualification to enter this sphere. According to Prabhupada the practice of intense piety earns one a post in the heavenly abode. Pious? Ravana was not. Therefore Ravana's program was an utter failure. The message was that at least one has to be a 'good person' before one can achieve such greater heights.
I resumed conversation after this inattentiveness on my part. Within such a short span (seconds in fact) my detour went on this lazer-speed mental journey. So much mental territory had been covered.
I was slightly embarrassed when my eyes met with the eyes of the conversationalist. My excuse was that it was just so unusual to see two construction workers make their way manually up this huge crane. I did not voice even a subtle apology. I only hoped for pardon by being super-attentive from there on. I tried to compensate. Overall the talk was friendly, productive.
My day wound up in a suburb, Malton, with a fantastic devotee family who treated me to a great Malaysian meal. After the meal, at a relaxed moment I once again thought of the two guys on the crane anticipating some high-rise heavenly scenerio like Ravana, I'm sure the building will get completed and I'm also sure that ultimately happiness will not come to the future residents unless some soul connection takes place.
4 KM
Thursday, 23 May 2013
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
Kids and Walking
Toronto, Ontario
Child safety is important to any community. We have all heard about child predators out there, there’s nothing more horrific. This may be one of the reasons for driving your kids to school, even if they live a block away.
What comes to my flippant mind on this topic is that while a community may respond to media hype on safety, there’s another evil that lurks in depriving kids of fresh air, exercise, interacting with neighbours and so on (God knows that even the school isn’t a safe haven – remember the massacre in Connecticut?). Recently some pundits have analyzed the situation of kids being driven to school. The Toronto Star ran an article outlining the backfiring nature of chauffeuring children. Surely, we don’t need more spoiled brats, sorry to say, and certainly we don’t need more traffic than necessary. The findings are that the generation is being robbed of nature. Are you surprised?
I reminisce about my one mile walk to and from school at SS 1 Harwich County along a quiet, windy road, and that occurred during the winter months as well. We had no school bus, and dad was at work with the car. To this day, I relish past thoughts of that special ‘down time’, and incidentally, when God was also on my mind.
I sometimes scratch my head at the schitzo society we live in. We say we don’t want any violence to come to our children, yet the gun happy culture found on the screen is rampant. We say we don’t want sex predators, yet we tolerate so much garbage from media and advertizing that make promiscuity main stream. I just don’t get it. I beg at the lotus feet of all readers to this blog to help me to understand the depth of hypocrisy that we live in. But in the meantime, I would say, let the children walk.
7 KM
Toronto, Ontario
Child safety is important to any community. We have all heard about child predators out there, there’s nothing more horrific. This may be one of the reasons for driving your kids to school, even if they live a block away.
What comes to my flippant mind on this topic is that while a community may respond to media hype on safety, there’s another evil that lurks in depriving kids of fresh air, exercise, interacting with neighbours and so on (God knows that even the school isn’t a safe haven – remember the massacre in Connecticut?). Recently some pundits have analyzed the situation of kids being driven to school. The Toronto Star ran an article outlining the backfiring nature of chauffeuring children. Surely, we don’t need more spoiled brats, sorry to say, and certainly we don’t need more traffic than necessary. The findings are that the generation is being robbed of nature. Are you surprised?
I reminisce about my one mile walk to and from school at SS 1 Harwich County along a quiet, windy road, and that occurred during the winter months as well. We had no school bus, and dad was at work with the car. To this day, I relish past thoughts of that special ‘down time’, and incidentally, when God was also on my mind.
I sometimes scratch my head at the schitzo society we live in. We say we don’t want any violence to come to our children, yet the gun happy culture found on the screen is rampant. We say we don’t want sex predators, yet we tolerate so much garbage from media and advertizing that make promiscuity main stream. I just don’t get it. I beg at the lotus feet of all readers to this blog to help me to understand the depth of hypocrisy that we live in. But in the meantime, I would say, let the children walk.
7 KM
Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Let The Ritual Begin
Toronto, Ontario
I was taking a walk with a person having difficulty in his marriage. Looking for some refuge, he decided to speak his mind, so I offered, “Did you get counseling? Do you both want the relationship to work? If so, then agree to seek help. As a sanyassi (monk), I can only hear so much about your personal details, therefore, I defer the issue to the experts.” We reverted to walking and doing japa chanting for the time being. I got to thinking, you sometimes see couples taking that hard walk together. They’re not exactly locked in each other’s arms, but they’re also not arguing with each other. I didn’t suggest to the anguished walking buddy next to me if he would think about applying this method with his spouse, perhaps it was a bit idealistic, or even presumptuous to consider and suggest that a good hard stroll under the canopy of trees and over stones or dirt as opposed to asphalt could be a solution to conflict. Yet such a daily habit of companionship could have its great merit. Perhaps there is a magic to it all. It would be as simple as saying when you cook for a group of people with love, that group is likely to bond quite well, instead of ordering stuff from outside.
“Yes,” I suggested to my friend, “you two should walk it out together, let the magic take place, let the ritual begin. What have you got to lose?”
5 KM
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Monday, May 20th, 2013
Merry Times in the Maritimes
New Glasgow/Halifax
There is a lovely spirit behind the Maritimers. It came my way when I met an elderly guy on the Albian Trail. It’s been encounter #3 with him.
“So, you’re back again, eh?” he said in passing, and with the biggest smile.
A second take on walking for the day found me on Stellarton Road in New Glasgow. A jolly younger fellow by the name of Tom pulled over from driving.
“Are you the walking monk?” he queried.
“Yes, I am,” and he gave the heartiest handshake times three.
Then Sarah, a mature lady of curiosity drove all the way across the huge parking lot to meet. To her, I was a Buddhist monk, but I had to clarify my Krishna consciousness.
“Well, I take a liking to Buddha, but I’m really interested in your walk,” she said. At that moment I was whisked away to be driven to Halifax by Dr. Jal for the weekly chant at “The Hub”. The Hub is located on Barrington Street on a second floor – a cozy spot rented out to groups like ours. Here again, the spirit was one of lightness and joy. Weather can be rather dismal being near the Atlantic, yet the dreariness was not able to touch our hearts because of our immersion in the Hare Krishna mantra which was garnered with varying melodies.
Our snug jig at The Hub marked the finale for the blitz Nitai Ram and I took throughout the Maritimes. Our audiences were appreciative and gentle. Although I’m willing to bet that ancestors from the Maritime coast were likely a rough and ready bunch, a heartier kind. To quote from Farley Mowat, the book ‘Grey Seas Under’, one old Newfoundland seaman expressed his bravado like this:
“Ah, me sun! We don’t take nothin’ from the sea, we has to sneak up on what we want and wiggle it away.”
8 KM
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