Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016
Durban, South Africa

Improve is the Way to Groove

My usual trek is around the temple.  The walkway that borders around is quite perfect except for the guaranteed puddles of water-- residual wet area from the evening's water sprinkler system.  Some dodging has to be done.

I really appreciate the coy fish, they’re in the dozens and on a permanent swim.  They weren't there last year, floating in the moat which is next to the walkway.  Yes indeed there's this pleasant man-made water moat that makes the trek that much more enjoyable.  Now, you are not alone.  You're on for a stroll and you got these cute creatures next to you.

The installation of the fish is an improvement.  What I'm looking for is an improvement to our newly work-in-progress play “Mr Puri.”  Today is Gaura Purnima, when the world celebrates the kirtan trail-blazing Sri Chaitanya, born 530 years ago.  Practically a contemporary of his is someone by the name of Madhavendra Puri, after which our play is named.  I've been struggling a bit with a few scenes, especially one that entails my volunteer boy-and-girl actors trying to put some choreography to clearing the jungle with sickles, picks, and spades. However, a consistent working at something will always pay off.

One third-party person, a woman, came in during practice and made an encouraging remark.

“It's so beautiful seeing these performers celebrating the outdoor working experience. I love the way they are dancing with their jungle tools.”

Confirmation!  I guess we are getting somewhere in the endeavour to improve.

May the source be with you!

4 km

Monday, March 21st, 2016

Monday, March 21st, 2016
Mumbai, India to Doha, Durban

Flying

In Pune, 15,000 strong

Before the stage they did strong
All to hear the rights and wrongs
In between the bhakti songs.

Now we find ourselves flying

At points you feel like dying
Either that, or like crying
For only sitting and not lying.

Oh! To be able to walk
It's a dream or cheap talk
In the jet that did rock
But in safety bearing tilak.

My foot would hang in the aisle

Appearing not to be in file
All passengers have a style
Some sitting under a blanket pile.

I would feel the wheel of the cart
With its food and the butter tart
And the wheel of the duty-free mart
At which I did not take part.

The flight seemed to go for ever

An endless flow like Ganges River
The trip was another endeavour
To please the lord, it's maya to sever.

May the source be with you!

0 km

Sunday, March 20th, 2016

Sunday, March 20th, 2016
Pune, India

Loving It!

As usual, at this time of the year, each day looks the same.  The sun is ever present.  When the British came I'm sure it was a breath of fresh air for them.

I have been pacing on the temple's veranda and seeing down below the crows like clockwork, going for their breakfast, pecking at any creepy-crawlies upon the grass.  It's at this grassy patch that Corrado had been doing his pacing while dutifully chanting on those beads of his.  God bless him!  This has been his first trip overseas.  He's loving it – India being in a devotional atmosphere.  It's our last day here.

Mandala, luckily, has had his second visit to this land of Bharat.  He's been under the weather the last few days.  His throat and stomach are agitated, yet his spirits stay high.

Balaram, an excellent dancer, has been a good sport, attending all functions for Sadhana, and inspiring everyone with his moves during dancing sessions.

 An additional person, a cool dude from South Africa, is Nimai.  He's also a team player and tagged along with our core “Krishna Is…” group since Mayapur.  His trip to India terminates as well.

At the writing of this blog we haven't yet performed our drama, which is slotted for the evening in front of 10,000 students.  I'm sure it will be a hit.

I’m relieved that I put in some kilometres today.

May the source be with you!

7 km

Saturday, March 19th, 2016

Saturday, March 19th, 2016                          
Pune, India

Another Ashram                                

We have a second ashram in Pune, or rather the first.  Before the large ashram opened in Katraj, the humble beginnings of Krishna Consciousness were initiated at Pune Camp.  That’s where I was driven to at 4AM.  In a tight space I was expected to lead the morning kirtans and give the class based on the Bhagavtam, Canto 4.  It was later on, that the main leader for the area, Radhe Shyam, expressed what he got out of the talk.

“I liked your bear story, when you were on your walk.  Secondly, I liked the point about empathic listening, and lastly the point about getting to the essence of a story and not being logged down by details.”  I was honoured to get complements from him.

At the university grounds, Bharati Vidya Pith, our group of volunteer actors did check out three important components to a venue: performance space, sound, and lights.  We also took advantage of a technical run-through.  Though the lights weren’t quite ready for us, nor the sound, we did have the carpets laid out for us over the stage for the rehearsal.  Hence, the foundation was there.  It went well.  We’ve come a long way from our first get-together with our volunteer group.  Apart from our two entertainers from Canada-- Balarama and Corrado-- Krishna gave the challenge of sending us computer people with little experience.

When there was a break I was asked how marathon waling is possible.

“Are you thinking about walking India one day?”

My usual answer to this question, which does arise, is, “I wish I could do something about the traffic and the heat, but I know I’ll get fed wherever I go.”

To that I get a laugh and a head waggle.

May the Source be with you!

2 Km

Friday, March 18th, 2016

Friday, March 18th, 2016                               
Pune, India

A Real Person                                                 

I was very content, and honoured, to deliver the Bhagavatam message to a large group of monks.  Based on the story of Daksha, found in Canto 4, the topic had much to do with daughter and father relations. In this story the father shows weakness of heart and spirit.

I had been requested to talk about some of the walking ventures I’ve experienced.  It was met very favourably.

A real highlight for me was reading from the book “My Days with Prabhupada: A Young Monk’s Path to God in the Hare Krishna Movement.”  It was given to me by the author, Umapati Swami, when I was in Mayapur.  There is lots of nectar in the book.

An excerpt:

I sat on the floor with a few others in the Swami’s office repairing something one

afternoon while the Swami worked at his floor-level desk. Suddenly my hand
slipped and the blade of my screwdriver hit my fingertip. I felt a sharp stinging
pain. Had I cut myself? I looked. It seemed alright at first but suddenly a little
round drop of blood appeared. Better to wrap it with something. I looked up at the
Swami, but he was busy. I shouldn’t disturb him. On the other hand, I might smear
blood on something. “Do you have a piece of cloth?” I asked. The Swami tossed
old typewriter ribbon as he continued to work. I hesitated; an inky ribbon on a cut?
I put it down.

Then the Swami looked over at me. “Oh,” he said, “I didn’t know you had cut

yourself. I’m sorry.”

I shrugged. After all, it was barely more than a scratch. “Oh that’s alright!”

“I’m sorry” said the Swami…

The Swami apologized a few more times. I was seeing another side of the Swami

now. He had many things to take care of-- writing books, teaching disciples,
spreading Krishna Consciousness, yet he was apologizing over a small cut. He was
a real person.

May the Source be with you!

3Km

Thursday, March 17th, 2016

Thursday, March 17th, 2016                         
Pune, India

Everything is a Workout                         

I’ve been receiving invitations to be driven to a park about three kilometres away.  There I can get some walking in.  But I declined the offers in favour of staying on the campus where I can pace back and forth at the temple’s veranda.  Going through traffic in these hustle/bustle cities in India, even for a short length, is not my cup of tea.

I pace, and a small group paces with me, and we all put in the leg-and-lung power together.  The legs do the walking.  The lungs do the chanting.  For the legs you can call it a subtle work-out.  The chanting, on the other hand, is a strenuous one-- one with the mind.

There’s a constant struggle to keep that rascal mind under the thumb.  The mind is a slippery little critter. It slithers around in a quiet speed and mode.

In the bhakti-yoga tradition a portion of the day is spent in disciplinary action, in confronting the mind.  Exercise such discipline and you’ve got a friend.

Physical work-out did become a component for the day.  Right under the deity Balaji is a hall that is reserved for our drama practices.  The space has turned into a gymnasium of sorts.  From 2pm to 9 pm we carry on with direction and the intellectual side of a script, putting it into practicalities.

The volunteers we have are basically computer people who do very little for their physicality. Our weekend assignment, the play “Krishna Is…,” is starting to take form with the help of stiff-ish, but sincere, volunteers.

May the Source be with you!

5 Km

Wednesday, March 16th, 2016

Wednesday, March 16th, 2016                           
Pune, India

Who Is Central?                             

I had a few precious moments with Bhakti Caru Swami, a monk who hails from Bengal.  Our topic, off the second, was really about damage control.  When people go off course, emotionally for instance, how do you cater to the sensitivities of all parties?

A key factor involved in assisting a cool-down is in the principle of empathic listening.  This listening goes such a long way in smoothing out relations.  To “hear out” someone takes time, but it is time well spent and invested.

Now I have no qualms with monk Bhakti Caru, and I doubt he has anything major against me.  We were addressing the common devotees that we serve, devotees who sometimes do not agree with each other.  It is a given that human beings are human beings. They will have a collision of concepts.  It was a pleasure to listen to the morning class by Bhakti Caru Swami. He reminded us of the sacrifices and care of our guru, Srila Prabhupada.  For some years now he has been conducting seminars on the subject of “Prabhupada: The Person, The Guru, The Mentor and Founder of The Hare Krishna Movement.”

When he finished his talk, before the crowd of over one hundred monks, he asked me if I would say a few words.  So I did. 

“I just wanted to thank Bhakti Caru Maharaja for helping us to see that central to our culture is the person who set the tone and standards of bhakti-yoga for the modern age.  If we don’t have this kind of focus then surely we will be divided by the different concepts.”

Basically I voiced, in a non-rehearsed way, the need to fit under one umbrella that can shelter various approaches and viewpoints.

May the Source be with you!

5 Km

Tuesday, March 15th, 2016

Tuesday, March 15th, 2016                           
Pune, India

Discipline in Pune                                           

Two flights and a lengthy ride from Pune Airport brought us to the gorgeous temple of Radha-Vrndavan and Balaji.  I had made a quick visit here two and a half years ago and at that time this six acre plot was rather barren, except for the temple itself and some living quarters for the monks.

Now, you can see the high-rises doing just that, rising high on all sides.  We are talking about residential buildings, some of which will take care of living needs of community members.

We were greeted by an eager bunch, as is common at all the places we go to where there is a monastery. In this particular ashram you are a strict practitioner when you join.  You are upholding four regulative principles: no meat, fish or eggs, no gambling, no intoxicants and no sexual connections before you join. In the first year of residence as a brahmachari you are in yellow attire.  The second stage is that one wear white for five years.  The next phase you get diksha or initiation from a guru (spiritual master).  At some point you will don saffron coloured clothes.

I would say it is a happy regimentation.  The young men seem content with their discipline. The prasadam (food) is good.  Another note about strictness is that while our group had been invited to participate in the weekend’s Youth Festival, called “Dhristi,” our drama “Krishna Is…” was to be presented, but not in the full production.  One scene where dancers portray Krishna and His female devotees dance in the night, we agreed to leave out of the drama, being too sensitive to the large portion of audience members consisting of students and monks.

There you have it!

May the Source be with you!

3 Km

Monday, March 14th, 2016

Monday, March 14th, 2016                   
Kolkata, India

The Birthplace                                                  

I was asked to deliver a class to a group of monks in yet another location.  A five-minute walk from the actual birthplace of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, is a second ashram for men.  We reflected on the power of prayer as emanating from the sincere heart and lips of saint Prahlad.  “Streams of excellent words” are expressed to invoke the attention of the Supreme-- words that are compiled by yogis such as Brahma and the Kumaras, yet it seems that such appeals are not always instantaneously responded to.

Prahlad’s mood was “what effect can my prayers then have coming from the humble quarters like myself?”  Even more unworthy, he expressed himself as being born in a family of trouble-makers, therefore how may the Creator give attention to what he had to pray for?  Prahlad spoke from a meek platform.

It was with a prayerful mood that the group of us, our Canadian contingent, Ekalavya, and the dozen or more local brahmacharis, gingerly made our way through about three city blocks to arrive at the birthplace.  According to Prabhupada’s nephew, Sankarshan, our guru was born in this middle-class home, shaded by a fairly young jackfruit tree.  The house, secured by the Iskcon Society, is still intact. This was where he was born in 1896 and where he grew up.  Here we sang the guru song called “Guru Vandanam.”  I suggested to the monks that perhaps they can look into some tasteful cosmetics to give the place a face-lift.

Visitors to Kolkata mark it as a spiritual pilgrimage to take advantage of.

May the Source be with you!

5 Km

Sunday, March 13th, 2016

Sunday, March 13th, 2016  
Kolkata, India

Something Special About Victoria Square  

When the mission only began, in Kolkata in 1971, Iskcon had secured the current building on Albert Road.  The American girls who shared in the launching and pioneering of the mission also stayed at the premises.  There was a slight complication when it came to their bathing arrangements.  To get to their facility they had to pass through the men’s section, so they found an alternative.

Across the street is Victoria Square Park which is primarily a lake, the women began in the early morning to take their bath there.  They observed local women taking advantage of the waters.  Thus it became routine to go for the washing and preparing oneself to be clean for morning sadhana, and darshan of the deities of Krishna.  That practice terminated when neighbours asked our Calcutta born guru, Srila Prabhupada, “Why are your female disciples bathing with the prostitutes?”  Of course, our young women were not aware of who their bathing companions were.

It was around this lake (more like a pond) that Mandala and I took to circling on foot in a clock-wise direction.  It truly is a good location to stay right there with nature in the fairly-well maintained natural grove that borders the water.  People come here for a run, a walk or a work-out.  A modest home on the property, houses a family- a man, his wife, two sons (from what we could see), a dog who sits like he’s the king of the place, and a family of ducks.

The British did some awesome things when they developed and designed Kolkata.  It was well laid out with parks and ponds, which are just ideal for people to converge.  Victoria Square Lake has been utilized by people for quite some decades.  Our guru walked around it.  His enthusiastic female students bathed in it.  It’s undoubtedly a pilgrimage site.

May the Source be with you!

8 Km

Saturday, March 12th, 2016

Saturday, March 12th, 2016
Kolkata, India

Time and Us

It was a liberating day from the standpoint that claustrophobia was ended.  Yes, part of the reason for feeling crammed in Kolkata was a lack of pacing space in the Iskcon building.  I’m afraid I sent a subtle complaint to one of the higher ups and he responded with speed.  He did something about it.

“I need air that moves and space to pace,” which was sent to the ether.  I was grateful to be relocated 1 kilometer away.  I can walk now.  I stayed in the flat provided for a 3 day period.

Space is one thing, time is another.  Two musician companions secured for our recording project are chronically late.  It was a great opportunity for me to extol the glories of God in the form of time.

“Do not think of the Creator as Gopal, the friend of the cows, as Mukunda, meaning the giver of liberation, or as Janardan, maintainer of all,” I told the 2 young men.  Think of Him exclusively as time (a quote from the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 11).  This bold statement is made by Krishna and has all the relevance to everyone that hopes to keep appointments clear.

I added, “How can you two succeed in life in this manner?  You want to be taken seriously, right?”

Mind you, all was said lovingly, and I hope change will come.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Friday, March 11th, 2016

Friday, March 11th, 2016
Kolkata, India

The Right Look At Technology

Mukunda Goswami is author of several books.  He is a monk and a fine devotee and human being.  He recently came out with the book, “Spirit Matters,” a collection of articles he wrote for the Hindustan Times.  I chose to pull out an excerpt from one of his articles pertinent to walking and the reasons for doing so (I can’t take much credit for walking these last few days due to tough circumstances including some illness).

From May 27th, 2003:

Driving Toward Liberation or Hell, Our Choice

Everyday about 3,000 people every day die from auto mishaps.  Reckless and drunken driving, speeding, and distraction, greatly exacerbate this unfortunate phenomenon of our times […]

In Bangkok, congestion on roads is so great that many people dress and feed their children on the way to work while riding in their cars […]

Cars, the machines Americans invented and mass produced in the early 20th century replaced horse drawn carriages, but almost immediately they needed new roads.  Then exhaust and the resultant air pollution became a problem.  Costs to create and purchase devices to limit atmospheric contamination became a problem.  Skyrocketing petrol prices became a problem.

Because we’re bedazzled by the speed and privacy cards afford, the sense of power of being in the driver’s seat and all the other benefits to which we’re addicted, these problems seem inconsequential […]

Autos have become a symbol of affluence.  Without them, one can more easily transcend the wide spread conditioning that tells us materially privileged circumstances are ends in themselves.  Even for holistic health reasons, some car owners now prefer walking, cycling, and public transport. But the Gita, 6.1, also asserts that “One who lights no fire and performs no work is not necessarily a true mystic.”  This forecasts action and utilization of technology.

Cars can be meditation chambers or prison cells.  We can use them to expand our spirituality or to watch ourselves pile up in hell.

May the Source be with you!

2 km