Friday, February 23rd, 2018

Toronto, Ontario

Walking the Airport Maze

Every airport interior layout is standardized like the massive one in Delhi, where passengers walk through the duty-free aisles before getting to their gates.  I guess dollars must be made and it is happening.  Those items such as liquors and colognes don’t interest a man of the renounced order.  I just literally ‘walk through’,  but a good bulk of people don’t.  They stop.  They ponder.  They buy.  It’s a shopping mall concept.

Now, if I may not overly judge, I would still offer to say that if aisles, or mazes, were some form of mandalas, they could be a labyrinth that leads to the heart.  Buddhists tend to capitalize on the walking of mandalas.  And to my knowledge, Hindus would use more circular mandalas (a Sanskrit word) with some squares and diagonal lines to gaze upon, helping concentration and promoting healing.

At some of our yajnas, or fire rituals that we use in Krishna consciousness, coloured powders are used to form yantras, like a mandala, upon a tray of sand.  Rangoli is a similar art form that is used in India and Mayapura, where I just came from, and these colourful formations are laid out on the ground and shaped with dry, rice flour, flower petals and coloured sand.  They are welcome symbols and are placed at doorways and walking paths.  Definitely they are beautiful images to take your eyes on a journey.

Too bad people step on them.

Personally, I would rather get my attention lost in some rangoli, a yantra or mandala than the booze trail.  I hope I didn’t sound too judgemental.  Sometimes I feel good telling it like it is.

May the Source be with you!

2 km

Thursday, February 22nd, 2018

Noida / Delhi

Good Buddhi and Bad Boy

Buddhimanta, the co-ordinator for the ISKCON Noida Centre did all the right things.  Almost.  The one thing he couldn’t supply me with during my stay, in the progressive limb-of-Delhi City, was a quiet, safe place to walk.  A substantial length of traffic-free footpath would have been nice, but then I don’t expect him to be a miracle worker.  That is reserved for Bhagavan.

Buddhimanta did measure up to being that gentleman of a host, plus he got the show together.  For our “Many Mothers, Many Fathers,” productions, he did good promotion for a Thursday night event.  Even in India, the weekend is always the best scenario.

A huge sign was posted—my guess is about 8’ x 10’—in front of the temple.  Announcements were made about the “thrilling, chilling story from the Bhagavatam,” and tickets were sold.  Buddhi also saw to it that echo absorbers of any kind—carpets, chairs, foam around the pillars—were set up to address the sound quality.

The auditorium was packed.  Buddhi and I were pleased.  The audience was spontaneous.  Our techies and actors were spot on.  You could feel the power of the play.

It was our last performance—the tenth.  My emotions were high; one of them, a stored up anger, aroused from seeing one young man filming the whole play from his phone.  I have to mention this because swamis can be upset like anyone else.  The question is do you store anger, bottle it or channel it in some favourable way?  I had been seated in the front doing some voice-over for one actor and noticed the culprit.  I went over to him after the production and let him know of my disappointment and the lack of respect it was since we had announced, “No phones, no cameras.”  I felt better telling him.

May the Source be with you!

0 km

Wednesday, February 21st, 2018

Noida, India

Spiritual Culture

I read with interest Devaki Devi Dasi’s book, Spiritual Culture, just recently released.  I find her insights into the psychology of the male and female interesting.  I can’t say that I agree with all of her points but I can appreciate her old values /old school approach.  She supports the very definitive roles for men and women, and although her opinions strike me as somewhat right-wing, I would back her on family values.

Family values!  Great topic!

After our drama practice—in now out latest and last stop before the flight home—a group of us were compelled to speak about relationships between the ‘hes’ and ‘shes’.  There are definitely many opinions out there about family life, as to what’s ideal and what’s practical, even from the sector of bhakti yogis.

“You now have a generation of Krishna children that don’t go for marriage,” expressed a father of four.  He and his wife are on the same page when it comes to commitment.  The couple went on to say that the experience of his family, and all the younger folks accompanying us on our short tour, is that they are having the time of their life.

It was late afternoon before I could free myself of duties and practice in the ISKCON Noida theatre, where a number of adjustments had to be made to address acoustic issues.  Bulgarian born Stoyan and I took to a quiet trail in Noida behind the gorgeous temple.

That’s hard to find, but we found it.

May the Source be with you!

3 km