Friday, December 7th, 2018

Richmond Hill / North York

Three Things

Monks have obligations.  When someone in the community perishes, a monk participates in the send-off.  Krishna Sharma, I'm guessing, was ninety.  She resided in our ashram in the ’80s.  I learned a few things from her in the kitchen.  She could make a fantastic green banana subji.  Her English wasn't totally terrific but we loved her attempt at it.  Instead of saying "spaghetti," she would come up with "subghetti."  We loved her. She was a real giver.

My experience is that family and friends at a crematorium are unsure of proceedings at the last rites, so I become a natural co-ordinator for her funeral—an emcee, you might say.  We highlighted chanting.  God bless her soul.

A second obligation executed today was a visit to the Caledon farm owned by Vishal and Yasomati.  The couple have come up with innovation, especially in regard to the by-products of bull and cow.  Their milk, dung and urine have miraculous properties, some which will even tackle cancer.  We relished their butternut squash soup, very organic, very local—in fact, from the farm. Monks visit farmers.

A final obligation was to stop by at the home of a family.  A second family joined.  To get there I actually walked from Yonge and Steeles to Yonge and Sheppard, a perfect five kilometres.  A couple, Bully and Amala, hosted a few of us for a kale and chilli supper.  Renunciant people visit homes to try and inspire. This is a young couple  and they are artists in music.  Upstairs hangs a fine painting by Amogha Pandit on their wall. It portrays monk, Chaitanya, dancing with associates.  Monks are meant to appreciate devotional artwork when rendered.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Thursday, December 6th, 2018

Varadero / Toronto

The Last Papaya

Light raindrops moistening our backs were the final goodbye gestures from Cuba's north-shore sky.  From the resort, ‘Memories’, Prana, Ananda and I boarded the bus for the Varadero Airport.  We are leaving behind us a wonderful group of people who feel sometimes very isolated from the rest of the family we call bhakti-yogis.  Unfortunately, one of our young men, Leonardo, is stricken with dengue fever, a mosquito-induced, sometimes fatal disease, and he's alone in intensive care.  May he overcome that hurdle.  Please help, O Divine Master.

On the bus, we re-connected with travellers making use of  the same deal as ourselves.  You have one week to go all out with your senses.  There's the beach, sun, sand, drinks, live music, all-you-can-eat food, internet—the works.  Those of us on the yoga mission stayed clear.  Our friends, who a week ago arrived with great anticipation, now, on the bus back, some part of them seemed drained, a trifle disappointed, not fulfilled, ready to move on.

I am not saying that the three of us are better, but I will say we were on a different program and we relished every minute of it.  The dance and chant in the tunnel, the wedding in the woods, the organic veggies cooked with love, the people eager to learn, and all of that in densely-populated Havana.

Perhaps my sweetest dessert, on the menu of all we did, was to speak of Prabhupada, our guru, and all he did for me and the world. He did have a remarkable impact.

Now, on a flight back to Canada, Ananda forks in his last chunk of Cuban papaya.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Wednesday, December 5th, 2018

Matanzas, Cuba

Last Fall Day In Cuba

The goat, a baby, was lost from its herd and crying for help like anything.  Enroute to Varadero, our party of three made a stop-over in Matanzas, the "city of intellectuals," as people say.  We made our way to the peak elevation and to an old church where tourists love to be trapped for an hour or so.  The view is exquisite.  Great place for a picnic.  Also, excellent for a kirtan.  We did the above with devotees from the area.  Animals come up here to graze, ranging from horses, to cows and goats.

One goat, as I said, a baby, was led astray. He was anxious for Mom.  A horseback farmer noticed the panic-stricken goat, came over, swooped him up and brought him back to his domain—the herd.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrB0j6XAaVd/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=19ztc4nj11etp

Oh, we can be lost.  As souls, disconnected from the world of brahman, we are lost, separated from our Great Master.  We have to work diligently to get back to our home of freedom.

When back at Memories Resort in Varadero, Ananda and I had a swim and breathed fresh air; Havana is not a place for that.  We had someone behind us, a Canadian dude, start talking to us.  Because of the sikhas, the back tuft of hair we both sported, the fellow made a connection between us and some famous kick-boxers who evidently have that pony-tail.  I clarified who we actually were while in our swim gear.  From here on we got to talking about control of the senses, yoga with mantras, and agreeing to co-operate with the universe through dharma, and how then, although small, a mere cog in the universe, we will get the power and freedom which we deserve. 

"We need to approach it all with humility."

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Tuesday, December 4th, 2018

Havana, Cuba

Through the Arts

Our apartment is relatively close to the ocean and to the Malecon.  From the ocean's edge, the sky is clear, revealing a very clean sliver for the moon. The pole star is above. Interesting!  Yesterday's sky showed the star to be below the moon. Indeed there is much to see above us.

Just ninety miles north of us is Key West, Florida, but we can't see that.  Our senses are imperfect, so limited.  We can only perceive to the best of our ability.  This inability to perceive well is so evident while walking the streets of Havana.  Sidewalks are quite broken up.  You must watch every step.

Jiva Goswami Das from Miami popped in today. He caught the tail-end of our presentation at "Vivarta Teatro."  We had parting words for those we won't see for a whole year. Jiva and I trekked to our apartment and on the way bumped into tourists, two young couples from Punjab, India.  I asked how they liked Cuba and the one spokesperson simply said, "It's much like India: lots of chaos but a happy chaos."

I met another young tourist from India, from Chennai near the President Hotel, where everyone goes for WiFi connections. Again, this guy confirmed how he liked the country.

After having taught kirtan standards, music lessons, and dance expressions to our friends of Krishna in Cuba, Ananda, Prana and I concluded that through the arts a great potential lives in Cuba for a change in consciousness.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Monday, December 3rd, 2018

Havana, Cuba

More Good Stuff

Fishermen find this spot along the Malecon sea wall, to make their catch.  They know that the predawn time is perfect for sending the line and hook into the sea.  For Ananda and I, we find it ideal at this hour for walking and putting out our hook, the mantra.  We could not fathom eating fish now.  I left such consumption behind a half a century ago when dropping in to the fish ‘n chips eatery in downtown Chatham, the town where I was born.

At 10:00 a.m.,  we conducted a standard sadhana, a spiritual workout at Chaitanya Priya's home.  At 3:00 p.m., we ventured off to Cobija  Teatro to talk on "The Nature of the Soul," according to the Vedas. Kirtan took up half of our precious time in the Cultural district.  The room was quite plain.  "No money," said the director, a very animated sixty-eight-year-old woman.

I asked our musicians to sit in the centre of the stage, and the balance of us circle danced around.  "This is the way it should be," I thought.  "When synchronized with music, song and choreography, it becomes engaging, attractive and a happy experience."

The place is a hang-out for young artists.  It's the kind of location we would like to be present at.  The energy just thrives here.

On any off-time while in Cuba, I relish moments reading the book Chaitanya Bhagavat.  This becomes fresh material for a new story, a new drama. Of course, it will involve walking and wandering mendicants, some who are real angels and some who are absolute pains in the butt.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Sunday, December 2nd, 2018

Havana, Cuba

They Are Warm

At 5:20 a.m., I trekked to the Maleson, the sea wall at the north shore in Havana.  I headed east.  There, sitting on the sea wall, was Ekanath, a young Cuban I had given diksha, initiation, to about five years ago.

"I can't believe.  I was praying (chanting) to God and my guru shows up."  It was mystical for the two of us.  We made the best of the encounter.  "I couldn't sleep last night." he said. "I decided to come here, by the ocean to chant."

"Fine.  Let's walk."  So we did and then sang the song to honour the guru.  It was time to now prepare for the wedding of George and Elizabeth.  The venue was near the ocean in the midst of shady mango and avocado trees.  Bananas were nearby and the devotee property of 2.6 acres has plentiful cacti to border the lot.

The marriage was wonderful.  Ananda did a masterful job as priest.  I spoke from 8.14 of the Gita.  The place was so wild.  We extended our stay to a good six hours.

The newlyweds found out about Krishna Consciousness through the book fair of last year where Bhaktivedanta Book Trust had publications on display.  One thing led to another and before you know it, we had married them.  They now read and chant daily.  They are moving along nicely in spiritual life.

In general people are great in Cuba.  They are warm.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Saturday, December 1st, 2018

Havana, Cuba

A Day at Lessons

It is yearly that I get to do a presentation at the Episcopal division of the university.  I've gotten to know professors both active and with emeritus status, although their names sometimes escape me.  The department head came by to listen.  He approved. I was asked to speak on the relevance of the Gita.  For most students, it was introductory.  I highlighted two forms of mantra meditation mentioned in the Gita—japa and kirtan.  I asked all to stand and to move with the sound of Ananda's drum and the sound of the mantra.  I can say honestly that the students and teachers were ‘lit’!

The second opportunity for playing the teacher's role was once again, in the tunnel, the "Vivarta Teatro."  In a unified effort, Prana, Ananda and I gave lessons, practically, in harmonium, drum and kartals respectively.  We divided the tunnel space in three and carried on in teaching these essentials.  Followers in Cuba have little access to training so it was very gratifying to see some progress made in this department.

Daily I make it a point to walk, and in the last two days it involved reaching our destinations by way of legs and feet while carrying our instruments.  Walking to an area where supposedly you get wifi proved unsuccessful as far as getting connected and caught up with correspondence. Such is Cuba.  While this may be a downside, optimism comes from the people themselves.  You sit on a park bench and they come to you.  One man, Eduardo Martinas, was trying to understand what I eat.  With sign language—since my Spanish is weak—I described a pineapple.  He finally got it.  We had a good laugh.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Friday, November 30th, 2018

Havana, Cuba

In the Bigger City

A small brigade of us trudged along from Havana's concrete jungle centre to the university district, and then through the areas of embassies and colonial homes owned by millionaires of the past.  There, the three of us took to a rented room by a genuine Madelaine.

We were a curious lot.  Ananda was playing his dafli drum.  We all were chanting and carrying our luggage, in addition to instruments such as a massive box with contents, and the djembe, resembling something like a small refrigerator in its package.

Sidewalks are uneven, in disrepair.  We were better off to just walk the street itself which is somewhat doable in these residential areas.

Today's program was held at the Vivarta Teatro, basically a tunnel under a major thoroughfare.  It's lit up, and fortunately, three fans were plugged in for air circulation.  I began the seminar for kirtan standards which included practical application.  Indeed people were moving to the sound of drum and mantra. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq54LsNAZy7/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=x0vban773sky

This time around many followers of bhakti-yoga came to our location from various parts of Cuba, including Matanzas, Rodas, Santa Clara and Cienfuegos instead of us travelling to those destinations.  We held a meeting and are slowly getting organized for sharing this higher consciousness that our guru, Prabhupada, taught us.

Despite the sometimes rough conditions and lack of efficiency the simplicity of life patterns in Cuba does have its advantages. There is a slower and more loving mode of life.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Thursday, November 29th, 2018

Varadero, Cuba

Back In Cuba

It's a three hour flight from Toronto and then you land in Cuba, Varadero to be exact.  A bus takes you from the airport to Memories Resort where one of the world's ‘Top Ten Beaches’ is to be experienced.  I'm with another monk, Prana Gauranga from Montreal, and an expert drummer, Ananda, now from Toronto.

While on the bus, Ananda picked up his daflidrum and started to strike it in rhythm. It aroused the passengers like anything. Hola Cuba!

We checked into our room and headed for sunshine, sand and ocean.  To get our five kilometres in for the day, the beach provided the almost perfect foot-path.  I say almost perfect because in time, knees or something or other, are going to feel some irregularity.

Prana was working on our Cuban connections, acquaintances who have set up our itinerary during our stay on the island.  Most of our time will be spent in Havana, conducting classes and workshops on the science of bhakti or devotion.

Before resting for the night, the three of us moved about in the lobby making friends.  With not an ounce of shyness, Ananda proceeded to play on his massive djembe by seating himself next to the pianist who was on her numbers of "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head," and Lennon's "Imagine."  Well imagine that—blending in your African drum with a piano rendering.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Wednesday, November 28th, 2018

Toronto, Ontario

East On Danforth

There was good prana in the air, that is it was ‘very alive’ as I breezed through with a confident step.  The particular area where you catch a nice wind, or rather it catches you, is on the Danforth Bridge over the Don Valley.  There, you are way on top, above a river, train tracks, a foot-path, many shrubs and scattered trees as well as a massive lake beyond it—Lake Ontario.

Once I arrived at Danforth Avenue, it became a pedestrian vibrancy.  With schools around, you have students, teenagers, who are a bit into their own world. As I approached Pape Avenue, a thin middle-aged male came up to me at a juncture while I was waiting for green to light up.

"What order do you belong to?" he asked after seeing an obvious robe.

"Hare Krishna,"I said. "You're familiar?"

"Yes!"

"Our guru arrived in '65 to introduce a much older tradition with roots from India."

"Yes, I've read the Gita by your guru.  It's an amazing dialogue."

I concurred.  "It's so relevant.  We all hit low points, as Arjuna did.  Then Krishna delivers the eloquent pep-talk which can apply to all of us even today."

My new friend, Mario, seemed to be on the same page with me.  He wanted to keep in touch, which is a good sign.  Had I been in civies (civilian clothes) we would not have been able to meet, most likely.

It was a good walk.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Tuesday, November 27th, 2018

Toronto, Ontario

The Topic of Food on the Walk

Dog sitters, walkers and runners were the folks whom Ananda and I met along the way through the ravine.  All of our encounters with them were sweet, though a brief acknowledgement of each other’s presence became our experience.

Ananda and I were also talking about sweet and sour things and what Ayurveda has to say about various foods, exercise and overall good health.  His friend, Keshavanand, claims that drinking lots of water as is prescribed in the west, is not good.  He says you get your fluids from the food you eat.  He also claims sour things are not to be consumed at night.  Basically, you shouldn't eat late at night.  Anywhere from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. is actually time for sleeping.  Of all exercises, walking is the best.  Running is shunned and is not good for the knees.  He doesn’t recommend certain foods such as eggplant as it produces too much heat inside.  In general, food should be cooked.  He says ghee is most favourable, not much, and olive oil is discouraged, while sesame and peanut are preferred.  Of course, GMO'd food is to be avoided and one should go for organic.  Canned food—not good.  Yogurt is to be kept in the fridge or in a clay pot in the evening, while consumption during the day is advantageous.

If you have a sweet tooth, jaggery is recommended, and the processed white sugar is taboo.  There was more that we discussed.  What I have personally discovered over the years is that your body is its own guru and tells you of comfort or discomfort through the stomach.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Editor’s Note: Always consult with your medical practitioner or advisor when considering dietary or major  lifestyle changes. And do your research. As Bhaktimarga Swami suggests, only yourbody can tell you what is best for you. 

Monday, November 26, 2018

Toronto, Ontario

You’re In

Wet is the way to describe the day.  I didn’t step outside but inside I did.  Lots of service, planning and then rhyming. Here’s what I wrote about the day.

You’re In 

         

Dull time did pass—no break

Something that seemed hard to shake

When out the window there was gloom

A day of utter drizzle doom

Not even a steamy herbal tea cup

Could pull the entire spirit up

For a grey veil did suspend there

Endorsing a world that’s so unfair

Observe the world, it’s most mundane

It can drive one to be insane

If and only if you allow it to

Push one to the shades of blue

You may look at life as so much grief

Or may look at life—what relief!

It’s all in how you come to view

Let others needs pull on you

There is service that’s so much at hand

Then the world’s not puny, only grand

Simply conjure up the joy within.

Explore, evoke, then you’re in.

                      ©Bhaktimarga Swami

May the Source be with you!

3 km