Monday, March 11th, 2019

Mayapura, India

Some Good Stuff

A great wave of humidity seemed to land in Bengal, which not everyone can tolerate.  Our cast of performers got affected, some stricken with fever.  It meant we had to cancel the show tonight. You might call it a ‘break-out’.

In the meantime, there are some break-throughs for our Krishna society. Prime Minister Mody recently unveiled the largest scriptural text in the world—The Bhagavad-gita.  Installed in the location of where the Gita's message was delivered, in Kuruksetra, northern India, it becomes a major landmark for the Vaishnava culture.  Then closer to home base, an apology was read out to our leaders concerning an event in 2016 when there was somewhat of a physical attack on one of our Governing Body Commissioners, Madhu Sevita, this year's chairman.  It was a gesture of goodwill and it cleared the air.  It's always positive to take a humble position.  https://iskconnews.org/indian-prime-minister-modi-unveils-800-kg-gita-at-delhi-temple,6860/

According to Bhakti Caru Swami—a monk who has been residing in Mayapura for forty-three years—concerning the administrative team at the ISKCON headquarters, a new wave of a younger generation is taking hold of administration tasks.  This is a hopeful sign.

We are a young society.  It takes some time for things to settle when dust is shot in the air.  As a culture which is steeped in bhakti (devotion), we should be ready to learn tolerance and turn it into triumphant.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Sunday, March 10th, 2019

Mayapura, India

On the Rooftop

On the rooftop of the house, "Radha," local birds fly about—doves, cookoos, and more.  Some land on the shrubs and any other object which would be perfect perches.  Mahasrngha, a very amiable type of person from Poland, is the proud owner of this home, which I step into every year when I come to Mayapura.

This morning, a family from Vancouver is up on the flat roof sharing space with me in preparation for a diksha ceremony.  One of the women, Satuja, took a seat by the havan and opposite her sat the priest, Krishna Svarup.

We opened up this initiation ceremony with a talk from The Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 9, regarding sacrifice for the pleasure of Vishnu (Krishna) which frees one from karma.  Simply doing some yoga or some ‘good works’ is not enough.  One must express gratitude to the Absolute Controller of things, or at least honour the Universe.

"That is what human life is all about—yajna—sacrifice.  If we could balance our life with the practices of yoga and yajna,then our position, spiritually, would be established.

Satuja accepted the name I gave her—Satyabhama-lila. She was happy and so were her family. She wanted to receive from me some directives from the guru, and so I said to her, "Help the mission in your city." Vancouver is a very vibrant city in the world.  A lot of work is to be done in the matter of sharing Krishna Consciousness.

"I wish you the best, Satyabhama." https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu3UYD_AbNl/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=xb6nkbylxiss

Our actor troupe drew the crowd and the applause.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Saturday, March 9th, 2019

Mayapura, India

Lifestyle

Many of our crew members are quite ill with fever, but like real troopers they’re carrying on with the show.  A number of them wouldn't mind participating in the walking events, called parikrama,but they see the need to reserve time for this valuable service, the service of ‘enterlightenment’.  https://www.instagram.com/p/BusClNfAYIX/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=vhwl8jadjx5m

Appreciations have been pouring in or just vocalized to actors and myself as we walk around the campus.  "We love it."  "You're outdoing yourself."  "The best!" are common remarks about "The Queen's Secret."

We filled the house again, the Samadhi auditorium, and received, once again, a standing ovation.  I was delighted to see that at least five of our senior monks attended.  Devamrta Swami, who hails from New York said, "It was part of life in New York to go to the theatre on a regular basis.  We need this kind of thing in our society."  He was implying that with the hustle and bustle of life, entertainment was like an exhalation, that seeing something on broadway gave colour. "It was a lifestyle."  https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu05vNigPMr/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=9fvb0p2nypcd

Such encouraging words.

In the meantime, pilgrims come and go to this sacred sight.  They come for darshan (deity viewing).  They enter the temple and offer prostrate obeisance as a gesture of humility. People come to Mayapura from many different countries.  They are wise to do so; some are on foot from afar or if not, on foot when they arrive. There's lots to see and do.  Most remarkable is to see no one smoking, drinking or gambling.  Pick-pocketing does go on, so we are told, but all the hearing and all the chanting make all nefarious dealings so minor.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Friday, March 8th, 2019

Mayapura, India

Female Inclusiveness

Our topic was "guru."  I will paraphrase what I said—in regard to women being empowered as gurus—to the assembly of senior men and women.  All others who commented on the topic are to be confidentially honoured.

"I read the Bhagavad-gita first at the age of twenty.  In Chapter One, Prabhupada purports that women are less intelligent. I struggled with that.  I read on and came to Chapter 10, text 34, where our guru, Prabhupada, comments that intelligence is a feminine trait.  My mind struggled in dealing with these two contradictory generalizations.  How was I to reconcile these two opposing statements?

I read all of the books and found other contradictions, and even found contradictory instructions in his personal letters.  But I  found consolation in accepting that you have to look at the context in which a message is delivered.  What is the intent?  What are the conditions around a remark that formed the conclusion?  I had to remove myself from my black-and-white views from western upbringing.  This helped.

I also found it necessary to grasp from the readings and writings the spirit of the message; the way in which our guru thought and dealt with people.  The spirit or intent was the most important.  This is what I explored about our guru.  He was so empowering, so inspirational, so inclusive, not exclusive.

Where women traditionally had not been allowed in temple participation, our guru did allow, and he spoke to Professor O'Connell, in the room where I live in Toronto, that tradition has it that women have been gurus.  'Some, not many!'  Again he was inclusive and broke many barriers.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Thursday, March 7th, 2019

Mayapura, India

Every Year

Every year we arrange a lunch for the Canadian pilgrims.  This year, Gauranga's Garden became our venue for bhakti-yogis from the Great White North to assemble.  Monks/swamis well known like Sivarama, BB Govinda, Gopal Krishna and Bhanu Swami came, either on foot, or by rickshaw, to bless the occasion of eating.  We also saw some happy cooks.

We are also in the swing of what is called "Kirtan Mela," which takes the shape of a five-day marathon of chanting with instruments.  Traditionally kirtan is done while dancing, but on most occasions I've seen, people sit around the lead singer who usually plays a harmonium.  This means the attendees are inclined to sit down.  I am more of a traditionalist in this regard.  With my time slot of 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., I insisted on the stand-up-and-sway method.  The reciprocation was great.  The moving of bodies was dynamic.  The smiles were oceanic.  https://www.instagram.com/p/BuxS_tsgjIa/utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1qt4j0lh9o6cf

From the kirtan hall, I reached the samadhi in preparation for our premier of "The Queen's Secret."   https://www.instagram.com/p/BusClNfAYIX/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1kvt20iuvd7ep Crowds poured in.  With lights out, the sound of the conch blew, and the show began.  After an hour-plus of telling the story of a queen and her lost son, the standing ovation came.  Then, outside, in the lobby you can say, the actors met the audience. There was an outburst of appreciation.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Wednesday, March 6th, 2019

Mayapura, India

Good Guru / Bad Guru

Basically when it comes to eating, you have to watch what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat when on a retreat like the one in Mayapura.  This you learn from experience.  To stay in good shape, some exercise is wanted.  Some sun.  Some bathing, in the Ganges perhaps, and being careful regarding diet.

Breakfast can't be too heavy.  Some fruit is best.  Lunch is great here but choose your items.  I'm off rice these days—sweets, almost no dairy (everything here is of ahimsa milk) and I minimize deep fry.  All this in moderation, and it's best to avoid eating at night.

I was quite strict on these rules today and it showed.  A massage therapist, Bilva, worked on me for a third session since I came to Mayapura, and he noticed the difference in my overall condition today.  He noted that kidneys, prostate and general relaxation were stronger.  I must admit I really liked the fact that not only is he working on muscles but he is also monitoring me.

For the last day of our Sanyasa, GBC, Guru Sangha (SGGS) sessions over three days, our facilitator, Braj Vihari, steered us in some good directions.  We had a stimulating reading segment in the program.  And according to some, another good item was a skit performed by colleagues Anuttama, Kala Kanta and included your humble servant.  It was in two parts.  Kala played the local temple president, Anuttama was my disciple and pick-up driver from the airport, and I was the visiting monk.  We demonstrated good co-operative skills between us.  A segment also showed poor communication, while I was the bad guru, arrogant and eager for followers and dakshina (donations).

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Tuesday, March 5th, 2019

Mayapura, India

A Monk...

A monk from the Orient, China, I suppose, excitedly and hurriedly ran to me with a gift.  It was a gamsha, a short lower garment for sleeping in, or to be used as a towel after bathing.  He doesn't know me very well, but he extended himself for that devotional touch.

"What is your name?"  I asked him.

"My name is ??? Swami," he answered, with a name that was the length of the Ganges.

"Is there a short form to that?"

"Haridasa," he replied.

"Thanks.  I can handle a three syllable word."  

He was all smiles.

I walked to the samadhi auditorium for the morning drama session.  When I came out, the Russian pilgrims were sitting, partly on stone, partly on the grass.  A senior monk of the brahmacaris was delivering a class. All eyes came my way when I stumbled upon the group.  The class was interrupted.  The listeners offered obeisances in my direction, as is done in a place like Mayapura. I threw everyone a kiss.  Laughter followed.

I walked to my room, Number 505 in the Gada Building and there on the bed was a copy of the latest "Padayatra Newsletter," an actual glossy magazine.  I was thrilled that my article entitled, "The Bruce Trail in Canada," made it into the 2019 edition.http://www.padayatra.com/padayatra-newsletter-2019/

High points—these brief encounters were, but there's more.  Another day of converging with monks of guru or teacher-status devotees was really special. Then there was the dress rehearsal for, "The Queen's Secret."  The troupe expressed being tired, but they worked on, nevertheless.  https://www.instagram.com/p/BupjPteAsVM/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=z4ru0ff0b8xh

https://www.instagram.com/p/BusClNfAYIX/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=11oh9yarg4n03

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Monday, March 4th, 2019

Mayapura, India

A Hundred of Us

There were a hundred of us, mostly monks, men and women.  We stood in a circle, and the exercise was to take some steps forward or backward, depending on the answer to the question given.

The facilitator, Vraj Bihari, asked, "How many of you are in the category of seventy years of age and above?" About a dozen took three steps forward. 

"How many of you are between sixty and seventy?"  That included a much larger percentage.  

"How many of you came to Krishna Consciousness before 1970?"  The majority stepped forward.  

"How many joined in the ’80s?  The ’90s?"  The forward and backwards continued.

It was a great exercise.  It was very revealing, and drew the group's attention to a need to look gravely at our history and our succession.

Next, we sat in groups of four, and we were asked one by one to share how we came to Krishna Consciousness.  "What was it like then?  What was your perception of the way ashramswere then?  Is it better than the situation of today?"

Interesting and introspective thinking went into the questions.

We then went for lunch prasadam and bonded further, after which we had a break until Session #2.

Monks don't just walk, or sit down all day, or eat. We take time—although not enough—to see into ourselves and into the needs of the world.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bul9KE5g3WO/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=cmsucwhx0vha

A little film of the Hanuman monkeys we met yesterday. 

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Sunday, March 3rd, 2019

Mayapura, India

New Friends

I try to make a point of making new friends every day. In fact, I consider it rather a sin to just ‘hang out’ with known people. Although that is important, the day evolves with deeper dimension when new encounters are made.  There's so much to learn while broadening the scope of new relations.

When you are stranded alone on an island, you might have an excuse, but even then, you have the opportunity to make good with the moon, the stars, the sun, the elements, animals and plants. With so many pilgrims coming in by the thousands, it becomes easy—friendship—even if it proves only momentary.

While walking with monks, Marshall and Samuel, from Montreal, we made friends with the local breed of monkeys. Oh it was a trifle painful going barefoot near the elephant sanctuary. Sharp stones pressed hard against my soles, but it was all compensation for meeting those Hanuman monkeys—or that's what people call them.  They made the trail their relax space.  With pitch black face and endless tail that curls when in motion, they are a sight to behold.

Although I consider them newly-made comrades, I wouldn't go so far as to hug or embrace these guys.  They just wouldn't even allow the approaches. Besides, I'm a little intimidated by the fleas they carry. It's true those little bugs go for a free ride.

Anyway, today is business as usual. It is the first day available to meet old friends in the Conch Building during meetings.  We were handed a card that read, "One should be confident that in all circumstances Krishna will protect him from all difficulties." Srila Prabhupada.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuirkUMF5Yo/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=2941w7k0em25

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Saturday, March 2nd, 2019

Mayapura, India

Gone With Ganga

Today I saw my dear friend, Rsi, drift away forever in the Ganges waters.  It was his ashes that I released.  Rsi was about two years my junior.  He was born Rick Habson, in Canada.  He passed away one year ago.  It was the first opportunity I had to carry his ashes and have them merge into the holy waters.

I felt strong emotions when my last rites guide, Jananivas, gave the word, "Let it go!"  I placed the ashes  in a flat circular basket with Ganges mud underneath and over-top, with honey mixed in.  Of course, they were his ashes and it wasn't him, nevertheless, it was part of Rsi.

"Hare Krishna, Rsi!  Goodbye!"

I reflected on him, his soft side, his step-son, Kailash, and Karen, his partner. He struggled with alcohol for some time and had it rough, but he loved his guru, Prabhupada, his friends, sankirtan, his family, and the distribution of Vedic literatures.

Memories!

I was grateful to have Jananivas with me for the closure.  We, along with two other monks, walked to the banks of the Ganges.  After the rites were completed, we did some ‘dham seva’—service to the pilgrimage site.  There exists a culture of neglect in India. Paper and plastic bags are strewn about after the contents are used.  We picked up some of that refuse and cleaned the space we used.

Prime Minister Modi's policy of "clean up India" included a small contribution from our side.  Yes, clean up, get clean and go, then back to home.

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Friday, March 1st, 2019

Mayapura, India

Laps With No Naps

While doing laps around the central altar of the samadhi building, as a way to revere the deity of our guru, Prabhupada, I was unaware that someone was timing me.  That someone was a monk, a few years my senior, from the U.S., who spends considerable time in South America.  Hanumat Prasak Swami clocked me after I did those laps and said, "It's amazing.  I timed you as I was sitting down, and you were taking  forty-eight seconds for every complete circle, except when you were talking to someone, which was occasional."

I was surprised that, first of all, the swami bothered to register my speed, and secondly, he was so precise with it. Over one hour plus becomes many laps. You do the math.

Chanting while walking in the samadhi's interior is a favourite place for japa meditation.  Today with so many pilgrims in town, due to the abhishek ceremony, the room was more occupied than on most days. It was quite wonderful, and quite powerful, being in the presence of so many bhakti-yogis, although most of them remained seated as I and a few others spun around.

The maha(great) abhishek(bath) was a grand success.  The ganges water collected, and other pure liquids and substances were poured onto the deities of Panca Tattva, created quite a spectacle in addition to the showers of flowers thrown in the air.  Kirtan chanting resounded.  The sunshine even broke through after two days of overcast conditions.  https://www.instagram.com/p/BugMBtoF8se/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=11vuvp75xtd14

Our drama, in fact, is based on the story of Surya, the sun god, and how he begot a divine boy, Karna, after union with a mortal woman, an illustrious queen.

May the Source be with you!

10 km

Thursday, February 28th, 2019

Mayapura, India

Zones

I met pilgrims, carrying terra cotta pots, enroute to the nearby Ganges’ access.  They were from Delhi, men and women, all enthusiastic for collecting jal, holy water, for the coming ceremony.  The ceremony is called abhishek and it involves a bathing of the deities with this water.

It was interesting to stumble upon the group on their return journey, from a mere ten minutes away.  Their pots were full.  Hundreds more of these pots, carried by other pilgrims, were filled to the brim to add to tomorrow's grandeur.  https://www.instagram.com/p/Buc_5L9g4hs/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1cwtkobj0qecj

In this sacred space of Mayapura, you will find many zones of activities.  The gathering of Ganges water is just one of those zones.  There is such diversity.  I have placed myself in the zone of drama.  Any opportunity for rehearsing is what I hanker for.  And it's happening.  We have a good crew, and we are all learning from each other the various components of theatre, whether it's the technique or physical insertions of props and costumes.

Our own little universe in the samadhi auditorium is a place of devotion like all other zones of activities, whether it be rituals of pujas or chanting sessions, seminars, or regular maintenance of the grounds and buildings.

Daru Brahman is an English teacher from the U.K. who is also a great cook.  He just loves to serve our drama troupe with pierogis and custard, which are somewhat hard to come by here.  Underlying all activities is the sublime sound of the kirtan.

May the Source be with you!

6 km