Wednesday 31 December 2008

Monday, December 29th, 2008

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

There is a scrooge-mood pervading the atmosphere. A friend of mine from Washington in the retail business mentioned that his business in the fourth quarter did poorly despite the traditional spending splurge. People ask if we are on the verge of a major recession? A depression perhaps? People are cautious about the purchase of accessories. Many folks you talk to believe the excessive on-credit current lifestyle is finally catching up karmically. Some say that creed could now have a place while greed takes a rest.

Constantly we see the pendulum swinging from expansion to contraction, from liberalism to conservatism. I wonder if there is a resistance to middle ground- the safe territory? The Bhagavad -Gita refers this to the zone of satva, the mode of thoughtfulness, reason and cautiousness. It is an approach so rarely achieved by us humans as a species.

In any event the Season Greetings are less cheerful this year, so the pulse of the people tells. From the natural law of cause and effect one might be wise to study the nature of the world and is the impetus behind troubled times. Hardship is something we cannot avoid but tolerance is something we can invite.

The world is fragile. The city block that the temple rests in got hit by two black outs. The power failure the second time lasted about forty-five minutes. We were groping around in the dark. Then suddenly everything switched on!

How dual this world is!

0 Km. (just pacing in the temple room while chanting today.)

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