Monday 4 April 2011

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

What I Saw and What I Said

Hamilton, Ontario

I had walked an early hour on Yonge Street when parties just begin to wind down, when cab drivers are very busy and people on the street speak louder than normal. A woman with tight slacks who was very elevated (due to her high heels) was very much dressed to tease. A male motorist coasted next to her as she walked speaking on her phone. He was offering her a ride and more, but she expressed disinterest. Yet she loved the attention and he loved the tease.

I was compelled to chant on my beads with enhanced fervour. Yes, the sight was one of cheap thrills.

I don't normally take to this street with its strip of raunchiness. If I go northbound or even south of Dundas I won't see these things. It could be worse for a monk's eyes.

I visited Brampton at noon to speak to our community there. A new couple asked about caste identity and I explained that the Gita which addresses this speaks about a societal structure that is meant to give spiritual direction by brahmans known for honesty, wisdom, austerity and cleanliness. There is not an emphasis on someone being higher or lower, but more so on serving.

The same emphasis of service applied in my facilitation at the Nine Devotions workshop held in Hamilton's Shanti Yoga Studio. "We are servants. We are spirits or souls. We are not this body or a position or even a gender for that matter. We exist as an anti-material spark of life. And that's what we are," was the message.

7 KM

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