Montreal, Quebec
One young Belgian man came to Montreal to attend a religious conference. It was his first time to Canada and his first experience at the Ratha Yatra (festival of chariots) hosted by ISKCON. I had the good fortune to meet him and as I was speaking to him he gazed at the 40 foot dome of the chariot, at how the hydraulic motor was ascending.
"Does your group embrace technology?" He asked.
"Certainly, whatever can be utilized in God's service and as long as it is not harmful. But look at this... " I pointed to the two large ropes that people were pulling. "Here's something totally organic. This chariot could be powered by a motor and be mobilized like any other conveyance. But that would not be traditional. And everyone gets a chance to serve the passenger of the chariot- Jagannatha, a deity of Krishna. We always try to emphasize the simpler way of life where possible."
At the chariot event I also met a man who spent time in India from '62-'64 with the peace corps. He revisited in the 1990's and noticed a marked difference and said that the current boom in India is likely more a curse with its software technology.
"As its going" he said. "There's too much greed behind it like anywhere else in the world."
I always walk back to my accommodations from the festival for time to chant and wind down. It's a good 8-9 km. On Sherbrook street as I headed eastbound I met Andreas of Brazil. He is very familiar with the Maha Mantra. We exchanged words. I told him of my pilgrimages. It had him intrigued . Then he told me of his business and his survival enterprise. For 21 days he'll take clients into the Amazon without food or supplies and just depend on what nature provides.
Now there is a case for using little or no technology to get by with. I'm sure there's a little dependency on the Creator as part and parcel of the survival program. Such a program can't be all that bad.
15 Km
No comments:
Post a Comment