Thornhill,
Ontario
Local
Pilgrimage
One way
that a pilgrimage can be analyzed or defined is when a person or a group of
persons make the journey to a sacred place. As simple as that!
Within the
greater Toronto area, we now have four official ISKCON places where the science
of Krsna consciousness is practiced and is open to the public. Really, we have
just begun within the last decade in this endeavor to grow. And there is a vision
to continue increasing the numbers. This morning I ventured to one of those places.
Two short
blocks away from Dundas square (Toronto’s version of Times Square) is a humble
and quaint, two-floor level place of beauty. Situated above a greasy-spoon
restaurant on the street level, is something called Bhakti Lounge, where I was
invited to give the early morning class.
I walked
it, happily. I even stopped by fellow pilgrim, Jivanatha, along the way and
together we forged ahead. He moved to Toronto from the gorgeous Kawarthas area
a few months ago.
You
wouldn’t think that pilgrimage would entail moving from one sacred spot, our
ashram, to another place of devotion within a short length of three kilometers,
but why not?
Our
discussion at Bhakti Lounge was great. These young bhakti-yogis are
super-bright. They pose fantastic questions, centered around the father’s duty
to the son. The great literary monk, Vyasadeva, spent a concentrated many years
teaching his son, Sukadeva, the science of self-realization.
Being that
this week is March break, children are home from school. Our temple/ashram
administration organized an escape for parents by coordinating a Krsna Kids Day
Camp. Guess who was one of their presenters?
My topic
was “Who is Krishna?”
The most
common response from the group of little ones (age 5-15) was, “He is our
Protector.”
The number
two popular answer was, “He’s our best friend.”
May the
Source be with you!
5 KM
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