Wednesday, April 13th, 2016

Wednesday, April 13th, 2016
Toronto, Ontario

Tom and Sam

Tom came to visit from Windsor.  I’ve known him since the ‘70’s.  He and his wife, Betty, are retired school teachers.  Tom accepted his first teaching job way up in Northern Canada, in Spence Bay, with children in the Inuit community.  It’s quite remote up there, but he tells me he’s seen a lot.

Much less than Tom’s experience, I’ve also had a chance to interact with many indigenous people during my cross country walking.  They’ve always been nice to me and I suppose in part it’s because being a monk, I am distinctly different, and also part of a minority.

Tom came up by bus to do some personal research work, but it was also with a spiritual intent, otherwise he wouldn’t be participating in our morning spiritual program.   We both took to the streets in Rosedale to chant on our japa beads.   For a good hour I heard Tom put out his best effort toward attentive listening to the sound of something so sacred.

While Tom was gone doing his research we had a visit from Sam who lives in Brockville.  Sam came to me with his right hand in his meditation bead bag.  He was chanting in a serious tone.  We actually got to talking about the power of mantra meditation and how it becomes the chanter’s time to communicate with the Creator.

“To those of us who commit daily to 16 revolutions around the strand of 108 beads, it allows you 2 hours to communicate with the Big Chief-In-Charge.  And that’s not bad,” I explained to Sam.

May the Source be with you!

6 km