Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

Burnaby, British Columbia

No Power

Being not at home base (Toronto these days), it spares me from the dynamics of the hottest news coming from there.  Correction.  It’s not hot news at all, and has nothing to do with an embarrassing Mayor who’s caught taking crack.

The ground breaking news from Toronto (T Dot – the  cool short term) is the cold ice storm that hit last weekend putting 300,000 home out of power.  Normally a power failure wouldn’t create such an out on a short term, but when you consider it’s the middle of winter and it’s dragged on, people will have had to make some adjustments.

I was on the phone with our temple operations person, Keshava, in Toronto.  He said with relief, “After 57 hours of no electrical power, we had a big pizza party.”  The whole force of nature seemed to have that bonding effect on everyone in Toronto.  In the ashram at meal time where there’s no access to light in the eating room, all the monks were getting together hovering around a single candle.  Everyone was quite liking it.  It was as it should be, perhaps.

I contemplated the joy within the crisis and thought how life must have been before homes were equipped with hydro.  Perhaps the utility has spoiled us; that it’s a curse.  At least you can safely say that an element of interedependence was very much status quo when we were all unplugged.

It was sadly reported though that through this time of testing, generator, power, propane, and other less safe ways of generating warmth left some people dead from the fumes and exhaust.

I had taken to walking in weather that was just below zero degrees in the lower mainland of Burnaby, BC at Christmas Eve, when things were rather Silent Night –ish.  I imagined myself being back in Toronto and how I would handle the cold.  Likely, I would find maximum satisfaction in keeping warm in my winter boots, doing a lot of walking.  After all, each and every one of us has a built in furnace as much as we have a soul.  At some point in time, our 98 degrees Farenheit will quit on us.  But the spirit goes on searching for a new furnace.

May the Source be with you.

6 KM

Burnaby, British Columbia

Presents

We all hear that Christmas is the time of giving.  That’s nice!  From the Vedic perspective (directions east) we can also say it is a charitable time because it was in December that Krishna gave His message of truth to the world.  When this truth was spoken some distance north of the ancient city Hastinapur (current Delhi), millennia ago, the subsequent events and struggle for power ensued for 18 days which would terminate at the corresponding date of December 30^th, 2013.  That’s when you can mark the end of the war.  The dust of turmoil settled and peace prevailed.

Whenever truth is told, it often caused commotion.  Expect some calm after the storm.  Silent Night.

When the realities of The Gita, Krishna’s message, were told to me, my world had turned around.  That was back in December of ’72, right at Christmas time.  It was the present I ever received.  I am grateful to those five monks that did the delivery.   Their names I have not forgotten – Visvakarma, Ayodhya Pati, Satyahit, Drupada, and Dustadhura.  They had peculiar names (in Sanskrit) and like the early pages of The Gita where names of warriors are identified, I found the names of my new friends to be odd, yet exotic.

The gift of the Gita, which in ’72 was five dollars hardbound, was the greatest treasure.  I actually bought it for myself out of my student loan money.  It was the best life investment ever.  I see and respond to the world differently since I received this gift.

To Padyavali, my dear godsister, whom I’ve been visiting in her seniors’ home every Monday since I’ve been in Vancouver, I asked her the standard questions.  She’s struggling with her Parkinson’s.  “How are you doing?”  She looks me straight in the eyes with a stern look and says, “Don’t ask.”  It’s with a cheerful response that I say, “You’ll be alright.”

This very morning, she handed me a gift, it was in a plastic bag, the contents were lightweight.  I opened that bag and in it was a chaddar, shawl, from India.  It has markings of Devanagari script and bears images of cows and footprints of great divinity.

It really was thoughtful of her.  Come to think of it, the best gifts are my friends who are devotional.  How can I repay Krishna for these presents that are undeserving to me?

May the Source be with you!

8 KM

Burnaby, British Columbia

Forgive and Forget

To the gathering at the ISKCON Centre I read from the Bhagavad Gita and then spoke on the topic of forgiveness based on Chapter 11, verse 41 and 42:

“Thinking of You as my friend, I have rashly addressed you ‘Oh Krishna’, ‘Oh Yadhava’, ‘Oh my friend’, not knowing Your glories, please forgive whatever I may have done in madness or in love.  I have dishonoured you  many times, jesting as we relax, lay on the same bed, or sat or ate together, sometimes alone and sometimes in front of many friends.  Oh infallible one, please excuse me for all those offenses.”  – Spoken by Arjun to Krishna.

Some Points Covered on “Forgiveness”

Definitions:

Apology:  acknowledgement of offense and expression of regret.
Regret:  feel sorry
Forgive:  pardon

Quotes:

“The beauty of a brahmin is his ability to forgive.” Chanakya Pandit

“One should be tolerant and excuse the minor offenses of others.” Srila Prabhupada.

“Ksama (forgiveness) is a quality of the Divine Nature.”  Bhagavad Gita 16.1

Additional Points:

Don’t take things so personally.  You are not this body. 
If you are offended consider yourself an offender. 
“I am sorry”:  the three most difficult words to say.  Once said, a great burden is lifted.
Use your hatchet to bury itself.
It is the greatest shame to always hold a blame.
“Give” is the bigger part of the word, “forgive”.
Forgiveness:  the thaw after a hard freeze.

May the Source be with you!

3 KM

Saranagati, British Columbia

More Tests

More tests.  Mahidhar’s 93 year old dad passed away last night.  We had dedicated some mantras on his behalf.  Bless him.  Mahidhar felt relieved.

While Mahidhar’s vehicle was in for repairs, Peter and I had a contingent plan for getting back to Vancouver to meet appointments there.  At the town Cache Creek, our anticipated bus trip floundered.  It arrived one and a half hours late.  We then found out that no seats were available.  Next plan – Gosh Thakur agreed to drive us to Vancouver, but before we could make it to Highway One, the fan belt to his vehicle came undone.  We had no recourse but to wait to see if the Ford Escape would become road worthy.

So wait we did.  But in the nicest way.  Our community in the valley was honouring the passing of one of the great saints of his time.  It happened to be the anniversary of the passing of Bhaktisiddhanta, the guru of our guru.  Many achievements go to his credit, including the promotion of parikrama (pilgrimage).  He would organize and partake in pilgrimages in India in around the turn of the last century.  He did substantial walking, leading his followers to sacred places, to birth sites of saints and avatars and places of significant spiritual events.

At the Saranagati ISKCON Centre, I was requested to read to the group of Bhaktisiddhanta’s great accomplishments.  It then donned on me that I could add him to my mental list of walking heroes.  Already there are such personalities or sages such as Narada, who as a young boy trekked in many different directions, and then finally achieved the ability towards interplanetary travel; Vamana, the avatar who became famous for taking three steps; Balaram, Krishna’s brother, who averted the Kurukshetra war in favour of pilgrimage; Vidhura, who reacted justifiably to the insult of his nephew, taking to the wandering monk’s lifestyle.  There’s more.

Now I can add to the list of monastic travellers, this great personality, and I’ll spell out his name with honourific titles.  His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada.

Back to my own travels.  Well, we made it to Vancouver, Mahidhara’s oil pan got replaced.  Finally.  And as far as walking goes, I’m sad to say I didn’t do any.

Life is full of tests.  How are you taking them?

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

Saranagati, British Columbia

BEST TESTS

My host in Saranagati Village, Mahidhar, was half joking when he asked me to bless the van.  His Ford Escape was to be the means of transportation back to Vancouver.  So, to ensure a safe journey I did take his recommendations seriously.

At 5:30 AM I was out the door, ready for a walk towards the city in anticipation to be picked up by Mahidhar and Peter.  I stood in front of the vehicle, chanted some mantras, and even circumambulated the van before heading off down the quiet snow packed country road.  The two valley dogs, Ganga and Narasingha, accompanied me until we reached the cattle barrier called a cattle guard.  Cattle dare not cross the ground level metal frame at the end of the road that junctures at Highway 1, the Trans Canada Highway.  My two canine comrades also could not cross this barrier.  A human with careful footing can succeed, however.  I crossed over it and then went directions west with the Hare Krishna mantra and snowflakes to keep me from being lonely.

Six O’Clock passed, the projected time for Mahidhar and Peter to pick me up.  No sign of them.  7 o’clock passed and again no sign of them.  8 o’clock passed by and still no one showed up.  8:30 rolled along, no Mahidhar and no Peter.  “Something happened, I’m sure.  My blessing the vehicle didn’t work.  I hope they are alright,” I thought.

Ten minutes later, and with 12 KMs under my feet, finally a van pulled over.  It was Peter and Kulashekhar in another vehicle that had come to pick me up with the news that there was an accident.  Apparently the Ford Escape slid off the icy road, went over the edge, and into a gully, and finally being wedged in place by a stump and a log.  No one was hurt and the vehicle appeared to be miraculously operable.  After some endeavor one helper, Stanur, got behind the steering wheel and successfully freed the van from being stuck.  He drove it forward into a field, but then hit a rock that destroyed the oil pan.

Meanwhile a nasty snow storm blasted through the whole south of BC.  By the forces of nature, we were not going to go anywhere.  Unfortunately, we had to cancel out on a major satsang (spiritual gathering) held in Vancouver.

One thing that I pondered, before embarking on the journey back to Vancouver, I had recited protective mantras as an offering to our dear Sri Krishna.  Obviously not all occurrences pan out so smoothly, even when asking for a blessing.  The blessing, nevertheless, does come to the recipient, but not always in the format as anticipated.  In such circumstances, patience and tolerance have the chance to play out within one’s self.  The best tests in life do come unsought.

May the Source be with you!

12 KM

Saranagati Village, British Columbia

Little Mouse in the Snow

Saranagati Village, British Columbia

The first living entity I saw today was a spider I saw crawling along the base of a shower stall.  I took extra care to angle the shower head in such a way that he wouldn’t get flushed down the drain.

The second creature for my eyes to meet seemed to be exploring territory.  He was a tiny mouse.  I first detected him after noticing an interesting trail of teeny footprints impressed into the freshly fallen snow.  It was those hypnotic type of snowflakes coming down ever so light against the stark black sky.  With flashlight in hand I kept eyes mainly on the white covered road in front of me.  The little fella, the mouse, was scurrying along and leaving his mark.  I just missed his small bodily frame when stepping along.  I aimed my flashlight directly over the little guy and then got close to him as if to give him the spotlight.  That certainly alerted him.  Perhaps he momentarily liked the attention.  Perhaps he froze from having stage fright.

I let him go on to venture at his whim as he likely was set out to search for food.

“Adios.”

I proceeded on to the location of the temple which is facilitated by an elder, Kulashekhar.  After a shake off of snow, we conducted sadhana  (spiritual practice) together.  In the dim and mystic candlelit room, we sang the Guruvastakam along with other adjoining prayers before I trekked to the Venables Valley School for a second installment of mantras.  This was followed by a devotional theatre workshop conducted by yours truly.  That went down well, including the pizza prepared with love by devotees.

Much later, Gosh Thakur, my friend from Quebec, lead me to the summit of a mountain, the location of the recently installed internet tower.  The sun, at this point, was hidden away when Gosh Thakur and I took the gradual but steady climb up.  It was a heart pounding workout with healthy panting and puffing.  We crossed the footprints of much wildlife – of mice (and not men), deer, coyotes and rabbits.  At the very top, we paused to catch our breath and a great view as we sat restfully atop a log chatting.  The world seemed quite awesome from our stance.  We were high, although we were truly small, like the little mouse.

We will always be small, but carry large and hard driven dreams.  We just want to make sure that our dreams line up with the wishes of the creator.

May the Source be with you!

7 KM

Surprised and Stranded

Jackass Mountain, British Columbia

It took us by surprise.  Peter and I were coasting along on Highway 1 which from the town of Hope runs parallel to the Fraser River, a vein of beautiful mountainous water, when an officer nabbed us.  According to him we were over the speed limit by 50 KM.

“No way,” we thought.  Peter tried to argue the figures, but the officer had his routine down for this stretch of the highway which is notorious for motorists call a speed trap.  Knowing well the sudden downslope after leaving a tunnel through a mountain, a driver is practically helpless but to gain some speed.  Peter was handed a $368 ticket apart from receiving the news of a 7 day impoundment on the vehicle we were driving.  A tow truck was called by the officer and within minutes our vehicle was hauled to the nearby town, Boston Bar.  To unimpound it after this period costs at least another $200.  We ended up being stranded for hours in the town until someone from the village Saranagati came to our rescue.  That leeway time of waiting, however, did permit Peter and I to explore this town which was formerly a trail during the old pioneer gold rush.  I had trekked through this area two times before, but never throughout the town which is mostly populated by indigenous folks.

If you are ever grounded somewhere like we were, then you make the best of that time.  Avoid groping and meet nature.  We ventured by this vibrant river, the Fraser, explored its banks somewhat.  With its trails and its fur and spruce trees, the aroma of their green needles sends you to heaven, while the wobbly nature of stones and the soft sands under the feet remind you of both the uncertainties and welcoming side of life.

Our ride finally arrived.  Gosh Thakur, my French Canadian friend, came in time to help us reach our evening engagement – kirtan with the youth.  It’s a Tuesday night regular event in the peaceful valley called Venables, an area the devotees of Krishna refer to as Saranagati, the place of ultimate surrender.  By the warm stove of crackling fire wood, young voices chanted “Hare Krishna”, ‘twas nice.

Speaking of names, please take note of the place where our vehicle was towed from, Jackass Mountain.  One thing is, always avoid speeding and this is an unlikely warning for pedestrians though.  Walkers could never be ticketed for speeding.  It’s always the safest mode of transport.

May the Source be with you!

10 KM

A Pleasure

Burnaby, British Columbia

It’s always a pleasure to sit down and hear something motivationally strong, coming from experience.  My spiritual brother, Kriphanidi, spoke from the Bhagavatam, a text that by regular reading has the effect of shrinking that which is inauspicious in the heart – anger, envy, greed, etc.

Hearing the realizations of others enhances your own realizations.  It’s also a pleasure to push the wheel chair of Padyavali, my godsister, on the ISKCON property, because she can’t do it on her own.  When she, Manu and I, sit to talk or have lunch together as we did today, we have a blast at joking.  It lifts our spirits.  I recall this last summer, during the course of my fourth cross-Canada trek, pushing the chair of a middle aged handicapped native person to Tim Horton’s doughnut shop for a coffee, and then to church.  This happened at a bridge in Winnipeg as he was waiting for someone to come along.  I lost about a half hour of time from my routine walking, but I gained something through service.

It was also a pleasure to serve the guru by sitting in-the-round with administrators of ISKCON.  Although topics can be grave and taxing, the challenges can excite you.  You probe the brain and you tap the heart in search for answers.  By nighttime, I sat in the director’s chair, so to speak, for a new take on Ram’s pastimes.  ‘The Little Big Ramayan’ will be presented on the 29^th of this month.  Along with cast and crew, we are starting to shape this production which is in its embryonic stage.  It had me constantly leaping back and forth from chair to stage.  It was a pleasure.

My final pleasure session of the day was a walk after all was done.  It was damp and dark out, but the moon  gave consolation.  Around its fullness were massive rainbow rings; perfectly round concentric circles surrounding it.  Awesome!  Just awesome!  What a pleasure!  What a pleasure!

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Nine Point Sixteen

Burnaby, British Columbia

The sun had burst through the clouds.  It’s been a while since seeing it.  With winter and what it is – snow, fog, rain and the coastal dynamics, you begin to miss something, the sun.  You can never say, however, that even with the sun’s absence or it’s obscurity, “I forgot what it looked like.”  No, you can’t say that.  The impression of the sun is deeply imprinted in the memory recesses.  The mere mention of the sun brings to mind that happy ball of heat and light that’s above us.

Taking advantage of this moment, this breakthrough, I and two other companions took to a spontaneous walk towards the neighbouring greenhouses.  I wanted to show my friends my regular escape area.  To get to this escape you have to spend at least ten minutes trekking along Marine Drive.  Although Sunday, it’s crazy for traffic.  Christmas time doesn’t help.  Yes, Christmas, perhaps the most materialistic time of the year.  I think Christ would be disgusted, what do you think?  Sorry, I’m a Scrooge.

Our stroll took us along Meadow Avenue, past the nursery called “It’s About Thyme” (“I am the healing herb ,” – Bhagavad Gita 9.16).  We passed by a boarded up school house and farm houses and fields, and as we ambled along we had our companion of the Hare Krishna mantra (mantro ham “I am the mantra,” – Bhagavad Gita 9.16).  We thought we started with three of us, but actually there were four of us.  Oh, no, the sun is also there, that makes five.

One hour went by as we concluded our escape route.  Then I dashed off to fulfill an obligation, to speak to our community members at the ISKCON Centre.  I entered into the temple where the arati (ritual) had just been completed (aham kratur – “I am the ritual,” – Bhagavad Gita 9.16).  As I was about to speak, the offering of good food – fruit, veggies, grains, were presented before the Krishna deity (aham hutam – “I am the offering,” Bhagavad Gita 9.16).

I opened to the page from the Gita selected for me, it was 9.16 from the Gita.  The main theme that was highlighted from this topic was the notion of sacrifice, aham yagyah – “I am the sacrifice,” Bhagavad Gita 9.16.  I emphasized the importance of sacrifice in the form of kirtan.

Here’s how the whole verse reads from 9.16:

“I am the ritual, I, the sacrifice, the offering to ancestors, the healing herb, the transcendental chant, I am the butter, and the fire, and the offering.”

After the talk, I indulged in the food cooked in ghee (clarified butter – Bhagavad Gita 9.16).  Today I embraced this verse.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

A New Kind of Saturday Night

Vancouver, British Columbia

Here we are in Vancouver, a world class city, rated the number one place to live in for a number of years in a row.  Yet, the district a few of us pulled into this evening is a dingy embarrassment to the human race.  It’s the infamous Hastings and Main area.   Just around the corner is popular and touristic Gas Town.  Acid heads, crack pots and drunks frequent and live in the area.  Because of the relatively moderate temperatures Vancouver enjoys, even in winter, it helps to jump up real estate value, but it also attracts the country’s more down and out, at least in the winter.  At the same time, this area of Hastings and Main is a hopeful nook, a nest with eggs about to crack open.  I’ll explain further on.

The entrance to tonight’s event was a dodgy alley way door.  Then you go up two flights of stairs to an old creaky floored warehouse type deal.  No need to worry, attendees to the event have come to a kirtan ecstatic yoga program.  They came alcohol/substance free.  Speaking of which, I guess you put them in the ‘free spirit’ category.

I was introduced as The Walking Monk and did my version of trance dance through mantra and movement.  The person who preceeded me was the real hero, and who uses this space as his yoga studio, and believe it or not, he has made yoga accessible to poor people.  In fact, the people here generally come for yoga to rehab, to relax, to believe.   Emmerson is the hero’s name and I had the pleasure to engage him in one of our dramas last summer.  Many of his clients who come by donation are male.

When you talk to Emmerson, you can feel that he’s at the brink of something big.  He’s just about to open location number two and says he’s getting calls from all over the world from people who want to hear his success story.  When he was conducting his session, it was fun to see how he got people to move to the Hare Krishna mantra.

It is a fact and as real as the nose on your face that the modern world is driving people to a vacuum, to a space and life lacking ‘meaning’.  Who, after all, wants to be homeless or be on a binge?  It all depends on the mode of life you’ve chosen for yourself.  Some folks, however, are not in such a position to make major choices.  But climb the stairs after walking a back alley, becoming sober and agreeing to sit quiet, breathe, and chant, almost anyone can do.

I was impressed with the kirtan crowd of tonight.  I can’t imagine what Emmerson does during the week when the real needing ones come to see him.  In 1996 I walked through this neighbourhood as part of the route across Canada.  I could see it needed attention.  It looks like some people are taking advantage of the hand that’s being extended to them.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Two Jewels In The Drizzle

Burnaby, British Columbia

I guess it was an Otter in the water.

As I was about to turn a corner at Willard and 10^th Ave. I heard a splash in the creek next to me.  I came to a halt and waited for whatever to surface.  Not all creatures walk, like me.  Some swim.

Sure enough out pops his head and off he goes for his slinky swim.  He must be a member of the weasel family.  Hard to tell.  At one point he poked his head out and stared.  And so did I  – stare at him.  His stillness was better than mine.  I couldn’t fool him with my static pose.  My breath could be seen, a misty exhaust emanated from the mouth.

I take these things as a little game.  I like to imitate, even mock the birds at times trying to see if there is any communication.  I attempt it with crows and hawks.  I’m sure they concluded that I’m a weirdo.

After this long pause our creek fellow submerged, then continued on gliding through a greenish snow melt as I kept an eye on his moving pelt.  It was a curvy motion he took.  I couldn’t do that even if I fit into the creek.  Our friend the Otter (I guess) is just sleek and slick.  He made my day.  I would have stayed on, staring, but I had things to do and besides, the drizzle drove me to continue forging ahead until a new encounter came about.

Yes, and that did occur.  A mustached man with baseball cap delivering newspapers just came right out and started talking, “You know they say it never rains in LA,”  (I didn’t know that) “well, I’ve got a song about how it always rains in BC.”  He then proceeded to recite his poem.  I thanked him for that.  It was a gem of a poem – his poem.  What a treat!  That doesn’t happen too often, that someone out of the blue starts sharing poetry to a stranger.  Perhaps the donning of dhoti makes you look receptive.

The drizzle thickened and drove me on, otherwise I might have heard more.  His newspapers needed distributing.  “Hare Krishna, friend.”

Multiple duties blessed this day but the highlights were the Otter and the poet.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Black Feathers

Burnaby, British Columbia

My walking today was not my idea of walking.  Weather conditions somewhat restricted my being in the out of doors.  Sometimes, out of a sense of duty I pace indoors as it’s important to be with others, so I confined myself to the temple where I could be with others.

Recently a survey was done revealing that Canadians are relatively happy with their work, in fact, thee happiest in the developing countries.  Another survey that went around revealed that when it comes to a sense of community or a sense of belonging, 90% said it’s not there.  With the deterioration of the family unit, the infiltration of secularism and a general mood of “I need my space”, we can understand the reason for such results.

I did at portions of the day pick up my meditation beads and pace in the apartment given to me for my three week stay here.  It becomes a C shaped trek, back and forth venture between two rooms where I curve to dodge the furniture.  At one point I opened the door to the real world with the real air.  There, in front of the door was a gathering of crows.  With a fresh white blanket, an inch deep snow, this feathered community seemed to have less access to food.  Two dried up chapattis were left on the dinette table, so I found the opportunity to have those cracker like pieces tossed out to the crows.  They were ecstatic.  I envied their “togetherness”.

Rain had been coming down, turning the snow to mush or slush.  For this reason I guess the dynamics force people indoors into their cubicles.  Although there is facility available for group fun and work, few people make the effort, even in this devotional setting.

I have to ask, what’s happening to human beings?  We have lost our sense of interdependence.  We are going the route of depression and despair.

Keeping in mind the active crow community, I am inspired to do something.  While I’m here I will attempt to pull together some drama, as in theatre, with the intent to engage members in a positive way, to bring them together.  I must try to be a part of the solution and not the problem.

Thank you, crows.

May the Source be with you!

7 KM

Triangle of Us

Burnaby, British Columbia

Manu and I got into a more than warm discussion.  We were sitting in the corner of the senior’s dining room with our dear spiritual sister, Padyavali, when an intense conversation ensued.

Playfully, I charged Manu with being an ox, a mule, I even said ‘ass’ as in donkey.  Why such colourful names?  Well, I found him to be stubborn.  I was encouraging him to take up an administrative role as a council member of our sizeable community in Vancouver.  He has lots of qualifications, but he refuses to submit.  In the heat of our discussion, Padyavali, who sat in a wheelchair and is suffering from a number of aging challenges, extended her arm interrupting our dialogue.  We stopped talking.  She protested our talk, saying, “This conversation doesn’t involve me, you’re ignoring me.”  She had a dead serious look on her face.

I then protested her protesting, “My dear Padyavali, this conversation involves our community, which is very close to your heart, and since you are part and parcel of this community, you are definitely involved.

At this, she broke out in her first smile of the day.  I reminded her that being a Newfie with Irish blood, she should be liking our spicy session, “You used to like these things, you are a fighter.”  Her smile broadened.  I was happy for her because her gloominess broke.  She’s struggling and can’t remember things too well.  I reminded her that she was married in ’63 and on the day after John F. Kennedy’s assassination.  She can’t remember that she told me that once, nor can she remember that date of matrimony.  So, at least she got a bit excited in a good way.

I felt that my pastoral duty was done for today.  Being a monk within a community, it obliges you towards such responsibilities.  I hope that Manu didn’t get too offended with the style of pressure that I put on him.  He’s a good guy with a big heart and regularly pays a visit to our friend, Padyavali, who has given many years of service as a spunky nun.  If Manu didn’t drive me to this senior’s home for the visit, it would take me 2 hours of walking, which I don’t mind, of course.  Sometimes you have to take a spin in a car for a visit and then value the few moments with the driver who affectionately, I say, is still an ox.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Meeting in the Snow

Burnaby, British Columbia

It’s becoming rather routine, every time I take to the trail here to a section of what is Canada’s largest allotment of urban gardening, I meet this guy standing by the bus stop.  While waiting for his bus en route to his workplace, he’ll often light up a cigarette.  It’s interesting, he’s waiting there, and I’m walking near him.  It happens every time I come here.  And of course we “shoot the breeze” just long enough that it puts my walking on pause.  Each time we contact each other like this, I feel a friendship is building up.  Each time I’m able to give him an installment of neighbourliness which I hope will lead to words of a greater spiritual significance.   The fellow is younger than me and taller than me and he is Caucasian.  He greets with a smile.  I believe we shook hands for the first time this morning as snowflakes were a twirl making their descent to the ground we were standing on.

My second encounter with someone today on a second walk was Doug.  I felt the need to loosen up the limbs after many hours of mainly listening to people, indoors.  I took the same route, that quite urban gardening place, which I had learned had been a Japanese internment camp decades ago.  It was Doug who resembles Santa somehow, but with a beard blonder than the snow around us, and who told me about the internment.  After the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Canada became highly suspicious of Japanese settlers in the country, so they were confined to these special supervised camps.

Doug and I didn’t dwell on this too long, we conversed more about other things such as Krishna.  At my mention of the word, he said, “Oh yeah, the movie ‘Airplane’, that’s how I know you guys.  Have you seen it?”

“No, I only heard about it.”

Doug, who was brushing the snow off his car’s windshield outside his tiny bungalow, proceeded to tell me the scene where the devotees of Krishna have their moment on the silver screen.  This popular film apparently gets rerun on television quite often, and for many people, it’s their reference to Hare Krishna.

“Doug, please come to visit our temple sometime.”  He’s going to try.  I hope that my encounter with Doug will also become routine.  I’m not set out to change his life, but I’m there to give him an opportunity.

May the Source be with you!

8 KM

Ghostly Kids

Burnaby, British Columbia

There’s this boarded up school house that I trek by on my walks in the Burnaby area.  There’s always something heart sinking when I see an image like that.  If you put school bullying to the side and rewind in your mind what the school yard may have looked like in recess or lunch hour, what would you see?  In particularly in a suburban school that ran for at least three decades?

You would likely see, and hear, a bunch of energetic and electrifying bodies out there.  Future hopefuls, future influentials – leaders and followers.  Yes, you would see kids playing.  Doesn’t bring out the parental instincts?  Even in a monk’s world, you can’t help feeling an urge of protectiveness.  You are left in question, will the kids achieve?  Will they make it in a world that has become so harsh and selfish?

These are some of my mental thoughts while going by an abandoned school.  What to speak of a school yard that is real, with real kids, alive and teaming with energy.

I did manage to speak to the security guard on site.

“So, you’re walking?” he asked me.

“Yes, I do a bit of that,” I said.  And then we got to talking about his keeping vandalism at bay.  The young folks who usually commit to pranks and property damage are often times those who didn’t do so well in school.  They may very well be the ones who got too neglected at home.  Even sometimes a good kid gets caught up in the wrong crowd.  The security guy spoke more about the homeless who are potential squatters, the other reason for his being there.  He told me that he’s on a four hour shift then someone else comes in to take over.  With dumpsters in front of the building, it looked more to me like the beginnings of a demolition, and then a follow up coming new subdivision.  Please!  In any event, there’s some readiness for a change.

In spiritual life you endeavour towards an overhaul – within, and there’s always a need to become a child again – innocent and full of wonder, back at playing (in kirtan), perhaps after years of work and stuffy offices or contending with challenging conditions at a construction site.

Life is not easy in a non devotional setting.  That’s why I feel even for the security guard who talked but who couldn’t get into devotional parlance.  We ended on a good note and I kept walking.

May the Source be with you!

4 KM

Home

Toronto, Ontario

Ken, of yesterday, also asked me, “Which is your favourite place in the world?”

And so I told him what I really felt, “Wherever I am.”

I don’t know if it had come by some coincidence, but this morning the verse which we read from the book Bhagavatam seemed to allude to this type of message – “You are at home even though you are away from home.”  At least, this is how we discussed the topic.  In other words, a person should be comfortable in any setting because he/she has the Supreme on their mind.

I could be hundreds of miles away from the nearest temple or ashram and let’s say in the middle of Ireland, walking, but if I vibrate from my lips the maha mantra, my consciousness is there and then I am at home, away from home.  The real home is the spiritual world, but I should also develop the vision that all that is around me is a product of the Great Spirit, that there is always a connection.  The only loose connection is in my head, with my mind.

When we ponder what is mundane and go down the dark tunnel of ME, then we are actually homeless.  I believe that everyone wants to make the homerun.  Recently when I was in Cuba I saw particularly how the young men take to American baseball.  It was Saturday afternoon and in at least three different ball diamonds and parks that I passed by, these young guys were active at play, interested in the homeruns.

It was this day that I met Jan Peters from Newfoundland, a person whom I’ve known from the first of the Canwalks in ’96.  She had lunch in our temple’s dining room with her friend Maggie.  She had just made her first trip to India and just returned.  She had visited temples and orphanages, she was really at home while there, so she conveyed, and plans to be back there soon.  It looks like she’d been in touch with herself, and that is the point.  Home isn’t necessarily at your apartment.  In her case, the Battery, Saint John’s, Newfoundland.  Home is not even far away.   It’s where you are at present.  Then you have a healthy heart.  There’s a great connection.

May the Great Source be with you!

6 KM

Six Plus Six

Toronto, Ontario

The morning was overcast.  Monday morning.  “Aggh,” many will say.

I was dashing to the passport office for the renewal of this handy document.  It brought me into the corporate sector of the city, or at least to the edge of it on Victoria Street.  All seems robotic, all seems straight and square, and there’s the gloomy looking faces, my God.

Anyways, business got done.  I’ll pick up a ten year valid passport on Thursday morning.  I trekked back home by way of Church Street through the gay community for a change, and before that through Ryerson Campus where students are abuzz.  Then I ventured through the platinum strip of Bloor and Bay in Yorkville.  Places that are all dolled up for Christmas.  I also passed through the Eaton Centre, the giant mall, where there are massive lit up reindeer.  Over the speakers you could hear, “Oh Holy Night,” that classic.  When the lyrics came out, “Oh night divine… When Christ was born…” my objectionable mind questioned, “Yeah, but Christ wasn’t born on December 25^th.  Christmas was slapped on to the pagan holiday at Winter Solstice, a clever and imposing move to save souls.

I left the mall and made the journey back to the ashram to make a total of six kilometres.  A golden opportunity arose for one more trek in the evening to give us another six kilometres.

Ken, a friend from Australia (we say ‘Oz’) wanted a quiet Monday evening experience on foot.  Ken, who works for the Red Cross worldwide and drops in occasionally, does all kinds of charity work and also finds himself tending to cows in India’s goshala (cow shelters) and helps the expanding school in Vrindavan.  While trekking, he asked a question after admitting he enjoys being single and is also not necessarily interested in being in a stationary place as in living as a monk in a monastery.  He sometimes feels the pressure though, “They joke, ‘why don’t you settle down and get married?’ While others say, ‘be a brahmachari’.”  He asks further, “Is it wrong to work and carry on?”  Here was a sincere soul asking a sincere question.

“Not at all,” I counselled, “you’re a natural nomad, keep your hair and keep Krishna.  Monastic life isn’t for everyone.  You’re doing good.”  Anyways, Monday night seemed less gloomy.

May the Great Source be with you!

12 KM

The Flying Monk?

Varadero, Cuba

It dawned on me that perhaps I should start a blog called The Flying Monk since I’m so much in the air.  But, no chance!  Sitting in aircraft lacks adventure, so there really isn’t too much to speak about except for something that slightly humoured me today – about a couple next to me.

It was Sunwing Airlines flight 627 on its way back to Toronto when all was well with him and her until something was said by one of them that flared up a snarl and a growl which went back and forth for a while.  It was irrelevant what the topic was.  It was none of my business and it was kept hushed enough in volume that it remained private.

Some ambivalence struck me though when I sat through this, especially when the communication broke off.   Initially I felt bad for them, but then I reasoned, hey, this is just normal, get real.

She was in the middle of us two.  When they stopped talking to each other, she switched angles with her body and then swung over to my side to pretend to shut off and sleep.  She practically leaned on me and that was just when I thought I’m glad I’m a monk and I don’t have to go through this type of thing.  I enjoy my singleness.

She sat quite resentful for a minute with her back to him and then turned towards him for one more moment to grab her passport which was set with his in the chair’s pouch in front of him.  She then placed her own passport in her own pouch.  Now, if that isn’t a clear statement about how one person is not on speaking terms, then I don’t know what is.

So now, here’s how a sneak look at the Gita’s chapter 10 comes in handy.  There, Krishna states, “Of subduers, I am time.”  Our grand prince and princess for the hour were taking a much needed chill time.  By the time we all landed, had gone through customs and were waiting at the carousel for luggage, I noticed they were friends again.

Indeed, time plays an important role in life.

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

The Kissin’ Kind

Varadero, Cuba

A Verse That Tells It All

Richmond HIll, Ontario

It’s an honour to be asked to speak from the book, ‘Bhagavatam’.

Today’s verse, 7.15.57, was particularly appealing and addresses the nature of the Absolute:

“He who exists internally and externally at the beginning and end of everything and of all living beings, is that which is enjoyable and as the enjoyer of everything, superior and inferior, is the Supreme Truth.  He exists as knowledge and the object of knowledge.  As expression and the object of understanding.  As darkness and as light.  Thus, the Supreme is everything.”

The reason why this verse so much resonates with me is because of the confirmation of the presence of Divine presence being everywhere.  So that’s it, you can’t escape it, Spirit is all about.  Better still, Supreme Consciousness is everywhere, you can’t hide from it.  It’s always there to protect you.

Most people can’t see it.  We view objects as mere products of matter, as energy.  This verse underscores that ultimate reality is present in matter.  In expression.  In light.  In darkness.  In knowledge.

I like the description, ‘enjoyable’.  God is playful, not vindictive, not one to instill fear, but joy.  Fear does exist in this world.  We don’t need to be naïve about that, but we can overcome it by reflecting on the ananda (blissful) feature of the Absolute.  Absoluteness can be found anywhere in beauty and in ugliness, and hence, nothing moves without the will of the Supreme, not even a blade of grass.  In fact, within the most simple object you will find subtle complexities as it’s make up.  This is confirmation of a sophistication that could leave one in awe.  The world as it is is one of mystery and could leave Alice in Wonderland puzzled.

I’m travelling again, this time to a hospital to see a patient getting some Divine insertion.  May I become a decent conduit for the task.  Then I’m off to Cuba, not on foot though.

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

With The Gods

Toronto, Ontario

Temperatures at night were going to go below the freezing point.  As I was preparing for that nighttime stroll that’s been habit this week, several people became my mothers.  It had drizzled, winds were picking up in addition to there being a plummeting of degrees.  So I donned my hoodie over a saffron coloured sweatshirt.  That wasn’t good enough though for my well intentioned friends as I was about to go out the door.

“You’ll need your coat, Maharaja.”  “Are you sure you’ll be warm enough?”  I simply had to remind those concerned well wishers that I’m not going to be standing at a bus stop freezing to death.

“I’m walking. Walking, in and of itself, is the most powerful mechanism for the emission of heat.”  We have this furnace within that stokes up as soon as you move those feet.  It’s the legs and feet that fire up the whole body.  As you put feet in motion, it’s like striking the flint; initially sparks will fly and then a combustible flame ignites.

Agni, the god of fire, which is the origin or root word for ‘ignite’ or ‘ignition’, will visit you.  He’s with you, even in the presence of Vayu, the wind god, who definitely tagged along for the stretch along College Street (I have yet to explore who the god of cold is, but he’s out there).  Generally the demigods all work either in concert or in competition.  You are never alone.

A young student, Durjoy, was next to me on the trek on College.  He was all bundled up and at one point brought up the topic once again, “Aren’t you cold?”

“No, I’m not cold, I am a spirit,” I wanted to say.  I assured him that Agni was with us, so I’m warm.  In all honesty, I didn’t mind the company of the elements at all.  They are the reason for keeping silent at times.  They are communicating with you and it’s always a good thing to acknowledge their presence without too much intimidation.  They are personalities and are devotees of the Great Spirit.

So all that is needed is to chill out so to speak.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Get Clean

Toronto, Ontario

After a long day at a desk and a phone (for one hour with students) I took an evening trek west on Bloor Street.  I unwound, I reflected.

There’s a neighbourliness to this segment of the street right up to include Little Korea and the Christie Pitts Park where a magnificent large image of a tiger is lit up in the dark.  On my return I popped into a place of shop owners, one of those east Indian trinket and clothing shops.  I’ve known the family for years.  I stepped in.  They looked a little morose, I wondered why.

“Lots of merchandise, no customers,” complained Mrs. Agarwal.  I could not verbally be critical of their place, only in the mind, I am their priest after all.  They demonstrated their natural reverential side, however.  I couldn’t help noticing that if there was a little more effort towards a smart displaying of the goods, there might be some customers.  It’s Christmas time, presentation is practically everything if you want to sell something.

Again, I didn’t feel it was my place to say anything.  I wanted to help in some way.  Even though they seemed to be struggling with their sales, their natural piety came through.   Mrs. Agarwal handed me an envelope which had a donation as the content inside.  It came from the heart.  It’s in the Indian culture to give to a sahdu (monk) when they see one.  The mentality is, “A holy man came into my shop, how auspicious.”  Of course, I don’t feel that way about myself, I have a lot of karma that I’m carrying.  I’m not particularly clean, but I can say that I’m strict with principles, no intoxications touch my lips or enter my blood stream.  No meat meets my belly.  No gambling engages my hands, and no sex.  These principals keep me protected.  In that way, there’s less contamination in my being, I guess you could say.  Thank Krishna.

I thank the Agarwals for their time, their kind words and gift.  I was left to trek back and in that time of contemplation, remembered what one personal friend from the States today said on the phone, “When my wife and I did our marriage vows 30 years ago, we promised we would never raise our voice at each other.”

Well, they’ve been doing it.  Sounds like a pretty clean program they’ve got going on.  That’s exactly what I told the students that came from Kingston today.  Our purpose in this world is to get clean.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Good Letter

Toronto, Ontario

I was reluctant to read stacks of personal letters (you know, messages on paper) that were left on my desk, or rather, given to me by the person whom they were addressed to. His name is Steve Mann, otherwise known as Satyavrata. He had left these letters which were written over a period by a well wisher, Kirtanananda, who was the son of a minister and later took to the practice of bhakti yoga. He had become controversial and had written these letters when in prison. But, to his credit, he wrote some insightful literature much to do with the comparative thought between Christianity and spirituality from the east.

In an effort to reach out to one in need, Kirtanananda wrote the following letter to his friend. I thought it worth sharing and after reading it and after a walk through Rosedale:

“Thank you for your recent letter, 15th March, 1998.

So far as Lord Jesus is concerned, His mission is the same as all the other representatives of Godhead; namely, to remind us that we are all children of the one Almighty Father, and that He wants us to come Home, Back to Godhead! Again, don’t worry about some ‘final dissolution’ of the material world’. Material nature is also eternal, although any particular manifestation is temporary. The sacrifice Christ made is the same sacrifice demanded of all of us, ‘die before you die’, ‘die to live’. Unless we die to the ‘old man’, the false ego self, we cannot live to the ‘new man’, the real self that is part and parcel of the One, Krishna.

My instruction to you is the same instruction Prabhupada gave, ‘Chant and be happy’. Surrendering to Krishna means to stop worrying about your future and leave everything in His hands. Trust Him completely, He is your Father. He loves you perfectly and completely. He knows what is BEST for you. He is able to accomplish it and has the will to do it. Just trust Him!

Perhaps you should pray the serenity prayer, Lord, grant me the serenity (intelligence) to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.

Also, the second part of Saint Francis’s prayer gives the secret of that sacrifice I mentioned, ‘Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love, for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we born to Eternal Life.’

May the Source be with you!

7 KM

I Love It When Students…

Toronto, Ontario

I love it when students come to our ashram.

Today we had a small number of them, a dozen, including David Paris, the teacher.  They came uniformed and with bright open minds from York School, Secondary School level.  With some assistance on music, namely a mrdanga drum and kartal cymbals, I led the students in a chant and dance.  They even happily recited word by word the two mantras in honour of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, followed by the offering of flower petals at the base of his murti (icon).  After engaging them in this simple ritual, we sat for a chat, and I answered questions.  I had also taken them around the room, showed the group the excellent paintings and the stories behind them.  Mr. Paris was drawn to the picture of demoness Putana.  Initially he looked startled; when he read the adjoining caption he seemed to be relieved.  “Do you take your scripture literally?” was a question of his.  Answer, “Our main book, the Bhagavad Gita, is taken as historical, but, in a more relevant way the follower of Krishna looks at the evil forces within and tries to ‘kill the demon within’.”

“What’s the goal?”  asked one of the girls.

“To ultimately love God.  We are practitioners of bhakti yoga,  the yoga of love.”

Mr. Paris also asked, “What’s your opinion of other faiths?”

“We are glad that so many people have found diverse approaches to the Absolute because there are so many diverse types of people that need to be accommodated.  There just needs to be a maturity of attitude towards each other.  Acceptance, tolerance, and not ignorance, are traits of respect and saintliness.”

The students also got treated to a great meal, a vegan prasadam fare, and it looked like that got swallowed real well.  We hope to see the students again.

Tuesday nights are called Tuesday Sanga, when reflections of the Gita are shared.  I was given the freedom to do whatever I chose, so the group that came, took to a memorization session on 7.6:

“All created beings have their source in these two natures.  Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both the origin and the dissolution.”

The only thing is that I had the group concentrate more on the Sanskrit, which was really fun.  For part 2 of the sanga¸ I got to talk about pilgrimage, walking the country, and all the amazing people I meet along the way.  The day was really fulfilling.

May the Source be with you!

7 KM

Don’t See But Know

Toronto, Ontario

Flight 1485 American Airlines was somewhat rough in its landing at Toronto Airport.  Coming underneath the clouds gave passengers a surprise with the strong air current.  The wind, you can’t see, but you could feel it.  Ask the survivors in the Philippines.

The same can be said of the soul’s presence.  It can’t be seen, but felt through various symptoms.

I did, after landing, take advantage of a walk downtown.  I have forgotten that Christmas fever starts early in recent times.  It means the city is lit up more than usual in the night.  On occasion I had looked up at the glorious moon when a high-rise would allow it.  It made me wonder once again about the powerful presence of the elements and of matter, of energy, and where it all comes from.

Before resting, I took a few moments to relax my mind with some reading material before my eyes.  In the publication “Easy Journey to Other Planets” by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, I revisited the following passage:

“Matter itself has no creative power.  When it is manipulated by the living energy, material things are produced.  Matter in its crude form, is therefore, the latent energy of the Supreme Being.  Whenever we think of energy, it is natural that we think of the source of energy.  For example when we think of electrical energy, we simultaneously think of the powerhouse where it is generated.  Energy is not self sufficient, it is under the control of a superior living being.  For example, fire is a source of two other energies, namely light and heat.  Light and heat have no independent existence outside of fire.  Similarly, the inferior and superior energies are derived from a source which one may call by any name.  That source of energy must be a living being with a full sense of everything. “

May the Source be with you!

7 KM

Out With The Down And Out

Miami, Florida

For a change I decided to walk down the poor route.  Right near Coconut Grove you have this enclave of low rental low real estate properties.  There are even empty lots.  Who in their right mind would invest in an area like this?

It was after the Sunday program at ISKCON Miami that I opted for a less comfortable, perhaps, less safe space.  A place which doesn’t reek of money like the affluent shops and posh drinking joints of the Grove.  Perhaps I was taking a risk in the dark like this passing by people on drugs, drink, or just being down and out.  Somehow the test of this moment had me feeling more God dependant, and for this reason I was actually feeling not so bad off.

One woman who was quite high on something, followed me for some distance and began talking to me after having a loud conversation with herself.  She was coherent enough and just asked which group I belonged to, so I said, “Hare Krishna.”  That rather ignited her further on as she couldn’t stop saying the name over and over again.  For others it was easy to get some little remark from them, “Hello”.  I guess they see me as a minority figure as they are – a person of common ground.  One young chap, however, just looked so ashamed as he looked the other way.

My stay at Virginia and Day Juncture at the ISKCON centre nearby, had been interesting.  Louis Lumis, recently met one of our members.  He had been homeless.  Now, he takes his mantra beads everywhere he goes, feels clear headed, and feels joyful over the new turn in his life.  Sergio also had a serious drug issue just a year ago.  He came to our open house vegetarian feast and felt so good about his life slowly coming together.

At the feast where there was chanting and an initiation ceremony, I met briefly a broad spectrum of people, many of whom are professionals.  Quite the opposite end of the social status that I had met later.

People are people, rich or poor, healthy or ill; they all have the same spiritual need.  After all, we really are all very much the same, we are spirits.  Thank God!

I would like to congratulate the initiates, Steve, has a new name, it’s now Sri Dhama, Anna is now Ananda Rupa, and last but not least, Tony is now Tirtha. 

May the Source be with you!

4 KM

Touch The Trail!  Touch The Earth!

Alachua, Florida

A trail reveals much about life where there is life and death.  Maha Mantra and I took the one hour trek to the local temple from the residence of Ananta and Vaishnavi, a South Indian couple with two boys.  They are our hosts.

Along the sandy road we came upon the signs of passing, for instance, deer gets struck by truck (or a car).  You see remains of bones and dried hide.  We also spotted to the side of the road an Armadillo who just didn’t make it in his migration across the humble two lane width thoroughfare.  Smaller creatures stand little chance against the speedy giant, the automobile.

The class that I delivered today before a sizeable group of local devotees was based on the episode of Krishna rescuing his father, Nanda, from the waters of Varuna.  During the course of the delivery of my message, I could not help but say something about the hazardous nature of the car.  I can’t remember how it came about, something to do with the premise of fear.

Not only did I mention something there in the class about the car, but I perpetuated the topic when speaking to two groups of students at Bhaktivedanta Academy.  I believe that in this modern world, especially in America, the message of the precious conveyance, the automobile, needs to be spelled out.  The automobile is not necessarily our best friend.

Vaishnavi, not the other one I just mentioned, who orchestrated my going to the school, offered to say this, “There’s this whole movement going on called ‘grounding’, and it’s been found that when you touch the earth, it’s soil (she was also implying barefoot travel) that it has anti-inflammatory effects on the body.

Finally, in the evening, with a facilitation at a bhakti session at the home of our hosts, we touched on the topic of the use of footwear.  I strongly recommended to the group that the best shoes to wear are what allow you to feel the trail.  Get close to the earth as possible.  Even when you look at the shape of your soles, they seem to want a hug from the sand

So, my dear friend, trek a trail, feel the earth, and out of respect, be careful not to respect on a living entity’s bones.

May the Source be with you!

7 KM