What We Do 2

Bhakta Dustin's Birthday cookies and cream, Frisbee after long book distribution, and the every evening hang out with amazinig people deriving great satisfaction and bliss from enlightening one another and conversing about Krishna consciousness and life

In the association of devotees the concept of Nirvesa, loneliness, and Sunyavadi, emptiness seems as possible as getting milk from the tits on the neck of a goat.

What We Do 1

When I hear about how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his associates plundered the storehouse of Love of God, and are distributing the contents to everyone, regardless of cast or creed, I'm reminded of a song my mother taught me back in Africa about sharing and setting an example of sharing that others may try to follow.

Brightly beams Lord Krishna's Mercy

From his lighthouse evermore
But to us he gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore

Dark the night of sin has settled,

Loud the angry billows roar;

Eager eyes are watching, longing,

For the lights along the shore.

In Halifax, I find many people wanting and eager to understand spiritual life devoid of rigid rules and regulation, but filled with individual voluntary love and devotion. Love means that its not forced; yet in today's world we find religion giving ultimatum to followers- "we're right, follow us or perish." There's definitely more to it than that and we should dare to overstep our boundaries and find out whats going on.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,

In the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning!

Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman

You may rescue, you may save.

Of course we're not saviors, but we can all beam the love that has been given to us from that storehouse of Love of God

good day.

WILLING TO FORGIVE. . . ?

Religion often turns people away because of this humongous guilt trip sitting in the back seat somewhere, backseat driving one to deep alleys of all the bad bad things done in the past, and all the bad bad punishment awaiting in the future. Krishna Consciousness take a more radical approach that sends debates and arguments pouring out like shaken up 7 UP.
In the Bhagavad Gita, 9th Chapter, 30th Verse, amongst a few others, Krishna declares:
Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.
This verse seemingly gives a go-head to any devotee to commit as many abominable actions as possible as long as he stays in devotional service. Kind of a turn off too. Just because I'm a Krishna devotee I can do what I want? Hmm... Elsewhere we find that people who commit abominable actions on the strength of chanting, or raising the "but I'm a devotee" flag, are committing a bigger blunder- one against God Himself!
As I grow up daily, with decisions to make, not just for myself, but now for three new monks travelling with me, I begin to understand a little better and with a little more humility, the nature of the supreme being.
These new devotees, as enthusiastic as they may be, can also be deep cutting with uncultured words and actions and sometimes, more often than not, I'd no sooner opt for a log upside the head than a ready-to-forgive attitude. But as I reflect on what actions to take, the above mentioned verse comes close to home; I was once new too, and also very uncultured. Learning how to act in human society is one of the most amazing challenges I've ever faced and I'm also beginning to broaden that as a matter of fact for most people.
As monks, we live in very close proximity of each other, and often, being individuals, we may not always get along. The Spiritual world, far form Utopian is a realm of individuals with opinions, likes and dislikes, etc etc. This philosophy of spiritual individuality makes the spiritual realm a more amazing place each day.
When in my ready-to-tear-you-apart pre-rage, Bhagavad Gita 9:30 points me out with the greatest question: are you also without sin? Were you not in that same shoe before?
At such times, when called out by God himself, I can only then show that I'm still in the showers heading towards a cleaner me. Forgiving, especially from one in a so called position of authority can lighten the burden we're all struggling to carry- misidentifying with the body. The more we practice excusing, even the most abominable actions of others, the closer we come to Krishna. And often too, subordinates may expect to be led by Superman and Robin Hood. When a younger person forgives an elder, the law of Karma lightens up on us erasing that point in the future when student today may on the morrow have to be teacher.

We know not what the future holds, of marvel or surprise, assured alone that life or death, His mercy underlies.
Just a little thought on healing, there's plenty more.

HOME AGAIN

The road led ever on and on
from New York with Goura, Sita, Vrindavannath
Haridas etc to Tennessee, then Florida then
Second-hand Van to New Mexico
Via New Orleans, Houston and Dallas
Dead Van got towed from New Mexico
To Tucson where we camped out for a month and a week!
Second-hand Wagon then took us to
San Diego, LA San Jose...
Portland, Salt Lake, Wyoming
Saratoga Hot Springs warmed our bones
After some river in Oregon chilled them
Border Patrol was like one two three
Back to Canada me plus three
Now to more service and what to do
Many more pics and blogs coming for you

More What UP Tos

UNRAVEL ME

A few months ago while visiting a friend in a big city, I had a conversation with is roommate, a very bright and open-minded fellow. He seemed a bit unhappy about his move to the city and as we talked I could sense that he was more than happy to let some of his thoughts out of his head.
"When I go to work, I walk pass practically flying ojects. People are so numb; walking towards the daily bread is what we do here."
As a monk travelling and meeting people I often come in contact with this mentality. Human society, as advanced in technology and science as it is now, has also drifted so far from home. We are so enamoured with the struggle for existence brought on by our dependence on external things that we are practically forgetting our very selves.
Personal exchanges have become a rare comoditiy, next to common sense and human etiquette. But what to do eh?
The Spiritual world is known as Vrindavan, I realize, for a special reason. Its full of persons- conscious persons. Although all individuals, they work toward a common goal, the supreme loveable object. In this way, everyone loves the next person and relationships thrive due to that loving exchange. Such a world is not so far from us, although as I walk around I search for it, lost somewhere.... covered by an alien hope that things, not exchanges make one happy.
just some thoughts this morning :)

PHOTOS AND SUCH

With winter dead and spring just born, three of us monks embarked on a cross-America van tour about 6 weeks ago. Meeting people is my number one thing, but when you're dressed as a monk, meeting people has a special touch to it. Questions and answers are more specific, like the ones Jackson asks, and each time a person leaves with a deeper understanding on life.

We're now in Tucson Arizona at our Temple and this place is, as I've heard a thousand times so far, an oasis right off the busy life of Tucson.

The grounds hold a temple, restaurant, Koi pond, Aviary, garden, and monastery and visitors take advantage of every inch of cultural experience Iskcon Tucson has to offer.

For us travelling from colder to warmer climates, this is very welcome! The African in me cries out for joy every morning as I pace the grounds on my meditation walk. Normally around 4AM its quiet and the gentle breeze calls me to a deeper place- Vrindavan India.

But I'll be back soon; there I can swim in the Yamuna river with the turtles, fish and whoever else making a spiritual journey through those waters.