There are signs that indicate we are growing. What I mean by that is we, as a society and culture, are expanding, at least in Canada and the southern-most part of the country, also in sections of the USA, India, Eastern Europe, and I’m sure there are other locations. This is glorious.
Nityananda drove me to North York to meet some businessmen from our community to make an offer for a larger building in the eastern section of Toronto-Scarborough. What we have currently for weekend functions
Every year in the month of Damodhara, which is now, Amal, who represents the Bangla community, holds a memorable kirtan chanting session at his tiny home. In attendance there are no less than one hundred persons who relish the chants, the rituals, and the prasadam (sacred food). I must say, the Bengalis and the Bangladeshis churn out incredible food. Their veg prep called sukta is very tasty, and their version of shak (mixed greens) is out of this world. Then, there are the Bengali sweets s
Members of the VHP had invited us to Queen’s Park, the Legislative Assembly Building for the Province of Ontario to a Diwali function. At 8 am, a dozen of us devotees from the temple ashram turned up, including myself, along with delegates, ministers of various portfolios with the government. People with those statuses and services spoke briefly about the importance of Diwali, the festival of lights, carrying the theme of goodness over evil. Certificates were given to those who achieved pro
I was told by a number of folks, the ones we met at Radhadesh, Den Haag, and Naalwijk, that we were very lucky in regards to the weather during our trekking in Holland. “You had practically no rain – unusual for this time of year.”
I consider myself blessed on many counts. Our first nine hours were spent at Radhadesh’s castle. The class I delivered was on the topic of renunciation. I told the listeners of how my dad, while I was in the tub and he was shaving in the washroom, out of nowhere
It is a day of rest, perhaps deserved. Yes, we have been going strong over the last eight days at twenty kilometres. A pause is always good. Downtime. A handful of us on the “Walk for Devotion” project are taking it easy in this tiny town, Durbuy, and specifically at beautifully showcased Radhadesh. It is an oasis of a tastefully done tourist trap and includes a Radha Krishna temple, restaurant, bakery, boutique, art museum, a cow shelter, a playground, an extensive walking trail, land to
I believe I’m the most fortunate person in the world because I have just an outstanding team to work with on this walk. The navigation to what is such an excellent route is all taken care of. I have company. Each day there are core coordinators along with fresh and new troupers. We talk about light and deep topics when we are not chanting on our individual japa beads. There’s never a dull moment, really. The scenery is just charming – earthy, green, and prosperous.
At Amersfoort, which i
The glorious starting point for a team of seven was at the North Sea, Zandvoort Beach, and we explored on foot Bennebroek by some amazing sand dunes, the forests at mansion Buitenplaats Leyduin, numerous residences at Heemsteds near Haarlem and Zwaanshoek to the finish point, Hoofddorp. The initial companions were Yadu, an avid cyclist, Helga, our filmmaker, Stephan, whom we called our safari master, Namacharya, and Rabindra Svarupa, who are my hosts. Others joined at certain junctions and so
How does a walking marathoner get his ‘steps’ in when flying distances that don’t allow? Well, here’s how I achieved some numbers after a six-hour flight. The Schipold in Amsterdam where I landed in the late morning, covers about 4,500 football fields, or 27.87 square kilometres, and I traversed a small portion of that. With Air Canada losing my check-in baggage, I was forced to walk from carousel 19 at arrivals to the oversize outlet or odd-size to carousel 16 and back in a triangle again a
Ram Lila, my host, said, “You go ahead. I’ll catch up to you,” indicating the Albion Trail which runs along the East River. Fine, so I did leave just a little bit after 8 AM. Nice trail. Apple trees with wormless fruit are spotted here and there. The sun was shining on the river which appeared like glass. No ripples at all. After a few minutes I heard a shuffling of footsteps behind me. They belonged to Ram Lila and his 8-year-old son, Achintya.
As a threesome we plodded along starti
If you’re a monk in a mega city
You just can’t sit there looking pretty
In the ashram there are programs on the go
That operate at a pace that is not slow
Humanity has needs you don’t want to miss
Keeping active is truly a state of pure bliss
Community interests never put you on pause
While outreach efforts are a regular, ‘cause
Mindfulness is the direction to the transcendental
Let’s be practical and deal with the dental
Some intense days you could cut with a knife
Striking that balance in the
Things are back to normal, back in regular gear. Children are back at school, and in general, vacation is over with adults also in full tilt situated at their workplace.
Construction goes on in various locations of the city like most contemporary urban areas of the world. Roads need repair. New edifices need to rise up to accommodate the growing population.
And what about Chinatown? It is always busy, no sign of death there. With such an industrious community, there will always be a
Our visiting monk from Florida, Brhat Mrdanga, showed me the notes he took from my class involving the theme of shifting gears in life, or altering one’s career and what people often call paradigm shifting. The focus in the class was based on a Canto Nine avatar, Parasurama, who was born a brahmin (priest), but took on the disposition of a ksatriya (warrior). He felt he did the needful due to oppressive force from unruly kings. In other words, he demonstrated how, in certain circumstances,
One of our most outstanding devotees was honoured today at his cremation at St. John’s Crematorium. Vaishnava Das, AKA Willy Pillay, passed away on the 11th due to heart and other complications. His life was full, complete, rich. If you live life deeply as he did, you don’t die. And Thoreau once said that if you see death as law, then that’s dignified and don’t see it as an accident.
I recall when he and his family, Janaki, wife, and three daughters first came to our temple to do what
The most glorious weekend is over. The Chariot Fest has major positive effects on the public. If it is not the sights and sounds of the parade and stage that left impact, then the vibrations of mantra and kindness of Vaishnavas do leave a residual blessing.
There was a sector of society, a sole person, perhaps, who didn’t necessarily agree to all the mercy of Jagannatha. On the day of the parade, Saturday, from the height of a condo residence, eggs plummeted down on the crowd. Fortun
Indra, the great god of rain, was very present at the commencement of our havan, the sacred fire that represents the divine tongue of Vishnu. We were ready for a downpour and secured whichever tent was available. Everyone knows what it means when rain is determined. It finds its way. I’ve done plenty of camping when in the middle of the night wetness would be felt and make your time quite unpleasant.
Here we were, all huddled tightly together, very sheltered, for an initiation ceremon
New York’s Chariot Fest encountered much rain last month. Toronto’s event of this day was wet but of a different kind. The humidity brings on the humility. In the parade, people were beaten down. Who said Canada’s cold? The intense heat warranted a good swim on Centre Island’s southern beach. Arjuna Sakha and I did what we believe was the smart thing to do – to get wet in the lake water.
The parade was grand, but with some hiccups. The thing that made it pleasant was the cooperativ
JOURNEY UNDERWAY
(In Honour of Vaishnav Das)
The journey is now underway
That’s what real people say
Gone is departing soul, Vaishnav
Who shared with us so much love
In quiet somber demeanour
His words were of genuine candour
Often fueled by a sharp wit
Oh, yes, I’ve heard him quip
At random nonsense things
He relieved us with guitar strings
And keeping a smile at the forefront
Never a need to get too blunt
Husband to one we adore
Fa
In the late 70s, our Los Angeles community organized what was probably the biggest Ratha Yatra to date, especially in the western world. It was promoted in such a dynamic way. The whole town was curious about a fest involving chariots. Is it like the second coming of “Ben Hur?” Alice Coltrane, legendary jazz musician, was going to appear and present mantras on the stage (I remember the melody she sang of the maha mantra from a recording). Ramesvara Swami, the leader of the LA community,
JOURNEY UNDERWAY
(In Honour of Vaishnav Das)
The journey is now underway
That’s what real people say
Gone is departing soul, Vaishnav
Who shared with us so much love
In quiet somber demeanour
His words were of genuine candour
Often fueled by a sharp wit
Oh, yes, I’ve heard him quip
At random nonsense things
He relieved us with guitar strings
And keeping a smile at the forefront
Never a need to get too blunt
Husband to one we adore
In the late 70s, our Los Angeles community organized what was probably the biggest Ratha Yatra to date, especially in the western world. It was promoted in such a dynamic way. The whole town was curious about a fest involving chariots. Is it like the second coming of “Ben Hur?” Alice Coltrane, legendary jazz musician, was going to appear and present mantras on the stage (I remember the melody she sang of the maha mantra from a recording). Ramesvara Swami, the leader of the LA community,
