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Based on yesterday’s experience I conjured up this poem - Are You a Monk?

ARE YOU A MONK?

“Are you a monk?” a pedestrian asked
“Yes, I am, I’m not masked
From half a century I’ve been that
And walking has been my format”

Shocked as if I’m of the hallmark fame

We’re the last of a rare species going extinct

Stunned, their mouths opened, eyes hadn’t blinked

 

Met a Native, I had this to say

“On this walk you’re the first Native I

What is Streetsville? It is one of those charming early Victorian southern Ontario towns. Streetsville, once a tiny town, is now at the heart of Mississauga, one of the largest urban areas of Canada. Still, Streetsville retains a sweetness. And in the heart of this sweet walkable area, devotees of Mississauga come together every week for a Krishna conscious gathering. The group has three chanting sessions, a pravachan (discourse), and a feast with some of my favourites – avocado and asparagus (

In the room where I stay in the Bhajan Ashram, I had a box of a stash of snacks, not necessarily the unhealthy kind. The very generous doctor from Ujjain who left today with his family gave this gift for when I need it. But this poses a problem of sorts. With the very regimented diet that I’m on during treatment, I’m not to even look at these delectables.

This has been day number two for treatment which has, to this point, involved a medicated herbal padding on the entire body (twice) and a m

It was day 2 for allowing pedestrians to walk over the New Demerara Bridge over the river with the same name. The Demerara is quite wide. I used to walk the old floating bridge which is now replaced for a state-of-the-art new rendition built by the Chinese. I love the sensation, the views, and the breezes that are authentic features. A dozen of us went for the thrill. Total duration was fifty minutes of walking on this 2.7 km/1.7 miles and reaches 50 metres in height. In the US, my favourite b

It was an ordinary day in some way at the Nimai Pandit Study Centre. As a guest, I was asked to conduct most of the program in the morning – leading the kirtan chants plus deliver the class. With the assistance of a most reliable Saci Suta, we did something a little different – screened two of my music videos, “Every Guy” and “Stellar Dad.”  I took some time to express to the twenty or so sitting before me young men and four women, the importance of responsible practical life, parenthood, and e

Hiking westbound beyond municipal lights on the road through jungle was risky, but Glen and I took that chance, but it was Shantipriya who had the idea to drive his van at walking pace with headlights on in case we would run into predators. It was the first time in my marathon walking years (which is 30 this year) that I had my support guy right behind me. During this period, the rain came. Glen and I pulled out our umbrellas and undeterred, forged ahead. We made it to a landmark, the Saramacca

Matt Holmes is quite the world traveler who hails from Los Angeles. He is a visitor to Suriname, like myself, and we were on the same plane landing at Paramaribo. I hit it on with him right off the bat. We brought him to the Krishna temple, let him have a taste of a Krishna meal, and drove him to the hostel downtown.

I made more friends at the temple including Anita who was awarded the Sanskrit name Advika, which means ‘Earth’. I was hoping to meet more friends in the form of those adorable s

The storm that challenged our flight’s movement didn’t really get behind us. It was a six-hour nature’s ordeal, which is surely humbling. Moving closer and closer to the Caribbean, and finally Trinidad and Tobago, was relieving. The sky was the most scarlet red that I’ve ever seen. It was a sign that everything is going to be okay. It does, however, cross my mind on every flight I take, especially when the aircraft shakes, “Will this be the journey that will fail?”

We have to keep up our fait

I easily get irritated with indoor air that gets trapped.  My impulses tell me to get out and go for some freshness. The temperature outside reads +3º Celsius. That I can manage even with a long-sleeved kurta (shirt). The decision was a good one because it was genuinely the calm before the storm. I met Uddhava on the way. We commented on the weather and the condition. It is fresh! However, we also noticed wind coming, a temperature drop, and snow to follow. In truth, we we’ve been spoiled in Ca

I forgot I wrote the following. It does express how I feel.

HANKERING

I’m hankering to be on the trail again
Where there’s nature, and yes, women and men
A time for openness, interaction, and then
A harmony, a calm like a pure state of Zen

I’ve taken to walking the land of the maple leaf

And foot cruising the U.S. like a runaway thief

Through clover, corn, desert to the west-coast reef

In a rhythm unstoppable beyond my own belief

Took the challenge of Israel, its sand so dry

And ventured

The other day in one suburb of Miami, a resident of the neighbourhood spotted us walking. She was struck with our Indian clothes, including my swami attire. 

“What’s with all the colourful clothes?” She was most likely referring also to the elegant saris that the women at the sangha gathering were dressed in. Something was happening in her neighbourhood, and she was happy and curious. I responded. 

“It is an event. A Krishna gathering – our version of Saturday night fever. There will be cha

I have come full circle with my Florida trip, venturing from one Sunday feast to the other, beginning with Orlando to Miami. There have been fun and friends along the way. During these seven days of light and bright occasions, I have caught some information of ladies’ protests of a more violent revolutionary action in Iran. While I’m having a good time, the people of Iran have taken up a brave stand against oppression. I am happy for them. Oppression, which includes mistreatment of women, is ne

Larry Taylor Park in Fort Charlotte was a decent green space with winding trails. The creek running through appears to be the home of wood storks, while the trees existing along it get some massages by plenty of squirrels. Signs warn walkers about alligators, and especially not to feed them — in one location we are told to be cautious about swarms of bees.

At the entrance, two members of Jehovah’s Witnesses sat chatting with their literature to the side. One woman, a pedestrian with her dog a

All the while that I’ve been in Florida for the last five days, I have been keeping up with my regular Zoom classes on the subject of the Gita. One of the Thursday attendees is Arjuna from Tampa, yet he is not virtually with me today, but physically. He is my driver to Tampa, and then Sarasota, the place of sandy white beaches and the legacy of the Ringling Bros. Circus. Through our driving, I could see that Florida is very flat like the topography of the Netherlands, which I traversed last Oct

Before I made it to this hot spot for tourists I was sent to a special security department at customs, the Toronto Airport. My finger prints were taken. I had been arrested in the U.S. in the past. In hindsight it is true. During the winter months long ago, some of us brahmacharis (novice monks) were stopped by police as we didn’t have a permit for distributing religious literature. Along with two other monks we were put in jail in North Carolina. We went to court. The judge threw out the case

Every human being — correction — every entity, big or small, is looking for something exciting. It’s the tiniest thing that can stimulate and push you through the day.

I’ll give my example for this very day. I was walking with two people in a park. It was the shortest walk (and I’m embarrassed to say I took a few steps being busy). To our surprise, a beautiful fox strutted across the park. It was before dusk. It was on a hunt, and it was bee-lining its way to some sort of prey. It depends on

Happy Winter Solstice!

And on this fine day when daylight hours increase starting now, a group of fellows I’m training for The Gita are doing well. They are taking the practice as a service to Krishna. The teamwork is appreciated. The objective is to get tighter and tighter in the moves and gestures in enacting Krishna’s words and Arjuna’s reactions. It is only our 4th day in practice and there will be just one more before going on the road for six locations during this holiday time.

The Ch

We were warned of an oncoming snowstorm.  Collingwood, our destination, is often dumped by winter weather rages coming from Georgian Bay.  It is what makes this town a popular ski resort area.  By our good fortune only a few white flakes had left less than a powdery look over the landscape.

Being a few minutes early for a sangha engagement, my driver, Pradeep, and I decided to kill some time with a few steps on a trail near our hosts’ home.  Our hosts, Damodara and Svarnangi, gave us a free re

When you have been around in a village for over fifty years, you certainly get to know people that shared some of that space with you.  I don’t live in a village, but in Midtown of a major city in North America.  It does seem like the feel of a small town, though being in a temple atmosphere where so much is going on.  The place, 243 Avenue Road, is like a magnet drawing new interested people and also revered servers-of-the-temple from the past.  I was happy to see one anonymous devotee, whom a