Healthy Thirst

 

“It’s just sugar water. They make it seem like something really good. Look at this one,'Don’t think of that cylindrical thing as a straw,Think of it as your pipeline to instant liquid refreshment !"

We glimpse the outside world by the litter left on the roadside. I had an interest in archeology and anthropology in my youth and read of scientists putting the puzzle together, trying to learn something of a long lost society from bits of trash.

My son and I are on our daily 3 mile walk, trying to absorb ourselves in our mantras.

“How could we change that to make it relate to what we do?” I ask.

“Don’t think of that string of beads as a… string of beads, but uh….”, Narayan begins.

“A pipeline….an instant connection to… hey look at this one. 'It's the tingle of the bubbles on my tongue and the cool blast of refreshment that makes this beverage....."

I find this interesting. They create a thirst for something entirely useless, something that gives no relief and no nourishment. Why put this advertising on the package? The purchase has already been made. They want repeat customers, so they create a mental situation to augment the experience of drinking flavored sugar water. Why not use this technique to increase a thirst for something substantial?

“In moments Krishna will be dancing on your tongue. Can you stand the wait?” A devotee sees the world in connection with Krishna by utilizing everything in His service. Marketing and advertising techniques can be used to draw the mind away from shallow attractions and focus on more substantial themes.

The Srimad Bhagavatam begins with a similar technique. Text 3 encourages us to drink (Pibata) the juice (rasam) from this tree ripened fruit. The text claims that the book has grown on the tree of the Vedas, and what you hold in your hands is the fruit, the essence of all the sweetness the Vedas have to offer. Not only that, but the fruit has been made even more tasty because of its being spoken by Suka.

"Get Quenched" a paper cup advises as I walk by.

We do most of our 'drinking' through our ears and eyes. One must make healthy choices. When we hear of gossip, or disappointment, we never 'Get Quenched', rather, we feel unhappy.

Hearing about love will awaken love in our hearts. Other emotions are pale in comparison.

On Mother's day, we heard a Swami speak. We learned that the love a mother has for her child is the purest form of love in this world. She gives everything for the child's happiness, abandoning her own pleasure. In return, the child gives dirty diapers, drool and vomit. To the mother, these things appear as Sandalwood, Musk and Camphor. He spoke to a crowd of 400 devotees, giving several examples of selfless motherly love.



 
He told of an 85 year old woman who came to the 'Eye Camp' in Varshana. If they could remove a cataract from only one eye, she would be happy, as she would again be able to cook for others. Just talking about it made her so happy, she began to sing and dance. Soon the entire clinic was dancing with her.

Our thirst is to have such love as hers, to be happy to serve and care nothing for our own situation. That is how we will 'Get Quenched"
http://vedabase.net/sb/1/1/3/en

"Hare Krishna Food"

"Hare Krishnas have the good food. I learned that right away."
Mathura is helping shovel a load of mulch out of my truck. It's a beautiful Spring day, the new Pear trees are looking happy, the garden is coming in and a neighbor has dropped by to chat.
"My sister used to go to the Dallas Temple on Sundays with her friend." Mathura continued," She told me about it. I went to the Rainbow Gathering in Missouri, that's where I first met the Krishna People."
"Missouri Rainbow Gathering? What year was that?"
"Uh, let's see, I was 18, so it was uh, '94 or was it '96? Anyway, they were nice people and seemed happy to feed me."
"They make you feel like you're doing them a favor by eating there."
"Yeah, there was this monk from Russia, he seemed really happy to see me come by and eat every day. He was glad to feed me."
We had been talking about this weekend's plan. A few of us are meeting at the Shakori Hills music festival.  http://shakorihillsgrassroots.org/
We'll be cooking 'Hare Krishna Food' for the staff and performers, about 400 people. We're doing this as volunteers, simply because we enjoy it, as Mathura had mentioned. Hare Krishna people enjoy feeding everyone.

One of the volunteers for this weekend's adventure, Jagad Guru, cooks and delivers Hare Krishna Food to 4 or 500 Chapel Hill University students every week. This has been a tradition for over 20 years at UNC.
Recently, Jagad Guru has begun a similar program at Duke University where 3-400 students come for the meal.

Why do we do this for no pay? What's the motivation?

I started asking this of myself. It may be due to social training. It's something that all Hare Krishnas do. We imitate behavior of those we are surrounded by and it becomes part of our nature.

My wife Maharha never goes to town empty handed. She keeps a stock of homemade cookies, small cakes or other snacks to give to anyone she contacts while on her excursions.
Seeing her example, our 4 year old son Narayan, would offer guests a Vitamin C or a raw potato. I remember one guest very graciously accepted the raw potato. After praising both Narayan and the home grown potato, ate it on the spot, raw.

Maharha pauses for a moment...

..then back into action

Where did this behavior originate if we're learning this from others?

When Srila Prabhupad came to New York City in 1965, he brought this concept from India. Visitors would receive 'Prasad' from his hands. When guests began to increase, he would cook and feed everyone although he had very little money.
12 years later, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness had grown to over 100 temples. Prabhupada sent a notice that at every temple we should be ready to give a full meal to any visitor at any time of the day. He advised to not worry about the expense or any other consideration. I remember hearing the letter read out loud for the morning announcements in 1977. The program was instituted. In a recent visit to the temple in Berkeley California, I saw happy to see that it has continued, this time I was on the receiving end.
When I visit homes of friends from India I get similar treatment. It is their culture, their training, to feel genuine pleasure when there is an opportunity to feed a guest.
Feeding strangers can be an adventure, you never know what the outcome will be.

This Summer, the Rainbow Gathering will take place somewhere on the East Coast. I will at that time invite  you to join in setting up a Krishna Kitchen to feed hundreds of spiritual seekers camping in a national forest around July 4th.

Beyond the good will of sharing food, there is another element to Hare Krishna Food. The intentions of the cook will infect those who eat. Temple cooks are trained to prepare meals as a meditation. They are cooking for the pleasure of God. The meal will ultimately be eaten by Him as a ritual. These godly thoughts have an effect on those who partake of this food. 
You are taking in more than simply calories and vitamins.
Food prepared by very pure personalities is seen as particularly valuable for this reason.

This is something you may experiment with on your own, with or without elaborate rituals. No one needs to know about it for it to work. Try it for a week or two and watch for results. You may decide to make this a habit.

Beautiful People in Winston Salem

"May I hear a G please?"
"Z?"
"No, G"
"D?"
There are a variety of accents from India.
Someone suggests,"G, as in God"
"Ah, OK", Rajen plays 'G' on his harmonium, and the song begins.
Akhilesh supports the rhythm on tablas.
I select the 'G' flute from my collection and follow the melody.
This is true Folk Music, the music of the people.
Some are trained in the Indian Classical system, some sing what they have learned from childhood. All of them sing from their heart while the group responds as a chorus. Moments of the performance may be praised in midstream, "Bahut Accha He !", raising a hand while slightly tilting the head to one side.
These people have kindly accepted me as if part of their family.
It is a very tightly knit group. For years they have been gathering regularly to sing and play music of India.
Today is an annual event at Praful's home, celebrating the appearance of Hanuman, the monkey warrior servant of Lord Rama.
Way back in December, Praful urged me to reserve the date to sing a bhajan and give a brief talk.

It is a bit intimidating to speak or perform before such a talented group.
"Mitra, it is your turn, please speak something"
"10 minutes?"
"Yes, 10 minutes, then bhajan."
That is more time than anyone else had taken. I'd better make this good. I've learned so much from these people and want to give something back.
"It's been a year since our last gathering here. I've had a wonderful year, full of growth, learning and opportunity. I hope that your year has also been so eventful." I scanned the audience, many of them senior to me, Mathematicians, Physicists, Nano-technicians, nodding their heads in agreement, still learning, still growing.
"I've been studying habits. They are stored in the basal ganglia region of the brain. Once an action is learned, we don't need to give it much attention. We tend to brush our teeth in the same pattern or tie our shoelaces in the same order every time. Driving a car is so easy for us. Remember when you first learned, how difficult and scary it was to approach an intersection? Now, most of you probably don't even remember driving here. The functions were taken over by the basal ganglia while your mind absorbed itself in other topics." Again, heads nodding in agreement, smiles remembering early driving attempts.
"Studies have shown however, that when people are on vacation, they tend to alter their patterns for brushing their teeth. The stimuli have changed. This is a good time to change habits. We can use this to our advantage.
"Yesterday I was reading about Shabari. She had left home at a young age to live in a hermitage accepting spiritual guidance from the sage Matanga. One by one, the sages achieved perfection, leaving this world. Matanga asked Shabari to remain at the ashram as Lord Rama would be coming to visit, she will get the opportunity to host Him.
Shabari took this service, daily collecting flowers to decorate the path, thinking that "today may be the day when He will arrive". She would collect fruits, tasting each one, discarding those that were not sweet enough. After many years, Rama and his brother Laxman arrived to accept the hospitality of this elderly woman. As she offered the fruits, Laxman questioned,"Why are you eating  food which has already been tasted by this woman? This is impure."
Rama replied,"I have tasted many different things in my life, but never have I had anything like this. You must try some."
The Lord has no need for our offerings, rather He accepts our devotion. The devotion of Shabari surpassed that of the followers of rituals. When Laxman tasted the fruit, tears came to His eyes, understanding the intention of His brother."
The body language of the audience showed they felt the same as I do about Shabari, inspired by her example.

"When we chant mantras, the mind considers, 'OK, we already know how to do this.' The basal ganglia takes over and the mind is free to wander. Shabari put everything into her service, it was not simply a habit. For this kirtan, we will try to break our routine. We will try to keep the mantra in the forefront of our mind, as if this is an entirely new experience. Raise your hands to shoulder height, palms upward, asking for blessings. Keeping them like this will help keep your mind from wandering. Taste each mantra, as Shabari tasted each fruit to see if it was sweet. Offer each sweet mantra to Lord Rama and wait patiently for His arrival."
I was surprised to see everyone cooperatively holding their hands up as requested, eyes closed in expectation,"OK Rajen, key of E"
"B?"
"No, E.... as in elephant"

Friendliest Place on Earth

"That makes 100% so far."I commented,"Every car that's passed by has waved at us. Of all the places we've been, we haven't seen anything like this.."
"It would be hard to do that in New York City.", Narayan imitated waving to everyone in sight in Manhattan,"Hello, Hi, hello, hello, hi , hi...."
My son and I had walked halfway across Panama, over the back roads  of Costa Rica and into the subways of New York.
Everywhere we've met friendly, helpful people, even in the 'dangerous areas' in Panama City we'd been warned of. Today we're walking on familiar roads close to home in North Carolina, where everyone waves, where neighbors come out to greet us and ask how we've been. There have been two grand festivals in our community since our return last Tuesday. More festivities are scheduled for this weekend. Home is certainly 'the friendliest place on Earth', though there are challenges here that one will not encounter on the road. A host may tolerate my ill behavior as I am only passing through. My wife and close friends don't have that option. The danger here is to neglect those who are closest, and overlook their favors and courtesies, taking them for granted.

Vampire Bats and a Visitor from Transylvania

“I noticed the light was left on in the barn the last couple nights.”

“Yes, it’s to slow down the vampire bats.”

“Whoa! We’ve got vampire bats here in Costa Rica?”

“Yes. They aren’t too much trouble for a full grown cow, but can do some damage to a calf if they’re left out on their own.”  Gaura's Canadian pronunciation sounds like ‘oot on their oown’. Carrying a bucket of milk from the barn, with his ragged flannel shirt and unshaven face he looks like a rather thin Canadian lumberjack climbing the hill to the temple kitchen. 

Gaura the Canadian

A few days later, another Canadian appeared.

We soon learned that Teo is from the province of Transylvania.

“How do Romanians feel about Dracula’s fame?” I had to ask,” Is there any truth to the legend, any accuracy in the movie?”

“They’re not too happy about it. Actually, Dracula is kind of a hero in our country. He was a brutal leader, but very fair and just. There was no crime at all under his regime. If money was found in the street, no one would dare take it. It would be turned in to the guards for fear of punishment.”

“What kind of punishment?”

“He was known as Vlad the Impaler. He would leave the bodies of his enemies on display, impaled on spears as an example to anyone who would disobey the law.  It was a very slow and painful death, as I’m sure you can imagine. However, he also did a lot of good for the country. He conquered the neighboring enemies, fixed the economy, eliminated corruption and brought peace and prosperity to the region.”

“But you say he was fair?”

“Yes, because he would punish only those who deserved it.  There’s a story of a visiting merchant who heard of a rather fat coin purse that had been turned in to the guards. His greed must have got the better of him because he actually decided to swindle Vlad and claim it for his own.

 “How many gold coins are in the purse you’ve lost?” Dracula asked him. “100”, said the merchant who had been tipped by the guards. “Count it and make sure it is yours.” Dracula said after adding an extra gold coin. The merchant counted and succumbed to his greed once again, pretending not to notice the extra coin. “Is this correct? “ Dracula asked, “Yes”, “Then go”. Unfortunately for him, Dracula signaled the guards behind his back and as the happy merchant approached the door, he was stopped by the guards who drew their swords.  It is said that the merchant’s wail of terror was heard throughout the entire province when he realized the fate that now awaited him.”

“Out of greed for one gold coin, the merchant lost his life. We live in a brutal world Teo, this is a good lesson for keeping our integrity at every moment."

"Yes, the laws of nature can be brutal, but they are always fair.", replied Teo as he sank his Transylvanian teeth into a Costa Rican melon.

"One who does good is never overcome by evil",quoting Bhagavad Gita(6:40) I commented, "A power stronger than Vlad the Impaler is keeping the balance. Our only concern is to keep proper conduct, we'll get all we deserve."

Teo sunk his Transylvanian teeth into a melon.

"We must have done something good to deserve these melons"

Eat a Palm Tree ?

A back hoe intruded one quiet afternoon.
He carved a flat space, a ‘shelf’ out of a steep hillside.

Unfortunately, one of the palm trees was in the way. 

The tree was intact, though horizontal, “Can we transplant it somewhere?” I asked.

“Transplant it? I WANT TO EAT IT.”
Nitai told me about the last tree that had been downed. The inner core is sort of like celery or bamboo shoots.  I’ve had ‘Hearts of Palm ‘ from a can before, but never seen it freshly harvested.  The next morning I heard a chain saw. 

 

 Later in the day a large club shaped item appeared at the door to the kitchen.

 With a tinge of guilt we had a delicious pasta salad with chunks of the palm’s heart, arugula from the garden and fresh cheese from our cow.

Many more palm trees are scheduled for planting in the rainy season.  That eases some of the guilt of enjoying the heart of this ancient tree.

Wants to eat a palm tree.

The new 'shelf', minus a palm tree.

My home for the last couple weeks, covered with palm leaves, shower and outhouse in the background. The view from the shower is unsurpassed by any of the finest homes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fantastic Bargains in Costa Rica !

 A nearby farm grows melons.

$2 buys a dozen.

I invested $6 and felt rich, with plenty to share and enough to eat my fill.

They’re very sweet.

After finishing one, the natural tendency is to have another, then another.

Why not?

They're less than 17 cents each. 

                                                                        During lunch one day, a monk began an inspired speech. “What if just by wanting it, one could get money? “

We had been studying and discussing a 17^th century text describing the step by step progression in bhakti, reaching total absorption in love for God.

“It doesn’t happen that way.", he continued, "You’ve got to work to get money. Yet Bhakti is available simply by wanting it. There is one condition though; you have to want only bhakti and nothing else.”

Time was suspended as the monk brought new light to our studies.

“We have so many other desires in our heart. They are well established, like multi storied corporate buildings with lavish advertising.  Meanwhile we’ve let bhakti move in, she’s got a little kiosk in the mall, hardly noticeable. “

This was getting very interesting; all the monks paused from their meal hoping he would continue.

“Desires for wealth, fame, and sensual pleasures are all well established, but bhakti is patiently sitting there with her product.  Gradually we become frustrated by these other commodities, and bhakti becomes more attractive. What we don’t see is that she is sabotaging these other desires. She destroys their foundation and they begin to topple until she is the only store left.”

“And then she gives her product to you for free.” I added.