Tuesday 11 December 2012

Monday, December 10th, 2012

That’ll Be The Day

Toronto, Ontario

There’s this real smart looking building that I pass by daily on foot. It has this stunning bell tower, and over all, the entire edifice is just handsome. There it stands at a prominent place at Yonge and Summerhill. It was a former train station in the days of yore and the days of York (Toronto was historically known as Fort York). The structure is now a bustling liquor store, I like it there. When it rains and I need somewhere to walk and keep dry, the building’s substantial awning provides enough shelter that I can pace back and forth and chant on my japa beads. And when it doesn’t rain I use the bench in front of the liquor store to sit on to chant my gayatri mantras (silently) in front of a kinetic deviced water fountain. The water fills at an upper level and then spills over with a splash after it reaches a certain leverage. The fluid sound cuts through the sound of the nearby traffic.

I guess every yogi finds his/her spot. In the Gita its recommended that a spiritual practitioner find a secluded place and lay kusha grass on the ground and cover it with deer skin and a soft cloth. The seat should be neither too high nor too low. One’s body posture should be straight and one should be subdued in mind, devoid of fear and have no thoughts of lust.

My seat in front of the old train station is not as described above. It is as hard as you can imagine being made of concrete. It’s also cold, but solid and conducive for reminding you that austerity is alright. After completing gayatri mantra I take a moment to watch the folks go in and out to make their purchase. They are respectable people judging by their attire. It’s just too bad it has to be booze that everyone appears to be so enthusiastic for.

I hope one day other people will join me at Yonge and Summerhill sitting there chanting mantras. That’ll be the day.

7 KM

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