Tuesday 19 April 2016

Monday, April 11th, 2016

Monday, April 11th, 2016
Miami, Florida

Wind, Water, Sun

I’m often taken to surprise venues for a natural experience when I’m here.  Today I was whisked away by a group of devotees wanting to bond amongst each other and the water.

We were taken to Biscayne Beach for a sail on a catamaran.  Between the bunch of us we were divided by two sailing vessels, and that left me with Macul from our group, as well as two expert skippers (if I could use that term) by the names of Berthol, from Munich, and Graham, from West London.

Sailing we did, in what seemed like an endless bay.  It was good to meet the water, wind, and sun.  I had been hankering for that.  It was equally good to meet these two fellows who are both on their last sailing venture before tomorrow’s flight back to Europe.  Their art is all about catching a gust of wind, adjusting weight, and pulling pulleys to adjust the sails.  It has much to do about balance and flying with the wind.  Berthol and Graham showed us just how fine a science their maneuvering is.  They also had their sincere questions, “Do priests in your order get married?”  Answer, “Yes, but I vowed to stay single all my life, celibate even.”  Question, “Do your monks ever encounter a certain amount of stress?”  Answer, “Yes, in our line of work you absorb a considerable amount of negativity from people unloading their personal problems, but it’s like sailing, you tighten the ropes of the sails, balance it all, and avoid tipping over.  We chant and have downtime, like now.”

We ended up going quite a distance from the beach, near private and gorgeous homes worth millions. Berthol and Graham had their own realizations about money - it can’t buy you happiness.  After we returned to the beach the two guys wanted to make sure they got a photograph with Macul and myself in full regalia.  That was a very novel experience for them.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

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