Thursday, June 15th, 2023
Queen's Park, Toronto
Nancy was sitting on the bench at the park. She was sitting in the lotus position and had her sun cap on with accompanying casual clothes. She was waiting for her tai chi friends, and when we started talking, that truth came out. She was waiting for the team.
“You are a monk?” she started with. “You are not from China?”
“Monk, I am. I was born in Canada.”
She was firing out one question after another. My responses were brief. I was anxious to get to our chanting party. It was within earshot.
“Nancy, join us for chanting mantras.”
She agreed to follow me, got off the bench, and headed in the direction of the sound.
“What are mantras?”
“Mantras,” I explained, “are messages of appreciation.”
I whipped out a mantra card and went into detail about the meaning in greater essence. We sat by the statue of King Edward the VII along with our chanters.
“This is like family here. We all sing the same song.”
Nancy was trying. She was very relaxed with us. And all the while, she was waiting for her tai chi friends, but they never showed up. Luckily for us, Nancy was a member of our chanters for an hour or so.
I hope that Nancy will remember us and be part of our little bhakti (devotion) reality in the near and distant future.
MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU!
5 km
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