Love Love Love

Love Love Love

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all

I love food, the more aware I become of what I am putting into my body the more fascinated I am by the fact that it will actually become my body. The energy that goes into food is equally important; from the happiness of the workers on the farms to love you add as the secret ingredient to any recipe, I always say a prayer before eating sending thanks to everyone who has come into contact with my food and Mother Earth for providing her bounty.

I have loved Indian food from the moment I tasted it and living in India has only showered me with gift of so many new dishes I now have in my repertoire. But if I’m being completely honest I am starting to miss some of the multicultural flavors life in Canada afforded me. Now that being said just when I think I’m completely bored with the food I’m introduced to something I have never had before and my tastebuds come alive with excitement and I instantly have a new favorite!

I’m often asked “what do you cook in Canada?” Everyone is always pleased when they find out I am vegetarian but the question isn’t easy to answer. Growing up with a mother who loved to experiment in the kitchen I developed a very diverse palate from an early age. I try to explain that I cook just about everything depending on my mood. But some people in India haven’t heard of (let alone tried) Polish perogies, Mexican burritos or Thai peanut curry. The occasional time I can find the right ingredients to create something from the mosaic of flavors from one of the cultures I have been exposed to my Indian family turns their nose up. At first I felt hurt by their reaction, ‘be more open’ I thought impatiently but then I remembered my Korean friends prefer Korean food while my Italian friends parents cook Italian every day of the week. I treasure having been exposed to a cornucopia of diversity it makes me adventurous when it comes to trying anything ‘different.’

What I do love is noticing the things that appear odd in comparison to how we eat certain foods. For instance chowmein; they add chili sauce, now this doesn’t come as any big surprise but ketchup then goes on top of that, then again I’ve seen people in Canada put ketchup on just about everything so why not chowmein? They also love salt and salty drinks. I can honestly say I had never tasted a salty drink before arriving in India and it’s not something I enjoy very much. Lassi (almost like a milkshake) is traditionally made sweet and salty, there is soda water with fresh squeezed lemon in which salt is added (my favorite sans salt) I’ve even witnessed locals add salt to ‘Thumbs Up’ which is the Indian version of Coke or Pepsi. It makes me wonder what they might see as strange in Canadian eating habits?

Monday, May 23, 2011

Radhey Radhey

The traditional greeting in India is Namaste; it is said while placing your hands in prayer position at heart center and bowing your head slightly. It translates to “the divine inside me recognizes the divine inside you”. It has gained popularity in the West thanks to Yoga centers adopting this greeting; it warms my heart to see divine energy making its way back into life in the West. Once you begin using Namaste, Hello feels a little impersonal. People began using the word hello as a starter in telephone conversations. Hello is a salutation nothing more, while Namaste feels to me a little more intimate and a beautiful reminder of our own divine nature as well as the inter-connectedness of us all. It helps us to instantly connect with others on a Spiritual level.
Throughout different parts of India there is an array of popular greetings according to who is worshiped in the area. Namaste encompasses all of Gods energy so you are always safe to use this. In Pushkar for instance the greeting is “Ram Ram” or “Jai Siya Ram” after Lord Rama who was also an avatar like Krishna of source energy. In Kolkatta “Jai Kaliki” for Goddess Kali and in Rishikesh it is customary to greet one another using “Jai Bhole Sankar Ke” to recognize Shiva’s power in all beings.
Whenever people greet each other with the name of Gods or Goddesses they are not all only invoking that energy but they blessing you with that energy. They understand that this powerful force we know as the creator sits in the souls of each of us. Being raised in a Christian society I think about when and where and even how often I hear the name of Jesus. Sadly it’s not usually said with a pure heart or clear mind, it is often only spoken by people when they are angry, frustrated or sad.
Here in Vrindaban there are a number of greetings but only two names will be uttered, Krishna or Radha. “Hare Krishna” is often called out to foreigners by the locals because they assume you are a member of ISKCON, but I haven’t heard them use this one with each other. “Jai Sri Krishna” and “Radhey Krishna” are both quite popular. “Radhey Sham” or “Shree Radhey” can be heard but the most popular is simply “Radhey Radhey”; taken from the name of Shree Radha Rani, who was known as the great love of Lord Krishna’s life. We recognize Radha’s unwavering faith and love of Krishna, and call out her name in hopes of obtaining this same devoutness. She herself was elevated to Goddess status for evolving past the human meanderings of love, she embodied perfect devotion. They say when Krishna was in her presence he recognized that all of his power was derived from her love.  It is also said that the love between Krishna, who is the beloved, and Radha, the lover, is the divine origin of all love.




Saturday, May 14, 2011

God is Love & Love is God

I never understood the belief that there was only one true path to God. For me God is love and love is God. The beauty in the Hindu faith is the recognition that there are many different paths but all lead to the same place. The philosophy is that God has had to take on many different forms in order to appeal to the different mindsets of mankind. Not everyone thinks alike so each individual person will gravitate towards what feels right for them. Hindu’s accept Allah, Jesus, Buddha and of course of thousands of Gods and Goddesses within their faith knowing that they all lead to the same omnipresent source.
Here in Vrindaban it is the playground of Lord Krishna. In the west when we hear the name Krishna our minds instantly go to bald headed, tambourine shaking, “Hare Krishna’s.”  Those are members of a following known as ISKCON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness). Assuming that anyone who worships Krishna is a ‘Hare Krishna’ is like saying anyone who believes in Jesus is a born again Christian. It is but a small part of the Krishna faith.
My first experience with Krishna was in BC; I could hear tambourines and chanting, looking out my window and saw a group of people dressed in saffron robes dancing in the street, my friends laughed but I smiled but for a different reason, the tune they were singing “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare… “was making my heart tingle. That night I inquired about these people I had seen, I was told they were a cult and to steer clear.
A few months later I was approached on the street by a normal looking dude who he asked me for a donation towards a meal program to feed the many homeless, being a starving student I joked I might need to join him for a meal, he handed me a card looking deep into my eyes and told me “I was welcome anytime” his authenticity pierced my soul, when I looked at the card once again I saw Krishna’s name.
I’ve never been interested in getting involved with any particular faith; I’m not one for strict rules. But once again years later, little did I know I was still being beckoned by Krishna’s flute and promise of unconditional love. I didn’t know Vrindaban was famous for Krishna’s pastimes until I arrived. My first temple experience coincidently was ISKCON and as Krishna’s form was revealed tears streamed down my cheeks, I thought this must be what some people feel when they go to church. I had longed for this type of connection and here it was I was overwhelmed with love.
I will never be a ‘devotee’ one particular faith is to limiting but living in this auspicious town I am fortunate to have over 5000 temples to choose from daily , where I get to sit, filling my heart and soul, basking in the glory of devotional love.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

I take a deep breath and flow through the challenges

I didn’t post last week because I’ve been sick with diarrhea; my family insisted I go to the hospital. It afforded me a whole new appreciation for the Canadian health care system. People were scattered everywhere, sitting on benches, standing in the halls and there were three other women in the examination room with me, the doctor directed one lady to lay on the table then proceeded to ask how long I had been suffering.

Without taking my blood pressure or examining me on any level, no questions about current medications or if I have allergies to any type of drugs she prescribed four pills. As someone who rarely heads to the doctor let alone takes pharmaceuticals I was concerned. When I reached home I immediately went to internet to research what I had been given, it wasn’t as bad as I had assumed. An acidophilus, a b-complex, electrolytes and an antibiotic, I was confused as to why she gave me an antibiotic when she didn’t do any testing to determine a bacterial infection but this is India and I figured if anyone specialized in dealing with diarrhea it would be the doctors of this country.

I had slipped away from my meditation practice so I decided to head to the roof determine what was truly happening in my body. As I sat in the stillness I began to cry. I was overwhelmed, so much change in such a short period, it was classic culture shock. Something I had been through as a teenager while living in Jamaica. The romantic light I had seen India in had given way to a distorted reality. I longed for my family, mourned my old way of life, I was even missing the very things I had prayed to get away from in Canada; heading to the pub to have beers with friends, shopping malls and fast food to name a few. Each time I was faced with something ‘different’ from my native land anger flared, the things I had been intrigued by now feared, I was frustrated with the language and a sensation of being trapped exacerbated the condition.

Sitting on the roof I caught my breath, my heart’s voice whispered “everything is fine, you are exactly where you want and need to be right now, spend time each day in silence to process all of this change, everything is perfect, you are shedding a part of you that no longer serves.” Birds began singing and I smiled as peace washed over me. Deep down I was happy, happier then I had been in a very long time but an unhealthy ego can wreck havoc on your entire system.

This inner work along with most change is painful at times but suffering only occurs when we don’t take time to appreciate it. Finding the balance between what was and what is, what I think I want and what I truly want is all part of having a balanced soul.