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<\/center><\/p>\nDiary of a Traveling Monk: Volume 14, Chapter 16 <\/p>\n
\u201cHe Did His Time\u201d<\/p>\n
I arrived in America on Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is reserved for remembering the American soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the wars over the centuries. I had just come from a similar event in Moscow, Russia, where the day is called Victory Day. Every year, the Russian people remember their victory over the Nazis in World War II by holding a military parade in Red Square where thousands of soldiers and endless weapons are paraded to patriotic songs. Displays of nationalistic fever occur throughout the entire country.<\/p>\n
I was dressed in my devotional attire when I arrived at Newark airport en route to the Sadhu Sanga Retreat in Boone, N.C. I reflected that the mood in America on Memorial Day was markedly different than it was in Russia on Victory Day. Although there were some official ceremonies in Washington D.C. and others scattered throughout the country, most people seemed bent on enjoying a weekend in the warm spring weather. I heard people speaking of the relief they anticipated from getting away from work, and of the parties and family reunions they would be attending. <\/p>\n
A voice from behind me interrupted my thoughts on the divergent nationalistic spirits of America and Russia.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey man, what\u2019s with the dress?”<\/p>\n
Experience has taught me to ignore such rudeness, especially when I\u2019m alone. I didn’t even turn around.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey! I\u2019m talking to you! You with the bald head and the
ponytail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw a group of eight well-dressed young men plus one older man.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d said one of the young men. I gathered he was the one who had been speaking all along.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a monk,\u201d I said. \u201cI follow a spiritual tradition from India.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrankie,\u201d said one of the young men to my interlocutor, \u201che must just be one of those Hare Krsnas who sing on the streets in New York.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ones who beg for money,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t work?\u201d said the first young man. \u201cPay some taxes. Do something for your country.\u201d <\/p>\n
I considered whether or not to engage with his defiance. Then I said, \u201cI served my country. I was in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam war.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you were in Nam?\u201d he asked. He looked surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I didn\u2019t fight in Nam in the end,\u201d I replied. \u201cBut I gave a
good couple of years for my country. What about you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe, well I \u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave him alone.\u201d The older man spoke up in a thick Italian
accent. \u201cHe did his time.” <\/p>\n
He gestured casually with his head to the corner. \u201cCome over here,\u201d he said to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate what you did in the military,\u201d he said, once we were standing separate from the group of young men. \u201cYou got the right to choose the religion you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, sir,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re on your way to board your flight?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect,\u201d I replied. \u201cMy flight\u2019s in two hours.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThen come with us,\u201d said the man. \u201cThere\u2019s an Admirals’ Club
lounge just around the corner. You can sit with us there for a
while.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the club desk, the receptionist asked each of us for our
membership cards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I said. \u201cI don\u2019t have one.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThen you can\u2019t come in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The older man spoke up. \u201cWhat do you mean he can\u2019t come in? This is Memorial Day weekend. He did time in the military. How\u2019s that respecting our soldiers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was only in for two years,” I said<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wore the uniform, right?\u201d the older man said. \u201cThat\u2019s more than can be said for these lazy boys with me.”<\/p>\n
Turning to the receptionist he said, \u201cLet him in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m really sorry, sir,\u201d she said, \u201cIt\u2019s company policy that I can’t let anyone in without a membership card unless a member pays for the person to enter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c100 dollars,\u201d she said. Without missing a beat, he handed her a hundred dollar bill. We were in.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want some coffee?\u201d the older man asked me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo thank you,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome bagels?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
I hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrankie, run over there and get him some bagels.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Frankie jumped up and ran over to the buffet, I got the
sense my host was someone important.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I ask who are you?\u201d I said. \u201cWhat do you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
The group of young men looked over at the older man, who gave a little smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t wanna know,\u201d he said in his Italian accent.<\/p>\n
I thought maybe he was being humble, so I said, \u201cNo, I really
would like to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe boss said you don\u2019t wanna know!\u201d said one of the young
men a little too loudly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoys, boys,” the older man said. “You go over the there. I want to have a talk with this gentleman.<\/p>\n
“Now,” he said, turning to me, “what do I call you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I said. \u201cI didn\u2019t introduce myself. You can just call me Swami.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSwami?\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s my spiritual name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour Hare Krsna name?\u201d When I nodded he said, \u201cI know the
Krsnas. When I was young they used to come to the market in
their robes to collect fruits and vegetables. My father took a liking to them and told all the sellers to give them whatever was left over at the end of the day. It went on for years.<\/p>\n
“When I was 10 years old, we saw them singing on the streets
downtown. Curious, I started walking over but my father grabbed me and said, ‘That\u2019s not for you. You have your family.’ But now we’re here, and I’ve got some questions I need to ask.”<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, go ahead.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve lost a lot of friends through the years,\u201d he said. \u201cSome of
them good, most of them bad. I wanna know where they went.
You know, like reincarnation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believe in reincarnation?\u201d I was taken aback.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he said. \u201cAs a matter of fact I do,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOK,\u201d I said. \u201cWell, it all starts by understanding we\u2019re not these bodies. We\u2019re the soul in the body, like a passenger in a car. When the body dies, the soul moves on. Depending on our actions during our life and our desires at the moment of death, we take birth in another body within another family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the bad souls?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, they take birth in unfortunate circumstances,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of unfortunate circumstances?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike in impoverished conditions,\u201d I said. \u201cOr with little or no
chance for education. Or they may be subject to disease or
traumatic situations throughout life.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sat silently as if mulling this over.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s called karma,\u201d I said. \u201cReaction to our actions. But such
reactions can be dissipated by chanting God\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can remove reactions though God’s name? What is His
name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of God’s names is Krishna,\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what you people sing outside the subway,\u201d he said. \u201cBut why do you all sit on the ground?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you sit on the ground? The ground is so dirty. It forces everyone to look down on you. If you gotta a message you gotta look people straight in the eye. Tell whoever’s in charge that I said that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me for a minute,\u201d he said. \u201cI gotta go to the men\u2019s room.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his absence, the young men drifted back towards me.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrankie here wants to know if you got any proof you were in the military,\u201d said one of the boys. \u201cWe just wanna be sure you\u2019re not spoofing the boss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would I do that?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust show us some proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike what can I show you?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA card,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA card?” I had to smile, although the young man looked serious. “It was 48 years ago!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn’t a joke,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered something.<\/p>\n
\u201cHold on,\u201d I said. I opened my computer and searched through my email until I found what I was looking for. <\/p>\n
\u201cLook at this. It’s a message from the Marine Corps for my birthday. They get in touch every year on May 20th without fail.” <\/p>\n
I read aloud:<\/p>\n
\u201c’Hello Swami. We at Marine Corps, USMC Community, would
like to wish you a very happy birthday today! Semper Fie!’\u201d<\/p>\n
Frankie looked impressed. \u201cWhat does Semper Fie mean?” he
asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means ‘Faithful to God, country, family and your fighting
unit’,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHang on, but you weren\u2019t a monk then. So why do they address you as ‘Swami’?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess they follow my life,” I said with a smile. \u201cIt’s family. You know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I do,\u201d he said. \u201cI know what you mean. We say \u2018Omerta’. It means that we are bound by the code of silence and secrecy. A code of honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hair on my arms stood on end and a chill ran up my spine
because I knew that term. It was from the Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mob.<\/p>\n
Frankie came closer and looked at the email. \u201cIt\u2019s the real thing,\u201d he confirmed to the others.<\/p>\n
When the boss came back, all the young men except Frankie
scuttled away again. While he hovered on the edges of our
conversation, the boss and I talked philosophy for another hour until it was time for me to leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to catch my flight,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOK,\u201d he said. \u201cBefore you go I want to apologize for the way my boys spoke to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d I said. \u201cIt happens sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, if you ever need help just call me.\u201d He held out a piece of paper.<\/p>\n
I hesitated. <\/p>\n
\u201c I mean it.” he continued. “If anyone causes you trouble, I’ll
help you out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t really work that way,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake it!\u201d said Frankie. \u201cYou don\u2019t argue with the boss!\u201d He shook his head in disbelief as I accepted the piece of paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cMemorize the number,\u201d the boss said, “and then throw it away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d I said. \u201cIt was nice meeting you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pleasure was ours,\u201d said the boss<\/p>\n
Walking out of the Admirals’ Club, I memorized the number and threw the piece of paper in the trash.<\/p>\n
\u201cWow, that was far out,\u201d I thought.<\/p>\n
When I reached my gate, an announcement was made that the
flight was delayed half an hour. <\/p>\n
I was chanting softly on my beads when I noticed Frankie watching me from 30 meters away. I motioned for him to come over.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s up, Frankie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoss told me to watch over you until you board your flight,
Swami. He\u2019s got your back.\u201d<\/p>\n
**********************<\/p>\n
\u201cA Vaisnava is always a well-wisher to everyone. The Six
Gosvamis, for example, are described in this way: dhiradhira janapriyau. They were popular with both the gentle and the ruffians. A Vaisnava must be equal to everyone, regardless of one’s position. Atmavat: a Vaisava should be like Paramatma. Isvara sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ‘rjuna tisthati. Paramatma does not hate anyone \u2026 As the moon never refuses to distribute its pleasing rays even to the home of a candala, a Vaisnava never refuses to act for everyone’s welfare.\u201d <\/p>\n
[Srimad Bhagavatam 7.4.32, purport]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I arrived in America on Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is reserved for remembering the American soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the wars over the centuries. I had just come from a similar event in Moscow, Russia, where the day is called Victory Day. Every year, the Russian people remember their victory over the Nazis in World War II by holding a military parade in Red Square where thousands of soldiers and endless weapons are paraded to patriotic songs. Displays of nationalistic fever occur throughout the entire country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62836"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62836\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62924,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62836\/revisions\/62924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Hare](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-N6oTganzgXk\/WxJQZdo-u1I\/AAAAAAAAkvg\/KTssbqXbMrgLm3hhrQMH4a2SJD1lVFX5ACHMYCw\/s0\/2018-06-02_10-08-04.jpg\")
By Indradyumna Swami<\/strong><\/p>\n