when I was a kid, I would get a book on Friday and finish it within a week. If my friends were all busy or out of town, I could finish it in one weekend. Now that I am a mom of three little ones (6 1/2, 5, 3) I have had to become creative and crafty with where I get my reading in. I am always with a book in the car – just in case Ill get 5 minutes before work or before pickup at school – if the kids fall asleep as we are diving. I have often flirted with the idea of taking my two youngest to the childcare at the YMCA and instead of working out…..reading with a big cuppa something (gasp). I have friends who haven’t read a book since their child was born, these are also the friends who rarely take baths…two luxiories I have held tight in my grasp of my “Im not willing to let go of” repertoire. I am usually able to read a book in a good amount of time – even given my schedule, so the fast that I am moving so slooowwwlly through this new book has me quite baffled!
‘ that Krishna Das’s book is a hard read. In fact quite the opposite. The First 41 pages flew right by. I loved hearing his voice through his writing and hearing the stories of Maharaj-ji, and Krishna Das’s path to self discovery. When I first started reading it was like a new relationship, everything is exciting and light and I could feel the depth of this person. I flipped page after page as he looked to his guru with love and devotion and admiration, reading about a new friends life journey. As I continued to quickly read this wonderful book I all at once was zapped back into my present moment with one paragraph:
“we see ourselves as separate and different from other people. On the level of thoughts, physicality,and emotions, we certainly seem to be. This is the “optical delusion”, and yet it is what we experience. My stuff revolves around a different planet than yours. You have your planet, I have mine. But on the deepest level, our planets are actually each a reflection of the same thing- the self, the One – like the moon reflected in different pools: one moon, same light, many reflections. When the pool of water is calm and there is no debris floating on the surface, all of the reflections are identical. To the extent that we experience that, the way we live our lives changes. “
My reading pace slowed. I reread that paragraph a couple times. All of my stuff is rotating around my own planet – and depending on my mood I have been known to throw a few branches into my pool of water, I have often used the visualization with my children, of a pond of water with a treasure at the bottom. When the water is calm you are easily able to see the treasure but when the mood of the water is choppy it is very difficult to see clearly to the bottom.
I kept reading… and began bookmarking each page as I went forward. Each page has the depth of something I deeply desire to know and accept as my reality. Maybe that is why my pace has slowed. I am enjoying it though, and enjoying that I am in no rush to finish, other than my complete excitement to get to the next page.:)
Sharing his heart through music and chanting is the basis of Krishna Das’ own spiritual work—his way of serving the Divine within himself and others. “Chanting is a way of getting in touch with yourself. It’s an opening of the heart and letting go of the mind and thoughts. It deepens the channel of grace, and it’s a way of being present in the moment,” he says. Since 1994, the sound of his voice singing traditional Indian chants with a Western flavor has brought the spiritual experience of chanting to audiences all over the world. You can preorder Krishna’s book Chants of a Lifetime online at either HayHouse.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com, or wherever books are sold. His book includes a free CD for personal chanting practice. More information on Krishna Das can be found at www.krishnadas.com.
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