Stone Masonry at the Hermitage
photo by: The Author
“How
long have I been back from India, dad? A few
months, right?”
“More like six.”
“My
goodness, has it been that long? Well, I have
certainly been lost in my thoughts this past year.”
“That’s interesting because I’ve also noticed a change in you, son.”
“For
the better, I hope.”
Mark’s father laughed, “Yes, for the better. You
just seem a lot calmer than you were before you
left. I sense something very deep has been at work—such as,
inside your soul.”
Again the two men laughed, happy to be with each
other and pleased to be delivering their cargo to the monks. Funds for the 12 bags were
donated by the children where Mark taught school—a
special piggy-bank drive that only took 4
months to reach their goal. Of course, a bag
of mortar mix is not that expensive and the rocks, the
monks found free for the picking. That’s one
thing Texas has plenty of.
Field of Rocks Near The Hermitage
photo by: The Author
“Mark, it’s pretty obvious that your trip to India
has had a strong impact on you. But you did stop in
Spain first. Did something happen there—or
in India?
Now you’re even a vegetarian! That
bilocation stuff can really stretch one’s faith to the limit.”
“Actually
dad, I had a great time in Spain but as you know I’m a big believer
that nothing happens without God’s hand in it. Besides, I
had been studying the life of Sister Maria for
nearly a year before you had asked me to go to India.
No, Dad—visiting
Agreda and talking to the nuns at the convent
was great. Rather, I think the tipping point came when I went to Vrindavan.”
Mark paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.
“I
mean—you
want to talk about something totally unexpected—because
any connection between
Sister Maria and Lord Krishna was not even a
remote possibility. You know, two totally
different religions. After I had left Agreda—sure
I was still intrigued with what had happened to her
but my focus moved onto the real reason I was
going half way around the world, in the first place. But like you told
me before I left, India can be full of surprises.
“Dad,
the more I think about everything, it’s as if God wanted to first show me the deepest
recesses of my Catholic faith and then open up a
whole new set of windows for me to look out—and
even show me how they are connected. But then, since
it was only natural, I had to ask myself, why? Since our drive out to the hermitage is
going to give us plenty of time, would you
like to hear what I’ve been thinking about these
past few days?”
Turning toward his son, “Yes, very much.”
“Ok,
you asked for it. As far as Sister Maria, I must say that the more I think
about what happened to her when the Indians killed
her, the more I wonder what really happened to
Jesus. I just have to admit that there is the real possibility that
‘The Jesus’ whom the Roman
soldiers ‘thought’ they had crucified—was
in fact ‘NOT’ the
real Jesus, at all. No
dad, like I said, things don’t happen by chance and
I guess all that calmness you mentioned is
just my attempt to hold still and listen to what is
being said to me.”
“So exactly what are you hearing? I’ve always admired
your deep devotion to God.”
“Well, that’s just it. Along with that dedication
has to come truthfulness. Look dad, besides God, you know me
better than anyone else in this entire world.”
“Absolutely
Mark, and I don’t think you’re
interested in just going to the
half-way point.”
“Well, trying to fill in the blanks has been one
heck of a ride. When I was in India I met a lot of
people who instead of rejecting Jesus have simply
embraced what they feel is a better way to worship
Him.
Not a different God—but certainly they feel that
they have a better picture
of Him. This, they say, makes
understanding and worshiping the Lord so much easier and is
exactly what they always wanted from religion
in the first place.
“Why
do they say a better picture?”
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photo by:
Gopak devi dasi
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photos by: Tulasi-Tosika d.d. and
Purusottam das
visit:
www.kadamba.net
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photo by:
Gopak devi dasi
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photo by:
Gopak devi dasi
“Well, dad, I understand their point, although I’m
still wrestling with what it has to do with
me. What I mean—is that, of course, it’s through
the Holy Scriptures that we learn of Godly matters—and it’s also true that in their Scriptures, God is
wonderfully described, and in fact, all over
Vrindavan there are the most lovely pictures
of Him. Of course, as you know they call the God,
Krishna and like I said, paintings and murals, and
statues of Him are everywhere.”
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photo by:
Gopak devi dasi
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photo by: Mathura Lilaprija
Mark
reached over a put his left hand on the Bible
that was sitting on the console next to him. Looking
out the window, endless rows of picked cotton fields went whizzing by. The price for
cotton on the world market had just broken all
records.
Bailed cotton waiting to be picked up
photo by: The Author
Mr. Penrose
flipped on his left turn signal
to pass a slow moving truck. Mark turned to his
father and began to say a few more words.
“When I was in
Vrindavan, dad, I remember talking to this
nice American who lives in Mexico. His friends
all call him Chit
and he told me how he had recently spoken to a Catholic
priest in Mexico City. The priest
admitted that there was so much more to know about
God—however, he also told Chit that when the time was
ready for this knowledge, that it could only come
via the Roman Catholic Church. Therefore, any
new, but outside knowledge would have to be rejected as
impure. Well, even though
Chit told me that he had been raised a Catholic, he said
that he just
couldn’t accept such a closed-minded position.
“You
know Dad, it’s very tempting to think that we
Catholics have all the answers and that the truth
ultimately rests with us. After all, don’t we
already have
everything we need in Christ? You know,
‘from the cradle to the grave,’ and, then
beyond. The most beautiful churches—we have. Saints—we have. Miracles—we have. God’s favor—we have. But then you sent me to India!”
“Now
wait just a darn minute. Don’t blame me.” Both men began
to laugh out loud.
Taking his eye off the road for
just a moment to look at his son, “I’m curious, Mark, did going to India somehow
disturb that ideal picture you just described?”
Smiling, Father Mark said, “Let’s just say that
whenever a new vista is unveiled—especially when
we’re talking about the inconceivable landscape of
the Almighty—what you’re suddenly blessed to see can have a
profound effect on your soul. Even turn a
person into a vegetarian!”
Again both men began laughing.
“Mark,
you
know that movie you took me to that we both liked so
much?”
“Oh,
you mean, Avatar?”
“Yes. I think that’s why I liked it so much
because it put all these new ideas and images in front
of me. Inconceivable vistas if you want—like
those floating mountains. I just
really like it when my reality gets a little jolt.”
“Absolutely
Dad, and what a great movie! But of
course the entire content of Avatar came straight out of the
highly imaginative mind of James Cameron, but yes,
kind of like that. Thank you, this will help me
to explain some things to you.”
“Well, Mark, maybe there was a reason why I bugged
you so much to go see it.”
Again the two men found themselves lost in laughter,
very much enjoying the trip to the hermitage.
The weather was perfect. Taking a long breath Mark
continued. “Yes, India was kind of like that—but
it wasn’t science fiction. OK, sure, at first I didn’t know what
to think and maybe that’s
it—I’m still
wondering. It was actually a bit overwhelming for a
simple priest from West Texas and now I’m struggling
with a lot of other questions.”
“So
I take it you’re talking about something fairly
major?”
“Yes. Now granted, there
WAS a cultural shock,
but what I’m talking about are the spiritual windows
into
a spiritual world that I never knew even existed.
Yeah, kind of like the movie, Avatar.
“Right from the start, Dad, I was so fortunate. Not
only did I arrive safely—but almost immediately I met
these spiritual guides that led me
right to the heart of what you wanted me to
discover. That part was almost like magic.”
“So
what you are kind of saying, son, is that just like
Jake Sully who had to enter that
link-machine in
order to connect with the consciousness of his
avatar—that you had to enter Vrindavan before your
vision expanded.”
Experimental prototype of link-machine
Wikipedia
“Yes, that’s exactly right.”
“Wow! That sounds pretty exciting, son. I mean, your
spiritual guides—I can only guess what they must
have looked like: matted hair down to their shoulders—living
in caves—chanting Sanskrit
mantras. Did you take any
pictures of them?
Mark began to laugh again. “No dad—they didn’t
look like that and I must say that ever since you
went to see Avatar your imagination has
grown by leaps and bounds. But don’t let me
disappoint you entirely because I did stumble upon
some of your holy men while I was there. No telling
what they would have told me if I could have spoken
their language.” Again the two men were
laughing as they gradually approached their
destination.
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
Photo by: Luca Galuzzi (www.galuzzi.it)
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photo by:
Gopak devi dasi
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photo by:
Gopak devi dasi
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photo by:
Gopak devi dasi
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photo by: Chaturatma dasa
Now
it was Mr. Penrose who was speaking. “Well then,
just who were they?”
“They were Christians.”
“Christians? I’m sorry son—you’re going to have to
explain this one to me. I thought you said you
went to India!”
The
mood was merry in Mr. Penrose’s old Trooper. Although
he had bought it used from a rancher in a small town
outside of San Angelo,
it seemed to perfectly
match his character and lifestyle.
Mr. Penrose's 1989 Isuzu Trooper
photo by: The Author
“As
you know dad, I didn’t just fly all the way to India
to take a fast, five-day tour and come back home.
I stayed way beyond that. And like you said, I can now
see how this was the most important reason
why I received so much from my visit to Vrindavan. Otherwise, I would have taken a couple of guided
tours like I saw groups of tourists doing—placed the whole experience in a few neat boxes; arrange my photos;
label everything, and then tell my friends
about all the idols I saw.”
Again laughing, Mr. Penrose said, “But that didn’t
happen, did it?”
Smiling, Mark continued. “Dad, all those books
you got at the airports over the years—as you know
they were all published by the Hare Krishna’s—and
Vrindavan is their Mecca; their Jerusalem; their
spiritual center. The place is obviously sacred, and has
a history going back well over 5000 years—immortalized
in both ancient and modern scriptures. I saw
so many books while I was there.
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photo by:
Gopak devi dasi
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photos by: Tulasi-Tosika d.d. and
Purusottam das
visit:
www.kadamba.net
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Bookstore
Vrindavan, India
photo by: Haridasa Thakura dasa (facebook)
“As
we both know, Dad, holy
words are spiritual windows and I spent a lot of
time looking out those windows All I can say is, unbelievable!”
“But
I
don’t hear you saying that in a derogatory way.”
“Oh
no, just the opposite—and as I was getting at—almost
as soon as I arrived I just started meeting all
these really nice Christians. They had not abandoned Jesus
at all, but had decided that in these
scriptures there is a more precise picture of God.
“But
Dad,
what I experienced is not that easy to accept. I guess this is
what you have been noticing in me—this struggle. I
keep re-living things in my mind and trying to decide
what to do.”
“Well, I never felt that you were not up to the
challenge. You’re always so happy.”
“Thanks, but I want to be
really happy. But I can see now why they say,
‘Be
careful what you wish for’.”
“How’s that?”
“Well,
all
my life I’ve just known that God is
far greater than I could ever imagine.”
“You
mean, ‘inconceivable’?”
“Precisely—and I’ve always wanted to experience as
much of that as I could. But we both know, I’m not
a saint. You certainly won’t find me floating off
the ground like Sister Maria or Saint Francis. But sincerity is there—in my heart. I’ve always known that God exists in the most
marvelous way. However, I never expected a
spiritual bomb to
go off in my lap.”
“My
goodness, son, those are some pretty strong words.
I guess I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Well—spiritual things have a way of
snowballing. Take Jesus for example. If you
worship
Jesus, then you have to also accept
whatever Jesus deemed worthy and true. For
example, Jesus accepted Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. We have no record of Jesus rejecting this story as false—in fact, just the opposite is true.
All three of them were thrown into a raging furnace because they had refused
to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idols. But
when the King looked, instead of seeing three
figures inside the
furnace he saw four—the fourth person being an angel of
God who was protecting them from instant death.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Gustave
Doré (1832-1883)
“So, this
is the kind of thing I have been thinking about. Belief in the Almighty has pushed me
with almost lightening speed right into the realm of
ever increasing faith. As Christians, when we reach
out to people and ask them to have faith in His Son—in a round-about way we are simultaneously asking them to
have faith in so much more. In a moment you
will see the enormous consequences of this.”
Mr.
Penrose slowed down as he turned off a paved road
onto the long driveway that led up to the hermitage.
On their right a beautiful icon smiled down upon them.
Within minutes Mr. Penrose stopped in front of the
entrance.
photo by:
The Author
The Hermitage near
San Angelo, Texas
photo by: The Author
The cement was graciously
received by the monks and they were treated to a
little vegetable stew, homemade bread and apple pie. Because Christmas was fast approaching,
the monks were busy tending to the needs of
about a dozen visitors. Their beautiful gift
shop was full of Christmas shoppers. Understanding, Mark
thought it best not to take up too much of anyone’s
time, although they were encouraged to stay
longer. Within minutes two more cars drove up and
taking that as a sign, Mr. Penrose pulled the keys
out of his pocket.
“Please Father, come back again when things are
more peaceful and of course, don’t forget to thank the children for
the cement. We will keep them
in our prayers. And Mr. Penrose, it is so nice to
see you again—thank you so much. God be with you.”
“Oh, you’re
most welcome. The peace and beauty you
have created out here is such a welcome for an old
man like me. God be with you.”
“God
be with you.”
It
was just past two in the afternoon as Mr. Penrose
and Mark resumed their journey, this time headed
back to San Angelo. Mr. Penrose also wanted to
stop by and see his little dog that some friends
were taking care of. As they pulled away from
the hermitage, off to their left they could see rows
of statutes honoring Jesus.
photo by: The Author
photo by: The Author
Just a few of the many statues at the hermitage
photo by: The Author
After a short drive back to the main highway, Mr. Penrose
figured it would take them about an hour to get back
to The Manor. After dropping off some dog food
for Coco, once again they were on their way.
It was
now Mark who turned toward his father. “Dad,
I want to show you a picture that I
bought in Vrindavan. I guess it sums up what
I’ve
been trying to tell you, all day.”
Thumbing through his
Bible, Father Mark found
the small picture that was tucked between two pages
and handed it to his father.
Lord Shiva
Mr. Penrose adjusted his glasses and
stared at the picture. It was a picture of Lord Shiva who is worshiped by
millions of people—his followers stretching far beyond the shores of India.
“I must say Mark
that your taste in art is also changing.”
That comment brought reels of laughter from both
men. Finally settling down, Mark began to
speak.
“Seriously Dad, can
you just imagine what the other priests would say if
they saw me with this? What would the Bishop
think of me? What would His Holiness say? I wonder what judgment
Jesus Christ would render on this picture?
And yet, on the other hand, just listen to these
short verses from the Chaitanya-Bhagavata. The person speaking here is
Lord Chaitanya.
Mark then pulled out a piece of paper that he had
written some notes on. “Dad, Lord Chaitanya
was asked a question by a priest who was concerned about
one of the Lord’s most intimate follower. His name was Nityananda. Lord Chaitanya said
that Nityananda was none other than
His older brother and spiritually, non-different
from Himself.”
|
“O brahmana
(priest), know that Shri Krishna is
eternally within Him (Nityananda). However, if
any person tries to imitate Nityananda,
then he will suffer terrible
consequences and incur heavy sinful
reactions. If anyone other than
Lord Shiva tries to drink deadly poison
then he will surely die.”
Antya-khanda 6:7 |
“Dad, the deadly
poison is in references to the Ocean of Milk that was
being churned by the demons and the demigods.
As it was being churned, different things were being
produced, including a deadly poison. Lord Shiva drank the poison so that the churning
could continue.”
Lord Shiva
©
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
“Dad, the point is that
Lord
Chaitanya is acknowledging the existence of both Shiva and the Ocean of Milk. Ok—and here are a couple
of more references.
Mr. Penrose again looked at the picture of
Lord Shiva.
Mark looked at his notes and began to read..
|
“The Lord
(Chaitanya) soon
arrived in Jalesvara village. He
went directly to the temple of Lord
Shiva, the main Deity of that village.
The Shiva-linga Deity was well looked
after by the local brahmana
priest.
photo by
Yosarian
“Enlivened by the opulence and
influence in the temple of His dear
devotee—Lord Shiva—Shri Chaitanya
began to dance very happily. Lord
Chaitanya knows the glorious character
of Lord Shiva, for he is a favorite
amongst His devotees.”
“If anyone
disrespects Lord Shiva, not following
the example of Lord Chaitanya,
then...all his spiritual advancement is
annulled.”
Antya-khanda 2:57
*
“The Lord was very
pleased with the words of Lord Shiva and
He embraced him firmly saying, Hear
Me, O Shiva. You are as precious
to Me as My own body. One who is
dear to you is even dearer to Me.
I reside always within you, of this
there is no doubt.”
Antya-khanda 2:85 |
“So there you
have it in a nutshell, Dad. While I was in
Vrindavan I read the entire Chaitanya-Bhagavata
and Lord Chaitanya’s deep devotion to Lord Shiva
is mentioned so many times.
Shiva's
Relationship with Vishnu
Vishnu and Shiva
Wikipedia
“So now do you see my predicament? How do I
explain Lord Shiva to my Catholic friends? Do
I keep His picture hidden in my Bible?
What am I to do? I just read that Lord
Chaitanya has warned that whoever rejects Lord Shiva
is finished, spiritually.”
“But son, do you
really think that this applies to you? Granted, Lord
Shiva has a place in India but this is America. But
yes, of course, I understand your dilemma. Honestly, I had
never really thought this whole thing out like you
have. Actually you’ve
made a really good point and
you’re
100% right when you say that having faith in Lord
Chaitanya—or
Jesus—involves an ever-increasing faith in so
much more.
I definitely see that now.
It’s no
wonder
you’ve had so
much to think about, Mark.”
Lord
Chaitanya
“Dad,
I know we have already covered a lot of material
this afternoon but earlier you had asked me if bilocation was
what was bothering me. No, I think intrigued
is a better word. Like I was telling you earlier,
the tipping point was when I got to Vrindavan
and then one day, suddenly it was right there in
front of me—the connection
between Krishna and Sister Maria.
“To
be honest with you, the stories of Sister
Maria and the other Catholic Saints that we have
been talking about are nectar to my ears—and
so you can imagine my surprise when I
discovered that there is a special forest
in Vrindavan called
Seva Kunj where 5000 years ago
Lord Krishna danced with all the young maidens—Radharani, being the topmost dancer.
She was called a gopi, or a young village girl.
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Devotee looking at Seva Kunj - Where Krishna
danced with the Cowherd Girls
photo by:
Atatax4 (wikipedia)
“What is so
amazing is that there is a vivid account of Lord Krishna bilocating
himself into dozens of replicas so that each of
the young girls attending the dance would be
able to have Him personally as their own dance
partner.”
Ultimate Bilocation
©
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Father Mark’s
Photo Album
Vrindavan, India
photos by: Tulasi-Tosika d.d. and
Purusottam das
visit:
www.kadamba.net
_________________________________
Later that day, back at The Manor,
Father Mark and his dad continued their
conversation:
*
“My
God, Mark, you know, you’re onto something. Let me
get a book off the shelf.”
Mr. Penrose quickly sat back down with the book in
his hand.
“Here it is. This is
the first book I got at
Stapleton International Airport. Alright, let me
see if I can find this.”
About a minute later, “Good, I found it. I must
say it is equally amazing how much you forget when
you turn 84—I had totally forgotten about
this. Here it is in the first chapter. This
book also has explanations in it and...”
“What book is that, dad?”
“The
Shrimad-bhagavatam. OK, son, listen to
this:
“As mentioned above, the Lord entered His palaces, occupied by 16,108 queens. This means that
the Lord at once expanded Himself in as many plenary
expansions as there were queens and palaces and
entered into each and every one of them simultaneously
and separately.”
Mark
felt stunned. “So instead of the word, bilocation, the Vedas call a
second body a
plenary expansion. I’m
not real familiar with that word. What does
plenary mean, Dad?”
“Plenary means
complete
in all respects—unlimited or full.
No wonder Sister Maria was so real to the Indians.”
What else does it say?”
|
“Thus the Personality
of Godhead manifested Himself in 16,108 plenary
expansions and simultaneously entered into each and
every one of the palaces of the queens. This is
called...the transcendental
potency of the Lord.
“Ordinarily, a yogi
or mystic is able to expand himself at
utmost to tenfold expansions of his body, but the
Lord can do so to the extent of many thousands, or
infinitely, as He likes.”
|
Closing
the book, Mr. Penrose looked at his son.
“Remember when
you asked me who is greater, the disciple or the
master, and we both agreed that the master is
greater? I think this has just been confirmed beyond
a shadow of a doubt by
Shrila Prabhupada.”
“It sure has—more pieces to the puzzle of Sister Maria bilocating
to help the American Indians. Dad, who would have ever
thought that I’d
stumble across all of this in India?
“I’ve
asked it once and I guess I will keep asking: Just as the
Indians were able to touch, capture, torture and
kill Sister Maria’s body while all along she was
safe and sound in her room in Spain—who did the
Roman soldiers actually touch, capture, torture and
kill on the day of the crucifixion?
“You
know, Dad, the more I think about this whole matter,
the more I don’t believe that the real Jesus was
ever in harms way.”
