Monthly Japa Immersion Day

setting six hours aside

for only chanting Hare Krishna

an intensified opportunity for Presence

joined together with others

we gain collective supportive strength

yet each person is alone with the Name

everything else is on hold

our investment only in chanting

revealing our faith and interest.

A pathway from matter to spirit

taste without distraction the entry fee

unlocking our experience of the self

our suitcases of accumulated garbage

like concrete covering our feet

we only have to let go—

yet occasionally the portal opens

then nothing else matters

awakened to see beyond seeing

we are blissfully bathed in divine light.

Realizing we’re moving up the mountain

regardless of external appearances

first and foremost we’re spiritual pilgrims

our task is to remember this frequently

seeing our worldly desires as folly

all material pleasure like a desert

true thirst quenching water, the soul

satisfaction lies in spiritual giving

our eternal engagement in loving service

discovered by the embrace of the holy name.

We sit before Radha Krishna Deities

with only our beads and voice

reducing time to one mantra

learning to be satisfied in a moment

the past and future are illusion

thoughts come, and thoughts go

we have to return to attention

the Divine Couple in Their Names

sitting before a spiritual portal

praying for the grace to enter.