Jesus on the Mainline

The excerpt that follows is from a response sent to a Jewish friend who also loves Krishna Das, and was finding great joy and meaning in her entry into the world of kirtan, which she had hoped to be able to share with family and friends.  She had asked for input on how she might respond to her sister’s very negative reaction to KD’s playful and powerful chanting of “Jesus on the Mainline” at his kirtans, which promotes the notion that God is always present/available, you just have to "tell him what you want."  Many Jewish folks are very reactive to this experience, especially when encountering it for the first time.  They often confront KD with protestations along the lines of “How can you sing about Jesus?  You’re Jewish.”  His stock, well-honed response is often “Yes, but only on my parents’ side.” This response infuriated my friend's sister, and my friend wanted it not to be a barrier from opening up to the practice of "non Jewish" chant.

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Sent 9-30-15

Now, as for “on my parents side.”  Like probably most Jews, I too was offended when I first heard that from KD...and that was at I time when I had been away from the tribe for a few years.  I gradually started thinking of it as his schtick...you can take the boy out of Long Island, etc.  Later I began thinking of it as a wonderful if jarring teaching tool, helping people into accepting that we are more than where we came from on this earth plane.  It dawned on me too that when he sings Jesus On The Main Line, he is probably offending many Christians as well.  As a frame for this, it reminds me of a time long ago when Rabbi Tirzah Firestone stayed at my place when on a book tour in Chicago.  We chatted, ate, and later went to sit...meditating face to face with a candle between us in my study.  I was awestruck and couldn’t settle in.  I peeked and she was deep in meditation.  All I could think about was the amazing, energizing exchange we had had about various mystical traditions...Hindu, Hebrew, Christian and more...and I was meditating with fucking Tirzah Firestone in my study.  Major chatter, monkey mind. Then suddenly the Light went big time ON.  I started (internally) repeating, again and again, the Shema...emphasizing over and over the last two words, Adonai Echod.  It poured through with joy and appreciation in every cell of my being.  So powerful, this gift of Oneness.  Different paths, but All One.  KD tells a beautiful story about how his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, taught his flock to meditate like Jesus.  You probably know the teaching:  He (Jesus) lost himself in love, that is how Jesus meditated.  Love makes the boundaries and the divides unnecessary, superfluous even.  We simply need to listen to the many reminders that thankfully, blessedly, come our way.  One that I love is Shyamdas’ blending of one of the great Jewish chants with an also great Hindu mantra.  As you know, Shyam was one of KD’s beloved peers, also originally (in this incarnation) a nice Jewish boy from the East Coast (CT), who spent much of his life in India.  Yet watch and listen to the interplay of the harmonium and clarinet here.  By midway through they are entirely intertwined, dancing together, with One mantra coursing through ecstatically.  Shyamdas loses himself to it in total.  He is vibrating with love.  We all have our roots, and their wealth takes to a higher and more connected place...to our Oneness with All That Is.  Whatever helps us open to that possibility/reality is good.  At least that’s my stream of consciousness interpretation of the teaching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MtTRRhPLkg

Enjoy!
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Addendum 2017: two more hidden gems I found very moving this year:
Nahko (in Israel); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_kCWeMGOWA
Laura Berman:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvy8wRq4YnY