By Rachel Norris
Something very special and rare has come to our attention in the last couple of days, and it’s something that will make you walk the walk, literally. Bhaktimarga Swami, also known as The Walking Monk, has walked across Canada (Earth’s second largest country) from coast to coast, four times to be exact. He has also trekked across Ireland, the Fiji Islands, Mauritius, Trinidad, Guyana, Israel, and other countries to promote a healthier global lifestyle and the Hare Krishna monk consciousness. Starting in November of 2016, Swami began a trek from Boston, Massachusetts all of the way to San Francisco, California to honor the 50th anniversary of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), founded by his guru, Srila Prabhupada, who passed away in 1977 at the age of 70-years-old. Coming through Utah and Nevada, he ended up on Highway 88, which led him into our very own town of Pioneer. If you have seen a man in orange clothes walking alongside the road in Pioneer, Pine Grove or Jackson, then that would have been him.
Born in Southwestern Ontario, Canada in 1952, Swami was raised on a farm with his family. He adopted the monastic lifestyle of the Hare Krishna order in 1973 at just 20 years of age. “My drive in life was maybe a little different than your average guy. I was never interested in settling down in the traditional way, I knew I was cut out for something a little different, being kind of an artist and shy person, but there was something very outgoing within me and I always maintained a level of spiritual thought,” Swami explained.
Growing up, Swami was influenced by the Beetles, like many other people. He explained that it was them who opened up the doors for eastern living and that they were very influenced by eastern thought, which showed in their music and lyrics, and that ended up influencing Swami to learn more about it. He met with Krishna monks in 1972, and shortly after, decided to visit an ashram in Montreal. He felt so at home and comfortable, that he believed that this was what he was doing in a previous life and officially became a Hare Krishna monk in 1973.
“I felt totally at home and I knew that this was my life mission. I wanted to have a go at it and I knew that I could leave at any time that I wanted to. I just fit in and it was my calling,” Swami said. “I want to help promote the standard of living for people, and I’m not talking about economically. I’m talking about overall wellness, the balance between the physical and spiritual wellbeing.”
In 1995, he began his first walk across Canada, which was detailed in the National Film Board of Canada’s documentary, “The Longest Road.” He was pleasantly surprised to learn that this is what monks do: going out and about and traditionally sleeping under a different tree each night to learn detachment. “I wanted to see what it would be all about: to go out and meet people and interact, instead of being, in a way, locked into one way of being, and maintain my Krishna consciousness at the same time,” he explained.
Over three generations of walking, Swami has observed the different ways in which people have lived, as well as the loss of good, old values. “There’s a lot of broken people and the family unit is not strong. The culture of commitment is also not very strong. I personally have seen the benefits in my life of the Krishna consciousness,” Swami elaborated. “It’s all about how you dress, how you carry yourself, how you behave and how you see the world.”
Swami has become sensitive to the environment and has enhanced his appreciation for the world more and more. He tries hard to see the sacredness behind everything, even in steel and concrete, believing that there is something divine in everything. He encourages people to envision the creator not in a limited way, as an old man sitting up in the clouds, but to see him as a beautiful, young creature, sharp and humble at the same time.
On one of Swami’s walking journeys, a man stopped and asked him how he, as a monk, sees the world. He answered with this: “What I’ve learned so much from being a Hare Krishna monk is that there are two things that we have an obligation towards: number one, we are meant to walk: from head to toe we are meant to take care of our physical self. Everything starts moving and the blood starts pumping the right way, the respiratory power gets used in the most optimum way, the nervous system gets satisfied, you get color from the sun, you get coolness from the moon, you take in the air and you feel textures and you get a fantastic sensation from that, and those are the kinds of things that we need.”
“Number two: human life is meant for cultivating your spiritual self. Spirituality is not just about doing some yoga, some poses, looking good and wearing tight clothes. It’s more about expressing kindness to everyone and addressing those little demons inside of you: the lust, the anger, the greed. We all know sex is on people’s minds, that’s fine. Krishna says ‘I am sex, which is not promiscuous, but is responsible sex.’ When it comes to greed, we all have wants and needs, but when a need becomes greed, then we know we’re overboard. I believe walking and meditating at the same time helps to calm down the tendency of getting angry, that’s what Krishna consciousness is all about. We all know that we leave this body, make an exit and expire, so is there any preparation for that? Yes, get clean. Clean the heart and work on those little demons inside. Do that, and you can love and you will be loved. If you’re just a bag of emotions, there will always be something wrong.”
Swami promotes the green lifestyle. If you’re walking to places, that means that you’re supporting the Green Movement: not emitting gas or contributing to the ugliness of the country side, but being friendly to the environment and doing what’s natural and organic. His treks usually take six months at a time, goes through three to four pairs of shoes on each journey and rests about every 14 miles. Not only is he doing this particular walk from the east coast to the west coast in the United States for his own spiritual development, but also as a celebration for his guru, who came to the west coast in 1967 and introduced the mantra chanting.
Swami is none to impressed with the roads of Amador County, which he quoted were the worst roads he has ever walked on in America. “These roads up here are horribly narrow and have no accommodation for pedestrians whatsoever, and I feel so bad for the families who live on these roads. A security guard from the casino picked me up on New York Ranch Road and I told him that it was the worst road in America, not pedestrian or family-friendly.”
Swami finishes his 6-month trek across the nation in 10 days, completing it when he arrives in San Francisco. If you are interested in meeting him, he will be doing a program at Detert Park on Saturday at 10 a.m., where he will share some of his stories, teach meditation and open up to public questions at the end. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to meet and talk with The Walking Monk. Potluck style dishes and refreshments are encourage to be brought and shared. Don’t forget to bring blankets or yoga mats to sit on!
You can follow him on his journeys on his Daily blog: thewalkingmonk.blogspot.com/, his website: thewalkingmonk.net, or his Facebook: facebook.com/thewalkingmonk.
“The whole idea is that our bodies are designed to walk. I want to encourage the walking culture, and not just walking, but introspective walking: walking while meditating. Sing it out like sacred sounds and chant a muntra with a tune or melody to it. It’s very therapeutic. Everything should be made within walking distance,” Swami noted. “We would be healthier and happier folks. If we paid a little more attention to our spiritual life, we’d be happier, that’s all. And everybody wants happiness. I firmly believe that if you walk, you rock!”
Source: https://goo.gl/wcGKqT
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