{"id":2803,"date":"2016-10-05T12:01:52","date_gmt":"2016-10-05T06:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.padayatra.com\/?p=2803"},"modified":"2016-10-05T12:01:52","modified_gmt":"2016-10-05T06:31:52","slug":"2803-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.padayatra.com\/padayatra-new\/2803-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Walking Monk Diaries: From Butler, Pennsylvania to Seward, Nebraska (Center of America)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Born in 1952 in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, Bhaktimarga Swami (formerly John Peter Vis) adopted the monastic lifestyle of the Hare Krishna order in 1973. \u00a0Globally known for his \u201cCanwalk\u201d marathons, he achieved the remarkable feat of walking across the entire length of Canada from the west to east coast in 1996 which was detailed in the National Film Board of Canada\u2019s documentary, \u201cThe Longest Road\u201d. \u00a0Bhaktimarga Swami repeated the feat again in 2003 (this time from east to west), and yet again a third time (west to east) in 2007.<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, The Walking Monk recently finished his FOURTH trek across Canada in the summer of 2014 (Canwalk 4) which began in the spring of 2012. \u00a0With this “friend-raiser”, he is once again promoted pilgrimage and a more car-free, care-free lifestyle. \u00a0In addition to Canada he has also walked across the countries of Ireland, Israel, Fiji Islands, Mauritius, Trinidad and Guyana.<\/p>\n

Bhaktimarga Swami is a member of ISKCON (The International Society for Krishna Consciousness) founded by his teacher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and is the GBC (Governing Body Commissioner) for ISKCON Canada.<\/p>\n

In addition to marathon walking and administrative duties, Bhaktimarga Swami is an instructor of Bhakti Yoga (devotion to the Divine) and mantra meditation.\u00a0 He is also a playwright, producer and director of live avant garde \u201cmorality theatre\u201d, whose captivating works based on tales from ancient India are performed regularly across the globe. In his productions, The Walking Monk regularly engages youth from the global communities he visits in this \u201center-lightenment\u201d designed to uplift the spirit.<\/p>\n

Below are several inspiring extracts from Bhaktimarga Swami\u2019s \u2018Walking Monk Diaries\u2019 along with some photographs of his journeys.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wednesday, May 11th, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Butler, Pennsylvania<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Mark rolled down his window in the passenger seat, Junior, the driver,<\/p>\n

came to a full stop.<\/p>\n

“Are you really a monk?”<\/p>\n

“Yes.”<\/p>\n

The two men hurriedly came out of their vehicle to see and talk with me on<\/p>\n

this first day in reconvening my United States walk.\u00a0 The conversation went<\/p>\n

slightly crazy as the two were arguing who the better ‘fix-it-man’ was<\/p>\n

between them.\u00a0 Generally, they held their own courtesy and shook hands with<\/p>\n

me at least eight times each.\u00a0 One of them even asked for pardon when he<\/p>\n

almost breathed out a foul word.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I was rather astounded to see how these simple fellows had become a bit<\/p>\n

tamed before a monk.\u00a0 After the multitude of hand shakes these two country<\/p>\n

boys ended up doing pranams (folded palms), when in the beginning they had<\/p>\n

expressed never having a God experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thursday, <\/strong>May <\/strong>12th, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Castle, Pennsylvania<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first-page article of the local paper covered the story with caption,<\/p>\n

“Walking Monk Visits the Area”, by reporter, Nancy Loury.\u00a0 Motorists do<\/p>\n

seem to read their paper.\u00a0 Among them, a very elderly man, drove down the<\/p>\n

road ever so slow, and with his window rolled down.\u00a0 As he got close to me,<\/p>\n

he slowed down considerably more.\u00a0 He turned his head much like an owl<\/p>\n

would, and said, “Thank you.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of the few persons to not be up on the news was a police officer, “Are<\/p>\n

you looking for something?” he asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No, I’m just trekking on my way to San Francisco.”\u00a0 He shook his head in a<\/p>\n

comedic disbelief manner.\u00a0 It was priceless.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Saturday, May 14th, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Warren, Ohio<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I had been giving some talks, ‘Tails from Trails’, during this journey.\u00a0 At<\/p>\n

question time, I’m asked, “Why are you walking across the USA?”\u00a0 I would<\/p>\n

answer by stealing a line from Donald Trump, “To Make America Great<\/p>\n

Again”.\u00a0 That line usually brings down the house.\u00a0 At least it gives a good<\/p>\n

laugh.\u00a0 In this area of Warren, I walked by the memorial of McKinley, one<\/p>\n

of the US presidents who was assassinated way back when.\u00a0 On this walk, I<\/p>\n

trekked through towns of other presidents like Ronald Regan, and the<\/p>\n

hometowns of celebrities like Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But to revert back to the question, “Why the walk?”, two answers.\u00a0 To<\/p>\n

encourage a slower pace of life; as Gandhi once said, “Simple living and<\/p>\n

high thinking.”\u00a0 Second reason is this walk is a celebration to honour 50<\/p>\n

years of the Hare Krishna movement and its Founder Acharya, His Divine<\/p>\n

Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thursday, June 2nd, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Toledo, Ohio<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Can you teach me how to *fat*?”\u00a0 The young African American meant,<\/p>\n

‘fight’, assuming that all monks know martial arts.\u00a0 I told him I could<\/p>\n

teach him how to avoid fighting, and how to lead the lifestyle of<\/p>\n

gentleness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Whenever you need to defend,” I said, “use wisdom before you use the<\/p>\n

weapon.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I received an email from a senior monastic brother, Jayadwaita Swami.\u00a0 I<\/p>\n

was elated to read this:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Well, you’re doing the healthiest thing in the world – and making a<\/p>\n

valuable spiritual contribution by your example.\u00a0 Happy walking and happy<\/p>\n

chanting.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now how would anyone feel after such encouraging words?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wednesday, June 8th, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bristol, Indiana<\/strong><\/p>\n

The theme of the day was like the lines from Simon and Garfunkle’s song<\/p>\n

which goes, “Slow down, you move too fast, you’ve gotta make the mornin’<\/p>\n

last…\u00a0 Hello lamp post, whatchya knowin’…”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One man with a corporate appearance pulled over in his vehicle and asked if<\/p>\n

I could share some wisdom.\u00a0 Two things I offered to deliver.\u00a0 1 – Human<\/p>\n

beings are meant for walking.\u00a0 2 – Humans are meant for spiritual life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I met up with a middle aged woman when her trail and my trail converged.\u00a0 I<\/p>\n

asked her if she walks every day and why.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I walk every day because I want to be fit to serve the Lord and others.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I believe she came up with a perfect answer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tuesday, June 14th, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary, Indiana<\/strong><\/p>\n

This city has seen better days.\u00a0 It reflects elements of Kali Yuga.<\/p>\n

However, it’s at such places that it’s easy to make friends.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I met Jim sitting in front of a barber shop.\u00a0 I introduced myself as a<\/p>\n

pilgrim, a Hare Krishna monk.\u00a0 I told him I’m walking the US, and all the<\/p>\n

way to San Francisco.\u00a0 I also mentioned that his hood (neighbourhood) has a<\/p>\n

lot of people who walk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Hey man,” said Jim, “when you’re on an overdose, you won’t be drivin’ a<\/p>\n

car, you know what I mean?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The one food item that keeps me going for long hours is the juice of the<\/p>\n

wild mulberry trees.\u00a0 You get tired at times, and thirsty as well, and your<\/p>\n

support person isn’t always around with a van, and you sweat profusely with<\/p>\n

the salt coming through your clothes ending up as swirls of white.\u00a0 It gets<\/p>\n

hot, but this is an offer of love to our guru, Srila Prabhupada.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday, June 23rd, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chicago, Illinois<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I’m trekking at a distance of 20 miles (34 kilometres).\u00a0 I walked a stretch<\/p>\n

of the trail along Lake Michigan, one of those Great Lakes, and I would go<\/p>\n

for the occasional swim.\u00a0 I was not alone, a group of *brahmacharis* (monks)<\/p>\n

from the Lunt Avenue Temple\/Ashram joined me.\u00a0 The experience of good<\/p>\n

company is always a boost for me.\u00a0 It is a type of *sangha*, spiritual<\/p>\n

company, that makes the life that is Krishna Conscious.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My second installment of walkers for the day were from the Youth Bus Tour<\/p>\n

originating from Florida under the able guidance of Manorama Das.\u00a0 My<\/p>\n

message to them at the final step at a pier and a lighthouse was, “Try to<\/p>\n

see everything as Krishna being present, such as we read about in the 10th<\/p>\n

chapter of Bhagavad Gita.\u00a0 Try to absorb the power of the waves by the<\/p>\n

lake, the smells in the air, the feel of the wind.\u00a0 This is the Krishna<\/p>\n

factor.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sunday, July 3rd, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atkinson, Illinois<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The Trip Monk”<\/p>\n

“He’s a Trip Monk”, read the caption of The News Tribune, for an article by<\/p>\n

Ben Hohenstatt.<\/p>\n

“If you saw a man with a shaved head in orange robes in Illinois Valley<\/p>\n

Thursday, that wasn’t an oddly dressed flagger…\u00a0 ‘The walk is to<\/p>\n

encourage people to have a workout and a work in,’ the 63-year-old monk<\/p>\n

said.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Introspection!\u00a0 Looking within!\u00a0 To make internal inventory!\u00a0 These are my<\/p>\n

messages to the public and the media.\u00a0 And as I was nearing the end the<\/p>\n

state of Illinois, I was relishing the charm that came at me as Krishna’s<\/p>\n

mercy.\u00a0 My support guy, Gopal Keller, discovered a world heritage site,<\/p>\n

‘The Illinois and Michigan State Trail’, a walkway along an ancient canal.<\/p>\n

This location and then Hennepin Canal Trail, had practically covered the<\/p>\n

whole state.\u00a0 I was in nature’s charm and relieved from fighting traffic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Friday, July 8th, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hills, Iowa<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iowa is full of corn.\u00a0 I grew up amidst corn fields.\u00a0 “I feel at home,” I<\/p>\n

told Emily of the Muscatine Journal.\u00a0 She later quoted me, “The swami said<\/p>\n

cars have caused a disconnect among people, also saying that they had made<\/p>\n

us cold, callous, and creating a loss in neighbourliness.\u00a0\u00a0 He hopes that<\/p>\n

the universal understanding about walking will help people’s spiritual<\/p>\n

awareness.”\u00a0 She informed through her article that I was a Bhakti Yoga<\/p>\n

instructor.\u00a0 Bhakti is the spirit of love for the Creator, and the practice<\/p>\n

of it has roots in India.\u00a0 It is the spirit that like the Mississippi River<\/p>\n

(which I just walked) flows.\u00a0 And it flows through all people, countries,<\/p>\n

and races.\u00a0 Additionally, the article mentioned that I’m a member of the<\/p>\n

International Society for Krishna Consciousness.\u00a0 Yes, I am, Emily,<\/p>\n

proudly, and thank you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tuesday, July 12th, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Williamsburg, Iowa<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rains came down for hours and I was holding up the umbrella while<\/p>\n

trekking.\u00a0 After some time I found it cumbersome to hold onto it, so I just<\/p>\n

let the rain and the wind do what they wanted to do.\u00a0 Instead of resisting<\/p>\n

I chose to accept and free myself from those elements.\u00a0 You can get to a<\/p>\n

point where you realize, “I am not this body, I’m actually a spirit – a<\/p>\n

spirit in motion.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now, this was the one day I wore civilian clothes, shirt, and pants.\u00a0 When<\/p>\n

raining profusely my traditional garb sometimes tears, so I decided to<\/p>\n

forgo it until sunshine came in.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An officer pulls over. “He can’t get me for wearing orange,” I thought.<\/p>\n

That’s what convicts wear in prison.\u00a0 He said he got a call from someone<\/p>\n

said there’s a person walking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You’re walking near the mental institute,” said the officer.\u00a0 He was<\/p>\n

apologetic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cherry Hills, Nebraska<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’m nearing the end of the first half of the US walk, and I will finish at<\/p>\n

a place called Seward, Nebraska.\u00a0 Part Two of the US walk in honour of<\/p>\n

Iskcon 50 will commence in May of 2017.\u00a0 Most days I walked 20 miles.\u00a0 Many<\/p>\n

evenings I would have speaking engagements, always meeting and elaborating<\/p>\n

on the divine words of Srila Prabhupada from scripture, from the Bhagavad<\/p>\n

Gita, or from the book, Krishna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, to<\/p>\n

communities all over America where there’s interest in devotion.\u00a0 The<\/p>\n

Gurjurati community especially helped to give my team a place to stay where<\/p>\n

there were no temples.\u00a0 We did not have to camp out one night, although I’d<\/p>\n

enjoy the out of door sleeping.\u00a0 My support team of individuals, who came<\/p>\n

mostly in shifts, were all second generation men – Gopal Keller, Abhimanyu<\/p>\n

Arjuan, Uttamananda, and Mandala.\u00a0 Near the end of this summer trek,<\/p>\n

Mandala and I had experimented on nighttime trekking, it was for one good<\/p>\n

reason – the daytime was unbearable with heat.\u00a0 I would begin walking by 9<\/p>\n

PM and finish by 3:30 AM on some days.\u00a0 We exercised some tapasya in this<\/p>\n

regard.\u00a0 Yes, it has been a steamy summer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A marvelous devotee from Cleveland, Renee, by name, lent us her vehicle for<\/p>\n

this stretch through the US, the Midwest, where people have been good \u00a0us. Thank you, Renee.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I hang up my shoes for some months and will revisit them when it is time<\/p>\n

to hit the road to make our way to San Francisco to celebrate the first<\/p>\n

Chariot Fest, Ratha Yatra for its golden jubilee.\u00a0 It will also coincide<\/p>\n

with a half century of the summer of love.<\/p>\n

Love?\u00a0 What kind of love?\u00a0 For the love of Krishna, of course.<\/p>\n

May the Source be with you!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bhaktimarga Swami<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you would like to follow the \u2018Walking Monk Diaries\u2019 click on the link below to Bhaktimarg Swami\u2019s blog\u00a0:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.thewalkingmonk.blogspot.ca\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n