Monday, July 7th, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

 

From Big to Little City

 

The annual visit from the group Encounter happened today.  Putting into practice their purpose, as the name implies, the organization arranges to connect with others, particularly faith groups of different kinds.  'Learning,' I imagine is a key word.

 

The questions from the group of 50 flowed like one of those many gushing streams of water I had just seen in BC during my cross-country walk.  In fact the group was very curious about the pilgrimages I've taken, as they were curious about the lady on the altar with the fluffy white thing she was moving about.  That 'thing' is called a chamara and it is used as part of our ritual.  A chamara is a Yak tail with a fancy handle.  They were also keen to know about the Beatle's involvement in Eastern mysticism, Krishna Consciousness, and in our founder, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.  The group sang from the heart in our chanting session, then relished the veg feast which the devotees had prepared.  What a great group of inquisitiveness they are.

 

Part two of my day was spent in Owen Sound, a very relaxed and smart-looking little city where I'll spend 3 days rehearsing with young guys aged 12 to 18 for a road show that travels across Canada.

Rajesh and Alpa, my hosts, are always enthusiastic about Krishna Conscious activities.  We trekked the downtown as we chanted on our beads.  Rajesh's unrealistic but eager remark was, "Maharaj, you just stay in our town forever."  My thought was, "I'd like to but I'm a swami and swamis are nomadic.  They just keep rockin' and rolling"
  

May the Source be with you!

 

5 KM

Sunday, July 6th, 2014

Montreal, Quebec

 

Shades in Montreal 

 

 

Curvy stairs, cigarette butts, gray cats, plantain greens, well-worn sidewalks, and trees of optimum shades, with three and four-storied European-touch residences are what we saw in our brief trek of Montreal's East Side.  Early-bird devotees and I walked and warmed up to the actual big event of the weekend in our community, the Chariot Festival.

 

Surely we do not rival in numbers to the attendance of the city's Jazz Festival, the largest in the world.  But with our most modest figures we do end up with a happy bunch of hundreds of people at least.  That number starts to swell at Jeanne Mance Park for the free food - vegetarian fare of course, and which is blessed by brahmins (priests).

 

Clouds were burned and blown by sun and wind.  The sun-god Surya wanted to be present, so it seemed, when our happy bunch in colourful exotic clothes came singing up a storm of mantras on Saint Laurent Street.  After the procession I put on my drama cap to stage the play Little Big Ramayan.  That performance, executed proudly in French, just happened to be the biggest draw of the whole day.

 

A big part of my personal portfolio is drama.  Some people may wonder if there is some compatibility between marathon walking and theatre.  When I walk I meet people.  I observe their personality, hear them speak and hence I learn so much about an individual's nature.  This is the best teaching tool.  You go out, you meet people, and you observe all the various shades, colours, and moods.  It is very entertaining and it is interesting to see how the Supreme has wired everyone in a unique way.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

6 KM

Saturday, July 5th, 2014

Montreal, Quebec

 

Streets and Parks

 

 

I'm not sure that 'craving' is the right word to describe what my two walking companions are feeling.  After a full day at Jeanne Mance Park at the base of Mount Royal between mingling with people and manning the book table at Festival of India, Karuna and Hayagriva, two young monks, asked me if the three of us could trek back.  At least it's desire.

 

It was the most perfect day, weather-wise; we had sun, a breeze and in the mid-twenties celsius temperature.  Couldn't be better!

 

'Trekking back' meant instead of catching a ride, as none of us have a vehicle although equipped with driving skills, we decided to make it to the ashram on Pie IX Blvd to catch our night's rest.  Are my two companions hooked on walking?  In the case of Hayagriva who told me, "I try to walk for two hours a day."  Karuna, well he said much the same.  I'm glad I'm of some mini influence in their lives.

Our trek back routed us through pedestrian-warm streets and through parks.  I notice wherever I go more people are turning 'Vedic.'  They see us and say, "Namaste!" or "Hare Krishna!" or when we took to the sidewalk in Parc du Fontaine where older folks were at play with a game, 'Petangue,' some younger guys actually sang our song.  At least you see eyebrows raise when three saffron clad blokes pass by coming from shirtless men and tight-attired women culture.  One fellow who identified himself as 'Bhisma' was a former Krishna practitioner addressed us.  He was open about his cigar smoking.  "No need to be apologetic," I said.  We're not going to judge just by some deviation.

Yes, Saturday evenings, in the adjoining downtown of Montreal is the place to be for almost anyone and especially for a group of three us monks.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

8 KM

Friday, July 4th, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

 

Community

 

 

"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.  I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live."

 

The above quote is from George Bernard Shaw.  I copied this quote affixed to a pedestrian bridge on my walking trail across the country.  For many who read this, it should resonate well.  How can we live without community?

 

The community efforts for me this very day entails a trip to Montreal where our drama team members from Toronto will embark on the journey of entertaining the crowds at the annual Chariot Festival.

 

If walking can be a spiritual venture because of the divine intent behind it then anything you do, even theatre can be spiritually experiential when the objective is divine.  Any endeavour, provided it has a divine connection, can serve to liberate the participant by dint of devotion.  As humans we have either the obligation or the opportunity, whichever way you wish to approach it, to make the connection.  Think in terms of raising the consciousness.  Start with this intent or desire and best is to work with others, as in community, and be successful.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

3 KM

Thursday, July 3rd, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

Reflections Of


In my afternoon stroll, a break from desk work, the most prominent and endearing thoughts and words of that walk with Patrick, I thought I would share. 

·         Gratitude for the unpaved trails in the city.
·         Let’s keep in the shade as much as possible on this steamy day.
·         There are hundreds of berry trees in this city, Saskatoons and mulberries, ripe and ready, and we sample them.
·         People are darned friendly on the trail.  The green brings out the best.
·         Thoughts of gratitude for Daruka and Karuna who were with me in the just completed 4 th walk across Canada.
·         A  park bench so inviting that can lead to a 7 minute lie down while Patrick chanted some mantras.
·         I have hardly a clue what’s going on socially and politically in the world due to being away from it all – walking.  No regrets – in fact, ignorance is bliss.
·         I find myself fortunate when occupied in soft chanting.  Others on this trail don’t have this experience.
·         Upon seeing me, a runner offers pranams (palms together). This I accept on behalf of guru.  I reciprocate with his gesture on the same point.
·         Patrick’s joke:  What did the one cannibal say to the other when he showed up late for dinner?  Answer – Everyone’s eaten. 

May the Source be with you!

8 KM

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014

Toronto, Ontario

 

When a Blessing Works

 

 

It was considerate of Mathieu and Krishna Dulal to drive me back to home base from Ottawa.  My most and least favourite modes of transportation, namely walking and bussing, were not the preferred options.  Off to Highway 7 (in Ontario) we went by conventional car.  Bless those two guys.  I’m home, I think.  Sometimes I’m convinced the road is my home. 

 

I did fortuitously meet some great folks that asked for blessings today.  I meant to say it was not my intent to meet these people who asked for some benedictions.  Some hours after Matheiu and K. Dulal dropped me off, I dashed for the first opportunity to move my legs.  I went south on Yonge Street.  I was softly chanting on my beads.  While exposing those beads I passed by a pub and a trio of people sat at sipping beer.  There was no window to bar me from communicating with them as it was an open concept pub.  When the woman said, “Oh, a rosary,” this was an opportunity.  I stopped at the remark and backtracked about three steps to address it. 

 

“Actually, these are what’s actually called japa mala.”

 

“That’s interesting,” she said. 

 

“Yes, Hindu and Buddhist followers use these with 108 beads on each strand.  If you’re Catholic, it’s a rosary with 54 beads.”

 

“You pray something different on each bead?” the woman persisted with curiosity.

 

“Basically, you stick to one mantra which you repeat for each bead.”

 

One of the men said, “Well, God bless you.” 

 

The woman said, “Can you bless us?”

 

I bore my right hand facing them, as is done in a Vedic blessing, “God bless you.”  They nodded.  I went about my way. 

 

For that, I believe I got blessed.  Not but three minutes later, I heard a voice behind me calling my name.  I knew the voice.  It came from Haridas, my spirit or godbrother.  From here on, we continued the trek on Yonge, chatting and chanting.  Meeting him was a good omen.  I believe to have received a blessing from the threesome. 

 

May the Source be with you. 

 

6 KM

Tuesday, July 1st, 2014

Ottawa, Ontario

Chanting in Freedom

Perhaps for a good square mile or two, around the Parliament Buildings, it becomes like China, very congested.  It’s not normally this way.  It’s the nation’s birthday, and so you have a convergence of people in on the celebration.

For a different spin on walking and chanting, Karuna and I, who are accustomed to switch-backing in the mountainous roads of British Columbia for the last month, now found ourselves in an urban setting weaving through people.  Our destination was a spot near Parliament, an allocated area for our kirtan (chanting) set up.  Each year our boys from Ottawa make it to this cozy outside place at 5 AM to set up a mini stage, awnings, and sound system. 

Slowly, Karuna and I, managed our way to that special site, after meandering through people outside and inside; through the Rideau Shopping Mall, through Sears Department Store and so on.   Through the crowds and through the noise (mostly happy noise), pass the buskers, with their acrobats, fire eating and whatnot, and past the multiple musicians of various genres, we attempted transcendence with our mantras, as we worked our fingers through our mala beads.  It was crazy as we cruised.

Finally, we reached our destination and I ascended the stage for leading the song on this Canada Day:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

People danced as our drums, both mrdanga and djembe, rolled.  It was very fitting.  We were expressing who we are and we were celebrating the freedom to do so.   When I wasn’t chanting, I had an opportunity to meet people.  I met folks from Iran and Iraq (now emigrated).  They are baffled by this freedom. 

May the Source be with you!

9 KM

Monday, June 30th, 2014

Ottawa, Ontario

The Microphone and Camera


The microphone and camera were right there, in front of me.  The interviewer asked how I made out on the flight from Vancouver.  Serious problems arose from the hydraulics on Air Canada. 

I answered, “Everything was quite calm.  The pilot was updating the passengers in a very reassuring tone.”

Question, “How did you react when you were informed about the mechanical difficulties?”

“It gave me the opportunity to be more meditative, to chant more mantras for protection.”

Question, “What are you doing in Ottawa?”

“I came  to visit to participate in the Canada Day festivities along with the Krishna community here.”

Question, “Is it good to have your feet back on the ground?”

“Yes, I just completed my fourth walk across Canada, and so I’m very much a man of the ground.”

Interviewer, “Thank you very much.”

“Thank you, and enjoy the day to come.”

This night I couldn’t sleep, not until 2 AM.  The reason – I hadn’t walked today.  I wasn’t tired enough.  This night (I found out later) the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) aired the interview on the 11 PM news. 

During my attempt to sleep, I decided to phone Dana, my friend, who has covered over 18,000 km on foot over the Trans Canada Trail.  His spirit is always up, even though he just recovered from a case of Beaver Fever in the hospital.  It was great to share with him, once again, over the phone, the joys of walking. 

I miss the road, and the people.  Don’t let your spirits get you down, ever.  I think of my guru in this regard. 

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

Sunday, June 29th, 2014

Burnaby, British Columbia

 

Not the End

 

 

It was a few minutes after 4 that I woke up for the last leg of the Fourth walk across Canada.  I woke up Karuna who like a real trooper is habituated to morning trekking.  I let Daruka sleep in for a well-deserved one, considering it's also a less-demanding day with a mere 22 kilometres to go.

 

I was determined to make this a quiet finish as far as a marathon pilgrimage is concerned.  It doesn't require a big hoopla necessarily.  It's a walk for peace afterall - inner peace.  And the walking is only meant to continue.

 

From Akrura's home in Surrey Karuna and I had set out to make a few turns and twists on various streets and a stepping on yet another bridge, the Patulla, to New Westminister and then Burnaby.  Once entering Burnaby the sights and buildings began to be familiar to me as this is where I generally trek when I visit Burnaby.  

 

One way I thought we could celebrate however, in the most wholesome and calm way was just test out some of the wild berries lined along the street along the stretch.  Generally I go for touching the ocean nearest when putting an apparent closure to such a pilgrimage.  The Pacific is but a few clicks (kilometres) away but I vied for taking the final steps to the lotus feet of Krishna deities this time around and the ISKCON temple in the heart of Burnaby.

 

The very final steps was actually a full obeisance (prostration) before the magnanimous avatar of Krishna, Sri Chaitanya, who was a popular mover of legs - a pilgrim himself - in early 16th century India.  My heart did indeed melt momentarily as I glanced at the smiling brass image of the Chaitanya deity.  There is power in the deity.  I could feel it, especially now.

 

As I was peering at the deity a hazy but sublime backdrop of mountain, trees, semi-deserts and prairies super-imposed itself.  "It's all one!" yogis often say.  For me the elements and the elemental source are one.  They are also different.  Creator and creation shine together and also apart.

 

While it's been one big-time adventure once again trekking a great piece of the globe, Canada, I ventured through this land with its multiple eco-systems seeing it in awe and offering it a service.  As I play a small role in massaging the land's hard and soft surfaces I know that mutually my very bottoms (the feet) got a treat.

 

I lost some pounds.  I lost some karma.  From trees we learn tolerance; from wind, creativity; from water, gravity; from the sun and moon, energy and from people, hospitality and kindness.

 

Thank you all donors in cash and in kind.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

22 KM

Saturday, June 28th, 2014

Surrey, British Columbia

 

Walk, Drive, Dance

 

 

Karuna and I started from Pitt Meadows.  Led in his hand with a Rogers Samsung phone, Karuna had navigated us through pedestrian-friendly streets.  The day began with drizzle from the sky as our walk included a long trek over the Golden Ears Bridge which arches over the Fraser River.  Overcast it has been for one more morning.  The both of us see this as mercy from Krishna.  It's so much easier to trek in conditions that are moderate as we made our way to the home of Akrura in Surrey.

 

Kindness is what spurs you on and Akrura, a world traveller and bhakti-yoga teacher, is always good to me.  For accommodation and now giving our CanWalk team a ride to Ashcroft, he demonstrates his good-heartedness.  The event of the day is the Chariot Festival, a re-enactment of the big-draw celebrations held in Puri, India for centuries.  In fact today, by lunar calendar, the anniversary of this colourful event falls on this very day.

 

Members of the Govardhana School Academy presented this great drama.  And a special highlight for me was the garden-fresh food, prasadam.  It's blessed.  The program also involves a procession, so guess who had the opportunity to put on an extra two kilometres of walking?

 

Anyways, no problem!  These legs are on a roll.  I did have the good fortune to use different leg muscles when it came time to leading the kirtan chant and dance.  It was obvious that some participants were not used to moving (in dance).  Stiffness is a predominant feature of today, but for all those who attempted to thaw and loosen up for dancing, I honour them and respect the great effort.  Effort is always devotional, especially when done for the Absolute, for Jagannath, the Incredible Force.

 

I want to thank Manu for his classical dance piece executed on the rustic stage by the side of a mountain slope overlooking a tranquil lake at Saranagati village.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

16 KM

Friday, June 27th, 2014

Maple Ridge, British Columbia

 

Monk at Mission

 

 

Highway 7 was gritting our brains – dense traffic, speed, unsafe, noisy.  Any alternative would do.  My assistant, Nitai Priya, here on the west coast, searched on Google maps, to find a quieter more straight and direct route – the Dewdney Trunk Road.

 

Karuna Sindhu and I loved the idea and headed for peace, until the Dewdney itself became uproarious and then merged with highway 7.

 

As was done on the previous day, Daruka, with his well-focused networking abilities, made friends with yoga people and so we had, within hours, company of the nicest group at the Iron Lotus headed by Laura and Josh in the city of Mission.

 

Mission is an interesting place.  As we were told there are a number of people in town dressed as monks.  Some come across as mere beggars and/or could be inwardly challenged in some way.  When I was spotted going down Main Street the question came, “Is he a genuine monk or a fake?”  A philosophical answer to the question can be, “You really don’t know until he opens his mouth.”

 

May the Source be with you!

 

33 KM

Thursday, June 26th, 2014

Mission, British Columbia

 

With Hope

 

 

Yes, I’d been here before – this route.  Hwy 7 is as usual, beginning from Mission, busier than ever.  From the east side is an impressive tower on top of a mountain with adjoining edifices – a Christian monastery.  And yes, to my right as I go westward, stands a permanent Gurudwar.

 

Of course, you have the common iconic this-century structures that mean a practical ‘much’ to people – Rona (the home centre), Best Western (the hotel), and Superstore (where all exists to take care of grocery needs).

 

As mentioned, traffic is crazy and you appear to be the only person in the world that is walking (and chanting).

 

By evening a backtracking to Hope, by car, was a neat obligation to fulfill.  Kevin, a young yoga teacher, who hails from Thompson, Manitoba, invited us for a presentation at his yoga studio.  A couple of cyclists from Calgary heard about the program and came to hear about our devotional endeavours on the road.  Nicole, from Sunshine Valley, heard of the event and also saw me walking past her house so she put two and two together and came.  Other real nice, good-listener folks came to grace us with their down-home type of presence.

 

I had passed through Hope zillions of times, on foot or via car and acquired an impression of the place only because it’s a major junction leading to many roads.  Tonight we stopped and got happily familiar with some of the citizens through chatting and chanting with them

 

May the Source be with you!

 

33 KM