Wednesday, June 15th, 2016

Wednesday, June 15^th, 2016

East Chicago, Illinois

To the Windy City

Cottonwood fluffs move in space.  I try to catch one as it's heading towards me.  I find them hard to grasp.  A light gust maneuvers it in another direction.

Why do I do it?

I suppose I'm testing my flexibility.  You walk a straight line and keep to that 'straight and narrow' trajectory in order to make steady progress, but it's also good to break that pattern and relieve yourself from the robotic movement.  You just have to make sure you don't step into traffic.

One thing I did run into was some drama.  While walking in East Chicago-- residential territory-- two police officers pulled up to the call of emergency.  By the time I reached the apartment building, where police had gathered, a woman in tight and provocative attire shouted, "He touched me!" while pointing to the accused.  The accuser shrugged his shoulders.

I wasn't going to stay around.  I kept trekking.  She continued on in accusing with raised voice.  The drama wore on.  Her voice grew faint as I stepped on.

Ahhh!  Another milestone!  I came upon the state of Illinois.  It dawned on me.  Uttama, who was by my side for a stretch, and I had the joint companionship of Lake Michigan to our right.  The sun is bright but the waters are cooling - offering a breeze.  Ticks and biting flies disturb our rest on the grass.  I braved the lake, pristine and cool.  The swim was on my list of needs.

May the Source be with you!

8 miles

Tuesday, June 14th, 2016

Tuesday, June 14^th, 2016

Gary, Indiana

Down A Mulberry Trail

When I see a ripened mulberry tree, which is frequent enough, I do what my siblings and I did throught our orchard summer days.  I pluck at the fruit.  Some of the sweetened morsels stain my kurta (shirt).  Add that to the swirling formations of body-salt coming through from the sweat, and you come up with the copy of a cheap tie-dye job.  Despite all, I manage to, or try to, look neat and fresh on the job.  It’s always the reputation of your guru that’s at stake.  Never act or dress like a slob.

Incidentally, when I left the mulberry tree and beach, residential territory behind, I came closer to Gary, Indiana’s neighbourhoods.  I found it easy to befriend people.  One area, which was particularly socially-challenged, expressed its disposition like this:

I stepped over to a man, who was sitting in front of a barber shop.  We shook hands and I told him I’m walking to San Francisco.  Jim was his name.  I told Jim that this “hood” has a lot of people who walk.

“Hey, man,” says Jim, “when you’re on an overdose you won’t be driving a car.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”  It hearkened a sad laughter.

I also came upon a police officer, a woman, who was parked at a boarded-up, old gas station, which was adjacent to an abandoned shop, at the intersection where a stop light is no longer functional.  I wanted to let her know what I’m doing and why I’m here.  I stood right by her squad car with her in it, forever.  She ignored me and kept at her computer.  I left.  I asked myself, “Is everything dysfunctional?”

May the Source be with you!

20 miles

Monday, June 13th, 2016

Monday, June 13^th, 2016

Dunes at Lake Michigan, Indiana

Walk, Don’t Run!

There were an array of trails I did sojourn-- on the lakeshore of Michigan City, along dunes of some magnitude, then along the Calumet Trail, populated by puddles, and finally a stretch alongside Highway 12.

However, ZIP! Off we go to South Bend, back to Notre Dame University to meet Father Jim Bracke.  Our discussion was both light and grave.  I asked him about Martin Luther, the defected priest.

“That the Ecumenical Council II addressed this and admitted mistakes were made.”

I also asked him about the letter of the law, or going literal on scriptures but not on the spirit.  He confirmed that the spirit was more important.

I was also happy to hear that a men’s movement, of sorts, had arisen among the Catholics, concerning men taking more responsibility.

He had seen our style of beads (japa) before.  I was not there to preach, of course.  What was our team to tell him?  We were there to share, and in that light we offered him a copy of “Bhagavad-Gita As It Is.”

Now on my way to a massage appointment in Chicago, a woman at an intersection where I had crossed stopped her car and asked,

“Hey, honey, do me a favour.  Give me $2.50”

I could not share, because I hadn’t anything on me.

“You see, I’m a monk. I have nothing on me!”

“Really?”  She drove off.

Now Tony, who’s 62, did a good massage.  Once in a while he comes around to the Hare Krishna Temple to wash pots. When clients ask him about the best work-out, he shares a few things as follows:

1)    Walk, don’t run!

2)    Clean the house!

3)    Do some gardening!

4)    Eat veggies and greens

He was elated to work on my cross-country body.

“Ankle bones are perfect. That’s rare!”

And lastly, he remarked, “Your bones are dense, strong. That’s because you’re walking.”

May the Source be with you!

14 miles

Sunday, June 12th, 2016

Sunday, June 12^th, 2016

Michigan City, Indiana

Hunted

Catching our initial glimpse of Lake Michigan, one of those grandiose great lakes, put an acceleration in our step speed.  Uttama and I had trekked through the last of serene-form country before entering into this-- a world of cottages and their big draw-- the lake itself.

Going west was our route.  Once we came upon the lake, it was our determination to follow the shoreline as much as possible.  Who wouldn’t?

When navigation was switched over, between Uttama and Gopal, it was Gopal who became my walking companion.  One cyclist told us, “You’ve got the lake’s wind on your back.”  And so it was, a rather breezy, dynamic, and a not-too-hot amigo, in the form of wind, giving us blessings.

Now, before that experience, Gopal and I were puttering around, searching for a safe passage way to a more favourable trail.  While dodging the poison ivy, I noticed a poisonous copperhead snake we were about to accidentally step on.  It was a baby snake, and was conveniently camouflaged by its natural colourings.  Because he was small in size we didn’t take him too seriously, but he did expand his hood in defense, resembling a small cobra.

Personally, I found the whole affair exhausting, so I was pleased to find a “poison ivy free” path to a nicely shaded bike trail that seemed to stretch on for miles-- because it did.

May the Source be with you!

18 miles

Saturday, June 11th, 2016

Saturday, June 11^th, 2016

Elm Valley Road, Michigan

Sketches by Sitting Bull

It was a long haul, back-tracking to Ohio, Toledo to be specific, by mode of van transportation.  It was worth it, as we had a pre-arranged speaking engagement at a healing centre called “Ananya-Kai,”

People were transfixed, if not transported to the world of sacred walking, as I detailed my personal “Tales to Trails.”  There were a number of people who were already affiliated with the technique and tradition of kirtan, which was a component to my presentation.  These were also firm believers in past-life experiences, including a mother who was convinced her young boy was a victim of the Titanic.

Who knows?  Such things are possible!

As I said, it was a long drive there and back, but worth every minute of it.  The trip, however, cut into today’s walking, which amounted to a mere two hours.  We were off to nearby Niles (population 12,000) to see Debra Haight, of the town’s newspaper.  The interview was a few minutes shy of two hours, perhaps a record, and mutually we were enjoying every minute of that query and answer session.  She was very good at digging up background information.

Speaking of the past, in Nile you can stop by their quaint museum.  We heard that some original sketches are permanently on display by Chief Sitting Bull, and we found them awesome.  One of them I will feature on the walking monk instagram.

As written by Ernie LaPointe, about the grand warrior, “Sitting Bull: Tatanka Iyotake was a special person who cared for his people.  He suffered for them in the Sun Dance, fought for their survival, and gave everything he had for them.”

May the Source be with you!

5 miles

Friday, June 10th, 2016

Friday, June 10^th, 2016

West of South Bend, Indiana

In Around South Bend

Dave is a teacher from Buchanan, Michigan.  He teaches science in middle school.  We met while he was on his run, and me on my walk.

“Tell me about Hare Krishna.  I remember you guys in the movies at airports.”

“Well, we’re on the road now,” I said jokingly.

Motorists were responding to today’s article in the South Bend Tribune.  Under the heading “Monk Crossing USA on Foot” and sub-heading, “He touts meditative lifestyle by walking.”

The article is by Selena Ponio, and here we have it:

A distance of about 3,000 miles lies between New York City and San Francisco. People tackle this distance daily with planes or cars, but one man's goal is to savor every mile and meticulously chip away at it by using a different method of transportation — his Crocs.

Bhaktimarga Swami, fondly known as "The Walking Monk," passed through Mishawaka and South Bend on Thursday on his journey from New York City to San Francisco. Swami is completing this trip over two summers and is currently in its second phase. He walks 20 miles a day, all with the purpose of promoting a more introspective and ecologically friendly lifestyle.

Garnered in bright orange robes, Swami, a Hare Krishna monk, was anything but subtle as he walked west along Jefferson Boulevard, having departed from Elkhart earlier in the day. He said he believes walking solves a multitude of problems related to both physical and mental health and provides vital down-time dedicated to introspection.

"Your appreciation is enhanced and you're humbled by what you see because you're going through the elements," Swami said. "You develop a tougher skin when you're walking and at the same time your heart softens."

Born in Ontario, Canada, Swami has walked the entire length of Canada four times. He has also walked through other countries such as Ireland, Trinidad and Israel.

Swami occasionally has a support person with him or followers who join him briefly, but for the most part he walks alone. However, he said, from a spiritual perspective he never feels alone.

Swami said walking is important for its meditative qualities and also to allow time for an individual to reprocess a day's information. Speaking in front of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame, he related his advice to students, and said that learning should not just be an absorption of information, but a reiteration of it.

"Take a little time for exhalation, and that comes best in the form of walk," Swami said. "Before you're put in the world of action, before you lay it all before you ... reiterate what you've learned."

May the Source be with you!

21 miles

Thursday, June 9th, 2016

Thursday, June 9^th, 2016

Mishawaka, Indiana

Johnny, the Mechanic and Others

We met Johnny, the mechanic.  I couldn’t hear what he was saying over the traffic noise.  He was definitely addressing myself so I and Gopal decided to cross the street in order to make things audible.  While working on a vehicle he repeated himself, “That’s an interesting dress you got on!”

“They’re actually robes.  I’m a monk.”

“Oh, yeah!?  Are you on your way to the monastery?”

“Not really,” and then we explained.  He broke away from his work and we shook hands as best as we could through a meshed metal gate.  Uttama was near.  He parked the van and came over with two publications, one of them was “Chant and Be Happy,” he passed them over the fence to Johnny. Elated to receive them, he gave a $20 bill and said, “Get some water with that!”  He chuckled.

At the university campus of Notre Dame we paid a visit to the Basilica if the Sacred Heart.  The interior is awe-inspiring.  There we arranged to meet Selena Ponio of the “South Bend Tribune” for an interview.  She asked for the purpose behind the walk and that opened up to a deeper explanation than we presented to Johnny.  We had the time to do so.

“I’m doing this to encourage introspective walking and, when the opportunity arises, to speak about the secret combat,” the battle within-- with the demons inside: lust, anger, and greed.

Gopal and I ventured on for the last leg of today’s trek.  We left the sidewalk to enter a pub, but only to get some fluid-- water-- and to discharge. Otherwise I have no business being there.  Sure enough, we made friends.  Sitting at the bar was Dave.  He knew the protocol.

“Namaste!”  He said and put together his palms spontaneously.

May the Source be with you!

21 miles

Wednesday, June 8th, 2016

Wednesday, June 8^th, 2016

Bristol, Indiana

Slow Down!

The theme of the day was like the lines from Simon and Garfunkel's song which goes, "Slow down, you move too fast.  You've got to make the mornin' last...Hello, lamp-post, whatcha knowin'..."

As Uttama and I approached the area of Bristol we witnessed quite the frenzy and frequency of cars zipping by.  The sudden drench of rain didn't slow down traffic, nor did it slow me down.  Uttama vied for standing under a tree but I know from experience that you're better to keep going because that means keeping warm.  Fortunately Gopal came with the van to fetch Uttama.  I stayed on and I witnessed, once again, the fast pace of life.

One man, with that corporate appearance, pulled over and asked if I could share some wisdom.  My response, "We're human and we're meant for walking and being spiritual."

The fellow said, "In this area, where there are the Amish, they insist on a slower pace of life."  And that is so because in the madness of traffic the Amish of the old order passed by me with horse and buggy.  It is totally accepted by the big truck people and the young guys in Cameros - they slow down.  I might also add, that the Amish ride in style.

Later I met a sweet young woman in her middle-age who was walking, and we converged at the same juncture on highway 120.  She spoke about her philosophy, "I walk every day because I want to be fit to serve the Lord and others."

"Good girl!" I thought.  She hit it, spot on.  She was going at the speed of 3 miles per hour - my speed.  It is a pace that’s more calm than all the traffic.  Keep singin' it, Simon and Garfunkel.

May the Source be with you!

20 miles

Tuesday, June 7th, 2016

Tuesday, June 7^th, 2016

Howe, Indiana

We Were Proud

We were proud of the fact that Uttama and I, with Gopal's driving help, were able to kickstart today's trek before 4 AM.  A chill set in overnight, but that's what compels one to walk faster.  We moved at a desirable clip.  When there is a cool snap throughout the day, your bodily intake changes.  You get hungry, as opposed to thirsty.

Lightly salted peanuts has always been a favourite snack on these long treks.  They are cheap, delicious, protein-powered, and they make you feel grounded.  If organic – that’s the best.

I share delectable items with those who travel with me.  For lunch it is left-over items - today we had avocado/olive sandwiches.  I gave Uttama my thumbs-up on his creation.  It goes down so well in as much as the spaghetti did at supper-time, prepared by the same chef. 

It is Chandrashekar, 64, my godbrother from the area that gave us a family summer cottage for three days as our rendezvous and rest stop at night.  We relax at this Harrison Lake State Park; read, write, check emails, and take a leg massage.

Massage, stretch, rest, and swim (or shower) are what the legs and feet crave after a full day on the road.  Walking is a rhythmic routine, whose glamour has been obscured by machinery.

Ah, yes, the machinery.  Gopal and I trekked along the 120 and were dwarfed by the irrigation machines.  We might criticize farmers for being too high-tech and letting machines do everything for them, but I see they are not lazy in the least.

Come to think of it, Krishna grew up on a farm.  Life was more simple then.

May the Source be with you!

20 miles

Monday, June 6th, 2016

Monday, June 6^th, 2016

Orland, Indiana

I Don't Have To Go To The Gym

Ben, at age 77, told me-- as he was hauling and tossing the last of his firewood into the back of his pick-up-- "I do these physical things and I don't have to go to the gym."  He said it jovially after our mutual, short introduction while traffic was passing by.  The location was at a cemetery, west of Fremont, along Hwy. 120.  It was a maple tree that was chain-sawed down and Ben was called on to collect it.

He didn't expect to see a pedestrian coming.  We hit it off good and shared farm-pastimes (I was raised on one).

A second installment of dialogue happened with him and his wife, Judy, also 77, where by chance we had chosen - as our team's picnic site - the field right next to their home.  Judy introduced herself as being delightfully 'nosey.'  At this time we talked more along the lines of morality and spiritual things.

What a lovely, amiable couple they were!  I would have liked for them to join me, but that would not be realistic.

The Herald-Republic News sent a rep. and we met at the main juncture of highways 20 and 327-- in the heart of the town, Orland.  Patrick Redmonds had many questions about my routine, about life as a monk and what all that entails.  Some curious young folks came by in the middle of our talk and shot us (with a camera).  They were coming down the sidewalk as Patrick and I chatted.

"How do young people respond to you?"

"Let's see!  Try me out!"

And so I shared some points of Vedic truth, about identity-crisis and how we may view the physical body as a shell and the real person being the spirit within.

The day went by with the speed of lightening.  It can be an overwhelming experience.  Walking cuts time.

May the Source be with you!

19 miles

Sunday, June 5th, 2016

Sunday, June 5^th, 2016

Indiana State Line

Feel Like Narada

I do feel like Narada Muni, the sage of ancient India who travelled on foot though flatlands and valleys, by mountains and through forests.  He eventually met God.  As a young man he felt quite displeased, but in a positive way, when his mother passed, so he took to travel.

I also went the way of the pilgrim and just today encountered an array of terrain through lower Michigan on Territorial Road, where land is rather horizontal and then starts transforming into rolling hills, becoming more lake-like with trees.

I saw my first fair-sized turtle.  There was God in the form of much life, big and small, as many entities both domestic and wild, revealing themselves by the side of the road.  Possums and raccoons have a tough time with vehicles.  They are lucky if they can cross the line.

Speaking of which, my team and I reached a milestone by crossing the Indiana State Line.  Shortly thereafter authorities came in response to a call that someone was walking on the side of the road and was exposing himself.  Of course there was nothing of the sort taking place, although in the ancient tradition of India, some sages, like Shukadev, were known to wander with the elements as their wear.

To highlight the day Kathleen and Mike Connell had us over for light lunch at their summer home, at Lake Diane.  She is a public relations person and Mike teaches business at a Toledo university.  They were a pleasant couple, as pleasant as could be, and we will not forget them.

Walking in and about neighbourliness gives a reminder of the Great Spirit.

May the Source be with you!

20 miles

Saturday, June 4th, 2016

Saturday, June 4^th, 2016

Indiana State Line

On The Hydro Line

On the hydro line -

Was a dove above

In the barren field -

Turkey vulture culture

On the roadside -

A raccoon ruin

Under the awesome sun -

Wildflower hour

The danger ahead -

A very far car

On the country road -

Twas just dust

With a leap by creek -

The deer did clear

Behind the strong fence -

Gorgeous horse of course

Uttama by my side -

There's a walk talk

Gopal later on -

Mr. Bubbly Wubbly

Now Arjuna's gone -

His birthday today

Kathleen Parked -

For invite and insight

Then the rains came -

Time diminished - finished

Met with Chandra -

Sang a song along

Our day did end -

Under the moon but soon....

May the Source be with you!

19 miles