Friday,
July 8th, 2016
Hills,
Iowa
Motorists
Respond
The
public is responding to today’s article in The Muscatine Journal, entitled “The
Walking Monk,” and subtitled “Traversing the U.S. on foot.” It was written by
Emily Wenger.
MUSCATINE, Iowa— Bhaktimarga
Swami, also known as "The Walking Monk," passed through Muscatine on
Thursday as part of his walk across the U.S.
The 63-year-old Swami
hopes to encourage people to connect with their spirituality through walking.
He began his trek in
New York City and plans to finish his journey in San Francisco in the summer of
2017 after taking a break during the winter months. He timed the end of the walk to coincide with
the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love.
Although his entry
into Muscatine Thursday was greeted with rain, everything around him,
Bhaktimarga Swami said, reminds him of his spirituality.
"So when you're
outside walking seven hours a day on average you can't help but see the
spiritual things that creep up around you, the rain has a message to tell
you," he said, "Davenport to Muscatine has been one of the most
beautiful days."
While walking to
Muscatine on Highway 22, Bhaktimarga Swami said he encountered a curious police
officer, and people who have offered him rides along the way. In those interactions, he said, he has seen
the kindness the Midwest has to offer.
"The people have
been very kind, mostly I would say, with offering rides. And then I have to disappoint them and say I
can't cheat," he said.
The Swami became a
monk in 1973, and said the introspective walks he has been taking for 20 years
are a way to raise spiritual awareness.
"It's my
calling," he said.
What Bhaktimarga
Swami has noticed most is the kindness from people along the way. While traversing the U.S., he said he has had
a place to sleep every night.
"The people are
phenomenal, they have been really kind," he said.
Every day Bhaktimarga
Swami walks around 20 miles, sometimes beginning as early as 3 a.m. to avoid
the worst heat of the day. He has
friends who follow him, and occasionally check in.
"He checks in
sometimes just to make sure I'm still alive," Swami laughed.
He also takes
occasional detours from his walks, to drive to a nearby temple to speak, but he
always begins where he left off.
The Swami has crossed
his home country of Canada three times (actually
it’s four), and he said the Iowa cornfields remind him of home.
"The cornfields
are what I grew up with," he said.
Cars have caused a
disconnect among people, Swami said. Returning
to walking allows personal connections to form.
"The automobile
is cold, you don't really see each other," he said.
He hopes that the
universal understanding about walking will help raise people's spiritual
awareness.
"It is a kind of
non-denominational approach to spirituality," he said.
The Swami is an
instructor of bhakti yoga. Bhakti means
"devotion," and he said the objective of yoga is connection with the
divine.
"It's a very old
traditional practice that has roots in India and like the Mississippi it flows
through all people, countries, nations, and races," he said.
He is also a director
and playwright of "morality stories" based on ancient Indian epics,
which he said are a spiritual outlet for his creativity. Bhaktimarga Swami said walking across countries
sometimes reminds him of these plays.
"When you put
your feet right on the ground and you meet everybody and you see the way their
hair blows, you see the skin color, you see the face of the individual whatever
it may be, grumpy or cheerful, that's like having a drama in itself," he
said.
That drama crosses
boundaries of religion, and Bhaktimarga Swami said that while appreciating
differences, the unity of people is most important.
"The diversity
is beautiful but we really have to look at is the oneness factor," he
said.
While moving across
the country, Bhaktimarga Swami hopes to remind people of the need for human
connection.
"The intent is
to try to encourage people to slow down the pace of life and get connected to
their soul," he said.
Beth Van Zandt took a
photo whose caption reads. “It’s not every day you see a monk walking down the
street of Muscatine, but, Bhaktimarga Swami of Chatham, Ontario, Canada, walks
along Cedar Street Thursday in Muscatine as he treks across the United States,
walking from New York City to San Francisco.
He is a member of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness
and has walked across Canada three times.”
May the Source be
with you!
16 miles
