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

Friday, June 3rd, 2016

Friday, June 3^rd, 2016

Morenci, Michigan

"Monk Takes Steps to Slow Down, Appreciate Nature"

People responded today to the Blade Newspaper Article on the front page, photo by Amy E. Voigt, and scripted by John Victor. 

Subtitle, "Brother Swami Is Walking From New York To San Francisco"

"Wearing an orange monk's garb and a worn out pair of sandals, Bhaktimarga Swami strode into Toledo on Thursday morning for a stop on his cross-country trek from New York to San Francisco. 

Brother Swami, also known as The Walking Monk, is in the second phase of his trip across the United States which he is completing over two summers.  The Hare Krishna monk is using the journey to promote a more active and more sustainable lifestyle, as well as honour the legacy of his former teacher.

'Let's get our feet back on the ground and our heads out of the clouds,' Brother Swami said.  'Let's do the things we're meant to do.'

According to a news release of the event, Brother Swami's walks serve to highlight a car-free, care-free lifestyle, with a stronger spiritual base grounded in meditation. 

Brother Swami stopped outside the Toledo Museum of Art on Thursday afternoon for a quick lunch of vegetable wraps prepared by one of his two assistants.  He sat in the shade for about an hour, and rested before heading toward Chicago later that day.

The monk has walked across his native Canada four times in addition to trips across Ireland, Guyana, Israel, Mauritius, Trinidad, and the Fiji Islands.  The journey is his first across the United States. 

Over the course of his trip, Brother Swami has walked about 20 miles per day, a distance he completes in 7 to 8 hours.  The trick, he said, is to start early in the morning as to avoid the summer heat.  Swimming is also, 'a must', and The Walking Monk has taken to Lake Erie several times to cool off. 

Brother Swami said his long treks are part of a monastic tradition dating back for centuries, but he noted that all religions recognize taking some time for introspection.  Ultimately, he said, the walks allow him to slow down and appreciate the beauty of nature, whose miracles can only be experienced by walking. 

'It allows you to see things from a close up perspective,' he said.  'You end up feeling like a kid in a candy shop.' "

May the Source be with you!

21 miles

Thursday, June 2nd, 2016

Thursday, June 2^nd, 2016 

Toledo, Ohio

On Brint and Monroe Streets

"Can yah teach me how ta fat?" he asked.  He meant 'fight'.  There's an assumption that if you're a monk, you're automatically a martial artist. 

"I'll teach you how to avoid fighting.  I teach Bhakti Yoga, the lifestyle of gentleness.  When you need to defend yourself, first apply wisdom.  If that fails, then weapons."

The popcorn that the young man was munching on didn't all make it into his mouth as he listened to me half attentively.  I believe he was happy to have met me, as I was with him.  Also, his friend, a muscular guy with a huge smile, was cool.  He was the one that should be the fighter. 

Soon after I met these young chaps, I tackled Monroe Street, and then finally met up with Gopal and Uttama.  We took our first serious break for the day, and parked our vehicle next to some welcoming and shady greenery, and I left my door open on the passenger side in order to benefit from the breeziness.  I was sitting on the seat when a robin was came flying.  He hit the window pane of the open door.  He must have thought it was regular space and air.  The impact that he experienced by hitting the window knocked him out unconscious.  He came landing with a thud and then fell one inch from my feet.  He was struggling, you could see.  Within one minute his eyelids closed.  He was gone.  We chanted for him, wishing him a safe journey to his next destination.  Bless his soul. 

It was our first day using the Toyota van, lent to us by Renee of the Cleveland area.  Bless her soul.  People are helping so much with lodging, food, water, gas for the van, and encouragement.  I also received an email from a senior monastic godbrother, Jayadvaita Swami. 

"Well, you're doing the healthiest thing in the world and making a valuable spiritual contribution by your example.  Happy walking, and happy chanting."

May the Source be with you!

19 miles

Wednesday, June 1st, 2016

Wednesday, June 1^st, 2016

Grosse Point, Michigan

Vehicle Switch

While on a patient wait for our navigator/assistant, Gopal, to switch vehicles for the next stretch of our walk, a television interview was arranged for me.  Robert Taylor, host of ‘Out of the Ordinary,’ with MWTV, and co-host, Pamela, wanted to know about the passion for trekking across the US.  Our mics were hooked up with cameras in place.  The sun acted as natural light.  We were seated on wooden stools with back support, looking much as if they were directors' chairs.  One of the camera men brought an umbrella to shoo away red-winged black birds, they tend to make their shrilling sound.  We were seated in the back yard, on the grassy edge along glorious Lake Sinclair. 

The questions were, "Give us a little background of yourself."  "How did you enter into monkism?"  "Why the walk across America?"

The grass below us was present, the sun was strong, but tolerable.  I felt like I was actually on the road.  The answers to the questions went along these lines:

"The idea behind doing extensive walking is to make a strong green statement, and also about stepping more into the zone of reality.  20th century humans (now 21st) have had their feet off the ground too long (about 2 feet, actually, when you're in a moving car).  And perhaps, with the head too much in the clouds, if not in the sand.  It's time to hug our feet on the ground again, and grasp reality in the form of getting back to good old values, such as God, work, play, family, community, and ultimate freedom.  Let's clear away the cobwebs from the mind.  There are spiritual solutions to material problems.  Walking and meditating can combat our ills."

May the Source be with you!

3 miles

Tuesday, May 31st, 2016

Tuesday, May 31^st, 2016

Sterling Heights, Michigan

Doing What Needs Doing

The land is flat in Michigan, much as it is in Ohio.  Somehow it's conducive to my skeletal structure.  So walking has been good.  Even though I'm on my two day break from marathon trekking, I'm still picking hours to be out of doors for reading, writing, and some administrative phone calls.  It's about giving me a balance.  I've been working in the back yard of the residence of Vivasvan, my support person of last fall's walk through the northeast of the US.   But I see this more sedentary service as a kind of a continuity to walking, primarily because I'm doing it outside. 

The little bit of walking that I am covering in Michigan allows me to connect with the birds.  They seem to be saying, "You got some food for me?"  Mosquitoes are also making a visit.  The evening hours were spent with members of Harmony Collective in Ypsilanti, a facility run by Deva Madhava, who is a jewel of a Vaishnava.  What a community, family feel this place is.

Amongst the guests were Sean, who takes just-released prisoners and integrates them into society again.  There was also Father Joseph, who leads a parish in the Greek Orthodox Church. The latter is a vegetarian and chants on mala (beads) every day.  He chants the Hare Krishna mantra.  He carries himself well in the pastoral mode. 

Attendees had a few moments to share in the great words of Sri Krishna.  Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 8, Text 9, wherein we found a great definition of the Divine, and a great directive:

'One should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows everything, as He who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is beyond all material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is always a person. He is luminous like the sun, and He is transcendental, beyond this material nature.'

May the Source be with you!

3 miles

Monday, May 30th, 2016

Monday, May 30^th, 2016

Toledo, Ohio

Good in the End

There are a host of theories as to the origin of the term, 'holy Toledo'.  Like the phrases, 'holy moley', 'holy tamoles', 'holy cow', they are just sayings, and I suppose they are irrelevant.  I must say that my first encounter with the city of Toledo on this walk after leaving the Maumee State Park area was blessed indeed. 

God knows I'm on a holy pilgrimage, in America, and India with its rich history of spiritualism, or Spain with a famous trail like the Camino, can't claim exclusive rights on what's holy or sacred. 

Gopal, my navigator assistant on this trip, parked the van demarcating the final step for the day.  It was comfortably parked under the shade of a tree in front of someone's home located just inside the border of Toledo's east end.  It was Uttama, Arjuna, and I, who did the last leg of the day's walk together.  Gathered at this spot, the proprietor of the home got curious.  It was the home of Sharon King, a sandy coloured lady, and my guess, a baby boomer, who came out and did the holy thing of offering water. 

"I saw a bunch of yogis in front of my house and I thought they might need something."  A conversation began and Sharon admitted to being a TM'er, so we got to talking about The Beatles, Bhakit Yoga, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Bhaktivedanta Swami, etc.  I pulled out a small publication of 'Chant and Be Happy' from the van.  It's essentially a book on the power of chanting, and in it are dialogues of John, Yoko, and George, learning from our guru. 

I consider our exchange with Sharon to be most holy.  "Let me know what you think of the book after the read," I said. 

"I will," she said, with a grateful smile on her face.  Today is Memorial Day.  Many folks I saw today are having a steak and drinking.  Sadly, there seems to be little done to honour war veterans. 

One more item that sticks out in my mind regarding today was a most unholy remark coming from a countryside home owner, when I took a moment to pause, a break, just outside his home. 

"What the F____ are you doing here!?" asked the loud voice, to which I didn't respond.  I moved on.  In retrospect, I'm happy to have ended the day with preciousness, with Sharon. 

May the Source be with you!

19 miles

Sunday, May 29th, 2016

Sunday, May 29^th, 2016

Ottawa Natural Wildlife Reserve, Ohio

Do You Speak English?

Uttama and I were trekking, rather enjoying a coolness after a fresh rainfall, which tends to draw out frogs galore.  They are sensitive to the sound of our footsteps, and so their defense is: if you're not in the creek's water, then you will have to get in, "splash!"

We have been moving through a wetlands area.  Lots of life apart from the frogs.  We also came upon an atomic energy plant.  For hours we were curious as to what this massive vat with smoke billowing out of it was - as we approached it.  Then signage told all.

Around a bend on Highway 2 we met a motorist who wanted to share but was unwilling to accept an exchange of words.

"Do you speak English?" asked the man with an accent.

"Yes." 

He held up mini-versions of the New Testament.

"I already have a copy, thank you!  We share a lot of the same values and principles.  It's best to concentrate on similarities."

"No, but the difference is important.  Jesus said there's only one way."

"That's enough, thank you.  I hope you will enjoy the wall you have built up for yourself."

He continued to make a case for exclusiveness and made a remark about the inferiority of our ancient text 'Bhagavad-gita.'

"God bless you!" I said, and Uttama and I made our way west to stretch our trail.

May the Source be with you!

18 miles

Saturday, May 28th, 2016

Saturday, May 28^th, 2016

Port Clinton, Ohio

Crash of Glass

There was a crash of glass just ahead of us to break the silence, and even more than that - a human voice coming from an angry woman shouted, "And don't come back!"

With that emerged a man of good build, an Afro-American, as was she, telling by the voice.  The door had slammed at this early hour of 4:30 am.  The oncoming man noticed us and so I took the lead in conversing with him.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's alright!"

"We're walking to San Francisco!" and so a friendship began.  "Don't let that, whatever was going on back there, bother you!" I suggested.

"No, I won't, but I tell yah I've never met a monk before.  You've made my day!"  And he then ventured off happily to work, or so he said he was doing.

Another precious moment came when Uttamananda and I met a security person, Bonnie, outside a factory of sorts.  She sent a message after our exchange via email.

"Good morning to the Walking Monk.  I met you while on duty this morning."

May the Source be with you!

18 miles

Friday, May 27th, 2016

Friday, May 27^th, 2016

Sandusky, Ohio

23 miles

Along the shale cliffs of the Erie shore, Jay Terrelli found fossils of a 'terrible fish' around 1867.  It was some time ago, in the millions of years that the Dunkleosteus fish, with shearing jaws, was the dominant predator, appearing in sizes much larger than the Great White Shark.

There is great wonder in this area of the great lakes such as the 'Dunklie' fish of yore, but now, at 5 am, the police were also in great wonder.  "Who are these people (three of us - two in robes) taking to the road at this un-godly hour?"

So we explained to the two officers and they were impressed; being who they are they must most certainly have a last word, "Please just walk on the side of the road against the traffic."  They were nice about it.

The summer heat is on.  It's Memorial Day weekend.  Passions are at a peak with traffic.  Streams of bikers make a presence as they - the bikers - rev up their engines and bomb away.

Some motorists take notice.  I receive the occasional honk.

What becomes relieving is the scent of the honey suckles that are thrown out into the air in as much as the wild mustard plants.  Unfortunately we cannot reciprocate and toss some fragrance back to them.

Our hosts Mike and Paurnamasi, from Cleveland, have been looking after our food and lodging needs.

The basketball play-offs are on and it is between two teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors.  Even within the devotee community, everyone is rooting for their own team. For myself, more subtly, I would like to see the Canadian team win!

May the Source be with you!

23 miles

Thursday, May 26th, 2016

Thursday, May 26^th, 2016

Vermillion, Ohio

People on the Way

It is Route #6 that becomes the trail for the day.  To join me, is Uttamananda from Bangladesh, who lived in our ashram in Toronto for five years.  He's with our little party as an assistant.  He became a walking companion for the day,  from Avon Lake to Vermillion, a distance of 20 miles.  Not bad for a first day.

Who did we meet along the way?

First of all, we met the lake, the big one, Lake Erie, several times.  It has a square mileage of (I asked Google and it answered) 25,744 square kilometres.

When we gained access to it, it became a resting spot, especially at the end of the trek, when we took a dive and swim at Vermillion.

We met people as well, among them pedestrians and motorists.  Our motorist who gave directions also gave a spankin' new hundred dollar bill - a donation.  We didn't ask, he just let his heart speak.

A woman offered to take us to our destination.  I told her, "We're going to San Francisco."  She blushed, but also gave some fruit- as she had just bought groceries.

In Lorain, the town, we met a pedestrian with her small dog.  She is a puritan Catholic who loves hearing and reciting the old mass in Latin.  She declared a damnation on the all-pervading drug culture but she was keenly curious about Krishna Consciousness.

"I want to be educated," she said.

She was happy to know we denounce intoxication but don't condemn those who try to kick the habit.  On our list of interactions was also a young man pushing his young daughter in a baby stroller.

"I'm an atheist but I respect what others believe in.  My mother-in-law, who's Christian says I'm going to hell for my conviction."

It sounds like he's living with the issue.  Tolerance is one of the greatest virtues.

May the Source be with you!

20 miles