Walking Monk strolls through Estevan

August 28, 2013

By Chad Saxon

(Estevan Mercury)

Over the course of a week, we get quite a few calls from the public with news tip.
Some of them turn into actual stories but, in all honesty, most of them wind up as snipe hunts.

So I’ll admit to being more than a little bit skeptical when I got a call last week from a man saying that he thought he had a news story for us.

The skeptic meter got cranked up to high when this same gentleman followed by telling me he was travelling across the country with a monk and a parrot.

“Is this a joke?” I asked.

Turns out it was no joke. The man on the phone’s name was Daruka, and he is journeying across the country with Bhaktimarga Swami or, as he is better known to his many followers, the Walking Monk.

Bhaktimarga passed through southeast Saskatchewan last week, and his arrival in the area created quite a stir as reports of a man in robes walking on the highway began to circulate over social media.

...read entire article

http://www.estevanmercury.ca/article/20130828/ESTMERCURY0101/130829875/-1/ESTMERCURY/walking-monk-strolls-through-estevan

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The Walking Monk makes his way through southeast Saskatchewan

August 30, 2013

By David Willberg

(www.sasklifestyles.com)

Bhaktimarga Swami's two feet have taken him across Canada on three separate occasions.He's now in the midst of his fourth cross-Canada walk, and it was his desire to see different parts of Canada, during his walks, that recently brought him to Estevan.

Bhaktimarga, a 60-year-old Hare Krishna monk who lives in the Toronto area, spent several days walking through southeast Saskatchewan earlier this month. He said that he decided he would walk through Manitoba, along Highway 3, and Saskatchewan, on Highways 18 and 13, because he expected that they would be quiet.

“Manitoba was fine in that way, going through Mennonite country. Once we crossed the border here (into Saskatchewan), it was “Wow!...

...read entire article

http://www.sasklifestyles.com/article/20130830/ESTLIFESTYLES0101/130829925/-1/ESTLIFESTYLES/the-walking-monk-makes-his-way-through-southeast-Saskatchewan

Saturday, September 21st, 2013

Above the Catwalk

Taber, Alberta

Last night for my final trek for the day on Highway 3, a massive moon was behind me in the eastern sky.  Now, when having been dropped off at the highway this morning, I saw that the moon had shrunk and had leapt to the western sky.  If stars had dotted the upper background, I wouldn’t know, I could not see at this late start at 5:30 AM.

My steps forward were of normal speed and steadiness.  No motorists cared to stop for a word or two, but I did get in my share of communication with llamas who gravitated towards me but kept a few metres distance.  They stood there curious.  I offered them mantras.

Then came a bison farm.  I gave the same line of communication to them. They stopped their grazing and took to gazing to an inquisitiveness that hopefully made their day.

Finally upon reaching the small city of Taber, I mingled with some folks at a church yard sale before reaching the completed steps for the day at Confederation Park.  There, a more serious chat happened with boys at the skateboard facility.  I quite liked their little stunts on boards, scooters and bikes.  I found their language okay, you know, some things are just sick and some just suck.

It was here that Greg from the Taber Times came for an interview.  Amongst his questions came, “I see from your website that you were raised Christian, what made you change?”

My response was that I’m still a believer and that I added Krishna to the equation.  I never left Christian values.  A second interview came in Lethbridge just before meeting with a group at one floor just above a hair salon called Catwalk.  We call that a satsang when people come together for a spiritual experience.  That was sweet.  I was thrilled that not everyone cancelled out to go to the local zombie walk and turned up at our satsang instead.  Then a swift ride north on Highway 2 brought Daruka and I to a north east corner address in Calgary for another satsang  and a comprehensive as possible look at verse 9.32 of the Gita.  This verse qualifies everyone every opportunity to reach incredible spiritual heights.  No one is barred regardless of their background, creed, gender or colour.

Our day had been long as these engagements folded into what turned into a starry night.  Fatigue got the both of us and that includes Billy the bird.

A quote to remember, “If we only look down, there will never be stars.”

I want to thank Andrea and Ali for the space above the Catwalk.

22 KM

Friday, September 20th, 2013

Love And Not Logic Conquers

Grassy Lake, Alberta

“The best things in life aren’t things” is a saying that fits our lifestyle description quite well.  Daruka and I have every item we need to sustain our simple program.  It’s very little though – an old car, a small supply of food in a picnic cooler, our humble clothes (in my case, robes), our tent, and a bank card that withdraws from our account and then replenishes itself in an ever so ‘just enough’ manner.  We have our Gitas which purge our brains.

I should say there’s more though, there is the road and with it, the people.  One motorist stopped to talk, his name is Sibhu, and he’s from South India.  We got to discussing about the various forms of yoga – karma, bhakti, ashtanga, jnana.  Jnana refers to logic, or analytical processing.   Bhakti, the yoga of the heart is my prescription, which is also inclusive of the other forms of yoga.  Bhakti addresses love, not mundane, but divine love.  It may be interpreted as being emotional or sentimental.  My argument with Sibhu was a bhakti yogi is so trained to keep a lid on extreme emotions. Ultimately bhakti expresses emotions and appreciation for the Ultimate Source.

“Logic,” I explained, “does not conquer, but love does.  Love for the Divine is more powerful than logical thinking and philosophical speculation.”  Subhu also took the position that we have to go beyond a deity.  I agreed.  We can acknowledge the beyond factor in divine sound such as in chanting.  For the world in which we live, pure sound vibration transforms people.

I believe that Sibhu who admitted to not being raised in conventional ways couldn’t speak from a full devotional experience, yet he didn’t dismiss my position.  I met him on his way home from an evening shift, he works with the handicapped.  I hope that our paths will cross again.

I spoke of appreciation for the Divine Creator at a yoga centre in Medicine Hat and then I lead a Hare Krishna chanting session.  The group seemed to get absorbed and feel the love coming from their own mouths.

Our last stop before reaching our sleeping destination for the night and a second installment of trekking was at the home of Tarun Patel and family where warmth in the form of hospitality and fuel for the tummy put a glorious crown on the day.

31 KM

Thursday, September 19th, 2013

Movin’ On

Bow Island, Alberta

Surya, the sun, made a presence again.  Clouds moved on.  I moved on, Highway 3, westward.  A jovial Dutch farmer pulled over and had a chat with me.  I informed him of the Nedarlantds blood in me.  He was happy to know.

A couple with a New York license plate changed directions when they saw my robes.  Turns out they are Sai Baba devotees.  We exchanged our ‘Namaste’s and our ‘Haribol’s, which are Vedic verbal greetings.  They offered me yogurts, fruits and a granola bar.  Bless them.

At Seven Persons’ School, over 200 students came to the town’s community hall to hear about a Hare Krishna monk’s adventure across the country, what it means to do so with companion Daruka, and what it means to have a talking and squawking bird with you all the time.  The most profound question for me came after the presentation from a young girl.

“What do you do (in the open roads) when you need to go to the bathroom?”

Answer, “You really have to control your eating habits, otherwise, keep walking until you find a bush.  It could take hours though before you find one.”

By evening time, Daruka had taken me to the Dairy Queen where he had made contact with some young Indian chaps with the surname Patel.  They were so excited when he handed them a hard bound Gita in their own language, Gurjurati.  The other young Caucasian workers there took a curious moment to look at the exotic script and pictures.

Speaking of sweet encounters, reporters can offer that too.   Jamie from the Weekly Commentator paper from Bow Island agreed to meet us at the town park.  She was educating us on local history and social matters as much as we were informing her on the goodness of a combined walk and chant program.

So from the town Seven Persons to the town Bow Island where the pinto bean grows in abundance, I covered a distance of…

30 KM

Wednesday, September 18th, 2013

Soggy Saffron Noodle

Seven Persons, Alberta

The one really nice thing about sporadic temperamental torrential rainfall is that it doesn’t go on forever.  Somewhere along the way it ceases – hopefully.  As the hours rolled on, fighting to keep my umbrella from snatchy wet winds, you do wonder if conditions will let up.  It was an interesting 6 hours exposure.  I’m grateful to have experienced my wet dynamics training from the Ireland venture, just like I had a coaching for dry and dusty trekking in Israel.

Overall I was feeling less self pity than perhaps 10 years ago when going through this type of hurdle.  I believe I’m evolving slowly.

My route was from Dunmore on Township Road 120 West to then link up to Highway 3 towards the city of Lethbridge.  Skies indicated that every which way was taking on a deluge.  By the time I completed today’s stretch of walking I was like a soggy saffron noodle waiting in a telephone booth for Daruka to fetch me. I came out of it all mentally stronger than before, it was a blessing really.

I could tell that the interviewed recording with Steve on CJCY Rock radio station the day before came on the air during my treading through the water.  You could tell by the style of honking from the motorists.  Usually they’re either short beeps on the horn or a long extended happy one, which indicates ‘we are with you, we back what you’re doing’.

According to Daruka who listened to the broadcast, the entire interview was aired with Steve who remarked at the end, “But I wonder if the monk would walk in this weather?” meaning in the rainstorm.  Daruka phoned in and let Steve know that I was dropped off at 4:30 am and indeed I was walking in the rain.  Steve then went back on air and told his listeners that he had an update on the Walking Monk who was definitely out there on the highway in the rain.

Thanks, Steve, for making the public aware.

Once I had the chance to dry off and put on dry clothes, Daruka and I headed for the town, Maple Creek.  There we chatted with a rep from the local paper The Maple Creek times for an interview with Marcia Love.  Proceeding on we made it to Sasha’s second outlet for yoga.  It’s a new space, an old credit union bank newly renovated.  The vault is still there and we took full advantage of that space which has favourable acoustical quality.  The group from town came and had a beautiful experience with candles to light this dark space.  We chanted Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.  I believe Sasha was convinced that the name of the vault room will be the Om Home.  Formally much cash was kept in the vault amongst other valuables perhaps.  It looks like money was bumped for mantra.

In the main area of the old bank I relayed more of “Tales From Trails”.  We also went directions towards Vedic or yogic philosophy, customs and rituals. A question was raised about sensuality and what role it plays in traditional Vedic society.

Explanation given:  Generally sexual activity is intimate, private, personal, even sacred as per Krishna’s message in 7.11 of the Gita, “I am sex that is not contrary to dharma.”  In other words there are guidelines and there are controls.  Public display of kama (conjugal interest) is regulated.

I want to thank Brenda Feuerstein who knows Sanskrit and has been a great networker for us in the areas of Saskatchewan and Alberta.  She is a great devotee and is doing her share to raise humanity to a higher consciousness.

26 KM

Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

Fresh Feel

Dunmore, Alberta

I had started with a fresh feel back on the Number 1 Highway, the Trans Canada, referred to in Newfoundland as TCH and sometimes called the main drag of Canada. It’s 4:30 AM, prairie dogs (gophers) are sleeping at this time.

I ventured through Urvine, population 300+. If memory tells me right the last time I came through here there was one of those old grain elevators years ago. Not anymore. I also remember meeting and speaking with a woman by the name of Natasha. I also recall meeting a fellow in a pickup truck who stopped and said he had seen me walking in Ontario; that’s three provinces over.

The sun eventually became strong. With no shade or spring water sources for thirst, I decided to check out the weigh scale station. A real nice elderly officer supplied me with plenty of cool water and even some to go.

It’s funny how now I’m on a major highway and no one stops to talk. I have to detour slightly in order to make human contact. I liked Highway 13 for the slower pace and the increased interactive opportunities.

Daruka and I did leave the area for a visit to Swift Current and a visit to Satya Yoga Studio on Central Avenue. Sasha is the facilitator to this marvellous space. As you enter near the lobby, decorative framed messages adorn the wall – Love Deeply, Laugh Often, Live Simply.

Sasha’s students had come to listen to some of my tails from the road. We also got to chanting and discussing. One message that I try to convey is to always tread the middle path and to avoid extremism. Some of the students really delighted in a brief lesson on a Sanskrit verse,’ aham brahmasmi’, which means, ‘I am spirit’.

‘Twas good.

36 KM

Monday, September 16th, 2013

Try To Keep Plugging

Calgary, Alberta

I consider today chill day number two. A meagre trek it was, 4 KMs at the most, in the north east of Calgary. My companion for the trek on trails was Gaurachandra, born as Gigi Festa in southern Italy. His Orissan wife has a good handle on prepping Italian food which is perhaps second to an Indian kitchery for being the ideal hot meal for a walker. When the plate of steamy hot pasta drenched in the red of tomato was presented to me, I boldly requested their garden basil as topping.

“No problem,” was the host’s remark, who speedily and eagerly wished to be guest friendly, and went on her feet to harvest the delectable greens. My intent at the request was to share this wealth, and so Gigi, Bindu who is from Costa Rica, and Vani Priya, the cook, went green on the tongue with this additional appetizer. Artichokes, avocado and asparagus were side dishes.

I mention about food, and especially prasadam, food that our friends consecrate before consuming or serving. A marathon walker can easily crave food for our burning cells and after hours on the road the only minor sensual outlet will be to please the palate.

“Not too much, please,” I must remind another host, “please understand, I am a swami ji, I must live a simple life. Too much rich food is not good for me.” Sometimes I have to check their generous offer of seconds and thirds. Even the firsts were big in quantity. “Have mercy,” I plead.

It sometimes becomes a playful thing. What appears as a shovel load of tasty edibles comes at you with speed, and you might have to place the head, torso and arms over the plate that is struggling to reach vacancy. If the host has his or her way, wheelbarrow loads would tip over as loads of delicious prasadam. All is done in good spirit.

I must remind myself, however good it all smells and tastes, that it was Sri Chaitanya who was a sanyassi (monk) who set up the standard for the renounced, “No fancy attire and no opulent food,” so I will try to follow in His footsteps and keep plugging away.

4 KM

Sunday, September 15th, 2013

Presentations and People

Calgary, Alberta

We enjoyed a packed house attendance, what was literally true, a house that was packed with people in Calgary’s north east section.  It was in the residence of Asitosh and Shirpal, a Bengali family which included a feast of green subji and sweets of misty dahi and rasagula.  I’m not a great fan of sweets, but am surrendered to the mild sweet yogurt of dahi.  Nice chanting session and an attentive group was special – all an experience of previous nights.

Sahadev, the coordinator of the Krishna community, took me to a prospective new lot with building which indicates the need for an expansion for the now existing Radha Madhava Cultural Centre in downtown Calgary.  It was a healthy sign to see a bursting attendance here also for a morning session on topics from the Gita.

Last evening we spoke from verse 6.25 which reads:

“Gradually step by step, one should be situated in trance by means of intelligence sustained in full conviction.  And thus the mind should be fixed on the Self alone and should think of nothing else.”

And this morning I spoke from 3.7 where in our guru, Srila Prabhupada, in his commentary on the verse about karma yoga, expressed this:

“A sincere sweeper in the street is far better than the charlatan meditator.”

I was thrilled to be part of a second speaking engagement today at the home of a Fijian family when another squeezed in group came to listen.  It was a reading and interactive discussion on Krishna’s entering the ancient city of Mathura.  The light that glared the most for today was a three hour kirtan chanting session at Princess Island, which is hugged by the fresh water flow of the Bow River.  The public response was tremendous.

0 KM

Saturday, September 14th, 2013

Highway Home

Walsh, Alberta

A Doctor Brewster Higley had composed in 1870s a well known song, ‘Home On The Range’.  His description of the countryside and the atmosphere is quite spot on when venturing through the Prairies.

Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam
And the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard
A discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

I had three hours to trek before reaching a landmark – the Alberta border.  Two provinces to go.  Hip Hip Hari!  That milestone, Brenda and Victoria, from the town East End, joined Daruka and I for that special moment.  This called for a celebration with a picnic, compliments of our friends, the two additional walkers.  For me, the hummus was the main feature of the roadside meal before we picked up to meander the quiet streets of Walsh, population 52.

The cross-the-border-feat entailed Daruka and I leaving Highway 13 which had turned to gravel in a practically peopleless zone, and making one more leap north to the only nearby east west passage, Highway 1, or the Trans Canada Highway.  It was not so much by choice that we came to this much busier four lane road.  There is less charm here, but it was a practical move we had to make.

Obligations for an evening talk in Calgary cut the pleasant walk short today and the three of us, most notably Daruka, and let’s not forget our feathered friend Billy, and I will revisit this piece of the road Tuesday, and resume trekking the amazing trail.

I was left to contemplate on our three hour ride to Calgary of memories stuck in the mind of some fine exchanges with people from Highway 13.  It left me pining over that ‘back home feeling’.  And then, one farmer, a cattle rancher we met, who had actually turned vegetarian for a time and who had been reading the Gita, remarked in a warm tone, “I’ll be ending up life meeting a big guy who’s blue and has an extra pair of arms.”  To that, I had a laugh at the cowboy’s genuine remark.

Home, home on the range!

18 KM

Friday, September 13th, 2013

Pavement to Gravel

Consul, Saskatchewan

In the previous night at Brenda’s place, people were warning of cougar sightings and to be careful. Okay! I’ve seen cougars in the wild in Saskatchewan before. Not alive, but dead. Cubs I saw, struck by traffic. I took photographs of them, they were definitely cougars.

To pay heed to the warning I decided for extra safety to avoid startling animals of the wild, especially in the dark, by chanting with more volume than usual when walking the highway. Also, I felt to give them clearance as much as possible, as routine, I walked down the middle of the road. For the first three hours of walking this stretch, you have one car per hour coming, it’s so quiet. Maybe that’s why wildlife likes it out here. At one point, I even ventured off walking the railway line for a stretch because I haven’t been seeing any trains.

Back on the road, and as usual, when the sun hits, much is revealed about evening’s goings on. Coyotes have offered their feces to the highway. They are quite neat about it, using the highway’s edge, and for some reason, avoiding the shoulder of the road. At least it tells me they are there, are alive and well.

Coming on her bicycle was Linda Brown, mayor of the village of Consul, population 70. She was charged up to meet, at this time, Daruka, Billy and I. She went off to collect two button pins to the town with its logo, we were touched.

The highway’s pavement ends at the town of Consul, and I came to terms with using the gravel of no choice. Things such as hawks accompanied me and there were the antelope, known to be the continent’s fastest runners. These creatures kept me perked up. When the rare motorist goes by, dust gets stirred up like crazy.

What are you going to do?

At 3 PM with less than a day’s notice, the local museum was filled with mostly seniors. Daruka had picked me up and drove me to the occasion. I relayed some details about the Canada pilgrimage and again, here I was able to tell of the Krishna Conscious philosophy. I felt extremely comfortable about how we definitely will not die. Our bodies will perish, but we will go on in a new existence, tweaking our journey, refining our life. “The Creator is compassionate to the point where we are permitted numerous chances.”

Our second and last presentation for the day was held in the library in Shaunavon. People there relished hearing of pedestrian pastimes with philosophy blended in. What resonated the most apart from the kirtan that all participated in was hearing that the Great Spirit is indeed a person and is present in the forces of nature. I mention that relationships and love are important to everyone and with the great spirit there’s a relationship that is solid, divine and unconditional. “God is the source and has force.”

May the Source and the Force be with you. All we need to do is serve.

30 KM

Thursday, September 12th, 2013

Deer Me

Highway 13 and 21 Junction, Saskatchewan

Today is Radhastami a day to honour the eternal consort of Krishna. In ashrams and temples all over the world, celebrations are centred around the feminine aspect of the Divine.

Daruka, Billy and I are far from any place of such traditional colour and ceremony, and yet we become assured from within that something special will happen today. For an early start, however, something inauspicious occurred. On our way to my starting point for the day, we hit a fawn, it was badly injured. The car took a beating on the right side, doing damage to the lights and the body. The poor fellow, the fawn, was tossed into the air and in to the side of the ditch at the car’s impact. Just after we noticed a family of four hovering the highway at predawn, Daruka was awfully broken up about it, being the driver. He returned to the victim after dropping me off, only to sit there and chant to it. The fawn did not stay long, and as we understand it, his soul was preparing for a journey to the next life.

In North America, deer and moose are the major causes for auto accidents. It’s not Daruka’s first time, so you can understand the frequency of this challenge on the road.

The day began well rounded, however, when Brenda had us over for dinner and for conducting a satsang. In this small town, called East End, population 600, if you can draw a group within less than a 24 hour notice, you’re doing good. Her place got filled up and so I presented “Tales From Trails” and interwove universal truths from the Bhagavad Gita followed by kirtan. The kirtan or chanting was quite new for the folks there, but they loved it.

We reserved time for their questions. There were many. I thank Brenda, who’s a yoga teacher herself, for clarifying to the group that yoga is not just about stretching the limbs or about improved breathing. She remarked, “First there was bhakti, devotion, then later came the exercise part.” To endorse her statement, I offered this, “In the beginning there was bhakti, and that means stretching your heart,” implying that yoga is more than just exercise and stress relieving. It is entirely holistic.

We also presented to the group the concept of Radha, the eternal partner of Krishna. That was well received.

Looking back at the deer mishap, the circumstances, although painful had an auspicious edge to it all on this sacred day.

33 KM

Wednesday, September 11th, 2013

A Rooted Routine

East End, Saskatchewan

Daruka and I routinely sing a bhajan in honour of the guru while we’re on our route to the spot from where I left off the day before. We used no instruments. Of course, he can’t, he’s driving. We just rely on our voices to sing what is an integral part of our morning. We apply as much devotion as possible.

It’s also a good idea, particularly today, to start off on the best note, given what 9/11 means to a lot of people. Out here in the Prairie, for the people we meet, the anniversary of New York’s twin tours descent, appears rather irrelevant. Here we are far removed from an urban world.

I could clearly see what’s called Cypress Hills. They are beautiful smooth, rounded hills with coulees – a bit barren and looking like the badlands, but most interesting. Sage plants are all about “dry as a bone” would be an appropriate expression to describe some of the area. It’s great being away from billboards and retail strip fast food joints. Here it’s more or less raw nature, pastures and wheat fields, but a true sense of rawness.

A bus driver pulled over and offered words of thanks, “We appreciate the inspiration you are giving to humanity.” Then a newspaper delivery man came to walk his dog with me, also a woman by the name of Wendy came with a bag of apples from her backyard tree. A family also came to trek with me for a while in a very remote section of the highway. A farmer loading his hay for the winter’s feeding of his cows, stopped, and asked for prayers, “Rolin’s, the name. My wife is Susan. Please pray for us,” (of course I’ll oblige). Then Brenda Furerstein came to our inn for the evening. She assisted her late husband, George, in a translation of the Bhagavad Gita. She also gave me a copy. She will gather friends for mantra meditation with us for tomorrow.

And speaking of the Inn, Ed Sanford, owner/proprietor of Riverside Inn, so kindly let us stay for as long as we need. We invited Ed in for our kitcheri dinner, which we prepared in the kitchenette. This dish is great for travelling. Ed, also loved it. We consecrated it, in other words, made it prasadam. A mellow fellow, big hearted person, this Ed is. We will tag him on to our growing list of new friends.

Please remember, the pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realists adjusts the sails.

31 KM