Hare Krishna monk making third trek across Canada
SEAN CHASE Staff Writer The Daily Observer (Pembroke)
PETAWAWA – The Walking Monk strolled into town Thursday.
Seeking refuge from a sweltering 33 degrees celsius heat wave, Bhaktimarga Swami, a devote Hare Krishna monk making his third pilgrimage across Canada, rested his weary feet under a patch of shade.
“The road is not a pedestrian friendly thing,” laughed Mr. Swami as he rubbed his sore feet under a tree at Sapper’s park in Petawawa.
The 54-year-old Chatham, Ontario native is on the final leg of a 7,800 km journey which actually began last year in Victoria, British Columbia.
He made it as far as the Manitoba-Ontario border before deciding to complete his walk the following year. He finished two non-stop treks in 1996 and
2003.
“We had a real hot, dry spell in the beginning,” he reflected, going back to when he set out from Kenora, Ontario on May 10.
In 1973, at the age of 22, Mr. Swami adopted an Eastern order of monastic life.
Since then he has based his lifestyle on developing as a yoga instructor and a specialist in mantra meditation. He has also become involved in missionary work and community service.
“It’s a life of simplicity,” he said, crediting The Beatles and the late British actor Peter Sellers for bringing Hare Krishna to the mainstream.
Today, he figures there are 10,000 Canadians who practice the religion. Some
20,000 attended the Hare Krishna “Festival of Chariots” in Toronto last year.
“There was a wave of that going on in the late 1960s,” he noted. “The world opened up and people looked to the east, to the older cultures.”
He has travelled the world and was featured in a National Film Board movie documenting the people who have crossed the country on the Trans-Canada Highway. However, Mr. Swami’s not doing this to raise money.
Instead, he wants to encourage people to be more reflective and free their mind from life’s everyday distractions through walking. He added Canadian society is far too cynical today.
“We need to go for more introspection,” he said. “When you appreciate things you set yourself into a positive state of mind.”
While he admits the highway has been hard on his feet, he enjoyed walking along the snowmobile trails north of Petawawa. The reward for him is the friendly people he meets along the way.
Strolling down Petawawa Boulevard, one woman spots Mr. Swami in his orange robes and inquires if he is a Buddhist monk. He finds the question amusing.
A soldier driving by offers him a lift, which he declines. The soldier then politely offers him advice on how to deal with the heat.
“It’s those little human encounters that make every day special,” he said.
After his visit to Petawawa, Mr. Swami will continue his pilgrimage. He hopes to reach Cape Spear, Newfoundland, the easternmost point in North America, by the end of September.