Staff
Residents of the Rainy River District may have spotted a man, dressed in an orange robe, trekking along the highway this weekend.
Bhaktimarga Swami, as known as The Walking Monk, is walking across Canada for the fourth time to encourage the notion of pilgrimage.
“That’s the type of think monks do—go on long treks for inspiration and that’s exactly how I feel when I walk,” he explained.
“In fact, it gets better each time.”
Swami noted he chose to venture into the Rainy River District, instead of staying on the Trans-Canada highway because of the peace and nature.
“There are so few billboards, so it doesn’t agitate the mind,” he voiced, during a break at Pither’s Point Park on Friday. “Here, it’s just nature’s raw beauty. Quiet. Everybody knows everybody.”
He had also visited the district back in 2003 and said he has seen some old friends and others who recognized him for his previous journey.
“Our lives are imbalanced. It’s always go, go, rush, rush. People don’t take time for themselves.” he expressed, although citing people of other generations often partook in pilgrimages, such as in European cultures and the indigenous people.
“It’s a time of enlightenment,” he stressed.
Quoting Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” Swami voiced. “Take some time and look at yourself. Take the family—just go and walk. It will help with the imbalance and the fulfillment everyone is looking for.”
Swami, who was born in Chatham, Ontario, and adopted an eastern monastic life in the Hare Krishna movement, began his journey in Cape Spear, Newfoundland, and is traveling to Vancouver Island.
He noted he chants mantras as he walks and carries meditation beads.
And he wears “crocs” because they are lightweight and allow sufficient air movement.
“I want to promote that walkers are rockers,” he enthused. “I hope to encourage mobility and action. I also hope to encourage people to experience a more car-free, carefree life.”
Swami invites people to walk along with him for a little bit, if they spot him on his journey.
People can also visit his website and blog at www.thewalkingmonk.org.
