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Everyday Theology: Spiritual journey a ‘walk’ in progress

"In many religious traditions, the journey is a metaphor for the growth of the soul"

I caught up with Bhaktimarga Swami by phone shortly after he completed his fourth “Can Walk” across Canada.   Unsure what I should call the man more commonly known as the “Walking Monk”, my first question was practical: “How should I address you?” With that awkwardness out of the way, we entered into a conversation that transcended religious doctrine, dogma and belief systems.

Swami, born in Ontario as John Peter Vis, adopted the Eastern monastic lifestyle of the Hare Krishna movement some forty years ago.  In 1996, he completed his first pilgrimage across Canada, journeying from west to east. Since that time, he has completed three more cross country treks, each time travelling in the opposite direction, and seeking out new routes.

He conceived the idea to walk across Canada one day while walking in a ravine in Toronto. “It was almost like a light bulb lit up,” he told me of the moment that led him to walk across the country, “as a monk might do it; (to) travel kind of lightly, and meet people along the way, spend enough time in a place, as long as it takes to milk a cow, as we say in our tradition”, before continuing the journey.

In many religious traditions, the journey is a metaphor for the growth of the soul as it enters more profoundly into an encounter with the Divine. Since Swami has crossed the country on foot multiple times, I asked him if walking is more than a metaphor for him. Not surprisingly, it is. “It’s a natural position of the spirit or soul to wander in this world and to walk it in wonder and in appreciation. So (wandering) puts you in that spot where you need to be, that place of humility which is the basis of success in life.”

Swami explained that walking along busy highways with vehicles barreling past or trekking through remote and beautiful landscapes is a lesson in detachment. “You learn to take it all in, the heat, the wind, the rain, the cold, the black flies, the mosquitoes, attention by the public, no attention, traffic – with all of that, you learn detachment.”

These external factors, along with the physical discomfort that comes from walking thirty to forty-five kilometers per day, and the spiritual challenges of facing your own deficiencies, help a person learn disentanglement from this world.

We discussed the idea of detachment in light of today’s culture, with its emphasis on self and acquisition. At the core of the self “there is this passion to move about and pick up on all the little nuances the world has to offer”.  We shared the view that our passions may become misdirected, and we may find ourselves walking in a direction that leads us away from our deepest yearnings.

“Movement brings about a lot of revelation and epiphany about our smallness, our insignificance, and about how much bigger the universal machinery is than our self. Getting to the point of taking the humble stance is the end product” of the long and arduous spiritual journey which, I am sure Swami would agree, is always a walk in progress.

Trail, BC resident Louise McEwan is a freelance religion writer with degrees in English and Theology. She has a background in education and faith formation. Her blog is www.faithcolouredglasses.blogspot.com. Contact her at mcewan.lou@gmail.com.