The Walking Monk (Supplied)

By Alessia Proietti

Bhaktimarga Swami

“The Walking Monk” is devoting himself to Red Deerians this week

Jul 28, 2022 | 1:51 PM

“The Walking Monk” is in Red Deer to share his spiritual teachings about connection with the earth and the self.

Bhaktimarga Swami, an Indian Sanskrit name appointed by a guru, translates into devotion for “bhakti” and path for “marga”. Swami in Hinduism means a religious teacher.

It suits him well as his way of practicing his faith includes long pilgrimages of walking across countries. From British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador, he states he has walked across Canada a total of four times, each around seven months long. Worldwide, he says he has walked across the United States, Israel, Ireland, Guyana, Trinidad, Mauritius, and the Fiji Islands. Overnight, he says he is either welcomed at worshippers’ homes or camps outdoors, with the help of a guide carrying a tent by car.

“The whole purpose is always to encourage people,” he says, “ to live more towards a green way of life. Get out of the house, get out of the car, put your shoes on and go for a walk and get in touch with natural elements around us.”

John Vis, his real name, was raised in Chatham, Ontario as a Christian and says he became a Hare Krishna monk in a search for himself at the age of 20, now dedicating his life to people and the world. A form of Hinduism, he worships one god, Hare Krishna, instead of multiple. Using the Bhagavad Gita text, concepts of the soul and liberation from the world are practiced through various means like Bhakti Yoga as a way to connect with God.

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Bhaktimarga Swami meditating (Supplied)

Now 49 years in practice, Swami is a yoga instructor. He is also a leader of Kirtan, where mantras are musical, and is a speaker on the teachings of the Gita.

“I just feel there’s this great need for people to get back into song and dance,” he said. “Just be happy for happiness’s sake. Just let the movement of the body and entering into mindfulness allow you to enjoy your state of joy.”

Returning from Sunday’s Rath Yatra, a Hindu Festival of Chariots in Calgary, and on his way to a similar festival in Edmonton, Swami stopped in Red Deer on Wednesday.

The Hare Krishna faith has over a million followers worldwide, he says, and those in Red Deer come mainly from Fijian and Russian backgrounds.

Hosted at the home of one of his worshippers, he launched his latest book “The Saffron Path” to roughly 35 worshippers, alongside chanting sessions and a plant-based feast. He describes his book as a walking memoir of his adventures, triumphs, and challenges, including encounters with bears. The light read, he says, is not evangelical or controversial but contains aspects of philosophy.

Bhaktimarga Swami at book launch in Red Deer at worshipper’s house on Wednesday evening. (Supplied)

On Thursday, Swami will be exploring Sylvan Lake, sharing his beliefs on making the world a better and simpler place, with the hope of also making some friends.

“We’re all human beings and I think there are two purposes for a human being. Number one, we’re made to walk. And then number two, human beings are specifically designed to become introspective, think a little bit about the world and become sensitive to cooperate with the universe instead of fighting against it and making a mess of it,” he said.

Swami has had two documentations of his Canadian walks, including one by the National Film Board of Canada. With minimal expenses as a monk, he is fully community funded.