‘The Walking Monk’ makes a stop in city

YOUNGSTOWN — Sitting underneath a tree by the main library near the corner of Wick and Rayen avenues, a man known simply as “The Walking Monk” enjoyed a quiet Friday afternoon arriving for the first time in the city on his pilgrimage across the U.S.

His only supplies: a cellphone he rarely uses, prayer beads, a watch, some business cards and the bright orange robes and sandals he wears while he traverses the land.

Bharktimarga Swami, 63, is a Hare Krishna monk who started his pilgrimage just three days ago when he began in Butler, Pa. He plans to walk entirely on foot to San Francisco, walking 20 miles a day. He left no timetable for his arrival on the West Coast.

For the complete story, read Saturday's Vindicator and Vindy.com