Pilgrimage Preparations

The group of travellers who went to the cave last year found many important texts. As I was working on building the new library for the nunnery I went through many of these texts to see which would be included in our library. While doing this I came across a text describing

‘Bras mo ljongs, a sacred pilgrimage site. This land lies between Bhutan and Nepal. In this text the great master Padmasambhava said that a time of evil deeds, suffering and starvation would descend upon Tibet and at this time anyone who was able to go on a pilgrimage to this sacred site must go for their benefit and the benefit of others. I have saved up quite a bit of money from the rebuilding of houses after the hail storm thus I am fortunate enough to go on this pilgrimage and I have decided that I must go. A great disaster in our village has given me the opportunity to bring wisdom and merit upon our community. This text is quite ancient and although I asked around the village no one had heard of a person travelling to ‘Bras mo longs. I believe that we have found the text at this moment in time because it is now the right time to go on the pilgrimage and so I have decided to embark on my first pilgrimage. My aim for the pilgrimage is to cultivate wisdom and right mind which I can apply back at home while I continue to learn about rituals.

I will be embarking on my pilgrimage soon, hopefully within the next few weeks if the arrangements can be made, because the weather will still be pleasant and not too hot yet. I plan to go on the pilgrimage by myself, I believe the solitude will be best for working on cultivating wisdom and right mind. As a woman it is not entirely safe to travel alone so I will have to bring a guide and only travel during the daytime. I plan to travel by bus to the area, then walk to find the sacred place. Before I leave I have lots of preparations to take care of. I must wrap up all of my building projects, now that the printing press is finished my business isn’t as busy and this will be easier. I will preform Dana, generosity, by giving to the monks in our village to show my gratitude to the sangha and to ensure safety for my trip. Cultivating Dana is part of my goal of gaining wisdom and right mind and this act of charity will be the true beginning of my journey. I will travel simply with no greed or desire, I will be content with simple food and sleeping conditions which will allow me to focus on the true purpose of my journey which is developing wisdom and collecting merit. My embarking on a pilgrimage I hope to feel closer to the Buddha and develop respect and focused mind. The cost and time involved in a pilgrimage is quite extensive so this will likely be the only pilgrimage I will ever go on during this lifetime. I must make sure I have right mind, right intention and correct mental attitude before I leave so I can gain as much wisdom as possible from the journey. I will ask the nun who has been teaching me about ritualism to teach me the rituals to perform on a pilgrimage. I know I must make offerings to deities and protectors of the land but there is a lot more i still must learn before I leave, for instance how to show respect through my eating and dress. I will read through some more appropriate texts in the new library to learn more about pilgrimage. I do have one slightly selfish reason for embarking on this pilgrimage. I wish to learn about styles of building in lands beyond my own where I have never travelled before. While I travel through Asia I hope to observe new styles of architecture and building techniques which I can bring back to my own village.

Through some preliminary reading I have been learning about the history of pilgrimage in Buddhism. Many religions have pilgrimage places which are sacred to them. For example, Christians travel to Bethlehem where Jesus was born just as Buddhists travel to Lumbini when the Buddha was born. During the Middle Ages pilgrimage became very popular in the Christian world and pilgrims gained great respect. Buddhist pilgrimage probably began after the Buddha died when Buddhist practitioners traveled to visit the Buddha relics and burial mounds built in these areas. These first pilgrimages were embarked on in order to gain merit and show devotion to the Buddha, just as they are today. The Buddha himself emphasized the importance of pilgrimage by asking his followers to return to the four important places of his life after he passed in Parinirvana. The four important life cycle of the Buddha places were; Lumbini where the Buddha was born, Bodh Gaya where we attained enlightenment, Sarnath where he turned the wheel of the Dharma and Kusinara where he entered Parinirvana. The Buddha said that this pilgrimage would free the pilgrims of their past sins. For pilgrims then and pilgrims today, the liminal act of leaving one’s everyday lifestyle and journeying toward a special place will help to focus the mind on Buddha’s teachings free from distraction. This is why I have chosen to undertake the journey alone as I hope the solitude and removal from my job and family will help me to cultivate my right mind.

The ancient text found in the cave refers to a Lam Yig, a guide book, which contains directions about how to overcome obstacles, what to do upon arriving at the sacred site and how to make offerings to protectors and deities of the land so as not to upset them. I will locate this text and read it throughly because there are many dangers which a pilgrim can encounter and it is best to be prepared. The travelogue describes the sacred land as a peaceful, happy and beautiful place. The text describes the land, it’s caves and landscape in great detail. There are meadows filled with medicinal plants. If I recognize any of these plants and their benefits I will bring a few home for doctors in the village who were not fortunate enough to be able to embark on the pilgrimage. I also hope to find a specific healing plant which will help my husband who has suffered from a climbing injury for many years and left him unable to work. There are also many pigments available in all colours imaginable including gold and silver. I will collect some of these and bring them for the nuns who work with the printing press in the nunnery library. With these beautiful pigments we will be able to make illuminated books from our most important texts. I am aware that I must be careful when collecting these plants and pigments from the sacred land. Truthfully, I am not sure if I am allowed to bring things back from the land with me. I hope the answer will be in the Lam Yig. The text states that there are many protective deities protecting the land and I must be extremely careful to not upset them. I must be extra careful when setting fires and disposing of waste so I can make sure not to pollute or harm the land. The sacred land is purifying and will wash away all of my sins if I reach it. With my ritual teacher I have been working on meditation practices so I can so spiritual practices on my journey and at the sacred place. These practices on the pilgrimage journey and at the pilgrimage site will help me to gain a lot of merit and to work on my right mind. The text states that the centre of this holy place is as sacred as Bodh Gaya, Buddhism’s most holy site. Reaching this sacred site will take a lot of preparation but will be incredible because of it’s great importance.

Finding this ancient text in the mountain which describes a pilgrimage site must be a sign that the time is right to travel to this place. I am beginning the preparations for my journey so I will be able to embark while the weather is still pleasant. A nun in the village who is my teacher is teaching me about rituals and offerings which I will need to complete my journey successfully. I will travel with the most simple of provisions to make sure my mind is focused on cultivating wisdom and worshipping the Buddha. Through researching Buddhist pilgrimage I am learning about why the practice began and what it can help us achieve as practitioners of Buddhism. Embarking on a pilgrimage makes me feel connected with other Buddhists and with people of all religions as this practice is shared among many people in this world. The ancient text found in the cave describes the beautiful, peaceful land and all of the topography and flora which can be found in this land. I hope to bring back physical objects and wisdom which will benefit those in my village when I return from my journey. As I begin my preparations for the journey I will keep my mind focused on wisdom and Buddha’s teachings so I can begin to cultivate right mind. This journey and everything I learn from it will benefit my practice of learning Buddhist ritual.