Pilgrimage Tour to Nepal and India
with Ven. Sabchu Rinpoche
Novemer 28 - December 7, 2005

Sabchu Rinpoché generally tries to go on pilgrimage every year. Last year when he was teaching at Seattle Bodhi Path Buddhist Center, some of his students expressed their desire to join him. Rinpoché willingly accepted and lead them on the trip. This year while he was teaching at different Bodhi Path centers on the West Coast, several students again expressed a wish to join Rinpoché on a pilgrimage. This ten-day journey to the four major Buddhist sites along with several other holy places is the result of their request.

Benefit and Importance of Pilgrimage
As Explained by Sabchu Rinpoché

The Buddha’s disciple, King Ashoka, once asked Buddha, “What should I do after you leave?” Buddha replied, “You should mark all the places I have visited so that in the unfortunate times of the future, people will be inspired to strive for Buddhahood. Those who make the effort to visit the four major holy sites of the Buddha with positive aspiration need not be reborn in the lower realms.”

In the present fast-paced world, practitioners of Buddhadharma are not always able to work with their afflicting emotions. We constantly have disturbing emotions when we try to practice, and a great deal of effort is required to transform them. It is hard to do because these emotions arise effortlessly, and we are so used to them. The process of reversing this tendency is called the practice of Dharma. In the beginning, it is important to have a positive environment for Dharma practice, to try to create a situation where we can work on our emotions more easily. We need strength if we want to work on disturbing emotions. So how can pilgrimage help us work on our negative tendencies?

From an ultimate point of view, a practitioner does not need to go from place to place to find holiness. Wherever one is, it is holy. Whatever kind of thought arises in the midst of confused mind, it is realization. Mere words can carry the whole meaning of Dharma. For instance, wherever a person like the great yogi Milarepa, the founding father of the Kagyu lineage, might go, great realization arises. The place is blessed spontaneously. In short, a person can bless a place and a place can bless a person. In our case, we belong to the second category and Milarepa to the first. A journey of Buddhahood is nothing but the journey from this second category to the first. Until then, we need lots of support for practice and strength for working with mind. The blessing of these holy places gives us more strength; their inspiration supports our practice. The practitioner’s aspiration Bodhicitta increases, and by seeing the sites connected with the deeds of the Buddha, great devotion arises through which pure realization can blossom. Because we are visiting the very places where the Buddha was born and attained enlightenment, any daily sadhana practice, single mantra accumulation or one-minute meditation done at these places is far more powerful and the merits are far greater than usual.

For beginning practitioners, joining this trip will allow you to understand Buddha’s life and activity better, and will foster greater enthusiasm for practice. Just traveling to these places will plant a positive karmic seed which will mature into more positive tendencies in the future. Therefore, I invite you to join in this trip in order to better understand Buddha’s journey toward enlightenment, so that your own path will be a smooth one.

Notes:

• Pilgrmage Overview • Travel Suggestions • Itinerary & Prices •