Regular events

Dharma Monday

Pilgrimage: Journeying into the unknown

A pilgrimage is a journey of spiritual significance.

Traditionally it involves travelling to a sacred place as an act of faith and devotion. Many religions place great spiritual importance on particular places and journeying to these sites gives rise to feelings of veneration or reverence in the Pilgrim.

For Buddhists those sacred places include Lumbini - the Buddha's birthplace, Bodhgaya - the place where the Buddha attained Enlightenment, Saranth where he delivered his first teaching and Kushinagar where he attained parinirvana.

Other places of pilgrimage in India and Nepal connected to the life of the Buddha include Sravasti, Sankasia, Rajgir and Vaishali. These sites are all said to be places where he performed miracles.

In this four week Dharma Monday series we will be exploring different aspects of pilgrimage. From the significant outward journey to the sacred sites of the Buddha to the trans-formative, internal journey of the Dharma-wayfarer - and a few other places in between.

All this and more as we reflect on what it means to be a 'Pilgrim' in this precious human life.

Journeying into the unknown
On the first evening Karunajoti will be introducing the overall theme and exploring the significance of pilgrimage and it's varied forms. She will share a few experiences from a recent pilgrimage in India as well as reflections from a more inward journey whilst on solitary retreat in the wilds of Aotearoa.

Pilgrimaging we will surprise ourselves.
We will transform in ways we cannot imagine with our current consciousness.
We need to commit ourselves to the unknown.

Dharma night is suitable for those who would like to learn more about Buddhism. It is also a popular night for regular friends to drop in and practice together. If you are a beginner but can't get to/or have just started one of our meditation classes, you are still welcome to come and join in.

The usual program for the evening is a talk or discussion on some aspect of Buddhism, tea break, then group meditation to end the evening.

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