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.

In the footsteps of the Buddha
After recently taking part in a pilgrimage through the traditional Buddhist holy sites of north-east India, Dhiramuni will describe some of his experiences and reflect on the nature of pilgrimage and the spiritual lessons it contains for us all.

The pilgrim has the knowledge that arriving will be deeply fulfilling and so therefore they set out with a light step.

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.

Dharma talks at the Auckland Buddhist Centre
A collection of talks given by the Sangha available for download

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