Pilgrimage and Buddhists

There is an interesting exhibit of artwork of Buddhists on pilgrimage. Like pilgrims throughout time, Buddhists go on pilgrimage just like Jews, Christians, Muslims, etc.:

"Materially it's cornucopian, with all manner of painting and sculpture and a North Face supply of pilgrim travel gear: rucksacks, hiking staffs and fanny packs, not to mention charts and maps, some cosmic, some not."

Sounds like a pilgrimage to me!

Buen camino!

B

Journeying Stage

In Radical Grace, Richard Rohr posits that there are four ages of human life--well, he says men, but I'll say human life.

First is student time: learning from our elders. Second age is the "man/woman the bread winner," creating and living within a family unit. Rohr suggests that many people get "stuck" here in this age/stage/move/step, and sadly remain here for the rest of their life.

The third? Journeyer. Nomad. Accumulator of experiences from near and far. Pilgrim!

The fourth: the one who has gained experienced, only obtained through going through the other three ages.

Food for thought.

Chomping...

Buen camino!

B

Being a Pilgrim: A Matter of Life and Death

Reading in the nyt.com today about the Shiites who were killed while on pilgrimage, visiting a holy shrine. From they nyt.com:

BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of Shiite pilgrims at a police checkpoint in Baghdad on Wednesday night, killing at least 28 people and wounding 81 others despite intensive efforts by Iraqi security forces to foil such attacks.

There is a price to paying homage at such holy sites in a dangerous world.

Salaam...

B

Pilgrimage Text in Lectionary Reading's Gospel Choice

Herschel H. Sheets, from "The Protestant Hour" wrote this:

Jesus ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics." They were to travel light. When you are loaded down, the normal tendency is to think about your load. Too heavy a load distracts oru attention; it saps your strength, drains away your joy, and keeps you from accomplishing what you might otherwise accomplish.

As I read this this morning at United Church I thought: "Yep, been there, seen that, done that."

Lectionary Gospel account was Luke 10:1-11, 16-20, in which Jesus tells the "70 others" what they are to do as they go out into the world on their pilgrimage. While God's Spirit precedes them on the journey, they are in for the time of their lives...of our lives, actually. For we are the "70 others."

Pace!

B

The Dalai Lama on Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is a part of the 5 major world religions.

I'm not the only one who sees it or knows it.

The Dalai Lama understands this as well:

Pilgrimages are a part of nearly every religion. The faithful set out in hopes of finding virtue and gaining merit. Among Buddhists, they visit places where a spiritual master once spent time meditating. His presence makes the place seem somehow blessed or charged, as if there is some kind of electricity around it. Pilgrims come to feel these mysterious vibrations. They try to share in the visions of the master. Along their road, they undertake hardship with no thought of material reward. Their every step, every movement, becomes filled with a sense of spiritual progress. Many intensify the sense of hardship along the way by going barefoot, or reciting prayers or mantras, and so increase the spiritual merit they gain.

Pace!

Buen Camino!

B

The Interior and the exterior journey

Richard Rohr writes that on pilgrimage, there is more than is going on in terms of the "outside" or exterior journey: there is an interior journey, in which there is a need for a deep listening and obeying to the movement of the Spirit.

At the beach today, listening to the Spirit while being on the journey of life.

Pace!

Buen camino!

B