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[[Image:Kora Reurink Jan.png|thumb|350px|Kora around [[Mount Kailash]], courtesy of Jan Reurink]] | [[Image:Kora Reurink Jan.png|thumb|350px|Kora around [[Mount Kailash]], courtesy of Jan Reurink]] | ||
'''Pilgrimage''' (Tib. གནས་སྐོར་, ''nékor'', Wyl. ''gnas skor'' | '''Pilgrimage''' (Tib. གནས་སྐོར་, ''nékor'', [[Wyl.]] ''gnas skor'') is the visiting of holy places, those blessed by great beings during the course of Buddhist history, and those like [[hidden-land]]s or '''beyül'''. | ||
Buddhists consider these acts first as an important means of accumulating [[merit]], but also as a 'journey beyond the human impulse to control one’s experience and an openness to serendipity' <Ref>Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 116.</Ref>. | Buddhists consider these acts first as an important means of accumulating [[merit]], but also as a 'journey beyond the human impulse to control one’s experience and an openness to serendipity'<Ref>Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 116.</Ref>. | ||
==Tradition | ==Tradition Inspired by the Buddha== | ||
The tradition is actually inspired by the [[Buddha]] himself. As the [[Mahaparinirvana Sutra]] explains, when he was about to pass into [[parinirvana]], people around him asked him who would there be to guide people if he were to display passing away. He replied that for people in the future to visit the four great holy places would be like meeting him in actuality. | The tradition is actually inspired by the [[Buddha]] himself. As the ''[[Mahaparinirvana Sutra]]'' explains, when he was about to pass into [[parinirvana]], people around him asked him who would there be to guide people if he were to display passing away. He replied that for people in the future to visit the four great holy places would be like meeting him in actuality. | ||
==Tibetan | ==Tibetan Background== | ||
According to Ian Baker<Ref>Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 149-150.</Ref>, | According to Ian Baker<Ref>Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 149-150.</Ref>, "Long before Buddhism came to Tibet, the soul and vitality of Tibetan clans was connected to particular lakes, rocks, and mountains. Although the spirits of these places could be appeased with ancient shamanistic rites, Buddhism transformed an uneasy alliance with nature into one in which pilgrims could participate directly in the sacred presence." | ||
==Vajrayana | ==Vajrayana Perspective== | ||
According to Ian Baker<Ref>Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 160.</Ref>: | According to Ian Baker<Ref>Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 160.</Ref>: | ||
::For Tibetans the key to pilgrimage is [[daknang]], pure vision, the sacred vision that transfigures the environment into a pure realm of enlightened energies. Even the most miserable of circumstances invites shift in perception. In the Tantric tradition, the ideal of pilgrimage is not simply to visit sacred sites, but to facilitate an inner transformation at places that challenge conventional ways of seeing. In this sense, the more destabilizing the surroundings the better. As [[Longchenpa]] urged: | ::For Tibetans the key to pilgrimage is ''[[daknang]]'', pure vision, the sacred vision that transfigures the environment into a pure realm of enlightened energies. Even the most miserable of circumstances invites shift in perception. In the Tantric tradition, the ideal of pilgrimage is not simply to visit sacred sites, but to facilitate an inner transformation at places that challenge conventional ways of seeing. In this sense, the more destabilizing the surroundings the better. As [[Longchenpa]] urged: | ||
:::Go to mountain tops, charnel grounds, islets, and fairgrounds… | :::Go to mountain tops, charnel grounds, islets, and fairgrounds… | ||
:::Places that make the mind waver, | :::Places that make the mind waver, | ||
| Line 21: | Line 21: | ||
==Link with Beyul == | ==Link with Beyul == | ||
In the mind of Tibetan, | In the mind of Tibetan, ''beyüls'' like [[Pemakö]] have long been considered an ideal realm for undertaking this inner level of pilgrimage and transforming one’s perceptions. | ||
[[Lelung Shyepé Dorje]] <Ref>Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 160.</Ref> had epitomized it: 'Leaving our homes behind us we are self-abandoning yogis… As meditative experiences spontaneously arise, we travel joyously… without hope, doubt, or attachment as to whether or not we will succeed. We have no concern for our personal comforts…. Nor for the binding fetters of monasteries or the knots of worldly existence. Nor do we strive for nirvana. All places are joyous to us. We have no fear about dying on the way… nor will we have regrets when we have to return.' | [[Lelung Shyepé Dorje]]<Ref>Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 160.</Ref> had epitomized it: 'Leaving our homes behind us we are self-abandoning yogis… As meditative experiences spontaneously arise, we travel joyously… without hope, doubt, or attachment as to whether or not we will succeed. We have no concern for our personal comforts…. Nor for the binding fetters of monasteries or the knots of worldly existence. Nor do we strive for nirvana. All places are joyous to us. We have no fear about dying on the way… nor will we have regrets when we have to return.' | ||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
| Line 39: | Line 39: | ||
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HMP_xVJFss Khandro Rinpoche on doing pilgrimage] | *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HMP_xVJFss Khandro Rinpoche on doing pilgrimage] | ||
*[http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/pilgrim/index.html The Art of Pilgrimage & Sacred Sites outline page at Himalayan Art] | *[http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/pilgrim/index.html The Art of Pilgrimage & Sacred Sites outline page at Himalayan Art] | ||
*[https://prajnaonline.org/video/pilgrimage-to-the-sacred-sites-of-guru-padmasambhava Dharma talk with Stefan Mang and Peter Woods: Pilgrimage to the Sacred Sites of Guru Padmasambhava] | |||
[[Category: Pilgrimage]] | [[Category:Pilgrimage| ]] | ||
Latest revision as of 08:17, 14 September 2023
Pilgrimage (Tib. གནས་སྐོར་, nékor, Wyl. gnas skor) is the visiting of holy places, those blessed by great beings during the course of Buddhist history, and those like hidden-lands or beyül. Buddhists consider these acts first as an important means of accumulating merit, but also as a 'journey beyond the human impulse to control one’s experience and an openness to serendipity'[1].
Tradition Inspired by the Buddha
The tradition is actually inspired by the Buddha himself. As the Mahaparinirvana Sutra explains, when he was about to pass into parinirvana, people around him asked him who would there be to guide people if he were to display passing away. He replied that for people in the future to visit the four great holy places would be like meeting him in actuality.
Tibetan Background
According to Ian Baker[2], "Long before Buddhism came to Tibet, the soul and vitality of Tibetan clans was connected to particular lakes, rocks, and mountains. Although the spirits of these places could be appeased with ancient shamanistic rites, Buddhism transformed an uneasy alliance with nature into one in which pilgrims could participate directly in the sacred presence."
Vajrayana Perspective
According to Ian Baker[3]:
- For Tibetans the key to pilgrimage is daknang, pure vision, the sacred vision that transfigures the environment into a pure realm of enlightened energies. Even the most miserable of circumstances invites shift in perception. In the Tantric tradition, the ideal of pilgrimage is not simply to visit sacred sites, but to facilitate an inner transformation at places that challenge conventional ways of seeing. In this sense, the more destabilizing the surroundings the better. As Longchenpa urged:
- Go to mountain tops, charnel grounds, islets, and fairgrounds…
- Places that make the mind waver,
- And let the body dance, the voice sing,
- And the mind project innumerable thoughts:
- Fuse them with the view and practice
- of spontaneous liberation
- Then all arises as the Path!
- For Tibetans the key to pilgrimage is daknang, pure vision, the sacred vision that transfigures the environment into a pure realm of enlightened energies. Even the most miserable of circumstances invites shift in perception. In the Tantric tradition, the ideal of pilgrimage is not simply to visit sacred sites, but to facilitate an inner transformation at places that challenge conventional ways of seeing. In this sense, the more destabilizing the surroundings the better. As Longchenpa urged:
Link with Beyul
In the mind of Tibetan, beyüls like Pemakö have long been considered an ideal realm for undertaking this inner level of pilgrimage and transforming one’s perceptions. Lelung Shyepé Dorje[4] had epitomized it: 'Leaving our homes behind us we are self-abandoning yogis… As meditative experiences spontaneously arise, we travel joyously… without hope, doubt, or attachment as to whether or not we will succeed. We have no concern for our personal comforts…. Nor for the binding fetters of monasteries or the knots of worldly existence. Nor do we strive for nirvana. All places are joyous to us. We have no fear about dying on the way… nor will we have regrets when we have to return.'
Notes
- ↑ Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 116.
- ↑ Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 149-150.
- ↑ Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 160.
- ↑ Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to The Last Secret Place, The Pinguin Press, 2004, page 160.
Further Reading
- Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, What to do at India’s Buddhist Holy Sites, Khyentse Foundation, 2010
- Ngawang Zangpo, Sacred Ground: Jamgon Kongtrul on "Pilgrimage and Sacred Geography," (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2001).
