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India Pilgrimage 2019

The Four Sacred Buddhist sites of India and Nepal

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Pilgrimage to the Four Sacred Buddhist sites of India and Nepal

Presentations by Chooiwan

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In February and March of 2019 I had the opportunity and honour to lead a group of four monks, 1 nun and around 35 laypeople on the traditional Buddhist Pilgrimage circuit in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states of India, as well as in Lumbini, Nepal. I have shared both talks and slideshows from previous India Pilgrimages at the Peace Beyond Suffering website before. But this time I am happy to announce that we are able to share something a little more engaging and lively. As many of the pilgrims took pictures (at the allowed time ☺) and mini movies, there was a lot of material that could be shared. Of ancient sites and images and of sacred spiritual practices.

Chooiwan, a Chinese-Malaysian living in Melbourne, Australia and who had joined the Pilgrimage kindly volunteered to select the choicest pictures and splice them together with excerpts of video footage - in the order that we visited the various important sites. The combination of still shots as well as moving footage and sometimes audio from those places, as well as relevant text, helps in bringing the experience more to life than the previous slideshows.

The pilgrims and I hope that by sharing these glimpses of our journey, which was undertaken with great faith and commitment by all, that you will feel nourished and inspired to continue in whatever way you can on your cultivation of this noble Path, wherever you are now.​

There is also a more serene and simple slideshow that can be used as something of a Pilgrimage Contemplation/ meditation (scroll to page bottom) with 350 pictures carefully selected by me. These pictures have a higher resolution so that the wonderful sites and magnificent vistas, as well as the joy on the faces of the pilgrims can be shared in greater detail.

1.  Varanasi and Sarnath

Part 1 of this series takes us to the place where the Buddha gave his first teaching and set in motion the Wheel of Dhamma.

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2.  Bodhgaya and Dungeshwari

Part 2 of this series takes us to the place where the Buddha was enlightened.

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3.  Rajgir and Nalanda

Part 3 of this series takes us to Rajgir, the place where Sariputta and Mogallana met the Buddha, the site of Nalanda, the great monastic university and Vulture's Peak.

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4. Vaishali & Kushinagar

Part 4, Buddhist Pilgrimage to key holy sites led by Ajahn Achalo at the start of 2019. This is Part 4 of this series, and takes us to Vaishali and Kushinagar, where the Lord Buddha passed away.

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5. Lumbini

Part 5, Buddhist Pilgrimage to key holy sites led by Ajahn Achalo at the start of 2019. This is Part 5 of this series, and takes us to Lumbini in Nepal, the birthplace of the Lord Buddha

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6. Sravasti

Buddhist Pilgrimage to key holy sites led by Ajahn Achalo at the start of 2019. This is Part 6 (Final) of this series, and takes us to Sravasti, where the Buddha spent most years of his teaching life.

Follow our pilgrimage with chanting and soundscape, please click to play >

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More India Pilgramages 

India Pilgrimage 2017

India Pilgrimage 2015