pilgrimage origin spirit source

 

 Writing, if nothing else is a bridge between two people, a bridge made up of language. And language belongs to all of us. If I enjoy a poem, that just means I am recognizing within it something of myself, something I must already possess. 

Therefore, to love a poem is to love a part of myself revealed to me by another person.         

                                                                                                ~Ocean Vuong

~the warmth of butter lamps illuminating Namo Buddha Monastery, Kathmandu Valley,
Nepal

pilgrimage: a long journey to sacred sites

origin- latin originem- rise, beginning or source

spirit- latin spiritus-breath

source-latin sugere-to rise, to spring

pilgrimage of the heart-a long journey reconnecting with spirit and essence of ancestral land, mountains, rivers, and forests. ~a personal journey to connect with beginnings, source(s) of spirit, tradition, urging me to remember my true original nature. 

 my partner and i embarked on a five week pilgrimage to Nepal and Japan this spring. in some ways we wished to trek in the Himalayas while our bodies were strong and resilient enough, in another, we wished to embark on a pilgrimage to sites important to practitioners of Shin, Tibetan and Zen Buddhism. i recognized that although this was a physical pilgrimage trekking in high altitude, visiting auspicious monasteries and temples, i was embarking on a pilgrimage of the heart and spirit too. it was this internal journey that compels me to write and share. 

my hope is that what i share will be of service, benefit or inspiration for readers to embark on their own pilgrimage of the heart to the place(s) of spirit, origin, source for you. the locations might not be far away or require trekking in altitude. it will require effort and attentiveness to orient your heart to open and connect. 

my wish is for you to re-connect with your original nature and reclaim your rich, perhaps complicated, unique heritage.

 my wish is to offer peace or openness through some of the images and experiences i convey.  in many ways, i carried my sangha, my community with me for the five weeks inside my tiny meditation bell to the high Tibetan monasteries in the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal, the stunning magnitude of the Annapurna range at sunrise, the Tendai temples in the forests of Mt. Hiei in Japan where Shinran Shonin (founder of Jodo Shinshu), Dogen Zenji (founder of Soto Zen), Kukai (founder of Shingon) began their decades long study and practice centuries ago. Finally, to offer a glimpse of the stunning expression of joy during cherry blossom season in Kyoto that seems to put a spell on everyone~ to pause and absorb their fleeting, impermanent nature. By their very nature, they are changing in every moment and we were caught in the spell too, falling in love permeated the air~a kind of delightful way to experience love and joy in action. It reminded me of a quote from our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh:

                            there is vitality in everything, the entire cosmos is radiant with vitality. 

my hope is to continue to share with you, in small and other ways, pilgrimage of the spirit, in all its radiant vitality. 

with a smile, with a bow, to all the conditions that make it possible. 

Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal