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It is good to go with a sangha. The value of a collective in the Three Jewels. I have been privileged to witness
experience is very beneficial and enhances the hundreds of pilgrims develop a profound growth in
individual experience. If you have a teacher who has their appreciation of the historical Buddha, a deepening
already been there and can show you the Buddha’s understanding of the practical Dharma, and a great love
path and the important places, that is a great benefit. It and connection to those traveling together as a sangha.
is valuable to go with someone with good knowledge
and understanding of India and its culture, as that is I find no greater joy than meeting my teacher, the Buddha,
an integral part of the pilgrimage journey. Even though and going on pilgrimage does that. Each time I go, I get to
the Buddha’s teachings have a universal appeal, it was know him and his Dharma better and how it helps me.
in the context of India’s geography and culture that the
Buddha developed his teachings. The Buddha understood that we humans need concrete
places to connect the teachings (which can sometimes
Additionally, try to read some of the Buddha’s life feel abstract) with our lived experience. When someone
stories, such as Old Path White Clouds by Thich Nhat sincerely undertakes pilgrimage, they return with their
Hanh. Try to understand the history and significance of faith deepened and their practice energized in a way
the sites you will visit. I suggest identifying particular that mere intellectual study rarely achieves.
sutras you might want to read connected in theme and/
or location to the sites you will visit. The Buddha suggested that we visit the four places
associated with pivotal times in his life: the site of his
Come with an open heart and a non-judgmental mind. birth (Lumbini), his awakening (Bodh Gaya), his first
After guiding more than a hundred pilgrimages, I teachings (Sarnath), and his passing away (Kushinagar).
have found that those who approach the journey with Thus, the Buddha’s life and teachings become more
humility, patience, and openness often experience the real, more concrete. For instance, meditating on Vulture
most profound transformations. Peak, the Buddha’s favorite spot for meditation, and
viewing the mountains virtually unchanged since his
The Dalai Lama states that if you return from a time give pilgrims a visceral sense of connection.
pilgrimage unchanged, it has been a wasted investment
of time, money, and energy. The sites make the Buddha’s teaching tangible and
immediate. At Bodh Gaya, sitting under the Bodhi tree (a
In his final teachings before he passed away, the descendant of the original), pilgrims can also experience
Buddha mentioned that a pilgrimage would help his a glimpse of the Buddha’s enlightenment. The historical
followers develop spiritually. How does this work? reality of the Buddha as a person who walked these

grounds, faced real struggles, and achieved awakening
The Buddha suggested that pilgrimage is a practice on becomes powerfully clear.
the path of awakening and would increase our faith