Darjeeling, a small town located in northern India, is at 7,000 feet and very, very far from Seattle; it takes three days just to get there. They call the mountains of Darjeeling "hills" because the nearby Himalayas rise to 29,000 feet. To me, the Darjeeling hills look like Seattle's nearby Cascade Mountains.

Some of us are drawn to mountain tops, some to caves, others to forest clearings. For each of us there is a place of alignment. Pilgrimage has no further purpose. Being there is reason enough¹.

Some of us are drawn to mountain tops, some to caves, others to forest clearings. For each of us there is a place of alignment. Pilgrimage has no further purpose. Being there is reason enough¹.

This is the Reclining Buddha in the Nirvana Temple at Kusinagara, where we joined the Pilgrimage. Here, Buddha passed away. At each place we lit candles and chanted sacred Tibetan Buddhist texts and mantras: The Aspiration of Samantabhadra, The Heart Sutra, and The Three-Part Sutra: Confession Before the Thirty-Five Buddhas. There were local monks in the temple with us who were quiet until we started our chants. Then, I sensed they accepted us in their space. As sweat dripped from my forehead, the monks to my immediate right chanted "Om Mani Peme Hung, Om Mani Peme Hung…"

The Dhamekh stupa at Sarnath, where Buddha first taught.

Power places are seats of the Gods, focal points of divine energy. They are the source of spiritual revitalization and renewed psychic energy².

During the first watch of the night the Buddha was silent, during the second he made a little conversation, and at the third began the teaching. At the spot where at the Buddhas first turned the wheel, 1000 thrones appeared³. He taught the Middle Way that avoids extremes of pleasures and austerity, the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path.

At dawn, a few of us went back here. It was very quiet and we had a nice chance to meditate alone.

As you can see, we were very blissful on this trip!

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