Pilgrimage Journey to Nepal & Bhutan
8th – 22nd November 2018
With this pilgrimage journey to Nepal & Bhutan we start our first 6 days in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, where we explore the sacred areas of Swayambhu, Pharping, Namo Buddha and Boudha Stupa – listed to be some of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage spots in the world. After becoming acquainted with the Nepali Buddhist cultures of the Himalayan region, we travel to the other sacred Buddhist land of Bhutan. Here we spend 8 days, embarking on a journey where we get to both observe and learn about the spiritual heritage of Bhutan, as much as taking time to practice ourselves and take in the many blessings of this place.
Introducing the Facilitators
This pilgrimage journey will be jointly facilitated by the Himalayan Hermitage team in Nepal, Alex d’Artois or Sisse Budolfsen – depending on the size of the group, as well as our wonderful Bhutanese guide, Tshering Penjore while we are in Bhutan. The groups will hold the maximum amount of 15 people.
For more information on Alex & Sisse please go here.
The Buddhist culture of the Himalayas, with the countless blessings of the many yogis and yoginis who have practiced the path of awakening here for centuries, seep out of every temple and shrine in the Kathmandu Valley. In the daily meditation sessions, we will explore the inner capacity for the mind to fully rest, and familiarise ourselves with the experience of being free from the constant, and very subtle dichotomy of hope and fear.
We start the day by exploring the inner experience of awakening in ourselves, as well as grounding our awareness into the body through yoga, and in the afternoon sessions we enhance the experience by becoming pilgrims and yogis. We explore the outer element of sacredness and the culture of awakening by visiting, and paying homage to the many sacred temples and shrines in the Kathmandu Valley. In the evenings after returning home, we salute the day through unwinding evening yoga.
- 8:00 – 9:00 Meditation
- 9:15 – 10:00 Breakfast
- 10:00 – 12:00 Morning session
- 12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
- 1:00 – 4:30 Visiting sacred places
- 7:00 – 8:00 Dinner
INFO ON MEDITATION
There is no prerequisite for joining the pilgrimage, or to have in-depth knowledge or experience with the practice of meditation. Simply, to have the wish to go deeper with one’s mind, and to have curiosity regarding its functions is enough. There is nothing religious about the practice of meditation, or to visit sacred places and shrines. In fact, there is nothing even Buddhist about it. The practice of meditation is simply a tool to bring your mind back to a place of naked awareness, to a place of basic space with yourself. In fact, it is simply put a technique with which to uncover all the layers of hope and fear, grasping and expectations that are all such strong habits of the mind. With the practice of meditation we can learn to come back to ourselves, and to become familiar with the groundless and raw quality of reality.