Articles

Pilgrimage News: We Added the Taj Mahal!

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Okay, so it’s not a Buddhist pilgrimage site, we realize that. 😀 But when someone asked us if we could add on a visit to see the Taj Mahal, we said “Sure! Why not!” So next year on top of visiting many blessed pilgrimage sites, we are also adding an optional 1-day tour to see … Read more

Next Buddhist Pilgrimage Dates Announced!

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Hi everyone! I hope your 2017 has started off well! It’s incredible how quick this year has gone by already.

We’re excited to announce the dates for our next Buddhist pilgrimage to Nepal and India!

We’ll be running our next trip from Friday, 5th January to Sunday, 21st January, 2018.

If you wish, you can join us for the full 17-day pilgrimage tour which includes the four holy sites of the Buddha’s life, as well as, the incredible Ajanta and Ellora caves! Or you can attend the first 13 days which includes the traditional Buddhist pilgrimage route. Both journeys will start in Kathmandu and end in Delhi.

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Easy Vegetarian Meals for Aspiring Vegetarian Buddhists

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It may still be debatable whether eating meat is living in accord with the Buddha’s teachings (see Are Buddhists Vegetarian or Vegan?). However, there seems to be a growing sentiment that a vegetarian or vegan diet is more in line with keeping with the Buddhist values of non-violence and wanting to reduce the suffering of the world. Many prominent Buddhist teachers are now actively encouraging their followers to adopt a vegetarian diet. Even Tibetan Buddhist teachers, who have grown up almost exclusively on meat, are inspiring others to eat more vegetarian food.

If you’re considering changing to a vegetarian diet, often the most daunting task is deciding what meals to make to replace your non-vegetarian ones. Most of us have grown up on a non-vegetarian diet, with the meat making up the majority of the meal. So what are we meant to eat if we remove the centerpiece of the meal and the portion that normally fills us up? Being confined to eating only salads for the rest of our life is usually not very appetizing.

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Celebrating the Buddha’s Birthday by Honoring a Project for the Future One

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There is a very significant day approaching in the Buddhist calendar. It’s the day that celebrates the Buddha’s birth, death and Enlightenment. All three events occurred on the exact same day of the year, which makes this day very special and sacred to Buddhist followers. The day is known by different names depending on the country you reside, the language you speak and which Buddhist tradition you follow. Perhaps the three most common names for this day are Vesak, Buddha Purnima and Saka Dawa. And not only does the name differ, but different Buddhist traditions honor this day according to the calendars they follow, which can mean that sometimes they don’t even celebrate it in the same month! However, most countries this year (including India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Nepal) are celebrating it on the same day, May 21st 2016. The exceptions are Thailand, which will celebrate Vesak one day earlier (20 May) and Indonesia on 22 May.

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15 of the Best Meditation Techniques in Buddhism (for Beginners & Advanced)

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Buddhism offers a smorgasbord of different meditation techniques we can practice to achieve everything we could possibly wish for: from developing peace, eliminating our anger, cultivating compassion, to meditations that will bring us to ultimate, everlasting happiness and wisdom (also known as achieving Enlightenment in Buddhism).

Below I’ve listed the most common meditation techniques that can be found across a variety of different Buddhist schools and traditions. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully it can be used as a framework to help you understand how these different meditations can be used, and may assist you in choosing which ones you might like to try and explore further.

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Pilgrimage News: We’ve Changed Our Pilgrimage & Pricing Structure

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Hi everyone, recently someone asked whether it was possible to attend only the first 13 days of our pilgrimage (without adding the caves to the itinerary) as they were planning to return to Bodhgaya after our trip to spend more time there. After I had a look at the flights and accommodation costs involved in traveling to the caves, I realized we could make our pilgrimage quite a lot cheaper for people who only want to do the main Buddhist sector and see the four holy sites associated with the Buddha’s life.

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