An Invitation: Make Your Weekend A Pilgrimage
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Moonlighting Monks Mixed Media (sold)I am thinking about travel today. The idea of starting out on a physical journey is strong for me right now for a couple of reasons. The weather is fine, families have returned home from summer vacations and this is the time of year I have often traveled. So I feel the call of places other than home. In a way it is the echo of what I have done in the past, a kind of easy to see karmic call, the urge to repeat what one has done in the past (sobering when one thinks of the less wholesome inclinations one has!) I am remembering to just breath that in and experience what that restlessness feels like in my body.
And I am thinking about travel in general because a young traveler who has my heart has put on her traveling shoes. My daughter, not knowing exactly what comes next in her life, has bravely sold much of what she owns and tak! en to th e road. She had a starting point, but no destination. This encompasses true bravery in my mind: an opening into the unknown, an act of faith, a trust in the universe and in a hero's sense the journey of the self toward the Self.
A while back I borrowed a book from a friend called: "The Art of Pilgrimage subtitled "The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred" by Phil Cousineau. His premise is that any journey can be a sacred pilgrimage if we choose (and perhaps sometimes even if we don't make this conscious choice, it happens anyway). Cousineau says, "Pilgrimage is often regarded as the universal quest for the self. Though the form of the path changes from culture to culture, through different epochs of history, one element remains the same: the renewal of the soul..... For the wandering poet, Basho, pilgrimage was a journey that embodied the essentials of Zen, a simple journey in which the path was the goal, yet also a spiritual metaphor for the well lived life."
And even for those of us who are not leaving our homes behind we can be inspired by Thoreau who made his daily life at Walden a pilgrimage, Cousineau reminds us. The essence of his journey was walking, spending time in nature and seeing deeply, being present. He was apparently inspired by an inscription from King Tching Thang's bathtub which read: " Renew Thyself completely each day, do it again and again and forever again."
And as a final thought about travel here's a quote from Roshi Joan Halifax's book "A Fruitful Darkness": "Everybody has a geography itself that can be used for change. That is why we travel to far off places. Whether we know it ourselves or not, we need to renew ourselves in territories that are fresh and wild. We need to come home through the body of alien lands. For some these journeys of change are taken intentionally and mindfully. They are pilgrimages, occasions when the Earth heals us directly. Pilgrimage has been for me and f! or many others, a form of inquiry in action."
So where will your heart travel this long weekend? How will you renew your soul at this cross roads of summer and fall? What will you truly see? I wish you safe, happy and fruitful travels.
Last night I wandered through the woods, carrying a jar of freshly made baba ganoush, following a delightful hand drawn map to find the back gate of neighbours, where we sat in the dwindling light enjoying a glass of wine. I think my adventures will lead me up a mountain to a monastery this weekend to find a new supply of incense. I hope to remain mindful so that my steps are pilgrimages into the unknown, mysterious adventures sewn together into the slightly tattered tapestry of my life.
ZenDotStudioBuddhism & Art...if I had to pick two words that give an overview of what I get up to in this world those would be my choices. Buddhism is the ground upon which I rest all else. I like to think it brings me some sanity. It helps me think in some logical way about what I am doing and look at it as deeply as possible. What did I just do? Why ? What's that all about? ...To try and look at my life without sliding over things or fooling myself...To be present for life, not rejecting or preferring one experience over another. Buddhist practice makes my life full and rich, sometimes filled with joy and sometimes with a deep experience of the suffering present in this world. After all those words does it seem odd to say that it is the simplicity of Zen that appeals to me? This inclination to simplicity pulls me to try and integrate my practice and work, to paint Buddhas, to observe my process as I work.I am drawn to mixed media, integrating script and words with images and colour.View my complete profile
Bits of zen flotsam & jetsam from the daily practice of a zen fool with shards of modern Buddhist art from my studio. Sometimes cranky, sometimes inspiring, mostly entertaining.
Friday, September 2, 2011
An Invitation: Make Your Weekend A Pilgrimage
Moonlighting Monks Mixed Media (sold)I am thinking about travel today. The idea of starting out on a physical journey is strong for me right now for a couple of reasons. The weather is fine, families have returned home from summer vacations and this is the time of year I have often traveled. So I feel the call of places other than home. In a way it is the echo of what I have done in the past, a kind of easy to see karmic call, the urge to repeat what one has done in the past (sobering when one thinks of the less wholesome inclinations one has!) I am remembering to just breath that in and experience what that restlessness feels like in my body.And I am thinking about travel in general because a young traveler who has my heart has put on her traveling shoes. My daughter, not knowing exactly what comes next in her life, has bravely sold much of what she owns and tak! en to th e road. She had a starting point, but no destination. This encompasses true bravery in my mind: an opening into the unknown, an act of faith, a trust in the universe and in a hero's sense the journey of the self toward the Self.
A while back I borrowed a book from a friend called: "The Art of Pilgrimage subtitled "The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred" by Phil Cousineau. His premise is that any journey can be a sacred pilgrimage if we choose (and perhaps sometimes even if we don't make this conscious choice, it happens anyway). Cousineau says, "Pilgrimage is often regarded as the universal quest for the self. Though the form of the path changes from culture to culture, through different epochs of history, one element remains the same: the renewal of the soul..... For the wandering poet, Basho, pilgrimage was a journey that embodied the essentials of Zen, a simple journey in which the path was the goal, yet also a spiritual metaphor for the well lived life."
And even for those of us who are not leaving our homes behind we can be inspired by Thoreau who made his daily life at Walden a pilgrimage, Cousineau reminds us. The essence of his journey was walking, spending time in nature and seeing deeply, being present. He was apparently inspired by an inscription from King Tching Thang's bathtub which read: " Renew Thyself completely each day, do it again and again and forever again."
And as a final thought about travel here's a quote from Roshi Joan Halifax's book "A Fruitful Darkness": "Everybody has a geography itself that can be used for change. That is why we travel to far off places. Whether we know it ourselves or not, we need to renew ourselves in territories that are fresh and wild. We need to come home through the body of alien lands. For some these journeys of change are taken intentionally and mindfully. They are pilgrimages, occasions when the Earth heals us directly. Pilgrimage has been for me and f! or many others, a form of inquiry in action."
So where will your heart travel this long weekend? How will you renew your soul at this cross roads of summer and fall? What will you truly see? I wish you safe, happy and fruitful travels.
Last night I wandered through the woods, carrying a jar of freshly made baba ganoush, following a delightful hand drawn map to find the back gate of neighbours, where we sat in the dwindling light enjoying a glass of wine. I think my adventures will lead me up a mountain to a monastery this weekend to find a new supply of incense. I hope to remain mindful so that my steps are pilgrimages into the unknown, mysterious adventures sewn together into the slightly tattered tapestry of my life.
3comments:
Genjusaid...
Mystic Meanderingsaid...
ZenDotStudiosaid...
Our daughters, brave parts of our souls, are on a powerful journey! Mine is settling into the marketplace of Toronto this weekend after years of setting out with no destination in mind. They carry us with them in so many ways - pilgrims of our heart. Enjoy your mountain pilgrimage. Step by breath.
September 2, 2011 6:01 PM
How beautiful - turning your restlessness into a pilgrimage into the unknown - opening to the unknown - answering the call of Being - the hero's journey... I seem to be on a pilgrimage of the Heart lately, opening to the Heart - again and again, letting the light in - remembering...
May you have a gentle journey - and your daughter as well... Christine
Genju - This is an interesting juxtaposition. My daughter has just left Toronto and set out on her journey! "they carry us with them", yes.
Mystic - I am loving your journey of the open heart lately! The open heart, the open road, parallel universes? Thanks as always for your caring.
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ZenDotStudioBuddhism & Art...if I had to pick two words that give an overview of what I get up to in this world those would be my choices. Buddhism is the ground upon which I rest all else. I like to think it brings me some sanity. It helps me think in some logical way about what I am doing and look at it as deeply as possible. What did I just do? Why ? What's that all about? ...To try and look at my life without sliding over things or fooling myself...To be present for life, not rejecting or preferring one experience over another. Buddhist practice makes my life full and rich, sometimes filled with joy and sometimes with a deep experience of the suffering present in this world. After all those words does it seem odd to say that it is the simplicity of Zen that appeals to me? This inclination to simplicity pulls me to try and integrate my practice and work, to paint Buddhas, to observe my process as I work.I am drawn to mixed media, integrating script and words with images and colour.View my complete profileBlog Archive
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