Sacred Path

22/09/2020

Hi everyone, we are thrilled to announce that Sacred Path founder will be teaching at the Barre Center For Buddhist Studies. It would be lovely to have you along! More info here: https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/course/exploring-sacred-paths-pilgrimage-in-buddhist-traditions/

09/09/2020

Friends, Sacred Path founder will be leading a month-long course on pilgrimage Barre Center For Buddhist Studies. It's a great way to remain connected during the this post-Covid era. We'd love to see you there!

https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/course/exploring-sacred-paths-pilgrimage-in-buddhist-traditions/

Just prior to entering into parinirvana, it is said that the Buddha encouraged his disciples to go on pilgrimage after his death to the sacred sites associated with his life. For over 2500 years practitioners from every corner of the Buddhist world have gone on pilgrimage. As a result, pilgrimage ha...

01/07/2020

Friends, amidst these challenging times, please have a look at the inspirational work of our good friend and collaborator, Deepak Anand. Deepak has worked with Sacred Path for many years and works tirelessly in service of preserving the vibrant Buddhist history of India. Xuanzang is a deeply inspirational historical figure and Deepak is helping to bring more awareness to his life.

Retracing Bodhisattva Xuanzang A Foot Journey to Explore the Sublime Wanderings of the Buddha This is the first of its kind documentary series being made in ...

05/03/2020

Two saffron-robed, Therevadan monks sit at the Ramabhar stupa in Kushinagar, the site of Buddha’s cremation.

Excited? Visit Kushinagar and sit at this stupa on our upcoming In Search of the Buddha pilgrimage with the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies this November.

Join us! http://bit.ly/InSearchOfTheBuddha2020

04/03/2020

I began my 2000 km foot journey, ‘Retracing Bodhisattva Xuanzang,’ from the ancient monastic site of Adi Badri. Nestled in lush green mou...

02/03/2020

Chai ✅, in clay cups ✅, on the ghats of Varanasi ✅, on pilgrimage ✅, what could be better?!

(Someone is a little TOO excited about the chai).

These clay cups were once ubiquitous across India - produced and consumed in thriving local economies. After using them, you smash them to bits and they return to the soil - no waste, no plastics, no garbage. Unfortunately, these have all but been replaced by modern alternatives - mostly plastic and paper cups - that end up in rivers, on the streets, and in garbage dumps around the world. Progress?

29/02/2020

Ahh India - stimulating every sense door at every moment. The trucks of India do not disappoint. Each one is an individual work of art - painted by hand and decorated in unique fashion. Their horns are also unique - from the 🔊badadada badada 🔊 to the 🔊 dada dada dada dada 🔊 to the 🔊 badaba badaba 🔊badaba - imagine the noises those toy space guns used to make, coming from an amplified truck horn. 😱

For a full audio experience, we like this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh9cAGjJsZY

This truck is piled high with sugarcane - transporting it from the fields of rural Uttar Pradesh to factories that will process it and produce jaggery - a raw sugar similar to molasses. Yum!

27/02/2020

On pilgrimage, you are encouraged to take all experiences and all moments as part of your path, as part of your practice. You see, you hear, you feel, you contemplate, you taste. And you share in this with your fellow pilgrims - your mobile Sangha.

This combination - of openness and support - provides incredibly ripe conditions for deepening your practice! It is a profound undertaking. 🙏

Here our 2019 BCBS Sangha enjoys a meal of momos (Tibetan dumplings) at our favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Bodh Gaya.

25/02/2020

We are excited to share an undertaking by our friend Deepak Anand! Deepak is retracing the journey of the Bodhisattva Xuanzang - an incredible practitioner and pilgrim of the 7th century.

Check out his page and follow along as he explores Xuanzang's path through the sacred Buddhist sites of India.

A Foot Journey to Explore the Sublime Wanderings of the Buddha This is the first of its kind documentary series being made in India. The “Sublime Wanderings”...

24/02/2020

“May all beings be happy, be free from suffering, reside in equanimity, and never be apart from supreme joy.” 🙏

Offering candles at , a monastery just outside of Sravasti. Jetavana was famously gifted to the Buddha by Anathapindika, a wealthy merchant who became one of the Buddha’s chief disciples after hearing him teach. It is said that Anathapindika purchased the land from Prince Jeta by covering the ground with gold coins.

19/02/2020

“After fifteen years of pilgrimages, I’m still deeply touched every time I visit the sacred places of the Buddha. I feel incredibly fortunate that I am able to help facilitate these experiences for others. May all beings be touched and may it inspire transformation on every level.”
- Justin Kelley, Sacred Path Founder

📸Justin en route to Kushinagar, while leading the In Search of Buddha program with the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.

15/02/2020

A lotus blossoming in Sarnath, where the Buddha first taught.

The symbolism of the lotus is powerful - rising up from the mud and blossoming - the enlightened mind arising amidst the suffering of samsara, inherently connected to the muck but immaculate.

May we all blossom. 🙏 Happy weekend 😊

13/02/2020

Lovely new blog post from Stephanie Wagner, who is part of the Sacred Path mandala. Good weekend read :)

I’ve been having conversations with people on social media and beyond recently about how they feel stuck and miserable at their job. These jobs--often within corporate environments--are a slave of sorts. The corporation keeps you enslaved with awesome benefits, great pay, stock options, and the il...

13/02/2020

Shivani and Rajesh are the owners of a dhaba and chai stand next to the in Bihar. Much in the same way that coffee fuels homes, families, truck stops, and office workers throughout America, chai is the lifeblood of India.

The ceremony of chai is more than a quick hit of sugar and caffeine. It’s an invitation - to sit, to pause, and to be still - amidst the swirling movement of India. In our professional opinion, you should have at least three chai stops a day 🤗

And if you are visiting Kesaria, make sure to stop for a chai at Shivani and Rajesh’s dhaba!

10/02/2020

Nalanda University, one of the first and most important centers of learning in India from the 5th to 12th centuries. was home to some of the most important names in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism and had a profound impact on the trajectory of Buddhism as we know it today.

Masters such as Nagarjuna, Naropa, Shantaraksh*ta, and Dharmakriti (and many others) all spent time here!

📸from our most recent pilgrimage with the .

07/02/2020

Dharma teacher Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia and a fellow pilgrim feeling joy at Vulture’s Peak during our most recent program.

Taraniya will be joining us again this year to teach on the “In Search of the Buddha” pilgrimage in November 2020, in partnership with the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.

06/02/2020

"It is in the nature of all things that take form to dissolve again. Strive with your whole being to attain perfection."

The Ramabhar Stupa in Kushinagar, India, marks the spot of Buddha’s cremation after his Parinirvana. Today you will find saffron-robed monks, pilgrims, and practitioners from across the Buddhist world gathering here to circumambulate, give offerings, and practice in the presence of the stupa.

We’ll visit this stupa on our upcoming “In Search of the Buddha” program with this November.

Join us: http://bit.ly/InSearchOfTheBuddha2020

02/02/2020

Rinchen Namgial of Yama Adventures, captured during our recent pilgrimage across northern India. Namgial has been a great friend and co-conspirator of Justin and Kai for many years and many programs.

Namgial and Yama provide on-ground logistical support for our programming within India.

In addition to Yama Adventures, Namgial runs a cafe and hotel in Leh, Ladakh, where he lives with his wife and two kids. If you are in town, stop by his Yama Coffee House for a delicious ☕️ and some great 🍰

31/01/2020

For many centuries after the Buddha’s parinirvana, he was represented by symbols - an empty throne, the Dharmachakra (Wheel of Dharma), the Bodhi Tree, and others.

Here we see the footprints of the Buddha, another symbolic representation, leading into a Thai temple that houses several relics of the Buddha in , the site of his parinirvana.

28/01/2020

Feelings of joy on the "In the Footsteps of the Buddha" pilgrimage, at the Kesariya Stupa in .

Exploring the sacred places of dharma invoke many emotions - awe, joy, inspiration, gratitude - and doing so in India is a perfect companion - bringing forth challenges and obstacles to work with on the path.

At Sacred Path, we lean into the challenges of travel and of pilgrimage, embracing the rough edges as teachers, and in the process, deepening our experience.

24/01/2020

One of the wonderful components of visiting the sacred Buddhist sites in India is seeing expressions of devotion from many cultures around the world. One sees Tibetan, Thai, Laotian, Burmese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and many other expressions of temples, practitioners, practices, and devotees.

In the midst of the Indian plains, the Buddhist world comes together to celebrate the life and teachings of the Buddha.

The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies pilgrimage visited this beautiful Thai temple in Kushinagar, the site of Buddha’s parinirvana.

20/01/2020

Director of Programming and Marketing, Kai Johnson, surveying the scene at the Kesariya Stupa in during the recent pilgrimage in India with the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.

It is believed the stupa dates back to the time of the Indian Emporer Ashoka (circa 250 BCE) as the remains of an Ashokan Pillar were discovered here.

17/01/2020

04/12/2019

A rickshaw ride in Delhi with some Bhangra beats. 💃🕺

Our In the Footsteps of the Buddha program with the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies starts today. Stay tuned for more

28/11/2019

A final reminder that today is the last day to save $500 on the In Search of Yoga program! The early bird registration period ends this evening, so apply today 👉 bit.ly/InSearchOfYoga

If you are interested but can’t commit yet, send us a message and we can save you a spot with early bird pricing.

26/11/2019

Chaat (basically, any savory street food snack) is ubiquitous across India - from north to south, east to west. These delicious snacks differ wildly across the country, depending on which region you are in.

On the In Search of Yoga program, you’ll be able to sample some of the most famous chaats in India - from the aloo chaat of Delhi to the dahi phuchkas of Kolkata. Yum!

Quick reminder - early bird registration ends this Thursday, Nov 28! Early birds save $500 on the program price. 😊 Register here - bit.ly/InSearchOfYoga

24/11/2019

As with most things in India, the traditional arts and crafts are highly diverse as you move from region to region, village to village. The leather and puppets of Rajasthan give way to the Dokra jewelry of West Bengal and the Pattachitra paintings of Odisha.

These crafts are deeply tied to the history and culture of the region. Come explore and learn (and shop!) these crafts on our In Search of Yoga program 👉 bit.ly/InSearchOfYoga

22/11/2019

“Hinduism” as a term is a very recent invention. It was an attempt to lump the diverse practices and beliefs of India into an “ism” - an overarching system. When first encountering Hinduism, it’s easy to be confused when exploring the streets of India - “Who is this god?” “How does he differ from this other god?” “Why is there a shrine in the middle of the road?”

It takes a lot of time and patience to really start digging into and understanding Hinduism!

Or, it takes an expert who is able to guide your eyes and help transform confusion into clarity. Luckily, Dr. Mary Storm has been teaching Hinduism for decades and she is a shortcut to going deep on Hinduism and it’s connections to yoga on the In Search of Yoga program. 🙏

20/11/2019

India, perhaps more than any other country, feels ALIVE. The country has an electric, buzzing energy that can be felt in its cities and its villages.

And perhaps one of the best expressions of this energy is the festival of . A celebration of the love between Radha and Krishna, as well as the triumph of good over evil, the festival of colors is a vibrant affair.

On the In Search Of Yoga program you’ll visit Mathura, famous as the birthplace of Krishna, and where some of the wildest Holi celebrations happen, and where this 📸 was taken. 🙏

18/11/2019

Quick reminder - the early bird deadline for our upcoming In Search of Yoga program is quickly approaching. If you register by November 28 (next Thursday) you save $500!

See the details and register here 👉 bit.ly/InSearchOfYoga