A Pilgrim's Companion
- Softcover
- 334 pages
- Author
- Kawasaki, Ken & Visakha
- Publisher
- Buddhist Relief Mission
- Published
- January 2011
- Format
- Softcover
- Pages
- 334
- ISBN
- 9780000000000
Description
Description
Ken and Visakha Kawasaki's A Pilgrim's Companion is only the most recent of an ancient literary genus meant for Buddhist pilgrims. It is not a guide book; there are already several of these. Rather, it resembles the muttipotthaka that Sri Lankan pilgrims used to carry in ancient times. These little books listed the virtues of the Buddha so that pilgrims could read and contemplate them while on the road or at the sacred places. A pilgrimage should be more than just sightseeing, photo ops, and buying souvenirs for friends back home. It should also be seen as a unique opportunity to contemplate Buddha's Dhamma in the actual places where the Buddha delivered it. The Kawasakis' useful and inspiring book has been written with this understanding in mind.
Part 1 is the Sacred Sites, which contains suttas relating to each site: Lumbini, Kapilavatthu, BuddhaGaya, Sarnath, Gayasisa, Rajagaha, Nalanda, Pataliputta, Baranasi, Savatti, Sankassa, Kosambi, Kesariya, Lauriya Nandangar, Vesali, Kusinara
Part 2 is the Daily Meditation, which contains Readings and Reflections, each for thirty-five days.
Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. More information about Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka is available at www.dhamma.org.
The tag Vipassana identifies products that are directly related to this tradition and differentiates them from other Theravada resources available on our site. While the main emphasis in Vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka is on actual practice, this product may provide inspiration and guidance to a Vipassana meditator.
We also carry titles from the Theravada tradition, as we feel that by exploring the wider world of the Theravada texts, which include the Buddha’s discourses, commentaries, and scholarly articles and treatises, meditators have an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Dhamma and thereby enrich their meditation practice. This kind of intellectual exploration also helps a meditator to gain an understanding of the evolution and historical context of their meditation tradition. This understanding in turn deepens their practice and understanding of the Dhamma.
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