གནས་སྐོར gnas skor ba, "one who circles a sacred place."
In Colorado, USA there is a little known pilgrimage trail in the shape of a Dakini, an enlightened female Buddha.
I inadvertently started the pilgrimage at the Dakini’s crown and didn’t discover I was on the trail until part way through.
My wife had business in Colorado, and I had never been there, so I decided to tag along. With my own disability and pain issues, I don’t normally travel unless I readily need to. But something called me to Colorado.
Pilgrimage has a long tradition in both the West and East. These journeys are most often for spiritual insight, but they are also well known for spiritual or physical healing. Examples of healing pilgrimage sites are the Camino de Santiago trail in Spain; Lourdes in France; Ganges River in India or Mount Kailash in Tibet.
Pilgrimage is a journey to a site or place one considers sacred. Pilgrimage is sought to provide purification, the accumulation of merit, blessings or healing. The blessings of a pilgrimage can be gained by the journey itself or by the prayers and rituals one performs on the journey. The Tibetan traditions say that the more difficult a pilgrimage journey, the greater the spiritual reward.
Being disabled or with chronic illness or pain makes travel difficult. This is why pilgrimage for those of us suffering in this way is such a powerful purification. One can gain the most benefit this way by mentally focusing and being present to any difficulties that arise. These could be the pain from sitting on a bus too long or the stress of trying to get accessible ground transportation.
In addition to the merit one can gain by the actual travel; there is the sacred power of the place of pilgrimage. A sacred place can be a place of natural beauty and power, such as an old growth forest, waterfall, mountain or ocean. A sacred place can also be a place of special spiritual practice. For example, a retreat center, monastery, or hermitage or a place where realized beings have lived, meditated or studied.
Over the decades since the arrival of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, many Lamas have been establishing retreats centers, monasteries and stupas along the spine of the Rockies in Colorado. Many teachers established there because they sensed these places were positive energy places.
While my wife attended her business in Colorado, I decided to visit as many Dharma sites as I could. A kind of self-made pilgrimage, or so I thought. As I walked up to the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya at the Dakini’s crown, I noticed many medicinal wild plants. Many were flowering and as the gentle breeze blew it felt as if I was being kissed by the healing plants. Ragged peaks, dragon’s teeth, surrounded the site. It was truly a special place and I felt grateful to be there.
I spent Sunday morning meditating at the Meditation Center in Boulder. In the afternoon I drove up winding roads with majestic views to Phuntsok Chöling. This is the retreat center of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche and the left eye of the Dakini. The center overtops a craggy cliff. At 92,000 feet it over looks a narrow-wooded valley.
I immediately felt the spiritual energy here. It was very quiet and as I wondered the ground, the caretaker Andrew Shakespeare, suddenly appeared. He was very friendly and helpful and let me meditate in the shrine room; a beautiful room enclosed by the warmth of log walls. It was Andrew that informed me of the Dakini map.
The Colorado Dakini pilgrimage trail was identified by Cynthia Muko, artist and thangka painter.
My next stop was central Colorado. Mount Elbert is the highest peak in Colorado at over 14,000 feet and the heart center of the Dakini. We rented a cabin just east of Mount Elbert and spent time walking and traveling the area. The area has majestic scenery with snow capped peaks and dense, old conifer forests.
I did not get to Crestone, farther south, which has several renowned Tibetan Buddhist centers. Even further south is Tara Mandala, a special retreat center with lots of Dakini energy. Maybe on my next trip.
A pilgrimage doesn’t have to be a great journey or long arduous trail. It can be a walk or drive to a local park or church. The benefit comes from what we make of the pilgrimage. It is about our attitude. If we view a place as having something special, then it will have something special for us. If we view our journey as a sacred journey, then it will be a sacred journey. If we view it as a healing journey, then it will be a healing journey.
So, what makes a pilgrimage?
1. Intent;
2. The place you choose to go has some spiritual significance.
Other than that, it could be anywhere. Here are two other pieces of advice:
1. Have no expectations. If you are moved, enlightened or just feel good about the pilgrimage, that’s great. But that may or may not happen. Whatever happens is what has to happen. Try to be okay with that
2. Spiritual healing more likely than physical healing.
As I reflect on my pilgrimage to Colorado, I get a sense of subtle healing. I get a sense that the pilgrimage was part of a larger process. I did not receive a remarkable healing or great awakening. Rather something that helped me on this healing journey.
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