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Burma Pilgrimage with Roshi Joan Halifax and Ken Ballard

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Burma Pilgrimage with Roshi Joan Halifax and Ken Ballard Burma Pilgrimage Feb 9-23, 2011 Touching the Earth, Blessed by Water: Burma Pilgrimage with Roshi Joan Halifax and Ken Ballard From the crystalline Andaman Sea to the winding Ayerwaddy River, from the green Shan mountains to shining Lake Inle, from the thousands of stupas of Bagan to the great shrine of Shwedagon, we pilgrimage through Burma as a kalyanamitra, a sangha of kindness, as we meet the Burmese people, practice in her temples, offer alms to her monks and nuns, and come home to the old Buddhism of this imperiled nation. We will be in Burma on Makha Bucha day, celebrating the first sermon the Buddha gave at Sarnath after his Enlightenment, and Valentines Day, a time of loving kindness. At these times, we give alms to the monks, meditate, and renew our Bodhisattva Vows. Burma with her misty mountains, glittering golden pagodas, monks in maroon and nuns in pink, the magnificent Ayerwaddy river which cuts through the heart of this beautiful country and more. It is a land of contradictions: a country with two names, which has been subject to many centuries of oppression, from Kublai Khan’s hoards, to King George VI and colonialism, to the present military regime. Yet in spite of this, the spirit of the Burmese people continues strong, and the awesome remnants of past grandeur are ever present, from the ancient Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, to the dynasties of the 11th century of Bagan, on the might Ayerwaddy. Kipling said of Burma: “ Then, a golden mystery upheaved itself of the horizon-This is Burma, quite unlike any land you know about.” The countryside is golden, the pagodas golden, a cave is filled with over 8000 golden Buddha images, even the sand of the pristine Ngapali beach is golden. The people are Buddhist, their sense of devotion strong. Soft spoken, manifesting compassion through action, their sweet laughter can be heard wherever one travels. At the same time, they have a strength that comes from centuries of living with adversity and challenge. We begin our journey in Rangoon, going to the great golden pagoda at dusk to join the hundreds of monks, nuns and local people in their evening circumambulation. We then travel to one of Asia’s most beautiful and unspoiled beaches: Ngapali beach. Time to relax and reflect, meet as a community, meditate, wander, get over jetlag, swim snorkel, and boat. We then travel to the Shan mountains for walking in the remote villages, and a visit to the remarkable Pindaya Caves filled with thousands of Buddha statues. We walk in the the Shan countryside with pagodas everywhere, and tribal people farming and bringing their vegetables to market. We visit the extraordinary caves of Pindaya with over 8000 Buddha images. In Kalaw, the home to tribal minoritiesm we will walk in the among ancient villages. A road less traveled within a country which itself is the road less traveled. From there, we go to Inle lake, where the culture and people are situated in villages on stilts. Surrounded by verdant green mountains and fields, it is a place of great natural beauty. A unique culture and way of life exists on the lake. There are only two roads to the lakeside, and most travel is by boats of every kind and size imaginable. Tribal markets dot the shores of the lake, with local people traveling long distances to stock up on what is necessary for their life in the high mountain villages. Monasteries abound on the sides of the lakes and we make our pilgrimage to these places in long boats. Gardens are set in the middle of the lake, growing vegetables, tomatoes and more. Built on seaweed and bamboo, they are unique on the planet. The lake is shallow so one sees people of all ages and genders rowing standing up. The Intha people are called the people of the lake and are among the friendliest in Burma. Their greetings ring out as we pass by in our boats, smiling and waving. We then travel to Mandalay and its renowned monasteries. The boat ride from Mandalay to Bagan is a moment of stepping into the slow pace of times past. We witness the life of the people as they live it in constant relationship with the river and its natural flow. In the late afternoon, we pull into Bagan, with its thousands of stupas rising out of the landscape just at sunset. The ancient Buddhist kingdom of Bagan, with its thousands of pagodas and years of history is a small village, where we will take a sunset boat ride as well as exploring the temples and village areas by horse cart, and make offerings, as well as have Dharma talks and meditation in the setting of these ancient temples. During our journey at some point we will be doing a service project at a school, monastery or nunnery. Feb 9 -Meet at the Bangkok airport at 10:30 am for check-in for our flight to Burma. 1 hour flight, light lunch on plane. Afternoon to the Shwedagon Pagoda. Shwedagon is adorned with over 60 tons of gold as well as priceless gems on the top spire of the pagoda. As per Kipling’s advice, we will witness the afternoon face and light turn into the night-time face, an amazing spectacle. We will make an offering and have contemplation/alone time to wander at Shwedagon. Dharma talk by Roshi at the Pagoda. Dinner at Green Elephant. Chatrium Hotel Feb 10 - Fly from Heho to Thandwe. Lunch. Afternoon beach time and council. Dinner. Amata Beach Resort Feb 11 - Morning boat ride and snorkeling. Lunch. Afternoon free time. Dinner on your own. Feb 12 - Morning optional walk in the beautiful hills behind the beach. Lunch on your own. Afternoon beach time, late afternoon talk by Roshi. Dinner. Feb 13 - Morning flight to Yangon, connecting flight to Heho. Lunch. Drive into the deep countryside to Kalaw in Shan state. Visit the Buddhist caves and Pagoda there. Dinner. Pine Hill Hotel Feb 14 - Today we will take a half day trek in the Shan mountains passing and visiting Palaung tribal villages enroute. Lunch. Drive to Pindaya. Bpae and Samphos will help chef a special Valentine’s Day dinner for us. Lunch/Dinner. Conquerer Hotel Feb 15 - Pindaya is in the heart of the Shan country. Day trek into the countryside visiting tribal villages enroute. Lunch. Afternoon we will visit the caves of Pindaya with over 8000 Buddhas. Late afternoon walk to the farthest caves and back to our hotel. Dinner. Feb 16 -Walk up to the old teak wood monastery for sitting practice and a Dharma talk by Roshi. Travel by bus through the Shan countryside to Inle Lake. Lunch on the lake. Afternoon exploration of some of the smaller villages on the lake and visit to a lakeside monastery for an offering. Dinner. Inle Serenity Hotel Feb 17 - Morning to Namphan, across the lake by boat, and we walk up the hill to the monastery housing novice monks, and then across the mountain above the lake visiting a small countryside monastery enroute. Lunch at a great bamboo restaurant in the middle of the lake. Dinner. Tonight we will have a ceremony where we will be accompanied by a traditional Shan drums and cymbals to send our prayers and intentions up in fire balloons. Dinner on your own. Feb 18 - Morning visit by boat to the tribal market that moves to various locations on the lake. Exploration of the far reaches of the Lake, including Paung Daw Oo Pagoda and other beautiful Pagodas, including a visit to the silk weavers and weavers of lotus root cloth. Afternoon Makha Bucha Dharma talk with Roshi in a beautiful small monastery that has a special Buddha that honors the feminine. Dinner. NOTE: Feb 18 is Makha Bucha day. It celebrates the first sermon the Buddha gave at Sarnath, the Deer Park, after his Enlightenment. Early morning offerings to the monks. Feb 19 - Fly to Mandalay. Visit to the Ubein bridge, a bridge built by tearing down a teakwood palace and the longest teak wood bridge on the planet. We will walk across the bridge into the village mingling with local people and visiting the old monasteries there. Sunset boat ride back to the shore. Dinner on your own. Mandalay Hills Hotel. Feb 20 - All day boat ride up the Ayerwaddy River to Bagan. A time to relax and witness the daily life of the people who reside on the river. Arrival right before sunset for the spectacular views of the many stupas of Bagan. Picnic Lunch on board. Dinner. Serenity Bagan Hotel Feb 21 -This morning we board horse carts for a ride through the beautiful Bagan countryside. We will visit the main temples of Ananda, Sulamani, Htilominlo and other temples. Lunch. Late afternoon temple visits with sunset at one of the most beautiful views. Dinner on your own. Feb 22 - Morning visit to Shweizigon Pagoda, which is known as the prototype for many of the pagodas that followed. There is a small cave like space with a special Buddha for abundance; we will enter two at a time and offer gold there. Visit Manuha and some of the finest temples of Bagan throughout the day. Lunch on your own. Afternoon free time. Late afternoon sunset ride on the Ayerwaddy river, followed by a visit to Alodawpyi, the wish fulfilling temple, to make an offering. Final dinner. Included Bagan Option: One early morning a friend of Ken’s, who is adept at finding proper light and setting up beautiful photographic situations with monks and nuns will take us an a mindful photographic adventure.
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