“The greatest thing that the Buddha has done is to tell the world that the world can not be reformed except by the reformation of the mind of the man, and the mind of the world.” –Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Dhammayatra Engaged is a special 20 day tour where you can retrace the life of the historical Buddha and see how Buddhism is being practiced in India in our own time.
This tour is an exceptional opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the famous Buddhist holy sites with knowledgeable Buddhist guides and have a first-hand experience of the movement that is reviving Buddhism as a spiritual tradition and a force for social change in modern India. The “Peaceful Revolution” of the Dharma in India is one of the most significant developments in modern Buddhist history. Participants will get to meet and practice with people who are teaching the Dharma and running social projects such as clinics, schools, and community centers.
The tour will begin in Mumbai and proceed to Pune and Nagpur for a variety of activities including visits to local Buddhist groups, seminars on Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and the Buddhist revival, meetings with local Buddhist teachers, and visits to social projects and historical sites. In Nagpur participants will stay in comfortable accommodations at the Nagaloka Center, a pilgrimage destination and residential training center for Buddhist youth from all over India, where there will be many opportunities to meet students and observe classes and activities
The second part of the trip will be a guided tour of the most important Buddhist sites in India, including Bodhgaya (where the Buddha was Enlightened), Sarnath-Varanasi (site of the Buddha’s first teaching and a famous holy place on the River Ganges), Shravasti (site of the Jeta Grove where the Buddha spent many rainy seasons), Kusinara (where the Buddha died), Nalanda (site of an ancient Buddhist university), and Rajgir (where the Buddha gave many important teachings).
Visits to the Buddhist sites will include lectures and opportunities for meditation, reflection, sutra reading and ritual practice. In addition, the group will visit temples and monasteries from the Chinese, Japanese, Thai and other Buddhist traditions.
Transportation within India will be in air-conditioned vans, with inter-city travel by air. All food, hotel, and entry fees are included.
The estimated cost for the tour is GBP 1550, excluding international airfare.*