International Pilgrims’ Week: Walking the Rainbow Road

27 Jul – 1 AUG | LED BY Khemabandhu, Lokeshvara, Vidyamala, Ksantichara

A special event with an entirely optional programme.

Many of us know the story of a young Sangharakshita who burned his identity papers in 1947 and set off with a friend across India as a homeless wanderer. Beginning by walking down to the plains from the hill station of Kausali accompanied by a series of rainbows at every bend in the descending road.

This year’s Pilgrims Week draws inspiration from the stories, meetings and meditations that he recorded in the volume of memoirs that became “The Rainbow Road”.

Join us as we walk alongside Sangharakshita on his pilgrimage to search for a context to deepen his engagement with Buddhism and explore our own experience of pilgrimage, both inner and outer.

We’ll start with a walking pilgrimage from Ledbury arriving at Adhisthana for the start of the event and you’re very welcome to join us. And for the rest will be a relaxed feast of spaciousness, friendship, ritual, tours, tea ceremonies, meditation, talks,  body work and, of course, plenty of circumambulation.

Suggested Reading: The Rainbow Road

You can attend for the whole week to get the full experience, just come for the weekend or flexibly pick the nights you’d like to come.

We will continue the tradition of 108 hours of continuous circumambulation around Bhante’s burial mound.

DRAFT PROGRAMME (all optional)

	Sunday	Monday (Shakyamuni)	Tuesday (Manjusri)	Wednesday (Padmasambhava)	Thursday (Green Tara)	Friday (Amitabha)
7.00am		Morning Meditation	Morning Meditation	Morning Meditation	Morning Meditation	Morning Meditation  Clear up 9:30
10.15am		Groups	Groups (to discuss talk)	Groups	Spacious morning
11.15am		Tea Break	Tea Break	Tea Break	Tea Break
12pm		Mantra  & Meditation with Ksantichara	Mantra  & Meditation with Ksantichara	Mantra  & Meditation with Ksantichara	Mantra  & Meditation with Ksantichara
2.30pm	Pilgrimage Walk  from Ledbury 2pm Coffee Culture (1 hr) 3.15pm Depart Ledbury Station 5pm Arrive Adhisthana	Garden Tour Sanghadeva (Courtyard) Tea Ceremony (max 8 people) Sona	Guided Local Walk Lokesvara (Courtyard) Tea Ceremony (max 8 people)  Sona	Tea Ceremony (max 8 people)  Sona	Urgyen House Tour Paramartha (Courtyard) Tea Ceremony (max 8 people)  Sona
4pm		Tea Break	Tea Break	Tea Break	Tea Break
4.45pm		Mantra  & Meditation	Mantra  & Meditation	Mantra  & Meditation	Dharma Day
7.30pm	Welcome, Dedication Ceremony & 108-hour Circumambulation Ritual Khemabandhu	Walking the Rainbow Road  Lokeshvara Talk + Tea Break + Puja	Pilgrimage Stories Vidyamala & Khemabandhu	Film Night in the Beams	Final puja and circumambulation with Sanskrit Summer School participants