A Review:

THE PILGRIMAGE
VHS; color; 73 minutes; English narration
Dharma Chakra Center
Available in either NTSC or PAL format

The first visit of His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorje to the sacred pilgrimage places of India is richly documented in this rare video footage produced and distributed by Dharma Chakra Center, Rumtek, seat of His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa. The Pilgrimage follows His Holiness from Delhi to the most revered locations in Buddhist history: Sarnath, where the Buddha first turned the wheel of dharma and taught the four noble truths to a small group of disciples; Bodhgaya, the holy site of the Buddha's enlightenment; Nalanda, the historic site of the great Buddhist monastic University; Rajghir, where at Vulture Peak Mountain the Buddha taught the profound Prajnaparamita sutras of the second turning of the wheel; and Lake Rewalsar or Lotus Lake associated with Guru Padmasambhava. This video offers viewers a direct glimpse of the youthful Karmapa, supreme head of the Kagyu lineage and seventeenth in a line of renown Buddhist masters. Striking scenes of His Holiness's imposing and compassionate presence are interlaced with scenes of the myriad devoted monastic and lay disciples who gathered around him for blessings, empowerments and the sheer joy of seeing their long awaited spiritual leader. The video also offers us the pleasure of viewing other highly respected and warmly regarded teachers, such as Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, who is the personal tutor of His Holiness. For Buddhist practitioners or those simply interested in an authentic glimpse of this age-old tradition, The Pilgrimage is a wish-fulfilling gem.

Since the Karmapa escaped Tibet and arrived in India in January 2000, his movements have been the subject of continuing news coverage by the international news media. The Karmapa’s pilgrimage in February and March was no different. As an accompaniment to The Pilgrimage, Nalandabodhi is providing for download this additional background information about the Karmapa’s pilgrimage drawn from that mass media record of the Karmapa’s pilgrimage. This information is taken from, and reprinted with the permission of, Karmapa News, an online service of Nalandabodhi, available from Nalandabodhi’s site on the World Wide Web (www.nalandabodhi.org).

Download the Karmapa News commentary on the Karmapa's pilgrimage.

If you would like more information on His Holiness, visit Karmapa News on the web, where you will find current news and and archive of news coverage with links to media reports such at The Washington Post, The Times of India, South China Morning Post, Time Magazine, The London Telegraph and numerous other newspapers and magazines. These reports provide a living print documentary of His Holiness’s travels since his arrival in India in January of 2000. The video footage of The Pilgrimage provides a wonderful visual addition to the images created by these print sources.

On the web, all references in Karmapa News to news coverage contain live links to the media reports as found on the websites of these media outlets. In this paper version of Karmapa News, we cannot proved those links, but they remain available in the archives at Karmapa News, easily accessible online at www.nalandabodhi.org. We trust you will enjoy this documentary film, and look forward also to seeing you on the web. Excerpt

An excerpt from Karmapa News for February 20, 2001:

February 19-20, 2001
KARMAPA ON PILGRIMAGE TO VARANASI AND BODHGAYA

"International media outlets are widely reporting that the Karmapa is beginning a pilgrimage to two of the holiest sites in India. This trip out of the Dharamsala area will be the Karmapa's first since he arrived unexpectedly in Dharamsala in January 2000. Since that time, the government of India has required His Holiness to remain at Gyuto monastery and its environs, in nearby Sidbhari. These travel restrictions were partially lifted in early February, when the Karmapa was granted official refugee status by the government of India.

"Although the travel and security restrictions still remain unclear in certain respects, His Holiness has according to widespread press reports been granted permission to travel to Varanasi and Bodhgaya. These are two of the holiest pilgrimage spots in Buddhism. Four locations are traditionally commemorated as the holiest places in Buddhism. The place of the Buddha's first teachings is Sarnath, near Varanasi, the first stop for His Holiness. Buddha's teachings are called "turning the wheel of dharma," and Sarnath is where Buddha first turned the wheel of dharma. Prior to his teaching, the Buddha attained enlightenment. This event took place in Bodhgaya, the second stop for His Holiness. (The other two most holy Buddhist pilgrimage sites Lumbini, where the Buddha was born, Kushinagar, where the Buddha entered parinirvana.)

"Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, the seat of His Holiness in Northa America, has announced that His Holiness "will perform a Mahakala puja and participate in other religious activities and celebrations during Losar in Sarnath (at Varanasi)." Losar, Tibetan new year, is February 24th.

"Other reports indicate that His Holiness also may visit Rajgir. Rajgir is the location of the teachings known as the second turning of the wheel of dharma, focusing on the Prajnaparamita teachings. In addition, the Karmapa Ugyen Trinley Dorje may visit the Indian archeological excavation site of Nalanda University, the renowned Buddhist university where many famous Buddhist masters, such as Nagarjuna and Naropa, were said to have studied and taught."

Download the complete Karmapa News commentary on the Karmapa's pilgrimage.

THE PILGRIMAGE
VHS; color; 73 minutes
English language narration
Produced by Dharma Chakra Centre

VHS cassette US$ 29.95 (also available in PAL format)

NOTE ON VIDEO FORMATS: If you live in the United States or Canada, the video will be delivered in the standard video format for North America (NTSC). If you live outside North America, the video is also available in PAL format, used by most European and Asian countries. If you are uncertain about video formats, click here.)

Shipping and handling by priority mail:
To U.S. destinations: US$ 4.00 (US domestic priority mail, 2-3 days estimated shipping time)
Shipping and handling outside the U.S. US$ 10.00 (international priority mail 4-10 days depending on country)

Click here to purchase the video from the Bodhi Dharma Store.