From London’s Tibetan Peace Gardens to Glastonbury Tor
Sunday 14th – Saturday 27th June 2015
“Pilgrimage is time set aside to step beyond the frenzy. Once we set off we begin to see the world and our relationship to it differently. That is the point. What we may find on the way is impossible to foresee but those who have taken the journey before us return profoundly changed by the experience. To walk in the footsteps of Peace gives us an opportunity to know it more completely than we ever dared believe.” Peter Owen Jones, BBC TV’s Extreme Pilgrim and author of Pathlands
In celebration of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday in July and his powerful advocacy for Global Peace and Happiness – Leon Stuparich and the Road to Peace team are taking to the road in June on a two-week Peace Pilgrimage, walking from London to Glastonbury, culminating with a World Peace ceremony on Glastonbury Tor on Saturday 27th June.
A powerful symbol of Interfaith Harmony, the Road to Peace Pilgrimage also inaugurates the Dalai Lama’s forthcoming UK visit next month when he will be opening the new Buddhist Community Centre UK in Aldershot on Monday 29th June.
And visiting a rich mix of faith and community groups along the way, the Pilgrimage will explore the views of contemporary Britain about how Peace and Happiness can be attained in our lives, as well as presenting screenings of Road to Peace, sharing the Dalai Lama’s wisdom for creating a more loving and harmonious world. The film will also be screened at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday 28th June.
Pioneering a new pilgrimage route from London to Glastonbury, designed in collaboration with the British Pilgrimage Trust, the walk will follow a mix of ancient and modern trails along the Thames Path and The Ridgeway, and the core Road to Peace crew will set off on their pilgrimage without any money in the true spirit of Buddhist pilgrimage.
“Like troubadours and pilgrims of old, we are presenting screenings of Road to Peace and musical performances to local community, faith, environmental and holistic groups in towns and villages, in exchange for traditional hospitality by way of food and lodging,” Leon Stuparich explains.
“Talking to these groups, we are keen to create an interfaith dialogue and hear their views and perspectives on the practicalities of attaining peace and happiness in our lives, expanding on the Dalai Lama’s insights in our film.”
Renowned ‘Peace Pilgrim’ Satish Kumar who once famously walked 8000 miles from India to the USA for World Peace without spending any money, commends the pilgrimage:
“The Road to Peace Pilgrimage is a wonderful initiative, reflecting on and creating a dialogue about how we can attain peace and happiness. My life pilgrimage has taught me that inner peace and harmony are an essential foundation for building outer happiness and prosperity, just as land is needed as a foundation for building a house. To attain happiness within and prosperity without, we first need peace all around to build a happy life and a benevolent society.”
The Road to Peace Pilgrimage also welcomes representatives of the different faith and community groups they visit to join the Walk in easy stages. For modern pilgrims joining the Walk, this is an invitation to:
- Take time and space to reflect on how we can each practically create Peace in our own lives
- Take responsibility for the impact we have on others and our environment
- Connect to nature and the sacredness of the Earth
- Reconnect to the roots of all religions, remembering at their heart they’re all concerned with Peace, Love, and Harmony
- Stand united as one human race, free from the religious conflicts that divide us, and embrace tolerance and acceptance for all paths to the sacred and God
The Peace Pilgrimage will also raise funds for the Tibet House Trust and its mission to preserve Tibetan culture and raise awareness of the plight of Tibet.
