Following in the Footsteps of Buddha Shakyamuni
Introduction to the Buddha
Buddha Shakyamuni. Courtesy of Tertön Sogyal Trust.
The act of pilgrimage is a powerful method for connecting directly to the transformative blessings of great masters who have practiced before us. Of all the great masters, for Buddhists there is none superior to Buddha Shakyamuni. Luckily for us, Buddha Shakyamuni, or Siddhartha, did not achieve buddhahood through practicing in an unimaginable pure land beyond the reach of our ordinary human ability. He was born, lived, and died right here on Earth. During his time here, he practiced and taught on the same soil we all share. This means we have the opportunity to experience first-hand the blessings of the Buddha, through actually going to the places that marked Siddhartha’s path to the supreme realization that liberates one from all suffering. On top of attaining this realization himself, the Buddha also taught the path to liberation at these exact sites for the benefit of all beings, though it is up to us to take the journey. We invite you to embark on such a journey, following in the footsteps of Buddha Shakyamuni.
The Eight Sacred Sites and the Three Turnings
While the scope of covering all of the Buddha's activities is beyond the extent of our research, we have gathered sites as they pertain to the actions of a fully enlightened Buddha and the places in which he taught the various aspects of the Dharma. Firstly, we present the Buddha's life in the context of the Eight Great Sacred Sites. These sites include the places of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, activities as a teacher, and passing into parinivana. Within the Buddha's activities as a teacher, we find four additional sites known for his displays of various miracles.
In addition to viewing these places in the context of the Eight Great Sacred Sites, we present them in terms of the Three Turnings of the Dharma Wheel. These three places are all subsumed within the eight sites, but present a different side of the Buddha's activity at these places in regards to the topic of his teachings. This provides a context for the Buddha's use of skillful means to help students understand the true nature of reality.
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