Why are pilgrimages important to buddhists

Sarnath Deer Park is north of the holy city of Varanasi in India. At Sarnath Deer Park, the Buddha gave the first of his teachings, which would become the Dhamma , seven weeks after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. The name derives from an old Buddhist story that a Bodhisattva , in the shape of a deer, persuaded a king that needed deer to be protected, and the king created a deer sanctuary.

The Buddha travelled to Sarnath because five holy men, his previous companions, were there. This book is considered to contain his first teaching after achieving enlightenment. As the religion spread, Buddhists established sacred sites of veneration and pilgrimage in Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, the Himalayan region, and East Asia.

The sites are tremendously diverse: active temples, archaeological sites and ruins, stupas marking the passing of Buddhist saints, and natural wonders, often sacred groves in India or heavenly mountains in East Asia. Pilgrimage sites such as the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka, are said to house relics of the Buddha or other teachers. Other sites of veneration include formalized routes, such as the mile trail of 88 temples on the island of Shikoku in Japan and the mile trail that Tibetans walk in circumambulating Mount Kailash.

A pilgrimage can be quite an undertaking, requiring special planning and resources; for many it is the culmination of years of practice or a lifelong goal. The journey is an important way for laypeople to generate merit and deepen and intensify their Buddhist practice. If satisfied, the officiating abbot admits the postulant. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience.

Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. Venerating the Buddha, pilgrimage and ordination Last updated This article looks at customs and practices which have developed in the Buddhist tradition.

On this page Buddhist customs Page options Print this page. Buddhist customs Venerating the Buddha The Buddhist tradition has developed many different customs and practices in different parts of the world.

A person could honour the Buddha by making offerings to relics or images of the Buddha.