Month: July 2024

The Camino, a Catholic pilgrimage, increasingly draws the spiritual but not religious

by

Way of St. James sign in Avila, SpainIn 2023, nearly half a million people walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain. About 40 percent of those walked for purely religious reasons, according to statistics released by the pilgrims’ office. While it’s traditionally a Catholic pilgrimage, ending at the shrine of the apostle James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, secular pilgrims today embark on the Camino for all kinds of motivations beyond religion: health, grief, transition, cultural exploration, history and adventure.

Read more

Loading

Buddha Day – Chokhor Duchen Celebrating the First Teaching: How to celebrate Buddha’s First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma — this year on July 9 or 10, 2024

by

Wall mural painting of The Buddha
Wall mural painting of The Buddha in Dharmchakra Teaching Mudra, representing the Turning of The Wheel of Dharma mudra or pose, Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet. In Buddhism, the Dharma Chakra symbolizes “teaching.” The Jokhang is a Buddhist temple in Barkhor Square in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Of the four Holy Days dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha each year, Chokhor Duchen, the “First Teaching” celebration — the first turning of the Wheel of Dharma — is the most important. This year in Tibetan Buddhist Tradition, it is celebrated on July 9 or 10, 2024, depending on your lunar calendar. FPMT calculates it as July 10, while some other centres have it as July 9 — due to lunar skip days. There are also time-zone differences. The important thing is to celebrate the first teaching!

Read more

Loading