The revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim recently led a cohort of 430 Buddhist practitioners on Jungto Society’s 34th annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal, following in the footsteps of the historical Buddha to visit key sites connected with his life, spiritual practice, enlightenment, and Dharma teachings.
Jungto Society is a volunteer-run international Buddhist community that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.
“Although we call it a pilgrimage because we’re visiting sacred places, from a Buddhist perspective, it’s not accurate to say that there are particularly sacred lands or especially sacred days. This is because the Buddhist teaching is that all phenomena are empty,” Ven. Pomnyun Sunim explained during his Dharma talk for the opening ceremony on the first day of the pilgrimage.
▶️ Published by BDG on February 5, 2025
