Category: News

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATES

Yatra is a Sanskrit term, meaning “journey” or “procession” and Pad Yatra generally refers to a walking pilgrimage to sacred sites.

March 2013 will be the first time His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa undertakes an eco-pad yatra outside of his motherland, India.

You are invited to join the walking pilgrimage and visit the holy sites in Sri Lanka, blessed by the holy saints of the past, and celebrate Christmas with His Holiness and his spiritual entourage with historical meditation caves and archaic frescoes of meditational deities as backdrop. Just like the ancient times when the Buddha walked with his disciples and taught them through his physical actions and verbal expressions, His Holiness and his spiritual sons and daughters will help us relive the ancient traditions of spirituality as well as connect this ancient wisdom with our modern life.

Our YATRA will begin on 6th March 2013 and HOPEFULLY end on 6th April 2013. It will cover a total journey of approximately 400-500km, from South to North of Sri Lanka.

4 OPTIONS FOR PAD YATRA & 1 OPTION FOR YATRA ON WHEELS are available, offer one with shorter duration, so that as many people as possible could join us in this blessed journey. And a Jeep Yatra option is also available now. When you submit the registration form, please remember to attach 2 copies of “Assumption of Risks, Release & Guarantee”.

Option A: 6th March – 6th April 2013

Option B: 6th – 19th March 2013

Option C: 23rd March – 6th April 2013

Option D: 16th – 23rd March 2013

Yatra On Wheels: 29th March – 6th April 2013

Visit http://www.walking.drukpa.com/the-pad-yatra for more details, including how to register

We are delighted to host the Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour at our London centre, from August 31st to September 2nd.

This is a rare opportunity to view these relics, which were found among the cremation ashes of Buddhist masters. The relics resemble beautiful, pearl-like crystals which are believed to embody the master’s spiritual qualities of compassion and wisdom and are deliberately produced by the master at his death.

Visitors often report experiences of inspiration and healing when in the presence of the relics. While some are inspired to pray for world peace and to develop their inner wisdom, others are overcome by emotion as the powerful effects of the relics open their hearts to compassion and loving-kindness.

The relics are clearly visible inside display cases that encircle a life-size, golden statue of the Maitreya Buddha. Visitors may participate in a Blessing Ceremony where the relics of the Buddha are gently placed on the crown of the visitor’s head as a personal blessing.

According to Buddhist scriptures, Maitreya will be the next Buddha to bring teachings of loving-kindness to the world. Eventually, the relics will be enshrined in a statue of Maitreya Buddha that is being built in northern India.

“The very name ‘Maitri’, that’s loving-kindness. Now in today’s world, we really need the promotion of Maitreya, Maitri, loving-kindness. So this is a huge project, right from the beginning, I simply admire those concerned people especially the late Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche really devoted to making this huge statue, and many followers really putting in effort, I really admire and I appreciate.”

– His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Dates               31 August, 1 & 2 September 2012

Times              Friday: 7pm Opening Ceremony

                        Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 7pm each day

Venue             Drukpa UK Centre, 1st Floor, Leeder House, 6 Erskine Road, London NW3 3AJ (nearest tube Chalk Farm on Northern Line)

                        (sadly no wheelchair access)

FREE ENTRANCE !