Saturday, April 14, 2007

Ratnaketu

Born in New Zealand in 1958, I joined the Western Buddhist Order in 1979; the year that saw my first visit to India – accompanying Sangharakshita to Bombay, Pune and Ahmedabad. Travelling with Sangharakshita in India, when I was twenty, was a life changing experience; I realised how fortunate I was and discovered brothers and sisters in the Dharma whose lives were radically different to my own.

In 1985, I went on my first real pilgrimage, a journey into the Eastern Himalayas to visit Dhardo Rinpoche - a magical journey into the clouds. Since then pilgrimage has grown to become an important part of my practice. In 1995, I began studying pilgrimage, the holy places, and pilgrims in India, China, Japan and Tibet. In 1999, after more than twenty years of community living and team-based right-livelihood, I chose to explore the homeless life; after eighteen months at the Guhyaloka Vihara in Spain, I hit the road. My intention was threefold; to live and enable others to live the homeless life; to create a new team-based right-livelihood business for the Movement; and to help others tread the path of true pilgrimage.

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