Pilgrimage is a millennia-old tradition that has experienced a revival in recent times. As in the past, pilgrims today primarily travel on foot. They leave the everyday world behind and set out for a spiritually significant place. While for most, the pilgrimage represents a temporary escape from domestic life, others have chosen it as a way of life, constantly on the move, living a life of homelessness.

The pilgrimage has a collective aspect, as pilgrims follow in the footsteps of earlier pilgrims and find themselves in a stream of like-minded individuals, which somewhat diminishes differences in origin and social status. And yet, the journey toward a common destination is connected to a personal purpose for each individual. Depending on the person, the pilgrimage to holy sites can aim to attain religious merit, self-discovery, an encounter with the divine, inner purification, healing from illness, or other intentions.

This blog explores the Buddhist and Hindu traditions of pilgrimage in the Himalayas. After over fifty years of traveling in Asia, these traditions have become the author’s spiritual home. Many of the pilgrimages he has undertaken himself re-emerge from the mists of the past after decades, while others are more recent and resonate more strongly today.

As guests on planet Earth, we have a limited time to experience the uniqueness and unfathomable depths of this world and to realize illuminating inner insights or goals. The various pilgrimages described in this blog, «The Pilgrim’s Joy. Drop out – tune in…», illustrate just how helpful pilgrimage can be in this endeavor. Let’s set out on the journey!