Dharmawheels - Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage

Here are some reflections from the first year's pilgrimage in 2002...

Just wanted to express my heartfelt and sincere appreciation for the extraordinary event. It was my first such trip on a bicycle and I was initially apprehensive if I could endure such a trip!! I decided to take the plunge as there was some unknown power that drew me into it--I still cannot put my hands on it, but I'm awfully happy that it did. I think the idea of such a trip was appealing to me was because there was a sense of community and getting connected to fellow human beings. The (Dharma) talks were inspirational as well as humorous and very soothing. I will fondly remember this trip and look forward to this next year!!  --Sridhar Doraiswamy, rider

pilgrims 2007 - smiling!

Wow, I still feel high from the ride and all of the inspiration which accompanied it. I feel like I was very focused prior to the ride on "making sure I made it" and was so jazzed on how inspirational the folks from Abhayagiri were--their energy was awesome and silly and the chanting was beautiful.  --Alison Nagy, rider

Being new to meditation and Buddhism, I was overwhelmed by the spirit and generosity of all associated with the ride. I would definitely volunteer again for future events. The picture that stays with me is the Saturday night guided meditation under the stars. Wow, I can still feel the pure spirit of community and cosmos. I was really honored to be a part of that energy.   --Shany Cruz, rider

Friends kept saying I should be proud of myself, but I felt peace and awe, or spacious, loving gratitude. It showed in how I looked for several days. I appreciated the monastics' talks encouraging us to be mindful. While it has not fully sunk in, I began to see parallels between the ride and other aspects of my life... From training, like cultivating wholesome habits in practice, suddenly seeing how much you've changed and seeing how the mind contributes as much as muscles; to following the directions on the map, keeping an eye out for other cyclists to make sure I was on the right route; to focusing on the road right in front of me, because mind chatter could take me off course or lead me into a flat-producing road hazard; and finishing the ride earlier than I expected to take that end-of-trip shower (but I've always know I can be goal-oriented).   --Susan Savage, rider

I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of the pilgrimage. It was not only fun but enlightening, relaxing & just wonderful.   --Asha Mithal, volunteer

It's a ride where I came to understand intuitively that there is no first, no last on a pilgrimage, especially for me, who huffed and puffed in next-to-last place each day.   --Michele Anderson, rider

A week after the pilgrimage, the good feeling lingers, and continues to affect my day-to-day life in a positive way. Hard to say exactly what it is. It's not an earth-shattering epiphany but it is a significant step along the path to taking refuge in the Buddha. It was both an affirmation and rejuvenation of my practice. Sure helps to find community in practice.   --Leon Sun, rider

Please let me express how truly grateful I am for all of the efforts and the generosity that came so freely from so many people...especially the Buddhist community in general...I have been touched in a way that I can not describe as of yet. I must say that the people I met and had the privilege of participating with in this event have all left a mark on me that I am still sitting with...it's as if a strange quiet has encapsulated all the mundane chaos of my life and I feel comforted in knowing that, at least for today, I can be okay with just being whatever it is I am ...just for today I do not need to be concerned with all the things I am not...it is an odd perception for me to have...but, I am grateful to feel it...even if it is just fleeting. Again, many thanks for allowing me this opportunity...I have to be honest though...the idea of it being a pilgrimmage didn't really sink in until the second day of the ride...it has left me believing that this will not be my last one...  --Kevin Scott Day, rider

I loved having the Dharma people with us. I loved it that they incorporated riding in their talks to us (like watching mind states going up hills and coming down and so on)... The whole trip was wonderful ... a mountain of good will I felt during and after the trip.   --Teah Strozer, rider