Zen Buddhist Pilgrimage

As many of you know I recently joined my Buddhist teacher Claude AnShin Thomas on a spiritual pilgrimage along the U.S.-Mexican border. The walk was one of wonder and discovery, learning about the issues along the U.S.-Mexican border. The walk began on March 1st in Brownsville, Texas and ended on May 9th at Border Fields State Park in California. I personally joined the pilgrimage in April and walked across New Mexico before returning home, and rejoined AnShin and the others again to walk the last few miles and join the closing ceremony here in California.

Along the journey we came across many people and organizations that were working diligently to do what they can to tackle the various border issues. Many different churchs, organizations and individuals hosted us and shared their stories with us. Even the Border Patrol agents themselves shared their point of view. Being a border region, one of the biggest issues is, of course, the immigration issue. So, many stories of heartbreak where heard about people who are/were seeking a better life. As Buddhists, one tries not to take sides on these issues, but simply observe and bear witness to the situation. We met many wonderful people who were doing what they could to help out those who are less fortunate.

As many of you know before the pilgrimage I was raising "Dana" (pronounced "Donna"), which is to ask for donations, in this case monetary, (Dana is of course, not limited to money) from the "community" and use the money at the end of the walk to help out the organizations that we had met along the way. Those who had committed to the walk were not allowed to bring any money of their own because we were practicing "Alms Begging", and relying on the kindness of strangers to assist us. The Dana is an extension of that practice into the community to allow others to also participate indirectly.

Since we have completed the walk, all of the "Pilgrams" will now decide how best to distribute the Dana amongst the various groups. Thank you to everyone that contributed.

Love and Light,
In Gassho,
Cameron White