Practice

Circumambulation

Pradakshina. Walking clockwise around a stupa, an image, a sacred place — the body in orbit around the dharma.

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Knowledge

Pilgrims circumambulating the Swayambhunath stupa clockwise while spinning prayer wheels

Practices

Pradakshina — Circumambulation

The practice of walking clockwise around a stupa, temple, sacred tree, or holy mountain. The body in motion becoming the practice — one of the earliest Buddhist devotional acts.

Pilgrims approaching the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya

Practices

Pilgrimage — The Outer Practice

In the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, the Buddha himself names the four places of pilgrimage: where he was born, where he awakened, where he first taught, and where he attained parinirvana. The original outer practice.

Art & Symbols

The Stupa

The reliquary monument — the original Buddhist architectural form. A hemispherical dome containing relics, walked clockwise by pilgrims for 2,500 years. The vertical axis of the Buddhist world.

Sacred Sites

extended asia

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Breath Awareness5 Chanting6 Dana Practice4 Koan2 Mantra7 Meditation10 Metta Practice4 Pilgrimage10