Summer Fundraiser
Dear Sangha!
Just wanted to drop you a line and advise of a sponsored walk expedition I will be attempting this summer along with two other mad hatters (CA and Martin) from Glasgow. From 5th to 20th July I will be passing up my shiney office shoes for a pair of sandals and a rucksack and aim to walk the Camino – Portugues which covers an arid and unforgiving 612km of dirt track through Portugal into Spain. Whilst this is fairly unrealistic due to the timescale and 35o+ heat that will beat down upon on us from 2.30pm onwards each day, we do envisage at least to cover the main section from Porto to Santiago before 20th July (300 km).
CA is asking for sponsorship to raise funds for Vajrayana Buddhist Centre in Glasgow and I will be asking to raise funds for our Centre in Edinburgh, Mahabodhi Buddhist Centre.
If you would like to sponsor me to complete this challenge please download and complete this sponsorship form, and then send it to Mahabodhi via this email address.
Thanks for reading!
Hope to see you very soon, limping or not
Love and best wishes,
Jon
Admin
Mahabodhi Buddhist Centre
Updates
Received from CA on 16th July –
Hola
Just want to say a thousand thankyous for your kindness and support on what has ripened as a pilgrimage enriched and supported by a thousand kindnesses.
People have stopped their cars to rush after two unkempt and shifty looking foreigners ~Jon and me ~to convey their good wishes and success in our journey.
People have left their café breakfasts to go and fetch their cars and drive us back on track when we stumbled into uncharted territory.
People have generously turned a blind eye to our sleeping in their museum grounds, vegetable patches, islands and fields.
When a family found us picking apricots that had fallen on the street from their tree they rushed over and filled plastic bags full of their fruit for us.
In Fatima a man hung around to persuade us that we needed his tent when he saw we were tentless and insect bitten.
In Caranguajeera we met a family who answered our enquiry of where may be suitable to pitch our tent by giving us a room in their beautiful house and use of their bathroom, internet access and a gourmet breakfast.
The power of intention is widely recognized in Portugal and again and again the faithful have requested our prayers for their loved ones and offered their support, making themselves understood despite a language barrier. Lots of beautiful shrines are immaculately preserved in the most unlikely remote areas and these offer bizarre and moving imagery I have never seen before, such as angels collecting Christ´s blood in little goblets, Our Lady standing on three human heads and a disciple holding a skull as he looks at Christ, and many other very lovely things, photos forthcoming
Thanks must also go to the Virgin Mary and the angels and saints who inspire people to cultivate divine aspirations such as faith, love and support for religious endeavours – the camino blessings are very strong. People´s minds of faith and compassion create a healthy and happy environment, in which fire stations accommodate pilgrims and it´s okay to sleep in the afternoon.
We´ve only siesta´d twice cause I´m too slow at walking for luxuries like that…. Coffee is strong and cheap and incredible…Jon snapped off the door of the tourist info office in Pombal, he was horrified but the tourist info lady was laughing…
Think that´s everything. In a cushy albergue tonight, our days of roughing it are over now we´ve joined the more developed part of the pilgrim route.
Unfortunately the faithful like to have the albergues right beside big churches with bells that chime loudly every fifteen minutes throughout the night, possibly bestowing blessings and auspicious dreams on devotees but interfering with the sleep of the less pure of heart such as me. Has been nice to update you. Only 4 hours to kill till tomorrow´s camino – that´s sixteen more chimes to endure. Just Ponte de Lima to Santiago to go.
Adios
Lots of people say ciao, I´m not sure why, but yesterday discovered I have been saying good morning all day, so I learned good afternoon and good evening so my greetings will be conventionally appropriate for the last two days in Portugal
take it easy now
and thanks again
loveca
Received from Jon on 22nd July
Just a final update from the disheveled pilgrims – after 14 solid days of walking from 6th to 19th July, averaging 30/35 km a day, two limping and sunstroked northerners made their way towards the Catherdal Santiago de Compostella and where this journey ends – individually we walked 400km each, thats approximately 800,000 steps each, or collectively 1,600,000 steps for world peace – I may have walked 15km more when I managed to loose CA one afternoon! The journey has offered moments of pure inspiration and spiritual reflection though what emerges strongly during the camino is the genuine kindness and generosity of the people who offer help in any way they can to those who have lost their way, are tired, bitten, bruised, hungry, sunstroked or just in need of a rest! The camino Portuguese offers an extensive passage through breath taking wilderness however it is the beings we meet on the camino that have shone brightest and have made the greatest impact through their cherishing others with a good heart.
Sincere thanks to everyone who has helped in any way to support this magical fundraising event, CA and I deeply appreciate the good wishes, donations and joyful efforts people have made to support the continuing success of Vajrayana and Mahabodhi Buddhist Centres in this way.
Bye for now, hope to see you at the Festival or soon after
Love and kindest regards,
Jon
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