In February 2019, I traded my time from Change Consulting to Inner Transformation, embarking on an epic and uncharted pilgrimage to re-trace the known and hidden footsteps of the Buddha.
Over 2,500 years ago, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, had it all – power, fame, a beautiful family, yet he remained perturbed by deeper questions of meaning and purpose in life. In a similar manner, I have also questioned why we do, what we do – and how to access a life which radiates joy, enables one to make the best contribution to others and ultimately feel a sense of inner peace and acceptance.
The life of Prince Siddhartha began in the foothills of the Himalayas, in a place known as Lumbini in present-day Nepal. Aged 29, he would leave his home and privileged lifestyle in exchange for humble rags of a renunciate ascetic. After wondering much of Northern India and meeting many masters, his deep meditative practices finally led him to the realisation of enlightenment under the famous Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya. He was 35 years old at this point – from which the ‘wheels of dhamma’ began to turn and continued to illuminate those around him until his eventual passing aged 80 in Kushinagar.
This year, I too will turn 35.
And there is an unexplainable feeling within me of a shift, an awakening, in which the old Pramal – concerned by what people think, the anxiety of not being in control, constrained by fear of the unknown – is slowly fading away like the hair on my head!
Along with two other friends, we covered over 300 km by foot (supported by a car to ensure we covered all sites along the 900 km route). Staying mostly in monasteries and holy sites, venturing for endless hours through rural India, there was a noticeable inner calm when we completed our journey at the spot where the Buddha too exhaled his final breath. I learned a lot about surrender and flow – we hardly pre-booked any accommodation and ended up exactly where we needed to be.
When friends have asked about how it was, it feels impossible to communicate in words. In fact, that was one of the major lessons of the Buddha; that we must strive in pursuit of realisation of the truth – not merely passing information and knowledge around. How often in change programmes do people prepare slide decks or resources without any actual transformation or shift in people’s behaviours and habits?
‘Appo Deepo Bhava’ were the final words to leave the man who would influence millions for centuries beyond his passing. Translating to ‘Be your own light’, he encourages us to first of all connect to our own light, our own true north, and then build a relationship with this and learn to trust its guidance. Your own light is not your mind, ego or thoughts. Buddha famously explained the true nature of existence as suffering and the source of this suffering as living in the mind. When we adopt practices such as meditation, we have an opportunity to go beyond the mind, to the place where real peace and true joy reside.
Here is a short video teaser in advance of a more longer feature film I plan to release later in the year, along with some exciting new ideas currently being incubated!
