Pilgrimages
The Assisi Institute offers guided pilgrimages to holy sites of importance to the saints and sages of Kriya Yoga. Such destinations include Assisi, Italy, to walk in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi; southern California to visit the shrines and sacred places of Paramahansa Yogananda; and other places of interest.
UPCOMING PILGRIMAGES:
Pilgrimage to Fatima Shrine in Buffalo. Monday, October 11, 2010.
Pilgrimage to Yogananda's Holy Sites in California. January 2011.
Pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy. Fall, 2010.
For more information: info@assisi-institute.org.
Assisi, Italy Trip Journal Entries
Day One, May 15: Part One
We just finished our visit to the Church built on what was once Francis’ boyhood home. All that remains of the original dwelling is a closet sized room of roughly hewed stone. After severely beating Francis, his father locked him in this dungeon of a room indefinitely, hoping to curb Francis’ newfound zeal for prayer and poverty. His sympathetic mother only released him while his father was away on business.
What did Francis experience in this dark, cold, unforgiving habitat? Self-doubt? Confusion? Regret? Most likely, these and many other shadowy moods visited him. How easy it is to look at Francis’ joy, his ability to converse with animals or his poetic talents and romanticize his life. Clearly, Francis had found what the bible refers to as the “pearl of great price.” And in order to be fully possessed by it, i.e., God’s inexhaustible love, he had to let go of each and every security, attachment, and assumption that previously guided his life. In other words, he allowed himself to become radically poor, so that he might be rich in the “Divine Life.”
During all of the dark moments, Francis somehow managed to keep his heart prayerfully and lovingly opened to God. And when the darkness was darkest, God’s invisible but discernible Light descended upon him, bestowing gifts of profound consolation, discriminating wisdom, and indomitable strength. If we too can manage to keep our hearts open to God, regardless of the circumstances, we will be given all that we need to live a Divine Life; not just in some future heaven, but right here, right now.
God, Christ and Guru: grant me the grace to be emptied of self, so that I might be filled with Divine Life, which will allow me to lovingly family, friends, and all of those that are sent my way. Amen.
Day One: Part Two
After lunching on indescribably good pasta, we made our way to the Cathedral of Saint Clare. This sacred structure houses not one, but two magnificent portals into God’s presence: the body of St. Clare and the Cross of San Damiano. Both emanate a palpable power, energy and grace. Silently gazing on either of these relics will reconfigure our consciousness and thus transform our lives. Yes, God is everywhere, just more in some places than in others.
The Cross of San Damiano has special place in my heart. A confused and broken Francis wandered into an abandoned, falling down chapel, just a short distance from Assisi. A life-sized crucifix hung from the ceiling: on it, an image of a compassionate, suffering Jesus. As he fixed his attention on the likeness of Jesus, Francis found himself being drawn deeper and deeper into a sacred, meditative silence. Then, Francis heard Jesus speak to him, “in a tender voice.”
We don’t need more things, more romance, more power, more sophistication, more analysis, more books, more insight, more theology, more anything. We just need more silence, so that we can hear God speak to us “in a tender voice.” Divine tenderness fills our deepest longing, satisfies the heart’s hunger, and completes our desire for wholeness. What Francis found at the foot of the cross is what we search for our entire lives, i.e., the silent, effulgent presence of God, which is within all of us. Like Francis, we don’t need to be perfect to experience such a profound gift, just humble, open, and yes, child-like.
The “tender voice” also gave Francis a purpose: “Can’t you see, my church is crumbling; go and rebuild it.” Lovingly, the voice of Jesus moved Francis beyond self-absorption and into transcendent selflessness. Francis was given a mission, one that took him beyond himself, into God. Clearly, Jesus expanded Francis’ heart into the very consciousness of God, which naturally made Francis fall in love with all of God’s creatures.
When are we truly happy? Liberated? Peaceful? When we forget self and live for That which is beyond ourselves. Can we simply will ourselves into expansiveness? No. Like Francis, we must bring all of ourselves into the great Silence, both the good and the bad, so that the very life of God can be lived in us, though us, as us, without limit.
God, Christ and Guru: like my Father Francis, draw me into silence, so that I can hear your voice. Let me live for that which is beyond me, the love of God and the loves of others. Amen!
Day Two: Part One (Sunday, May 16th)
This morning, a number of us went to the Chapel of San Damiano for Sunday Mass. With no hesitation, San Damiano is my most favorite place on the entire planet. Not only is it the very spot where Jesus spoke to Francis, it is the first church that Francis physically repaired and was home to Saint Clare and her fellow nuns. San Damiano is the very definition of “sacred space.” Not only do holy monks reside there, but it is also a gathering place for saints and angels, yes, a literal point of contact between heaven and earth.
We arrived on foot approximately a half hour before Mass began, which gave us time to meditate and prepare our hearts to enter into “communion” with Jesus. Every great spiritual master gives their disciples a means whereby they can immerse themselves in his or her grace. In the “Lord’s Supper,” the actual consciousness of Jesus is made available to his followers; such sacred, expanded, loving consciousness has the power to elevate human life into the Divine Life. A rare, wonderful gift!
On a personal level, San Damiano feels like home. The stone floors, walls and ceilings seem strangely familiar. The tattered frescos reveal recognizable figures: relatives from a distant past. And the monks, attending to their various duties, appear timeless; as though they are long lost brothers from an eternal, shared brotherhood. Whenever I enter San Damiano, my cells cry out, “We are here, we are home.”
Needless to say, during the Mass it was easy to be aware of God’s presence. At a certain point, however, there was an unexpected release of tension, followed by an expansion of the heart. With this expansion came the realization that Divinity permeates everything and everyone, not as an intellectual category, but as an actual reality. The people, the symbols, and the church itself were a singular, unified field of living consciousness. To put it simply, we were points of light within the great Light.
What does it all mean? The common is not common, the ordinary is not ordinary, and the mundane is not mundane. Everything that is, is part and parcel of God. Thus, the selfless fulfillment of our daily, God given duties is holy, redeeming, dignified service. Whatever is done with love, even a simple smile in the direction of a stranger, is of God, in God, and for God.
God, Christ and Guru, help me to do this, not just in word, but also in deed. Amen.
