Sacred Places, Sacred Teachings: Following in the Footsteps of Buddha

From the introduction:

"A pilgrimage is unlike any other form of travel, and certainly any other activity from our daily life. If we recognize this from the start and appreciate our journey as a way not only to trace the Buddha’s life, but also to appreciate how beings have benefitted from his activities, then a pilgrimage becomes so joyous. The Buddha uncovered the causes of suffering, revealed our innate mental clarity, and taught us how to gather the positive causes that lead to permanent happiness. These truths are universal. Of course, it is not easy to dispel the delusions that cause suffering; we have been habituated in them for a long time. So long, in fact, that we have come to believe our delusions are real. So we repeat the same mistakes over and over, and suffering never comes to an end. Everyone in the world strives for happiness their whole life, but in the end, no one is entirely free of suffering. The Buddha’s wisdom pinpointed the root cause of our delusion for us and showed how lost we are in the jungle of confusion. The possibility of enlightenment gives us great hope and joy that suffering can actually end..."