MESSAGE FROM HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA

Foreword to the book The Sacred Earth by Courtney Milne

This bountiful earth, like a mother, sustains us in many different ways, which is why our ancestors held her in almost religious respect. Not only does she provide the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, our clothing and shelter, but she even serves as a source of inspiration. Throughout history, people all over the world have identified particular places as sacred, some because of their association with a sacred event, and others due to uplifting qualities intrinsic to the places themselves. Closely connected with this is the practice of pilgrimage.

As deeply religious people, Tibetans have great regard for sacred places and the whole land of Tibet was protected as such. Having strong nomadic instincts, we take great joy in visiting monasteries and temples founded by great teachers, the caves of renowned meditators, sacred lakes, and mountains. Likewise, many refugees continue to make pilgrimages to the sacred sites in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. I remember being profoundly moved myself when, as a young man, I first visited the Buddhist holy places in India. It gave me a very special inspiration to think that at this or that place the Buddha himself had meditated and taught. Somehow I felt more closely connected to him and his teaching as a result. Similarly, when I visited Assisi I felt privileged to have joined the throngs of pilgrims who had come there over the centuries, attracted by the ideal of kindheartedness embodied by St. Francis.

This book, The Sacred Earth, contains photographs of sacred places in many different parts of the world. Some, like the River Ganges, are natural phenomena, some contain impressive buildings, and others are only ruins now. Taken together, they represent the common need in the human quest for happiness to preserve certain places as sanctuaries, reflecting perhaps each individual's wish for inner peace. Enjoying these pictures, whether readers are reminded of their own visits to some of these sites or are inspired to seek them out, they will be able to appreciate an age old yearning shared by all mankind.