![]() ![]() While revellers drank up the afternoon sun at Glastonbury Festival on the final day of our walk, we were greeted with a traditional pilgrims’ reception by the mayor of Glastonbury, Denise Michell, and other local dignitaries. And through this experience I found – somewhat surprisingly – that the vast majority of people I met take peace and creating it in their lives very seriously. In everyday life we seldom discuss peace, but subjecting yourself to a pilgrimage without money presents you with a scenario where you rely on the charity and generosity of strangers. “Being comfortable approaching your neighbours and being approachable yourself. Many shared their own interpretations of peace. Without exception they were generous with their time and their wisdom. We met with druids, nuns, priests, travellers living off the land, town mayors and even a retired bishop of the armed forces. The pilgrimage has changed my perspective on life and my understanding of the different ways of life across Britain. And on the road we experienced this at first hand. ![]() ![]() The Dalai Lama often says that warm-heartedness is the key factor to a successful life. Often we were treated to a feast in the evening by people who were moved by our efforts to promote a dialogue of peace. Often people spontaneously gave food or opened their homes for us to sleep in. I was surprised and shocked by the responses of people we met every step of the way. But I soon realised that the things that could go wrong were far outweighed by the things that were going right. Having set off into the unknown, I was excited, yet fearful of what might happen. His answer was as simple and precise as any I’ve heard: “Calm, relaxed.” It was so encouraging to hear the younger generation interested and engaged with such a complex subject. We ended up in random locations, from local people’s living rooms to art house cinemas to the back rooms of pubs along the Kennet and Avon canal, sharing our experiences of the pilgrimage in order to create a dialogue around how to attain peace and happiness in our everyday lives.Īt one screening I asked a 10-year-old boy what peace meant to him. Reflecting some of the Dalai Lama’s main commitments – interfaith harmony, promotion of human values and addressing climate change – we hosted free screenings of Road to Peace to locals along the way, including interfaith leaders, climate change groups and schoolchildren. The Road to Peace Pilgrimage blended a mix of ancient and modern trails, pioneering a new pilgrimage route along the Thames Path and the Ridgeway. I wanted to discover how the British public would respond to the messages of the film, and whether the Dalai Lama’s solutions for peace were really something everyday British people want to engage with and are capable of applying in their busy daily lives. I decided to walk with three friends, fellow film-makers and writers, undertaking the challenge to see if this sort of journey was still possible in modern Britain. I was moved by his message of kindness and compassion, and I decided that the best way to learn this would be to put his teachings to the test by attempting a traditional Buddhist pilgrimage across Britain. I have been fascinated by the Dalai Lama since spending two weeks with him filming Road to Peace. I wanted to know whether, in a country so driven by materialism, people in the UK would be kind enough to help me succeed in my mission by giving me food and shelter. In June this year, as the Dalai Lama arrived in Glastonbury to talk at the festival, I completed a 200-mile, two-week walk from London to the ancient pilgrimage town, with only the contents of my backpack, and no money in my pocket.
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