PANA Pilgrimages
"The difference between tourism and pilgrimage is the intent of the journey. The tourist seeks to escape history, to vacate, involving intentional acts of forgetting, detachment and disengagement. The tourist is generally not asked to consider how one’s life is connected to the history of the place (and its people) one visits. But the postcolonial pilgrim’s journey seeks restoration towards a regained wholeness by a re-centering, re-entering and recovery of history; it is a rediscovery that we are part of a living and vital collective memory. It is not an escape but a returning to the center of pivotal events that marked us, embedded in the land itself. Pilgrimage is about reconnection with each other, with our ancestors, with mystery and the depth of life. As we intentionally journey together, we experience together more than we could alone."
--- Dr. Joanne Doi
Pilgrimage to Manzanar
April 2009 celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Manzanar Pilgrimage. Initially a memorial ceremony to pray for and honor the dead led by two friends, a Buddhist priest and Christian minister, the pilgrimages have evolved into interfaith journeys that evoke layers of meaning, collective memory, healing and ongoing commitment for reconciliation, justice and compassionate service. It is a journey “that frees the pilgrim from all that prevents heart-unity with others” (Gandhi). Our return to memory – recovering history and recovering from history, mourning and resistance – participates in the tearful release of rainwaters for life that flow into a new quality of time. The akkadian term for joy – hadû – conveys a sense of willingness and volition, as the ritual of mourning calls for joy to herald the moment of reaggregation into the community. Joy is intimately related to the theme of restoration.
More about the PANA Pilgrimage to Manzanar.
“Pilgrimage is an intentional journey of body, mind, heart and spirit…”
Pilgrimage to the Sacramento River Delta
More about the PANA Pilgrimage to the Sacramento River Delta.
"Pilgrimage is about reconnection with each other, with our ancestors, with mystery and the depth of life. We remember in order to heal, to recover memory, to decolonize ourselves, to restore our deeper souls. Pilgrimage is a collective experience. We journey together, experiencing together more than we could alone." --J.S.