Letter from a Former Pilgrim
For those interested in applying for the Thailand Pilgrimage 
EVERYONE who wishes to come MUST apply by June 1st, 2024

​Dear KBV Friend,

I’m so happy to hear that you’re thinking about joining the 2024 Thailand pilgrimage!
The 2023 pilgrimage was life-changing in so many happy ways for me, and I wish the
same for you if everything works out and you go on the trip this year. Here’s a little
information about how I approached the pilgrimage in order to gain so much benefit:

First and foremost, I’d set a one-word intention for the trip. RECEIVE. I knew we would be visiting great teachers, and I intended to humbly receive their teachings even if it wasn’t easy to hear. I knew we would be uncomfortable a lot–at times physically exhausted from traveling or other times socially awkward as a Western layperson in a Thai monastery–and I intended to receive even those moments as an opportunity to practice, to be patient, to breathe. I knew the Ayyas had curated the journey with exquisite care, and I intended to gratefully receive all the lodgings, transportation, and meals they had planned for us.

Speaking of lodgings, transportation, and meals–you might be interested in how much it costs to cover these expenses in Thailand. Last year, I spent exactly $2103 on the pilgrimage including air fare (from San Francisco) and a very affordable dog sitter. It should be even less for this year’s trip because you’ll stay almost entirely in monasteries instead of hotels, so $2000-2500 will likely cover the trip expenses very comfortably. This year, there will also be an effort (initiated and organized entirely by lay people) to raise funds and cover some costs for pilgrims that may need it.

Because of the monastery stays, this year’s trip will be more affordable–and it will also be less touristy. Or as I understand it, not touristy at all. So if you saw photos of the 2023 group at a beach or night market and hoped to experience that also, please let go of that expectation–otherwise you might like to plan a few extra days in Thailand, exploring the worldly side of the country by yourself.

But here’s what you can expect. Meeting real-life examples of not-self! Entering
communities built entirely upon moral virtue and generosity! And for many of the
former pilgrims, an evolution in our Dhamma practice. A shifting. A deepening. A
letting-go of things that (turns out!) actually don’t matter. And an opening of the heart
towards the things that actually do.

With so much metta and mudita,
​
Grace Lee