Support my Pakistan Presentation and Pilgrimage

Hello friends,

 

My name is Jensen Martin. I have studied religion and philosophy for my entire adult life with a BA in Religious Studies and a MA in Yoga Studies. Throughout the course of my education I immersed myself in all of the major world religious traditions in an effort to understand diverse views and see the similarities and common ground that existed between them. After 3 long trips to India and almost 3 cumulative years in spiritual community living, I have been able to turn my school learning into embodied experience. As a student of love and compassion, the tenets of spirituality, I have made it my responsibility to connect in a meaningful heartfelt way with anyone I meet, believing that our exchange of views is an essential ingredient for peace in the difficult times that we live in.

 

I have been invited to present my views of universal love and compassion in March 2022 at the "International Conference and Art Festival for Promoting Social Cohesion and Interfaith Harmony - Buddhism in Pakistan: History, Archaeology, Art and Architecture" in a presentation entitled "Bodhicitta; the Heart of all Religion." You can view the conference here.

The presentation will combine scholarly research with my experience and include quotes and personal stories from living world  teachers like His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche, Paramahansa Vishwananda, and Mata Amritanandamayi. In addition to these illustrious examples I will draw on numerous Islamic and Sufi sources, the teachings of Michael Singer, and my decade worth of experience with the Paramahansa Yogananda Kriya lineage.  

 

This is an extremely precious opportunity and I am honored to be able to participate in the spiritual development of such a place like Pakistan, a place in which the major religions of the world have held deep roots for centuries.

 

In addition to the presentations from esteemed speakers from around the world, the conference will be taking attendees on guided tours to some of the oldest and holiest Buddhist archaeological sites in Pakistan. These include visits to Buddhist Gandharan sites in Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Taxila, Peshawar, Mardan, Haripur and Swat. For those familiar with Pakistan's Buddhist history, they will know that the Swat Valley is believed to be the origin of the land of Oddiyana, the Dharma kingdom in which Padmasambhava and many other Buddhist Mahasiddhas originated from. The trip will be a pilgrimage, a chance to connect with some of the ancient energies of Buddhist empowerment which have set the foundation for the entire tradition of Vajrayana.

 

Besides the rich history in Buddhism, Pakistan is also home to many pilgrimage locations of many religious traditions. Sikhism, Islam, even Christianity has some very old and powerful places of pilgrimage. The great Guru Paramahansa Yogananda lived in Lahore, Pakistan for a period and highly praised its spiritual value. Thanks to my background in mystic studies, I have the connections to allow me to visit some of these holy sites.  I am working toward visiting Paramahansa Yoganandas house in Lahore and the revered Hinglaj Mata Goddess temple near Karachi. In addition, I will visit the birthplace of Guru Nanank, the great founder of the Sikh faith, the Sufi Shrine of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh, the Sufi Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, the grave of Qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and countless more holy shrines, gurdwaras and temples.

 

Unfortunately, the Pakistan conference team does not have the resources to fund my trip and so I will be asked to pay my own way to get to the conference center and for additional travel costs. Prices of transport are consistently rising and so I have opened up this funding opportunity to everyone to participate along with me in this pilgrimage.

 

I have selected a large amount of money for the trip as a goal, but actually this is not an unrealistic number for extended international travel. Below I have a list of funding needs.

 

Flight costs -2000$

New backpack for international travel - 250$

Operating fees (visa, conference registration, travel insurance) -500$

Lodging and accommodation for 1 month - 1000$

Local transportation costs (buses/private taxis/trains) - 500$

Food - 750$

 

This comes out to about 5000$ estimate. However, knowing what it is like to travel there are always hidden costs and in a place like Pakistan I will likely need to be paying extra to ensure maximum safety in all situations. Anything extra that does not get used for this trip will go towards further pilgrimage in Nepal and India.

 

While I know that I am asking for quite a bit of support, I believe that I am able to provide something in return for donations. An important concept within Buddhist philosophy is that of gaining merit. For Buddhists, they see every circumstance as an opportunity to do greater good and gain greater merit, knowing that anything that is done for goodness sake will return back to them as blessings and further goodness. So, any goodness or blessing that will come from my presentation and pilgrimage will immediately be shared with anyone who supported my trip, both financially and through emotional support.

 

I have also come up with a way to more directly benefit my benefactors. Anyone who donates any amount I will take their names and their wishes along with me to each and every holy site I visit and spend time there praying and meditating on their behalf. I see my pilgrimage as an opportunity to benefit the world through my personal transformation. I would be honored to take your prayers and intentions with me along on my travel and offer them at the feet of the Divine source that is present in the ground of ancient Pakistan.

 

Thank you for reading this far. I intend to update this post regularly as developments arise. I appreciate your consideration to support me for this phase of my spiritual journey. May it bring benefit to all beings everywhere!