I haven’t read “Eat, Pray, Love” [1]  by Elizabeth Gilbert and I am on the fence about whether or not to see the movie starring Julia Roberts. Enough people have told me about the book that I feel like I know it already- a woman seeks out salvation and finds herself in an Ashram in India.


I’m happy for her, but I don’t think that most pilgrimages of that sort are as successful as hers. Maybe I’m not romantic enough to believe in her story or possibly I’m just too jaded by all of the people I’ve encountered on my path.  Of the people I’ve met who have gone on personal pilgrimages (I’m not talking about something like Mecca here), none of them have found salvation. A lot of them have found themselves in poor health, lost, or in `strange and bizarre circumstances that seem wonderful, but I don’t know if that necessarily means that they’ve reached salvation or if they have found a true Guru.

There are probably a few reasons for their non-successful pilgrimages. As this article [2] points out, many of those seeking salvation in Ashrams come across leaders who are less than honest- there is often an unhealthy cult-like mentality that accompanies the Ashrams and some of the “Gurus” come with a hefty price tag.

Let’s say you’re not planning on finding your own personal Guru, but on re-tracing the routes of a hero. Again, this has its pros and cons- travel is much more stressful than people think it is. If you are traveling overseas, you not only have to deal with another culture, you have to deal with jet lag, the stress of getting lost and fear of the unknown.

There is something about pilgrimages that seems flawed in general. While it can be a fun adventure to trace the roots of Kurt Cobain for example, some followed his path all the way to suicide. Other pilgrimages to see the Buddha might not find the seeker enlightenment either. I like the idea that everyone has their own personal path to follow.

If you or your loved ones are considering taking a pilgrimage, please think about your journey rationally. It will likely not be the romantic experience that you envision, you might get your own rewards from the experience, but following someone’s else’s path WILL NOT turn you into them. Following the path of the Buddha will not make you the Buddha.

On the other hand, if you are truly inspired by someone to do follow their path, and have a realistic expectation of what that might entail, you might enjoy it more because of your own intrinsic motivation.