First Tara...

Every year I pay a visit to Holy Island Lindisfarne, in the most north-easterly corner of England. I set off there for the weekend and - quite unexpectedly - realised when I was there that this was the beginning of the Tara Trail...

It was here that two remarkable men came to teach the Christian message in the 7th Century: Aidan and his successor, Cuthbert. The Northumbrian folk of the time were considered to be "barbarians" and had refused all previous attempts to be converted to Christianity - but Aidan, an Irish monk sent out from Iona in Scotland, had been successful in his mission and had established a flourishing religious community on Lindisfarne. It was Cuthbert, however, who made the greatest impression on the people and who, even today, attracts pilgrims from far and wide.

His story was written down by the great Benedictine scholar, Bede and this is why we know so much about him now. As a young man, he worked as a shepherd on the mainland across from Lindisfarne. One night he saw a vision: angels appeared to come down from the sky and returned, carrying something in their wings. Aidan died that same night, resting against the walls of Lindisfarne Priory, and when Cuthbert was told of this, his resolve was immediate. He went straight to Melrose Abbey, where he announced his intention to become a monk and to commit his life to Christ. The Abbot of Melrose, Boisil, welcomed him warmly and saw unusual potential in this young man from the beginning. When the plague hit the monastery, Boisil died and Cuthbert was spared - he came to Lindisfarne (perhaps using the now famous pilgrim route, St Cuthbert's Way) and was made Abbot. He was greatly loved and respected by the people and the Church - gentle, devout, steadfast, strong. Stories recount how he would stand all night in prayer, with his feet in the sea, warmed by otters that emerged from the freezing waters.

As his popularity grew, so Cuthbert began to yearn for greater solitude and privacy - not so much to retreat from the world, as to draw closer to God and to God alone. His first hermitage was built on a small part of the island that was cut off by the tides for several hours of each day. Known as St Cuthbert's Isle, it looks out over the mainland and over the Farne Islands, which were to become his home in later years.

It's on this Isle that the first Tara has been placed. This particular Tara is peaceful - white in colour and serene in countenance. She brings harmony and she pacifies suffering through peaceful means. The island is a haven of natural peace and this, together with its rich spiritual heritage, seems an appropriate home for this Tara.

In leaving her here, I reflected on the personal significance of this site. My own spiritual awakening happened through Christ and took place in my 20's; Lindisfarne was one of the first places I came to on retreat and I felt a sense of "home" here that has never changed. Truly a place where "the veil between God and Man grows thin", it has effortlessly pulled me into an inner experience of God that has given peace, joy, inspiration, direction and faith.

My interest in Buddhism was not through disillusionment with Christianity, but was through wanting to go deeper into the mysteries of faith, wanting to find a way to get back to a particular experience I'd had that completely changed my life. I'd experienced, one night in a vision, a personal encounter with Christ and been quite literally overwhelmed by the love and compassion pouring from his eyes - it had left me in a state of bliss and of absolute peace for several days, and had given me a taste of something I knew I would never find on earth. So perfect was it, and so completely and utterly fulfilling, there was no real choice but to spend the rest of this life finding a way to be truly one with that Love.

When I encountered the Buddhist teachings, and particularly those of the more mystical Vajrayana or Tantric school, I realised that this state of bliss was not dissimilar from the experience of enlightenment, the end of suffering, the flowering of the full potential as human beings. And that there were specific methods, a very clear path and highly qualified teachers..all of which could support and guide me on this journey to full awakening.

To some degree I had to leave Christianity in order to follow the Buddhist path: it was just too confusing to follow them both. But in my heart of hearts, I could never completely leave because I could never deny or turn my back on that experience of meeting Christ. If that is what happened. It seemed very appropriate, therefore, to remember and honour these roots by leaving Tara in a quintessentially Christian place. Sitting in the ruined remains of St Cuthbert's hermitage, I was reminded of the unity of all faiths, and also the marriage of the masculine and the feminine. It is so easy to focus too narrowly and to become convinced that the path we resonate with is the only true path: it may be the right path for one person, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's right for everyone. In the end there is no division, there is no conflict, no separation - all of that is human and born of our human condition. There is only the One, and by whatever name it is called, through whatever tradition we seek it, I really believe it is the same truth, the same essence. We are wise to remember our equality and our sameness, even as we celebrate and respect our diversity and differences.