Extreme Pilgrim

Peter Owen Jones, a Church of England vicar for 14 years, journeys to the extremes of world religions to see if he can find spiritual enlightenment for himself. He meets the Chan Buddhist monks of central China, who practice a form of Buddhism in which enlightenment is achieved by extreme physical and mental discliplines.

Peter travels to the Kumbh Mela festival on the river Ganges. Here, Pete meets the Saddhus: a group of priests who see themselves as mediums between the Gods and humanity. They achieve this state via discipline, austerity and marijuana. Determined to achieve this state himself, Pete goes to live in a cave on the Himalayas.

Peter travels to Egypt, where he crosses the desert with the Bedouin to an Antonine monastery. St Antony preached that communion with god is found in a life of constant prayer and isolation. Advised by a Father that he will be assaulted by demons, Pete takes his quest seriously. He lives in complete isolation for three weeks, in a cave in the mountains above the monastery.