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Published: March 20th 2009
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Bodhgaya (February 15th-22nd)
In Bodhgaya I made a last-minute decision to take a Buddhism and meditation course. It turned out to be a wonderful decision and it certainly saved my impression of Bodhgaya, which I was in danger of mildly disliking.
Bodhgaya is located in Bihar, one of the poorest states in India. Bodhgaya is one of the most important sites for Buddhists. It is the place where Prince Siddharta Gautama sat beneath a bodhi tree and attained enlightenment, becoming the Buddha. The Mahabodhi Temple commemorates the event and was built in the 6th century AD on the site of the original temple constructed by Emperor Ashoka about 800 years before. The current Bodhi Tree is supposedly a descendant of the original. Monasteries and temples have been built around the town by Buddhist communities from around the world, including Nepal, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and Bhutan.
I arrived in the town early on the morning of the 15th. Myself and my ginormous person-sized bag were crammed into an auto rickshaw with about 6 other people. It was an exhilarating ride, hanging slightly off the side in the chill morning air with the Hindi music blasting. I’ve realized lately
that I carry around more stuff on my back in that backpack than many people in India actually own. It’s a strange feeling. I enjoyed walking past the still-sleeping Mahabodhi Temple in the dawn light. That was the most peaceful time for the temple, I think.
On the way to find some lodging I met a Tibetan monk who told me he had had his passport taken away by the Chinese and was now going to the Tibetan monasteries in South India.
The area around the temple had exploded into chaos by the time I got out there and created an atmosphere of anything but peace. Besides an ugly disunified assortment of internet cafes, travel agents, and shops, there were vendors of every kind; hawkers selling CDs of monks chanting, Bodhi tree leaves, necklaces, and postcards; ladies selling temple offerings; beggars in droves; and pilgrims pilgrims pilgrims dressed in different colors and with varying degrees of seriousness. There were clearly monks and nuns from all different branches of Buddhism; in saffron, crimson, or orange (monks) or pink or grey (nuns) robes. Once I got inside the temple complex, paid my camera fee, and parted with my shoes, I
finally felt like I could breathe.
I was parted from a few rupees by the inevitable orange-clad and dreadlocked Baba who then blew on a conch. Woo-hoo, good karma for me! Besides this silliness, the whole atmosphere around the temple was incredibly powerful. There was a huge group of monks doing continual chanting facing the Bodhi tree, and many people circumambulating, meditating, praying, and doing prostrations around the temple grounds. The temple itself was oddly (to me) geometrically patterned and had a large image of the Buddha on the inside. The Bodhi tree was really beautiful as they tend to be and anchored the colossal rocket-like temple. The temple grounds also contained the Muchalinda “Lake,” a concrete-enclosed pond that symbolizes the place where Buddha was sheltered from a storm by the snake god of the lake.
I returned to the peace of the temple several times during the day and on one of these occasions was completely surrounded by a huge group of schoolchildren asking for photos and “autographs.” I obliged for as long as I could but got a bit tired of playing celebrity after awhile and ran off to the toilet. I don’t really know why
I was of any interest, except that perhaps the state of Bihar doesn’t see many foreign visitors.
Also during my browsings of the area, I wandered down into the town and after photographing a cow gradually attracted the attention of a few small local kids who were really thrilled to see themselves in my camera. I took a bunch of photos of them, and met one of the boys’ family. It was one of the best parts of the day. They were sweet kids and didn’t want anything from me.
The next morning I decided to go for a yoga lesson at the Root Institute for Wisdom Culture. Luckily for me I was the only one that showed up, so I had a one- on-one lesson with the good-looking instructor out in the pleasant garden. Veeery niiice! From him I learned that there was a week-long Buddhism and meditation course beginning THAT DAY at the center. THINK FAST PO! The course recommended no talking outside of designated discussion times and also no leaving the grounds of the center. That evening I ran into town to send a last email to everyone and then off I went! I had
actually been planning to take a meditation/Buddhism course in India, so this seemed like the perfect thing. The center is incredibly legitimate also, which is obviously wonderful. You can check it out here: http://www.rootinstitute.com/
We were instructed by two monks and learned about the basics of Buddhism according to the Tibetan Mahayana tradition as well as the basics of meditation. Our day began with meditation at 7 am, then breakfast at 8. Lessons began at 9, then we broke for tea at 10:30 and resumed lessons at 11. 12:30 was lunch and then we met at 2pm with our discussion groups. From 3:30 to 5 it was time for Q and A with our head instructor. Dinner was at 6 and evening meditation at 7:30. Lots of time to read and ponder.
Any teachings of the Buddha are called “Dharma” and all the books at the center had little reminders telling you not to place the Dharma on the floor, chair, or bed, not to place anything on top of it, and also not to bring it into the bathroom with you. One day, as I was coming out of the toilet and realizing the Dharma had been
The bodhi tree- a supposed descendant of the one the Buddha sat under.
People dash to collect any fallen leaves and they are also sold outside the temple. in my purse, the resident dog, Bodhiccita, ran up and bit me. I tried to decode whether this was some sort of sign, since Bodhiccita is a state reached under very high levels of compassion, by someone who has dedicated themselves to attaining enlightenment in order to help all other sentient beings escape from suffering. At least Bodhiccita didn’t bite hard.
Doing the “retreat” was one of the best decisions I’ve made on the trip, so I’m very happy I didn’t chicken out and decided to do the yoga class that morning!
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juan Manrique
non-member comment
muchas gracias
en verdad necesitaba esta historia especialmente el dìa de hoy. thank you very mucho querida Po. Juan manrique Caracas,Venezuela