Sarnath--a serene Buddhist site near Varanasi

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Not far from Varanasi is Sarnath, the "deer park" (??) where Buddha gave his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. Breaking with the Hindu religious orthodoxy (and associated deities and castes) of his time, Buddha taught that virtue and salvation were open to people from all walks of life. He also taught that people could achieve "nirvana" (release from suffering) by freeing themselves from greed, hatred, and delusion. One way to gain control over one's passions and emotions was through meditation.

I found Sarnath, with its ruins and well maintained gardens, a very tranquil and pleasant place to go, especially after the intensity of the Hindu city of Varanasi. A large group of Buddhist devotees dressed in white was sitting on the grass under a large tree meditating. We removed our shoes, and went into the temple. There two serene and friendly Buddhist monks in saffron robes greeted us. They willingly let us take their pictures and chatted with us. The monks are there to represent the Maha Bodhi Society, which seeks to preserve Buddhist monuments, Buddhist literature, documents, etc., but they never asked us for any money.

After a while, we made our way past a wall festooned with prayer flags to look at the huge Dharmek Stupa (a stupa is a temple). Just as we were about to leave, the tranquility of the place was disrupted. One member of our group, Missy M., decided to hand out soap, small bottles of shampoo, and pens and crayons to the children on the grounds. She was immediately mobbed, first by all the children and then by two older women with large sticks who tried to beat the children away so they could get the free items. Their desperation was rather frightening, and after this incident, I made sure that I didn't give out money or pens or shampoo to any beggars unless I was able to get away quickly.

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Comments

[VIvek]

Kerala Tourism Services
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