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Lankomumo reitingas Версия для печати Spausdinti
Walking with the Buddha

By Elleanor

Journeying in Asia with a receptive mind was a large factor in my taking up Buddhism. To visit the principal pilgrimage sites therefore seemed a natural thing to do.

Planning is always a fun part of any trip. In talking to fellow Buddhists and the monks – especially Bhante Nagasena, for whose guidance and guidebook I was particularly grateful - my original intention just to visit the sites changed. The word pilgrimage came up time and time again. What was all this, I thought. I had seen pilgrims at a Christian site going up hundreds of steps on their knees; the word conjured up a picture of sackcloth and ashes. Not at all attractive! But the Buddha's teaching is the Middle Way; no need for self-mortification. Also stopping in our 5 star hotel at Kushinagar was a coach load of Sri Lankan pilgrims, complete with a monk escort.

Alan and I started in Varanasi, a city we had visited years before. Then, I had not really appreciated it; the dirt, the crowds, the smells, were not attractive. My mind and heart had been closed. This time The Plan was for us both to bathe in the Ganges, to purify ourselves at the start of the pilgrimage. Tired after a bad journey, Alan chickened out. I nearly did not get to bathe either; our guide simply could not believe that this white Westerner wanted to go in. I do not require assertiveness training, however, and got my way. First I sat at the ghat and did my morning practice, viewed by incredulous locals. Then I simply waded in; the protocol is that ladies go fully clothed. Men can stick with their underwear, but then equality is not a strong point out there! By now the sun was up, and the water was warm. I immersed myself, thinking of the Buddha visiting Varanasi. For the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha….then three times more for Linda, our editor; metta meditation, merit sharing as taught by Bhante Nagasena and wow! did I feel great. Irreverently I splashed the water, admiring the rainbow in the droplets.

It was a short trip to Sarnath from there. We had visited before, but again this was quite different. It was a very emotional experience, kneeling before the Buddha there and being blessed by the monk. At 53, I felt like a schoolgirl on her first date! I'd forgotten metta meditation and merit transfer before leaving and tried to make amends with practice around the Stupa at the site where the sermon took place. Our guide had got the hang of all this by now and pointed out shady spots for me to kneel and meditate. But I threw him again in the museum, when he was describing some of the artefacts and started the verses for taking refuge; I finished the phrases for him. Alan laughed and indicated that I was clockwork; wind her up and off she goes!!

Our next visit was to Buddhism's holiest site, Bodh Gaya. The roads are awful and it was late afternoon when we arrived. Venturing out in the dark, we bumped into our driver and our guide for the next day. Gaurkeran is a fellow Buddhist and we went to the temple together. Arriving at the entrance, you stand still to drink in what is before you. The temple is lit up at night and usually the grounds are full of candles and butter lamps. A magical sight. The hotel was very close, which meant that I could visit early in the morning, before the crowds arrived, and again in the evening when they had gone. Sometimes Alan came with me, sometimes not; the noise deprived him of sleep. At 4.30 there was the Muslim call to prayer; at 5 the Hindus started; at 5.30 it was the Buddhists and time for me to get up.

Practising in that holy site was a wonderful experience. After the first evening it rained, but it did not matter; I knelt in the wet and did not feel it. I forgot to put my hat back on when leaving. The beggars that had been an impediment on the way there were now just unfortunates. Best of all was the morning of our departure. It was still wet and most devotees tried to find shelter. I was able to sit quietly under the Bodhi tree. Since coming back, it is that image that I conjure up. People have asked me what I felt and what difference it made. It's hard to put into words but can best be expressed as feeling blessed. No major flash of understanding.

I did not want to leave Bodh Gaya, where there was so much to see and do. It was the same at Rajgir, where we made an all too short visit to the caves where the Buddha practised asceticism. Here it was possible to kneel where the Buddha had sat - I wished I could emulate the posture! - and wonder what he had gone through. The view was fantastic, looking down over wooded lands shrouded in mist. There is a Japanese Peace Pagoda nearby where a muscular man beats a loud drum and chants for peace. Let peace prevail!

Bodh Gaya to Kushinagar, where the Buddha achieved Parinirvana, was a leap in his lifetime and another tiring journey. In the temple there the black statue of the 'reclining Buddha' has been covered in gold leaf by devout Buddhists over the years. Here I wanted to cry; the Buddha had long since gone from our world. But it was quiet and - a real luxury! - a kind monk lent me a cushion to sit by the statue and meditate. The site is tranquil and blessed by the presence of relics in the adjoining stupa. We were there for the full moon - and what a glorious moon it was! I crept off and did my 'salute the sun' yoga posture to it, hoping not to be seen.

Back on the correct religious track, we went to the temple where many pilgrims and monks had gathered. We did not recognise the language of the chanting, but it induced calm; the flickering of the forbidden ('offering not allowed; by order') candles and the smell of incense were all very atmospheric. Going outside, we found Sri Lankan pilgrims lighting tiny coconut oil lamps all around the stupa. Buddhism then, as so often on this trip, was a common bond. Having lingered at the site, we then found ourselves locked in! The pilgrims were staying at the monastery next door and there was a hole in the fence. Fortunately some students showed us how to s-q-u-e-e-z-e out. Then the lights went out - and we'd left the torch behind. But the gorgeous moon and dozens of fire-flies showed the way, and we had our student escort.

Our last visit was to Lumbini, the Buddha's birth site. It seemed very Spartan after the others. I looked for the temple that was in my guide book, but it had been knocked down years ago. The spot where the Buddha was born could not be seen; but the tank where Maya Deva had bathed after giving birth was there, with a huge banyan tree next to it. The tree was bestrewn with prayer flags. The atmosphere was so peaceful, I could almost feel the presence of the Buddha.

Then it was on to visit some of the many temples in the sacred garden. It included a large Burmese complex, with beautiful buildings which looked like 'home', but the most impressive for me was the Chinese temple. The golden Buddha was particularly well done, conveying compassion and power. Alan's favourite was another Japanese Peace Pagoda, from which we watched an eagle and tried to spot the rare cranes. How apt, in a Buddhist area, to have a bird sanctuary! It was prayer time when we came down. No silent meditation here. A monk and a nun beat large drums and chanted loudly. We joined in with smaller hand drums, beating a rhythm for peace as the sun went down.

In Lumbini our pilgrimage ended, although my Buddhist practice continued in Kathmandu, a city which captured my imagination on our first visit years ago. HH the Dalai Lama, was once asked for a quote for a pilgrimage guide book. His response was that such a trip was a waste of time and money unless you returned a better person. It is easy to fall back into old, wrong habits once back in familiar surroundings, but I sincerely hope to have trodden a step or two along The Path. If you get the chance to visit these sites, seize it with both hands. It could change your life!

         

Lankomumo reitingas

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1. Далай-лама XIV
2. Буддизм как культурно-исторический феномен
3. Религия Тибета
1. Буддизм как культурно-исторический феномен
2. Религия Тибета
3. Далай-лама XIV
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