Pilgrim to India: July - August 2007

Happy New Year!

From my understand from my sutta study class, in the Maha Parinibbana Sutta, the buddha mentioned that, after his pari nibbana, his followers should make visit to the place of his birth (Lumbini, Nepal), the place of his enlightenment (Bodhgaya, India), the place of his first discourse (Sarnath, India) and the place of his death or pari nibbana (Kushinaga, India). This in fact became the important force for me to make the 3 months trip to India. For pilgrim and to see this great nation of India, a land of culture, wisdom and real lives.
It was like a reflection of the impermanent, my computer hardisk clashed not long after i came back from India. i was a dummy who thought this kind of thing could never happen to me, so i do not have a back up. i lose part of my pictures in India and almost all of my pictures in the beautiful Nepal (Pokhara, Lumbini and Kathmandu Valley). What i left was just a few hardcopies and a few softcopies that i burnt it into CD and sent to a friend, who at that time was in UK. When i went to UK later, she burnt the CD to me and i got a few pictures back.
I would like to keep a few of my pilgrim pictures over here, before the end of the year.
In year 2009, i wish all be happy and peace. Sukhihotu.



Lumbini Garden.
In the building behind, the visitors can see the foot print of the baby buddha (it is said so) and the ruins of the original garden.
Lumbini like any other buddhist holy places, formed an international village of temples from all different country and tradition.
I crossed the border from Gorakhpur, India to Nepal.
People just come and go from the border without custom.
I missed the custom in India (it is a small cubical in a row of shop house) and i actually went back and ford around the border, trying to find it.



Bohgaya.
This bodhi tree is said to be the descendant from the original tree that buddha gained enlightenment.
i am not sure whether the tree gives extra inspiration, but the shade under the tree is just so good as a place to do meditation.
Different pilgrim groups from around the world will sit near to the tree, with a monk giving sermon to the disciple.



Sarnath, the big stupa behind is to commerate where Buddha gave his first sermon.



Coming from the pilgrims crowded Bohgaya, Kushinaga is relatively peaceful and calm, like a small village. (at that time of the year, it was end of scorching hot summer and went into the flooding rainy season, which have less tourists or pilgrims.)



The ruins of Nalanda, the first Buddhist University in the world.



Rajhir, many of the teachings from Buddha were given on this hill.
It wasn't an easy journey to make alone from Bohgaya to here.
The transportation was a bit tricky. i owned to many people for their kindness to help me in the transportation.



The famous Mahabodhi Temple in Bohgaya.
Well... When i was at these holy buddhist places and even at this momement when i looked back, i would say that, instead of feeling in the pilgrim, i feel more like another visitors who knows a bit of buddhism, and went sightseeing to the places.
The benefits of going there by myself instead of going with the pilgrim group are may be, i get more time to wander around the places, do whatever i wanted and appreciate the places in my own way.
But for the side of spiritual inspiration, i guess i could possible to gain more if my trip was with a buddhist teacher or monk.

Amritsar-Haridwar, India: 19June07

Holy Hindu City, Haridwar

Again, this was a longer train ride from expected, almost 8 hours. We got a not very clean but quite a big room in Haridwar and then we headed to the ghat.
The ghat in the evening was full with pilgrims taking bath in the river to purify their sins. Mathieu joined the crowd to swim in the river. He did this in Ganges Varanasi too, so i teased him saying that, he has a very very clean soul when he goes back to Canada. i soaked my feet in the cold water. At least i got part of my soul cleansed. :) The river is real clean for international standard! (Obviously in general, Indian cleanliness has other standard than others.) We then did the flower release puja. The priest insisted to be paid. i refused and told him that we would only pay at the counter which gave us official reciept. If he is the real priest, this contribution would go to him as well! So we went to some counter and pay to get a receipt.
Haridwar have more beggars than any other places too. Obviously those come to clean their souls are more willing to futher boast their kamma too.



Har-ki-Pairi (The Footstep of God) is where Vishnu is said to have dropped some heavenly nectar and left a footprint behind. is makes it a very sacred spot and the place to wash away your sins. Pilgrims bathes here in its quick currents.



Every evening, the crowds assembly at Har-ki-Pairi and the river comes alive with flickering flames for puja.



Floating offereings are released onto the Ganges. Haridwar is propitiously located at the point where the Gnages emerges from the Himalaya.



The ghats sit on the western bank of the Genges canal and every evening hundreds of worshippers gather for ganga aarti (river worship ceremony).