Land of the Buddha

The shift from the frenetic energy of Hindu India to the calm of Buddhist India always takes me a little by surprise. In 2007, when I moved from Varanasi up to the Buddhist area of Darjeeling I had the feeling of being able to breath again in the slower paced Darjeeling but within a few days I longed for the chaos and intensity of life in Hindu India. The transformation from frenetic to serene this trip came upon leaving Benares and entering Bodhgaya. Entering the land of prayer flags as they flutter in the wind and send the prayers written on them out into the world always warms my heart…

At the beginning of February, the streets of Bodhgaya had become of sea of red robes moving toward the main Mahabodhi Temple in the morning and then a flood of crimson leaving the temple in the afternoon. The World Peace Ceremony was taking place and 10,000 plus monks from around the world had descended on Bodhgaya and were spending 10 days chanting for world peace. The chanting would go on from early morning through early evening around the temple. Bodhgaya is the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment sitting under the bodhi tree. The Mahabodhi temple is situated on the spot of Buddha’s enlightenment and there is a bodhi tree at the back of the temple which is not the originally tree but a sampling from the original tree brought in from Sri Lanka. The sound of the monks’ chanting was fantastic, I sat many mornings and afternoons as the rhythm of the chanting washed over me. It was really special to be a witness to part of this ten day ceremony.

As the Buddhist monks and pilgrims flowed out of the temple they encountered the Indian beggars of Bihar looking for hand outs in order to survive. Bodhgaya is situated in the India state of Bihar, which is the poorest state in the entire country. To watch the interaction between these two groups as the Buddhist monks coming by the thousands encountered the few hundred beggars made for an interesting dance. I can’t put my mind around the words to describe these two worlds flowing together and then apart.

Through the dark and quiet streets one early morning at 5:00 am a bicycle rickshaw made its way to one of the Tibetan temples where a small group of monks from northern India were chanting their morning prayers. The drums boomed, the horns sang out and the monks swayed back and forth within the chants. The group of young monks that their teacher had the task of chanting before sunrise and just before sunset at the Tibetan Karma Temple. The afternoon chanting was witnessed by many visitors coming in and out taking pictures and chatting but in the morning it was an uninterrupted flow and Lew and I were only outsiders in attendance. The entire experience was profoundly beautiful and one that will always be in my memory.

Like Sarnath, Bodhgaya is home to Buddhist temples from around the world and each has its own personality and transports you to a different place. The Japanese temple is very simple with clean lines and wood styled Buddhas. The Thai temple is covered is mirrored mosaic and glitters in the sun. In Bodhgaya there are two Tibetan structures - the Karma Temple and the Namgyal Monastary. Normally, my favorite Buddhist temples are Tibetan temples because they burst with color from the murals to the hanging fabrics to the large Buddhas at their centers. Plus Tibetan temples often have prayer wheels…sometimes they are small (maybe a foot in height) and line the perimeter of the temple and sometimes they are huge (maybe 20 feet in height) and take up entire rooms. I have fallen in love with prayer wheels…they way they spin, their colors and the idea that on each revolution of the wheel the prayer written on the face of the wheel is sent out into the world.

As much as I am always taken in by Tibetan temples, I thought the most amazing temple in Bodhgaya was the Bhatanese monastery. It had all the colors associated with Tibetan gompas but the murals instead of being painted on the wall where actually intensely colorful 3-D reliefs that made you feel part of the story. In all the temples I have ever seen I never seen anything like this and was mesmerized by the entire interior of the Bhutanese temple. Even as I attempt to put words to the experience I know that I am failing miserably at conveying its beauty but I am touched by the feeling I had that day as turned round and round awestruck in the middle of Bodhgaya.

Even within the serenity of Buddhist India I managed to have what now term “India moments.” These are moments when all force come together and I get supremely frustrated and irate at the way that India works (sometimes these “moments” last longer than an instant!). These are the moments when my love for India is clouded by a hatred of how things work in this blasted place! I think that during my first trip in 2007 I let my frustration with India get the best of me and it took me a long time for my love affair with India to develop. This time around I feel like India is family, you love it and it’s a part of you but at times you makes you want to scream.