Inner and Outer Fog

Before I left Varanasi a thick, cold fog descended and it is still with us. Trains have been delayed, traffic is slow and of course there have been many road accidents. This fog is so thick you cannot even see 10ft in front of you at some points. Buddhism likens the state of unawareness or ignorance of the true nature of reality to fog. The Tibetans call this state ‘timug’ and it refers to a dull, sleepy mind that is just lead around by desire or revulsion to sensual objects simply because it has no concept of ultimate reality. In Sanskrit the word ‘maya’ means illusion or enchantment, it is also used to descried the illusory state of the world, our attachment to the world and that we live in ignorance to the true nature of reality. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(illusion) Shrouded in this ‘fog,’ this mind, which we all have, is very difficult to train toward enlightenment. Anyway with the fog my mind has also become extra foggy and dull.

Fog on the Ganga

On the last day in Varanasi I took a boat trip to see the Brahmins do their prayers and welcome the sun. I had put it off till the last day as I had volunteered early morning. Anyway it was an interesting experience, on the Ganga with the fog swirling over the grey water and rowing boats coming into vision through the veil of mist. Yes, it had a mystic feel to it;  a haunting feeling or melancholy came over me as I sat wrapped in my wool blanket watching the barefooted boatman quietly pull at the oars. After watching all the funeral fires the last few weeks it made me think maybe ghost are hanging around. It is weird but I truly love these grey, misty scenes with stillness, quiet and a bit of water. Maybe it is my Scottish blood that has within it imprints of the highlands and misty lochs, or rugged, treeless misty battlefield where ghosts clansmen, my ancestors roam. Whatever it is maybe the fog or mist just gives me permission to go slow and relax. Maybe seeing only the part of the world in front of your face gives the brain and the senses a break, allowing space for the sense of self to go inward.

Until around noon or 1pm every day this fog is with us, then maybe some sun for a few hours but as it gets cold dung fires to keep warm are lite and the air become thick with smoke as another blanket of fog desends. Two days ago myself and two others  headed to Lumbini in a car. The driver had to navigate this soup like fog dodging pedestrians, cars, truck, rickshaws, buses and bullock toed carts as he went. It is the weirdest thing but Indian's just wander all over the main road as if they are having a stroll in the park. No rules driving applies and the fog seems also very reflective of people's half asleep awareness of safety and rules of the road. It was an exhausting car ride and the roads are "no good."

One of the 4 holy places of the Buddha, Lumbini, is the place where the Buddha was born and is just over the boarded into Nepal. The main reason to take this journey was to get a new stamp on our India visa and seeing a major Buddhist pilgrimage place was an added extra. http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/lumbini.htm

The fog lay thick in Lumbini as well but I still enjoyed sitting quietly by the pond where Buddha’s mother, Maya Devi bathed before she gave birth and where the baby Buddha was first washed.  Maya Devi literally means Illusion Goddess; referring to that even she, a queen was ignorant of the true nature of reality but she  was able to give birth to the Buddha, an enlightened one; i,e, out of ignorance come enlightenment and according to Buddhism we all have the ability to get out of the fog. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(mother_of_Buddha)   

There was one huge Bodhi tree next to the pond which welcomed me to sit under for a while. As I breathed in the cold fog I made prayers not only for the fog to rise so we could have a safe drive back to Bodhgaya but also for this foggy mind to become enlightened; or at least be able to  taste or catch a glimpse of, even for a split second, the true nature of reality and the clarity of mind which the lamas talk of. Maybe then real true lasting compassion will arise.

Bodhi tree and pond

Pond and Maya Devi Temple

old Tibetan  Sakya Temple

Lumbini is also undergoing major construction just now. It was proclaimed a UNESO site a few years back which means money is charged to see the spot where Buddha is said to have been born. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/666    

The old temple dedicated to Buddha’s mother has been torn down to make way for an archaeological dig. That is a real shame as the small temple was beautiful and built into the tree which she supposedly held on to has she gave birth. Whether this is the spot or not it is just such a shame that a centuries old small temple that pilgrims have been flocking to for centuries has been torn down and the area is now under the control of some global, non-Buddhist organization. It has become a museum now with bus load of tourist filing past the statue and spot, snapping a photo and then moving on to the next thing. Before UNESCO it was a place of worship, you could visit anytime for no charge, make offerings and meditate in peace. Seems like the money god it taking over. Oh yes and China is funding this huge project, a master plan to renovate and make Lumbini a tourist destination. Hmmmmmm? check out this web site    http://www.lumbinitrust.org/                 I do not trust that for a second. The ignorant mind of communism and materialism mixed together is a dangerous foggy mind indeed.

There is also a very old Sakya Tibetan Temple in Lumbini which I was luck to be able to make an offering for Tara prayers to be said. This is a great temple complete with years of butter lamp smoke covering the painted walls and a great feeling of calm and serenity inside. his temple is not in the new shinny tour map as guess what the Chinese do not want you to visit this temple which actually practices Buddhism. The folowing link is to the new Sakya Temple.  http://chogyetrichen.com/English/aboutus/index.html