Saka Dawa  or Buddha Janti

May  25^th was the day of Buddhas enlightenment I was in Bodhgaya for the celebrations and it was crazy busy. The Indians call this day Buddhas birthday, even though the Buddha was born, died and got enlightened on the same day, the Tibetans celebrate his enlightenment, while the Indians who always love a good party with all the glitz and glam, celebrate this day as his birthday. May is also the wedding season in Bodhgaya so we had about 5 weddings in town every weekend which in India means 3 days of very loud dance music all night long. I am positive the Buddha would never have gotten enlightened if they had loud speakers in his day.

flag and Bodhi tree

small stupas

The story goes that the Buddha sat down under the Bodhi tree at sunset and made a strong resolved to not move until he attained enlightenment. After a night of wrestling with his inner demons of temptation and anger he gained full enlightenment at dawn. So the practice of sitting under the tree on the same night Buddha attained enlightenment is a thing that many Buddhist aspire to do, so I had to have a go.

 I have imagined sitting peacefully under the tree with people from all over the world, hahahhah well this is India and no way was that going to happen. The Sri Lankans had a loud speaker for their recitation of texts and the Thaïs their loud speaker for chanting and the India’s had 50 children they were telling the story of Buddha too. There was not a vacant space under the tree as a group of Vietnamese were camping out with mosquito nets, mattresses and had all their stuff spread everywhere and their monks were chanting in Vietnamese. Oh and there was also the crazy lone Japanese monk chanting his own version of Buddhism complete with his portable alter of all kinds of stuff he found in the street. So with 5 languages all at once, it was a huge competition to see which nation/culture could be more Buddhist. Then there was me the only white person in the bunch and the only one that was more than just a wee bit upset at all the noise.  Asians are not bothered by noise and can meditate or sleep no problem with noise, in strong light, in cramped spaces, no problem. When I watched the pilgrims sitting around the monks with the microphones they were either falling asleep, not listening and spacing out, not reciting, they would get up and wander around or just sit and gossip. Geeze if you’re going to make such a noise chanting yi would think they would at least pay attention!

Anyway; I did attempt to emulate the master. I tried to still my mind in meditation but failed miserably; I did walking meditation but it was kind of hard when the school kids story time ended and their play time began; I contemplate human suffering while gazing at the Bodhi tree under the light of the full moon and three spotlights but again gave up when the stray dogs decided to use me as their play toy; so with earplugs and blind fold I tried to sleep, but again, at least for me, there was no inner peace to be attained that night. By 1am it was clearly time for me to go home, but the watchmen lock us in and armed guards prowl the boundary wall for added protection to the mediators. Lucky though again this is India and the guards with guns were asleep in their barracks. I begged the watchmen to open the gate but no way, they would not budge, a rule was a rule and this must be the only rule in India that does not get broken. So longing for my quiet bedroom and determined to get home I told the watched I was going to jump the area of wall into the market where no armed guard patrolled. I have known the watchmen for a long time so they just smiled under their big moustaches and said “oh Linda Gee” as they literally turned their heads the other way; so off I went.

 I decided to escape from the very place Buddhist flock to, the famed place of peace, the place I love to be!? Weird but for my own sanity I had to get away for these loud Buddhist!?  I thought; what would the Buddha do here and what would he think of my escape? I consoled myself with the thought that he also left society for a quiet place and I am sure he would just have laughed as much as anyone else at my escapes. So no worries. Commando style with my bag on my back and folded mosquito tent over one shoulder I climbed the gate into the meditation park and ran over to the perimeter brick wall. Bags off I ran up and down the wall in search of a spot that I could get up on to and which was not too far to jump down on the other side. Found it; but I had to walk along the top of the wall for a few feet. Ok Bags over the wall and up I went. I peeped around to make sure no-one was around, the coast was clear; up I went, walked along the top and jumped down the other side. YEH!  All the time thinking to myself; I am 49 years old, not a school kid, I can’t remember the last time I jumped a wall. Luckily the market was empty just a few cows sleeping and dog roaming around. Relieved to be out I sprinted home to bed. So much for my steadfast determination to endure all hardships and gain enlightenment that night.