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. 

Buddhism for the Masses

Buddha attained enlightenment and taught that we too can attain the same realization. He likened himself to a doctor who can diagnose the patient and recommend medicine, which is the path of practice but it is up to each patient to take the medicine as prescribed. So the responsibility for one’s own awakening in our own hands. However I often wonder does Buddha cringe at seeing how his teachings have become for many a blind faith religion. Lay devotees worship his image and make offering and sponsor fancy robed monastic’s to recite the sutras in ancient language which they do not understand far less adherence to the advice. Anyway the present degeneration of teachings is unfortunately riff in all religions, teaching and paths and unfortunalty Buddhism is no exception.

Thai monks

Young Tibetan monks

In Bodhgaya thousands if not millions of pilgrims flock to sit under the Bodhi tree. It is a beautiful place and  special place and I have no idea why but meditation in Bodhgaya is always very good. However for the one person who sits under the tree to attempt mediate there has to be one hundreds who sit there completely distracted. Instead of meditation the main attraction seeing to be hanging around an dwaiting for a leaf to fall from the tree; a holy souviner ! I often watched the bus loads of nicely dressed pilgrims from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Burma being herded around the tree by a monk or tour guide speaking or reciting prayers through a mike with a mini amplifier. Gosh some time there would be three groups all competing to be heard. A cacophony of prayers in various languages said by distracted people in their best dress, looking pious and showing off their offerings.  What would the Buddha think?  

Vietnamese nuns chat

Tibetan nun make offering

Korean Zen

Burmese mother and monk son

Thai monk

He never wanted images made of him far less have a statue be an object of peoples devotion. On some days when there were large crowds mixed with Indian tourist snapping pictures of everything and having complete disregard for people trying to meditate or pray, the noise, the pushing and shoving to get to the tree or statue made me wonder, what was Buddhism really all about and what was I doing there? Was I just mouthing the prayers as well, was I being appearing pious to others? and yes I admit it I also have a wee stash of  Bodhi leaves. Then I would stop and remember my the feeling in my heart and the years of practice in this place and thought no it is ok, your right where you need to be; and so are all these people. We are all here trying to understand Buddhas teaching, looking for inspiration on how to lead a peaceful meaning full life and we all have our own obstacles to that understanding which we have to overcome. Mine is dealing with so many Asians at once !
The group that was most interesting to me were the Indian Buddhist, many of whom have converted to Buddhism from Hinduism out of disagreement with the cast system or a desire to go back to what their ancestors practiced. They were all so happy to be there and just elated when people would acknowledge them as equals. Their wonder at the place and their humility toward everyone was inspiring, made me feel a bit embarrassed of my judgements.
So on my last day in Bodhgaya I just watched and appreciated the effort of so many pilgrims from so many countries to come to this place and are trying to practice a non-violent religion. In this day and age this can only be a good thing and hey if they push and show are noisy or do not know what the monks are reciting then who am I to say any different beacuse we are all here in peace.

New Buddhist from Maharashtra India

Indian Buddhist lady's

Lady in prayer

Sri Lankan group

Meet Prem and his family

I first met Prem in 1996 when he was the waiter at Mohamed's restaurant in Bodhgaya, he must have been  around 18 at that time Prem is always friendly, kind and help full and over the years me and a whole lot of other foreigners who frequent the restaurant have grown to love Prem. Here I should also mention that Prem means, Love in Hindi. Prem is one of the most patient, kind, honest, hard working person I know. He come from Mahakal village near the cave where Buddha practiced strict meditation and fasting before he became enlightened. So Prem's village sees bus loads of wealthy tourist every day during the tourist season and yet his village is literally dirt poor. All the houses are made of mud with thatch roofs and there is one water pump about at 30 minute walk from the village. Since the village is in a rocky area the water is deep underground and growing food can be difficult. Prem is saving to get a well drilled on his property but allowing access for the village with a private bathing area for the women. Prem is also the very proud owner of the village's only toilet. He says that since he became Christian he need to give his family that privacy out of respect. Prem laughed as he  told me that some of the tourist bus drivers and auto rickshaw drivers know he has the only toilet so sometimes bring over a bursting tourist in need of some privacy. There is no designated are in the village for toilet   and people just go anywhere; it is kind of stinky in the heat. On my visit we also went to the church which helped found. It is a small concrete building at the edge of the village, painted bright purple and sporting a cross and sign. The church was funded by some Koreans and the small community of Christians are so proud of there small, but very clean place of worship. It is so unusually to have Christianity in Bihar but the numbers of converts from Hinduism is growing. This is also true of Buddhism and I think it has alot to do with the fact that Buddhism and Christianity have no cast system and are big on teaching respect of self, others and the environment.

The Village Church

 Prem supports his family by working in Bodhgaya and since Mohamed built a new guest house Prem is the manager there and has retired from waiting tables. Prem has no education and is only now learning to read and write, in fact he says his children are teaching him more. He is quite amazing really as when he was waiting tables no-one knew he could not read. We would have to right down our orders and then also tell him what the order was as he looked at the paper. We never realized but he was memorizing the shape of letters to the order. Not even his boss Mohamed knew he could not read. Prem fool us all he has a great memory and could attended to 10 table and possibly 20 orders at a time. So over time a few of us foreigners have helped him out learning some letters and words and he is still happy to learn. He is also a great father in that he has put a lot of emphasis on getting his kids educated. He has 4 boys, (the oldest one of 14 is not in the picture) and has adopted  a girl. The girls father died and Prem adopted the baby girl so that her young mother could re-marry. I am guessing that a new husband would not want another mans baby! Anyway Prem tells the story that he asked his wife and children what to do about helping this young mother and his boys said that they would like a baby sister. So with his wife's agreement  the family adopted her and she is just a wee darling and the family call her a baby sent from God.
I had a great day with Prem and am just so inspired by his kind nature, service to other sand work within his community. I am also hoping that maybe next year we can work on getting that well dug.

Mind; the Final Frontier

I feel it has been a long time since I have sat down to write and since coming out of retreat. I have been in a whirlwind of activity which is, after retreat mentally exhausting. Partly it is just the mind and body speeding up again to keep up with reality but also volunteering with Sonam at Arya Tara Mandir was a full on  busy but great experience. Anyway I now sit in the bus station in Delhi and have 2 hours to catch you up the travels and also take some time to remind myself of the retreat experience by trying to communicate it to you. 

Ahhhhhh….. BUT Hold on ………… a young, lost, blond, American lass with a huge back pack just came up to me and needed some assistance with getting her bus sorted out; it is her first time in India. OK try again……. BUT Now I have a well dress mid 40’s man plunk himself right next to me and is staring at my every click on the keyboard, guess he has never seen a white woman type? Patience Linda, patience. There is not much peace at the bus station but here goes.

So retreat!

The following lines are the opening of the primary text of Buddha’s teaching; The Dhammapada and we would recite these lines every morning to remember why we were attempting to train our minds. I found these lines, simple, clear, practical and inspiring; maybe you will too.

Mind is the foreunner of all conditions. Mind is cheif and thoughts are mind made.                                                         If with and impure mind one speaks or acts then pain follows                                                                                    just as sure as the wheel follows the hoof of an ox

Mind is the forerunner of all conditions.Mind is cheif and thoughts are mind made.                                                If with a pure mind one speaks or acts then happiness follows just like the shadow than never leaves.                                                      

We humans are constantly looking outside of ourselves for comfort, happiness, solutions to social problems or answers to our existential crises; very few people look inward. However in our defense, having two eyes that look outward, we have simply just not acquired the habit of looking inward. Historical though those that do delve into the inner landscape have came up with some amazing insights and advice for us; i.e. Jesus, Buddha, Mahavira, Moses, Mohammed, Bahila but also many realized people of no religious faith such as Krishnamurti and even today we have Ekart Tolle, who I believe has some realization of ultimate reality…http://www.eckharttolle.com and I just heard about a teacher called Mooji which I have to find out about. http://www.mooji.org/

I think we humans are also wired to seek solutions to our problems or search for happiness not only outside of ourselves but also just over the next ridge, over the border, in a new sunrise, in a new relationship or like Captain Kirk and the crew in the next galaxy. We are all optimists or adventurers believing that answers lie out there, somewhere and that we just have to find them. So we spend our lives chasing this desire to attain peace/ happiness, attempting all kinds of stunts and schemes in the process only to come home empty handed, disillusioned or unsatisfied. The individual or ego with its huge sense of self importance gets such a boost when it finds just a wee bit of happiness or an answer to a question, especially when it can show all the other egos how great it thinks it is. My point is that questing inward is relatively new territory for us masses. It is fearfull, uncomfortable territory and takes I think it takes guts to admit to the state of one’s mind; well I know my mind is not always so pretty. So anyway I say that Buddhism is not opium but a very scientific approach to understanding the mind, it is not for the faint of heart and if retreat is the laboratory then meditation is the method used in the experiment of knowing the mind. Can it bring ultimate happiness and answer our questions like the teachers say? Well that is for each to find out. Many people will never even think to try, some will dabble in attempt to get a bit of peace, to be seen as cool or gain a bit more focus so they can be successful in their job or business. Then there are the ‘crazies’ like me who spend weeks on a cushion great  making efforts to try and  understand what meditation and the mind are really about.

So while in the laboratory of retreat we had to forge all distraction such as reading, talking, computers and phones which was great! This helps settle the mind, calm it down. Each day we began at 5am and finished at 9am at night. We alternated between sitting and walking meditation which lasted 45 minutes and would have a few breaks and a teaching session in the evening. At first 45 minute was torture. My legs wanted to move, I wanted to swat that fly, scratch, wipe off the sweat drops or fiddle with the cushion, shawl or clothing; anything but sit still. However, as the retreat progressed and the mind settled I found that sitting 45 minutes was not long enough and would happily sit 60 to 70 minutes.

We were attempting to do two kinds of meditation which complement each other. The first is called Calm Abiding; in Pali (the language used at the time of the Buddha) it is called Samatha, in Tibetan, Shiny and is an exercise in focusing the mind on an object. If you have ever tired meditation you will know that the mind is constantly thinking, either about the past, the future. It re-visits old events re-inventing the ending, regretting what might have been or invents a fantasy future, scheming ways in which to conquer the world or at least grab a bit of happiness. Very, very seldom is the mind fully in the now. So the purpose of meditation is not to stop the thoughts but simple not to be taken in by them, not follow them but just to see them for what they are; i.e. moments in the mind stream that arises and passes. Ven. Antonio, the retreat leader mentioned that about 90% of what we think either never happens or is a complete exaduration or misinterpretation of what is happening will happen or happened.  Interesting?

Anyway we all sat on our cushions and attempted to focus the mind on the breath. The breath is a very natural object of observation, an anchor that we can come back to when the mind goes off with a thought. So focusing, or a better word to use is, resting the mind on the object of meditation, i.e. on the breath. We were instructed to watch the stomach rise and fall, feel the air pass through the nose and into the lungs. We tried not to control the breath, hold it, or distort its natural rhythm but rather we attempted to “let the breath breathe.” Sounds easy but give it a try. The hardest thing in attempting calm abiding is sitting still with the spine straight, to not move and learn to manage any pain that comes. When pain did come the technique teaches to acknowledge the pain, label it as pain but then return to the breath. To try and not let the mind get into a whole story about how much the pain hurts but just observe it without judgment and creating a story about it; such as “Oh my God my legs will fall off if I don’t move.” No one’s legs ever fell off from sitting still but it is quiet funny how the mind will create a complete myth to get you distracted from finding out how the mind works.  The mind is very much like a naughty child, who does not want the parent to find out what it has been up to. Try it…. Just try watch what your mind is doing and for sure it will invent some activity that needs your urgent attention. So anyway this struggle went on for days, trying not to follow the thoughts but rather focus on watching the breath do its thing and attempting to sit and get comfortable with pain. In this way after about 5/6 days the mind did calm down and it was very pleasant to have a contented mind.

The Tibetans have a great image which shows the 9 stages of meditation which is helpful in understanding the process. It also give me some hope that it is possible to calm and focus the mind on what you want to and not have the mind charging alone like a crazed elephant. This image is painted on most Tibetan mediation halls and I would often spend time examining the one on the Gompa (meditation hall) at Root Institute. So here it is. At first the monk/meditator is chasing the black untamed elephant which is being led by the black monkey and slowly the monk tames the elephant and monk show by the animals becoming white. The last picture shows the monk riding the white elephant with the money beside him. I think it is pretty cool way to show what is a very intricate and difficult process.

Next came Special Insight meditation, in Pali it is called Vipassina, in Tibetan, Lacktong. Having accomplished some amount of calmness of mind, stability and focus of the mind, we next used that focus to examine the present, the now. It is easy to understand intellectually that the present is impermanent, like our thoughts the present arises and passes but the trick it to experience the present, not with thought and thinking but in feeling. For it is immersion if the full, visceral experience of any activity that we come to know it; only by doing do we get acquainted and become expert. You have probably had the experience of being so engrossed with an activity that you truly enjoy an activity where all you senses are activated and your mind is completely focuses, so much so that you lose all sense of time, all sense of self; the ego melts away and true joy and contentment arises. So in this way just as we used the breath in Calm Abiding to focus, we used the senses in Special Insight to gain experience and come to know of the present. 
First the sense of touch; we were instructed to feel all sensations of the body. The skin sweating, the numbness and tingling of muscles, the digestion working and of course pain. The practice here is again just to observe without the mind making up a story about the sensations just watching and letting go and with this we are completely in the present. Then we could also observe sounds coming and going again not liking or disliking just letting the sound be sound. This was funny because Bodhgaya is not the quiet place it used to be and we had all kind of noises to deal with from school children on megaphones, to wedding music and chanting, or I should say yelling of prayers at 5am. The memory of one teacher came to mind who said that attempting meditation in Las Vegas is real practice…. Hahah   well today meditation in Bodhgaya is a real challenge and it was funny how after 8/9 days, sound did just become sound and I was not disturbed by it This is a wee miracle considering how much I can get agitated by noise. Smell did not figure much as we were in a lovely environment with no bad smells. Now sight was a tough one. We meditated with the eyes slightly open, this stop the meditator from becoming to sleepy. To let movement be movement was tough as there was always someone fidgeting, and just when I managed to get my mind settled the person next to me or in front of me would move and there went my mind creating a story about that person moving. On a good day the story would be, “oh, poor lass, she must have sore knees, or she is maybe remembering a bad memory” and that thought would be followed with the urge to give her a hug. Then on a bad day when my mind was all tight a wound up with some negative obsession it would say, “Geeze that woman has to be crazy that she can’t sit still,” and that negative though would be followed with the urge to grab her hands to stay still or go punch her. Interesting how the object is the same but my mind creates the story from which all actions can help or harm. During meal time we were instructed to explore the sense of taste; i.e. eat slowly, focus on the taste of each mouthful and let it all just be taste without like or dislike.

We also practiced walking meditation which is a beautiful practice. I truly enjoyed it and it complimented the sitting practice in that whatever focus we managed to get during sitting we then tried to maintain it during walking. This trains the mind to be aware and mindful when moving. I learned to move slowly, lifting the foot, shifting the weight of the body, planting the foot on the earth, feeling the earth and connecting with it as I balanced, then lifting the next foot and moving. Yes it is defiantly rocket science but a beautiful experience and it took you into the now. Coming out of retreat I could not help but noticed how uncontrolled we humans are in out movements. Here in India maybe more so than in the west but people bump into each other, wave or swing their arms in all directions, talk and walk without looking or looking behind and walking forward. It is funny to watch after retreat but also a bit sad as movement is a reflection of just how distracted a person’s mind is.

Anyway I hope I have explained this clearly but maybe I have confused you even more. So my apologies and I ask for your patience as I am trying to comprehend this experiment as I go.

So this process takes months even years to perfect and the aim is the meditator to seeing and experience the true nature of the self and reality around us; to conquer the final frontier of the mind. For me, this beginner meditator I felt chunks of ego, worry, fear and confusion fall away and contentment arise.

Requirements for Mahayana Meditation.

The first requirement is an amount of renunciation of the idea that worldly activities can bring ultimate happiness.  This does not mean that you give away all your possessions, or stop enjoying life but rather recognize that possessions and pleasurable experiences can’t bring true happiness. This is kind of obvious because why would you lock yourself away from the world if you were not sick of it in some form or another. Anyway this sense of renunciation that is emerging within me is probably due to several factors; my age with its lack of desire to keep rushing around and the wisdom to recognize what is more important activity to spend my precious time on; life experience complete with its disappointments and non lasting glimpses of happiness; getting an education, which made me realized that educational, materialistic, political, economic, religious and nationalistic systems are all forms of control fueled by greed and or fear; and lastly just watching so many people investing their precious lives in relatively meaningless pursuits that distract them from the basic facts that we all endure disease, illness, old age and death. The song which inspired me years ago when I was starting on the Buddhist path is by Bjork, “there’s more to life that this”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz5Yj25mvTI

So some amount of renunciation of the belief that this world can bring ultimate happiness.  Check!

 Then comes acquiring some amount of Bodhichitta, which is the altruistic wish to benefit, help and see others happy. Just hang around India, or down town any city in the world and see the homeless, the drunks and druggies, the prostitutes, the beggar children or the well designer dresses people with their cell phones, jewelry, inflated egos, bad manners and stressed out faces and any person with half a heart would have the wish for all our fellow human beings to be happy. So we all have the capacity for Bodhichitta to arise and I am trying to make it a habit. Check! 

The Right View is the 3^rd requirement for successful meditation in the Mahayana tradition. Right View is twofold; recognition of impermanence and our interdependent nature and the recognition of cause and effect. All things and all people are dependent on each other for our happiness and sadness, for our food, clothing and housing, our practice of anger, patience, generosity or stinginess, for there being peace or war. We cannot get away from this basic fact but yet we do not see it and even go as far as to say we are individuals; what rubbish, what pretension, how sad we are not grateful to all people not just our immediate family, friends or community. Cause and effect relates to our actions, whether they are of body speech or mind they all have a result. Results of actions are experienced in this life and if you like the idea of a next life then the next life too, but let’s stick to this life, what we can experience. For example, keep anger, suspicion and greed in your mind or keep kindness, patience and generosity in your mind and it will determine if people want to be around you or not. These mind sets will also it will determine the type of death you have. So I am trying, often struggling to remember my interconnectedness to others, avoiding harmful actions and creating positive actions. I try to practice kindness toward the annoying person because he gives me the opportunity to practice patience. To be grateful to the auto driver who drives me to my guest house at night, even if he does rip me off for 10 extra rupees. To be humbled by and great full to the teacher, class mates, parents, friends and lama’s who have taught me everything from washing behind my ears and eating my greens, the ABC’s,  how to use facebook, to the high level of Buddhist philosophy which I am contorting my brain and body to understand. Thanks yi all, could not be here now without you.

So, Renunciation, Bodhichitta and the Right View are needed for Mahayana meditation to be somewhat successful. I am in no way saying I have these qualities but I am trying to develop them  and can understand as well as appreciate why they are a necessary foundation for further steps on this path. These qualities are not easy to develop but this is why it is all called mind training and why many label Buddhism; science of the mind.

Introducing The Bodhgaya Blind Beggar Band.

This band of very merry men have entertained us for months and I just had to share.

Back to the World.

first retreatants with  Ven. Antonio

So the big question after retreat is;  how to be in the world but not of the world? Suggestion welcome.

Retreat went very very well. The teacher, Venerable Antonio was fantastic and I even stayed on to do a second retreat with him which ended a few days ago. Antonio gave teachings every night and showed the importance of the Hinayana path; i.e. the practice of calm abiding and insight meditation, in relation to the practice of the Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist paths. This is o a connection often missed or should I saw not emphasised enough in the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism which is heavily influenced by the Vajrayana tradition, even though it does hold the teaching of Hinayana and  more so the Mahayana. I think many of you Tibetan Buddhist  can relate that you may go to a teaching with an initiation then end up having  a daily commitment before you can  sit still for half an hour far less keep your mind focused enough to visualize a diety.

So what does this all mean in practical terms  for all yi none Buddhists readers? In short; I just had an opportunity to lay down a very stable foundation for practical application of the teachings and it has given me a lot more confidence in the whole canon of Buddhas teachings by seeing how the foundation relates to the  higher practices which I aspire to do one day. The more I learn the less I know and the more I just love learning and realize what an amazing and skill full teacher the Buddha was.  Today I sat under the Bodhi tree and just thinking of the Buddhas kindness, wisdom and skill at teaching us ADD humans brought a wee tear to my eye. Will we humans ever get his message peace?

Anyway great retreat  and Antonio's web site is   http://venantonio.com/
On the site he has some reading recommendations, talks from past retreats and teaching and his schedule.  He is one of the best western Buddhist teachers I have heard.  So enjoy.

The dragons with the meditators 

On the shorter second retreat many of the people in the first retreat stayed on and we were also joined by a group of  young folks from the USA. They are doing a gap year before university and travelling Indian with a company called ,
Where their be Dragons. http://www.wheretherebedragons.com/

They were a great bunch and I was very impressed that they all put a lot of effort into meditation and took lots of notes in the teachings. For beginners to jump into 7 hours of meditation with no talking, no book, no computers and phone every day for 6 days in this sweltering heat was commendable to say the least. They left to go to Varanassi and then Ladhak so I wish them all the best.

So I moved back into Mohamed's Guest House in Bodhgaya  and have been volunteering with an old friend Sonam  who has started his own small teaching center. Starting tomorrow Lama Chockyi Nangpa Rinpoche  abbot of the Jonag tradition monestry in Shimla will give 4 days teaching  and Tara initiation.  http://www.jonangmonasteryshimla.com/Jonang_School.html
So seems like I have a good dose of Tara this time in Bodhgaya, Yahoo !!.  Anyway the building is brand new and there was lots of cleaning and painting to do, so my knuckle are skinned  but the place is looking great.
It has been all go since leaving retreat, but I am so glad to be  helping out. Sonam has not got a web site for his place yet but he hope to host more Buddhist teachers as well as fund a primary school in a near by village and start to do some medical assistance for local village women. So good luck to Sonam and I am sure we will be working together in the future.

In Between Retreats.

Happy Valentines. May there be peace and love for all beings

First of all Happy Valentines day to all.

Tara retreat went very well. There were 18 of us and the 11 days just flew. I truly enjoyed being in silence and Root is such a nice place I hardy felt I was in India.
The Tara practice was also so enjoyable; it is a real heart opening experience, taking me out of my thinking mode and into feeling; using emotional intelligence.  All very hard to explain right now but this practice showed me just how much I am in my brain and disconnected from my hearts wisdom. I think it is very much cultural as we in the west, especially in USA put so much important on mind intelligence while ignoring and suppressing the hearts intelligence. This retreat was also very good in that I noticed  that I can also perceive in a different way. Instead of having the brain and perceptions on automatic and not truly experiencing the environment, the heart started to feel and the senses take in experiences without the brains automatic interpretation, which is usually our habitual often negative patterns. Anyway I am connecting to this and will no doubt be exploring this more as I enter the next retreat; so I am probably not making much sense just now.
Anyway the next retreat will be on focusing the mind on an object  then using this focus to analyze reality. These meditations are based on Buddhist philosophy and are the methods with which to have insights in to our true nature. Now I am in now way expecting any insights but I think to be able to focus the mind and be able to combine this focus with heart wisdom and true perception. i.e without imputation or projection of old habits, will be a good thing to master for dealing with daily life. So lets see how I do.

This retreat will be very strict. No talking at all, no phones  or computers so I am looking forward that.
There may be around 30 people on this retreat, mostly women but a fair mix of ages and nationalities.
For some more info on this retreat check out.

http://www.rootinstitute.com/meditation-course/InsightRetreat.htm

I just saw this clip on facebook and wanted to share it as it is so appropriate for so many of us on the Dharma trail, especially the 20's generation. People usually come to the Dharma we see that the modern materialistic way of operating  is just getting out of hand and is just not satisfying to the heart or the mind.
See you in 14 days.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=203280383144662&set=vb.100003881045648&type=2&theater

Green Tara,Mother of all the Buddhas

Headed into Retreat

The 21 emanations of Tara

Feb 3rd I will be starting retreat at Root Institute in Bodhgaya. The retreat will be on the deity Tara which is a very beautiful practice. An old friend Jimmy Neil will leading the retreat which will really good as he has lots of experience with Tara practice and I am sure to pick his brain. Root Institute these days is quite the luxury. I stayed at Root Institute back in 1995 when it had a small meditation hall and dorms with concrete mattresses and torn mosquito nets.Today is has beautiful gardens and statues and a really nice and bright mediation hall,which is very inspiring.

The Root Institute is at http://www.rootinstitute.com/

For a you tube link to the Tara mantra  this link  is a nice one  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqcWl6VAB_M

For some info on Tara try this link .http://www.lamamigmar.com/html/practice-green-tara.html

Also in line with the Tara energy of  feminine wisdom and power (which all you guys have too) I would like to share an event that will take place on Feb 14th. One Billion Rising is a global strike and dance to  bring attention, protest  and hopefully encourage an end to the violence toward women. The links below have more info and I hope you can participate in some form, and send you support, best wishes or prayers to all women world wide on this Valentines Day. I will dedicate the retreat to also end violence toward all beings.

Tara statue on the Stupa in Bodhgaya

One billion rising  in at    http://onebillionrising.org/
and also   http://www.facebook.com/vday

Buddha Statue inside temple

Bodhgaya Mahabodhi Temple

The Mahabodhi  temple is one of the best place on earth; well at least for me and a few thousand Buddhist.
Here are some photos taken today that will give a wee taste  of the park in which Buddha gained enlightenment. The temple lay in ruins for many years because Buddhism had  almost died out in India. However when Tibetans came into India in early 60's they revived the notion of pilgrimage to holy sites and started to renovate the park.  I have been told by some older Tibetans that many stupas and statues lay broken in the ground, that the site was used by the locals as a rubbish pit and that cows and pigs wandered around the park. Today it is beautiful and there is a strong positive energy which has to come from decades of strong prayers being said in this space. The statue of Buddha inside the temple is truly gorgeous. I swear I have seen this statue in many different moods, this year he seems very happy in meditation. Ok it is maybe a trick of the light  or a new layer of paint that changes to facial expression or maybe my mind is in some way trying to communicate with a higher self through this Buddha image; or maybe I am just mad!: but it is a beautiful statue.
Nowadays there are constant prayers festival under the Bodhi tree from mid November until mid Feb which is the winter season and best weather for being Bihar. Certain time are busier than others and just now it is relatively quiet but still busy.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabodhi_Temple
For some years now there have been rumours about this site becoming a UNESCO site but this would be horrible because it would then have to be excavated and also we would be charge to practice our religion. Some say it is already a world heritage site but there is alot of confusion as to its status so who knows for sure; http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1056      http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_mahabodhi.asp

Blessing stone under the Bodhi Tree

Small shrine

Lay & ordained people from West Bengal do prayers under tree

Entrance to Mahabodhi temple

Mahabodhi Temple

Thia pilgrims meditate under the Bodhi Tree

Offering prostrations

Mandala and outer offerings under the Bodhi Tree

In meditation

Lay people under Bodhi tree

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Happy Republic Day

January 26^th is India’s birthday and it is celebrated with marching bands, flag raising and waving, speeches, parades and. National pride is big on this day but it is funny how this show of pride is done in an old fashioned British style which to me makes the day even more special.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/republic-day/eventcoverage/11375954.cms

In Bodhgaya there was a small parade lead by local dignitaries and every school had a flag raising and singing of the national anthem. I was in the grounds of the main temple in the morning so got the tail end of the town parade and managed a wee bit of flag waving myself.  I just love my India. So here’s to mother India, may she continue to flourish and be a great democracy fitting with your history and culture. 

The colours of the India flag is symbolic of all religion which thrive in India, The saffron is for Hindu, the White for Jain the green for Islam and the wheel in the centre is the Dharma chakra of Buddhism. The saffron is also for courage, white for purity, green for hope and fertility and the blue of the dharma chakra, vigilance, truth and loyalty.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_India

Most of all though, especially since  I am in the place of the enlightenment of the Buddha, a man who like Mahatma Gandhi wanted peace and harmony for all people, I took this day as a day of prayer especially for a positive relationship between sibling nations of Indian and Pakistan. May they flourish together communicate and grow together, appreciate and respect their shared culture and history and show the  rest of the world that real democracies, that truly care for the welfare of their people, use the peaceful tools of  diplomacy to heal wounds and bridge differences rather than armies, guns, tanks and bombs. My prayer is  for harmony and a positive peace between these nations and for peace to become a reality in Kashmir.  

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

This Morning I had a Dream

Buddha Statue in Bodhgaya

After months of washing in cold water from a bucket, or boiling water in a kettle  for  take the chill off the cold water I had the experience of being in a beautifully tiled clean, bathroom under a fountain of gushing hot water. My whole body relaxed and as the water flowed over me making every muscle relax. Ahhhhh. The room filled with steam and as I breathed in the hot vapours my lungs felt clean and cleared of the dust that had accumulated over the past month in north India. Ahhhhh. The soap suds smelled like flowers and  the shampoos felt like the expensive stuff from the salon. The hot water from the strong water jets pounded over my head then massaged my shoulders; it felt heavenly. I scrubbed and scrubbed then took breaks to just stand breath and enjoy this never ending stream of hot, hot water. Ahhhh When finished showering, I turned off the water and the room was filled with clouds of steam just like a sauna. I opened the door, stepped into the bedroom, wrapped my self in a fluffy, clean towel and watched the clouds of steam, fill the small room. Outside the window the fog was thick and I could not see the landscape; was I inside or outside? Either way I just felt good and for the first  in months cleaner than clean. I decided to open the window and then reality struck.  Bam! An icy blast of cold air mixed with the smell of wood fires burning, the noise of children, the chatter of parents, the distant honk of an auto rickshaw and the Hindi music coming from the neighbours house. I was in Bodhgaya. Wow ! thank God (or should I say Buddha) I was still in India; for a moment there it felt like I was back in the USA with all the comforts but none of  the amazing experiences that only being in India can offer.

Mohammed's new guest house is fantastic and just the wee bit of luxury that a tired traveller needs. Thanks so much Mohammed for installing such and amazing hot shower.

Now in Bodhgaya  (for the 12th time) the place of Buddha's enlightenment.

Swami Ji

How can I ever describe to you the phenomena that is called Swami Ji?

I simple Hindu monk, maybe but this man works tirelessly to uncover corruption, strives for social justice, educates young men and keeps them on an ethical path, cleans up the environment, and is trying to save the Bodhi tree from neglect and disease as well as having it’s limbs being cut off and sold. Name a political issue and he will be “hammering” on some politician’s head to get improvements done and changes made. You can often find Swam Ji at the chai stall under the tree across from the main temple, on his cell phone or computer, sipping tea or smoking a beedie but always in deep in conversation with someone about the latest issue.

Originally from Bengal , Swami Ji lived in a monastic ashram in Gaya or some time but decided to leave the ashram and do his own practice of being a wandering monk. He had a ticket for the train that night but had a few hours before the train left so walked to Bodhgaya

He came to say goodbye and pay his respects to the Bodhi tree. In front of the tree he found himself crying and was comforted by western women who had once herself been a Hindu nun. They talked and after some time she took him for a meal. He never left on the train that night but rather has found his calling and has now been in Bodhgaya for 5years. He says he was put here to uncover and bring attention to issues of corruption and social injustice in this holiest of Buddhist places. Swami Ji rustles the feathers of many people in town and in the state capital Patna. Many people do not like his blunt in your face style but he has brought attention to many issues and people are changing or at least being kept in check by his presence. A real dedicated man, of action, a simple monk and force to be reckoned with.

You can join his face book page at the Holy Mahabodhi Tree for updates on the tree