Our Trip to Bodh Gaya -- Shi Xing Guo

On the 11th of February some members of the BDMS set off to India. Bhante Dhammika had been invited to speak at two conferences, he asked if anyone would like to accompany him and nine of us did. Our intention was not to visit all the Holy Places but to stay in Bodh Gaya for the whole time. We arrived at Gaya station before sunrise and took taxies to Bodh Gaya, had a warm cup of tea at the Mahabodhi Society and then got our accommodation at the Sikkimese Temple. We spent the first two days visiting all the temples and shrines and just observing Indian life which is so different from that in Singapore. Our intention was to meditate under the Bodhi Tree every morning before sunrise and every evening at sunset. However the mosquitoes had different plans. Also, each evening chanting in Tibetan, Thai and Burmese broadcast over loudspeakers was not conducive to meditation. In the end we each did our own practice in our rooms.

Dominating the town is the great Mahabodhi Temple built over the very place where the Buddha attained enlightenment. Although it was covered with scaffolding for repairs being done to it, this did not rob it of its grandeur. And all the people we saw circumambulating the Temple, added a special dimension to it as well. There were Thais, Koreans, lots of Tibetans, Burmese, Bangladeshis, Vietnamese, even quite a few Western Buddhists. Although each of us did our devotions in quite different ways, we were all united by our devotion to the Triple Gem and there was a genuine feeling of good will amongst all of us for each other.

The Dalai Lama arrived in Bodh Gaya the day before the conference and the whole town was abuzz with his presence. When the conference started, the Dalai Lama walked onto the stage where he was introduced to Bhante and the other speakers and then he himself spoke on the subject of dependant origination. After several other speeches Bhante's new book, "A Guide To Bodh Gaya" was officially launched and the first copy was ceremoniously given to the Dalai Lama.

It was a wonderful experience for all of us to see the Dalai Lama in person, he really is as friendly, open and humble as people say. The next day the conference proper started. Bhante delivered the key-note speech, "The Role of Foreign Temples On The Development of Buddhism In India." Basically, he said that foreign temples have done very little to promote the Dhamma in India and surprisingly, this was well received by the audience. Several people came up to him later and said, "It was refreshing to hear the truth rather than just platitudes" or "It's about time someone spoke the facts."Bhante was again the key-note speaker at another conference at which the special guest was the Kamapa Lama and where Bhante spoke on "The Buddhist Tradition of Tolerance."

While we were seeing the sites, taking it easy and doing our own practice, Bhante was busy with his own work - meeting the translator of the Bengali edition of "Good Question Good Answer" and the translator of the Thai "Middle Land Middle Way" - getting to know Shantum Seth, Wangmo Dixey the daughter of the Tartang Tulku, Arther McKeown of Harvard University and Prof. David Geary of Colombia University who is doing a study of modern Bodh Gaya.

We made two trips out of Bodh Gaya. On day four, Bhante took us to the remote Barabar Hills where there are several caves cut into the rock by King Asoka in the 3rd century BC. It was very moving to see the very words of King Asoka himself as an inscription etched above the door of one of the caves. Nearby is a place called Kuadol, where there is the ruin of a large vihara and a huge ancient Buddha statue sitting under several beautiful old tamarind trees. The Chinese pilgrim Hsuan Tsiang visited this place and mentions it in his book. On another day we went to Pragbodhi, a mountain some 10 km from Bodh Gaya where there is a cave where Prince Siddhattha meditated before becoming enlightened. It is a steep climb up the mountain and the cave itself is very small but the view is wonderful and the atmosphere unbelievable.

One of the highlights of our stay at Bodh Gaya was our visit to the Root Institute, run by Western students of Lama Zopa. We were given a tour of the various aid projects the Institute runs and the head doctor explained to us in detail the work they do and the positive effect it is having on the poor in and around Bodh Gaya. We made a large donation for these projects.

After nine very interesting and fulfilling days, the time came for us to go. In some ways I was ready to leave but sad to do so at the same time. Bhante stayed behind to do some travelling and some research for a book he is writing on Indian flora and fauna. As we drove off to catch the train, I looked back and saw the spire of the Mahabodhi Temple disappear behind the trees and I made a promise to myself to one day return.