Bodhgaya

I am back in Varanasi after an exhausting day-trip to Bodhgaya. The logistics of the whole thing were a bit of a nightmare: originally we planned on spending the night there -- but as we were driving there in the morning we received news that the father the man who runs our guesthouse just died. This meant that the professor traveling with us had to get back asap. Then, we planned to have us students stay the night, and take the train back -- but after a two hour excursion to the nearest train station, the professor decided to say no to that as well (just as we almost had tickets in hand). So the relaxing two day Buddhist retreat that we worked so hard to plan turned into one day with 12 hours of crazy driving, 2 hours of trying to get train tickets and hotels arranged, and maybe 6 hours of intense sightseeing.

Despite all this madness, I am still overwhelmed with gratitude at being able to be there at all. Bodhgaya is spectacular. The whole place feels so peaceful. Like Sarnath, there are temples from all over the world -- our professor joked that we were making the rounds, visiting embassies. Each one had a very different look and feel, and all of them displayed some sort of remarkable craftsmanship. Many of them had murals on the inside, depicting events in the life of the Buddha. One even had a 3D mural all over the walls on the inside (imagine a painting where all the figures and scenery stick out, as sculptures)... Some had magnificent gates and gardens as well. Others were part of complete monastery complexes.

On the outskirts of town, just beyond a row of temples, there is a huge 80ft statue of Buddha, seated in meditation. We caught glimpses of him on our way into town -- and there is something quite surreal about seeing such a large object, peeking through huts and trees in the surrounding villages and countryside. Even when we were right in front of it, I had a hard time understanding that it was real -- the scale was just so unbelievable.

The main temple complex, where the actual Bodhi tree is located, was a forest of stupas and statues. The carvings on everything were hard to believe -- what would be the centerpiece of a museum anywhere else, was almost an afterthought or decoration here. The best part about the temple complex though, was seeing the various people from around the world coming there as pilgrims. Groups an individuals were in various postures -- some chanting, some setting up to read or meditate under the trees, some in walking meditation, others bowing in continuous full prostration.

There was one woman that I fell in love with. She was totally androgynous, in grey robes, with a shaved head, doing walking meditation around the main temple. We were sitting quietly under the Bodhi tree, so would see her walking by very seriously over and over again. Even then she radiated a strong peace and grace. As we were walking out, my friend picked up a leaf from the ground, and just then, this woman neared us. My friend was worried that she would be upset by him picking up this leaf, so at first he ignored her attempts to get his attention. Insistent, she came up to him, laughing, and said, "Wrong tree. That leaf, wrong tree," quite concerned that he would go home with an inauthentic souvenir. Seeing her serious posture of meditation break so easily into laughter was just delightful.

It was quite draining to run in and out of one temple after another, snapping pictures and madly trying to take it all in. It was also really difficult to stay upbeat about being denied the time and space to actually meditate and use the surroundings for their natural purpose. Still, everything we saw was breathtaking, and it made me especially excited for my approaching time in Dharmsala, when I will be able to be still and process everything.

Finally, I can't end this without mentioning our car drive there and back. It was wilder than any state fair ride I've been on. Half the time we were driving into oncoming traffic and swerving just in time to avoid head-on collisions with huge trucks. And there were large portions of dirt road that were so bumpy, I kept hitting my head on the ceiling of our SUV. There are a million little details and stories, but I'm out of steam, so they'll have to wait.

Much love to all, e