Some Highlights of the Buddhist Pilgrimage to Nepal and India 2010
In December 2010 Tsultim and I flew out of Brisbane to join Lama Choedak and 14 others in Kathmandu for the Buddhist Pilgrimage to Nepal and India. In Kathmandu we were based at the very comfortable Tharlam Monastery Guest House, a short walk from Bodhnath Stupa.
The time spent in Kathmandu was filled with visits to Monasteries and Stupas that are associated with many great masters such as his eminence Chogye Trichon Rinpoche. We were also fortunate to have an audience with His Eminence Asanga Rinpoche, 11 years old and grandson of His Holiness the Sakya Trizin!
We quickly grew accustomed to the hospitality extended to us on our visits and sharing butter tea and biscuits became a daily ritual that we very much enjoyed!
From the busy surrounds of Bodhnath, alive with the fragrance of incense, murmur of mantras and whirring of prayer wheels we flew the short distance to Pokhara. Along the way we enjoyed the view of the snow-capped Himalayas. The peaceful surrounds of Pokhara allowed us to take in the views of the lake, visit the Tibetan Settlement and share a delightful afternoon tea with Rinpoche’s mother. This was also the starting point of our bus trip into India.
Our first stop after leaving Pokhara was Lumbini, Buddha’s birthplace - where a grove of trees has been established which, along with the building of stupas, monasteries and much landscape work is adding to the beauty to this inspiring location. We also get to see our first Ashoka pillar!
From Lumbini, our journey continues to Kushinigar, where Buddha passed into pari-nirvana. We reached the site towards the end of the day, just in time to visit the sublime reclining Buddha statue that is housed in a cave-like museum. The chill of the evening air embraced us as we stepped outside.
Up early next morning we headed for Vaishali, where Buddha had 3 months earlier announced to his disciples his intention to pass into nirvana. Although we were now not travelling in chronological sequence, the visit to Vaishali offered a wonderful opportunity to view the graceful stupa and witness an impressive example of an Ashoka pillar, this one was intact, including its lion capital!
A highlight of our journey was a visit to Vulture Peak where our group was able to recite the Heart Sutra on the hillside overlooking the landscape that was little changed in 2500 years. Later, we gathered in Shariputra’s cave for a teaching from Rinpoche – an experience that will be cherished for many years by all of us.
Finally we made it to Bodhgaya, and along with a great many other pilgrims to the spot where Buddha achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. It was an uplifting experience to be in the midst of such an abundance of Dharma activity – teachings, prostrations, and vast arrays of offerings. All these were being carried out by those from all Buddhist traditions and all corners of the globe. We were fortunate here to be able to pay our respects to the His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, as well being invited to a performance of theatre in honour of the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje.
At Varanasi we were ideally situated to visit both this Holy City on the Ganges, as well as Sarnath being Buddha first turned the wheel of Dharma when he gave his sermon to the disciples assembled in the Deer Park. The impressive Dhamekha Stupa is a major pilgrimage site and attracts many Tibetans, easily identified by the traditional dress worn by the women who display great generosity, sharing with us there food while we sat reciting prayers!
The pilgrimage continued to Dehradun, where His Holiness the Sakya Trizin resides and where we visited the Sakya College and Nunnery. We were very fortunate to stay at Songsten Library, Drikung Kagyu Monastery with its beautiful grounds and views towards the Himalayas – a retreat from the crowded Gangetic plain through which we had been traveling.
The pilgrimage ended officially in Delhi, where we attended a public talk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. From a chilly and foggy Delhi the members of our group headed home, and Tsultim and I headed south to Aurangabad in order to visit the remarkable Ajanta Caves. These extraordinary excavations were carved from the cliff face between the 2nd century BC and approximately 800 AD. They comprise temples, dining halls and accommodation for monks and the styles represent the Theravadan and Mahayana Buddhist traditions as well as Hinduism. It was inspiring to visit the caves, which had been carved from sheer rock with simple tools and limitless devotion – truly worthy of its designation as a World Heritage Site. In order to return to Australia we travelled first to Mumbai to catch our flight and took the opportunity there to take a boat ride on the harbour. Our brief excursion on the waters of Mumbai Harbour served to remind us that our pilgrimage had taken us from the mountains of Nepal to the Arabian Sea!
Go to GALLERY for more pictures!
