Have you been to one of the holy places in this world, where it was so beautiful, so wonderful that you wanted to capture the place, the people, the faces in photographs so that you would never forget? Have you seen a holy meditator so inspiring that you quietly crept up close and took a photo with your camera, flash turned off so as not to disturb him or her? Have you seen the procession of monks and nuns or the great gurus and couldn't resist capturing the wisdom, serenity and peace in their faces?
In Sarnath we became those people. We entered the temple and walked to the front to pay respects to the main Buddha image. As we arrived, the monks opened the special gate that separated the altar area from the general public. There was no question, no hesitation, no anything except instant welcome to the holy place. We did formal greetings to the Buddhas and circumnabulation (Kora) around the statue, which the monks told us contained the holy relics of the buddhas.
And then we went to the Stupa, where we did more Kora and listened to Rinpoche turn the great wheel of Dharma. All along the way, people caught sight of us in passing, and then thoughtfully raised their cameras to capture a meaningful moment as we passed. I was not fully aware of this phenomena until later, after reflecting on the day in general in my meditation.
I realized that we are not visitors to these placs, we belong here. And the tourists know it. We are truly pilgrims.
Showing posts with label *Sarnath. Show all posts
Showing posts with label *Sarnath. Show all posts
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Accompanied by horns
Dear family, friends and sangha:
Utpala and Chonyi here sitting in a very tiny internet cafe, sharing one computer because the electricity is now limited until 2:00.
Amongst a sympony of car, bus, bike and rickshaw horns, we sit in "silent" meditation. For the past two nights we have been staying in the primier "luxury" hotel of Sarnath. Though we are surrounded by marble floors, door men with fancy hats, room service, and real towels, the exhaust, noise andthe simple livng of the people stand in start contrast. Whether the outside if filled with distraction or peace and quiet, the inner journey remains steady.
We leave soon for nine days in Bodhgaya, the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment. Buddha means "awakened" one. May all those who journey to this place and all those who remain home reach this goal for the benefit of all sentient beings. That is our wish.
We send our love and express our gratitude to our family and friends who have supported us and made this trip possible. We promise to practice diligently to make the most of our time here.
Hello Laila, Clariel and Jenner. Love,
Mama and Mom
Utpala and Chonyi here sitting in a very tiny internet cafe, sharing one computer because the electricity is now limited until 2:00.
Amongst a sympony of car, bus, bike and rickshaw horns, we sit in "silent" meditation. For the past two nights we have been staying in the primier "luxury" hotel of Sarnath. Though we are surrounded by marble floors, door men with fancy hats, room service, and real towels, the exhaust, noise andthe simple livng of the people stand in start contrast. Whether the outside if filled with distraction or peace and quiet, the inner journey remains steady.
We leave soon for nine days in Bodhgaya, the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment. Buddha means "awakened" one. May all those who journey to this place and all those who remain home reach this goal for the benefit of all sentient beings. That is our wish.
We send our love and express our gratitude to our family and friends who have supported us and made this trip possible. We promise to practice diligently to make the most of our time here.
Hello Laila, Clariel and Jenner. Love,
Mama and Mom
Four Noble Truths
Here we are in the location of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni's first teaching - Sarnath. We are doing well, although some are feeling the effects of unfamiliar tastes and smells, myself included, but those concerns are minor compared with the wonder and amazement of India. Today we received teachings on the four noble truths at the Great Stupa in Sarnath and tomorrow we leave for Bodhgaya. I find it hard to put into words my impressions of India, and will leave it for now as my meditation place is calling and Drichab is feeling the need to return to our hotel as well. Be well all and see you soon.
Here we are in Sarnath
pictures: Yes, there are deer in Deer Park;Stupa at Sarnath from a distance
(updated Jan 7th in Bodgaya)
Here we are in Sarnath, the site of Lord Buddha's first teaching; the first turning of the wheel of dharma. Rinpoche taught us sitting on the grass literally in the shadow of the stupa that sits over the site. As Rinpoche taught, several Tibetans noticed the robes and came over and listened. When we took refuge right there on the grass with half prostrations, several Asian men who were circumnambulating the stupa left the path and walked around us in respect so as not to walk between us and the stupa as we were prostrating. Rinpoche explained the circumstances of Lord Buddha's first teaching. After attaining enlightenment, Lord Buddha walked all the way to Sarnath - to Deer Park. It is a long ways to walk. He found the 5 mendicants who were his previous companions, and they saw that he was no longer emaciated. At first they made fun of him, calling him "fat", but then they saw that he had 'qualities' and they sat on the grass and listened to him teach. Rinpoche told us of the visions he saw (as Lord Buddha sat to teach, he saw a vision interior. There were 1000 gold thrones. He circumnambulated 3 of them and then sat on the 4th. On the interior, Brahma offered him a 1000 spoke golden wheel. Indra and other worldly gods requested him to turn the wheel of dharma in order to benefit all sentient beings. So much light went out from his body that it lighted the 3000 worlds.) and what they meant (Lord Buddha is the 3rd Buddha of the 1000 Buddhas that will teach in this world system.) I wish I had more time on this slow computer to put in detail. Perhaps when we arrive in Bodgaya tomorrow I will find another location and come back and edit this with detail of the teaching.
Rinpoche then commented on the 4 Noble Truths that Lord Buddha taught:
- Suffering exists (confusion and imbalance is obvious. They came from an original dysfunction.),
- Suffering has causes (Confusion and imbalance talks to itself and produces even more imbalance and confusion) ;
- The causes can be removed (perfection is possible. The original confusion can be cleared away. One can return to purity and be completely free of dysfunction);
- The method of removing the causes (the noble 8-fold path: Right: speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration, attitude, and view).
Again bringing in the idea of personality - our confusion and suffering will end with the healing of our personality. We are suffering from our personality - sitting in its strategies. Don't look at yourself; don't lean on your personality. (Look at Inner Guru instead.) When we release our grip on personality and let it heal - (authors comment: or rather let Inner Guru do his/her work with us.) Then you will finally be you. Our practice is an old, high practice. Doing it is the way to heal the personality. If you are feeling upset, disrespected, incapable - then do your practice.
We are in a nice hotel here. I even sent down my laundry to have it washed. The bed is actually soft and does not bottom out. Sheer luxury for a pilgrimage. Tomorrow we are back to guest houses and a simpler daily schedule. We walk everywhere with our malas doing mantra. I am amazed at the deference with which I am treated by many of the Indian people. They see my robes; they see my silvering hair; and they assume something. I am not sure what exactly - but I am treated like a holy woman - even though I am clearly American. What is a holy woman? How would you define it? What makes one holy? More things to think about. I'd better do LOTS of practice to live up to that.
may there be a rain of dharma
Hungry Malas
About mala making
I make malas. I make them to sell. I make them to give away. I do it because the creative expression is important in my process. I do it because it is important to me to support practitioners in their process. I do it because everything I do I want to be Dharma in some way.
I like adding dimension and meaning to the malas. This is more a Western than Eastern view I think, but I am not sure. If I have a recipient in mind, I choose materials carefully according to my wishes for them. Or sometimes I make a mala and then wait for the right person to appear. I tend to give malas with high expectations.
I gave a Tiger Eye mala to my best friend of the time (she was not yet a practitioner) for auspiciousness. For comparison, the Dalai Lama has a Tiger Eye mala. A couple of years later, here she is in India practicing alongside the rest of us. I gave a huge heavy cobalt blue glass mala to a friend when I saw that underneath her quiet nature was a density and vibrance emerging -- an intensity of being alive that is only associated with high practitioners.
Recently, I made a mala on commission of mother of pearl, lapis and malachite. It had an endless knot on the end. It was for a special woman who is not yet a meditator. She came into this world with a deep talent for empathy and healing. The mala was inspired by my wish for her to experience the deep transformations that come when great compassion arives in its full form. We will see. Perhaps that mala will call to her, perhaps her friends will call to her, and most importantly perhaps inside her actual being is calling her to be something greater than she already is. I hope so. With her talent, many beings could benefit.
Malas are born hungry
Back to malas. One thing we know is that all malas are born hungry. I know. My teacher says so. They must be fed a steady diet of mantra. They could start with OM MANI PEDME HUNGS and then graduate on to something else as the practitioner advances. Other times they start with Medicine Buddha Mantra, or Tara Mantra. In India, we are all doing the mantra associated with our Green Wisdom Light practice. This practice is associated not only with Wisdom, but also with the development of Great Compassion. It is an Annutara Yoga Tantra practice, done in the abstract form, which is more suitable for westerners. In addition to that mantra, we chanted OM MANI PEDME HUNG as we did cora at the temple and stupa today in Sarnath.
Malas and the mind of a pilgrim
In Ganpathi Guest House in Varanasi, RInpoche handed each of us our malas, one by one, and explained what it was like to have the mind of a pigrim. She said our malas should rarely leave our hands. When she placed the mala in my hand, I entered a different way of life. One where the world has a totally different meaning. Now the feel of my mala reminds me I am a pilgrim, not a tourist. My attempts to muster interest in shopping and pictures are short lived. I am not attracted to strong flavors or smells. I am more interested in the deep meanings contained within our work here. I want to look out from a deep inside place, and see the world from the lively and vibrant home of a meditator. Outside is nothing, what do these places remind us of on the inside.
That is what we pilgrims are here for. The reassurance of mala in hand, the clicking of beads as we fill every open space with prayer. The space between Varanasi and Sarnath. The space between the hotel and the stupa, the space between conversations. The space between sentences. The space between thoughts. The space between breaths.
And suddenly even the smallest place becomes vast.
There are no hungry malas here.
I make malas. I make them to sell. I make them to give away. I do it because the creative expression is important in my process. I do it because it is important to me to support practitioners in their process. I do it because everything I do I want to be Dharma in some way.
I like adding dimension and meaning to the malas. This is more a Western than Eastern view I think, but I am not sure. If I have a recipient in mind, I choose materials carefully according to my wishes for them. Or sometimes I make a mala and then wait for the right person to appear. I tend to give malas with high expectations.
I gave a Tiger Eye mala to my best friend of the time (she was not yet a practitioner) for auspiciousness. For comparison, the Dalai Lama has a Tiger Eye mala. A couple of years later, here she is in India practicing alongside the rest of us. I gave a huge heavy cobalt blue glass mala to a friend when I saw that underneath her quiet nature was a density and vibrance emerging -- an intensity of being alive that is only associated with high practitioners.
Recently, I made a mala on commission of mother of pearl, lapis and malachite. It had an endless knot on the end. It was for a special woman who is not yet a meditator. She came into this world with a deep talent for empathy and healing. The mala was inspired by my wish for her to experience the deep transformations that come when great compassion arives in its full form. We will see. Perhaps that mala will call to her, perhaps her friends will call to her, and most importantly perhaps inside her actual being is calling her to be something greater than she already is. I hope so. With her talent, many beings could benefit.
Malas are born hungry
Back to malas. One thing we know is that all malas are born hungry. I know. My teacher says so. They must be fed a steady diet of mantra. They could start with OM MANI PEDME HUNGS and then graduate on to something else as the practitioner advances. Other times they start with Medicine Buddha Mantra, or Tara Mantra. In India, we are all doing the mantra associated with our Green Wisdom Light practice. This practice is associated not only with Wisdom, but also with the development of Great Compassion. It is an Annutara Yoga Tantra practice, done in the abstract form, which is more suitable for westerners. In addition to that mantra, we chanted OM MANI PEDME HUNG as we did cora at the temple and stupa today in Sarnath.
Malas and the mind of a pilgrim
In Ganpathi Guest House in Varanasi, RInpoche handed each of us our malas, one by one, and explained what it was like to have the mind of a pigrim. She said our malas should rarely leave our hands. When she placed the mala in my hand, I entered a different way of life. One where the world has a totally different meaning. Now the feel of my mala reminds me I am a pilgrim, not a tourist. My attempts to muster interest in shopping and pictures are short lived. I am not attracted to strong flavors or smells. I am more interested in the deep meanings contained within our work here. I want to look out from a deep inside place, and see the world from the lively and vibrant home of a meditator. Outside is nothing, what do these places remind us of on the inside.
That is what we pilgrims are here for. The reassurance of mala in hand, the clicking of beads as we fill every open space with prayer. The space between Varanasi and Sarnath. The space between the hotel and the stupa, the space between conversations. The space between sentences. The space between thoughts. The space between breaths.
And suddenly even the smallest place becomes vast.
There are no hungry malas here.
From the End to the Beginning
Hello friends,
We are now in Sarnath, the location where the Buddha gave his first teaching after leaving Bodhgaya where he attained enlightenment. We went to the stupa (a structure symbolizing the enlightened mind of the buddha) located at the site where he gave that teaching. When we arrived we first visited a temple that contained relics of Buddha Shakymuni (remains after cremation). There were several golden Buddha statues and paintings on all of the walls that depicted his life. Before we even went into the temple I had a warm prickling sensations of energy! I don't know if that is a sensation that would be unique to meditators or if others also have that sensation when visiting the site!
After visiting inside the temple we walked through the ruins of the monasteries that were located on that spot --over 2,000 years old! Not much remains standing, but again, the energy is still there! We then did cora around the stupa, which is circling around it and reciting mantra.
There were deer in Deer Park! They were beautiful--fuzzy antlered, big-eyed, trusting creatures.
***
Previous to being in Sarnath we were in Benares, Varnassi, I am told it is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world? Though I have not checked that fact myself. Culturally, it seemed like that might be true! This is a very holy place in Hinduism. It is the home of the Burning Ghats on the Ganges river. 500-600 Hindus per day are cremated at the Burning Ghats and their ashes are spread in Gangama (the Ganges River)--known to Hindus as the goddess Ganga.
We really started our pilgrimage in Benares and Rinpoche's first teachings of the pilgrimage were on impermanence. We went to the site of the Burning Ghats and watched humans being cremated. Our times will come too soon. To remember to live life fully, now, while we have it, was one lesson. To not waste our precious human life was another. I don't feel afraid of death, or afraid of my own end now. But I certainly feel motivated to meditate to improve my own energy so that I am ready when the time comes. Whatever your practice is, I hope you too feel the fire of motivation to pursue it!
Benares, as I said before, does feel ancient in some ways. To get to the banks of the ganges, where we stayed, we had to take four different forms of transportation, from bus to taxi, to rickshaw taxi, to foot. They do not allow, nor do they have streets wide enough to accomodate, cars of any kind to the banks. They keep the ancient narrow winding alleys that protect the sanctity of their holy place and carry the dead to the Ghats. Cows and goats roam the streets and alleys. Children fly kites with incredible skill over the Ganges. And at night, and in the morning, children sell flower-filled leaf bows at the banks of the ganges with a butter lamp in the center. You can buy one for a few rupees and make a wish of Ganga-ma then set your wish afloat in the river. People still bathe in the Ganges. Many naked men and children hop in and scrub themselves and then take a swim. They are bathing in a goddess. That seems a pretty wonderful bath! Though, I think your constitution would have to be incredible to stand it!
And the people. I have not yet touched upon the people in this incredible place. I learned my first lesson of the pilgrimage from a flower vendor our first morning on the Ganges. We were walking along the river in soupy fog, and children flower-offering vendors approached us asking us to buy flowers. They are persistent and followed us, and after I refused numerous times, one small girl asked why I did not buy. "Do you have no money?" she asked me. Not wanting to explain that I had no change for my R500 (500 rupee bill--she was asking 5 rupees and would have taken 2 rupees which is the equivalent of 4-10 cents) I answered yes. I have no money. Free. She replied to me. Take this for free. Oh, no I couldn't I told her. No. Free. She insisted. It is good luck.
I was incredibly touched by her. She had almost nothing, materially, compared to me. She sells flowers for 4cents a bowl for a living. And yet, she was willing to give me one for free when she thought I had nothing. It helped me to realize that though people may appear to be suffering on the outside, they may not be on the inside. And I aspire to be as giving as her.
***
India's streets are an experience you cannot believe! I now understand the Indian drivers back in Chicago. They are not "bad" drivers, they are incredibly skilled. They just learned an entirely different skill set for driving here. You are safest on the street if you are a cow. They are plenty and no one hits them. I have seen more than one cow-related traffic jam!
As Trilbu just said to me (she is a friend reading over my shoulder waiting for a computer in a crowded little internet shop), "It gives a whole new meaning to HOLY COW!"
I love you all! I hope you are living your life in an alive and awake fashion!
Much love,
Dewa
We are now in Sarnath, the location where the Buddha gave his first teaching after leaving Bodhgaya where he attained enlightenment. We went to the stupa (a structure symbolizing the enlightened mind of the buddha) located at the site where he gave that teaching. When we arrived we first visited a temple that contained relics of Buddha Shakymuni (remains after cremation). There were several golden Buddha statues and paintings on all of the walls that depicted his life. Before we even went into the temple I had a warm prickling sensations of energy! I don't know if that is a sensation that would be unique to meditators or if others also have that sensation when visiting the site!
After visiting inside the temple we walked through the ruins of the monasteries that were located on that spot --over 2,000 years old! Not much remains standing, but again, the energy is still there! We then did cora around the stupa, which is circling around it and reciting mantra.
There were deer in Deer Park! They were beautiful--fuzzy antlered, big-eyed, trusting creatures.
***
Previous to being in Sarnath we were in Benares, Varnassi, I am told it is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world? Though I have not checked that fact myself. Culturally, it seemed like that might be true! This is a very holy place in Hinduism. It is the home of the Burning Ghats on the Ganges river. 500-600 Hindus per day are cremated at the Burning Ghats and their ashes are spread in Gangama (the Ganges River)--known to Hindus as the goddess Ganga.
We really started our pilgrimage in Benares and Rinpoche's first teachings of the pilgrimage were on impermanence. We went to the site of the Burning Ghats and watched humans being cremated. Our times will come too soon. To remember to live life fully, now, while we have it, was one lesson. To not waste our precious human life was another. I don't feel afraid of death, or afraid of my own end now. But I certainly feel motivated to meditate to improve my own energy so that I am ready when the time comes. Whatever your practice is, I hope you too feel the fire of motivation to pursue it!
Benares, as I said before, does feel ancient in some ways. To get to the banks of the ganges, where we stayed, we had to take four different forms of transportation, from bus to taxi, to rickshaw taxi, to foot. They do not allow, nor do they have streets wide enough to accomodate, cars of any kind to the banks. They keep the ancient narrow winding alleys that protect the sanctity of their holy place and carry the dead to the Ghats. Cows and goats roam the streets and alleys. Children fly kites with incredible skill over the Ganges. And at night, and in the morning, children sell flower-filled leaf bows at the banks of the ganges with a butter lamp in the center. You can buy one for a few rupees and make a wish of Ganga-ma then set your wish afloat in the river. People still bathe in the Ganges. Many naked men and children hop in and scrub themselves and then take a swim. They are bathing in a goddess. That seems a pretty wonderful bath! Though, I think your constitution would have to be incredible to stand it!
And the people. I have not yet touched upon the people in this incredible place. I learned my first lesson of the pilgrimage from a flower vendor our first morning on the Ganges. We were walking along the river in soupy fog, and children flower-offering vendors approached us asking us to buy flowers. They are persistent and followed us, and after I refused numerous times, one small girl asked why I did not buy. "Do you have no money?" she asked me. Not wanting to explain that I had no change for my R500 (500 rupee bill--she was asking 5 rupees and would have taken 2 rupees which is the equivalent of 4-10 cents) I answered yes. I have no money. Free. She replied to me. Take this for free. Oh, no I couldn't I told her. No. Free. She insisted. It is good luck.
I was incredibly touched by her. She had almost nothing, materially, compared to me. She sells flowers for 4cents a bowl for a living. And yet, she was willing to give me one for free when she thought I had nothing. It helped me to realize that though people may appear to be suffering on the outside, they may not be on the inside. And I aspire to be as giving as her.
***
India's streets are an experience you cannot believe! I now understand the Indian drivers back in Chicago. They are not "bad" drivers, they are incredibly skilled. They just learned an entirely different skill set for driving here. You are safest on the street if you are a cow. They are plenty and no one hits them. I have seen more than one cow-related traffic jam!
As Trilbu just said to me (she is a friend reading over my shoulder waiting for a computer in a crowded little internet shop), "It gives a whole new meaning to HOLY COW!"
I love you all! I hope you are living your life in an alive and awake fashion!
Much love,
Dewa
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