Back to Bihar, India: Enlightenment Grove

HIDDEN GEM IN BIHAR, INDIA! 🇮🇳 Magical Bodh Gaya

(Let's Meet Abroad) March 31, 2024: Join us in Bodh Gaya (aka Buddha Gaya), a hidden gem in Bihar, India.🌟🇮🇳 We explore the Mahabodhi ("Great Enlightenment") Temple, walk around the Japanese Great Buddha, and enjoy delicious vegetarian and vegan Tibetan food.

• Budh (or bodh) is the root of Buddha ("Enlightened One") and bodhi ("enlightenment, awakening"), and gaya is grove, so this place is Enlightenment Grove or the Place of Awakening.

Bodh Gaya is really worth a visit during any trip to India. We highly recommend hiring an e-rickshaw to get around to all the famous sights. #bihar #india #bodhgaya

First time exploring Bihar: MY FIRST TIME IN BIHAR! 🇮🇳 Exploring...

• 00:00 Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India: Center of the Buddhist World
• 00:35 Marasa Sarovar Premiere, Bodhgaya
• 01:43 Vegetarian Tibet Om Cafe, Bodh Gaya
• 04:45 Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya
• 07:17 Great Buddha (80 foot) statue, Bodh Gaya
• 08:58 Exploring Bodh Gaya in Bihar
• 10:40 Tibet Om Cafe, Bodh Gaya again
• 12:25 Bihar road trip

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Then, the allegory goes, the wandering ascetic, having eaten and regained his bodily health thanks to the lady Sujata and her maid, wandered on in search of enlightenment. He realized that he had blamed the body for the faults of the mind/heart, punishing it needlessly.

He determined to try another approach, abandoning austerities and self-mortification. What, he wondered, if he were to allow himself the supersensual pleasure of meditative absorption (jhana). Such bliss is blameless. He wondered if this might be the way to awakening.

An inner-knowing came over him that it was. He went to the river to bathe, using his alms bowl to predict if he would succeed. Then he found another tree, having left behind Sujata's banyan.

He entered a wondrous grove and found a marvelous fig tree (Ficus religiosa) under which to sit. There he enjoyed the bliss (piti) of letting go, simply mindful of his in-and-out breathing until it became soft then still, as he entered into single-pointed focus and samadhi, purifying heart/mind.

He remembered past lives and continued to ponder the question that had prompted his spiritual quest: Why do we suffer? He followed the chain of causation (Dependent Origination), realizing that the root of present disappointment and pain (dukkha) was in the past, affecting the present and setting the future.

He broke through the 12-links to understand that, "With this, that comes to be, and without it, it ceases." He understood those factors that had led to everything and saw a means of escape from this round (samsara, simulation) of countless rebirth.

He went back and back through past lives (reappearances, relinkings, rearisings), further exploring all that had happened, with great gratitude for the tree that sheltered him.

Our journey to India

A few years after in San Francisco

Like the video above, we were two Americans traveling through the whirlpool of humanity that is India, she a blond, I blending in. But our Tevas gave us away. Everyone knew we were foreigners and were surprised to find out we were Americans. There were people from all over the world here and extraordinary temples in a little town that represented the whole world. My favorite was not the great Mahabodhi Temple at the center, nor the Sri Lankan vihara, not the Thai wat, nor the Japanese zendo and massive Butso Buddha. It was the wooden Bhutanese shrine room, with woodcut devas on the wall. It was dark and like being in a tiki wood treasure house. What was this? We never knew Bodhgaya, near the Patna Airport, was this jewel. Everyone else it. It was the off-season, but Tibetan monastics were everywhere doing 108,000 prostrations on smooth planks of wood to increase their devotion. Hindus were in control of the walled area around the Bodhi tree, wearing orange and panhandling, exploiting the devotional feelings of pilgrims on entering. We sat next to the stone "throne" slab under which Siddhartha is alleged to have sat. Could it be that very gilded stone? One could imagine this was the exact spot, although there is room for doubt. A monk in Los Angeles I know very well got his Ph.D. in Asia on the archeology of the exact site and the Mahabodhi tower/pagoda cetiya. They were discovered by a British scholar and rebuilt on the site from fragments all around the area. The site had been leveled by Muslim crusaders passing through, cutting down the tree so many honored, thinking that people were praying to it in violation of their religious views. Yet, here it was. We could hardly take in the vicinity and its international air, as we focused on the area around the tree. A sanctuary is more precious for the busy-ness all around.

• TEXT: Wisdom Quarterly

Gayatri Mantra for Saraswati (video)

Deva Premal "Gayatri Mantra" via Ganesha on YouTube; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

The Gāyatrī (Sāvitri or Saraswati) Mantra is a highly revered chant from the Rig Veda (Mandala 3.62.10), dedicated to the Goddess Savitri, the deity (devi) of five elements.

Gāyatrī is the name of the Vedic meter in which the verse is composed (Frits Staal, "The Sound of Religion," Numen, 33, June 1986, Fasc. 1: 33–64).

Its recitation is preceded by Oṃ and the formula bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, known as the mahā vyāhṛti or "great (mystical) utterance."

Vishvamitra had it created, and it is cited widely in Vedic and post-Vedic texts, such as the mantra listings of the Śrauta liturgy and classical Hindu texts, such as the Bhagavad Gita, Harivamsa, and Manusmṛti.

The Buddha

The mantra and its metric form was known by the Buddha, and in one sutra the Buddha is described as "expressing their appreciation" for the mantra (Brett Shults, "On the Buddha's Use of Some Brahmanical Motifs in Pali Texts," Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies. 6: 119).

The mantra is an important part of the rite of passage upanayana ceremony for young males in Hinduism and has long been recited by "twice born" (dvija) males as part of their daily rituals.

Modern Hindu reform movements have spread the practice of this mantra to include women and all castes. Its use is now very widespread (Rinehart, 2004, p. 127; Lipner, 1994, p. 53). More

Bodh Gaya: Seat of Enlightenment (video)

MSN Karthik via Adwhyta, 3/1/17; Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Bodh Gaya: The Seat of Enlightenment: A Documentary Film on Buddhism and Awakening

Adwhyta proudly presents Bodh Gaya: The Seat of Enlightenment, a short documentary film that explores one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in the world. In the Dhammapada, the Buddha says, “All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not harm nor cause another to harm.”

This film revolves around the kind of transformation Buddhism can bring in people’s lives and the role it can play in today’s chaotic world. In the journey through the film, we explore the story of the Buddha, the historical significance of pilgrimage, and personal experiences of Buddhist monastics and lay practitioners.

Filmed, edited, and directed by MSN Karthik. Produced by Adwhyta. Shot on Canon 70D + 18-135 mm. Lens edited on Davinci Resolve 12.5. For film updates on Messenger, click "get started" at m.me/adwhyta. Support on Patreon to help make better films (patreon.com/adwhyta), instagram.com/msnkarthik, for all updates: facebook.com/adwhyta, twitter.com/adwhyta, vimeo.com/adwhyta, youtube...; instagram.com/msnkarthik. Reach out to the filmmaker at msnkarthik.com, medium.com/@msnkarthik, facebook.com/M.S.N.Karthik, twitter.com/MSNKarthik.

Sacred Sanskrit: Gayatri Mantra (video)

Deva Premal via Liana Tuisk (youtube.com); explanation by Wiki; Wisdom Quarterly

Maybe the planet Earth (Bhumi, Gaia, Tierra) is not such a bad place to be after all. Maybe we should even do our best to preserve it, maintain it, give it what it needs to be greener and cleaner, more supportive of life and beauty.

The mantra personified into a goddess (wiki).

(Wiki) The Gāyatrī Mantra is a highly revered mantra from the Vedas, the sacred "Knowledge Books" from the Indus Valley Civilization revered today throughout India.

Like all Vedic mantras, the Gayatri Mantra is considered to be without an author. Like all other Vedic mantras, it is believed instead to have been revealed to a Brahma-rishi (a "seer of Brahma"), in this case Vishvamitra.

It is a verse from a sukta of the Rigveda (Mandala 3.62.10). Gāyatrī is the name of the Vedic meter in which the verse is composed. As the verse can be interpreted to invoke Savitr, it is also called the Sāvitrī mantra. Its recitation is traditionally preceded by oṃ and the formula bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, known as the mahāvyāhṛti "great (mystical) utterance."

 

Be the change you want to see: save the world.

The Gayatri mantra is repeated and cited very widely in Vedic literature and praised in several well known classical Hindu texts such as the Manusmṛti ("There is nothing greater than the Savitri (Gayatri) Mantra," Manu II, 83), the Harivamsa, and the Bhagavad Gita.

The mantra is an important part of the upanayana ceremony for young males in Hinduism and has long been recited by dvija men as part of their daily rituals. Modern Hindu reform movements spread the practice of the mantra to include women and all castes and its use is now very widespread. More plus citations

Winter solstice: Ascetic Rituals (sutra)

Ashley Wells, Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly, "Ascetics Discourse" (Jaṭila Sutta, from the collection of "Inspired Utterances" based on Ven. Thanissaro translation (Udana 1.9)

Himalayas (Raimond Klavins/artmif.lv/artmif/flickr.com)

  

Non-Buddhist ascetics have many rituals

Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One was staying near Gayā at Gayā Head. 

At that time many wandering ascetics -- on the cold winter nights when the Brahmins honor the dearly departed [Note 1] when the snow was falling in Gayā -- jumped into and out of the frigid water [a kind of Vedic "baptism"].

They poured [clean water over themselves] and performed the fire sacrifice ritual [to burn away bad karma with the thought,] "This will result in our purification" [2].

  

Himalayan yogi (jmmnewaov2)

The Blessed One saw these many ascetics -- on the cold winter nights... -- jumping in and out of the frigid water... [with the thought,] "This will result in our purification."

Then realizing the significance, the Blessed One exclaimed: "Not by ritual water is one cleansed, even though many are bathing here. Whoever has gained truth and virtue, that person is cleansed, that person is a (true) Brahmin [3]."

 

(VP) Hayden Panettiere and the Ukrainian Revolution Dec. 6, 2013

 

FOOTNOTES: 1. The interval "Between-the-Eights" refers to India's cold season -- the "Eights" being the waning half-moon days, each falling on the eighth day of the waning cycle. This happens after three of the full moons in the cold season, which are the dates for Brahminical ceremonies to transfer merit to the (grateful) dead. The period between the first and last of these dates, or the "Between-the-Eights" interval, in northern India is regarded as the coldest part of the year. (See AN 3.34).

2. The Buddha taught that "clinging to mere rites and rituals" (silabata paramasa) with the expectation that they themselves could lead one to enlightenment or purification of view or purification of virtue is a wrong view overcome at the first stage of enlightenment, stream entry. If, for example, bathing in holy rivers such as the Ganges resulted in purity, the Buddha explains, all of the beings living there, such as fish and turtles, would be stainless, blameless, and karmically perfect.

3. The latter half of this verse is identical with the latter half of Dhp 393.

Bodhi Tree to be planted in India for 2600th

Janaka Alahapperuma (Onlanka News) translated from "English" by Wisdom Quarterly

Siddhartha culminated six years of rigorous striving by letting go and was thereby able to gain supreme enlightenment when he resolved to simply sit under the Bodhi tree. The straining had prevented him, and slacking off would have ruined him. But in between, the heart/mind was freed. What was his practice? He became tranquil through the jhanas gained through breathing meditation then practiced the Foundations of Mindfulness and Dependent Origination (Wisdom Quarterly).

Honored Tree involved in the Great Enlightenment to be taken to Bodh Gaya, India to mark 2600th anniversary of the Supremely Enlightened Buddha Festival

SRI LANKA - A sapling from the Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura was brought to Temple Trees (the official residence or Sri Lankan "White House"), which is ready to be sent to India as of February 14.

Prime Minister and senior monks with Bodhi tree sapling (Sudath Silva/Onlanka News)

The sapling to be taken to India for planting at Bodh Gaya, where Siddhartha became a supremely enlightened teacher (sam-buddha), will mark the 2600th anniversary celebrating that event: Sambuddha Jayanti (festival).

Bo trees send runners and saplings making them easy to transplant.

The Bodhi or Bo tree (Ficus religiosa) the Buddha sat under to become enlightened is the "world's oldest documented living tree." There are of course much older undocumented trees. It is a kind of fig or pipal tree, whose wonderful but small fruit is only eaten as starvation rations during famine. The original tree in India was intentionally destroyed by Muslim marauders incensed to see a "tree" being "worshipped." Of course, people were honoring the living tree as a way of honoring the Buddha's accomplishment by proxy. Those who destroyed it were apparently not aware that a branch had been taken and planted in Sri Lanka in ancient times, where it has survived, prospered, and grown to enormous size.

The tree sapling was recently taken from the Uda Maluwa at Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi (where the offspring of the original Bodhi tree is kept and honored in Sri Lanka) in a colorful ceremony.

(Sudath Silva/Onlanka News)

This special religious ceremony was attended by the Maha Sangha (Greater Order, comprised of representatives from the various monastic groups or nikayas in Sri Lanka) led by the chief incumbent senior monk (Atamasthana Adhipati), Ven. Pallegama Siriniwasa, and a large number of devotees including North Central Province Governor, Karunaratne Divulgane, Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake, and members of parliament and provincial councilors.

The sapling was placed in a gilded pot by Chief Minister Dissanayake. After a parade in honor of the Bo-sapling, it was taken in a special motorcade to Anuradhapura city then airlifted to Dambakolapatuna on the Jaffna peninsula on the north coast of the island escorted by Dr. Palitha Mahanthegama. Other politicians and officials from the Ministry of Buddhist Affairs as well as Naval personnel were also present. Source

The Buddha turns 2,600 in 2011

2600th Buddha Festival anniversary int'l celebration

(BuddhistDoor.com) The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corp. issued the following news: The 2600th Buddha Jayanthi (festival) anniversary is to be held in grand scale with the support of the international community.

This decision was made by the Sambuddha Jayanthi Operational Committee headed by the Sri Lankan Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne when they met at the PM's office [on June 17, 2010]. The 2600th anniversary falls on the full moon day in May [Vesak Day, May 17, 2011].

At the meeting the Prime Minister said this event will help to create a renaissance in Buddhism and its philosophy throughout the world.

In line with the anniversary, the World Buddhist Congress will be held in Sri Lanka with the participation of representatives from all countries where Buddhism prevails. The community has made several proposals for the revitalization of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, proposals which were handed over to the Prime Minister for necessary measures.

• ANCL makes donation to Sambuddha Jayanthi Mandir
• Sri Lanka's role in the spread of Buddhism in SE Asia
• Reclaim Buddhist Relics, says Sambuddha Jayanthi
• 2011 celebration in Indian capital

The Buddha's 2,600th Birthday?
Wisdom Quarterly (COMMENTARY)
Wisdom Quarterly Calculation Committee with Ven. Karunananda, Ph.D., Abbot, Bodhi Vihara, Long Beach, CA (Bangladeshi-Indian Theravada tradition)
This is the year 2554 BE (Buddhist Era) according to the Buddhist Calendar. The Buddha was "born" at the age of 35 on the day of his great enlightenment (maha bodhi, great because he became a supremely enlightened teaching buddha rather than simply an enlightened individual). Prior to that, he was not yet the Buddha but simply the Shakyan Prince Siddhartha Gautama.

The Buddhist Era in Sri Lanka begins from the full moon day of the great enlightenment. Vesak Day (the full moon day of the Indian month of Vesakha) celebrates not only the great enlightenment but the birth of Siddhartha (and usually in Asia children are born at the age of 1 because those previous nine months in the womb, or ten months according to the lunar calendar, are counted into one's age) and the great final nirvana, at the age of 80.

All three events, according to the Buddha in explicit sutra references, occurred on the full moon day of the same month, at least according to the oldest existing Buddhist school (Theravada). Newer schools of various national traditions often calculate their own dates and celebrate these events separately.

The tradition in Thailand, which is Theravada, begins its Buddhist Era from the year of the final passing (maha-pari-nirvana). And that exact date differs from the older Theravada country Sri Lanka, as well as Burma, although the three agree on most other details.

It is according to Sri Lankan calculations -- as reported by the Buddhist scholar, dean, author, and former Sri Lankan ambassador to the US Ananda Guruge at the Southern California Sangha Council -- that the Buddha (or at least Siddhartha who became the Buddha) is turning 2,600 in 2011.

Why? It is because this is 2554 BE (and will be 2555 BE on Vesak Day in May 2011), plus 80 years (how long Siddhartha lived), minus 35 (Siddhartha's age when he became the Buddha) = 2,600.

EDITORIAL NOTE: Committees should never be allowed to explain anything because they only succeed in obscuring the issue they are tasked with clarifying. But as Wisdom Quarterly often likes to say, "Democracy is the worst form of government... except for all the other ones." This is particularly fitting because of the democractic procedures the Buddha established in the Vinaya (monastic discipline) for the Sangha (monastic Order) to govern itself.

Jade Buddha world tour hits California

The Jade Buddha is currently in the Silicon Valley, San Jose (Supercarrera/Flickr.com)

Jade Buddha Tour
The "Jade Buddha for Universal Peace" is the largest Buddha carved from gemstone quality jade in the world. The Jade Buddha is almost nine feet (2.7 meters) high, weighs about four metric tons (tonne), and has been valued at $5 million. Its size and beauty make it a wonder of the world.

The Buddha inside the Mahabodhi Stupa in Bodh Gaya (India) -- where the Buddha attained enlightenment -- is the model for the Great Jade Buddha. It was chosen because it is universally recognized by all Buddhists. The purpose of exhibiting the Jade Buddha around the world is for everyone, irrespective of religion, to take a moment to reflect on peace:

• peace in the world
• peace in relationships
• peace for families and friends
• peace at work
• peace of mind

It is hoped that such positive inspiration will bring joy and motivation for those able to see the Jade Buddha. The statue is on tour throughout major cities in Asia and Australia before it is set up at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia. (See brochure for details). The newsletter Chorten contains news and insights on the building of The Great Stupa:

• Jade Buddha Brochure
• Newsletter of The Great Stupa: Chorten, No. 29

Vesak celebrated at Bodh Gaya, India

Text by IANS/Hindustan Times (Full moon day May, 2010)

Vesak (what Indians call Buddha Purnima) was recently celebrated at Bodh Gaya, the site of the Buddha's enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, Bihar, India. The final Vesak celebration in Southern California: Sri Lankan temple, Anaheim, June 5-6.

Hundreds of Buddhists from across the world on Thursday (5/27/10) celebrated Buddha Purnima, the day Lord Buddha was born, at Bodh Gaya in Bihar where he attained enlightenment.

The Bodh Gaya temple management committee organized a function to celebrate the 2,554th Buddha Jayanti at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, Buddhism's most sacred shrine. "Special [devotional activities] were organized under the Bodhi tree for world peace," a committee official said.

The celebration began with a procession from the 80-ft tall Buddha statue up to the Bodhi tree behind the temple.

"Hundreds of Buddhists, including members of the International Buddhist Council, took part in the procession," Bhikkhu Priyapal, a monk, told IANS. The temple premises and adjoining locality were bedecked with colorful flags and other decorative items.

Buddha Purnima (Vesak), which falls on a full moon day, is the most sacred day for Buddhists as they make pilgrimage trips to the places associated with the founder of Buddhism. Source

• Washington hails ties with New Delhi
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Buddhist monks end strike for Bodh Gaya

TheHindu.com

Great Enlightenment monument; enormous Japanese seated Buddha in Buddha Gaya (Bodh[i] Gaya), India with temples from every Buddhist tradition in the world.

A group of Buddhist monks on Thursday [1/14/10] ended their hunger strike for control over Bodh Gaya’s 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi temple, meant to mark where the Buddha attained enlightenment.

“We have ended the hunger strike as the district administration forced us, but we will continue to raise the demand for Buddhist control over the Bodh Gaya temple,” one of the monks Bhante Gayanratan said. The monks began their fast on Jan. 1, 2010 near the office of the temple management committee at Bodh Gaya [effectively controlled by Hindus], where the Buddha attained enlightenment 2,550 years ago.

Under the Bodhi tree, the spot where Siddhartha became a buddha

Another monk, Bhante Budh Saran, said they would not sit silent. “We will launch another non-violent protest against injustice to the Buddhists,” he said. He added that even the National Minority Commission was in favor of Buddhist control over the temple but the state government was delaying the matter due to vested interests.

National Commission for Minorities members H.S. Hanspal and Spaljes Angmano, who visited Bodh Gaya, some 110 km from here, early this month, made it clear that it was against the [Indian] constitution to deny Buddhist control over the temple, he added.

The monks have been demanding amendment to the Mahabodhi Temple Management Act, 1949, under which the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BGTMC) has four Buddhist and an equal number of Hindu members for a three-year period, with the Gaya district magistrate as its ex-officio chairman.

"Photograph" of the Buddha?

In Search Of (Part I) Spirit Photography?

There exists a curious image of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. It was reputedly taken or at least discovered in Bodhgaya, India, in 1980. A devotee, it is said, was photographing the site of Shakyamuni's ("Sage of the Shakyas") great enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The image, not seen at the time of photographing, subsequently appeared on the film.

It is an image of a very comely young meditator with a top knot, robe, and almost cosmetic details. The photograph has not been widely circulated. It may inspire the faithful or arouse doubt. One copy hangs at the Bhavana Society, a Theravadan monastery/nunnery in West Virginia, for all to see.

Photos taken in Bodh Gaya showed this image when developed.

How would a recent "photograph" of an ancient figure be possible? Leonard Nimoy offers a fascinating explanation of the phenomenon.

In Search Of (Part II) Deva Hoax in England?

In Search Of (Part III) Man makes photographs with his mind in controlled experiments