Bodh Gaya

20 July 2010 - Bodh Gaya
Following in the footsteps of Buddha.
He taught that he was just a man. A man who spent many years working on himself.

Here I am walking in not only the footsteps of the Buddha from 2500 years ago, but literally in the footsteps of the people [our fellow Man] who just now or in the past walked in front of me. Leaving our shoes at the entrance, our footsteps are interacting.

Mahabodhi Temple

Mahabodhi Temple is a spectacular sight to see as it rises towards the sky. Although it is ornately carved stone that stands to protect the Bodhi Tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, it does not seem cold and hard, like stone. Looking at it from a distance, I could see beautiful green birds flying around and roosting on it, like seeing birds in a tree. Looking up from the entrance my view is lifted toward the cloudy, blue sky, like looking up through the branches of a tree. Walking around its base, I see the carved reliefs, but more than that my eye is attracted to the people walking, meditating, talking, smiling. Like staring at the trunk of a tree, your eye is attracted to the ants moving up the bark or the chattering squirrels circling the trunk.

Going inside the temple, I see the Golden Buddha. He is touching the earth. I find myself, not. My mind is groping around for “what I should be seeing” or “what I should be experiencing” or “doing the right thing by not talking” or “trying to figure out how to shut the sound off on my camera!” Deepak helps me out by telling me to sit and meditate with the two other monks in the room. I sit on the concrete floor and close my eyes, centering within myself.

Outside again, a young girl touches the stone footprints of the Buddha. She is a very beautiful girl with a loving family. They are thrilled that I am taking her picture. They tell her to pray to the Buddha and she folds her hands, not unlike other children from other religions.

Moving on, we pass by Asoka's Pillar. The head of a family is trying to toss a coin on top of the pillar. As the coin bounces off and falls to the ground small girls and boys try to catch the coin to give to their father to try again. We move on through an entryway to Mucalinda Lake where the Buddha meditated and was protected from a storm by the snake king. The lake is surrounded by prayer flags and grains of rice are on the ground near the viewing fence. A small boy looks at an enlightened one.

looking on the enlightened one

We leave the lake and walk towards the main temple butter lamps house. A man is filling small metal lamps with butter. In the next building the lamps are burning brightly. Passing by some trees the fragrance grabs my senses. There is a wonderful floral scent from all of the lush greenery. A group of barefooted people cross our path and then we leave.

butter lamps