Sanghamitta http://canmoretheravadabuddhism.ca/
1 Purpose of a Pilgrimage The purpose of a pilgrimage is to be able to Recollect the Buddha. This is one of the 40 meditation topics suggested by the Buddha. For inspiration, the Buddha said we should visit his birth place, Lumbini, the place of his Awakening, Uruvela (Bodhgaya), the place where he first taught, Isipatana and the place of his complete release from suffering, Kusinara.
2 Table of Contents Purpose of a Pilgrimage... 1 In the Footsteps of the Buddha... 3 Entering Nepal... 4 Lumbini - Birthplace of the Buddha to be... 5 Mayadevi Temple... 6 Puskarni, The Sacred Pool... 7 Asokan Pillar... 8 Lumbini Park... 10 Kapilavatthu... 11 Pragh Bodhi... 13 Sujata... 17 The Neranjera River... 20 Bodhgaya... 21 Sarnath... 31 Rajagaha... 319 Bamboo Grove... 319 Vulture s Peak... 43 Mango Grove... 47 Vesali... 49 Jetavana Grove Monastery... 51 Kusinara... 57 First Council... 60 Nalanda... 62
3 In the Footsteps of the Buddha This is the story of my Pilgrimage (Sanghamitta's) to the above places in January 2014. The Pilgrimage was organized by Phalinee, a member of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. The spiritual leader on the trip was Ajahn Brahmali of Bodhinyana Monastery near Perth, Australia. There were also 2 other monks from Bodhinyana Monastery: Ven. Cunda and Ven. Nito and 4 nuns from Dhammasara Monastery: Ven. Passaddhi, Ven. Canda, Ven. Upekkha and Ven. Acala. We travelled by bus to more than the above places suggested by the Buddha. The place names were confusing at times as they have been changed over time. The following is a list of the places we visited. I have listed them in the order they appeared in the story of the Buddha's life, not the order in which we visited them. Name of the place at the time of the Buddha Second name is either another spelling or the modern name Description Lumbini Lumbini Birthplace of the Buddha to be Kapilavatthu Kapilvastu Where the Buddha grew up Uruvela Bodh Gaya Place of the Buddha's Awakening Isipathana Sarnath Place of the first turning of the wheel of Dhamma (first teaching) Rajagaha Rajgir Place of the Buddha's first Monastery Vesali Vaishali Place of the first ordination of nuns Savatthi Sravasti Location of Jetavana Monastery where the Buddha spent many Rains Kushinara Kushinagar Place of the Buddha's Mahaparinibbhana
4 Entering Nepal
5 Lumbini - Birthplace of the Buddha to be The Buddha's birthplace, Lumbini, is currently in Nepal, about 23 km north of the border with India. At the time of his birth, it was still part of India. Lumbini shares the flat, river plane area of NE India where the Buddha spent his life. Apparently the Himalayan Mountains are visible from Lumbini. But it was misty the 24 hours we were in Nepal so no mountains were spied. The Buddha to be's parents lived in Kapilavatthu. His father was King of the Sakyans. As was the custom of the day, his mother, Mahamaya, was travelling to the home of her parents to give birth to her child. Her parents lived in Devadaha. However, she didn't make it. She began to have labour pains in Lumbini, which was a beautiful park back then just as it is now. The Buddha to be, Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born under two Sal trees in 623 BCE on the full moon in May, now known as Wesak. This date is one of a couple of determinations of the year of the Buddha's birth.
6 Mayadevi Temple The white building is the Mayadevi Temple, named after the Buddha's mother. No photos were allowed inside the Temple. It was built over the remains of an earlier temple which was built to cover a stone placed on the exact spot where the Buddha to be was born. This stone was only rediscovered in 1996! King Asoka placed this marker stone here in 249 BC on top of a pile of bricks, the first marker of the Buddha's birth place. Ahead of the woman with the red jacket you can see one of the famous Asokan pillars.
7 Puskarni, The Sacred Pool This is the pool that Mahamaya bathed in before giving birth.
8 Asokan Pillar King Asoka erected pillars all over his vast kingdom of India, which in his reign covered Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal. Their importance is that they carried inscriptions which confirm the history of the Buddha as given in the Suttas. One half of this pillar has sunk into the marshy ground. The inscriptions on the Asokan pillars are the first record of any Indian scripts. Prior to this, everything was orally transmitted. The script on this pillar says: "Twenty years after his coronation, Beloved of the Gods, King Piyadasi (Asoka) visited this place and worshipped, because here the Buddha, sage of the Sakyans, was born." He had a stone figure and a pillar set up and because the lord was born here, the village of Lumbini was exempted from tax and required to pay only 1/8 of the produce.
9 Asokan pillar - It's capital, a horse before the effects of weathering, fell off. Enlargement of the graffiti found near the top of the Asokan pillar. King Ripumalla of Nepal visited here in 1312. He had inscribed on the pillar: "Om mani padme hum May Sri Ripumalla be victorious" After his visit, Lumbini was lost in the jungle until 1896. The Buddha only gave one discourse at Lumbini: MN 101.
10 Lumbini Park
11 Kapilavatthu Kapilavatthu or Kapilvastu is the capitol of the Sakyans. The future Buddha lived his first 29 years here. The Buddha's relics, i.e. the remaining ash and bone fragments after his cremation, were divided up into 8 parts and given to the 8 clans that lived in the area. These relics were buried in 8 different stupas. King Asoka dug up most of the original stupas and reburied the relics in new stupas. But he didn t find this stupa. The reason was a sad story about the Sakyans. Kapilavatthu...the original town was wiped out by an upset son of King Pasenadi. King Pasenadi, a neighbouring King, was a follower of the Buddha. He requested a bride from a noble Sakyan family as he wanted to be related to the Buddha. The Sakyans felt haughty and didn't want one of their own to marry into a rival kingdom. So they offered a bride, posing as a noblewoman, but really she was the offspring of a nobleman and a slavewoman. She and king Pasenadi had a son. When he was of age, he wished to visit his relatives the Sakyans. He found out, thru his servant of the trickery. In anger he massacred the town. Those who fled and survived set up a new Kapilavatthu a few miles away. This all occurred while the Buddha was still living, but it was near the end of his life. In the new town they built a stupa for the Buddha's relics. The place we visited was the new town...several km from the original. Due to the second town of Kapilavatthu being eventually abandoned, it s location was lost to memory. It was only 120 years ago that the site of the town and the stupa with the relics was found. The relics, several pieces of bone up to loonie size are in the Delhi museum. They are ordinary bones...not crystalized. Apparently the site of the original town of Kapilavatthu has been identified and if you visit, you can see the location of the east gate where the Buddha left his princely life to become a wandering ascetic.
12 Stupa where the Buddha's cremation remains were buried A view of the grounds at Kapilavatthu
13 Pragh Bodhi Pragh (before) Bodhi (awakening) is the name of the hill where the Buddha to be practiced austerities. Here, he finally realized happiness is not attained through suffering. The view from the Buddha to be's cave, looking down the hill Farmland below his cave
14 The hill containing his cave A person emerging from the Buddha to be s cave. The woman on the left is applying gold leaf to the rock. Her attempt to honour the Buddha is, sadly, not in line with the Buddha's teachings. He asked us to honour him by practicing diligently.
15 Buddha rupa inside the cave showing the emaciated Buddha
16 Buddha rupa in the small temple next to the cave
17 Sujata This marker is at Sujata village, named after the young woman who offered food to the Bodhisatta (Buddha to be) which ended his ascetic period. The food was rice gruel. His 5 companions thought he d given up the struggle for enlightenment, partaking in such "rich food". The idea at the time was that happiness would be found through suffering. Ajahn Brahmali laughed about this as most people don t consider rice gruel to be an extravagant food.
18 A stupa was erected over the site of her home Walking path around the stupa We walked on dikes between fields from the stupa marking her home to the place where she offered the rice gruel to the Buddha to be.
19 The Buddha had his monastics sew their robes in the design of these dikes and fields. The door reads: Sujata temple This is the ancient place where Sujata of Village Senani (BAKROUR) had offered milk rice to Siddhartha here Under Banyan Tree
20 The Neranjera River After the meal, the Bodhisatta, which means "one with the intention to enlighten", took the dish and went to the Neranjera river and saying: If I am to succeed in becoming a Buddha today, let this dish go upstream; but if not, let it go downstream, he threw it into the water. There it floated to the middle of the river and raced upstream for eighty cubits (37 m) before it sank in a whirlpool. I was invited by the nuns to visit Sanghamitra Institute which is near Sujata s village and Bodhgaya. It is run by The Jamming Foundation founded by Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo, a Tibetan nun in her 70 s, still working at the San Diego University in Religious studies to help fund the 13 schools for nuns and girls from poor, remote areas of northern India, Bangladesh and Laos. The schools teach school subjects as well as Buddhist Philosophy and meditation. The goal is to create more options for these girls than being married at a young age with no opportunities. $20 a month or $240 a year to support a nun or lay girl. If you'd like to help, please see their website at jamyang.org. The Neranjera River, dry at this time of year.
21 Bodhgaya Uruvela is the old name for Bodhgaya which was near the bank of the Neranjera River. In 588 BC on the full moon day in May, the Buddha to be awakened and became the Buddha. He was 35 years old. King Asoka build the Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya. The next 5 pictures are approaching the temple. Real marigolds are strung for decoration. The Bodhi tree is on the far side of the temple.
22 Entrance to the temple Buddha rupa inside the temple
23 Ajahn Brahmali getting ready to offer a robe, on behalf of a lay couple, for the Buddha rupa Offering the robe
24 Walking along the left side of the Temple
25 Rounding the corner and seeing the Bodhi tree. This is a descendent of the original. It is only 130 years old. All the descendants come from Sri Lanka. Sanghamitta, my namesake, took a sapling from the original Bodhi tree to Sri Lanka. This original sapling is still there, growing and producing saplings that are sent to new monasteries. Meditating in front of the Bodhi tree
26 The red sandstone slab on the east side of Bodhi tree marks where Buddha was sitting when he awoke. King Asoka placed the slab. The other side of the Bodhi tree. I meditated on both sides on a concrete bench running around the outside. Needed a mosquito net.the only place on the trip with mosquitos. It was the most southerly place we visited. We came 3 times to meditate, once before dawn, at 5 am.
27 The right side of the Mahabodhi Temple, the area where the Buddha did walking meditation. He spent several weeks (maybe 7) near the Bodhi tree, after his awakening. As Ajahn Brahmali said, awakening is an experience. So it takes time to figure out how to put that experience into words so you can teach it to others. The sign says that the Buddha spent week 3 after awakening doing walking meditation here. Initially the Buddha thought that he wouldn't be able to teach the path of his experience of awakening to anyone. Then he thought of his former teachers, but they had died. Then he thought of his 5 ascetic companions. With the divine eye, he saw they were at Isipatana (Sarnath), so set out to find them and guide them with teachings to the experience of Awakening (Enlightenment).
28 Coming around to the front of the Temple
29 Bodhgaya at 5am
30 Another Temple at Bodhgaya, during the day. Tibetan monks. Huge numbers doing a Peace Prayer over many days with microphones, drums and bells. With other groups simultaneously chanting in their own languages, it was total cacophony. But easy to put in the back of your mind as it was continuous.
31 Sarnath Deer Park, Isipatana, is the old name of Sarnath where the Buddha taught his first sermon. (He'd actually given a teaching to someone he met on the road to Sarnath, but that person was not able to recognize the value of the teaching and dismissed it). Sarnath is about 250 km from Bodhgaya, a month s walk. Sarnath is the site of the founding of the sangha. This stupa is located outside of Deer Park. It was constructed in 1588 AD on the site believed to be where the Buddha stopped to let the Five Ascetics see him and welcome him as he entered the Deer Park. When they saw the Buddha coming, they decided they were going to ignore him, believing he had given up the struggle for enlightenment. But when the Buddha approached he was so radiant that they received him.
32 King Asoka built the Dhammarajika stupa to mark where Buddha gave his first turning of the wheel of Dhamma. One of the ascetics, Kondanno became a stream enterer after this talk. King Asoka put some of the Buddha's ashes in this stupa. These were part of the relics that King Asoka had removed from 7 of the original 8 stupas. Later, the stupa was enlarged considerably. It was the size of the Dhamek stupa. However, King Jagat Singh of Vaishali in 1794 used the Dhammarajika stupa for building material. Thus it's current small size. As he was dismantling the stupa, he found the Buddha s ashes and threw them in the Ganges River.
33 This monolithic railing was originally placed around the top of the Dhammariajika stupa. Ven. Passaddhi, (calmness, tranquility) in front of the large Dhamek stupa, built to mark the spot of the Buddha s second teaching at Deer Park which resulted in all 5 ascetics fully awakening. The Dhammarajika Stupa (partly behind a tree) was built up, after the time of King Asoka to be the same size as this stupa. Ven. Nito
34 Dhamek Stupa with a close up of the marble facing on the bricks. The monastics on our pilgrimage, left to right: Ajahn Brahmali, Ven. Cunda, Ven. Upekkha, Ven. Passaddhi, Ven. Acala, Ven. Canda (Ven. Nito is missing)
35 Mulagandha Kuti is the remnant of a temple built over the spot where the Buddha used to sit in meditation in Deer Park. Deer Park was not a monastery of the Buddha. It was a park for the use of all kinds of wandering ascetics of the day. The Buddha spent his first rains retreat at Deer Park. These are the broken remnants of King Asoka's pillar he had built in the Deer Park. It marks the site where the Buddha sent 60 arahants out in all directions to teach the Dhamma. The pillar had a lion capital which is in the museum in Varanasi. The lion capital is the National Emblem or crest of the government of India.
36 A replica of the Lion capital at a nearby Temple. The Dhammacakka wheel on the top of the lion pillar is on India's national flag. 4 animals surround the pillar: An elephant is what Buddha's mother dreamed of entering her womb when conceiving the Buddha so it represents his conception. The bull is Buddhas birth sign
37 The horse represents his renunciation, as he left the palace on a horse The lion represents his 1st sermon. The 4 lions represent the Buddha's roar (teaching) in the 4 directions.
38 Giant Buddha rupa at a Temple in Sarnath.
39 Rajagaha Rajagaha was a fortified town, surrounded by mountains with a wall built on top of the mountains. This made it an ideal location for the capital city of the Magadhans. Only a low remnant of the wall remains. Bamboo Grove King Bimbisara of the Magadhans was a disciple of the Buddha. He became a sotapanna, stream enterer. He gifted the Bamboo Grove, Veluvana, to the Buddha. Thus it became the Buddha's first monastery. The monks wouldn't live in the monastery. They would live in kutis on the mountain and come to the monastery to recite the Patimokka, rules of discipline and other group activities. Devadatta, a relative of the Buddha and a monk wanted to be the leader of the Buddha's disciples. Lacking morals, he made several attempts on the Buddha's life in Rajagaha: sent archers but they were converted, rolled a boulder down the mountain and wounded the Buddha's foot (healed by Jivaka) and intoxicated an elephant and let him loose on a street where the Buddha was on alms round (the Buddha calmed the elephant with metta).
40 The pond is believed to be the site of the Karanda tank mentioned in Buddhist texts as the Karanda kanivapa where the Buddha used to take baths. Bamboo
41 King Bimbisara King Bimbisara's son, wishing to be king in place of his father, jailed and killed him, at the instigation of Devadatta. Ven. Acula (Unshakeable), Ven. Canda and Ven. Upekkha (Equanimity - her birth name), posing with two others are standing in the cell thought to be King Bimbisara's.
42 A view from the back of the cell.pretty tiny. Vulture s Peak (Gijjhakuta Hill) as seen from Bimbisara's jail - views were misty most of the time in January.
43 Vulture s Peak Vulture s Peak (Gijjhakuta), in the hills above the Bamboo Monastery, is where the Buddha spent his time when not at the monastery. At the summit is a huge granite rock formation resembling a vulture with folded wings. Due to the mist, this wasn't visible. Below the area of the Buddha's kuti are caves used by the Buddha, Ananda, Sariputta and Moggallana. We hiked up in the dark (I was carried up in a litter, having sprained my ankle the day before) and meditated outside the area of the Buddha s kuti till dawn. It was a powerful meditation, sitting right where the Buddha sat doing his meditations.
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45 A stone structure was built to mark the site of the Buddha s kuti which was about 1/2 way up Vultures Peak. My trip down in the litter. Litter bearers were available for anyone who didn't want to do the hike. The distance and elevation gain would be similar to Canmore's hike to Grassi Lakes.
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47 Jivaka s Mango Grove Jivaka was found by a Prince in a dust heap who raised him as a son. Jivaka trained as a doctor in Taxila, Pakistan, which had a very famous university. He walked 2,000 km to get there! He was a very skillful physician. He did the first recorded successful brain surgery. He was the doctor to the sangha and the king. Sick people were becoming monks in order to get treatment by Jivaka, so the Buddha made a rule against sick people ordaining.
48 Jivaka donated the Mango grove to the Buddha. It was the Buddha's second monastery. Mango tree
49 Vesali (Kolhua) Vesali (Vaishali) was a great city at the time of the Buddha. It was the capital of the Licchavis or Vajjis. There was a confederacy of 8 clans in this NE area of India, the Licchavis being one of the largest. The Buddha's clan, the Sakyans, were part of this Confederacy. It was the first republic in the world modelled on the Aparihaniya Dhamma or the seven conditions leading to welfare, taught by the Buddha. (Found in the DN in the Mahaparinibbhana Sutta). The Buddha spent his last rains plus one other rains at Vesali. It was at Vesali, 3 months before he turned 80, that the Buddha renounced his will to live. Asoka built a stupa here and erected one of his pillars, with a lion capitol.
50 Vesali is no longer a town. Archeological digs confirm what is said in the suttas. Many religious traditions started in this area. The Upanishads were written here. The monastery in Vesali was called the Peaked roof monastery. It's exact location is unknown. Amapali (ama means mango and pali means guardian) a rich coutesan, gave the Buddha a Mango Grove in the area. She became a disciple later in life when she saw her beauty failing. There is a Theragati story by her. She became an arahant. The first ordination of Bhikkunis occurred near Vesali. This included the Buddha s step-mother who was also his aunt, Maha Pajapati Gotami. Ven. Canda and Ven. Acala posed for me to represent the first ordination of nuns. Approaching the stupa
51 The stupa The Licchavis built a mud stupa at Vesali to hold their share of the Buddha's relics. Asoka opened this stupa but he didn t take all the ashes.only 9/10ths. The remaining ashes were recently discovered in 1958 and are now in the museum at Patna...not visible...you just see the closed container they are in. The small amount of cremation remains found corroborates the story of Asoka leaving only 1/10th behind (given that the Licchavis' only started with their 1/8th share of the Buddha's remains). Savati and Jetavana Grove Monastery Anathapindika, a merchant who was a devout follower of the Buddha, lived in Savati (Isipatana, Srvasti) He donated Jetagrove to the Buddha where the Buddha spent most of his Rains Retreats. King Jeta owned the grove initially. He sold it to Anathapindika if he could cover the grove in gold coins. He did so. The Buddha spent 24/45 rains retreats here, most of them consecutively. There is a Bodhi tree at Jetavana grove, brought and planted here by Anathapindika. It was planted so people would have something to worship when Buddha was not in residence. I don t think this is a good verb to use. When Ven. Ananda reported the matter to the Buddha, the latter replied that there were three types of objects of veneration, namely: his corporeal relics deposited in a stupa after his Parinibbana, an object used by the Buddha such as his alms-bowl, etc., and a visible symbol such as a Dhammacakka wheel. The Bodhi tree fell into the second category. I think a verb more consistent with the Buddha s teachings would be to use these objects to remind one of the Buddha and his accomplishment and thus to be inspired in one s own practice.
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53 Jetavana Grove Monastery
54, Site of two of the Buddha's kutis at Jetavana
55 Savati was one of the major towns in the time of the Buddha. The town is just a short distance from Jetavana Grove. King Passenadi of the Kosala area lived in Savati. SN has a sutta where Buddha tells Passenadi how to diet. So the Buddha addressed quite mundane issues occasionally.
56 Ven. Upekkha is rolling her robe beside the stupa of Angulimala, the protector of pregnant women. Anathapindika's burial stupa is in Savati. I didn t get a picture of it. He was also known as Sudatta.
57 This hill is actually the remains of a stupa built where the Buddha was meditating and disappeared to the Tavatimsa heavenly realm for a Rains retreat, to teach his mother. Since she died one week after his birth, he was not able to teach her Dhamma while alive on earth. Kusinara (Kushinagar) Buddha achieved mahaparinibbhana (ultimate release from suffering upon the death of the physical body) in 543 BC on the full moon day in May. His last words were: I declare this to you: It is the nature of all conditioned things to perish. Accomplish all your duties with mindfulness. These photos are of the outside and inside of a Temple at the site of his Mahaparinibbana.
58 Parinibbhana Buddha rupas represent 3 stages of dying: a. Resting propped up on his arm. b. Arm at his side but still with one foot on top of the other. c. Feet have slipped apart, no strength to hold them together. This Buddha rupa is of the second type.
59 Stupa built on the site of his cremation, a short ways from his Parinibbana site. After cremation, his relics were divided into 8 equal portions and given to the 8 clans.
60 First Council The first council occurred 3 months after Buddha's death. It was not a council at all but rather a communal gathering. Arahants walked 500 miles to Rajagaha 3 months after the Buddha's parinibbhana. They needed to meet in a place big enough to house all of them and supply them with alms food. The meeting was called because a junior monk was overheard saying, "Yay, the Buddha is dead. We don't have to follow all those difficult rules anymore". Mahakasapa realized they needed to meet to confirm the rules. At the gathering, Ananda recited the suttas and Upali, the former barber of the Buddha, recited the vinaya as he was the vinaya expert. 500 arahants were to have met in the cave, (Sattapanni cave), but 500 was a term meaning "a lot". Today it's a very small cave. However much erosion has occurred in the last 2,500 years, so it would have been bigger.
61 Hike up to the cave The cave
62 Our group outside the cave 100 years after the Buddha's parinibbhana, some monks were not practicing in accordance with the vinaya so a second council was called at Vesali to reinforce the vinaya. 700 arahants attended. A 3rd council shortly after marked the beginning of the different sects of Buddhism. Nalanda About 1/2 hour from Rajgir is Nalanda, the site of a very famous and huge Buddhist University that could house thousands of monks. It stared in the 5th Century AD. The Chinese monk who walked the silk road, studied here. He returned to China and translated the Pali Canon from Sanskrit to Chinese. The Buddha said one of the conditions needed for his teachings to continue in the world was for the existence of forest monasteries. Therefore, having monks be at Nalanda was the beginning of the end of Buddhism in India. The monks had left the scattered forest monasteries and were concentrated in this one place. Then the Muslim invasion at the end of the 12th century AD, ended Buddhism. Since the monks were all congregated in one spot, and in some nice buildings that the Muslim s wanted for their own use, it was easy to slaughter them. Buddhism was in oblivion for the next 6 centuries in India. However it continued to flourish in Sri Lanka and Burma and other Theravadin countries. Sariputta was born and died at a small village near Nalanda.
63 Photos of the Buddhist university at Nalanda
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66 New Delhi Museum Here we saw bone fragments of the Buddha found in the family's stupa in Kapilavatthu. It was very emotional. Felt you could reach out and touch the Buddha. Seeing his bones really brought the fact of his existence into sharp focus.