mahabodhi temple

The mahabodhi temple is supposed to be built on the spot where guatama achieved enlightenment.  It’s an oblisk ornately fashoned in some kind of cement. .. though at some point it has been restored (last century I think but it is not so important.) . . It is constructed directly next to a bodhi tree that is said to be a cutting from the original.. that too is not important.     (Nice tree the bodhi.. shady. Good on a hot day.)

Entry to the grounds is gratis.. and the precinct is tastefully maintained. Though this is not what people come for.

The thing that attracts people to this, the most important site of veneration for the world's buddhists, is the message of the buddha.  And that is that enlightenment is a reality.   One can achieve enlightenment which is the opposite of delusion…there is an end to suffering.. it is this that the buddha realized under the tree here after so many trials.. .  I have nothing but admiration and the utmost respect for him.

One can actually enter the oblisk into what is the focal point. ( i almost said "holy of holies" but that would be misrepresenting the place... in 'buddhism' (i think it is right to say that) the holy of holies is the heart of a human being.. or whatever is living.....)    It is austere enough.. a room with about 10 square meters or less of bare stone floor space... a large statue of the buddha seated facing out. It is golden.. as for the expression on the face of the buddha well,  you have to come and make up your own mind about that in the brief moment that is permitted for one to glance at it.. if one dares.. .  There is an altar before the statue.. Some simple flowers are on it.. nothing else.. a monk comes and gracefully bows down before it touching his forehead on the stone..  There is an aura of profound veneration in the small space.  Its as genuine and serious as it gets.

I arrived early enough for it not to be so busy and so spent a short time with 4 or 5 monks in silent meditation before the public started to arrive..

  it is one of those places that is life changing… let it be said. It confirms my deepest beliefs or fears about mr. buddha.. that he was indeed the enlightened one.

patna .. bihar.. india.

The trip from patna to bodhgaya is easy.  The train system in India is good.  It is at times delayed.. and the seating maybe not particularly comfortable.. best have a rug or something in your hand luggage to adjust ones posture..   but trains are good.

Lonely planet guidebooks are very influential. one simply doesn’t heave loam without one.. (credit cards are good too.)   the writer of the edition I have (an oldish one I got second hand and cheap) was not impressed with patna and gave it a bad rap.  There are problems in bihar.. but the place is showing signs of improving .. for sure..  there is a socialist government and it is definitely has widespread popular support. ( the figurehead is a notorious persona called laloo or something who has been in trouble with the law on and off..)

 It seems moreover that the two sides of politics are not taking extreme positions.. and one sees partisans of both sides doing things like talking on the train in a cordial enough atmosphere. Progress is happening.  There is definitely an effort being made to move forward. 

On a grimy shopfront on the main block there was a sign in shoking pink and white as I recall.. THE NEW INDIA. It said.. I don’t know what the store had been.. electricl goods or something.. it had moved or gone fut.. it had been there for a few years.. maybe 9 or 10..

But…

 I went shopping in a deparnment store!! It was good value too.. busy and business was brisk.. there was variety and items of fairly good to good quality.  ( I got some sweet lime pickels that are really good!!! In a buy one get one deal..)  I did only see one ‘megamart’ .. and security was heavy.. but .. it is a sign of a new India..  I seems to me that the reason why progress here has been so tardy is largely the business ethics.   Mistrust.. sectarianism.. non-willingness to do business openly.. .. one small kiosk after another all selling the same rubbish.. stale food. Junk food.. rubbish.. no quality anywhere… things are changing.( the security in the department store was there to a degree at least against action from the clique of miserable kiosk wallahs id say )   It might take a few more years for ‘consumerism’ to really take off.. but it is going to happen.. and it will totally and fundamentally change bihar.. amen.. thank Christ. Buddha Krishna and hanuman as well.  Well I suppose its nothing new to anyone from Mumbai .. or such places.. but.. it is happening here right now..  It never entered my imagination that I would one day be standing in support of consumerism.. but there it is.

.   I rememeber some time ago reading somewhere that India would never change.. it was a book by em forester or someone like that..  but whoever it was.. they were mistaken.. India is changing right now. 

miniatures

Minitures

Patna is a busy place.. it doesn’t have a good reputation.  But you have to make your own mind up about theses things. 

I am sitting in the local youth hostel drinking some tea I bought in Nepal from where I came yesterday. The tea is from ilum an area near the more famous Darjeeling.  I mistook the price in the shop and paid more than I intended (4000 nepali rupees a kilo) I did only get 100 grams..  but drinking it, it is the best tea of its kind I have had to date.. it was processed with Chinese technology (as distinct from the Japanese),,  very good tea. 

The honey is another thing that is really good about Nepal.. yum..  I tried a few brands.. all really good.   another thing I liked a lot was the cheese I bought from a shop near the guesthouse I stayed in kathmandu..  I don’t know what milk it was made of.. tasted a bit like semi aged peccorino.. but I am not sure if it was goat or not .. maybe buffalo,.. or maybe yak..   at the hostel someone had nailed a yaks head to the wall.. strange looking creature..  like from a different eon.. like a mammoth.. thats kinda tripped into ours.. by some portal left open by a time lord by mistake or something...

 I didn’t feel like asking the shopkeeper what it was made of..( the cheese i mean)   shopkeepers in Nepal are difficult.  Sorry to say but I find them dishonest.   double standards is the standard.  I think it comes ultimately from an aid mentality.  Not sure.

I made it to the youth hostel after a long journey.. 2 greulling days of very bad roads.. delays.. noise.  .. it is not good to arrive tired in patna.  It is not tourist friendly.  There are no cheap hotels that are accommodating to foreigners.  I was lucky to get to the youth hostel in fact.  Thanks to the guide book actually.. nothing else.  Watch out here!!

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The police are a bit jumpy in Kathmandu.

About a year ago in Sydney I bought a folding umbrella.  It fits nicely into the side pocket of a backpack.. mmm.  When I bought it I remember saying to myself .. I maybe take this one to India with me.. .. well.. strangely I did,  .. I got caught in the rain in Varanasi…

Then one day in Kathmandu I went looking for a liter of milk.. it began to rain as I came away from the shop.. on the corner.. there were two armed police in blue uniforms there minding the traffic.. etc.. I didn’t really pay attention.. I was busy getting the umbrella out of my daypack.. but I did suddenly become aware of them reaching for their guns as I fished around for the umbrella.   They relaxed when I popped it open and went on my way in the rain.

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Crossing the border from Nepal to India at birganj.

The nice man at the hotel where I stayed the night at birganj answered that the rickshaw ride to the border should cost 20 rupees.  Since every rickshaw wallah demanded 100 I decided to walk being totally fed up at being treated like an idiot.  The guidebook said it was 5 kilos.. it was. Though it was a hot day.. and by the time I arrived at Indian immigration over the border the sweat was dripping off me.. I rather wondered if I would look suspicious.. but as it turned out I probably didn’t have to worry that much.  I must have missed the nepali immigration office as I left without a stamp. Right. Ahem.

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In the Spartan Indian immigration office there was an overweight official of about 60 years. He did have a very jovial air and a bright red tilik on his forehead. He wore an assortment of large stones set in various metals on quite strong hands with which he handed me the forms to fill out politely and efficiently. I had the feeling that this man was capable of quite serious responsibility and was happy to do business with him.  I promised myself to recall his welcome next time I became exasperated by the touts  in India.  He checked my details as I noticed a picture of the mahatma gandi on the wall below the corregated asbestos of the roof and beams.  all was reasonably fine.  We namastaed and I left happy to be on my way.

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Rickety old bus from raxaul on the Indian side of the border to patna.. had to replace one tyre on the way.. the tread was giving out.. then 3 hours later the spare blew out.. pop.. hiss clunk clunk clunk.. ..   it was a solid old bus.. very heavy chassis. So it barely lurched. We just slowed down by the side of the bitchuman.  The conductor went off somewhere down the road with the spare tyre that had been removed earlier while others removed one of the double wheels on the back.. I didn’t wait to see how they configured it.. but sat down talking with some locals who were passing by.  There are a lot of friendly people in bihar.. well mannered and self effacing.  Here at least.. we did stop for refreshment a couple of times where the people were not so polite.. but you get that at bus stops.. petty crims.  Troublemakers. Layabouts .touts. 
its the only time ever that i have had to give my passport number for a bus ticket..   its an indication of the nature of transport and tourism in bihar..   people say its not safe to travel by bus in bihar..   i tend to agree but things are improving..  better if one is young and fit and doesnt mind a bit of kung fu practice..  trains .. sorry to say are not a lot better.