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Heide and Mark Adventuring until the money runs out.... |
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Another Type of Enlightenment Bodhgaya, India From the sacred Hindu city of Varanasi, we traveled east to the Buddhist pilgrimage town of Bodhgaya. India is truly a smorgasbord of different religions and beliefs. While traveling, we've met Jains, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and even a Zoro Astrian or two. (Mark swears that Zoro Astrians are sword wielding Alpine Europeans, but I know better. Zoro Astrianism is actually a religion founded in Persia many centuries ago that stresses the battle of good and evil with good always prevailing. Interestingly in order to prevent the pollution of Earth after death, they are left out to be eaten by vultures rather than any other form of disposal.) The religious diversity is just another way that the variety of India continues to inspire us! In addition, although the vast majority of Indians are Hindu (generally speaking) there is tolerance for different beliefs. It's something most cultures find difficult, but people here seem to take these types of differences in stride.
It's only a short train journey (and an uneventful journey at that, we may add!!) from Varanasi to Bodhgaya, but by taking that journey we were transported out of the Hindu heartland into Buddhist territory. Bodhgaya is a particularly important Buddhist pilgrimage spot because it's was here that Buddha gained enlightenment while meditating under a very large tree. Not surprisingly, Mark also sought enlightenment but sadly is just as silly as he was before we arrived.
A beautiful Buddhist temple has been constructed on the grounds. It's a peaceful place to wander, reflect and meditate. It's also an amazing place to people watch. Buddhists from all over the world come here and perform various rituals that made no sense to us, but were no doubt key to their pilgrimage. The main temple is surrounded by numerous smaller temples each erected by a country. Not surprisingly, the Thai temple was reminiscent of the Wats we visited while in Thailand.
But just to prove that India is a country of various religions... just outside the main walls of the temple, a major Hindu celebration was happening to honor the Sun God. Of course that also meant more fireworks! From here, we'll briefly stop in the town of Patna before catching an overnight train to Darjeeling and the Himalayan mountains. Next Entry: November 20, 2004 Previous Entry: November 14, 2004 This Page was last update: Saturday, November 27, 2004 at 7:02:31 AM This site is using the Adult Contemporary (purple) theme.
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