Chapter 8- Shravasti & Bodhgaya: Holy Pilgrimage
The caravan of taxis arrived at the monastery at six AM. The group of pilgrims was packed and ready to go. They divided into groups of five or six and packed into the large white cabs with two rows of seating. The Rinpoches travelled in the front car which had AC with Loretta and Ben, the main sponsor of the sangha, and a cousin of the Lamas, Kunchok Samten, who had travelled from Nepal for the pilgrimage. Ben had recently joined the group in Sarnath after an international business meeting in Beijing. The group was happy to have him making the pilgrimage; Ben was a great storyteller, had a great sense of humor and hearty laughter. In the second cab was a group of senior monks, which included Tsering, and a young Tibetan family who had recently escaped from Tibet to live in India. Cousins to the Khenpos, Kalzang and Nyima carried their baby Pema with them on the journey. In the third and final cab were Jennifer, Kate and the two Tibetans, Thubten and Kunga, and Thubten’s cousin Sherab. Sherab worked at the Central Institute in Sarnath and was helping his uncle, Pema Gyatso, complete his lifelong work on a Tibetan dictionary. Indian-born like Thubten, Sherab also had a strong western education and spoke English. He was not as confident as his cousin Thubten and often relied on his cousin to do most of the talking. The drive to Shravasti would take most of the day so the Americans and Tibetans in this last taxi were able to share lots of conversation and stories, getting to know each other better. They all got along very well, enjoying the light hearted mood and freedom that accompanies a good road trip holiday.
The caravan made a stop at a road side restaurant for lunch. They ate a delicious meal of samosas, roti and daal. Jennifer asked Loretta where she might find a toilet and Loretta simply pointed to the corn field across the road asking, “You did bring some handy wipes, I hope?” Luckily she had, Loretta did a great job at prepping the American girls before they left the States about the realities of travel in the developing world, specifically the lack of plumbing and other modern facilities that westerners tend to take for granted
Just as Jennifer came back out of the corn field, the taxis were pulling back onto the paved road. Luckily her friends had asked the third and final driver to wait for her. They quickly caught up with the other taxis and continued the drive through the Indian countryside until they reached the very small village of Shravasti. They stopped in front of the only guesthouse run by the Mahabodhi Society and found their rooms. Another group of pilgrims from Thailand were sharing the guesthouse. The new arrivals from Sarnath regrouped fifteen minutes later and walked to the holy grounds of Shravasti where ruins of temples and monasteries mark where the Buddha and his followers stayed in retreat during the monsoon season. The Khenpos led the monks and students around the Jetavan Grove, giving historical explanation and telling anecdotes. They then sat on the walls of one of the main ruins and prayed to the Buddha.
The following night would be a Full Moon and was a particularly auspicious day for prayer and accumulation of merit. The Lamas planned to hold a ceremony in which one thousand candles would be lit with the rising moon around the ruin walls of the main temple in the Jetavan Grove. During the day Jennifer joined the Rinpoches on a trip to the small but busy village market where the older Khenpo brother was shopping for cloth for new robes for the monks. Having lived in India for over twenty years in his youth before immigrating to American, the Lama was an expert at the art of bartering as is the custom in the developing world. Jennifer enjoyed watching her Lama interact in this way, speaking Hindi and driving a hard bargain. Tibetans are known for their strong sense of business and Jennifer was surprised to see this characteristic so heartily displayed by the Khenpo. Rinpoche encouraged Jennifer to purchase some cloth herself and helped her to get the lowest price for it. She chose a sweet floral print that she would later sew into a sadhana cover, a wrap for her prayer books.
Jennifer and Kate co-sponsored the purchase of the candles and at sunset the pilgrims walked together from the guesthouse to the Grove to set and light the candles while chanting the mantra of Buddha Shakymuni. It was a beautiful sight to behold when all one thousand candles were lit and the large moon rose above the horizon. Some of the Tibetans arranged the candles in the formation of sacred syllables like “Om” and “Ah” and “Hung.” Groups of pilgrims from all over the world were conducting similar ceremonies in their own traditions. The Grove was lit by the soft yellow light of candles and the milky white glow of the moon as the sounds of chanting in various languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Japanese, Burmese, Thai, and Tibetan were carried on the wind. The constant chanting sounded like the buzz of a bee hive. Under the guidance of the Khenpos the group dedicated their prayers to the well-being, happiness and swift enlightenment of all beings. When the ceremony had concluded Loretta appeared with a birthday cake lit with fifty candles for their good friend Ben. The Americans all sang “Happy Birthday” to him as the Tibetans and other Asian pilgrims looked on curiously.
The next day the pilgrims took a tour of the rest of Shravasti, visiting a hill that marked the spot where the Buddha had performed miracles and other historical ruins. In the afternoon they visited a piece of land that the Rinpoches had bought for the future construction of a large stupa dedicated to world peace. They led a consecration ceremony to bless the land. The property was surrounded by farms and one of the nearby crops was sugar cane. Jennifer noticed that Tsering had cut one of the canes and was sucking the sweet juice. Never having seen sugar cane before, she was curious and joined him to find out what he was doing.
“Ngarmo,” he said, handing her the other half of the cane to taste. She sucked it, tasting the raw sweetness of the juice and understood it to be sugar cane.
“Sweet,” she replied.
They would be leaving early the next day to return back to Sarnath so the group made their last visits to the Jetavan Grove individually to make final offerings of prayer, meditation or prostration according to their inspiration. Jennifer and Kate chose a quiet spot to meditate and practice the Shakyamuni sadhana, soaking in the soft and peaceful energy of the sacred grounds one more time before their departure.
The next morning Jennifer woke up feeling ill. Kate told her the rest of their party was eating breakfast and that she should get up and join them. Jennifer tried standing but felt an instant wave of nausea and immediately fell back into her bed. She told Kate to go ahead without her; she needed to rest a bit more. Kate returned shortly and said it was time to pack up and leave. Jennifer tried to start packing her bag but the nausea came on very strong and she had to rush to the bathroom to vomit. She wondered if she had food poisoning and feared that she may have contracted some kind of digestive bacterial infection. She was running a high fever. Kate was worried for her and said she was going to find Loretta. Although her nausea had been relieved for the time being, Jennifer’s fever was taking quite a toll on her. She couldn’t imagine how she was going to get out of bed and make the trip back to Sarnath. Loretta entered.
“Up and out! I know you’re not feeling well, but the group is all packed up and the taxis are ready to leave. We can’t wait on you. You’re an actress, right? Well, the show must go on!” she stated quite matter of factly, motivating Jennifer to get going. It was an unfortunate ending to an otherwise beautiful pilgrimage. Kate and Loretta helped her gather her things and bring them to the taxi.
“I’ll tell the Rinpoches you’re not feeling well.” Loretta said. She returned with some medicine. “Here, take this. Rinpoches said it should help you during the journey back to Sarnath. Once we get there we’ll take you to the clinic.” Jennifer took the pills and within a couple of hours was feeling much better. She slept most of the way back, occasionally woken by the loud laughter of the friends in the cab and a pit-stop halfway for food and drink.
The month-long visit was nearing its end. The Khenpos and Loretta would be leaving in a few days to return back to their teaching schedule in America. Their father was sick and they needed to be with him. The Rinpoches encouraged Jennifer and Kate to stay a couple more weeks to make further pilgrimage before returning home. They arranged for them to visit Bodhgaya, the sacred sight were the Buddha reached enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, with Pema Gyatso who worked as the Abbot of the monastery in the Khenpos’ absence.
It is said that travel to India changes peoples’ lives. This experience held true for Jennifer. During a final walk together in Deer Park with Loretta, Jennifer shared with her mentor a question she had been privately considering for over a year and that had grown intensely during her time in India.
“Loretta, I want to ask your advice about something important. My practice has really deepened this past year since I’ve been travelling with the Rinpoches and I think that I want to become a nun. I want to tell them before they leave and receive their blessings. What do you think?” she asked.
“Wow. This is all quite sudden. Yes, it’s true you are experiencing so many new things here in India and it is quite natural for you to want to become a nun. But what if you meet a young man and fall in love and want to start a family?” Loretta asked.
“I have been in love before and thought he was the one. It did not end up that way and I am no longer looking for that kind of relationship. I don’t feel the need to be in love anymore. I am happier on my own. I am so content walking the path of the Dharma and feel fulfilled like never before. I want to show my commitment to the Dharma by taking nun’s vows,” Jennifer answered.
“You can still walk the path in a committed way without taking nun’s vows,” Loretta explained.
“I know,” said Jennifer, “But during my time here spent with the monks, I have seen how pure the practice can be when the concerns of lay life are renounced.”
“Well, it sounds like you have given this much thought. I remember the first time I asked the Rinpoches the same question. They said no to me, that I needed my long hair!” Loretta laughed. “Finally after the third or fourth try, years later, they accepted and gave me vows. You are of course free to ask them if you like, but they will probably not say yes. I just want to prepare you for that so you are not too disappointed,” she said lovingly. The two walked back to the monastery chatting about the precious time shared together the past month.
In a final meal shared with the Lamas in their apartment, Jennifer surprised everyone in the room when she said, “Rinpoches, I want to become a nun. I’ve given it much thought and my visit here in India has affirmed this wish. I want to receive your blessings before you leave,” she paused to see their reaction.
“That is a beautiful aspiration, Jennifer. Thank you for your request. We all have noticed that your devotion to the Dharma has grown deeper. But you are young and have so much to look forward to,” the younger Khenpo brother translated for his older brother.
The older Khenpo then laughed and said in English, “You need your long hair!” Jennifer laughed, too, because this is exactly what he had told Loretta. She also remembered that she was waiting for a job back in New York City in a show that required her to grow her hair long. Although she was deeply disappointed, she knew that what her Teachers said was true. It was not her karma at this time.
Tsering had a disappointment of his own at this time as well. Jennifer had seen him talking privately with the older Khenpo brother on the top of the monastery roof above their private apartment. Tsering told the Khenpo that he wanted to take his full ordination vows. He was currently holding the getsul vows and had yet to be ordained as a gelong. Khenpo explained to Tsering that it was not time for him to take his gelong vows and that he should wait. Tsering had not expected this answer but trusted the Khenpo’s advice. His karma was to lead him in a different direction.
The day came for the Rinpoches to leave and the entire monastery offered white katags to the Lamas to receive blessing. The monks would not see the Khenpos again for at least another year. Kate and Jennifer were tearful as they said their goodbyes to the Lamas. Their friends Thubten and Kunga told them there was room in the second taxi if they wanted to follow the Rinpoches to the airport. The women were able to say one last goodbye to their teachers in the airport lobby. Thubten sent the taxis away and told Jennifer that she could ride on the back of his motorcycle back to Sarnath. The older Khenpo brother overheard their plan and, concerned for Jennifer’s safety, made sure that she would have a helmet to wear and that Thubten promise not to go too fast. This final act of concern and protection made the parting with her Guru a little easier.
“Will you be staying in Florida with your father?” Jennifer asked the older Khenpo brother as she said goodbye.
“Yes, Father is not feeling well. We must stay with him. Are you coming?” he asked her.
“Yes, after a couple more weeks here in India I will come back to America,” she replied.
“Really?” he asked, as though he had a premonition of other things to come.
“Really,” she answered, wondering why this was even a question in her Lama’s mind. But now that the question had been asked, she started to doubt her own plans. The Lamas’ plane was boarding and everyone said their final goodbyes. Jennifer went outside with Thubten and he gave her the extra helmet that hung on his bike. She took her first motorcycle ride in India, thinking all the way about what the future had in store for her.
For the next few days back in Sarnath Jennifer continued to enjoy the painting projects and Tibetan lessons with her teacher Tsering. Kate made plans to travel to Nepal with Mitchell and Ben. They invited Jennifer to travel with them but she declined, explaining that she preferred to stay in Sarnath at the monastery– she did not want to give up the simplicity of the monastic routine for busy touring in the large and crowded city of Kathmandu. The two women took one last trip together to Bodhgaya as the Khenpos had planned for them. Pema Gyatso had agreed to be their guide– having made over twenty trips to Bodhgaya previously, he was well qualified. Because Pema Gyatso was a monk, he asked Kunga to accompany him and the young women. He did not want to arouse suspicion in the minds of others about the purity of his vows. Pema Gyatso had asked his nephews, Thubten and Sherab to join as well but they were busy finishing the end of the semester at the Institute.
The four took the train from Sarnath to Bodhgaya which was located in the Indian state of Bihar, the poorest state in the entire country. Kate and Jennifer found seats next to each other while Pema Gyatso and Kunga found seats nearby. Pema Gyatso told the women to hold onto their valuables closely. The women chatted during the three hour ride while the Abbot and the young Tibetan doctor nodded off to sleep. Jennifer noticed that most of the passengers had chained their luggage to their seats while they slept. The train reached their stop and the Tibetans woke suddenly. Pema Gyatso looked down to realize that his sandals were missing. Kunga helped look around for them quickly but they were no where to be found. They needed to get off the train before it continued on with its schedule. The four stood on the platform in disbelief as the train pulled away from the station. “Had someone actually stooped so low as to steal the sandals off the feet of a monk while he was asleep?” thought Jennifer.
“Welcome to Bihar,” said Pema Gyatso cheerfully. “Someone needed them more than I did.”
“Let’s find a taxi and stop at the nearest shoe store to replace them for you,” said Kunga. “In the meantime, use my sandals, please.” Pema Gyatso declined and said,
“I am the monk. I am used to hardship. Please keep your sandals on your feet. I will survive,” he said in good humor.
The group left the station and entered a busy parking lot that was full of taxis and rickshaws. Kunga told the American women to stay put with Pema Gyatso while he looked for a taxi alone. He explained that he did not want the driver taking advantage of the fact that Americans were in their party and overcharging. It took awhile to find one that agreed to a fair price and when the driver saw two Americans climb into the cab he argued with Kunga about the previously agreed to fare. Kunga told everyone to get out of the cab to find another taxi whose driver would keep a deal. Most of the drivers in the lot had overheard the argument and decided to not service their party in protest. Finally, after all the other passengers had found their hires, the Tibetans and Americans found an honest ride. This was a valuable lesson for Kate and Jennifer about travel in Asia. When possible, always have a local on hand to get the fair price; never let them know that a westerner is in the mix.
They reached the pilgrimage center near the main temple and found the mahabodhi guest house. All the rooms were booked so they were recommended to another guesthouse nearby. They checked in and then ate a light meal at one of Pema Gyatso’s favorite restaurants. It was then time to see the main attraction for Buddhists in all of India– the holy sight where the Buddha reached enlightenment. A bodhi tree still grew over the same spot where the Buddha had sat in that sacred moment and next to it a huge towering temple had been built in honor of his achievement. Inside the temple was a shrine that housed a beautiful golden Buddha statue. Around the temple were hundreds of stupas in all shapes and sizes and around this stupa garden was a circumambulation path made of marble. Around this central temple, Buddhist centers from all over the world had since built monasteries and temples to represent their lineage. “It’s like the Buddhist form of Disney World,” Jennifer thought to herself. “A huge international tourist attraction dedicated to the spiritual quest of enlightenment rather than consumerism and entertainment.”
For the next few days Pema Gyatso would take them on a tour of these temples and the other sacred sights that related to the life story of the Buddha. Jennifer noticed that many Tibetans, both lay and ordained, as well as several westerners, were prostrating themselves towards the main temple on wooden boards in the stupa garden. She had started to accumulate prostrations as part of the preliminary practices of the Ngondro in her lineage. She was inspired by the devotees here and the strong vibration of enlightenment at this sacred place to offer as many prostrations as time allowed during her visit. She committed to making 3,000 prostrations, or 1,000 a day. She walked up to one of the empty boards and noticed that it was smooth and well worn by all of the previous usage. She put on the kneepads and mitts that were left on the sides of the board and, placing her hands above her head in the lotus mudra, she started to recite the refuge prayer. She brought her folded hands to her throat and then to her heart and then slowly rolled her spine downwards towards the board. When her hands touched the board she slid them forwards and let the weight of her body fall down parallel to the ground. When her body lay prostrate to the ground she lifted her hands into the lotus mudra one again above her head. She then put her mitted hands back onto the board and drew her elbows to her body, sliding the mitts along the board and then pushing her weight back up on her arms. She then rolled her spine back up to standing position. She continued to recite the refuge prayer with each repetition of the prostration, her physical movements growing smoother and faster with each one. She counted each prostration silently in her head until she reached one hundred. At that point she took off a mitt and slid an abacus-like metal counter on her mala, or prayer beads, as a marker. She found the strong pull to continue irresistible. This form of spiritual practice was enlivening to her. She sensed that something greater than herself was channeling through her body and spirit. She was not alone in generating the energy to perform these prostrations. It took her about three hours to complete the 1,000 prostrations she had committed to. She was thirsty, but far from exhausted. She felt blissful.
While Jennifer prostrated the others circumambulated, meditated or relaxed drinking tea in a nearby café. Jennifer joined them for tea and Kate told her that she had found out that they could sponsor the changing of the robes of the Buddha statue in the main temple. Jennifer agreed that this was a great idea and they went to find the monk in charge. He was happy to meet them and took them to his office where the robes were stored. The women chose two different robes, one a Tibetan style yellow silk woven with a geometric long life pattern into it, and the second a shiny gold fabric that they thought would look very “disco” on the Buddha. They then gave the monk money as an offering and he escorted them to the main temple where they watched him dress the statue in the two sets of robes, one under the other so that the statue would wear one set of robes for one day and the second set the next. The monk then gave Jennifer a beautiful paper lotus flower out of one of the vases set before the shrine in a gesture of thanks.
Pema Gyatso was pleased to see the young women so full of devotion and led them to a statue of Tara, or the Goddess of protection, that was carved into the right hand side of the main temple. He told them that if a person with strong faith can walk a straight line directly to her image with their eyes closed that they would be certain to reach enlightenment in the next lifetime. Jennifer and Kate were both excited to try. First was Kate who succeeded with squeals of delight. Next was Jennifer who closed her eyes very tight and chanted Tara’s mantra silently under her breath while generating the aspiration to reach enlightenment for the sake of all beings. While she prayed she put one foot directly in front of the other as slowly and carefully as she could manage, imagining she was walking a tightrope while blind-folded. After thirty steps or so her right foot touched the wall of the temple and she looked up straight into the eyes of Tara. She felt the blessings flow into her as she touched her forehead gratefully onto the stone wall.
The following two days were spent in similar joy and devotion; the women were so lucky to have a guide like Pema Gyatso lead them around the holy sights. The last night Jennifer completed her 3,000 prostrations and then the group of four lit candles around the circumambulation route of the main temple after sunset. The next morning it was time to return back to Sarnath on the train and this time Pema Gyatso made sure to sit on his new sandals.