November 2017
Sravasti (or Shravasti) is on the pilgrimage site for Buddhists. One of the reasons is because it is where Buddha performed the Miracle of Pairs.
The Miracle of Pairs, also called the Miracle at Sravasti, was performed by Buddha seven years after his enlightenment.
The miracle occurred in a contest with heretics, who wished to perform their own miracles. It is said that in Sravasti, standing on a jeweled walk, the Buddha proceeded to perform the Yamaka-pātihāriya (Twin Miracle), unattainable to any disciple and so called because it consisted in the appearance of phenomena of opposite character in pairs. Buddha emitted flames from the upper part of his body and a stream of water from the lower, and then alternatively. Flames of fire and streams of water also proceeded alternatively from the right side of his body and from the left.
You will find representations of the Miracle of Pairs in a lot of Buddhist art.
As I mentioned in my last post we are in town with 2500 Tibetan Monks and lay people. They are in the middle of a conference and we are here to chant.
Chanting the Dhammapada in Sravasti
Today our monks took the stage and chanted parts of the Dhammapada for one hour.
This was followed by the entire Tibetan audience chanting a goodly portion of the Dhammapada in one hour. Tibetan chanting is done at lightning speed and is considerably more musical than Thai or Burmese chanting.
The Dhammapada is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist texts.
There is always a leader in the chanting. The Burmese tend to trade off being the leader, while the Thai’s tend to keep the same leader from day to day.
During the chanting, the Indian contingency that is traveling with us came in, and wow, what an entrance. It really was so delightful to see. I have mentioned before, this is the first native group to actually participate in this ceremony, and that is both very important and historic.
Lay devotees wear all white, it makes for quite a statement when there are 60 of them.
I sat behind two young Tibetan nuns that were just a tad restless. However, when it came to their turn to chant they were as focused as could be.
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We will be chanting at Jetavana. Jetavana, one of Buddha’s monasteries, was the place where the Buddha gave the majority of his teachings and discourses, having spent nineteen out of 45 summer retreats here, more than in any other monastery. We made a quick trip to the park to check it out. The monks began circumambulating the Bodhi Tree and chanting. It was a beautiful way to end the evening.
The Bodhi Tree in Sravasti
The instant the sun went down a good 30 to 50 monkeys descended upon the park.
Kavisara
This is Kavisara. He is Burmese, his mother is Thai. He is studying Pali and trying to learn English. He has only been in India for 5 months, but he did attend the chanting ceremony in Bodh Gaya in 2012.