November 21 and 22, 2018 Kasaria Kesaria is a Buddhist stupa first constructed around the 3rd century BCE. The stupa has a circumference of almost 400 feet making it the largest stupa in the world, it then rises to a height of about 104 feet. The stupa was not discovered until 1958 during an excavation … Read more
Rajgir November 24 and 25, 2018 Ghora Katora Lake is a small, serene spot near Rajgir. The name Rajgir came from Rājagṛiha ‘house of the king’ or “royal house”. Rajgir had been the capital of the Magadh kingdom until the 5th century BCE. It is said that the lake had been used for watering the horses … Read more
November 2018 The robes of Buddhist monks and nuns are part of a tradition that goes back to the time of the historical Buddha. The first monks wore robes patched together from rags, as did many mendicant holy men in India at the time. As the wandering community of disciples grew, the Buddha found that … Read more
Nalanda/Rajgir November 2018 In the Black Buddha Temple is an ancient large black Buddha in the Dhamma Chakra Mudra position. The Dhamma Chakra Mudra is also called the Wheel of Law depicting Buddha’s first sermon after his enlightenment This huge stone image from the Gupta period was lost to Buddhism, in the interim the Hindi’s worshiped it, … Read more
Vaishali, India November 18-20 2018 I am in Vaishali as part of the 2nd Annual Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony. If you are interested in that you can read about last years ceremony here. This is another adventure. Today I came across two protests. The first was about rural water and politics. The protesters were very polite, … Read more
November 14-18 2018 I am here as part of the 1st Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony ever held within the Maya Devi Temple Complex in Lumbini. As with any historic moment, there is the usual fanfare. A parade with beautiful women carrying flowers and banners. The flower-laden throne carrying the Tipitaka. And streams of participants Then there is … Read more
November 14 to 16, 2018 Crossing the border into Nepal was an adventure. The drive from Kushinagar was a little over 4 hours. The fun part about traveling in the third world is what you encounter on the way. This time it was a train stop. I have experienced many of these, but never close … Read more
District of Kapilavastu Outside of Lumbini, Nepal November 15, 2018 Today I had the absolute pleasure of being taken around the countryside of Lumbini by Bikram Pandey. The gentleman calls himself a Tourism Pro-activist. He is a consummate lover and promoter of Buddhism and the historic Buddhist sites of the Lumbini Area. These sites are … Read more
February 8, 2018 Leaving the city of Sankissa we passed these travelers. I do not know where they were going or where they came from but I found them fascinating and wanted to share these pictures. India has a gypsy population called Kalbelias, or Cobra Gypsies. While they are primarily in Rajasthan, and I am … Read more
Sankissa (also Sankasya) November 6, 2018 I have mentioned earlier that we are traveling with Deepak Anand, a knowledgeable person about Xuanzang, and his travels in India. Thanks to Deepak we took a walk through the village of Sankissa. Here is some information from his website: “Raghav Dixit shared with me how his uncle Shri … Read more
Sankasya (or Sankissa) November 5, 2018 One of our monks from the Mahabodhi Center in Bangalore is from Sankasya and his family invited us for tea. This is a major undertaking for a family, and it was truly an honor. We have 40 monks, and then another 7 of us that accompany the monks. We … Read more
Lucknow November 7, 2018 Diwali means “row of lamps”. It is traditionally thought of as a Hindu festival, but it is also celebrated by Sikhs, Jains and Newar Buddhists. It is a festival of lights, celebrated every autumn in the northern hemisphere (spring in the southern hemisphere), It is thought to have originated as a … Read more
November 2, 2018 Today we had an afternoon to do some sightseeing, and thanks to the abominable traffic in Delhi we were only able to squeeze in two sites. Our first stop was an Ashokan edict found in Delhi in 1966. I have written extensively about Ashoka in this blog, but a good overview can … Read more
November 1, 2018 This is known as Lat Bhairav. According to our resident scholar Deepak Anand: “Chinese monk-scholar Xuanzang (Hsüan-tsang, 7th CE) mentions about the presence of an Aśokan stūpa and pillar on the west side of River Barnā (now Varṇā) on the way from Vārānasī to the Deer Park (Sārnātha). Vincent Smith (1848-1920) has … Read more
Rasvanti Sweets CK 21/24 Sugga Gali, Thatheri Bazar, Govindpura, Varanasi October 31, 2018 The Indians love their sweets, and this tucked away shop is as authentic as it gets. Deep into the alleyways of Varanasi, winding past motorcycles, then bikes and cows, and then to alleys too narrow for any but a person on foot, one … Read more
Banaras/Varanasi October 30, 2018 What is India was one of the real reasons maps of India did not exist for a very long time. The borders are fluid making India a malleable country. I find that, just like the borders, the many adjectives I use to describe India are always changing. I often say it is … Read more
Sarnath October 28, 2018 By: Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr The more things change the more they stay the same. I have arrived back in India for the second Dhammayatra and while it all feels the same it does feel different. The first moment I was knocked off my spin was on the plane from Toronto to … Read more