Fong and I woke up at 3:30am. At 4:30am we
walked to the Maha Bodhi temple and at 5:00am we were inside the Maha Bodhi
temple. Thay TC cut 3 small bunches of our hairs and chanted. People urged us
to leave since we were inside the temple a bit longer than others. We went to
meditate under the Bodhi tree where Buddha’s foot prints were commemorated. We
chanted at the place where Buddha spent his second week after he enlightened.
Thay TC talked about Buddha’s enlightenment and the seven weeks that he spent
after he enlightened. Thay TC also helped us to take the three refuges again at
a Bodhi tree where the two lay-people asked Buddha for refuge.
At 6:30am we walked back to our hotel for
breakfast. We started our journey to Kukkutapada mountain at 7:45am. At the foot of this mountain, we stayed for few minutes then left. After this, we moved onto Uruvela.
We went back to have lunch and Thay TC said we would meet at
4:30pm to go to the Maha Bodhi Temple. I told Fong I am not going to waste any
of my time on afternoon naps. I went to the temple by myself at around 2pm. I
was lucky enough to have the whole temple all by myself for at least 20
minutes. I meditated alone inside the temple until people started to come. I
went outside and sat under the Bodhi tree. A Tibetan practician gave me some
7-gems. I happily accepted it. I also found two baby Bodhi trees under where I
sat. I was thrilled. I sat under the tree up to 4:30pm and couldn’t see any of
our group. I continued to meditate until Chanh Hue and others came. I joined
them and waited for Thay TC. Thay TC went to a different way and we sat under
the tree by ourselves. Thay TH came and we went back to the hotel together for
dinner.
After dinner they did more shopping.
Metta from a young
monk
He
wants to take on people’s worry
He
wants to take on people’s sickness
He
reaches out to people
He
reaches out to light up people’s lamp
He
wishes I am well
He
wishes I am healthy
I
am grateful
I
have met someone like him
Xuan Zang’s memorial
A great Chinese Traveller,
A great Buddhist
Practitioner
With his
determination and perseverance
Seventeen years of
journey to India
The Great Tang
Records on the Western Regions
Gives great value to
modern historians and archaeologists
Without him we don’t
have the beautiful Heart Sutra’s translation
Without him there
wouldn’t be Buddhist holy sites for pilgrimage
Although he
translated many, many sutras
But we only need a
few
We can see his great
compassion
For people’s
different requirements
Without him many
Buddha’s teachings would have gone missing
Without him Buddhism
will not be the same.
Uruvela
This place has no
King Asoka’s Pillar
This place has no
archaeologist recognition
This place was built
by the Tibetans
Do all these matter?
I come here to pay
respect
To a great prince
Siddhartha
Who struggled for all
of us
To find a way to
overcome
The
sufferings from birth, age, sick and death.
Kukkutapada
Mountain
This place has no
King Asoka’s Pillar
This place has no
archaeologist recognition
A Stupa was built by
the Tibetans
Do all these matter?
I come here to pay
respect
To a great Buddha’s
disciple Maha Kassapa
Who was the father of
the Sangha
Who was
a strict observer of the austerity practices
I
don’t care if the story of Maha Kassapa is still waiting for the next Buddha to
come
All
I know, he was one of the great disciples of Buddha
I
admire and sincerely
Prostrate
to Maha Kassapa
At the foot of the Kukkutapada Mountain
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