A Buddhist Pilgrimage

"Ananda, there are four places the sight of which will arouse strong emotion in those with faith -- Which four places? "Here the Tathagata was born" -- this is the first. "Here the Tathagata attained enlightenment" -- this is the second. "Here the Tathagata set in motion the Wheel of the Dhamma" -- this is the third. "Here the Tathagata attained final Nibbana without remainder" -- this is the fourth. And the monk, the nun, the layman or the laywoman who has faith should visit these places."
--Digha Nikaya II, 141

Going on pilgrimage now is easier than it was for Huien Tsiang and Fa Hien, but India still requires a great deal of patience, good cheer, and perseverance.The suttas begin, "Thus have I heard. When Buddha was staying at the Deer Park at Isipatana... Mucalinda's pond...Jeta's Grove...Vulture's Peak...the Bamboo Grove." The names are thrilling. Just to see the remains is both glorious and humbling. It focuses the mind and clears the head. In the welter of sights, sounds and smells, the chaos that is India, the Buddhist sites are quiet and calm, sane and restoring.Calcutta didn't exist at the time of Buddha, and some people suggest that it is still impossible. We arrived five hours late because of the terrorist shooting at the Parliament in New Delhi, but Ven. Nandobatha, an Arakanese monk in Calcutta, and Bruce were there at the airport to meet us.Howrah Station is a black hole, a world into which people are born, live, and die without ever leaving its roof. It is dirty, dark, noisy, and chaotic. Just walking the long platform to our car left us numbed. Our friends from the MahaBodhi Book Agency helped us get from the hotel to the station. Without them, we couldn't have found our berths and gotten settled.Our agent had arranged first class hotels, but our berths were second class three tiers--upper and middle. A family of three had the two bottoms. The wife kindly changed with Visakha to spare her climbing up. Ken had little more than one-third of a berth, since he had the computers, cameras, and a suitcase with him. We managed to stay warm, thanks to our Nepalese blankets.