I'll just post a few links to the events that are happening here:
I plan to attend Ayang Rinpoche's Phowa retreat from December 25th to January 3rd:
http://ayangrinpoche.org/bodhgaya-phowa-course-2010-2011/
My teacher, Mingyur Rinpoche, will be teaching at his monastery here in Bodhgaya, but the dates coincide with Ayang Rinpoche's retreat, so I won't be able to attend:
www.tergar.org
I'm thinking to going to the Ramana Maharshi ashram in Tamil Nadu for a week or so in January:
http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/
The website of the Kagyu Monlam, which is going on right now:
http://www.kagyumonlam.org/
Monday, December 20, 2010
bits and pieces
It has taken me about half an hour to get this blogspot page to load. The internet is very slow and glitchy in Bodhgaya. I haven't been able to get Hotmail to load at all since I arrived in India, don't know why not.
A few things: The thing to keep in mind here is that Bodhgaya is part pilgrimage site and part tourist trap. The trick is to maximize the pilgrimage aspect and try to keep clear of the tourist trap aspect as much as possible. I do my best. So far I have met quite a few Rinpoches, attended a lot of teachings, done a lot of chanting, circumambulated the big Mahabodhi Temple many many times, and spun a lot of prayer wheels. That's what I came here for. I'm intending to be a part of Ayang Rinpoche's Phowa retreat from Dec. 25th to Jan. 3rd, which should be very cool. After that I don't have definite plans, but I'm considering a trip to the south, to the Ramana Maharshi ashram in Tamil Nadu. We'll see.
I took some pictures yesterday. I'll try to figure out how to post them here. Also haven't got a phone yet, but I'm working on it.
A few things: The thing to keep in mind here is that Bodhgaya is part pilgrimage site and part tourist trap. The trick is to maximize the pilgrimage aspect and try to keep clear of the tourist trap aspect as much as possible. I do my best. So far I have met quite a few Rinpoches, attended a lot of teachings, done a lot of chanting, circumambulated the big Mahabodhi Temple many many times, and spun a lot of prayer wheels. That's what I came here for. I'm intending to be a part of Ayang Rinpoche's Phowa retreat from Dec. 25th to Jan. 3rd, which should be very cool. After that I don't have definite plans, but I'm considering a trip to the south, to the Ramana Maharshi ashram in Tamil Nadu. We'll see.
I took some pictures yesterday. I'll try to figure out how to post them here. Also haven't got a phone yet, but I'm working on it.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
more from Bodhgaya
Settling in nicely and getting into a bit of a routine. Caught the cold that's going around here and was partly out of commission for two days, coughing and sneezing and feeling bad. Feeling better today, but two of my friends here seem to have caught it.
Most days, I'm up before the sun. It doesn't get light here till after 6 am, and is dark again by 5:30 pm. I get up and move quite slowly for the first bit as is my nature. I set up my cushion on the bed under the mosquito net and sit for a little while. Then around 6:30 or 7:00 I go across the street to Hari Om cafe for breakfast. They're supposed to be open at 6, but when I get there they're usually just lighting the fire in the kitchen and getting started. It's a temporary place with walls about 5 feet high of brick around the outside, and a couple of inside walls to divide the space, and a pretty good tent roof on top. No doors, just fabric hanging in the doorways, and a gravel floor, with a little mouse running around busily. They burn cow dung in the kitchen and the draft up to the roof doesn't always work right away and the place is sometimes filled with smoke when I arrive. On those days I choose to sit outside. I get oatmeal porridge with banana and honey and a milk tea. Total is Rs 45, equivalent to $1.00 Canadian. Sometimes the owner brings over the Bihar edition of the Times of India and I get caught up on the local political scandals. Then it's down to the Mahabodhi Temple where the Kagyu Monlam is being held. While I'm walking I'm likely to see pigs rooting through the garbage, dogs either asleep on the path, or cruising around looking for a fight, cows meandering around, sweeper children sorting through garbage for plastic and tinfoil and such, little piles of burning garbage, goats picking around the garbage or nibbling on greenery, and I'm careful as any farmboy would be to step around the shit that dots the path. The street vendors will just be setting up their carts and stalls for the day. Beggar children are on duty already though. I keep forgetting the Hindi word for "Get lost!" but it comes in pretty handy. I've seen tourists make the mistake of giving a rupee or two to one of those kids, and the result is not quite a riot, but it's close. On the way I go to my favourite chai-wallah. He was ripping me off at first, but now he fills my mug about two-thirds full for Rs 10, which is about right. The events there start earlier, but I'm content to be there by 9 am when the Karmapa begins to teach. I do kora (circumambulations) until the teaching starts, then find a shady place to sit and listen to the teachings. The teachings are translated and broadcast on FM radio, so I listen on my little MP3 player. By mid morning the sun is bright and high enough that I start to feel warm, and it's time to take off the sweater. There are pigeons living in the niches of the temple, and also two kinds of parrots, one kind green, and the other some sort of brown. The green ones are the better fliers. In Delhi there were a lot of big vultures, very good soarers, but there are only a very few of them here. There is also some kind of crow, and also a robin-like brown bird with red around the eye. There are also a lot of little chipmunk-like critters, bigger than ours, with stripes on their backs, and more squirrel-like in their ability to climb trees. A dog has about 6 or 8 puppies tucked away in a hole between the roots of one of the big trees, very cute. His Holiness teaches till elevenish, then I join up with my friends Prasad and Michel and it's off the the Mahayana Hotel for lunch. It's included in the program we're part of, but I actually prefer the more down-market places like the Tibet Om cafe, or Mohammed's near the Tibetan Refugee Market. They're not much for ambiance or decor, but the food is really great. After lunch, the routine breaks down. Sometimes it's out to Mingyur Rinpoche's Tergar monastery if something is going on there. It's nearly a kilometer away on the west side of Bodhgaya, a nice walk down a pretty busy road, every kind of vehicle imaginable, much honking of horns and swerving around, but no accidents that I've seen yet. We walk past rice fields, some with rice growing, some with rice being harvested, some with just the stubble left on the field. I talked with a rice farmer who told me that three months work had netted him 600 bundles of rice (they tie up the rice in small sheaves about 5 inches in diameter) that would give him about 100 kg of rice, worth about Rs 30 per kg. He keeps it for his family and trades with other villagers if he has excess. He said it's been dry the past two years and the crop has been poor. Bodhgaya has electricity so they can irrigate from wells using electric pumps, but away from here where there's no electricity they're suffering very badly. Rice was Rs 20 per kg last year, and is Rs 30 per kg this year, which is a real hardship. Most days I'm hanging out with Michel or Prasad (or both) and we take opportunities to meet with Rinpoches who are giving interviews. So far I've met Mingyur Rinpoche twice, and once each with HH the 17th Karmapa, Gyaltsap Rinpoche, Jamgon Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche and Thrangu Rinpoche. I'm surprised at how accessible many of them are, and Michel seems to know who is where, and who we need to talk to, and in addition he seems to be quite lucky, so I'm happy to ride on his coat tails and see who he sees. In the evening we have supper back at the Mahayana Hotel, then maybe some time on the internet, or some more kora at the Mahabodhi Stupa, and usually back at my room for a fairly early night. I have a small kettle (only Rs 180, about $4) that I can use for making tea in my room. I got 500g of sugar for Rs 17, so I'm all set. Also, the electrical adapter that I bought in Canada for $40 doesn't work, so I got an Indian one for Rs 20 (about 50 cents) that works great, so I can charge my computer and camera battery. Anyhow, the computer battery is low right now, so that makes it time to quit. Hope everyone is well...
Most days, I'm up before the sun. It doesn't get light here till after 6 am, and is dark again by 5:30 pm. I get up and move quite slowly for the first bit as is my nature. I set up my cushion on the bed under the mosquito net and sit for a little while. Then around 6:30 or 7:00 I go across the street to Hari Om cafe for breakfast. They're supposed to be open at 6, but when I get there they're usually just lighting the fire in the kitchen and getting started. It's a temporary place with walls about 5 feet high of brick around the outside, and a couple of inside walls to divide the space, and a pretty good tent roof on top. No doors, just fabric hanging in the doorways, and a gravel floor, with a little mouse running around busily. They burn cow dung in the kitchen and the draft up to the roof doesn't always work right away and the place is sometimes filled with smoke when I arrive. On those days I choose to sit outside. I get oatmeal porridge with banana and honey and a milk tea. Total is Rs 45, equivalent to $1.00 Canadian. Sometimes the owner brings over the Bihar edition of the Times of India and I get caught up on the local political scandals. Then it's down to the Mahabodhi Temple where the Kagyu Monlam is being held. While I'm walking I'm likely to see pigs rooting through the garbage, dogs either asleep on the path, or cruising around looking for a fight, cows meandering around, sweeper children sorting through garbage for plastic and tinfoil and such, little piles of burning garbage, goats picking around the garbage or nibbling on greenery, and I'm careful as any farmboy would be to step around the shit that dots the path. The street vendors will just be setting up their carts and stalls for the day. Beggar children are on duty already though. I keep forgetting the Hindi word for "Get lost!" but it comes in pretty handy. I've seen tourists make the mistake of giving a rupee or two to one of those kids, and the result is not quite a riot, but it's close. On the way I go to my favourite chai-wallah. He was ripping me off at first, but now he fills my mug about two-thirds full for Rs 10, which is about right. The events there start earlier, but I'm content to be there by 9 am when the Karmapa begins to teach. I do kora (circumambulations) until the teaching starts, then find a shady place to sit and listen to the teachings. The teachings are translated and broadcast on FM radio, so I listen on my little MP3 player. By mid morning the sun is bright and high enough that I start to feel warm, and it's time to take off the sweater. There are pigeons living in the niches of the temple, and also two kinds of parrots, one kind green, and the other some sort of brown. The green ones are the better fliers. In Delhi there were a lot of big vultures, very good soarers, but there are only a very few of them here. There is also some kind of crow, and also a robin-like brown bird with red around the eye. There are also a lot of little chipmunk-like critters, bigger than ours, with stripes on their backs, and more squirrel-like in their ability to climb trees. A dog has about 6 or 8 puppies tucked away in a hole between the roots of one of the big trees, very cute. His Holiness teaches till elevenish, then I join up with my friends Prasad and Michel and it's off the the Mahayana Hotel for lunch. It's included in the program we're part of, but I actually prefer the more down-market places like the Tibet Om cafe, or Mohammed's near the Tibetan Refugee Market. They're not much for ambiance or decor, but the food is really great. After lunch, the routine breaks down. Sometimes it's out to Mingyur Rinpoche's Tergar monastery if something is going on there. It's nearly a kilometer away on the west side of Bodhgaya, a nice walk down a pretty busy road, every kind of vehicle imaginable, much honking of horns and swerving around, but no accidents that I've seen yet. We walk past rice fields, some with rice growing, some with rice being harvested, some with just the stubble left on the field. I talked with a rice farmer who told me that three months work had netted him 600 bundles of rice (they tie up the rice in small sheaves about 5 inches in diameter) that would give him about 100 kg of rice, worth about Rs 30 per kg. He keeps it for his family and trades with other villagers if he has excess. He said it's been dry the past two years and the crop has been poor. Bodhgaya has electricity so they can irrigate from wells using electric pumps, but away from here where there's no electricity they're suffering very badly. Rice was Rs 20 per kg last year, and is Rs 30 per kg this year, which is a real hardship. Most days I'm hanging out with Michel or Prasad (or both) and we take opportunities to meet with Rinpoches who are giving interviews. So far I've met Mingyur Rinpoche twice, and once each with HH the 17th Karmapa, Gyaltsap Rinpoche, Jamgon Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche and Thrangu Rinpoche. I'm surprised at how accessible many of them are, and Michel seems to know who is where, and who we need to talk to, and in addition he seems to be quite lucky, so I'm happy to ride on his coat tails and see who he sees. In the evening we have supper back at the Mahayana Hotel, then maybe some time on the internet, or some more kora at the Mahabodhi Stupa, and usually back at my room for a fairly early night. I have a small kettle (only Rs 180, about $4) that I can use for making tea in my room. I got 500g of sugar for Rs 17, so I'm all set. Also, the electrical adapter that I bought in Canada for $40 doesn't work, so I got an Indian one for Rs 20 (about 50 cents) that works great, so I can charge my computer and camera battery. Anyhow, the computer battery is low right now, so that makes it time to quit. Hope everyone is well...
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
First impressions
Hello friends,
Here's the blog. I'm going to be posting haphazardly as time and inspiration dictate. Please check back from time to time, or I think you can subscribe or something and you'll get an email when I post something here. When I figure out how to post pictures, I'll try to do that as well. If you want to get back to me, I think you can post right to this blog in a comments section or something, or you can email me at jcalvindevries@gmail.com. I hope to get a phone one of these days too. I sent an email to my folks just after I got to Bodhgaya with my first impressions. Here it is:
Here's the blog. I'm going to be posting haphazardly as time and inspiration dictate. Please check back from time to time, or I think you can subscribe or something and you'll get an email when I post something here. When I figure out how to post pictures, I'll try to do that as well. If you want to get back to me, I think you can post right to this blog in a comments section or something, or you can email me at jcalvindevries@gmail.com. I hope to get a phone one of these days too. I sent an email to my folks just after I got to Bodhgaya with my first impressions. Here it is:
Hi Mom and Dad,
Made it to Bodhgaya yesterday morning and all is well. The plane was late, as you know, so we had no time at all in Paris. They put us on a shuttle bus and took us straight to the plane going to Delhi, which was delayed because of us. It was a 747, and I paid $60 extra for a seat on the upper deck with extra legroom, which was worth it. I actully slept a quite a lot on both flights, which was good. Air France is great. The food was absolutely amazing, pretty different from other airlines. We were still late getting to Delhi, so the taxi driver had to wait a long time for me. He was standing just outside the luggage claim area with a card with my name on it. Delhi was unbelievable. I think if you can handle Delhi, everything else is easy. I was happy to leave. It was a long train ride to the town of Gaya. Left New Delhi station at 2:10 pm, arrived in Gaya about 7:30 am. Slept fairly well on the train and did some reading. Spent the first few hours looking out the window until it got dark. It gets dark early, around 6 pm. I had my backpack chained to the seat, and slept quite well. I was in class 3AC, which means it is a three-tier sleeper with air conditioning. I was in the lower berth, which turned out well. The upper berth is very high and looked hard to climb into. The trip cost about 1000 rupees, which is about $25. Got an autorickshaw to Bodhgaya, about a 25 minute ride. It's a three wheeled thing with the driver in front with a motorcycle handlebar, and I sit in the back with my stuff. It was a very bumpy ride, past all kinds of sights. Lots of cows and goats running all over the place, a few strange looking pig, Vehicles of every possible description, bikes, motorcycles, cars, big trucks, little trucks, three-wheeled trucks, people walking, and of course the cows, goats, and pigs, all the drivers honking pretty much all the time. The ride cost Rs 150, about $4.00. I think he ripped me off. Safely arrived at Rahul Guesthouse, a very nice place, but more expensive than I was hoping for. I thought of looking for a cheaper place but because it's very nice and clean and quiet (especially after the noise of Delhi!!) I think I'll stay. It's 900 rupees a night (about $20), quite expensive for here, but not bad compared to anywhere else in the world. Have been seeing the sights and attending the events here, and it was worth the trip. On the way back I'm going to try to arrange it so I don't have to stay in Delhi. Hopefully find a way to get a train to New Delhi station and then an autorickshaw straight to the airport from the prepaid stand at the train station, and get on the plane and go. One more thing about the autorickshaws: they're sort of triangle shaped, narrow in the front where the driver is, and wide at the back where I am. He sort of wedges himself into very narrow spaces in traffic, inches from other vehicles, constantly on the horn, and sort of squeezes in and makes a space for himself. From the back it looks pretty bad, but I haven't seen any accidents, and they all drive like that. Once I thought we were going to take the side mirror off a car, but we missed it. By couple of inches at most. Also, crossing the street in Delhi is for sure the most dangerous thing I have ever intentionally done. I might have come closer to death in the past through blissful ignorance, but never on purpose. The food here is very good and very cheap. I just had a simple dinner of potato curry and rice with a Coke to drink for Rs 65, about $1.50, and it was really good and I'm full. Am being very careful with food and water and so far, so good. Also very careful about mosquitos, so far only two bites. The mosquito net is my friend. By far the worst danger, even here in Bodhgaya, is the traffic. Walking back this evening, it was getting dark, so I was careful not to be the guy closest to the traffic. I made sure there was always someone a little farther out than me. An hour on the internet costs Rs 30, about 75 cents, but I really have to get back to my room and finish up for tonight. Hope all is well...
Love,
Calvin
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