Lumbini, birthplace of Lord Buddha
Today we are flying to Lumbini, in preparation of the Pilgrimage Tour of Rinpoche Tulku Lobsang and his students coming, we need to check all last details with the hotels as also the program activities.
Because we had so many problems to sort out all our documents, going to the bank, lawyer and again an office … but as chaotic it can be here in traffic, well so is it in this kind of things also.You need to have much patience and of course they ask another and another document … so you need to go back and back …So last two weeks were of visiting all these kinds of organizations …
And as it seems you have here a lot of time comparing with Europe … and the end of the day you have no time to do what you want because of you are spending so much time waiting and in traffic jams.
But as I believe that coincidence doesn’t exist, we only good leave today for Lumbini. And surprise it is full moon today!
What a gift – that we can go for work but still have time to meditate on this holy place on full moon day!
As we are flying to Lumbini we hoped to have a glimpse of the Himalaya, but still not …
We saw some small, very small peaks above the sky … and then my husband saying look Dhaulagiri … I just see a small, small white peak … but he as mountain guide immediately recognize his beloved mountains.
But to see the breathtaking view we will need to wait until the monsoon is ended to encounter again with our, Pramod and me, beloved mountains, the great Himalaya.
When we stepped out of the plane the heat was striking us … yes here it is like in India.
hot, hotter, hottest …
The hotel was already picking us up.
Dropped off our luggage and then straight to the sacred place of Lumbini. Driving towards the place, you forget you are in Nepal – it looks very much same as India.
The house, the faces of the people and their clothes …
But as much as that the roads are bad in Kathmandu – here they are good.
Looking outside you are one way overwhelmed with the beauty of the colors of as well nature, very green place – as the colorful sari’s the women were.
But at the other hand the poverty of the people is shocking – especially if you look inside some houses – or better huts…
And the schools well you can’t say they are real schools – just a block without windows and doors …
I looked at a woman washing herself outside in her ‘court garden’ if you can call it like that … her house looks not only simple but poor … but when I looked at her face and her eyes, she looked happy. The question is what brings ‘inner’ happiness … here they have nothing but looked happy … and in the West we have everything but how many are looking happy … that is a big question …
Like Rinpoche says in the East there is a crisis of health – but in the West we have a happiness crisis. I agree!
Once we arrived after a drive of 45 minutes, we did what we needed to do … make sure that teachings can take place in the sacred garden … of course we needed to see some important officers … and the rest I am not sharing here …
Then we also had some time to walk ourselves in the garden … walking up this secret – serene place … full of peace.
After passing the pace flame we walked for 10 minutes in the direction of the garden.
Then we entered … buddha ‘s birthplace …
First take a visit to Maya Devi’s temple and then walk in the sacret garden.
Meditating under the Bodhi tree … do Kora around the Bodhi tree … and burn some essence …All on full moon day … I feel blessed – to be here on this place on this day!
As Buddha Shakyamuni said Himself to his nearest student Ananda:
“Ananda, this place, Lumbini, is where the Tathagata was born, this place, which should be visited and seen by a person of devotion, and which should cause awareness and apprehension of the nature of impermanence. At this place, Ananda, who are on a pilgrimage to this shrine, if they should die with devotion in their heart during the course of the pilgrimage, will after their death and dissolution of the body be reborn in a good destination, a fortunate celestial realm.”
We talked with a nice monk at the Bodhi tree that gives us more information about the area – and where we could do the teachings …
Tired of the long day we drive back to the hotel – had a nice diner and early sleep.
The next day we visit, Kapilavastu, the palace where Siddhartha Gautama spend his life before he went searching for the truth.
The most of the ancient Sakya palace is still under the ground.
But the Eastern gate, known as MahabhiniskramanaDwara, is quite visible – that is the gate where Siddhartha Gautama took the great renunciation at the age of 29 in search of supreme knowledge.
The walk from the West to the East gate is on wooden floor above the ground and let us through the jungle. The guide nicely mentioned that many insects and snakes living here, hmmm … knowing Lumbini also has pythons … I was very alert.
Unesco and a team of UK spend still a lot of time to dig everything up … but as fast as they clean up the place – nature again take over and grass and trees growing again very high.
But in the middle the original temple, Hindu, because Siddhartha was originally Hindu, is still there. Now Hindu’s and Buddhist come to worship this place.
People come to ask for help in their lives and when accomplished they come back and offer a wooden statue of an elephant.
Because as the legend says, Maya Devi, the mother of Buddha, had a dream of a white elephant to announce the bird of her son.
The heat strikes you here … so close to India – the climate can you can compare with India – hot and especially humid …
We leave the side and walk through to river, passing some local houses and a temple, to reach two stupa’s that were identified as the cremation place of the father and mother of Lord Buddha.
Later we drive to Kudan, the ancient Nyagrodharama, where Lord Buddha met the first time his father after his renunciation.
On this place Lord Buddha teaches 5 important sutras to these disciples.
There are three stupas on this place – who are still in a good condition.
A brief but wonderful visit to this holy place.
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