When the Indian monsoon is over, I will have prepared myself with a decent travel-budget ready to board the first international flight of my life. Out of New Delhi over to Vienna or Bucharest. At least this is a something I've targeted in this year....
Many honorable, dhamma friends live in Austria, Romania and Hungary. They said their invitations still exist. Where did I befriend all these East Europeans? Well, the holy place of Bodhgaya fetched me all these dhamma friends!!
I love to frequent the holy place of Bodhgaya to serve monastics monks and service the monasteries. I am thankful that monasteries like WatPa, Vien Giac, Wat Nilanjana, Wat Magadh etc extend a place to seat, dine and sleep during my brief stays. Making all of my time and positive energy available towards the monastaries aside I like to travel the surroundings of Bodhgaya, climb the Dungeshwari hill, visit the premises of Vishnupad temple, watch the rituals at the burning ghats of Gaya, etc. In this way, I have met some of the finest human beings in the form of buddhist monks, siladharas, anagarikas, upasaks and upasikas and even children and every assortment of spiritual travellers. Bodhgaya has sacred power to draw people of all walks of life from all corners of the globe.
Every minute in Bodhgaya is a fortunate minute. I faithfully believe so because I've always received precious lessons and gifts of life during every visits I made, a deeper insight into meaning of life, the dhamma, the natural order of world and world beings, the 'suchness' of all things around me. Alongwith all kinds of balms for the mind, I will not forget the good, honorable, dhamma friends that I've crossed path. When I look back to each of my trips to Bodhgaya in the past, I see faces of the dhamma friends - smiley faces, happy faces, gentle and compassionate, active and conscious, soft and simple. If I get my way, I would like to sneak out of my work cubicle and go the direction of Bodhgaya again at the peak of this current Vassa season where serious practice is on at this moment of time. There are serious solitary pracitioners as well as group practitioners, training their mind, revisiting the Tripitaka texts and mindfully observing the Vinaya rules with greater emphasis.
One of the closest that I have known is Mr Zoltan Kovacs from Hungary. The evening rush of diners at Om restaurant next to Tathagat hotel led me to the seat where Mr Zoltan was seated, enjoying a herbal, ginger tea to cool away the evening. I got my orders of green mixed-salad and steam rice with small potion of different vegetables in front of him. I introduced myself and thanked him for sharing table-space with me, Zoltan smilingly responded that it was not a problem. I am young but he is quite aged. I offered a plate of green salad with all my heart and he accepted after sometime.
We had a nice conversation over a nice dinner peppered with a silent prayer as I fed myself spoonfuls.
Wisely reflecting on this plate of food,I use it not to distract my mind,
Nor to make my form impressive,
Or to make it beautiful,
Simply to be sustained and nourished,
And to maintain what health I have,
To help fulfill the Holy life,
With this attitude in mind,
I will allay hunger without overeating,
So that I may continue to live blamelessly and at ease.
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(This english translation is a very clear one. It comes from Ajahn Sumedho, Amravati Buddhist Monastery, outside the village of Great Graddesden near Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England)
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