Mandala
The making of a mandala is a spiritual process: it guided me to explore my inner world and the outer world. Perhaps ’there is no inner world or outer world; there is only one world,’ as the Dalai Lama says. I will to incorporate the mandala into an acrylic painting to express just this.
Stop 3: Varanasi
After soaking up the ambience in Bodh Gaya and Nalanda, I headed for holy city Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Legend calls this 7000 year old city the “office” of Lord Shiva, while both the Buddha and the founder of Jainism have spent considerable time here.
Boating on Ganges River
I got to Varanasi at around 12 pm, and it was hellishly hot. The sun was burning my skin like a piece of white hot iron. However, soon as I came off the porridge like traffic into the old city, a sense of wonder replaced the heat and frustration. The cobweb like streets were just wide enough for a cow to pass, and it seemed that every brick and every roof tile was telling a timeless story. I don’t know how much Varanasi has changed since its founding, but time, history, and even divinity felt tangible in its streets.
The Ganges River (Ganga) had a powerful presence as well: it was a continuous celebration of life and beyond. All aspects of life took place on the river. Simply sitting beside the river to breathe seemed to be a blessing. Staying for merely three weeks, I already forged an unforgettable tie with the open and all-embracing river. It was indeed a goddess, and time was a cyclic flow.
Temple city was a nickname for Varanasi, which was indeed a spiritual place. Simple things like well, trees, and cows are sacred and many citizens see divinity in the simplest creatures. Animals were holy and respected, not eaten. This had visible effects on the street animals, as they were the happiest stray animals I had seen in my life. Divinity gave this city a magical touch. A few times every day, the bells from temples would ring, and religious student would recite their monotonic and strangely soothing Sanskrit chants. Yellow and white robed holy men were a common sight in the city. The evident caste system and the lack of women could not diminish the enchanting Varanasi.
By Ganges River
Stop 2: Nalanda
Ruins of Nalanda University
Another place to visit around Bodh Gaya is the world famous Nalanda University: I know, you probably have never heard about it. However, for more than 1000 years, before it was burnt, Nalanda was arguably the biggest university in the Old World. Scholars from all over the Buddhist world came here to study language, philosophy, and wisdom. Noted scholars such as Sariputa, Nagajuna, and Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) all studied and taught in this very university. Many branches of Buddhism like Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism were first developed here as well. One of the most impressive things about Nalanda University is that it was strictly egalitarian: professors and students live in the same kind of simple quarters.
Stupa of Sariputa, the Buddha's chief disciple.
The way to Nalanda was also quite emotional: I often see the kind of landscape in antique temple murals or carvings and usually take them as depictions of some mythological place. It is mind blowing to actually walk the “mythical” landscape.
On the way to Nalanda, I also passed by Mt. Griddhkuta where Lord Buddha used to live and practice with his disciples. Again, I often see this mountain depicted as a fantasy place surrounded by holy clouds. In reality, it is nothing but a little mound: to call it a mountain really needs a stretch of imagination. This makes me reflect on a Classical Chinese quote: “Regardless of a mount’s height, its fame comes from the immortals who settle there. Regardless of a pound’s depth, its holiness springs from the dragon that dwells with in.” (山不在高，有仙则名。水不在深，有龙则灵。)
Coming back, I passed by a place that looks just like an abandoned brick factory. Later on, I realized that Lord Krishna was said to be born in that very house. In the holy but impoverish Central Bihar, spiritual ruins are almost everywhere, but people’s current dwellings also look little better than those holy ruins.
Stone Carvings of Nalanda University
