Bodhgaya

Hello Dearies,

I have been in Bodhgaya (the place of Buddha's Enlightenment) for the past 5 days. Having searched in the centre of town for a suitable place to stay (hot, noisy and lots of harassment from enterprising young locals wanting to sell cds), I eventually walked out to the Root Institute for Wisdom Culture. There I found a retreat centre that was clean, with a gorgeous gompa in which to practice meditation, and access to a very well stocked library; including course materials introducing the Lam Rim (graduated path) of Tibetan Buddhism. The spiritual director has been happy to assist me, providing an mp3 filled with guided meditations, and we have had daily informal discussions regarding various aspects of dharma (Buddhist teachings).
Each day I begin my self-directed retreat with mindfullness meditation, and analytical meditation on aspects of the path follows breakfast. As two of the volunteer staff members are heading to London for a month, I offered my assistance... it just happened to coincide with the mail-out of their once-yearly newsletter so I have been spending some hours each afternoon filling envelopes and attaching address labels (while quietly chanting Om Mani Padme Hum, the mantra of compassion!!). At about 4.30 I walk into town to visit the stupa and bodhi tree (a descendent of the tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment), circumnabulating or just sitting quietly. Even with the many pilgrims, the place is amazingly peaceful, and the energy is very transformative.
After dinner I watch the Discovering Buddhism videos, which cover aspects of the Lam Rim in a really accessible way - I am learning a lot! It is wonderful to gain such a context for practice - beyond the simplicity of vipassana, the Tibetan path lays out stages of practice and cultivation of particular realisations. It all makes sense! My day closes with another meditation, on particular Tibetan Buddhist deities or purification practices.
The Institute has a health centre attached, and I was lucky enough to go with one of the doctors out to a rural health clinic. The mobile clinic runs 6 days a week, attending different rural communities. Bihar has a huge population and is the poorest state in India so there are massive health problems from malnutrition to TB to HIV/AIDS. The centre has two health educators that attend the rural clinics as part of a strong committment to health awareness and a preventive approach. The clinic provides homeopathic treatment for most health concerns, however there is also allopathic treatment available to manage more serious conditions, including an HIV/AIDS management program.
Am not sure how much longer I will stay here in Bodhgaya... at least until Wesak on the 19th. I am mindful that I still need to go to some touristy destinations before heading up north to do some more study in Dharamsala! Am considering changing my flight to allow a little more time in this amazing country...