Above: Great Buddha Statue, Bodhgaya
In January of 2019, an unlikely conversation with an acquaintance led me to wander into a weekly gathering of practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism, (a branch of Mahayana Buddhism), and suffice to say, I kept going back …
… Till date, I cannot explain why; all I remember is that the person I had spoken to said it was like magic, and I guess in many ways it is, for the combined practice and study of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhist philosophy foster the most remarkable, even somehow mystical, courage and self-reliance, which in turn not only breed a profound respect for the dignity of all life, but also assist one in fulfilling both the humanistic potential and measurable benefits of one’s own life.
There is no external deity, no self-sacrifice, no rule nor regulation, but rather guide and companion in the struggle for self-realization and search for enlightenment (a word I choose to understand as the unveiling of one’s own highest/deific form of humanity) by way of maximizing both life participation and relations with fellow human beings, as opposed to monastic detachment, asceticism and uniquely self-fulfilling pursuits.
And so, when my friend, celebrated artist Subodh Gupta who was born and raised in modest circumstances in the state of Bihar, invited me to the opening of his first show as a world-famous artist back in his home town Patna, the significance and symbolism of the moment so poignant, I at once decided to go …
… Thus, was born the itinerary of my pilgrimage, for the state of Bihar is not only home to Bodhgaya where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, but also Vulture Peak at Rajgir where the Buddha gave sermons to his monks, and the ruins of Nalanda university, one of the ancient and greatest Buddhist centers of learning … all of this I documented on a reel of photographs with descriptions of each image, here below.
On a practical note, for those who don’t already know, one can fly directly to Gaya from New Delhi, and if you are to stay the night as I did, then I recommend the Hyatt Place hotel. I also recommend organizing both a driver and guide for the entire tour; they will pick you up from the airport, take you to all the major sites of Bodhgaya, including a wonderful fast track ‘VIP’ style entry into the Mahabodhi temple that is magical to visit at night. They will then deposit you at your hotel, pick you up the following morning and accompany you on the rest of your tour, which will end at Patna airport, for you to take your flight back to Delhi or elsewhere. Each and every guide is not only perfectly fluent in English amongst other foreign languages, but also very well versed in both the history of each site and the Buddhist faith … in short, an absolute must do in a lifetime trip!