Meeting the Buddha : on pilgrimage in Buddhist India

Description: In Bodh Gaya, E.M. Forster observes a neglected tree similar to the one where the Buddha gained Enlightenment, and watches Tibetan pilgrims as they "light lamps so that the floor of the temple look like a lake of fire."

In Lumbini, Peter Matthiessen experiences "the clean air and absence of all sound" while reflecting on how Siddhartha Gautama was transformed from wandering holy mendicant into the Buddha--the Awakened One.

In Rajgir, Fa-Hsien climbs the rocky Vulture's Peak to honor the place where the Buddha once lived and preached--an experience shared by Allen Ginsberg fifteen centuries later.

Table of Contents: Lumbini and Kapilavastu: where the Buddha was born and raised --
Bodh Gaya: where the Buddha attained enlightenment --
Sarnath: where the Buddha first taught --
Rajagriha: where The Buddha tamed the elephant Nalagiri --
Sravasti and Sankasya: where the Buddha performed the great miracles and where he descended from the Trayastrimsas Heaven --
Vaisali: where the Buddha accepted women into the Sangha --
Kusinagara: where the Buddha passed away.

FYxxxx / FY2015 /