A blog about Spirituality, Thoughts & Poetic Whispers | Creativity & Design | Books, Authors & their reader | Just dancing with light through the shadows of my mind...
This is a collection inspired by my recent visit to Bodh Gaya in India
– This is the place where Buddha attained enlightenment, while meditating under
a Boddhi Tree, almost 2600 years ago. (If you would like to walk with me in
those footsteps of Buddha, please click
here...)
Sitting under that Boddhi Tree, I had some thoughts about love, life
and living. The Haiku below are some of those expressions. The longer verse
‘Buddha Song’ is entwined echoes of two different feelings that played within
me... at the time
Some flowers, flower
Too late
Buddha passes by, in living
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Buddha: in love, there is suffering
Suffering: in Buddha, there is love
Love: in Suffering, there is Buddha
__
In ocean of life, waves upon waves
Form & unform, Birth and death
Water remains, still like Buddha smile
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BUDDHA SONG
________
Silence precipitated in winter mist
All around the Boddhi tree
The dark haze of emptiness
Softened the foot falls of
Falling leaves
To know the reality of being
Buddha emptied himself
Of all knowing
As my longing rose up to merge
With darkening horizon of her passions
A red sun, sets
The roots creep up to the lonely figure,
Sitting within echoes of his past, and bit by little bit
Sucked out the memories of love and suffering
The lotus flowered from the stillness of pond
Boddhi tree unfurled fresh leaves of
Living, fluttering aimlessly
Among the cold stars
Milky Way is not a path
Her soft pearls of laughter lay scattered
In the withering night, bouncing off from
My earthly desires
Universe unfolded itself
Descending from the heavens to earth
Frail branches wove into the cosmic fibre
And the lightning struck as Buddha smiled
Somewhere, in the stillness of the pond
Lotus flower wonders
What life is, if not nothing?
An emptiness of living without flowering
Soul flowers
When lips whisper
Love
___________
Shashi @ 2011
This is submitted to dVerse Poets Open Link Night WK 21, if
you would like to read really some great talented poets as well as add your
own, please click
here....
Recently I came across an interesting and typical new-age commune located in the Alps of Italy, Damanhur, through a link provided by my brother Animesh. Some consider the Temple structure buried 100 ft under a hill, (constructed in secret by Amateurs over a period of 13 years, without any drawings and plans) 8th Wonder of the world. In exploring further, I realise the beauty of the self made architecture as well as the guiding philosophy of the commune i.e. The Damanhurians see the temple as a pathway to the divine inside and outside of one's self. (From the book "Damanhur Temples of Humankind"). So here is an introduction... for you to explore further and possibly move in...
Behind this plain, large wooden door is the maze that is the Damanhur Temples of Humanity.
The Temples of Humankind are a collection of subterranean temples buried 100 ft underground. They are decorated in several motifs stressing peaceful human collaboration. The Temples are located in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy, 30 miles from Turin, in the valley of Valchiusella.
The superimposed layout of Damanhur Temple buried 100 Ft
under the mountain you see here
The temples were created under the direction of Oberto Airaudi who, having claimed visions of ancient temples at age 10 from a previous life, began excavation and building in August of 1978. By 1991 most of the chambers were reportedly complete when Italian police, acting on a tip from villagers, conducted a raid on the Temples. Eventually the Italian government reportedly gave them retroactive excavation and erection privileges and the Temples are now open to visitors.
Damanhur Temple - Moon Door
Parts of the Temples:
Hall of Water – dedicated to the feminine principle, it is in the shape of a chalice and invites receptivity
Blue Hall – for meditation on social matters and is used as a place of inspiration and reflection
Hall of Earth – dedicated to the masculine principle, to the earth as an element and planet and to past and future reincarnations
Hall of Metals – represents the different ages and developmental stages of humankind and the shadow elements of the human psyche
Labyrinth Hall – showing Interfaith worship through the centuries, uniting different cultures and peoples
Hall of Spheres – positioned where 3 synchronic lines merge, inviting planetary contact and transmission of messages, ideas and dreams to create harmony between nations
Hall of Mirrors – dedicated to the sky, air and light, solar energy, strength and life. There are 4 altars to earth, water, air and fire
Recently, I came across a beautiful documentary by Discovery Channel hosted by Stephen Hawking asking a question that has remain unanswered since the beginning of mankind, “Does a "God" or a "Celestial Dictator" exist? In this documentary, as described in the write up, Stephen Hawking dissects the science of the universe in answering this very fundamental question.
I liked the documentary... (must see it as its beautifully crafted though its more than 42 minutes long) and enjoyed the simple explanation Stephen Hawking gave for Non-existence of GOD (Or the creator of Big Bang)... but I do not quite agree to it. His explanation refuting the existence of God on the basis of “Human perception of Cause and Effect" was not convincing enough for me. May be its because I am just a layman - not a scientist, as every one else is who are supporting this theory. But then what is human perception. Its just something that our senses keep our mind wondering and in constant chaos, decieving us all the time?
At the 37th minute into the documentary, Stephen Hawking says, “"The role played by time at the beginning of the Universe is, I believe, the final key for removing the need for a Grand Designer, and revealing how the universe created itself. You can't get back to the time before Big Bang, because there is no BEFORE" and then goes on to say, “We have finally found something that does not have cause because there is no time for cause to exist in. For me, this means there is no possibility of a creator, because there is no "time" for a creator to exist in"
But in my opinion, why there has to be a 'time', as perceived by scientist now, to create a cause?
Well personally I don't think so as
1)The word "TIME" is not the Time, just like the word "Tree" is not the tree.
2)Time is a concept created by man to understand the physical laws governing nature. And as the very nature of concepts is, that it can and will change over time by new discoveries, new insights and new human endeavours. So time per se cannot be a constant thing as constant as Mass, Energy and Space, in definition, and cannot be used as an argument to declare God's existence or not, just by declaring that TIME does not exist beyond Big Bang, as Stephen Hawkins has declared in this documentary.
I believe in the "Cyclic model” which means that Universe is constantly expanding and contracting. More recent work has suggested the problem (That Cosmological constant is not actually constant) may be indirect evidence of a cyclic universe possibility as allowed by string theory. With every cycle of the universe (Big Bang then eventually a Big Crunch) taking about a trillion years. Just like Einstein many scientists assume some things like Cosmological Constant (To which Einstein later referred to his failure to predict the expansion of the universe from theory as the "Biggest Blunder of his life". Well a very interesting read at Wikipedia – Click here to read) or let’s say, as Stephen Hawking say, Time = 0 at big bang.
My brother Animesh has shared an another beautiful documentary by Carl Sagan "Hindu Concept of the Beginning and End of Universe" where he says "Hindu religion is the only religion in the world dedicated to the idea that the cosmos itself goes under an immense infact infinite number of deaths and re-births" (Its a lovely short Video, must see if not to hear what he says, but to see one of the beautiful temple architecture from South India)
Yes, conclusive evidence is lacking but it does not mean that it’s cannot be true. Given all the best thoughts that this century’s genius scientist, Stephen Hawking could put forth and some little bit of instinctive understanding that I have, I believe in, is the fact that “we have not reached that state of scientific progress, where it can be proved scientifically and conclusively the Existence of GOD or His Non Existence”. So I will leave aside the question whether “GOD” or as Stephen Hawking says, “CELESTIAL DICTATOR” exist or Not. But I will continue to firmly believe that GOD exists and will do so, until its proven wrong.
Unlike Stephen Hawking declaring at the end of the documentary, “My view is that there is "No god", "No one created Universe" and "No one directs our fate",
I just have belief that – There is GOD - The supreme consciousness - And some Universal Consciousness has created the Universe - and yes there is fate but only in this ‘now’, which is the result of Free Will governed by our 'present' Karma.
Come walk with me to Bodh Gaya, where Buddha attained enlightenment
Recently, I have traveled to Patna for one of my Interior Projects. Bodh Gaya is the most revered holy sites associated with Buddha, the place where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment. Since I have special affinity for the thoughts of Buddha from childhood, (I was born in Kushinagar Distt in Uttar Pradesh INDIA – where Lord Buddha attained Nirvana - click here to journey with me to that place as well...) I enjoyed the powerful spiritual energy that permeates in each and everything in and around the temple. Specially, sitting under the Boddhi Tree in meditation, was a serene and spiritually uplifting experience.
I have been fortunate enough to travel to most of the places associated with Buddha in India as well as some of the powerful temples in South East Asia but Bodh Gaya makes me feel more at peace with myself, whenever I have had visited. After reading one beautiful book by Thich Nhat Hanh (Old Path, White Clouds), I have had developed a sense of deep devotion and understanding about this place. This time, I thought of capturing those moments of bliss and share with a hope that the spiritual energy reach my friends. So here I am with my impressions from the journey... Hope you will enjoy them.
But before that here is a brief History about Bodh Gaya...
Brief History about Bodh Gaya
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According to Buddhist traditions, circa 500 BC Prince Gautama Siddhartha, wandering as an ascetic, reached the sylvan banks of Falgu River, near the city of Gaya. There he sat in meditation under a bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa). After three days and three nights of meditation, Siddharta claimed to have attained enlightenment and insight, and the answers that he had sought. He then spent seven weeks at seven different spots in the vicinity meditating and considering his experience. After seven weeks, he travelled to Sarnath, where he began teaching Buddhism.
It is believed that 250 years after the Enlightenment of the Buddha, Emperor Asoka visited Bodh Gaya. He is considered to be the founder of the original Mahabodhi temple. It consisted of an elongated spire crowned by a miniature stupa and a chhatravali on a platform. A double flight of steps led up to the platform and the upper sanctum. The mouldings on the spire contained Buddha images in niches. Some historians believe that the temple was constructed or renovated in the 1st century during the Kushan period. With the decline of Buddhism in India, the temple was abandoned and forgotten, buried under layers of soil and sand.
The temple was later restored by Sir Alexander Cunningham in the late 19th century. In 1883, Cunningham along with J. D. Beglar and Dr Rajendralal Miitra painstakingly excavated the site. Extensive renovation work was carried out to restore Bodh Gaya to its former glory.
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Text from Wikipedia – Click here to read
The journey started with a morning bath at Holy Ganges at Patna
The journey along with winding road in the country side, was as
refreshing as the early morning bath at Holy Ganges
The morning winter sun rays were inviting to soak in the warmth...
After 3 hours of journey, I finally reached the Falguni river, along
side Gaya and Bodh Gaya
The path to the entrance of Maha Bodhi Temple was lined
up with Shops selling souvenirs
Maha Bodhi Temple greets you with one of the most beautiful
Buddha statues, I have ever seen. Notice the crystal cup in the lap...
This is the direct descendant of the Bodhi Tree, under which
Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment around 2600 years
ago. The environment here pulsates with spiritual energy...
This is the exact place - The diamond throne, where Buddha
sat down in deep meditation and attained Buddhahood...
After hours of meditation, I had to reluctantly leave the place
in order to get back to Patna... to catch early morning flight to Delhi
It was a beautiful moment, when this group of Thai Women sat
around the place where I was sitting in meditation, chanting mantras
Around the Maha Bodhi temple, there are place, where Buddha sat
in meditation for weeks together, after his enlightenment. A perfect place
for the monks and people to perform rituals and meditate....
Every one has their own way of worship and rituals, here some are
reading and Chanting Mantra...
Some are performing specific rituals - Kind of Surya Namaskar...
.... and some are away from this physical world, in realms of
their own spiritual bliss
An afternoon relaxation and food; some take their time out to connect
to the world they have left behind...
All over the place, there is deep spiritual connection ... trying to find that
enlightening spark, that changes the way we look at living...
Finally sun sets down at Maha Bodhi Temple... for
the day, time for me to leave too, with a promise to
be back soon....
To celebrate this journey and this beautiful sunset at
Bodh Gaya, here is one of my Haiku...
__
Buddha waits within,
In ignorance, we run around
Looking for him
__
@Shashi
To know more about thoughts and philosophy of Buddhism, read "Old Path White Clouds" which I have featured here at my blog, Click here....
Its one of the most comprehensive books on Buddha, I have read, written by a great spiritual Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh.
Hope you have enjoyed this journey with me.... ____________
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
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