Final Reflections on Yatra to Northern India

* Now I've had time to review the trip, I think the highlight remains meditation time under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya.
* The lowest point was throwing up in the space between two carriages of the train.
* The happiest time was meeting fellow travellers, particularly those exploring Buddhism. Erin was my main travel buddy, since we sat next to either other on the train (actually, she was meant to sleep on the bunk above me) and the bus. Others included an incognito Catholic priest, a Zen student priest, a retired Westerner living in Thailand, and many others also from Taiwan (mainly Taipei and Kaohsiung).
* One unfulfilled wish is to see Lumbini in Nepal.
* I would have liked more meditation time also, but I now realise that even short distances in India take time to reach, particularly on country roads.
* I learned about the loss of Buddhism in India, particularly after the 11th century, and about the rediscovery and unearthing of many remains since the 19th century, thanks to mainly British and Burmese exploration and the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India). It is a sad loss for the country where the Buddha spent most of his life.
* I also learned that King Ashoka (crowned around 270 BCE) took seven of the original eight sets of relics of the Buddha and re-distributed them into 84,000 portions throughout his kingdom.

* I am grateful to the tour staff (especially Abhay Pandey, Vjiay Kumar and Mr Prateek) who looked after us and our security so well, to my wonderful travel companions (all of whom got on so well together), and to those who have been re-discovering the sites of Buddhism throughout India for our benefit today.
* I thoroughly recommend the Buddhist Circuit Special Train, also called the Maha Parinirvan Express, which is operated by IRCTC (the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation).

Yatra in India - Day 7: Gonda to Agra

Friday 27th January, 2012: (Tour Day 7)
After arriving at Gonda train station, it was another long 65 km bus trip to Shravasti. Here I saw:

* the Jetvana Vihara (where the Buddha gave most of his discourses and spent 24 rainy seasons in residence) within Jeta’s Grove

* Pakki Kuti (a stupa commemorating Angulimala)

* the Anand Bodhi tree (an offspring of the Bodhgaya one) and

* Sehat Mahet

Following lunch, we visited the local Vipassanâ centre run by Buddhist nuns from Thailand. They were very strict - no photos inside, a very long barefoot walk to the main building, washing the feet on arrival, etc.). However, they had a beautiful meditation hall and I was able to sit for about twenty minutes in peace.
We then spent two hours returning by bus to the train for dinner and a sleep ahead of the 450 km trip overnight to Agra.

Yatra in India - Day 2: Bodhgaya

Sunday 22nd January, 2012: (Tour Day 2)
I had a rough first night on the train, with little sleep due to the almost constant rocking and some heavy breaking of the train. At least the breakfast was nice. Since we arrived 1 1/2 hours late at Gaya station, the tour leader took us straight to the hotel by bus where we checked into a nice room with bath, I washed my clothes, showered and had lunch.
We then took the short trip to Bodhgaya. The places visited were:

* the giant Japanese Buddha statue and temple

* the Bhutanese monastery

* the Tibetan temple

* Niranjana River (now mostly a dry river bed, which I crossed onto) in which the Buddha bathed

* the Sujata Stupa (apparently the spot of Sujata’s home – the girl who fed the Bodhisattva rice pudding before his Awakening) and

* the Kusha Grass Temple (where an old buffalo herder offered Siddhartha a bundle of grass to use as a cushion before his enlightenment)

By far the biggest highlight was the Mahâ Bodhi Temple (the place where Siddhartha reached enlightenment) which includes an Ashokan pillar, the Mucalinda Lake (recalling where it is said a giant cobra sheltered the Buddha from the first rains some six weeks after becoming enlightened), and the Bodhi tree or “ficus religiosa” (a descendent of the original brought back from Sri Lanka). The temple was built around the 4th century CE. It was very busy, with many monks chanting, hundreds of people showing devotion by circling the grounds three times clockwise, and lots of hawkers outside. For me, being able to sit under the Bodhi tree and meditate undisturbed for almost 30 minutes was truly superb - among the best moments of the entire journey, in fact. Of course, the Buddha, after achieving enlightenment, spent one week standing nearby simply gazing at the tree out of gratitude, so I couldn’t match that.
In the evening we had dinner back at the hotel and an overnight stay. I did my best to dry my washing (sat them on the bed under a ceiling fan) and to have a decent night's sleep.

Visit to Shravasti

Friday 27th January, 2012: 
After arriving at Gonda train station, it was another long 65 km bus trip to Shravasti. Here I saw:

* the Jetvana Vihara (where the Buddha gave most of his discourses and spent 24 rainy seasons in residence) within Jeta’s Grove

* Pakki Kuti (a stupa commemorating Angulimala)

* the Anand Bodhi tree (an offspring of the Bodhgaya one) and

* Sehat Mahet

Visit to Bodhgaya

Sunday 22nd January, 2012: 
We took a short trip to Bodhgaya.

By far the biggest highlight was the Mahâ Bodhi Temple (the place where Siddhartha reached enlightenment) which includes an Ashokan pillar, the Mucalinda Lake (recalling where it is said a giant cobra sheltered the Buddha from the first rains some six weeks after becoming enlightened), and the Bodhi tree or “ficus religiosa” (a descendent of the original brought back from Sri Lanka). The temple was built around the 4th century CE. It was very busy, with many monks chanting, hundreds of people showing devotion by circling the grounds three times clockwise, and lots of hawkers outside. For me, being able to sit under the Bodhi tree and meditate undisturbed for almost 30 minutes was truly superb - among the best moments of the entire journey, in fact. Of course, the Buddha, after achieving enlightenment, spent one week standing nearby simply gazing at the tree out of gratitude, so I couldn’t match that.