Meditations of a Yogi

“Bodh Gaya is little more than a slum and most visitors are shocked by the dust, dirt, beggars and poverty – although (unfortunately) conditions are slowly improving. What many experience when they leave the madness behind and enter the inner circle is that the atmosphere created by the Mahabodhi Temple is so powerful that it feels as if you are hypnotised. There you will see the Vajra Asana (also known as the Diamond Seat), where, after years of searching for the truth and six years of penance on the banks of the Niranjana River (now known as the Falgu River), Siddhartha finally discovered the Middle Way and attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.

The actual Bodhi tree under which Siddhartha sat was destroyed centuries ago, but a seed from it reached Sri Lanka and grew there so that its fruit could later be brought back to India (there are many wonderful stories about how this seed was obtained) and planted in the same spot as the original tree. The Bodhi tree is important to Buddhists because it is a symbol of enlightenment. Although there were many trees, caves and temples in the area, Siddhartha chose to sit under the Bodhi tree and it was there that he destroyed his final defilements to attain enlightenment and become the liberator of the Three Worlds – the desire world, the form world and the formless world. It is believed that all one thousand Buddhas of this Bhadrakalpa will attain enlightenment there. All of this means that paying homage to the Bodhi tree is not like worshipping the spirit of a tree like a shaman, but rather a recognition of the wonderful event that took place under its branches.

Bodh Gaya is not special only because it is where all the Buddhas will attain enlightenment. According to Tantric Buddhism, everywhere in the world and every phenomenon that exists outside of us has a corresponding existence within our bodies. Good practitioners and Yogis, in their practice, can visit the sacred sites, which reside in the chakras and channels of their bodies, and in this way progress on the path to enlightenment. Those of us whose practice is not so advanced can at least visit the outer reflection of these inner holy sites, the heart of which is often considered to be in Bodh Gaya.”

- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

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186 viewsSep 19 at 01:16

“Bodh Gaya is little more than a slum and most visitors are shocked by the dust, dirt, beggars and poverty – although (unfortunately) conditions are slowly improving. What many experience when they leave the madness behind and enter the inner circle is that the atmosphere created by the Mahabodhi Temple is so powerful that it feels as if you are hypnotised. There you will see the Vajra Asana (also known as the Diamond Seat), where, after years of searching for the truth and six years of penance on the banks of the Niranjana River (now known as the Falgu River), Siddhartha finally discovered the Middle Way and attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.

The actual Bodhi tree under which Siddhartha sat was destroyed centuries ago, but a seed from it reached Sri Lanka and grew there so that its fruit could later be brought back to India (there are many wonderful stories about how this seed was obtained) and planted in the same spot as the original tree. The Bodhi tree is important to Buddhists because it is a symbol of enlightenment. Although there were many trees, caves and temples in the area, Siddhartha chose to sit under the Bodhi tree and it was there that he destroyed his final defilements to attain enlightenment and become the liberator of the Three Worlds – the desire world, the form world and the formless world. It is believed that all one thousand Buddhas of this Bhadrakalpa will attain enlightenment there. All of this means that paying homage to the Bodhi tree is not like worshipping the spirit of a tree like a shaman, but rather a recognition of the wonderful event that took place under its branches.

Bodh Gaya is not special only because it is where all the Buddhas will attain enlightenment. According to Tantric Buddhism, everywhere in the world and every phenomenon that exists outside of us has a corresponding existence within our bodies. Good practitioners and Yogis, in their practice, can visit the sacred sites, which reside in the chakras and channels of their bodies, and in this way progress on the path to enlightenment. Those of us whose practice is not so advanced can at least visit the outer reflection of these inner holy sites, the heart of which is often considered to be in Bodh Gaya.”

- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

BY Meditations of a Yogi