Stair Climbing, walking, bus riding ~ Buddhist Holy Sites

[cooran]

Hello all,

Just back from spending a wonderful three weeks in N.E. India and Nepal - visited the usual Buddhist Holy Sites and then spending the last week based within walking distance of the Mahabodhi Temple.
Did an all night meditation there - locked in the grounds at 9.00 p.m. and not released until 4.00 a.m. at the earliest. And so it seems were the largest number of howling, fighting, yelping, cushion-stealing homeless dogs in the world. Did a lot of "bearing with".

During this last week we also visited Nalanda, plus The site of the Fire Sermon, and the caves of the Site of the First Council.

The last two need one to have a fair degree of physical fitness as well as common sense - Maoists are active in the area, and our group had to stay within sight of each other while climbing to the Site of the First Council. Hundreds of stairs need to be climbed at each of these two sites, and we went even further up at the site of the Fire Sermon ... right up to a Hindu temple on the peak above. The views from all the sites were incredible, as well as their feeling of power .... similar to the power emanating from the Mahabodhi temple during meditation near it.

I learned not to worry about being un-ladylike and panting and sweating .... or even leaning on the wall while gasping loudly.

I also discovered that there is a different art to coming down - especially if you have sore calf muscles ~ it worked better for me to lead with the sore leg.

Didn't want to come home - could have stayed another few months .... but, not being a millionaire and having bill to pay, I needed to come back to work.

with metta
Chris

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Chris,

I'm very pleased for you to have had this fine opportunity and I hope it inspires you to muster up Right Effort and strive on towards the goal!



Metta,
Retro.

[Ben]

Welcome home Chris!
So, when's the slide-show night at your place?
metta

Ben

[David N. Snyder]

Hundreds of stairs need to be climbed at each of these two sites, and we went even further up at the site of the Fire Sermon ...

Excellent! I'm glad you had a good time! I was there in 2006 and miss Bodh Gaya and the other sites already.

I like the title of this thread (I do stair climbing for fitness).

[David N. Snyder]

So, when's the slide-show night at your place?

And DW!

[BlackBird]

Good stuff Chris

metta
Jack

[cooran]

Welcome home Chris!
So, when's the slide-show night at your place?
metta

Ben

Hello Ben and all,

My camera, and my skill in photography, aren't of a very high standard - so maybe you might like to flick through these photos posted by a friend of mine on Flicker:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jo_beth/co ... 486074081/

with metta
Chris

[Sobeh]

How are all these things viewed out that way? I recall, for example, visiting Scotland and being rather shocked at the casual spray-painting of the lower walls of Edinburgh Castle by local youths. Is there a certain cavalier acceptance of what they live around, by and large, or are the majority of people proud of it all, or is it just a source of livelihood based on tourism for most people, or what?

[cooran]

Hello Sobeh,all,

BodhGaya is a World Heritage Site, not sure about the others, and all are conserved and protected by the Archeological Survey of India:
http://asi.nic.in/
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1056

Bodhgaya is also a Hindu Holy place with many Hindu followers also walking around the terraces.
http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Places/District/625765

Yes, there are stalls and businesses who depend on pilgrims for their livelihood - but I saw no neglect or vandalising of the sites in any way.

with metta
Chris

[appicchato]

Hi Chris...please tell your friend one more person thinks she has taken some beautiful photographs...thank you...