Buddha Purnima - Namgyal Monastery, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala - India
- Oct 7, 2024
- 3 min read
-Sketch of Buddha (downloaded from Internet)
Buddha Purnima also known as Buddha's birthday or Buddha's Day is celebrated as part of Saka Dawa - a month long celebration of remembering and cherishing Buddha's birth, attainment of Enlightenment and death of his physical body. I was lucky enough to be in McLeod Ganj on this special day to experience the festivities at the monastery and this post is to share what I saw, felt and observed.
-Street dogs giving me company while I enjoy my tea, the prayer hall in monastery, a monk on his way to the monastery
The monastery was buzzing with devotees from all age groups and everyone had saved a spot along with their companions to be part of the day long prayers being offered to Buddha. This monastery is also home to his Holiness - Dalai Lama hence this monastery has all the more special vibe. And believe me you feel it when you are here.
As I sat there observing so many people who have come to seek the blessing of Lord Buddha, to eat the prasad (food or other offerings, considered to be sanctified after being offered to the divine) and offer their prayers, it made me wonder of the infinite stories each one of us would have - a story of happiness, joy, heart break, loss, pain & sadness and all of us coming from all different backgrounds yet we all are here sitting under the same roof seeking blessing of the almighty. Children running around, playing, being oblivious to what adult hood is about. Enjoying the present moment, living in the now, full of innocent love, joy and NO EGO. Why do we forget all this when we grow up?
Each person here has a story, a life lesson to share - Ah I so wish I could talk to each one of them to learn more about their life and experiences.
-Devotees resting during lunch break
-Devotees lined up for prasad and relishing the food
But from all the travels I have done, talking to locals, fellow travellers I have come to realise that each one of us just wants to be happy, content and at peace with we are in life. Irrespective of our colour, religion, ethnicity we all are looking for the same thing and I sincerely hope one day we all understand this as the ultimate truth and live in more peace and harmony!
KORA Circuit
So after my time inside the monastery I decided to do the Kora circuit (Kora is a form of pilgrimage wherein you circumambulate a holy site) and this was the first time I truly saw so much suffering around a place of worship.
-beggars lined up in the entire circuit
In the past when I have done this circuit I have felt a sense of calmness & bliss but this time the circuit was full of beggars having all sorts of ailment. There were babies, kids, ladies, people with amputated legs & hands, beggars with epilepsy. While doing the circuit seeing so much suffering it reminded of what Buddha spoke about human suffering and how to obtain bliss or peace in our suffering. And this made me wonder that inspite of all this suffering are these people at peace? Am pretty sure the answer is No as most of us aren't in that state of bliss but isn't being able to attain that state of bliss is what Spiritual Psychology is all about.
It made me realise the irony of the situation - Inside the monastery there are people who can easily afford meals but yet are eating the prasad and right outside the monastery there are hungry beggars who aren't allowed to eat the prasad? Are we right in eating the prasad OR should these people actually get the prasad who truly need it?
It's also believed that during the month of Saka Dawa any good deed will be amplified a hundred million times which maybe these beggars know and we humans out of fear of unknown and being greedy for more karmic cleanse will do more charity to wash off their sins?
With all these thoughts in my mind I walked back to my homestay with a sense of gratitude and reminding myself that my life is abundant with beautiful and true relationships and I wish peace, contentment, happiness for others too.
With this note I end this blog with a video of a monk playing the sound bowl. Please ignore the chitter chatter of other tourist in the background but the sound of the bowl is pure bliss.
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