It's Just a Tree!

So, I'm still behind on my blog posting and photo uploads, so please enjoy them as they come. This one was from Bodh Gaya.

I sat under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya... and... I'll be damned if I'm still not enlightened!

And you know what? It doesn't even yield magical fruits!

But, I'm a goofy American, and romantic at heart, so I'm not going to complain. I promise.

I did sit for an hour at the "contemplation spot" however, and had a great time. About halfway through my sit, a Thai monk came and sat nextto me and started chanting. There we sat, quietly engaged in our own practices. I felt a great sense of honor.

In Bodh Gaya, it's not unlikely to find yourself sitting at a cafe drinking a lassi with a Tibetan Rinpoche at the next table.

The town itself is rather small, flooded by the seasonal Tibetan pilgrims. I can only imagine how this village has changed from the queit forest solitude of 2500 years ago. Hopefully the devotion of the many many pilgrims will bring a little prosperity to the community into the future. And also the tourists who buy cool Buddha posters.

Anyway, I'm heading to Varanasi tomorrow. I will write more soon.