However, a typical Buddhist pilgrimage would normally, include other places of Buddhist interest, especially places like Nalanda and Rajgir (Rajagaha in Buddha's time).
In my travels, I have visited many ancient Buddhist sites. Some are just a historical park, a UNESCO reserve, a national monument. But others are clearly pilgrimage places.
What in particular makes a site a place of pilgrimage?
In 2009, I visited Borobudur in Indonesia and had a rude shock. Although it was not common regarded as a pilgrim site, I had thought of it as a pilgrimage in my mind. Unwittingly, I went there on an Indonesian public holiday. To my horror, the whole monument was like a theme park or play ground. Any sense of religious solemnity and sanctity was completed destroyed by the hoards of local tourists. They were having picnic in the park, climbing all over the monuments and the stupas, blatantly ignoring the signs that says "do not climb" and the security guards made no effort to rein in the crowds. I felt incredulous.This was a holy place and not a play ground. I took up the "do not climb" sign and waved it at anyone who tried to climb onto the stupas. But it was useless. They sheepishly got off the stupas, waited till I turn around and they climbed back onto it. I was totally devastated. The "pilgrimage" which I had imagined in my mind was completely destroyed.
Later that year, I gained an interesting perspective from a talk by Professor Frederick M. Asher. He said that people relate to a pilgrimage site in four ways: We sense them through how they were recorded in the scriptures. We visualize them through the accounts of the early Asian pilgrims. We understand them through the recent archaeological findings and studies. And finally we experience them through the fabrications and presentations of the sites' management.
Thus, the pilgrimage really exists in the devotee's mind, created through the scriptures, ancient accounts and archaeological findings as well as the way the pilgrim site is presented.
It was interesting when Professor Asher said that the Chinese "fabricated" place of pilgrimage, such as "transplanting" Mt Potalaka from India onto Chinese land as Mt Putuo.
In the case of Borobudur, it was not a pilgrimage place in the scriptures. There were no records of early pilgrimages. However, it had great archaeological significance. It also had great religious significance as it is the biggest Buddhist temple in the world and served as a center of focus for the Buddhists in an Muslim majority region. Unfortunately, the site's management did not try to promote it as a site of pilgrimage. In seems to me that the authorities attempt to de-emphasize the religious significance of the site, such as through banning the celebration of Vesak day at Borobudur. Vesak celebrations had to be done in the Mendut temple near by.
Bodhgaya was one of the four holy places mentioned by the Buddha. It is probably the most significant, because that was where the Buddha gained enlightenment and realized the Dharma we, as his disciples, try to practice. This can be seen by the huge numbers of pilgrims who converge there each pilgrimage season. But the effect was not necessarily spiritual.
The first day when I arrived at Bodhgaya, I was a little overwhelmed by the crowd of touts and beggars outside the Mahabodhi temple. Upon entering the temple, there were huge crowds, not all of them pilgrims -- many were Indian locals or tourists and mainly Hindu.I had always imagined Mahabodhi temple as a serene temple park with people doing their religious contemplation quietly, talking in hushed tones. But instead it was like a theme park. There was a multi-national Tipitaka Chanting session going on and there were many Buddhist groups from various countries chanting the Tipitaka loudly and over the sound systems. Then there were many small pilgrimage groups with their guides using loud-hailers, trying to get themselves heard over the noise. And there are bogus monks, trying to get your attention to give you a blessing and get some tips, or trying to talk you into giving some donation for their education. It was a little overwhelming, and not quite spiritually uplifting.
In the book Rude Awakening, one of the authors Nick Scott noted:
Although we were never quite certain where we were, we knew when we were near a holy site by the change in the way people treat us: the friendliness and helpfulness we experienced as we went through the rest of the country side would disappear. Instead of being seen as pilgrims to be helped, we were seen as a source of income.It is quite an irony that as a holy place, it is anything but holy, not just in terms of the atmosphere, but also the people.
With the mess and noise, persistent touts and beggars, the need to constantly look out for your belongings, and trying to turn away from the sight of some really wretched beggars, it can be really difficult to feel spiritual.
I could see that Ven Dhammika was some what affected by the noise and din. But each time we go round the temple and passed by the Bodhi tree, I could see how it seemed to inspire his faith and devotion.
And then I realized that I had let the environment and atmosphere of the site affected me too much. After all, that is only the last of the four factors that make a pilgrimage as mentioned by Dr Asher.
Here, the Buddha once lived and walked. Here the Buddha said each of his disciples can try to visit once in his life time. All these are recorded in the scriptures. Here, ancient pilgrims such as King Asoka, Xuan Zang and Fa Xian had come to pay their respects. Here, there are archaeological findings to back up the authenticity of the site. Here, there is a fascinating history behind how the temple was rediscovered by the British using ancient records from China (Xuan Zang's records).
But most importantly, here, Gotama sat under the Bodhi tree and realized the precious Dharma, the precious gift to humanity.
It was good that I had three nights in Bodhgaya. I had time to feel and experience the site. Slowly, I could see beyond the noise, the great devotion in pilgrims who made it all the way here. It was inspiring to see people of so many nationalities gathering here, chanting, circumabulating, meditation and worshiping. The temple building itself was quite awe-inspiring -- it was a piece of art itself, and a witness to all the faithful devotion of ancient Buddhists who contributed pieces of fine art and structure towards the monument of their faith.
And with the temple surrounded by extreme poverty, filth and rubbish, cheats and pickpockets, beggars and crippled, touts and con-men, I realized this is samsara. This is really what Buddhism is about. How do you rise above all the sufferings, cruelty, indignity and confusion of samsara? How to you stay peaceful, calm, joyful, compassionate, focused and insightful amid the realities of samsara. Even if only for a short moment.
About 2500 years ago, a person named Gotama managed to raise above samsara.
Today, the pilgrim is just experiencing the same samsara. The faithful's practice is to raise above samsara like Gotama did.
Although the site offered a small connection to our Great Teacher physically, it is in our minds we come to pay homage, with our body, speech and thoughts.
The pilgrimage is in the pilgrim's mind.
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