In and out of Nepal

As we drove north to Lumbini, Nepal, sickness was coming on far stronger for me. Gilad had to leave our company after Kushinagar and was to meet us in Savastthi. It had just come to his attention that he had purchased a visa with "single entry", being in India a month he had no idea he would want to exit the border and come back. We stopped in one big and ugly and dirty city in the north to let him out. I used a miserable bathroom in a rundown hotel and hobbled back to the bus. As we contined on, the fever was increasing and I was feeling worse-- either the well water or sugar cane juice as far as I could reckon. Kedaar was also having a head cold, and as we were both sitting by Bhanteji, he did a very long chanting, about an hour or so, that filled both of us with metta. Now, even in much pain, there was kind of a joy coming into me as well. We stopped at the Indian border town and it was as chaotic, smog-filled, and hectic as anything you could imagine. Another point here where words fail me-- something out of a thousand years ago here. As we walked along, we had to cover our mouths with a cotton cloth, otherwise it felt like you were taking a container of dirt, dust, and exhaust, and sucking it into the bottom of your lungs. It was even worse than most Indian cities, which are so bad that when you blow your nose it comes out black, or if you scratch your face, a layer of grime peels out from under the fingernail. You can even see Kedaar and Lek having to cover their mouths in this picture below as we stroll into India...

We filled out several forms in the Indian office, walked across to a sign welcoming us to Nepal, filled out more forms at the Nepali office, where we instantly found officials who did not disdain us but actually smiled as we spoke and acknowledged we existed. How nice Nepal was! We were issued a free three day visa and met Mahindra.

A couple more hours into the night we rolled north until we reached the Lumbini Vipassana center (see the photo taken on the following morning here). We were warmly welcomed inside, and as no course was going on, given rooms. I was quite weak by now and praying we would not have the requisite two hours of forms and formalities and chais that very well could take place. Luckily we did not. I managed to make my bed, get a glass of hot lemon water, light the mosquito coils with the worst matches I have ever seen, and slept until our morning meditation in the Vipassana hall.

We walked to the holy site in Lumbini and continued our meditation, chanting, walking, and listening to Bhanteji's Dhamma Talks and stories. At lunch everyone else went outside to find food, and I stayed with Bhanteji in meditation. We saw the pond where Gotama's mother washed after his birth, and saw several hundred white clad Sri Lankans sitting cross legged before it. The Nepali government had built a huge construction protecting the most important ruins, including the 5th Century BCE ruins that marked the original house and even spot where Gotama was born to. We later found out that the Indian government was legally not permitted to make such renovations. Lumbini differed greatly to the Indian sites-- it seemed much better cared for and the central planning of the surrounding areas was very logical and convenient. A trust composed of all the different Buddhist schools worked together to make the plans, and even a Goenka-Vipassana student was a member.

Here are two more photos... the first as we walk after Bhanteji paying homage to the actual birthplace of Buddha by repeating his chanting. The second (below) in the same area, just as we sit down to honor Triple Gem for sitting...

We left Lumbini and I did slowly start to feel better. A sickness that could have stayed with me a week or at least a few days, but with that large dose of metta, was gone in 24 hours. I felt similar to how I feel at Vipassana centers-- in a very protected environment, which is essential in order to have confidence to work on these impurities. I put my trust in this and tried to take refuge, and it was a very interesting feeling to have this safety in a mobile way-- a very mobile fashion indeed!

We made a surprise stop at Kapilavatthu after crossing back to the Indian border (it seemed the very moment we crossed over the noise and pollution and chaos seemed to step up as it welcomed us back to India-- giant TATA trucks and rickshaws incessantly ringing bells and carrying thousands of pounds of God knows what half-trying to run us over). There were three stupas here from the 5th Century BCE. This is where the Buddha spent most of his 30 years growing up, and also the most important holy site that is not entirely confirmed of its location. It was once a great Sakyan city, and the place where Gotama came back to as a Buddha and begged for food in the street. His father was so upset he invited his entire retinue of monks and fed them all, and he gave his father a Dhamma talk, and I believe he became a Sotapanna. It was later destroyed by King Pasendi's son, due to the famous pride and arrogance of the Sakyan people. Another interesting tale. We walk around some monastery ruins established after the Buddha. One of the larger ones is shaped like a swastika-- we have seen so many swastikas, the spiritual symbol that the Nazis stole and forever tarnished, even though the Nazi one is reversed from the Indian... for photos of all this, go here!

We used the open-air Indian style facilities, really one of the only ways to have a moment of freedom from the beggars (or else boarding the bus or entering the ruins--only conniving Hindus in there). Kedaar told me it is the national pastime to relieve onself on walls. One movie actually had this as its theme-- it was about a man who got tired of the endless streams of urine that drenched the wall by his home. No one would listen to him as he tried to make them stop. So, finally he painted a picture of Krishna, no one would dare defile this, and the human refuse was soon replaced by flowers, garlands, and pujas... what a country!

Here is one last photo... a funny one.... of me sitting in the Indian immigration office!