Namaste beautiful friends and family!!
Catherine here from Bodhgaya to update you on our latest week!! Boy, have we had an amazing time here at the Root Institute. I know I can speak for everyone when I say we don’t want to leave!! From the moment we arrived here, we could feel how special it was. Monks and Nuns smiling at you, the cutest goats running around seemingly overwhelmed by the mass amounts of green grass, beautiful Buddha statues, Tibetan prayer flags everywhere, and the sound of birds chirping really set the tone for a calm and peaceful week.
Our first full day started with a morning meditation and a 7:30 breakfast, followed with a tour of all the Root Institute’s service projects!! It truly is an incredible place and they really do so much to help the community around them. The first stop was the Shakyamuni Buddha Community Health Care Clinic, which consists of 6 Homeopathic Doctors, 1 Acupuncturist, 1 Physical Therapist, 1 Dentist, and Nurses!! They provide free care to the poor and needy in neighboring villages and even send out a mobile clinic every day! The Clinic alone sees up to 1,000 patients every month, and seems to touch so many lives every day. Next we went to see the Maitrya School. They educate 200 students grades kindergarten to grade 4. Not only do they have regular school classes, but they teach compassion, honesty and loving kindness. Every corner we turned, there seemed to be another poster promoting positivity- it was so beautiful! Within the same building, there is an orphanage called the Tara Children’s Project. This particular orphanage houses 21 children ages 5-15 who are all HIV positive- making it the one and only orphanage that will take in children with HIV in all of Bihar, which is the state we are in. We were all so touched by all of the Root Institutes service projects, and couldn’t wait to volunteer in a few days!
The next two days, we had the honor of sitting in on classes taught by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, the first ordained western nun!! She spoke on Atisha’s Jojong Root Verses on Training the Mind. It was an intermediate level class, but she seemed to explain everything to us in a way where we all could understand without any previous knowledge of Buddhism. She is such an expressive woman, laughing and joking while making the cutest faces. We learned so much in just two days, but the take home message is just to be a kind, caring, compassionate and loving human!
We also celebrated a birthday on the 8th!! Our one and only Dani turned the big 18!!! We went out to celebrate AND found an amazing chocolate cake!!! She welcomed the beginning of a new year with a blessing from the one and only Jetsunma.. I mean how cool?!!
The next few days were spent volunteering at the Tara Children’s Project. From the moment we arrived the children grabbed our hands and started playing games and dancing with us. It was pouring outside, but that did not stop us from dancing and running around!! We tried our hardest to speak Hindi with them… ultimately leading to them giggling at us struggling and talking to us in English. Because they could speak English so well we were able to bond with them on a really special level. Savannah and I taught them how to use our cameras, Chris and Alessandra played music and sang with them, Dani and Emilia danced around, Fordham and Chris played chess all day with them, Nate played frisbee, and Kate taught some of them to paint!! In just two short days, we had fallen in love. Don’t be surprised if we come home with 21 new members to our group!!!
Today and yesterday were spent exploring around Bodhgaya. We visited the Mahabodhi Temple, where The Buddha attained enlightenment, the Big Buddha statue, which apparently houses 20,000 small Buddha figurines, Mahakala Cave, where the Buddha meditated for 6 years, and the place where a woman gave him Rice Pudding after he had been in the cave for 6 years. We have hiked, explored, haggled, eaten wonderful food, and enjoyed each other’s company!!
Tomorrow we head off to Kolkata, where we will be for another week.
We are so sad to say goodbye to the Root Institute, but are so incredibly grateful for the time spent here!!
Until next week!!
Sending love and positive vibes to all of you!
PS- Fordham and Chris have shaved their heads… who’s next??
PPS- I’m having technical issues trying to upload some photos, but I will upload them next time we find a suitable computer!! Classic India computers hehe.