Varanasi was a magical city, unlike anything we expected or were prepared for. But somehow in the overflow of sights, experiences, and chaos, what each person needed to find there was reflected back to them.
All of us had great teachers for our internships, whether we were studying beneti (fire dancing), Indian music, Indian cooking, ayurveda, Bollywood dance, or yoga. It’s amazing what you can learn in a week practicing daily. We continued learning Hindi with daily lessons, and advanced lessons were even arranged for me. 3 of us chose to do homestays with always-hospitable Indian families and learned what family life is like in Varanasi.
The true essence of Varanasi was experienced on our first walk on the ghats. People bathing in the ganga, doing laundry, sometimes naked Sadhus with their beards and orange robes, beggars, food stands and chai-wallas, boats, people selling magnets for the river, delicious restaurants, ancient temples, tourists, and of course cows, monkeys, goats, and puppies. We reached the burning ghats and witnessed the bodies deceased of natural causes being burned here to achieve Nirvana, taking it as an opportunity to contemplate our own mortality and preciousness of life.
The Ghats
Another amazing activity in Varanasi was volunteering at Guria, an organization fighting the exploitation of women and girls and center for children of sex-traffickers and prostitutes that helps reduce the stigma against them and give them career options in the future. We played games with them and accompanied them on their daily meditation (which turns into nap time for the younger ones!). Ajeet, the founder, and highly inspirational man gave a lecture/question-answer session for us in our hostel, which left us awestruck and with much food for thought.
Smiles at Guria
Although our train was several hours late, we made it to Bodh Gaya, the birthplace of Buddhism, where our lodging is the colorful Bhutanese monastery. We began our morning with meditation in a Gompa led by monk Tamir at the Root Institute, an amazing Buddhist center with gardens and beauty galore. We are loving the opportunity to experien
ce and learn about Buddhism in its holiest city of India. We visited the Buddhist temples of different countries: China, Nepal, Thailand, Tibet, and more, which gives us a taste of Buddhism in each country. The Great Buddha statue, and the heart of this city: the Mahabodhi Temple on the site of Bodhi tree where Buddha attained enlightenment. We spent much time there soaking up the peaceful, compassionate energy.
Early tomorrow morning, 4:00 am it’s off on our train to Calcutta. It’s bittersweet leaving this place so soon, but perhaps Calcutta will give us a chance to put our Buddhist compassion to practice in Mother Theresa’s home for the Destitute.
~Om Mani Padme Hum~
<3 Blessings to our families <3
Alexis