Started in a smelly hotel room in Allahabad on December 25, 2013
My room’s a little gross but the bed sheets are clean enough. I can’t complain given I’m paying $7 per night for a private room. Anyways, onto the blog…
One of the Holiest Sites in Hinduism
Allahabad served as my layover on the way to Bodhgaya. Its main attraction for visitors is the Kumbh Mela, a massive religious festival that occurs every 12 years. 40 million people attended the Kumbh Mela in 2013. Can you imagine that? That is more than the population of Canada crammed into a few square kilometers.
One of my mentors in Vancouver, MaRi, suggested a documentary on this festival a few months ago and my fascination with India grew as a result. Even though the festival happened at the beginning of the year, I definitely wanted to check out its grounds and feel the holy awesomness of the place.
Side note: My camera just started showing a big “ERR” message and stopped working. I was freaking out. Thankfully it went away on its own. I do have my backup point-and-shoot camera but my Nikon D90 is my baby and I don’t think I can enjoy travelling without its ability to capture what my eyes capture!
Sangam is a particularly auspicious point in Allahabad where two of India’s holiest rivers, the Ganges and the Yamuna, meet one of Hinduism’s mythical rivers, the Saraswati. This holy place was the focus of my visit to Allahabad. Upon arriving, I chartered a boat to the holiest point where the three rivers converged.
Even Religious Rituals in India Are Scams
I took part in some sort of a Hindu ritual at the point of convergence of the three rivers. First, I named three coconuts based on the names of my direct family members. Then I repeated the chants of a priest as he caressed my head with a straw brush. Finally, I cast the coconuts and a glass of coconut milk into the rivers.
As all of this was happening, I was wondering two things:
I still don’t have an answer to the first question but the second is 2000 rupees (nearly $40). In contrast, I paid 65 rupees for an amazing filling lunch with meat dishes today. The priest claimed 2000 rupees was the cost of the three coconuts, but as a daily coconut consumer with Coconut Man outside Dasra, I knew the cost of each coconut could be no more than 30 rupees. Coconut Man was originally charging me 40 rupees to take advantage of my foreign style, but 2000 rupees is like a whole new level of ridiculous.
For various reasons (e.g. Pickpocketing, negotiating and pretending to be poor, scams like this) I usually keep a low balance of change in my pockets and my remaining cash in top secret compartments around my body. Well, it paid off. I only had 160 rupees in my pocket, 60 of which had to go to my boat operator. Desperate for my money, the priest forced me to demonstrate the emptiness of all my pockets. Well I’m glad my travel habits got me a 1900 rupee discount on what I now call the “Sangam Scam Ritual.”
Random Acts of Kindness Make Travelling (and Life) Worthwhile
Sometimes you just get stuck when travelling. I went into adventure mode today and ended up on the outskirts of a large military base kilometers away from a place I could flag a rickshaw. I approached a motorcyclist parked on the side of the road named Irfan for directions. He’s a local television reporter in Allahabad and a huge fan of Chinese kung-fu movies. You can guess what we talked about as he gave me a free 20 minute lift to where I was staying. He also gave me some great advice on staying safe in India. I offered him a tip or to grab him dinner but he politely refused, said he was real glad to meet and chat with me, and rode off into the sunset. What a cool dude.
Entry continued from a clean, nice-smelling room at the Tibetan Monastery in Bodhgaya, December 26 2013
Exploring the Holiest Site in Buddhism
The next part of my journey took me to Bodhgaya in the state of Bihar. Bodhgaya, the place where Buddha gained enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree, is considered the holiest site in Buddhism.
Given its importance, pretty much every country that practices Buddhism has its own monastery here. And the cool part: guests can stay at most of them for a very reasonable price.
A Spiritual Awakening by Destiny?
I didn’t even know Bodhgaya existed until my to go to Gwalior fell through due to transport availability and only upon more travel research did I discover that this place existed. In a way, Bodhgaya found me. I shared a rickshaw into town from its train station with a fellow called Brajendra from North Eastern India. Within 5 minutes of our shared ride I could easily sense he was a deeply spiritual person. He discovered Vipasana, a form of long-term silent meditation, 17 years ago and he has been a hardcore meditator ever since. There is a 45 day Vipasana course for advanced meditators, which to my amazement, entails 45 full days of silence and meditation. Not a single word can be uttered during that time. Incredibly, Brajendra has done the 45 day course five times.
He wanted to stay at the Japanese monastery, and with my affinity for Tibetan culture, I opted for the Tibetan one. I wanted to learn more about spirituality so we exchanged numbers upon parting ways. Upon learning that the Tibetan monastery only had double-rooms, I texted Brajendra offering him the extra bed in case he needed it. Well, he happened to be having troubles finding the Japanese monastery, so by fate we ended up sharing once again. We were later joined by new friends: a guy called Luv from Dubai (seriously, that was his name. He’d do well at the clubs in the West) and Andrea from Switzerland. They have both done Vipasana courses and practice meditation twice a day. We enjoyed each other’s company, explored the town together and shared our views on life. I have a feeling that the conversations I had over the past few days will spiritually alter the course of my life.
Given his spiritual depth, I told Brajendra that he is the closest person I have to a guru or sadhu. He said there’s a better term, “Kalyanmitra”, which means a well-intentioned spiritual friend. Well, I am grateful for meeting a Kalyanmitra and hope one day I have the wisdom to be a Kalyanmitra for another person.
Vegetarianism: My Second Attempt
One of the tenets of Buddhism to enlightenment, not to mention a good practice for meditators, is not to harm any living beings. Regardless of religious orientation, I always knew that vegetarianism was part of my own path to enlightenment. My first attempt at vegetarianism was after my South America sabbatical in 2011 where I lasted 8 months without meat. But I just love meat too much. Bacon bits. Home made beef jerky. Beef stew. KFC. Peking duck. Prime rib steak. Chicken pot pie. Thanksgiving turkey. My special five-meat meatballs. Triple layer hamburgers. Fried pork back ribs. Anything off the menu of Hong Kong BBQ Master in Richmond. Yum. I’m salivating right now.
But no more. I was spiritually inspired by Andrea, Brajendra and Luv.
I’ll blog about this decision in more detail later, but right now, I intend to continue my vegetarianism journey. India is a place with a majority vegetarian population so its a great place to start. I struggled at first with defining vegetarianism due to the infinite points on the spectrum. Some food such as eggs, fish and insects can be debated to be part of a vegetarian’s diet. There’s even a religion known as Jainism where root vegetables aren’t eaten because pulling a potato out of the ground kills the entire plant.
My brain churned at 100mph for days to find a good personal definition of vegetarianism. I'm not sure how I came across this but it makes total sense: “if I am not willing to kill, butcher and cook this living being with my own hands, then I will not eat it either.” This rule of thumb seems to be a good way of aligning my vegetarianism with my own authentic feelings about the harming of living beings. Even if it’s delicious mutton slow cooked over 8 hours with yummy yummy spices…
My room’s a little gross but the bed sheets are clean enough. I can’t complain given I’m paying $7 per night for a private room. Anyways, onto the blog…
One of the Holiest Sites in Hinduism
Allahabad served as my layover on the way to Bodhgaya. Its main attraction for visitors is the Kumbh Mela, a massive religious festival that occurs every 12 years. 40 million people attended the Kumbh Mela in 2013. Can you imagine that? That is more than the population of Canada crammed into a few square kilometers.
One of my mentors in Vancouver, MaRi, suggested a documentary on this festival a few months ago and my fascination with India grew as a result. Even though the festival happened at the beginning of the year, I definitely wanted to check out its grounds and feel the holy awesomness of the place.
Side note: My camera just started showing a big “ERR” message and stopped working. I was freaking out. Thankfully it went away on its own. I do have my backup point-and-shoot camera but my Nikon D90 is my baby and I don’t think I can enjoy travelling without its ability to capture what my eyes capture!
Sangam is a particularly auspicious point in Allahabad where two of India’s holiest rivers, the Ganges and the Yamuna, meet one of Hinduism’s mythical rivers, the Saraswati. This holy place was the focus of my visit to Allahabad. Upon arriving, I chartered a boat to the holiest point where the three rivers converged.
It doesn’t look like anything special but apparently this is extremely holy water. I think the couple on the right were totally making out until I showed up. Sorry guys but I gotta get my spirituality on.
I took part in some sort of a Hindu ritual at the point of convergence of the three rivers. First, I named three coconuts based on the names of my direct family members. Then I repeated the chants of a priest as he caressed my head with a straw brush. Finally, I cast the coconuts and a glass of coconut milk into the rivers.
As all of this was happening, I was wondering two things:
- Whether or not I was actually selling my soul
- How much will this end up costing me
I still don’t have an answer to the first question but the second is 2000 rupees (nearly $40). In contrast, I paid 65 rupees for an amazing filling lunch with meat dishes today. The priest claimed 2000 rupees was the cost of the three coconuts, but as a daily coconut consumer with Coconut Man outside Dasra, I knew the cost of each coconut could be no more than 30 rupees. Coconut Man was originally charging me 40 rupees to take advantage of my foreign style, but 2000 rupees is like a whole new level of ridiculous.
For various reasons (e.g. Pickpocketing, negotiating and pretending to be poor, scams like this) I usually keep a low balance of change in my pockets and my remaining cash in top secret compartments around my body. Well, it paid off. I only had 160 rupees in my pocket, 60 of which had to go to my boat operator. Desperate for my money, the priest forced me to demonstrate the emptiness of all my pockets. Well I’m glad my travel habits got me a 1900 rupee discount on what I now call the “Sangam Scam Ritual.”
My attempt to take a photo of the next Sangam Scam Ritual being performed as we were departing
Random Acts of Kindness Make Travelling (and Life) Worthwhile
Sometimes you just get stuck when travelling. I went into adventure mode today and ended up on the outskirts of a large military base kilometers away from a place I could flag a rickshaw. I approached a motorcyclist parked on the side of the road named Irfan for directions. He’s a local television reporter in Allahabad and a huge fan of Chinese kung-fu movies. You can guess what we talked about as he gave me a free 20 minute lift to where I was staying. He also gave me some great advice on staying safe in India. I offered him a tip or to grab him dinner but he politely refused, said he was real glad to meet and chat with me, and rode off into the sunset. What a cool dude.
Entry continued from a clean, nice-smelling room at the Tibetan Monastery in Bodhgaya, December 26 2013
Exploring the Holiest Site in Buddhism
The next part of my journey took me to Bodhgaya in the state of Bihar. Bodhgaya, the place where Buddha gained enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree, is considered the holiest site in Buddhism.
A direct descendent of the Bodhi tree planted in the same spot where Budhha gained enlightenment. The original tree was poisoned out of jealousy by Emperor Ashoka's wife because the good Emperor was a devout Buddhist and wasn't giving her enough lovin' . Lesson learned: women do crazy things when their needs aren't met
Given its importance, pretty much every country that practices Buddhism has its own monastery here. And the cool part: guests can stay at most of them for a very reasonable price.
Bodhgaya is one of the very few places where one can visit beautiful Bhutanese, TIbetan, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Bangladesh and Thai Buddhist temples within a couple hours of strolling
This is the magnificent Mahabodhi Temple. Built in the place of Buddha's enlightenment, it is THE temple of all Buddhist temples
A Spiritual Awakening by Destiny?
I didn’t even know Bodhgaya existed until my to go to Gwalior fell through due to transport availability and only upon more travel research did I discover that this place existed. In a way, Bodhgaya found me. I shared a rickshaw into town from its train station with a fellow called Brajendra from North Eastern India. Within 5 minutes of our shared ride I could easily sense he was a deeply spiritual person. He discovered Vipasana, a form of long-term silent meditation, 17 years ago and he has been a hardcore meditator ever since. There is a 45 day Vipasana course for advanced meditators, which to my amazement, entails 45 full days of silence and meditation. Not a single word can be uttered during that time. Incredibly, Brajendra has done the 45 day course five times.
He wanted to stay at the Japanese monastery, and with my affinity for Tibetan culture, I opted for the Tibetan one. I wanted to learn more about spirituality so we exchanged numbers upon parting ways. Upon learning that the Tibetan monastery only had double-rooms, I texted Brajendra offering him the extra bed in case he needed it. Well, he happened to be having troubles finding the Japanese monastery, so by fate we ended up sharing once again. We were later joined by new friends: a guy called Luv from Dubai (seriously, that was his name. He’d do well at the clubs in the West) and Andrea from Switzerland. They have both done Vipasana courses and practice meditation twice a day. We enjoyed each other’s company, explored the town together and shared our views on life. I have a feeling that the conversations I had over the past few days will spiritually alter the course of my life.
Left to right: Brajendra, a really suave Chinese man, Andrea and Luv
Given his spiritual depth, I told Brajendra that he is the closest person I have to a guru or sadhu. He said there’s a better term, “Kalyanmitra”, which means a well-intentioned spiritual friend. Well, I am grateful for meeting a Kalyanmitra and hope one day I have the wisdom to be a Kalyanmitra for another person.
Vegetarianism: My Second Attempt
One of the tenets of Buddhism to enlightenment, not to mention a good practice for meditators, is not to harm any living beings. Regardless of religious orientation, I always knew that vegetarianism was part of my own path to enlightenment. My first attempt at vegetarianism was after my South America sabbatical in 2011 where I lasted 8 months without meat. But I just love meat too much. Bacon bits. Home made beef jerky. Beef stew. KFC. Peking duck. Prime rib steak. Chicken pot pie. Thanksgiving turkey. My special five-meat meatballs. Triple layer hamburgers. Fried pork back ribs. Anything off the menu of Hong Kong BBQ Master in Richmond. Yum. I’m salivating right now.
But no more. I was spiritually inspired by Andrea, Brajendra and Luv.
I’ll blog about this decision in more detail later, but right now, I intend to continue my vegetarianism journey. India is a place with a majority vegetarian population so its a great place to start. I struggled at first with defining vegetarianism due to the infinite points on the spectrum. Some food such as eggs, fish and insects can be debated to be part of a vegetarian’s diet. There’s even a religion known as Jainism where root vegetables aren’t eaten because pulling a potato out of the ground kills the entire plant.
My brain churned at 100mph for days to find a good personal definition of vegetarianism. I'm not sure how I came across this but it makes total sense: “if I am not willing to kill, butcher and cook this living being with my own hands, then I will not eat it either.” This rule of thumb seems to be a good way of aligning my vegetarianism with my own authentic feelings about the harming of living beings. Even if it’s delicious mutton slow cooked over 8 hours with yummy yummy spices…
Monks in rickshaws. Baby monks. Orange monks. So many monks on the dance floor. If all these dudes can go a lifetime without meat, I'm sure this meat-lovin Chinese dude can too
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