Gaya district

Bodh Gaya, India where the Buddha achieved enlightenment - Part 1 of 3

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• published: 14 Aug 2013
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Sifu Terry Hodgkinson aka "wandering ninja" heads next to sacred Bodh Gaya. This is the place where Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree and would not move until he achieved enlightenment. IN PART ONE: "After spending a week in and around Pelling, Sikkim it was time to move on. The only problem with that was the electricity had been out for the past 3 days in neighbouring town Geyzing, where the train ticket office was located. On the forth day of the power outage decided to go anyways as I heard first thing in the morning they had power for a limited amount of time. My video starts out showing that when the power went out how they worked hard on getting extension cord after extension cord hooked up to an office that had back up power...just for me! When I recorded it they asked me not to as this wasn't standard practice to go through this trouble. I felt humbled and greatful they would do this. As it was only two of this morning got train tickets out of the Himalayas. Next was to take two jeeps to make it to Siliguri where I spent the night then caught an over night train to Patna and then switched trains to go to Gaya. Then a bus to Bodh Gaya and a motorcycle to my accommodations. Many thanks goes to the Buddhist Monk I met on the train to Patna who helped me find my connecting train at 5am in the morning to Gaya, it just so happened we were going to the same place, Bodh Gaya. Bodh Gaya was amazing. Located in the poorest state (Bihar) in India there was a lot of depravity all around. It was not uncommon to see locals relieving themselves at the roadside on backstreets or to be repulsed from the smell of urine or feces carried by the wind. Yet the Mahabodhi Temple complex and grounds where the Bodhi tree was located was unscathed by any of this. A welcomed sanctuary made to feel even better by the contrast of all that existed outside. I spent five days meditating in various ways here. This first video clip shows when I had just arrived and hired a local guide to show and explain to me the various sights around the temple. You will get the advantage of hearing much of what I heard on this half day tour." - Terry Hodgkinson ABOUT MAHABOHHI TEMPLE: The Mahabodhi Tempe (Literally: "Great Awakening Temple"), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, marking the location where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya (located in Gaya district) is located about 96 km (60 mi) from Patna, India. Next to the temple, on its western side, is the holy Bodhi tree. In the Pali Canon, the site is called Bodhimanda, and the monastery there the Bodhimanda Vihara. The tallest tower is 55 metres (180 ft) tall. The Bodhi tree at Bodhigaya is directly connected to the life of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (566—486 BCE), who attained enlightenment or perfect insight when he was meditating under an ancestor of this Pipal tree. The temple was built directly to the east of the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha spent his first week after attaining enlightenment (or its direct descendant in a line that continues to this day) For more information regarding traveling with small groups to visit exotic international locals with Terry as your personal guide please visit http://www.InnerOuterYou.com or call 416-732-0429