ABOUT BODH GAYA

We invite you to come to Bodh Gaya at least once in your lifetime. It is a remarkable experience.

In Bodh Gaya, the Buddha awoke to the way things are. It is the great place of pilgrimage for those who love the Dharma.

Imagine such a place on Earth. Hundreds of lamas from the Himalayan kingdoms sit together in an exotic landscaped garden in front of the tree where the Buddha realised the deepest truths.

Imagine the shady grounds with all kinds of flowers, stone statues and stupas. Monks and nuns move gently to the deep rhythm of ancient chanting.

In the evening time, gentle lights surround the Maha Bodhi (Great Enlightenment) Temple, an elegant 80 metre high memorial. At the base spreads the tree where one night the Buddha sat quietly determined to uncover what really matters. Today a large tree with widespread branches has grown from a sapling of a tree that is believed to be a sapling of the original tree.

The Burmese, Bhutanese, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Tibetan and Vietnamese temples welcome visitors to their rituals and ceremonies.

In the village, the market is alive with the selling of fruit, vegetable and grains. Stalls and shops sell a treasure trove of religious art, ornaments and Buddhist books. There are pilgrim jammed coaches, noisy trucks, cycle rickshaws, beggars and children.

In a generation in the West, more than a million people have sat Buddhist retreats ranging from a weekend to a weeklong to three years. Since 1975, our annual January retreats in Bodh Gaya have become a central feature for some international travellers to India and for people from the sub-continent. Some have made the determination to come to Bodh Gaya to meditate at least once in their lifetime.

While parrots flash green wings over the glittering roof of the Thai Monastery, just five minutes walk from the bodhi tree, men and women engage in the dedicated practice of the Dharma - listening to teachings, developing insight meditation (Vipassana) in the four postures of sitting, walking, standing, reclining and engaging in deep inquiry with the teachers.

Over the years, many thousands have attended our retreats and thousands of others have come to listen to our evening teachings in Bodh Gaya.