Cats who teach me to fly…

The first incident started with not being able to kill the truth, they assassinated my character instead so they were able to bypass me to persuade the owner to sign the contract and make themselves the rightful owner of the dogs and left me with humiliation and shame.

Second was the accusation from my adopters, as I have taken the cat away from them due to the breach of contract. Three clauses were breached. What’s more was there to say or even to defend?

Both incidents were all over the social media with more than a hundred comments criticising and calling me names. The feeling was dead awful.

Third, the accusation of being called “fake” coming from my relative that completely burnt me out and left me right at the bottom!

And lastly, the disagreement between my spiritual mentor and I had further pushed me down again…All negative karma ripened at the same time. Wonderful! I have exhausted them. Brilliant! With an heavy heart, I came to India for the Buddha…

Varanasi was my first destination. When I was reading the sutras, Buddha often mentioned the grains of sand along the Ganges river and finally, I was at the Ganges River.

I also caught the beautiful sunrise at the Ganges River.

I saw where the cremation activities were. I saw the beggars, the old, the monks but not the sick and the dead. It wasn’t a pleasant sight despite being the era today, let alone the era during the time of the Buddha. Now I understood why Buddha was so persistent in seeking the truth. Next destination was Sarnath where Buddha delivered his first sermon.

I was visualising Buddha sitting and giving his first teachings to his five disciples.

Bodh Gaya seemed to be rather happening. The place is safe for tourists and I can’t wait to visit the maha temple.

I was overwhelmed when I reached Bodh Gaya that I forgot to take photos. Photos were not allowed unless you use a camera and I no longer carry a camera anymore.

So this was the Bodhi tree that Buddha sat under and got enlightened. I made a vow to the Buddha that I will learn his teachings only from him life after life. And I would create a cause for my vow to come true. Not only mine, but those too who are close to me.

I got up at 4am the next morning and went to Maha temple again to make a full prostration continuously to the Buddha for nearly 30mins. I had to leave when the monks and or nuns began chanting very loudly and with the lighting up of incense and its heavy smell… It still makes me wonder, do we still find peace within ourselves?

In the pali canon text, Buddha always talked about the four Jhana. Where has any of the Jhana gone to? Perhaps meditation should not be practised in “public” places like pilgrimage sites? To be honest, I am very confused with the teachings from the modern monks and nuns. This explains the vows that I made to the Buddha…

Feeling a little sad when I was at Kushinagar looking at the “sleeping” Buddha. I believe many were sad at that point of time when Buddha entered mahaparinirvana.

I sat quietly by the side and out of a sudden a monk was chanting very loudly and I hope not only his wish to liberate himself from samsara would be fulfilled and also those who had the same thought.

And the final destination is the Buddha’s birth place, Lumbini.

No photos are allowed to be taken at the spot where Buddha was born.

The pond on the picture above was where Buddha’s mother took her bath.

I can’t imagine how was the place like 2500 years ago. The grass may be fresher, brighter or greener? The air was fresher? Or the stars were brighter?

Being able to go back to the time where Buddha had been there was an amazement to me. Continually visualising how Buddha took months to travel from one destination to another by foot. What happened along the way? Where did he rest? How did he cope? Etc… We are for sure unable to find another person like the Buddha now till the arrival of Boddhisattva Maitreya. Meantime, the Buddha, pali canon and me!