Retreat Environments

Tiruvannamalai. On the edge of this modest sized Indian town in the state of Tamil Nadu, South India, about five hours on the local bus from Chennai, stands the renowned ashram of Sri Ramana Maharshi, the much loved teacher of Liberation, who has been adopted as the patron saint by the Western Advaita (non-dual) tradition, even though the saintly Ramana never referred himself as belonging to the Advaita tradition and dismissed advaita and vaita as relative concepts. …

At the foot of Arunachala …Read More »

The Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya desperately needs care and attention. The 60 metre Maha Bodhi Stupa immediately behind the tree forces the tree to grow in unnatural directions. The tree shows a sick appearance. It is in desperate need of pruning, and needs watering in the heat of the summer. Branches are lopsided and cracked, the leaves appear dry and dull and the level of pollution in the village affects the tree. The situation isn’t helped with the fears in the village. There is the possibility of the police taking action if anybody prunes a single branch. Is the intention to sell the branch to corrupt businessmen? Will one make bad karma by cutting limbs off the tree and so get sent to the hell realms? …

A Dying and Death Yatra along the GangesRead More »

In a generation, the Lord Abbot of the Thai Monastery in Sarnath has transformed the monastery into a beautiful garden of trees, flowers, shrubs and pathways. There is a lovely, quiet meditation centre at the back of the monastery and ample area for our dharma discussion groups to meet in the shade of the temple or under trees. The Abbot of the Thai Monastery in Bodh Gaya shares the same dedication. …

The Hammer and Chisel Buddha StatueRead More »

In January 2007, I was speaking to Chad, our Bodh Gaya manager, about the shortage of participants in the Bodh Gaya retreat of US citizens.

If we had 120 on a retreat, we would have very roughly 40% from Europe and Israel, 35% from the USA and the 25% from the rest of the world – Australia, Canada, South America, India, Thailand, New Zealand etc. That would mean around 35 to 40 US citizens. …

The Rise and Fall of US Citizens in Bodh GayaRead More »

I love Bodh Gaya. We have been running our annual Bodh Gaya retreat there since 1975. Martin (Aylward) along with a co-teacher, such as Yvonne or Leela, teach the first 10 day retreat and Radha and I teach the second 10 day retreat. We hope beloved Jaya will be back with us in January 2009. Martin describes the Bodh Gaya retreat as the “best gig of the year.” Cool. …

An Appeal from the Shopkeepers in Bodh GayaRead More »