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India Trip by Alice Ikeda
INDIA. One conjures visions of the Taj Mahal, exotic sari-clad ladies, gracefully lumbering elephants led by turbaned Indians, but more likely, one thinks of the thousands of poor, hungry people, dusty roads with rickety vehicles, and relatively poor living conditions for the majority. India, a country rich in history especially for Buddhists, is generally thought of as a poor country. So, when temple member Mrs. Alice Ikeda began to talk of spending three months there with her son Andy, one had to wonder what had possessed Alice to decide on such a difficult trip.
Andy, Alice and Stanley Ikeda’s youngest son, backpacked and traveled throughout India after being discharged from the Marines in Tokyo. He returned home and got a job, but before long he was talking of going back to India. He seemed to have had some sense of innerpeace while in India and wanted to go back. Alice had looked at the many travel brochures of India but there was no tour that covered all the points of interest to a follower of the Buddha. So as her son began to talk and make plans to go back to India, Alice began to think she might be able to go along with him. Since this was to be Andy’s third trip, he could help her walk the path that Buddha took. This was her chance! Once the decision was made, talk of the difficulties and hardships could not dissuade her. Alice got her 120 day travel visa and began work on her itinerary.
It is said that there are four places all devout Buddhists should visit: Lumbini where Buddha was born, Bodhgaya where he attained enlightenment, Sarnath where he delivered his first sermon in the Deer Park and set the Wheel of Dharma into motion, and Kusinagar (formerly Kusinara) where Buddha passed into Parinirvana. These four places, the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, and the stupas of Sanchi became the focal points of the trip.
Andy left Los Angeles April 8, 1981 for India, with the understanding to meet Alice in New Delhi in November.
On October 19, 1981 Alice and husband Stanley boarded a plane at LAX for a 20 day tour of China. There were 31 people in the group and they were given a grand tour. On November 8, Alice bid Stanley a fond farewell as he left Hong Kong to come home and she flew on to New Delhi. She wondered at the time if she would ever see Stanley again—who knew what could happen in the vast, strange country. After a four hour flight, the plane landed in New Delhi and much to Alice’s delight, Andy was there.
Most of the traveling was done on buses (not tour) or trains. It can be an ordeal because the seats can have holes in them and the ride becomes quite rough as the bus bounces along winding roads full of potholes. On several occasions Alice enjoyed the luxury of flying when Andy thought the overland trip would be too difficult.
A total of 45 cities was visited and each probably has a story of its own, but the following is Alice’s story of the major points of interest.
I first went north to Dharamsala where I missed seeing the refugee Dalai Lama from Tibet by a day. Then I went to Srinagar in the northern part of India for a week, staying on a houseboat. The snow-capped, majestic Himalayas on the distant horizon added to the sense of serenity of the area.
I flew to Varanasi and spent five days there walking along the Ganges, amazed at the incongruous sight. The Ganges at Varanasi is special to the Hindus—at daybreak one is supposed to bathe, watch the sun rise, and pray. During this procedure, a mouthful of water is used to rinse out the mouth and a bit of water is swallowed. Now the water here is certainly not pure—often green scum has to be pushed away to get a handful of water. We are told no one gets sick swallowing this water so the Gods are certainly looking after the Hindus. Next to bathing people are ladies doing their weekly washing—pounding and rinsing and spreading the clothes out on the ground to dry. Further along the bank are Burning Ghats. These are open crematoria.
Sarnath. In the peace and tranquility of the Deer Park I was filled with awe and gratitude with the thought that THIS was where Buddhism was set into motion.
Kusinagar. One sees the reclining Buddha’s picture many times, but when it is all there, actually in front of you, you can’t help but go down on your knees in gassho bidding Amida Buddha sayonara and reciting the Nembutsu. I placed the lighted incense down and spent the whole day there transfixed by the smiling face.
Lumbini was a surprise. We visualize Lumbini Garden as the flowered forest where Prince Siddhartha was born over 2500 years ago beneath one of the Sal trees. The land is barren now, and a temple and pillar are erected on the site of the Buddha’s birth. There is a large Bodhi tree beside the temple now in place of the Sal tree. To one side of the temple is a pool which is where the baby prince was given his first bath. Since this is the place of birth, I started to feel happy as I lighted a whole box of candles, reciting the Nembutsu. So full of joy, I almost sang “Happy Birthday.”
Bodhgaya. I had waited so long for this pilgrimage to Bodhgaya, I had to prepare myself; I felt as if I was to meet Buddha here. As I entered the grounds to the throne of enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, I was filled with such gratitude that all I could do was bow my head and gassho—the Nembutsu came from the bottom of my heart. I was drawn back again the next day—such joy and excitement filled me as I walked the grounds that my Lord Buddha walked. I was at peace in the embrace of the Buddha.
While in the northern part of India I decided to head toward Katmandu. I stayed in the peaceful city of Pokhara were the majestic, snow-capped Himalayas change color three times a day. Early in the morning it is silver, pure white during the day, and a gorgeous pink at sunset. This was a restful and rejuvenating stay. Patan and Katmandu were very interesting with many ancient palaces, Buddhist monuments, and Hindu temples.
Just before Christmas, I arrived in Calcutta. To my surprise the stores were decorated with
ornaments and trees and one could hear the familiar “Silent Night,” “Jingle Bells,” etc. There were many Chinese restaurants so I enjoyed some good dinners for a change. In the Indian Museum one can see the urn which holds the Buddha’s relic.
Next stop was Puri, a fishing village with fine Hindu temples. We bargained with the fishermen to get some lobsters as the men brought in their catch of the day. We enjoyed steamed lobster with melted butter with three young Japanese tourists we met. It made a nice Christmas dinner with fruitcake bought in Calcutta and green tea bought in Los Angeles.
New Year’s Day 1982 in Madras is one I will never forget. I carried omochi bought in WLA to eat ozoni made with instant miso soup, daikon, and carrots. I also had some mochi with kinako which I had mixed with sugar and salt. After this feast Andy and I went to the city to make my plane reservation to Sri Lanka. As we got off the bus, something caught my eye. At first I thought it was a frog, but upon closer examination, it was a baby lying just off the curb. It was a premature baby girl with the umbilical cord and placenta still attached. She was about eight inches long and her hands were the size of a large cherry blossom. We stood there in utter shock—how cheap life was! We named her Baby Kamala and gently placed her in a box, covered it, and placed her in a shaded area. Our Nembutsu’s were the funeral service for her, and every New Year’s Day I will have a memorial service for her as I adopted her in my heart.
Then on to the southernmost tip of India, Kanya Kumari, where three oceans meet. The Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Sea meet and provide the setting for the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets. All this southern area, Trivandrum and Kovalam, is a resort area with beautiful beaches.
I flew to Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka. With the help of a hired car and driver, I was able to see this tropical island. In Kandy there is the temple Dalada Maligawa (Temple of Tooth) where Buddha’s tooth is enshrined. The Tooth Relic is said to have been brought here early in the 4th century hidden in the hair of an Indian princess. In Dambulla there are rock caves containing many statues and carvings, including a colossal recumbent Buddha cut out of solid rock and over 47 feet in length. Again in Polonnaruwa there are many ruins of temples and Buddhist carvings. In the heart of Annuradhapura stands the Bodhi tree grown from a sapling of the original tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment. There is also a giant stupa in which is enshrined Buddha’s collar bone. So a week flew by and I bid farewell to my driver who had been so nice—he treated me like his mother.
I flew to Bombay, met Andy, and went to see the caves of Ellora and Ajanta. These caves, 37 at Ellora and 28 at Ajanta, are carved out of solid rock hillsides, and the Buddhist caves date back to the 4th century. There are also Brahman, Jain, and Hindu caves. The paintings in the Ajanta caves are fairly well preserved because they have never seen the light of day and the air is so dry. Each cave is different from the next—each great and magnificent yet delicately sculptured.
Sanchi was the next city visited. It has the finest examples of Buddhist art and sculpture in India. The stupas here date back as early as the 3rd century BC.
The exotic, erotic carved temples of Khajuraho are an unbelievable work of art. Hundreds and thousands of erotic scenes carved out of stone form the outside surface from top to bottom.
My last stop in India was to see one of the seven wonders of the world—the Taj Mahal. This monument of love for his beautiful queen was completed in 1653 and built by the great Mughal ruler, Shah Jahan. It took 21 years to build. The huge white marble structure with hundreds of gemstone inlay is a wonder to behold in any setting, but especially in this land of so much poverty and hunger.
With mixed feelings I left India for a two week stay in Thailand. At the time I was looking forward to the luxury of sleeping in the comforts of my own bed, eating Japanese food again, not living out of my suitcase, and just being home. Now, crazy as it may sound, I would like to go back. There is still much to see in India.
RECOMMENDED READING
An End to Suffering
by Pankaj Mishra
Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux: 422 pp.
The January 9, 2005, issue of the Los Angeles Times Book Review Section featured a one-page review of this book. Parts of this article are taken from that review.
Mishra is a young Indian writer. To quote from the review,
“Westerners often have a hard time with Buddhism because it is an alien religion. For Mishra growing up in India, Buddhism seemed, on the contrary, strictly a Western import. He had no curiosity about it until he saw American and Europeans coming to India specifically to study it. Mishra’s interest deepened when he visited America and observed Buddhist practitioners devoting themselves to socially conscious endeavors. Still he wondered, what was he to Buddhism or Buddhism to him.”
This book then is about Mishra’s experience of gradually learning what Buddhism was to him. By the end of the book, he suggests “Buddhism might offer an antidote for the world’s malaise.”
Even for those of us who have some background in Buddhism, Mishra offers fresh insights. He writes about the life of Sakyamuni Buddha as he visits the places that were significant in his life, but in doing so he often adds interesting bits that we have not heard before. And rather than gaining his understanding through traditional methods like studying sutras or studying under Buddhist gurus, he takes a unique approach of studying the works of selected Western thinkers – Emerson, Thoreau, Nietzsche, etc. - who point him toward understanding what Buddhism could offer to individuals and to America.
© 2009 West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple Online
