Along the Path. The Meditator's Companion to the Buddha's Land

766 Pages·2012·6.03 MB·English

by  Michelle Decary

The Meditator’s Companion to the Buddha’s Land
Kory Goldberg & Michelle Décary
Kory Goldberg is a Humanities professor and Michelle Décary is a freelance
writer, yoga teacher and organic gardener. They have been practising
Vipassana meditation and travelling to the Buddha’s Land since the late
1990s.
Pariyatti Press
an imprint of Pariyatti Publishing
867 Larmon Road
Onalaska, WA 98570 USA
Tel. [+1] 360-978-4998
www.pariyatti.org
© 2012 by Kory Goldberg & Michelle Décary All rights reserved. No part of
this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without
the written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Printing 2009
Second Printing 2012
ePub: 978-1-938754-03-6
Mobi: 978-1-938754-04-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009940411
Updates and resources: www.pilgrimage.pariyatti.org
The authors wish to thank Aleksei Gomez for permission to use his
illustration on the cover and title page of this book. Thanks also goes to the
following artists for the images they so readily offered for use in this
publication:
Lluïsot Domènech: pages 20, 22, 50, 70, 72, 117, 151
and 303.
Anita Ghanekar: pages 79 and 282.
Aleksei Gomez: also pages 100, 109, 132, 159, 241,
293 and 307.
Gary Gronokowski: page xx.
Nik ‘the Bhik’ Halay: pages 111, 139 and 274.
Jenny Jeffs: pages 1, 87, 89, 91, 108, 138, 157, 205,
234, 270 and 358.
Michael Pancoe: pages 42, 66, 119, and 359.
Godeliève Richard: pages 3, 76, 77, 166, 305, 339
and 340.
Bjarni Wark: pages 60, 81, 130, 169 and 175.
Printed in the United States of America
Not all who wander are lost.
– J.R.R. Tolkien
Wherever you travel in this world,
Above, across, or below;
Carefully examine at all times
The arising and passing of all compounded
things.
– Gotama the Buddha
Pariyatti Press
Enriching the world by:
Disseminating the words of the Buddha
Providing sustenance for the seeker’s
journey
Illuminating the meditator’s path
Contents
Prologue
A Note on Names, Language & References
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Using this Book
Travelling in India
Planning Your Journey
Planning
Choosing Your Dates
Seasons
Cheap Flights
Visas & Other Essential Documents
Packing
A Travel Routine
Travelling with Friends
Travelling Alone
Women Travellers
Travelling with Kids
Travelling with Pets
Travel Insurance
Medications & Vaccinations
You’ve landed
Accommodations
Food
Health
Travel: Trains, Buses, Rickshaws, etc
The Conscientious Meditator
Etiquette around Monks & Nuns
Language
Money
Communications
Business Hours
Shopping
Electricity
Laundry
Toilets & Bathrooms
Warnings
Volunteer Work
Dhamma Centres
Suggested Itineraries for a Dhamma Yatra
The Middle Land (Majjhima Desa)
Dhamma Art, Architecture & History
Stūpas (Pagodas, Cetiyas, Chortens)
Temples & Monasteries
Statues of the Buddha
Dhamma Asoka: His Pillars & Policies
The Dhamma’s Decline in India
The Rediscovery of Dhamma Culture & Practice in
India
The Middle Land: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar & South
Nepal
Lumbinī
Birth of the Bodhisatta
Sleeping & Eating
Coming & Going
Excursions
Nepalese Kapilavatthu & Surrounding Areas
Kapilavastu (Kapilavatthu)
Prince Siddhattha’s First 29 Years
The Buddha’s Return to the Sakyans
The Kapilavatthu Debate
Nepalese Kapilavatthu & Surrounding Sites:Site-
Sitting
Sleeping & Eating
Coming & Going
Indian Kapilavatthu: Site-Sitting
Sleeping & Eating
Coming & Going
Bodhgayā (Buddhagayā, Uruvelā)
The Great Awakening
Site-Sitting
Volunteer Work in Bodhgayā
Sleeping & Eating
Coming & Going
Excursions
Sārnāth (Isipatana)