The Way to Mogallana's Realization Cave

Nepal Mandala

"This Great Stupa of Bodhnath, the unique adornment of this world, and the most eminent object of offerings and praise, benefit all who make a connection with it and, as a wish-fulfilling gem grants all the aspirations of whoever prays to it -- the white flag of its melodious name flutters in all directions, its fame increasing day by day."

Nepal Mandala Pililgrimage

In the excellent country of Nepal

There are many glorious sacred objects,

But none are like the two stupas,

Renowned in the ten directions.

The mind of the yogins, master and disciples,

Turns toward the two stupas;

Guardians of the two stupas,

Come and protect us, master and disciples.

Shabkar

"Here we found ourselves in another world"
Sangharakshita

The Doors to Shantapur

"Vagisvarakirti was born in Varanasi and was ordained into the Mahasangikas receivingthe name Silakirti. Obtaining a vision of Cakrasamvara and gaining siddhi through the sadhana of Vagisvara (Lord of Speech; a form of Manjusri) he became a great pandita renowned for his mastery of the Sutras, Tantras, and the other branches of knowledge. He often received a vision of Tara who solved any problems of understanding he had. Vagishvarakirti received, in a vision, the White Tara Sadhana called Cheating Death, which was transmitted through Atisa into Tibet and beyond, eventually being given to Bhante by Dhardo Rinpoche. In the latter part of his life he left Vikramasila Vihara where he had been the Western Gate-keeper and went to Nepal where he lived as a Tantric yogin."

Vagisvara



Harry and Sarah

Shantapur

"Swayambhu!
The name rolls echoingly along the corridors of the mind and,
reverberating in the innermost chambers of memory,
rouses associations that have slept for a thousand years...

Sangharakshita

Rupavati
Svayambhu Kora

The Vultures Peak

Lovers Leap
500BC

Huge boulders beneath the Vultures peak

In Savatthi there was a young man called Wakkali who admired the Buddha's beauty……

........Now the Buddha, staying in Rajagaha, saw with his mind's eye Wakkali about to jump off Vultures' Peak..........

With Rupavati, Jen and Satyagandhi at Kessaria

The Great Stupa of Kessaria

This is where the Kamala Sutta was delivered. Click here to read it.

Visit the Sakyamuni:Heartland Website

I've created a website here. It's been fun to build and great to remember those wonderful holy sites.

Chinese turn to Tibet

It seems that the Chinese are beginning to re-discover Buddhism. Read Here

Jamyang Khyentze's Chorten Tashiding

Rinpoches's golden chorten and the large Thongwa Rangdol – Liberates by sight.

Thongwa Rangdol chorten contains relics of Jatson Nyingpo together with relics of Guru Rinpoche and all of his 25 chief disciples.


Tashiding's amazing Kora (Circumambulation Path). Picture by Gyaltsen



Svayambhunath, Harati Sthan, me. Picture by Gyaltsen

Scenes from an early pilgrimage in the Nepal mandala.

Svayambhu
We went on pilgrimage to incomparable Katmandu.

"Swayambhu, holy of holies of Nepal, sacred hill, how often did I lie awake in the early morning, while it was still dark with a cold blue darkness, tinged here and there with white mist, before the birds had begun t raise there tremulous winter notes, listening to the bands of worshipers as they swung with full-throated chorus up to the top of the hill, where the great white dome and gleaming golden spire of your chaitya tower gigantically into the heavens! How sweetly and clearly the music of theses songs drifted across the hillside, through the waning moonlight, into the darkness and stillness of the vihara where I lay. Like echoes from another life they seemed to come, growing louder and more insistent as the day dawned, until at last, as though in response to their summons, I rose from my bed once again, and found most of the other inhabitants of the vihara already astir."

Sangharakshita aged 26/27-Read some of his poems from that time here.

Vajrayogini Sthan Pharping where Marpa dreamt of Maitripa

The realised Lord Maitripa
Is famed far and wide
As the nirmanakaya who lives in India.
In a city in the valley of Vasali,
The king, the protector of the earth, touches his crown
To the anthers of the lords lotus feet.
Among the mahapanditas of the five sciences,
Maitripa is known as the master, the crest jewel.
The banner of his fame is proclaimed in the ten directions.

The vajra wall Lalitpur

There are lots of holy objects in this huge Chorten at Pharping

Two of Guru Rinpoche's most important attainments occurred in Nepal. At the great cave of Maratika, 'Essence of Mara', together with princess Mandarava, Padmasambhava meditated on the mandala of Amitayus and they attained the Vidyadhara level of Longevity, the second of the four stages of complete Buddhahood. Amitayus blessed Padma to be the horse-headed daka Hayagriva, and Mandarava to be Vajravarahi. At Pharphing together with Sakyadevi, Padma attained the Vidyadhara level of Mahamudra the third of the four great stages, and summoned and converted the major indigenous deities of Tibet.

Bigger than Borobodur

The biggest stupa ever built.
Kessaria; the ancient Kessaputta.
Here Sakyamuni taught the Kamalas.
Here he gave his begging bowl to the Lichivis,
And turned them back to Vaisali,
Before departing for Kusinara.

View from the stupa

"Their town was located at the entrance of a thick forest. Whoever wanted to go through the forest had to stop at the town for a night or so. "

On Pilgrimage

Kathy and Satyagandhi at the head of the Bus, and Toby entertains aboard the Shiv Ganga Express.

Come on pilgrimage

Kath and Jen at the Vultures peak.

In a few weeks I'm off back to India.

I will have been away almost four months. In the UK. Moseley. A companion for Bhante. He has posted a blog from his days in Kalimpong here

I'll be preparing for a new season of pilgrimages.

There's just 4 places left on the next one; Sakyamuni:Heartland.



I'm sure they will fill up.

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