My Pilgrimage Tour To India - The ruin in the Nalanda University

Nalanda is known as the ancient seat of learning. World's most ancient University lies in ruins which is 62 km from Bodh Gaya and 90 km south of Patna. Emperor Asoka built many monasteries, temples and Viharas here. Though the Buddha visited Nalanda several times during his lifetime, this famous centre of Buddhist learning shot to fame much later, during 5th-12th centuries.

Nalanda University complex covered an area of 14 hectors and its building were constructed with red bricks. When we arrived at the Nalanda University, we can witnessed the ruin of the university, and its architectural structure still can be seen but most of the complex had been plundered and destroyed by the invasion of Muslim soldiers under the Turuskas or Muhammmad Bakhtiyar Khaliji from Afghanistan dealt the fatal blow to Buddhism in India at the closer of the 1198 AD.

The Turuskas or Muhammmad Bakhtiyar Khaliji from Afghanistan, they were fanatical religion extremist or we shall called it the terrorists in today world's term, and they bent on conquest and mass destruction. By then, they had conquered the western part of Uttar Pradesh called the Doab, the region bordered by the Yamuna and the Ganges rivers.

The ruin of the university, and its architectural structure still can be seen but majority of the complex had been plundered and destroyed by the invasion of Muslim soldiers, this religion fanatical soldiers were especially hostile or ferocity was directed towards Buddhist institutions with images or statue of the holy Buddhas and Bodhisattvas which were systematically plundered ,destroyed or vandalised and massacred wholesale as idolaters.

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Dedication of merits

May those who read and sharing of this blog's information be peaceful and joyful. May the Buddha Dharma be flourished and the merits will be dedicated to the sentient beings.

Lord Ganesha - Depicted in Tibetan Buddhism Part 2

Arya Ganapati Mantra

Om Ah Gah Hum Phat Svaha

Lord Ganesha is compassionately and famously depicted in Hinduism, He is revered as the Remover of obstacles and a Bringer of Wealth. 

Lord Ganesha is the son of the Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesha he was born with a human head, but beheaded by Lord Shiva during a misunderstood clash. 

His father Lord Shiva placed an elephant head in place of the human head, which was lost during the fight. 

Lord Ganesha is compassionately to be known as Arya Ganapati, Maha Rakta (The great red Lord of host or Ganas). According to Tibetan Buddhism, he is an emanation of Avalokitesvara ( In Sanskrit) Chenrezig (In Tibetan) Goddess Of Mercy Kuan Yin (In Chinese). 

Above the Arya Ganapati is Amithabha Buddha as printed in this Tangka. Amithabha Buddha, the Buddha of infinite Light. Lord Ganesha is most widely worshipped in Hinduism, but is also revered in Buddhism and Jainism.

Arya Ganapati, who is in essence Chenrezig, manifested in this aspect to relieve the poverty of sentient beings. May I be able to obtain wealth and be able to eliminate all sentient beings' poverty, according to Dharma and poverty of the means of living, and the enjoyments, immediately. 

My kind root guru manifested in this aspect. I shall prostrate, offer incense, and generate infinite bliss. 
This is guided and praised by H.E. Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

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Dedication of merits

May those who read and sharing of this blog's information be peaceful and joyful. May the Buddha Dharma be flourished and the merits will be dedicated to the sentient beings.

Lord Ganesha - Depicted in Hinduism Part 1

Lord Ganesha is compassionately and famously depicted in Hinduism, He is revered as the Remover of obstacles and a Bringer of Wealth. Lord Ganesha is the son of the Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesha he was born with a human head, but beheaded by Lord Shiva during a misunderstood clash. His father Lord Shiva placed an elephant head in place of the human head, which was lost during the fight.

Lord Ganesha has one tusk, having thrown the other at the moon when teased about his girth. He is often shown dancing on a mouse, which represents desire. Lord Ganesha's ten arms carry various instruments of his enlightened activity, such as the sword of wisdom, khatvangas, and skull cups.

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Dedication of merits

May those who read and sharing of this blog's information be peaceful and joyful. May the Buddha Dharma be flourished and the merits will be dedicated to the sentient beings.

Machig Labdron - The Yogini

This is a field of merit from the Chod (cutting through) lineage. It is features the Yogini namely Machig Labdron in the center of this Tangka printing. She is surrounded by other lineage masters. and as well surrounded by the other semi-wrathful divine beings. 

In front of Machig Labdron are the Dharma protectors from this lineage  and the four great kings appear below them and the Buddhas of the three times are indicated above of Machig Labdron, with great Mother of Prajnaparamita above them. Gifts bearing gods and goddesses are shown at the very top of this Tangka printing.

Machig Labdron is often depicted with the attributes of a Dakini or a deity, an emanation of Yum Chenmo or Prajnaparamita, the embodiment of the wisdom of the Buddhas. She is a representation of enlightened female energy and she holds a drum in her right hand and a bell in her left. Her right leg is often lifted and the standing left leg is bent in motion. 

Machig Labdron is white in color with three eyes and wears the six bone Ornaments and she is which is traditional for a practicing Yogini. The different between Yogini and Dakini.  The Yogini wears the six bones Ornaments and the Dakini wears five bones Ornaments and both are the wisdom beings.

* Footnote

Please consult your Guru or a qualified lineage master for Vajrayana practice! Should a devotee even want to start studying and contemplating the Vajrayana practice, then it is truly necessary to first have completed the preliminaries and to be certain and sure that bodhicitta has arisen and developed in one’s mind.

Vajrayana features countless skillful and powerful methods which, if they are practiced in the proper way, can make the process of accumulation and purification incredibly swift and direct. It is absolutely necessary to have the pure motivation and to know that Vajrayana practice is not carried out to increase one’s own ego, power and profit. 

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Nagarjuna's Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of these pictures.

Pictures courtesy and credit to the rightful owner

My Pilgrimage Tour To India - Kapilavatthu

Entrance of the garden of Kapilavatthu and many of us were having a great time here in this beautiful garden of the early life of the Lord Buddha .

Kapilavatthu, the capital of the country of the Sakyans where the Buddha spent the first 29 years of his life before leaving home in quest of the deathless. This place has been a matter of controversy  for nearly a century.  

There are two claimants to the site of Kapilavatthu, namely Piprahwa in Basti District of Uttar Pradesh of India and Tilaurakot 25km west of Lumbini in Nepal. The Indian claim was based on seals and inscriptions over the lid of a pot from the 2nd century AD that was found during excavations of the so-called palace at Piprahwa.

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Dedication of merits
May those who read and sharing of this blog's information be peaceful and joyful. May the Buddha Dharma be flourished and the merits will be dedicated to the sentient beings.

My Pilgrimage Tour to India - Angulimala

                      This is the place where Angulimala the murderer used to lived here 

This is one of the holy site that today's Buddhist is visiting here, this is the notorious historical person named Angulimala, the famous criminal and murderer of a 1,000 thumbs garlands for his neck collections, and he was very tired and near exhaustion. At the same time, he was very anxious to kill the last person to make up his full quota of 1,000 thumbs collection and so complete his task.  

Angulimala he saw a woman on the road below and he was having total of 999 thumbs as he wanted to fulfil his vow to complete the 1,000 thumbs collection, but as he approached, he saw it was his mother. but at the same time, the Buddha was approaching, and Angulimala had just enough presence of mind to decide to kill the wandering monk instead of his mother. He set out after the Blessed One with his knife raised. But the Buddha kept moving ahead of him. Angulimala just could not catch up with him. Finally, he cried out, "O Bhikkhu, stop, stop!" And the Enlightened One replied, "I have stopped. It is you who have not stopped." Angulimala did not catch the significance of these words, so he asked, "O bhikkhu! Why do you say that you have stopped while I have not?"

The Buddha replied, "I say that I have stopped because I have given up killing all beings. I have given up ill-treating all beings, and have established myself in universal love, patience, and knowledge through reflection. But you have not given up killing or ill treating others and you are not yet established in universal love and patience. Hence, you are the one who has not stopped." On hearing these words Angulimala was recalled to reality, and thought, these are the words of a wise man. This monk is so very wise and so very brave that he must be the leader of the monks. Indeed, he must be the Enlightened One himself! He must have come here specially to make me see the light. So thinking, he threw away his weapons and asked the Blessed One to admit to the Order of the bhikkhus, which the Buddha did.

When the king and his men came to capture Angulimala, they found him at the monastery of the Buddha. Finding that Angulimala had given up his evil ways and become a bhikkhu, the king and his men agreed to leave him alone. During his stay at the monastery, Angulimala ardently practiced meditation.

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Dedication of merits
May those who read and sharing of this blog's information be peaceful and joyful. May the Buddha Dharma be flourished and the merits will be dedicated to the sentient beings.

My Pilgrimage Tour To India - Sankasia Part 3

Today Sankasia is the one of the most remote and undeveloped Buddhist Holy site in India. A far cry from the Buddha's time when Sankasia was called "City of Sankasia".

In 1961 India's Prime Minister Mr Nehru  when he was asked by some of the Japanese visitors, which was the poorest holy Buddhist shrine in India ? Mr Nehru he promptly replied: "Sankasia"

This are the typical daily street vendors who are selling food to the locals for a living.  

This are the most common houses and it was built mainly by the animal waste products of cow dung. The villagers used the mud soil which is the same as cob and then cover the walls with this in 3 or 4 layers. In between the first and third layer use a sandy soil, and the last layer use cow dung and mud and compress it to seal it off.

Thank you for reading my blog, and it helps to spread the Dharma knowledge greatly and as well turning the Dharma wheel to the world.

Dedication of merits

May those who read and sharing of this blog's information be peaceful and joyful. May the Buddha Dharma be flourished and the merits will be dedicated to the sentient beings.