Bodhgaya and terrorism. I would never have put these two concepts together. That is, not until I heard about the bombings that occurred just a little over a week ago at this venerable holiest-of-the-holy site. The very place where Buddha became enlightened sitting under a bodhi tree. The place where thousands of pilgrims rich and poor alike travel to, to do full body prostrations, or make butter lamp offerings, meditate, circumambulate, chant songs and mantras, and other practices that cultivate one’s mind to turn towards wisdom, to enact compassion, to see the true nature of reality, the illusion of selfhood, amidst impermanence.
If you’ve ever been here, and experienced the electrifying devotion practitioners bring, you would be hard pressed to pair the scene with terror. It makes me feel sad for the perpetrators that they would harbor such contorted mentalities and ill plans among peaceful people.
Read some coverage of it here.
Fortunately, it seems there were no fatalities, and no serious structural damage done to the World Heritage site.
The Indian government today has however issued alert warnings for further possible terrorist strikes on Himachal Pradesh Buddhist monasteries.
This is discouraging and unwelcome news, to say the least, as I plan to travel to over a dozen such Himalayan sacred sites soon.
safe journey Eva