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This ancient religion leads to a string of amazing locations, writes Michael
Gebicki.
Peace-loving and calming, mellow and trendy, Buddhism has taken firm root
in the West, especially among the glitterati. Richard Gere is the most
prominent of the star Buddhists. Uma Thurman and Jewish-born rapper Adam
Yauch, frontman for the Beastie Boys, are also into it. And Travellers &
Magicians, the latest film from lama-auteur Khyentse Norbu may just do for
Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon, what Lord of the Rings did for New
Zealand.
Buddhism is also a creed full of subtlety and charm. You needn't be a
follower to appreciate the morning parade of saffron-robed monks, the tinkly
temple bells and the fluttering prayer flags that decorate the Himalayas.
For the traveller, here are some of the highlights from the Buddhist world.
ANURADHAPURA, SRI LANKA
In the gently rounded hills of Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle, this is the
largest and oldest of the island's ancient capitals. These days it's a
sprawling complex of large tanks or reservoirs and astonishingly vast
dagobas, the huge mounds of masonry that rival the pyramids in scale.
Anuradhapura's ancient sites date back to when Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka
from India in the third century BC, including an ancient bo tree said to
have been a gift from Emperor Ashoka, which makes this possibly the world's
oldest tree.
ANGKOR, CAMBODIA
Between the ninth and 15th centuries, the rich and sophisticated Khmer
civilisation embarked on a temple-building binge. Within the moats and walls
of the city of Angkor, a holy estate arose to satisfy the devotional urges
of a metropolis that might have numbered a million inhabitants. During that
time, the spiritual compass of the Khmer people swung from Hinduism to
Buddhism, and the result is one of the two great Buddhist temple-cities of
Asia.
BAGAN, BURMA
On the dusty plains alongside the Irrawaddy River, this is one of the
most delectable and arresting sights you'll ever see - a ghost city of
Buddhist temples twinkling in the sunlight, stretching their frilly spires
into the heavens and gently crumbling into the brown earth. Fewer than 2200
temples and pagodas remain of the 13,000 temples and pagodas that were built
between the 11th and 13th centuries, and poking about the ruins is to cast
yourself into a real-life version of Tomb Raider.
SHWEDAGON PAGODA,
BURMA
Rising 100 metres above the outskirts of Burma's capital, the tapering
spire of the Shwedagon Pagoda looks like an upside-down ice-cream cone,
gilded with 8688 solid gold plates and sparkling with diamonds, rubies and
sapphires. Covered walkways lead to the marble-tiled platform at the top,
where there are usually ceremonies being performed in little cameos to rival
the shrines, sacred umbrellas, bells and statues at the top. Underpinning
its importance is one of the holiest relics of Buddhism inside the stupa -
eight hairs of the Buddha.
TIGER'S NEST MONASTERY, BHUTAN
Clinging to a sheer cliff wall in Bhutan's remote Paro Valley, it's only
natural that the Tigers Nest Monas-tery has become the icon for Bhutanese
tourism. Destroyed by fire in 1998, the monastery was rebuilt based on
photographs and other documentary sources, but it was not possible to
recreate the ancient frescoes and other artworks inside. Unfortunately, the
postcard view is all you'll get. Access is forbidden to non-Bhutanese, but
the view from the guard post will leave you starstruck.
THE DUNHUANG CAVE TEMPLES,
CHINA
Fifteen centuries ago, at the Mingsha Shan or Dunes of the Singing Sands
on the edge of the Gobi Desert, a Buddhist monk carved a meditation cell
from a cliff face and decorated it with paintings. Over the next 1000 years,
many more followed his example, embellishing their cells with similar
paintings and other artworks. Today 492 of these decorated caves remain,
filled with a superb collection of Buddhist paintings and sculptures in one
of the supreme wonders of the Buddhist world.
TUSHITA MEDITATION CENTRE, DHARAMSALA,
INDIA
Overshadowed by deodar forests and the soaring peaks of the Dhaula Dhar
range, Tushita is about as close as you can come to the study of Mahayana
Buddhism in an authentic Tibetan context. The town of Dharamsala is the
centre of a large Tibetan com-munity that includes the Dalai Lama, leader of
the exiled Tibetan Government, who sometimes gives talks at the centre.
Tushita has 10-day residential and shorter non-residential introduction to
Buddhism courses, as well as retreats and advanced philosophy courses for
experienced practitioners.
Most of the teachers are Westerners, including ex-Melburnian Thubten
Lungtok, formerly David Marks. See http://www.tushita.info.
THE ROOT INSTITUTE, BODHGAYA,
INDIA
At one of Buddhism's holiest places, close to the spot where the Buddha
attained enlightenment, the Root Institute has a long tradition of
instructing West-erners. Courses are taught by Tibetan lamas or West-ern
teachers and are suitable for beginners as well as more advanced
practitioners. The core of the insti-tute's teaching is Discovering
Buddhism, a series of courses designed to give participants a solid footing
in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. The institute also teaches yoga and
meditation at various times throughout the year. See
http://www.rootinstitute.com.
BUDDHIST NEW YEAR, APRIL 13-15, 2006
In the Theravada Buddhist countries of
Thailand,
Burma and
Laos, Buddhist
New Year is the signal for the three-day Water Festival - the world's
ultimate wet T-shirt event. Anything that moves during day-light hours is
asking for a drenching, and the foreigner is a favourite target. There is
also a devotional side to the water festival that makes this one of the most
serene and photogenic of all the annual celebrations of South-East Asia.
MOUNT KAILASH, TIBET
Erupting from the arid plateau of south-western Tibet, the blunt thumb of
Mount Kailash is the Snow Jewel, a sacred pilgrimage site, home of the
Tantric deity Demchog. The object of the pilgrimage is to walk the
50-kilometre circumference of the moun-tain, thereby washing away all
negative karma.
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