Buddhist Pilgrimage Destinations - Rejuvenate Yourself!!!

Buddhists Pilgrimage

Lumbini
Lumbini is situated in the district of Rupandehi in Nepal. It is regarded as the holiest place for the Buddhist, where Lord Buddha was born in 623 B.C. The place is considered as one of the four Parinirvana places as preached by Lord Buddha himself. Various Buddhist temples are situated in Lumbini including Maya Devi temple, International Gautami Nuns temple, Myanmar temple, China temple, Dharma Swami Maharaja Buddha Vihara and Nepal Buddha temple. Religious rituals are performed in these temple and festivals are celebrated during the Buddha Purnima.

Bodhgaya
The small town of Bodhgaya is located in the district of Gaya, Bihar. The place is a famous Pilgrimage destination for Buddhist where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. The major attractions of the place are Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi Tree under which lord Buddha had meditated while attaining enlightenment. Bodhgaya also offers other pilgrimage sites such Vajrasana, the place at which Buddha sat during his meditation, the Chankaraamana and magnificent statues of Lord Buddha. The town is enhanced with amazing Stupas, Chaityas and the Monestery.

Sarnath
Sarnath is a revered destination for Buddhist pilgrims, located in the city of Varanasi. Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon to his disciples at Sarnath. The main Buddhist temple is Mulagandhakuti Vihar with an image of Buddha and also houses some of the finest paintings associated with the life history of Buddha. Pilgrims all over the world flocks at this holy place during the Buddha Purnima and the whole ambience gets sacred, due to the enchanting of mantras. There are number of monasteries located at Sarnath like Chaukhandi Stupa, Dhamekh Stupa, Digamber Jain temple etc.

Kushinagar
Kushinagar is highly revered place for the Buddhist where Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana (great complete nirvana). The place holds the great importance as Buddha died here and was cremated in Rambhar, which falls in the same region. Main attraction of Mahaparinirvana temple is showcasing of “dieing Buddha” laying down on his right side. The other attractions of the city are Ramabhar stupa, Meditation park, Nirvana temple, International Buddha trust etc.

Sankashya
Sankashya is one of the sacred place for Buddhist pilgrims. It is said to be believe that when Lord Buddha returned back to the earth, a great assembly was conducted here which was attended by the kings and people of the eight kingdoms.

Sravasti
Sravasti is an important religious destination for the Buddhists, situated in the Gonda District near the Rapti river in the northeastern region of Uttar Pradesh. At Sravasti Lord Buddha have performed many miracles to astonish rival teachers. Lord Buddha had spent 25 years living in the monastery of Jetavana and Pubbarama. The important shrines of the Buddhist pilgrims in Sravasti are Saheth and Maheth.

Pakistan puts Buddhist tourism back on track

The violence in 9/11 affected Pakistan tourism very much. But now it is expected to get a lift with the promotion of the Buddhist Heritage site which is 32 km from Islamabad. A group of monks from Thailand visited the place for its promotion. The Buddhist heritage sites in Pakistan hold in arm the first century Gandhian Civilization. The main attraction here is the Taxila or Takshashila university that dates back to the reign of the Kushan dynasty.
The Govt of Pakistan also given his nod to the international Buddhist organisation to preserve and develop the Gandhara heritage and to promote inter-faith harmony and tourism in the country. Besides Taxila there are other places in Pakistan like Mansehra, Swabi, Mardan, Swat, Peshawar and Khyber Agency which possess stupas and monasteries including edicts of emperor Ashoka (304 BC-232 BC) which are very sacred to Buddhists.
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Buddha and Chinese astrology

Today we are discussing about something interesting. Its about how the animals came into Chinese astrology and what does it represent.

Lord Buddha invited all the animals when he was in death bed. Only 12 came: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. For visiting him, Buddha honored each by using them to represent the 12 phases of the Zodiac. Know more about this in Chinese astrology.

The third international Buddhist conclave proposed at Orissa

Orissa- the east Indian state of India- is all set to organise the 3rd International Buddhist meeting. This point was made by the state Tourism Minister Debi Prasad Mishra at International Buddhist conclave at Nalanda, Bihar. Marking the wealth of ancient monuments and places associated with Buddhism at Orissa, the minister proposed the centre government that such conclave would help the state to make its strong presence on world tourist map. Lalitgiri, Olasuni, Dhauli among others are the places in Orissa which see large influx of tourists interested in Buddhist heritage.

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Close to 11000 embraced Buddhism in Ahmedabad

The famous city of Ahmedabad, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, witnessed the conversion of 11000 people to Buddhism religion. The converted communities hails from koli, kshatriya and from Christian families. This religious changeover was administered by the Buddhist monks from Bhante Pragnyasheel who delivered the pledges to neo-converts. The function was chaired by the five Buddhist monks from different parts of India and renowned Buddhist leader Kalpana Saroj was the chief guest.

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Buddhism is more about human emotions

These were the inspirational words from the Nobel laureate Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama. H.H. Dalai Lama was addressing the gathering at a function organised by he Utkal University of Culture in association with Hotel & Restaurant Association Orissa at the city of Bhubaneshwar. Noting the relevance of 2500 years old Buddhism religion, Dalai Lama observed that the teachings of Buddhism such as compassion, kindness, tolerance and self-discipline holds utmost importance in modern times.

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Buddha Quote

Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.