Taking Tea with the Dalai Lama
Craig February 20th, 2008
After writing yesterdays post about Foguangshan, I decided to go through some of my old film archives and dig up some older images related to Buddhism.
In 2002-2003 I found myself in India for the third time, and Bodhgaya for the second. Bodhgaya is a small town in the state of Bihar that is the location of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Temples and monasteries from all nations that have a substantial Buddhist population are located there. During winter, Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world descend on the town, sending the population soaring twentyfold. I was spending a lot of time with some Thai friends, both monks and laity. One morning, I headed over to Wat Thai, Bodhgaya, the main Thai temple in town, for some coffee with the monks, something I did most days. We had planned to take a few people to the airport who were leaving to return to Thailand, but upon arriving at the airport, found out that the flight had been cancelled due to the thick fog that blankets the town in winter. Returning to Wat Thai, we noticed members of India’s elite security forces guarding the gates and a large contingent of media. Ushered in, we were told by the Abbot of Wat Thai that His Holiness the Dalai Lama was about to arrive for a visit and that we should hurry if we wanted to be inside the temple for the occasion. In we went, then the security forces closed the large temple doors, leaving members of the press outside with other curious onlookers. A few minutes later, the side doors opened and in walked the Dalai Lama and a group of Tibetan monks and translators. He bowed to the Buddha three times, took a seat and had some tea. The Thai monks chanted a sutra in Pali, then the Tibetans chanted in Tibetan. Finally, a short reception line was formed consisting of the Thai monks, a couple of Thai nuns and myself and the other 2-3 non-sangha members of the audience. His Holiness came down the line, stopping to exchange a few words and presenting us with a blessed kata scarf. Then he headed out, said a quick goodbye to the people outside and was ushered into the car and driven away.
Here’s some pictures from inside the temple. I apologize for the quality - they are low-res film scans.
- India , People , Photos , Tibet
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