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Published for free distribution Buddhist Pilgrimage New Edition 2009 Chan Khoon San ii Sabbadanam dhammadanam jinati. The Gift of Dhamma excels all gifts. The printing of this book for free distribution is sponsored by the generous donations of Dhamma friends and supporters, whose names appear in the donation list at the end of this book. ISBN 983-40876-0-8 © Copyright 2001 Chan Khoon San irst Printing, 2002 " 2000 copies Second Printing 2005 " 2000 copies New Edition 2009 − 7200 copies All commercial rights reserved. Any reproduction in whole or part, in any form, for sale, profit or material gain is strictly prohibited. However, permission to print this book, in its entirety, for free distribution as a gift of Dhamma, is allowed after prior notification to the author. New Cover Design ,nset photo shows the famous Reclining .uddha image at Kusinara. ,ts uni/ue facial e0pression evokes the bliss of peace 1santisukha2 of the final liberation as the .uddha passes into Mahaparinibbana. Set in the background is the 3reat Stupa of Sanchi located near .hopal, an important .uddhist shrine where relics of the Chief 4isciples and the Arahants of the Third .uddhist Council were discovered. Printed in ,uala -um.ur, 0alaysia 1y 5a6u6aya ,ndah Sdn. .hd., 78, 9alan 14E, Ampang New Village, 78000 Selangor 4arul Ehsan, 5alaysia. Tel: 03-42917001, 42917002, a0: 03-42922053 iii DEDICATI2N This book is dedicated to the spiritual advisors who accompanied the pilgrimage groups to ,ndia from 1991 to 2008. Their guidance and patience, in helping to create a better understanding and appreciation of the significance of the pilgrimage in .uddhism, have made those 6ourneys of faith more meaningful and beneficial to all the pilgrims concerned. They are: • Sayadaw U 9nanapurnik of Kathmandu, Nepal; • Sayadaw U ,ndaka of Chanmyay 5yaing 5editation Centre in Aangon, 5yanmar; • Venerable .. Saranankara 5ahathera of Sentul, Kuala Lumpur; • Sayadaw U Rewata, Sayadaw U Pannacara, Sayadaw U Cathawa and Sayadaw U Kittidha6a of Chanmyay Aeiktha 5editation Centre in Aangon, 5yanmar; • Sayadaw U Nyanodaya of Chanmyay Aeiktha Kan Pyu 3uang, Aan 3yi Aung, Shwe .o, 5yanmar • Sayadaw U Rakkhita 4hamma of the Ven. U Chandramani oundation Trust, .hanegaon, P.O. Khaparkheda, 4istt. Nagpur, 5aharashtra State 441102, ,ndia; • Venerable U Nyanaramsi of Subang 9aya .uddhist Association; • Sister Uppalavanna of Kathmandu, Nepal. iv P3E4ACE T2 NE5 EDITI2N 2009 This is the third edition of EE.uddhist PilgrimageF since it was first published in 2002. ,t comes with a new cover design and contains many new topics and fresh information on several .uddhist sites. An error concerning the religious history of the 5atha Kuar shrine in Kushinagar has been rectified. Since 2002, the author has re-visited the .uddhist circuit seven times and travelled to many new .uddhist heritage sites, notably the Ananda Stupa in Ha6ipur; Pava near Kusinara; Lauriya Nandangarh in northern .ihar; Kosambi in Allahabad; Ramagama and 4evadaha in Nepal; Sanchi in 5adhya Pradesh; the A6anta Caves in A6anta; and 4iksha .humi in Nagpur, 5aharashtra. A chance remark he heard about the .uddhaFs alms bowl still e0isting in Afghanistan prompted the author to carry out a research of its whereabouts after the .uddha had donated it to the Licchavis before his Parinibbana. The result is a new article entitled EThe 9ourney of the .uddhaFs Alms .owlF in PART ,,,, 5, page 153. Among the colour plates, , have included some rare .uddhist sites in Northern Pakistan. Although the light of Dhamma no longer shines in that country, yet it possesses some of the most beautiful .uddhist relics from its glorious past. Sadly, many of them were destroyed by the Talibans who overran the Swat Valley in 2007 e.g. 9ehanabad .uddha carved on rock and 3andharan sculptures in Swat 5useum. The idea of a pilgrimage originated from the .uddha twenty-five centuries agoG .efore he passed into Mahaparinibbana, the .uddha advised pious disciples to visit four holy places the sight of which will arouse faith and religious urgency after He was gone, namely: Lumbini, .uddhagaya, Sarnath and Kusinara. The pious disciple should visit these places and look upon them with feelings of reverence, reflecting on the particular event of the .uddhaFs life connected with each place. Since the Mahaparinibbana of the .uddha, these four shrines of .uddhism have become the focal points for pious disciples to rally around and seek inspiration. .y the time of King Asoka, four more places, namely: Savatthi, Sankasia, Ra6agaha and Vesali, that were closely associated with the .uddha and scenes of His principal miracles, were added to the pilgrimage itinerary. Together, they make the Eight 3reat Places of Pilgrimage. v The aim of this book is to share my e0perience and knowledge with fellow .uddhists about the benefits of undertaking a pilgrimage to the Eight 3reat Places with the correct mental attitude. ,n .uddhism, understanding plays the key role in oneFs spiritual progress. So, for the intending pilgrim, it is imperative to understand that a pilgrimage is essentially a spiritual 6ourney in veneration of the .lessed One. This act of veneration purifies oneFs thoughts, speech and action and through it, many noble /ualities can be developed. Part , of this book discusses these mental aspects. A book on .uddhist Pilgrimage would not be complete without reference to the famous pilgrims of old, namely: King Asoka and the Chinese pilgrims, whose faith and fortitude are an inspiration to all who follow their footsteps. The downfall of .uddhism and the devastation of .uddhist shrines at the end of the 12th century A4 followed by si0 centuries of oblivion, which was the darkest period of .uddhism are retold in this book. inally, the restoration of the .uddhist shrines and the revival of .uddhism in ,ndia are described to enable the reader to appreciate the efforts of the great men who have dedicated their lives to this noble cause. ,n particular, the invaluable contributions of four great pioneers, namely: Sir Ale0ander Cunningham, Anagarika 4harmapala, Venerable Sayadaw U Chandramani of Kushinagar and 4r. .abasaheb Ambedkar are described in their biographies. Parts ,, H ,,, of this book trace the history and religious significance of each of the Eight 3reat Places and the ob6ects of interest that can be found there. Part ,V describes other important shrines along the pilgrimage route that pilgrims should also visit if there is sufficient time. A notable e0ample is Sanchi. Although the .uddha did not visit Sanchi, it is a very important .uddhist centre because relics of the Chief 4isciples and the Arahants of the Third .uddhist Council responsible for propagating the .uddha Sasana beyond the borders of ,ndia were discovered there. ,n fact, Ven. 5ahinda who founded the .uddha Sasana in Sri Lanka, stayed one month at Sanchi in a vihara built by his mother 4evi, before embarking on his 4hamma mission to the island. The Third .uddhist Council was held around 250 .C in Pataliputta 1Patna2. The 5ost Venerable 5oggaliputta Tissa was instrumental in convening the Third Council and despatching Dhamma missions to vi various parts of the ,ndian sub-continent, Sri Lanka and .urma to propagate the Dhamma. Thanks to his wisdom and foresight, when .uddhism disappeared from ,ndia after the 5uslim con/uest during the twelfth century A4, the light of the Dhamma still shone brightly in Sri Lanka, 5yanmar and other Theravada countries where the Sasana had been founded. Today we are witnessing a new phenomenon whereby monks from other .uddhist countries are returning to ,ndia to revive the .uddha Sasana in its country of originG Pilgrims who stop at Patna should visit the Kumhrar Park, which is believed to be the site of Asokarama, venue of the Third Council. ,nterestingly, an account in the 5ahavamsa written during the fifth century A4 says that the President of the Third Council Venerable 5oggaliputta Tissa was a .rahma-god named Tissa in his previous e0istence. At the time of the Second Council, the Arahants, foreseeing danger to the religion in the future, approached him for help as his lifespan in the .rahma realm was coming to an end. He consented to be born in the world of men in order to prevent the downfall of the .uddhaIs religion. Subse/uent events appear to confirm the prophecy of the Arahants of the Second Council. An account of the life of Ven. 5oggaliputta Tissa and his role in spreading the .uddha Sasana to various parts of the ,ndian sub- continent, Sri Lanka and .urma is given on Page 148. Part V of this book provides information on travelling around the .uddhist circuit, road distances, maps showing the locations of the shrines and the pilgrimage groups organiJed by the author from 1991-2008. A pilgrimage to the Eight 3reat Places is one of the happiest and most fulfilling moments of oneFs life and makes one realiJe how fortunate it is to be able to travel there and gaJe upon these ancient sacred shrines. There is no place on earth that has more powerful and inspiring ob6ects of faith than those one gets to see and worship at the Eight Places of Pilgrimage. ,n fact, the sights of these holy shrines create such a deep and lasting impact in the mind that the pilgrim will always remember them with 6oy and reverence for years to come. ,t is hoped that this book will be useful to intending pilgrims and encourage more .uddhists to undertake the pilgrimage so that they too, can benefit from the 6ourney of piety and faith. vii AC,N25-EDGE0ENTS , am indebted to the following persons who have rendered valuable support to ensure the success of all the pilgrimages to-date, namely: S.iritual Advisors • Sayadaw U 9nanapurnik and Sis Uppalavanna of Nepal 119912 • Ven.
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