Lumbini was designated a UNESCO heritage site since 1997, still, there was an ongoing dispute of it being the original birth place of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. A pilgrimage to Lumbini is the lifelong dream and desire of most Buddhists worldwide at least once in their lifetime. My sister and I were very privileged to be there just in time to celebrate Buddha's birthday.
After returning from Pokhara, my sister who was in Kathmandu joined me on a trip to Lumbini. We took the Saleena bus at the Naya bus park in Kathmandu. The bus ride took approximately twelve hours. It was our first time taking such a long bus journey together with stops in between. I was glad to be on a road trip again with my sister after several gap years. In my youth, I remembered taking a train ride to Penang with her vividly. We also traveled to Beijing together.
For those intending to stay in a monastery, it's best to arrive in Lumbini a few days ahead prior to the Wesak day celebration. We were very grateful to be able to secure a room with en suite bathroom at the Korean Monastery. Vegetarian meals were supplied in buffet style three times a day. All funds collected from visitors will be directed to renovating the monastery.
Despite the overall simplistic routine, we were happy. I was quite surprised that staying within a monastery could feel so homely. We woke up at 5.30 am daily, had breakfast, meditate, exploring places of interest, lunch, read, evening walk, dinner, read or meditate then sleep. The only irritating part was the long interruption of power supply. Sometimes up to ten hours a day. Alternative power resources such as solar panel need to be considered. A library of Buddhist books and scriptures would be a lovely touch. Thankfully I brought some books with me. Observing talented Thangka painters soothe my soul on a sweltering hot day.
Exploring areas surrounding the Mayadevi Temple was very pleasurable especially so in the evening. It was so tranquil that I felt time stood still or somewhat being transported back in time. Bizarre yet a good feeling. If only my parents had send me to a nunnery since childhood. Sadly, I was born with too many worldly responsibilities especially so towards my parents. I might get to fulfill my destiny after repaying their kindness. After all, everything is impermanent. My situation too will improve for the better.
To most people, Buddhism is a religion. To me, Buddhism is rather a way of living life. Studying Buddhism is very much liken to combining both philosophy and psychology together. Among all mainstream religion, I can relate the most to Buddhism. Buddhist practitioners are much more understanding towards those choosing to be child-free by choice. It's pointless to bring another innocent soul into an overly polarized, polluted and saturated world.
Before arriving in Lumbini I only had limited experience in volunteering such as reading to visually impaired people, teaching English to underprivileged children and tutoring Mandarin online. A day before Buddha's birthday however, I found out that volunteering can be a creative endeavor as well. Due to lack of manpower, I became a potato peeler, a torch light bearer while other volunteers distributed food to monks, dish washer, food wastes collector and composter. Composting fruit wastes in Lumbini required certain ingenuity that even a Jewish neighbor sought my opinion. We buried them underneath dried leaves surrounding tall trees 🤣
On Wesak day, there were many nuns sitting outside on the benches next to my room. I was pleased to get to know them better and learning more about monastic life. One of the nuns was under the weather so I advised her to take a shower in my room and later gave her some aspirin. The food on Wesak day was a bit more luxurious than usual. Indian cheese curry was served. The water source in Lumbini was the second best I've tasted. It's collected from a well and tasted refreshing like spring water. So different from the hard water supply in Malaysia.
In the evening, young monks from Shechen Monastery spoke to me while they were waiting for their bus rides to return to Kathmandu. The conversation had been intellectually stimulating. It flowed so naturally as though I've known them for a long time. They were wise beyond their age. I was pleasantly surprised by this priceless experience during my short stay in Lumbini.
Needless to mention, both my sister and I slept very soundly that night despite the heat. We were exhausted from all the unexpected chores and socializing. The big round moon shone brightly in the clear night sky of Lumbini. Buddha was born on a full moon. Fate had brought us here in full circle.
Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Wheat
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