"No sooner the Buddha reached Vesali a torrential downpour occured - the rain descending in such volume that all the putreying corpses were swept away and the polluted air was completely purified. Thereupon the Buddha expounded this Ratana Sutta to the Venerable Ananda and instructed him to tour through the city with the Licchavi Nobles, reciting the Sutta as a mark of protection for the inhabitants."
-The Buddha and His Teachings, Narada, BMS, Kuala Lumpur, 1988, pg 689.
Friday, 27th March 2009, Nalanda-Vesali-Kusinara
We will be travelling long distance today. Before we departs for Vesali which is further up north, there was a topping-up ceremony to build a clinic within the Wat Thai Nalanda complex for the benefits of the people in the surrounding areas. As mentioned previously, there will be a clinic and a school in each and every Thai Buddhist temples in India as part of the social service to the needy in the vicinity of the temples.
From my observation, building of schools will play an important role in the social contribution of the Buddhist clerics to the people especially poor children. A group of children from nearby village were already waiting for us outside the temple gates since early in the morning. They were asking for handouts from visitors to the temple. After the temple management allows them to get in, they duly queue up for handouts which was given out by some in our delegation. They were either given some rupees or foodstuffs. Ten Indian Rupees (about US 20 cents) will enable them to buy at least a simple meal.
We arrived at Vesali about midday. We stopped at the Wat Thai Vesali for offerings to the temple and also the partaking of our lunch. Lunch was pre-packed from Wat Thai Nalanda.
After lunch we proceed to the Buddha's Relic stupa for prayers. We circumambulate the stupa which enshrined the small casket that has a portion of the Buddha's ashes given to the Licchavis after the cremation of the Lord Buddha. Vesali was the place where Buddha delivered the Ratana Sutta to protect its people from disease and evil spirits. Buddha also spent His last rains retreat at Beluva, which is at the outskirts of this city, before His Maha PariNibbana. It was during this last rains retreat that the Lord was attacked by severe sickness, with sharp pains as if He were about to die but He endured all this mindfully, clearly aware and without complaining.
One hundred years after Buddha's Maha PariNibbana, the Second Buddhist Council was held in Vesali.
It was in Vesali at the Capala Shrine that the Buddha informed Venerable Ananda Thera that His final Nibbana will be in three months from thereon.
"Then the Lord, having risen early and dressed, took his robe and bowl and went into Vesali for alms. Having returned from the alms-round and eaten, he looked back at Vesali with his "elephant-look" and said: 'Ananda, this is the last time the Tathagata will look upon Vesali'. "....- Mahaparinibbana Sutta, Digha Nikaya, verse 4.1
We visited a stupa with an Asoka Pillar at the side. We found a shady spot about 50 meters from the stupa where we sat and had our chanting. After that we get on to the bus for our journey to Kusinara. We arrived at the Wat Thai Kusinara late in the night at about 10.00pm.
We visited a stupa with an Asoka Pillar at the side. We found a shady spot about 50 meters from the stupa where we sat and had our chanting. After that we get on to the bus for our journey to Kusinara. We arrived at the Wat Thai Kusinara late in the night at about 10.00pm.
As for me, it was an uncomfortable journey because I was experiencing stomach upset. The first night at Kusinara was very unpleasant for me as I visited the toilet at least six times. Not sure if the diarrhoea is caused by the food or water that I consumed earlier at Vesali or it is a test on my endurance and commitment in following the footsteps of the Buddha.By tomorrow morning I will know if I had overcome this small hindrance, with the help of some anti-diarrhoea pills for sure.
To be continued....
