Finding Zen in Sarnath

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Image Courtesy: https://www.anamoralesblog.com/en/sarnath-and-the-wheel-of-dharma/

Sarnath is said to be the place where Gautama The Buddha gave his first sermon, it is approximately 10 KM from Varanasi and it takes about thirty to forty five minutes to reach there, depending on the traffic. It is a place of pilgrimage for all Buddhists from all over the world and on itinerary of all travelers who come to Varanasi. Thanks to all the pilgrims and travelers from the east, Varanasi had a thriving south east Asian food scene, there were many Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean restaurants (now shut) here and the famous 'Blue Lassi' shop was named by a Korean lady as the story goes. However due to the many travel restrictions during the ongoing pandemic, the pilgrims and tourists from the east are not yet able to travel to India, I hope they can come back soon to uplift their spirit and put the pandemic behind them.

Buddhism originated in India so we all know about Siddharta's journey to becoming Gautama, The Buddha, it is mostly from the textbooks we read in school or history courses, in recent times there are many groups all over India and the world who chant "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" which is a vow, an expression of determination , to embrace and manifest our Buddha nature.

The story of Emperor Ashoka's transformation and path to Buddhism post the Kalinga war is also a well known one and much of what we see at the present day Sarnath was built by Emperor Ashoka (269 to 232 BCE). The Dharmarajika Stupa topped by a lion capital and a crowning Dharmachakra was built by him and the Lion capital is also India's national emblem, unfortunately this stupa was taken dowm by Jagat Sigh, an over zealous minister of the Varanasi king Chet Singh to use the bricks to build a market. Sarnath has been through several upheavals and rebuilding and was patronized by many kings till the 12th century, the most significant contributors being The Guptas who ruled from 3rd to 6th century.

In 1815, the excavation process was started and all the recovered artifacts are displayed in the Sarnath Museum, which is built in the style of a Buddhist monastery. It is one of the best museums in India which is accompanied by a mobile app, a web site and touch screens which describe all  artifacts displayed. The curator of the museum, Dr Neeraj Kumar Sinha has deep knowledge about all the displays here and  there are a few documentaries on YouTube where he describes them.

Around the area there are several Buddhist temples built by countries practicing Buddhism, namely Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, China and Myanmar - all temples are beautiful and serene and deserve a visit, the Mulagandha Kuti Vihar temple has beautiful hand painted frescoes depicting the various stages of Buddha's life and it is here that I learnt that Buddha's son, Rahula and wife, Yashodhara later joined his order and helped to spread the word.

Our trip was in the later part of the morning and it was already touching 42 degrees celsius, so the timing were not ideal, the complex wore a deserted look and just a few more tourists were there. The imposing Dhammek Stupa is the tallest structure and it was built to commemorate the second sermon of Buddha, the Dharmarajika Stupa of which now only the base remains, was built to commemorate Buddha's first sermon. The Mulagandha Kuti temple remnants speak of a large temple structure where Buddha is believed to have meditated and done his walking meditation around the complex.

A Stupa in Buddhist traditions represents Buddha seated in the lotus position, it is said that Emperor Ashoka built stupas in all locations associated with major events in Buddha's life and each stupa had a part of Buddha's ashes and other daily belongings buried under it. Pilgrims from different parts of the world come to this space and chant prayers as they circumambulate the stupa, the periphery of the stupa represents the wheel and the center represents the core or enlightenment, which is still and unmoving and the objective of the seeker is to move from the periphery  to the core by chanting the prayers and meditating on the Four Noble Truths.

There are a few hundred small votive stupas in Sarnath with are visible next to the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara, as Buddhism gained followers, these small stupas were built as an act of devotion by followers and gain karmic redemption and also aid the enlightenment of the community as a whole. Votive stupas could be consecrated and transported to different places due to their small size and this is how it reached distant lands like China, Tibet and so on.

A lesser known fact is that India has about twenty bone fragments of Gautama, The Buddha which are housed in a golden shrine in the National Museum in Delhi. These are considered sacred by the Buddhists and every Buddha Poornima, the museum hall is filled with monks who gather to pray. It is a matter of ongoing debate that whether these remains should be housed in a shrine, so far all such requests have been declined as the relics are ancient and require specialized care.

Zen, as a practice has no science, teaching, scripture, method or practice, you simply sit and wait and when it happens, it happens to you. It is said that Buddha used what is now called Zen for some disciples, what he could not give them as words, he gave them without words. You can read several more delightful stories here.

In ancient Indian spiritual traditions, it is said that the great masters hide their knowledge in "nests" or rocks in the Himalayas so a trek to the Himalayas and visit to the shrines nestled in the hills can be life altering for some people whose energies are aligned to receive these gifts, it is one of the reasons why pilgrims go to Mount Kailash, similarly I think a great wealth of knowledge and knowing lies in these stupas and if one is willing and receptive, irrespective of faith and beliefs, one may just find a little gift of "knowing" and ignite the Buddha within...

References:
Khan Academy - https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/introduction-cultures-religions-apah/buddhism-apah/a/the-stupa

https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/aware-lord-buddha-relics-national-museum

Archeological Survey of India - https://www.asisarnathcircle.org/votive.php

Sarnath Museum Website - http://www.sarnathmuseumasi.org/

Sadhguru's talks on Gautama The Buddha - https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/wisdom/article/11-intriguing-buddha-stories-by-sadhguru

National Geographic - https://natgeotraveller.in/sarnath-guide-sacred-ruins-and-modern-buddhist-temples-in-uttar-pradesh/

https://www.livehistoryindia.com/story/monuments/sarnath 


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