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Most places where the
Buddha lived and taught are found at Bihar of North India. The most
sacred place of Buddhism is Bodhgaya, the place of enlightenment.
Situated amidst innumerable rice fields, at the bank of the river
Nirañjanā, it is the destination of thousands of pilgrims.
Eminent personalities
from the international Buddhist community, pilgrims and spiritual
tourists from all walks of life crowd the monasteries and the small
streets of Bodhgaya.A new library with high tech equipment, a
University of Buddhist studies and a meditation park contribute to the
pursue of spiritual discipline along with that of modern scholarship.
The center of the
present day village of Bodhgaya is occupied by the Monastery of the
Great Enlightenment. On its side, a thick balustrade protects the
Bodhi Tree (Tree of Enlightenment), of the species ficus
indica. At its shade is worshiped the Diamond Throne, as it is at
the exact spot where the Buddha sat in meditation and found
enlightenment.
Imposing monastic
complexes, belonging to different Buddhist countries, thrive with life
all around the sacred area. Each one holds its own ritual and the
monastic discipline of its home country. Some of them offer rooms and
serve meals for a modest amount of money.
The region evokes
real or symbolic events from the life of the Buddha. They represent
symbolically the perfect, total and unreserved compassion emanating
from enlightenment, as well as the dedication of the Buddha to the
liberation of all living beings from the circle of re-existence.
Bodhgaya is a good
example of the present day tendency of traditional Buddhist
communities to put in practice the spirit of tolerance, of peaceful
coexistence and of compassion towards all living beings which the
Buddha taught mankind.
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