Jundo's India Diary: A Month of Travels & Pilgrimage

[Byokan]

Hi Jundo,

Ok, now that's what I was looking for in a guru! You should make that your official PR photo. Ohh, I was just sending metta to the man behind you who I thought had lost half his arm, when I realized that's actually two people. Well, metta to them anyway, and I do hope that guy appreciates having a whole arm.

Safe travel!

Namaste
Byōkan
sat today

[Mp]

I have yet to have a bad meal here, perhaps because of the surroundings and atmosphere. The curry tastes good, and so many varieties. I am not usually that much of a curry fan.

I have also (so far) avoided any sign of tummy problems.

Gassho, J

SatToday

Oh this is good news ... the happy tummy deities are looking over you. =)

Gassho
Shingen

s@today

[Tai Shi]

Again, thank you Jundo, and deep bows for undertaking such an arduous pilgrimage. My I say that I might never be able to walk or even ride through such an environment, and I am grateful for you, and how you have undertaken such a trip, and how you report back to our Zendo the arduous trip you are making. Thank you so much for reporting back to us in such detail.

Tai Shi
std
Gassho

[Tairin]

I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying this thread both Jundo's updates and everyone's comments.

I am glad you are having such a wonderful adventure Jundo

Gassho
Warren
Sat today

[Jundo]

I discovered that the Jains have their own 24 hour cable channel in India, featuring their music and sermons by the "Skyclad" priests (plus phone apps!)!

http://www.jinvanichannel.com/shows.aspx

I did not realize that they were still so vibrant as a community, with perhaps 7 million members, although almost exclusively all within India. For various historical reasons, such as the happenstance of geography and royal favor, they managed to survive in India when the Muslim invasions and spread of Hindu beliefs pretty much wiped out Buddhism from there. Other theories are that the Jains also did a better job of involving and meeting the needs of their lay followers than the Buddhists (who were too monk centered, limiting the role of the lay folks to donation and patronage of the monks). It is a complicated issue.

https://ja.scribd.com/document/230575185/Why-Jainism-survived-in-India-and-Buddhism-didnot-Part-1

In any case, here is a small sample of the channel. In case you are wondering, it seems 90% (although not completely) free of full nudity, certainly in respect for folks from other religions who may be channel surfing. Not so at live events of course (I did read that the "skyclad" nuns dress). Also, Jain monks are celibate, and required to observe strict chastity and freedom from mental desires.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUM20vKFWz4&feature=youtu.be

As Kokuu mentioned, their view of Karma is that any action ... even by accident ... can give rise to good and bad effects and rebirths, unlike the Buddha's interpretation that volition and intention are what determine Karma. For this reason, the Jain ideal in their practice and meditation is to develop the ability to stop all physical actions and all thought completely, the only way to prevent Karma from arising and to free themselves from past Karma. This is something, for practical reasons, that they really only fully perfect on their deathbed as the breath stops, although during life they try to be as still in body and mind, and as good as possible. The "duster" object that you see their head priest holding in the video above is a kind of traditional broom that they use to sweep away insects from the ground when walking or sitting so as not to accidently take life.

I also want to add a couple of more images of their model of the world from the "Red" Jain temple in Ajmer which I visited. It was truly incredible. Here is a view of their conception of the universe (very close to the traditional Buddhist idea too) with Mt. Sumeru in the middle surrounded by a series of great continents, one of which holds our world.



Celestials fly overhead in their birdy airships playing music ...



Here is a sample of how Buddhists traditionally described this ...

The Buddhist cosmology divides the bhūmaṇḍala (circle of the earth) into three separate levels: Kāmadhātu (Desire realm), Rūpadhātu (Form realm), and Ārūpyadhātu (Formless realm). In the Kāmadhātu is located Mount Sumeru which is said to be surrounded by four island-continents. "The southernmost island is called Jambudvīpa". The other three continents of Buddhist accounts around Sumeru are not accessible to humans from Jambudvīpa. Jambudvīpa is shaped like a triangle with a blunted point facing south. In its center is a gigantic Jambu tree from which the continent takes its name, meaning "Jambu Island".... The continent is ten thousand yojanas in extent； of these ten thousand，four thousand are covered by the ocean，three thousand by the Himālaya mountains，while three thousand are inhabited by men （SNA．ii．437； UdA．300）．

Jambudvīpa is the region where the humans live and is the only place where a being may become enlightened by being born as a human being.

It was only in recent decades that many traditional Buddhists, in the face of modern geography and astronomy, began to modify their quite literal views on this, not unlike the "flat earth" and Creationist debates in Christianity. It was a hard fight, with many Buddhists believing (still believing) that only literal faith in this wordview was called for. Some still cling to a literal interpretation, some take it symbolically or psycholically now, some say it was the Buddha and old Buddhists (as people of centuries past) doing their best to describe the world without the benefite of Googlemaps.

http://buddhism.about.com/od/buddhisthistory/a/mountmeru.htm

Gassho, J

SatToday

PS - When do we get a 24-Hour Treeleaf Channel?

[Seishin]

Jundo many thanks for sharing your experiences and providing such interesting education along the Way. Glad you have avoided the dreaded Dheli Belly, let's hope it remains so.

[Mp]

Hey Jundo,

Wow .. This is great. I studied the Jain faith in college, but great history you are sharing.

Also, yes, when is Treeleaf going to get its 24hr TV channel? LOL =)

Gassho
Shingen

s@today

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

[RichardH]

Thank you for the update Jundo. The first I ever saw of the Jains was a film of people sweeping the ground ahead as they walked, trying to avoid accidentally stepping on a bug. It looked like the ultimate form of compassion, but also somehow extreme, and it made me question what compassion is. The all-or-nothing take on karma is intersting, at least you don't have to finesse things at the fuzzy boundary of volition. I believe Mahavira was an older contemporay of the Buddha. It would be interesting to learn more about his life and teachings.

Gassho
Daizan

Sat today

[Sekishi]

Also, yes, when is Treeleaf going to get its 24hr TV channel? LOL =)

Since GoPro, quadcopters, etc. have made first person view (FPV) all the rage lately, I volunteer to produce our Zazen FPV programming: 90 minutes each day of a wall! [emoji4]

Gassho,
Sekishi

#sattoday (stuck in FPV mode)

[Jundo]

Quite the send-off for this Indian Government sponsored Buddhist pilgrimage train that I am on, about 30 Chinese lay folks and priests, 3 Thai, 2 Koreans and me (who they have listed as Japanese for some reason).

Anyway, we get on a bus for Bodgaya in a couple of hours.

https://youtu.be/GmllcDMKw_Y

Gassho J

SatToday on the train

[RichardH]

jazzy,


Gassho
Daizan
Sat today

....Hoping you'll stream live from the Bodhi tree.

[Mp]

Very cool Jundo ... Thanks for sharing. =)

Gassho
Shingen

s@today

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

[Risho]

Thank you for sharing! Holy cow your trip sounds incredible

Gassho

Risho
-sattoday

[Jundo]

Train 4 hours late for Bodgaya, plus stlll a bus trip. Of course, Buddha is not some destination.

But if we don't get there soon, might have some pretty angry Buddhists here (just kidding).

I just read a diary about a 7th century monk who walked from China, through Afghanistan to Bodgaya and back again. He suffered bandits, high mountains and drowned elephants along the way. So, nothing to complain.

Gassho J

SatToday (a lot since the train is late)

[Joyo]

Thank you for sharing, Jundo. I hope your train is there soon.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today