When you think of the Buddha, the word "peace" surely comes to the mind. In an interesting manner, the reverses is also true—when think about peace, Buddha naturally becomes part of the thought. This connection resonated deeply with me, inspiring what I call my “Buddha voyage.”
Set to tour the places where Gautam Buddha spent his life—from birth to enlightenment and beyond—I start on a spiritual journey. It was summer of 2014 when I visited Lumbini, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, who got enlightenment and became Buddha.
Crossing the Border: A Misstep and a Pause
Before reaching Lumbini, I encountered an unexpected hurdle. Unaware that Sonauli (India) was the correct crossing point to enter Nepal, I mistakenly chose a different route. This led to an encounter with the border army, who inspected me for three hours before allowing me to proceed. While the experience was stressful, it gave me an unexpected pause to reflect deeply on happiness, peace, and enlightenment.
First Visit to Lumbini (2014)
I walked and crossed the border (India-Nepal). I chanced upon a vintage jeep, squeezed in alongside 16 fellow travellers. It was a small but bumpy journey. As mentioned earlier I was not on usual path. It was an uncharted territory. After reaching the Lumbini Park I had to enter from some side entrance.
Arriving in Lumbini was like “tranquillity”, peaceful, calm, free of noise, violence and worry! I visited the Mayadevi Temple, Pushkarini Pond, The archaeological remains, the Ashoka piller, Baby Buddha (this time it was black in colour).
I returned the same day and couldn’t explore more because of time constraints. Yet, it was my first visit since I decided to visit Buddha in me!
The Significance of Lumbini
Lumbini (Nepal) has a great spiritual and historical importance. This is the birthplace of Buddha (Siddharth Gautam). It is the said that Queen Mayadevi, wife of king Suddhodana gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in 623 BCE under a Sal tree in Lumbini while journeying to her father home. This place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, admired for its peaceful ambiance and profound legacy of Buddha.
The heart of Lumbini is the Mayadevi Temple, which points out the exact spot of Gautam Buddha's birth. There are monastic zones in Lumbini Park, which has different monasteries from around the world. There is a pond behind Mayadevi Temple, called Pushkarini Pond. It is believed that queen Mayadevi bathed in this pond before delivering Siddhartha.
My Second Visit (2016)
In 2016, I revisited Lumbini, but this time more prepared and offcourse took the correct route!
I reached the Lumbini park around 3 PM. As mentioned I took the correct route and entered the Lumbini park from the main entrance. It was a mesmerizing visual, little pond with greenery around. Few white beautiful cranes were adding serenity to the scene. There was a beautiful carved stone on which Buddha's Pancha Sila was engraved. If you wonder what this Pancha Sila is, let me explain:-
Pancha Sila
- I observe, refraining from killing any living beings.
- I observe, refraining from taking what does the owner not give.
- I observe, refraining from committing sexual misconduct.
- I observe, refraining from telling lies.
- I observe, refraining from taking any intoxicant or drug.
I moved further in the park, there was an information board explaining the map of the park.
This board clearly guided every important point and its directions. I revisited Mayadevi Temple, Pushkarini pond, remains of small stupas near by the pond and the Ashoka pillar.
Then I sat and pondered for a while at the prayer park behind the Pushkarini pond.
Then I got to see the baby Buddha statue, which was now in golden colour. Then there was this eternal peace lamp which was set aflame on November 1st 1986.
I had a plan to stay at Korean monastery. The monastery was a little far from this place, I had to walk around 2 kilometres. It was evening time and the sun was setting very fast. I was a little sceptical because there were no sign of humans on this road, however I made it to the Korean monastery before the dark. I was allotted a room there. This room had nothing but a cot and a mosquito net, means no luxury.
Next day I woke up early and took the breakfast there. Believe me if you love tasty food you will not like food at monasteries because they use no spices only boiled rice and vegetables. There was chines monastery right in front of the Korean monastery, so I visited this monastery. It was so beautiful and I catching that I took many pictures.
After this I hired a cab and moved towards the next destination KAPILVASTU.
Visitbuddha.com
All the learning, experiences and understanding I received through this journey are being collected in Visitbuddha.com along with a clothing line. In our clothing line we strive to embody Buddha’s teaching. Every T-shirt or hoody is inspired by some quote from Dhammapad. Dhammapad is considered to be the most authentic scripture in which all the teachings of Buddha are compiled. Through our clothing line we aim to bring Peace, Reflection and Mindfulness into everyday life.
Peace, Mindfulness and Style
At Visit Buddha, we aim to capture Peace, Mindfulness and Style in our clothing. Whether you’re looking for a Timeless Buddha Oversized Hoodie or a Buddha Quote Round Neck T-Shirt, every piece is designed to bring comfort, style, and spiritual inspiration to your daily life. We wish that you visit Buddha in you!
In our Clothing line we have unisex sweatshirts, V-neck Buddha Quote T-Shirts, Round neck Buddha Quote T-Shirts, oversized T-Shirts and accessories blend with comfort, style and motivation.
Visit Buddha in you
The word Buddha comes from the word Buddhatwa means enlightenment. In visitbuddha.com our motto is to help people find their inner peace and be mindful towards life. We worked thoughtfully on every design. Explore our collection let us know, do you feel what is said?
Have you ever visited a place that transformed your perspective? Plan your journey to Lumbini, or shop the essence of mindfulness through our clothing. Let’s walk the path of peace together.