As the Tibetan New year of the Wood Monkey Year began, we prepared to leave Vermont to visit and participate in teachings offered by H H Chetsang Rinpoche, Drikung Scholars and the inauguration of the Lotos stupa at Lumbini, Nepal.
Biksuni Drolma greeted Reverend Dane and myself in New Deli on February 24th 2004. Our pilgrimage was made possible through the generosity of community members who felt this journey to be an important one for the Sangha. Fund raising for the journey was intiated by Julie James, the Vaccaros, the Warringtons and many community members were inspired to support this precious journey.
On arrival in India I was impressed by the changes since my last visit in 1992, when Changlochen Rinpoche was enthroned. New Delhi appeared cleaner and the atmosphere fresher due to changes from highly polluting small engines to more efficeint and less polluting engines. Also there is a strong sense of India expanding it’s welcome to foreigners and foreign business investment.
The sentinels of India’s rich spiritual traditions still stand quietly upon the land as throngs of people move quickly maintaining commitments and supporting life. I sensed a country on the verge of vast change as major religions and material development converge in a diverse population. From New Delhi, we traveled to Deer Park in Sarnath, Varanasi where Shakamuni Buddha first turned the wheel of Dharma teachings after he attained enlightenment and taught the four noble truths to those who had practiced aceticism with him in the forest.