Like a Dream

10-14-06

The days here in Bodhgaya and Sujata have passed rapidly. So much to say and share, but we are on the move today so I do not have long to write. We are meeting Siddartha shortly. I am going to join him and the local village doctor as they provide medical services to the street children. I am not sure my heart can take much more, but Siddartha says it will be healing for me. The last two days have been a blur. As Cedric dedicated his time to Guhlan and Ravi, I was “adopted” by two young boys, Anup and Rajesh. I have barely seen Cedric in days, but I know that we are both captivated and in love with “our boys”. The boys here come in sets of 2. Everyone has a best friend that they are inseparable from. “My” two explain their friendship to me, and how invaluable it is. Anup says, “this way, you always have someone to support you, to encourage you, to give you good advice and who wants the best for you.” Anup has the better English of the two (which is still very choppy), but Rajesh tries really hard. Anup wants to be a journalist-monk one day, but his guru told him he must get an education first, as a monk without an education can do no good, and he wants to do good for his people. His father is a farmer, and because the family is very poor his education is often times interrupted with the need to work in the fields. However, the land will probably go to Anup’s older brother, and so Anup would like very much to change career paths. This is not easy to do in India. Rajesh has no father, and he too wants to help his village. He wants to be a teacher, but his family is very poor and there is no money for further education at this point. He is destined to be a rickshaw driver or field hand. They take me to their homes, I get to meet their siblings, extended family, and most importantly their mothers. Both mothers are in strong agreement that the boys best chance is a good education. They both say education comes first. The boys take me around Bodhgaya for two days. There are 110 temples here, and is a mecca for spiritual pilgrims. Bodhgaya is home to the Bodhi Tree where Siddartha gained enlightenment and became Buddha. We spent quite a bit of time under that tree, listening to the monks chant and meditating. This is one of my absolute trip highlights. Because Anup has been studying Buddhism, he is able to tell me all about the differences in the religions, the traditions behind Hinduism and Buddhism, and the symbolism and meanings of the millions of signs, statues, trees and monuments. I think it is no accident that I get paired up with the student who wants to be a monk. In a way, we already talk the same language. I have not purchased many gifts while being in India. Most everything is just crap and I don’t feel motivated to carry any of it. But the gifts here are different. There are beautiful carvings and silks and things. The boys offer to take me to market, but first make me agree that I will only point out what I want and then walk away and let them deal with the pricing. “Otherwise”, they say, “you will be very cheated.” (Sundar did the same thing for me in Kanyikumari). At the end of our shopping spree Anup insists on giving me a written receipt for each item so that I know exactly how much I gave them and how much they spent. I am out of space in my bag, but I sure would like to shop some more! There are a few items they deem too expensive, I’ll have to go back there myself today and pay the price. I mean really, $25 bucks is not too much to me! One of the sites we visited was the cave where Siddartha, before becoming Buddha, sat for 6 years without eating. The boys were excited to take me there and said it wasn’t very far. They also felt compelled to warn me about the beggars that would be along the path. There are beggars at the entrances to all the holy sites. The boys said it is very difficult to see, and that I must be sure to not give to these beggars as that only makes matters worse. I was hesitant, and unsure I could take much more of that sort of view, but I did want to explore outside of the little village, so we went early in the morning before it got hot. It turned out to be a 45 minute autorickshaw ride over narrow, bumpy, dusty, rural roads. At one point I laughed outloud to myself – observing where I am and what I’m doing. I mean, OH MY GAWD, I am in the middle of Rural India with two young boys I do not really know, no one knows where I am and home is far, far away. I don’t think I could call Kayla for a ride home. When we arrived it was quite a hike up a huge hill. The sidewalk was lined with beggars with all sorts of ailments. Many of them were girls the age of 12 or 13 with babies of their own. There were open wounds and leprosy and blindness and crippled people everywhere. They all greeted me with Namasta and Hello, but when I did not give to them I could feel their curses and hear their spitting behind me. Once we reached the cave, there were many people praying and meditating and a small class was being taught in what I think was Tibetan. Once again, India shows me he most startling of contrasts. I was overwhelmed. The boys are continually showing concern for me. I don’t know what I looked like, but they kept checking, “you okay mama?”.