The enlightenment tree

Me and some monks. They were very nice and amused by HOtel California
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I left the city of death to come to what I could consider a city of life. At least a city of religion. Bodgaya is the home of the Bodhi tree. This tree, or at least the living decendent of the original, is the tree that the Buddha sat under when he achieved enlightenment. I spent a little time sitting under it myself, I don't feel much more enlightened, but it was very nice. The tree is next to a temple that has been built in it's honor (of course, as temples are) and all around it are monks, monks, and more monks. And all the monks are chanting. It is really calming and intense at the same time. It was enough to induce spiritual feelings in even the most atheistic of us. This is truly a holy place.

The temple by the Bodhi tree
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The city also has a ton of other buddhist temples. EAch one of which has it's own architectural style, depending on which country it came from. The Tibetan one has some beautiful paintings, and the Bhutanese one had the walls carved (really amazing). The japanese one wasn't all that impressive but I did get to do a zen meditation there a couple of times. That was very nice. My last 3 days here have been spent in contemplation of my headache and how to get rid of it. Actually it was way more than a headache, it was a full on flu...but it's getting better. India is not a very healthy country. Apparently 25% of all travelers acquire a respiratory infection and I don't think I am an excpetion. Ah well...small price to pay I think.

home of the Bodhi tree