Sri Lanka Pilgrimage - Dambulla caves, Anuradhapura and Kelaniya Temple

Our journey went further North, leaving the tea fields and the Kandy plateau behind us. We arrived at the hot planes of Anuradhapura. On the way, we stopped at the Dambulla cave temple complex. There are five caves with statues, stupas and wall paintings.

Dambulla caves from the outside

Buddha statue at Dambulla caves

Stupa in Dambulla caves

Moving on, we arrived in Anuradhapura, welcomed by a torrential downpour, the likes of which I have not seen very often (although I'm used to Indian monsoons!). Anuradhapura has been Sri Lanka's capital for many centuries, and successive kingdoms have left behind many impressive sites. But perhaps the foremost place to visit, is the Bodhi tree, the Jaya Shri Maha Bodhi. The Buddha had foreseen that Sri Lanka would be a place were his teachings would be upheld for a long time, and blessed the country with three visits. He came, as it is recorded in the sutra's, neither through land nor through water. But at the time of his visit the teachings did not yet spread. That was to happen during the reign of the great king Ashoka, whose very own son Mahendra and daughter Sangamitta came to Sri Lanka to establish the Sangha. It was Sangamitta who brought a sapling of the original Bodhi tree from Bodhgaya to Sri Lanka and planted it here. Now, it is reputedly the oldest known plant planted by humans in the world.

Reciting Miphams practice of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Aspiration to Good Actions

The actual tree is quite small, since it was planted in a golden pot and thus never became very large. It is supported by several beams. Surrounding it are larger specimen of the fig tree.

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi

The ancient city is huge, and we continued our journey to the Thuparamaya stupa. It is considered the first stupa or Pagoda in Sri Lanka, and was build by King Devanampiyatissa at the request of Ashoka's son himself, Mahendra, to house the right collar bone of the Buddha.

Thuparamaya

Probably the Mirisawetiya Stupa

Ruins in the ancient capital

Our final visit for the day was the Jetavanaramaya stupa. It is a very important stupa, since it represents the tension between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is also the largest structure of the ancient world, and one of the tallest.

Jetavanaramaya stupa

Sculpture of a Mahayana Bodhisattva

Paintings in the small temple tell us the history of the stupa

A lot of planning preceded our arrival, and we were greeted with traditional dances.

Dance performance in front of Jetavanaramaya stupa

Around hundred monks had been requested to bless us with the recitation of a few sutras. They recited the Ratana sutta, the Mangala sutta, the Metta sutta and also the first ever giving discourse by the Buddha after he attained enlightenment, the Dhammachakkappwattana sutta. A recording of the melodious chants can be listened to here. We offered the monks new robes, and in turn the main abbots offered Buddha statues to the three main monks in our delegation.

Distribution of monk robes, headed by Philip and Tashi-laa

Offering of a Buddha statue by the abbot of Abhayagiri Buddhist university

The venerable monks

Sutra in Pali script

Wild elephant on the way to Colombo

Kelaniya Temple

Finally, we left for Colombo, where we visited the Kelaniya Temple. Buddhists believe the temple to have been hallowed during a visit of the Buddha to Sri Lanka, eight years after gaining enlightenment. The temple contains some of the most beautiful paintings in the Buddhist world, made by local artist Solias Mendis. He visited the Ajanta and Elora caves, and mixed Indian with Sri Lankan art. The paintings depict the life story of the Buddha, his visit's to Sri Lanka and also the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

One of the Buddha's visits to Sri Lanka

One of the paintings depicts Buddhagosa, Sri Lanka's most renowned scholar. The interpretations provided by Buddhaghosa have generally constituted the orthodox understanding of Theravada scriptures since at least the 12th century CE. Buddhagosa came from India, and visited Sri Lanka in order to find a commentary which has been lost in India. In Anuradhapura Buddhagosa requested to study all the texts in the Pali canon. In order to test him, the monks asked him to write a treatise summarizing the meaning of the scriptures. He wrote it, but at night it disappeared. Again he wrote it, and again it disappeared. Then finally, the third time it did not disappear. When he went to present his composition to the monks, suddenly all three texts appeared. The texts were identical and thus he passed his trials. This text is the Visuddhimagga, the Path of Purification, which is a comprehensive summary and analysis of the Theravada understanding of the Buddha's path to liberation.

Buddhagosa presenting his composition

Also the ceilings are filled with exquisite paintings 

The statues doing their daily job of upholding the temple

The story goes that one of the times the Buddha visited Sri Lanka (you can read more about the Buddha's visits to Sri Lanka here), he came in order to pacify a conflict two kings where about to engage in, because of a huge jewel. They offered the Jewel to the Buddha, who then sat on it. He said 'now it is mine', but then he gave it back, after which a stupa was build to enshrine it.

The stupa build at the spot the Buddha visited Sri Lanka

That concluded the pilgrimage. Needles to say we need to thank Orgyan Tobgyal Rinpoche, all the other lamas and monks, and everybody else who volunteered to make this pilgrimage possible. Special mention should be made however to venerable Manjushri, who relentlessly helped organize everything, and was an unfathomable source of information.

Bhikkhu Manjushri 

Buddham saranam gacchami

I go to the Buddha for refuge.

Dhammam saranam gacchami

I go to the Dhamma for refuge.

Sangham saranam gacchami

I go to the Sangha for refuge.

Sri Lanka pilgrimage - Kandy and the Sacred Tooth Temple

With three buses almost a hundred people we continued the journey to other sacred places of Sri Lanka, first in the direction of Kandy. Thanks to Orgyan Tobgyal Rinpoche and other courageous volunteers, we travelled in style and firstly enjoyed a grand buffet at the outskirts of Kandy. 

Buffet near Kandy

The first thing scheduled was a dance performance of the famed Kandyan dance style. The dance, just as any practice done at most Tibetan monasteries, started with a blowing of the conch. After that, when the drums started, the whole audience was mesmerized. I'm not someone who visits theatres a lot, but this was certainly thrilling. Dance acts followed up in rapid succession, never becoming boring. 

Kandyan Dance

Most of the dance is performed as an offering to the Buddha. At the end the dancers showed their courage by walking on burning coals, and rolling flames alongside their body and on their tongue. The fire dance goes back to the myth of Seetha, Ram, and the demon Ravana.

Playing with fire

Description of the dances part 1

Description of the dances part 2

The next day the main attraction was planned, the Sacred Tooth temple, or Sri Dalada Maligawa. 

Temple of the Sacred Tooth from across the lake

When the Buddha passed away, he was cremated in a sandalwood pyre. Then, the Arhat Kema

obtained the sacred tooth of the Buddha. It was kept in India, in Kalinga, until it was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century. In the main hall, beautiful paintings portray an elaborate history of the tooth relic. The tooth has a special shrine room dedicated to it, and musical offerings are made a few times a day. It is only displayed to the public once every few years. Since we travelled in a large group we were fortunate and were allowed to -quickly- visit the inner shrine room.

Main shrine hall (thanks to Boon for the photo)

Painting portraying the Arhat Kema obtaining the tooth relic

Bodhi trees abound in Sri Lanka. This is the one at the sacred tooth temple
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Lighting candles

For budget travellers, Kandy certainly has some cheaper places to stay and dine. We stayed in a double room for 2000 rupees and had an elaborate breakfast for 4 persons at a large middle class restaurant for only 800 rupees 

Sri Lanka pilgrimage - practice at Sri Pada and climbing the peak

Sri Lanka's holiest mountain is called Adam's peak, since Christian's and Muslims believe it is the place where Adam first set foot on the earth. For Buddhists, it is called Sri Pada, meaning 'sacred or glorious foot', referring to the footprint the Buddha Shakyamuni left on the peak of the mountain. Buddhism is known for it's various teachings, differing according to beings perceptions. Not surprisingly, there are thus also different views regarding this place. The Theravadins assert that lord Buddha Shakyamuni came here and blessed the place with his footprint, in one of his three visits to Shri Lanka. Vajrayana Buddhism does not dispute this, but the place takes on an even greater significance, since this is the place where the tantras have been taught for the first time in the human realm. Here we also come across names like Mount Malaya, or Namchag Barwa, which means 'blazing meteorite iron mountain'. It is here where Vajrasattva appeared in actuality, and where the Five Excellent Ones of Sublime Nobility received the tantras of the mahayoga and anuyoga. Therefore we can say that for tantric Buddhist, this place is comparable to Deer Park, where the Buddha Shakyamuni gave his first sermon. 

Magnificent views of Sri Pada on the way to Kandy

Headed by Neten Chokling Rinpoche and Orgyan Tobgyal Rinpoche, and Mindroling monastery's Gyalse Rinpoche, Dakpo Tulku and the Umdze, Tulku Jikdral, we performed an elaborate drupchen practice of Vajrasattva, the Minling Dorsem. The Minling Dorsem is renowned for being one of the most authentic practices, since it's revealer and composer, Minling Terchen Gyurme Dorje, followed the tantras to the letter. Therefore, it has been placed by Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche as the very first sadhana in the great collection of revealed treasures, the Rinchen Terdzo, which contains over a hundred volumes. Thus it was more then appropriate to perform this particular practice. And as the Theravadin monk Manjushri said in front of a large gathering of Bikshus and the abbot of Abhayagiri University, it is probably the firs time ever a Vajrasattva practice or drupchen has been done in Sri Lanka

As always, the great mastermind behind everything was Orgyan Tobgyal Rinpoche. The drupchen and pilgrimage had been in the planning for years. Since Sri Lanka is quite expensive as compared to other places in the Himalayan region, the logistics of performing a big practice and feeding over a hundred people in a this remote area, and other reasons, it took many years before it could finally happen.

Orgyan Tobgyal Rinpoche giving an introduction
to the place and the practice

Neten Chokling Rinpoche bestowing the Abhisheka

Placing the substances in the mandala house

Elaborate offerings were made

Light offerings

Orgyan Tobgyal Rinpoche answering questions about the practice

To enhance this sacred place even further, and to ensure that no breakages or faults would be able to obscure it, we did an elaborate 'descent of blessings' written by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, which took around 20 minutes. An excerpt:

The glorious heruka delightfully liberated

All the classes of dualism's demons.

Then from their aggregates, the immeasurable palace arose.

All you, inhabiting the vajra city of the three seats;

Protectors of the realms, protectors of the directions, nagas,

And mamo's of the sacred places and lands,

Come here to this sacred vajra place!

Bless this place as indivisible

From the great blazing charnel ground,

And transform it into a grove for vidyadharas to gather!

Bringing down the blessings

Most of the time, Sri Pada was shrouded in clouds.

It was only possible to hold the drupchen off-season, and the monsoon was not completely over yet. We experienced nothing but clouds for two weeks. But at the day of receiving the siddhis, the clouds wondrously opened up and the sky was completely clear.

Finally, the clouds cleared a bit and Sri Pada could be seen fully

The receiving of the siddhis

OTR personally handed out the sacred pills
which were blessed during the drupchen

Climbing to the peak

Without break, after having concluded the ritual, we ascended Sri Pada. Most people started climbing at 12 o'clock at night, but some of us left at 3:30 and arrived before 6 am. Normally, that would be on time to see a grandiose sunrise, but the clouds would not let it. 

No breathtaking sunrise, only clouds. 

Prayer flags were hung and we performed a long smoke offering from the Chokling Tersar.

Hanging prayer flags on top of Sri Pada

Smoke offerings are made on top of Sri Pada

Chokling Rinpoche himself hoisting the offering tormas

We had been told the shrine holding the sacred footprint would be opened at 6 am for an hour or so, but unfortunately the shrine was not opened at all off-season.

The little shrine of the Buddha's footprint

But nevertheless, while descending the clouds occasionally cleared and we could still enjoy some nice views.

While descending the clouds cleared slightly and we still had some spectacular views

The peace pagoda at the foot of Sri Pada

The local god Saman or Samantha, who is the guardian of the mountain,

Most likely Ganesh, another guardian god for the Buddha's teachings.

Buddha in reclining posture

More information and references can be found at at Wikipedia,  Buddhanet and so on.

Sri Lanka pilgrimage - from Colombo to Adam's peak & low-budget hotels and guest houses at the foot of Adam's peak

There are three ways to get to Adam's Peak (or Sri Pada) from either Colombo, the airport or Negombo Beach and so on. You can take the train, hire a taxi or take the bus. Regarding comfort level, the train is the most comfortable, then a taxi and probably lastly the bus. Regarding prices, the train is also the cheapest, then the bus, and most expensive is if you take a taxi all the way from Colombo. Thus whichever budget you have, the train is probably your best choice if you are travelling alone. If you are with a small group, hiring a taxi is a good idea, and for even larger groups hiring an air-conditioned bus can be a very good option.

Train
All the guides seem to agree, and I can also affirm personally, that the train is a very good option indeed. There is mention in the guides that you should reserve the train before hand, as 1st and 2nd class can get booked out. But I didn't do that, and there were plenty of seats. But perhaps on full moon day or if you're simply out of luck, that could be another story. If you happen to be in Colombo before hand, perhaps you can just go to the train station and reserve a ticket.

If you leave from Negombo Beach, you can already take the train from Negombo station. A tuktuk will take you there for around 200 rupees. Here you can only buy a ticket to Colombo, which would only cost 50 rupees or so. The trains seems to go almost every 15 minutes, first an express train, then a slow train, then an express and so on. The only catch here is that the express train, which presumable goes straight to Colombo, is packed, Indian train style, during rush hour. So a better choice is the slow train, which stops at each station. I left at 6:50 at arrived in Colombo train station at 8:15. When you arrive you need to cross the rails to the main building to get a ticket. But you can also take a tuktuk from Negombo Beach to take you to the train station in Colombo, which will take an hour or so and would cost between 2000 - 4000 rupees.
If you leave from Colombo, the only thing you need to do is take a taxi or tuktuk to the train station.

There are many ticket counters at the train station, but the one you need for Hatton, which is the station closest for Adam's peak, is counter nr 17. It's a bit hidden but if you stand in front of the counters, it's all the way to the left. Inside you need the counter for Triconmalee and so on.

Ticket counter for Hatton

A ticket for 2nd class is only 600 rupees. I was lucky and just caught the train at 8:30. The train is very comfortable, even for western standards. As some guides tell us, it's indeed better to go for 2nd class, without airco. The windows are always open, giving a very nice breeze, and the airco is not needed. Also, if you have airco you might not be able to open the window, which obstructs nice pictures.

1st class

2nd class, my fellow traveller chatting with locals

Rice fields and palm trees

The train goes up to Kandy, and then goes down to Hatton.

Buddha statue in the distance just before Kandy

We arrived around 13:45, only a bit later then planned. Thus it took just over 5 hours.

Once you get to Hatton, you can take either the bus, a taxi or a tuktuk. Many tourists get out here, and before I could even find the bus station, a group of westerners approached me, asking if I wanted to share a big taxi with 6 persons. It was 2500 rupees, and thus only 400 rupees per person and takes you to Dalhousie or Nallathanniya (which is were you need to go) in less then an hour.

Taxi or tuktuk
I've heard prices for 100 dollar and up. If you're with a few friends it's not that expensive, but it will probably take about 4 or 5 hours at least. The advantage is that you'll go straight to you final destination, and this is probably the quickest option.

Buses

I'm not very informed about the bus at the moment, but if you go to Colombo bus station, for sure you can take a bus to Hatton.

Accommodation at the feet of Adam's peak

A first glance at Sri Pada

I've heard some people say, that accommodation would be limited at the feet of Adam's Peak, but that seems incorrect. Hotels and guest houses are abundant. That is of course to be expected, since the mountain is a sacred place of pilgrimage for all of the people of Sri Lanka, whether Buddhist, Christian or Muslim. Many islanders I've met went there at least once in their lives, and with 20 million people in Sri Lanka plus a bunch of tourists you can imagine they need quite a few hotels. During the season though, thing for sure get crowded, and at full moon days it might be impossible to get a room.

Many people go for only one day, walk up during the night and leave straight away next morning: the new modern way of speedy pilgrimage. Now in November, the pilgrimage season has not started and you barely see locals, only foreigners. About mid December, during full moon the season will start and then it will get very, very busy. Interestingly, since now it's about one month before the season starts, the whole area looks like a big construction site, with everybody racing to upgrade and extend their hotels for the new season!

One of the construction sites

If you look online for Hotels, obviously you will only find those on the higher end of the spectrum. For those with a smaller budget, perhaps when you arrive first take an hour or so to explore your options leisurely. Asking for a price and then walking away is also a great strategy for getting better prices. Especially outside of the pilgrimage season, you can negotiate. Talk to the locals, and you will find cheap home-stays for as little as 500 rupee (but then don't expect hot water). There are also nice places for around 1000 rupees or so, but you'd have to look for them. Getting a room for 1500 is not that difficult. But if you take a room in one of the fancy hotels, next to the roads, prices are more likely to be around 20-50 dollars.

Han, december 2015

Sri Lanka pilgrimage low budget - arrival

For those with a slightly smaller budget, going about in Sri Lanka is not so easy as it is in India or Nepal, where cheap guest houses and restaurants are in abundance. Here are a few tips!

Negombo ocean

When you arrive in Colombo, a smart thing to do while still in the airport, is to get a Sri Lankan sim card. There are several companies you can choose from; I chose air-tel, which for 1000 rupees offered me a sim with 10gb valid for 1 month, and some calling credit. Enough to get me going for the next month. Changing money is of course also a good idea, but don't change too much, as in the airport they give you very bad rates. Outside the airport you can get much better rates.

Then how to get away from the airport. Instead of taking a taxi, you need to walk only a few hundred meters to get to the main road. From there you can take a tuk-tuk, which are cheaper. 

Most of us will want to chill out a bit before continuing the journey. A good option is to crash in a town called Negombo beach. This is only a few minutes drive from the airport, much nearer and thus also cheaper to go then Colombo. Also, big cities, especially capital,  tend to be more expensive. If you take the tuk-tuk to Negombo, make sure to negotiate the price for Negombo beach, not just Negombo, since it's a bit further. 1000 rupees or a bit more should get you there.

Fisherman's chill-out hut with fish drying in front

The guest houses I stayed was Sea House. You'll find it here . It's a tiny little guest house with a very nice manager. A single room was 1500. If you look around in the area, you might be able to find a room for 1000, but no less then that. You can find a few guest houses with rooms for 1500 rupees.

Good restaurant are plenty, for non-veggies the seafood is paradise. For the veggies, nice dishes are a cheese kotha (sliced roti with vegetables and cheese), or rice & curry. Also I had a very tasty Sri Lankan style buryani (rice with spices, veg, and mine included some ananas). For less then 300 rupees it's difficult to find something decent to eat, normal prices range between 400-600 rupees. The cheapest option is to get a lunchbox, that's what many locals do! It's usually rice with a few different side dishes, like vegetables, dal, mango curry, chicken and some seafood. It's really fine food, very tasty. The good thing about Sri Lanka, is that you don't need to worry about hygiene as you should in India. Their hygiene is pretty good and I've neither heard nor read about problems with the food.You can get the lunch boxes for about 200 rupees. Then, the best thing to drink is coconut water! For only 50 rupees you can get them at the beach or along the road in vegetable stands.

Housing and food will take the larger part of you budget, travelling around won't cost you that much. The cheapest, and according to Lonely Planet also the most amazing, are the railways, but unfortunately they were having a strike when I had to travel. Buses from Colombo are also very cheap and can take you anywhere in Sri Lanka. If you have some travel companions, tuk-tuk's and taxi are also affordable. As always in the east, before you get in, make sure to negotiate the price.

More information you can find through Google, and the newest Lonely Planet is, as always, a good companion as well. Google maps on your phone can also be a great aid. Have fun!

A case of Tibetan medicine successfully managing epilepsy

Tibetan medicine is still considered by most as a kind of 'alternative medicine', which is nice, but if you are 'really sick', you need 'real medicine'. However, this is not true. Tibetan medicine is as powerful as modern medicine. In some cases it even works much better then modern medicine, and that without side effects and multiple other benefits. This is nicely illustrated by the story of my friend Aaron, who was so kind to write a little article on his treatment of epilepsy with Tibetan medicine.

"In October 2012 I began taking Tibetan medicine to manage the symptoms of epilepsy, which I was diagnosed with in 1997. Since my diagnosis I have been taking Epilim (500mg) twice each day. This medication is documented as having several side-effects that vary from person to person but include damage to the liver and digestive capacity, changes in appetite (weight gain), depression, and some hair loss. I decided to try Tibetan medicine as a substitute for this western medicine that managed the symptoms of my epilepsy but also damaged my health.

When my Tibetan doctor prescribed a combination of medicines he said I could stop taking my epilim immediately because the Tibetan medicine would manage my epilepsy successfully. I was skeptical but decided to take his advice. He was absolutely right. I had no epileptic episodes during the transition from epilim to Tibetan medicine.

My Tibetan medicine has successfully managed the symptoms of my epilepsy for the last few years. I still sometimes have episodes but this happens only (as it did with epilim) when I fail to take my medicine, drink alcohol excessively, have a lack of sleep, and eat poorly. As long as I take care of my health I have no epileptic episodes. Furthermore, the harm done by epilim to my liver and digestive system has also slowly receded, though my Tibetan doctors have said it will probably be a year or two before the harm is completely reversed.

Yet while the Tibetan medicine has been incredibly effective, a change in diet has also been essential to becoming increasingly healthy during this period. In my own experience I have found that most Tibetan medical practitioners are unable to give precise and comprehensive diet and nutrition advice, perhaps due to the limited variety of food found in Tibet. It has been my introduction to Ayurveda, the health science of India, that has been the necessary complement to my Tibetan medicine.

Ayurveda is a health system that prescribes different diet and lifestyle regimes according to one's specific constitution. I have found that the two systems complement each other very well. The benefits have been noticeable. I have more energy, sleep better, and have less digestive problems.

I would advise anyone with epilepsy to give Tibetan medicine a try, and anyone seeking coherent and targeted health and nutrition advice (in contrast to the sometimes contradictory prescriptions found the West) to try eating according to Ayurvedic principles."     Aaron