One of the things I have wanted to do since we arrived was to go see the Global Vipassana Pagoda just north of Mumbai. We had some friends going, so we all decided to go together! It was a great day. I am glad that we went early in the morning. We were able to beat the crowds of people that I am sure they have during the day AND we were able to miss the traffic! (Coming back took forever because the traffic was so bad!)
The Global Vipassana Pagoda was built by a couple that practiced meditation to achieve Dhamma--a strict code of living that brings happiness to oneself and others. They learned it in Burma and wanted to share it with the world. The Pagoda was built in the 1970s to allow students to come and learn. They have several different skill levels of learning. Some people come for 10 days to learn the basics... others will be there much longer and will meditate in a cell of their own (looks about 4ft by 4ft room with only a small square cushion inside). We opted to do the 10 minute trial version!
We rang the bell and the gong to bring ourselves happiness and luck. We learned that the bells and chimes at the top of the Pagoda are there to ward off evil and sickness. It was believed that the wind carried disease so the chimes protected the people by scaring off the diseases.
There are several buildings around the grounds. The largest is the largest stone dome in the world built without support structures. Sadly, we could not take photos inside to respect those that were meditating, But it was HUGE! Outside the dome there are important life lessons from Dhamma written on the walls. It was cool to see the focus on equality and happiness for all.
The main message that we found all over was " May All Beings Be Happy." That includes animals, people, and other living things.
I was supposed to be meditating, but I could not miss a chance to take some photos. (clearly I was not a very good student!) Sitting still (and being patient) is not one of my strong points...hahaha
It was fun to get out of the craziness of Mumbai for a day. We loved seeing all of the greenery. Much of it reminded us of Hawaii. They had rice fields and similar plants.
Lady Hiva was able to get some photos as we drove. I am glad that she did. There are many times that we are driving and I see things that I wish we were not driving so fast because they would be perfect photos. They are small glimpses of life as people live it!
We made a stop on the way home at the Mandapeshwar Caves. These are some of the ancient religious caves that are around Mumbai. It was raining while we were there and it made it beautiful to see. We had fun exploring them.
Behind the caves there was a cemetery. Lady Hiva and I noticed that with all of the people in India, we do not see many cemeteries. This one looks like it was all cremations similar to what we saw in Hong Kong and other places in China where space is limited.
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