Bodhgaya and the Dogs of India




The Pariah Dogs of India


A new researcher has joined me here in Bodhgaya. As we walked back from a restaurant, the baking sun receding, night falling, Ana, a young Brazilian amateur dog researcher, observed that the Pariah dog had become almost completely a nocturnal animal. Disturbed by me in the darkness they barked and ran after us. In doing so they alerted dogs ahead of us that we were approaching. Immediately we were surrounded by ten howling hounds who still weren't quite sure what to do. As if they wanted to mete out some kind of revenge for their bleak existence but were still too docile  to step over the line.

In Delhi Ana reported that she and some friends had been chased by a pack of howling pariahs for so long that they became afraid and it took a security guard on night shift to wave his night stick a la Sam Worthington in Avatar before they gave up and slunked off into the shadows of the city.



The Mahabodhi Temple

As I meditated briefly at the Mahabodhi Temple last night I opened my eyes. They crawled over the dusty ground to a white dog that had appeared. One of its front legs was badly injured, bowed, dislocated. I felt a great warmth towards this dog and felt my heart melt. I felt the immediacy of existence; the great joy and pain in it.




Images of Bodhgaya

Below. The Tibetan monastery where I'm staying.



The Thai monastery, Bodhgaya


The Indosan Nipponji where the monk measures your back and posture as you meditate. 
If you like travel and tea-drinking visit GuerrilaZ's sister site Singing Bird below:--



The great statue of Buddha said to be filled with 20000 bronze buddhas.

Despite such a rewarding day yesterday, I managed to ruin it by buying two samosas for supper. After eating them I was so ill it cannot be described here. This morning I feel as fragile as the wings of a butterfly. They were a message to me saying 'time to leave for Calcutta'. I fly out later this afternoon.






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