Bodhgaya
Bodh Gaya is a small town of 30,000 inhabitants located 16 km from Gaya. But because the city is spread out, the center, located near the river, feels more like a village. It’s lively and peaceful. I feel good there. Opposite is a video of the riverside esplanade.
The city is a Buddhist center. Buddha attained enlightenment here 2,600 years ago. The Mahabodhi Temple was built around the tree under which Gautama Siddaharta, known as the Buddha, meditated. Enlightenment is said to have occurred during a short walk between the tree and a nearby rocky mound.
It is a popular pilgrimage site. Photography is prohibited, so there will be no photos of the temple.
However, in the vicinity of Bodh Gaya are the famous Barabar Cave, Nagarjuni Cave, and Pragbodhi Cave. The latter is believed to have been occupied by Buddha before his enlightenment.
Note: I came here for the caves. I wanted to know if yogis had left Prana (internal and individual life energy) there. I’m fortunate to feel my prana circulating in my body, and I’ve already interacted with the prana left by Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry and the prana of Ramana Maharshi in Tiruvannamalai.
It turns out that none of the caves I visited contain prana. However, they hold many other surprises…
BARABAR caves
The caves are located 65 km from Bodhgaya by Auto-rickshaw (Tutuk). Here are two photos taken on the way to the caves…
Then it’s the climb to the caves…
The three caves are famous, and there’s some information online that states they’re closed and that you need to find a guide who has the keys on site. In reality, the caves are closed and inaccessible to the public. As with all archaeological sites, official permission is required. See the sign I’ll see there…
A few Indians were passing under the barriers and trying to open the cave doors, but… without success. Then a “guide” called out to me and offered me a tour…
So I’ll be able to visit…
First surprise:
A beautiful drawing of a seal is engraved on the polished wall. Yet we are in northern India, and the Arctic Ocean is… very far from here!
Second surprise:
The cave has been excavated, and the granite is polished like a tombstone. A true mirror…
Third surprise:
The cave has an elongated shape, like a tunnel. At the end is another door leading to a domed chamber…
All the walls, ceiling, and floor are perfectly polished.
Once there, I asked the guide to leave me alone and sat in the lotus position to meditate in the darkness.
No prana was present. Then, the guide told me about the reverberation of sound, so I decided to pronounce the sound “AUM” as if to begin a yoga session…
The result is astonishing. The sound I pronounce in these two videos is intentionally shortened. The echo prolongs the sound, but something else happens: the bass amplifies itself…
Below are two recordings in video form.
The question is: if the sound emitted is powerful enough and at the right frequency, what happens?
You can imagine anything: an increase in its vibrational rate with spiritual consequences, or teleportation…
Perhaps one day, with more knowledge and official authorization, I’ll return…
GNagarjuni cave
Nagarjuni Cave is located 2 km east of Barabar. Two photos taken on the way…
Then arrived at the base of the hill.
Oddly enough, this cave is freely accessible. It has the same shape as Barabar. The differences: the entrance has inscriptions and there is no inner chamber.
No presence of Prana noted. The sound tests are less impressive than in Barabar.
Pragbodhi cave
This cave is located further south, 9 km from Bodh Gaya. Buddha is said to have meditated here for four years before coming to the village that would later become the city of Bodh Gaya.
Two videos taken on the road to Pragbodhi
The view from the cave
I’m going up the hill with some children, then a monk will welcome me, and we’ll enter the cave. He’ll let me meditate for about fifteen minutes. I’m not feeling energetic, but the place is calm, and silence reigns. A wonderful moment sitting in lotus position, mind empty and body at rest…
