Bodhgaya is the most important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists in India. It is said that the Buddha has obtained Enlightenment there under what became known as the Bodhi Tree.
Such sacred places like Bodhgaya can be sources of inspiration and encouragement for practitioners. Therefore thousands of people come to Bodhgaya every day with the wish of building up or accelerating their connection and faith.
In Buddhism it is all about developing confidence in one’s own pure nature. Because when we act in accordance with this pure nature we automatically act in tune with the universal cosmic laws and not against them. If that happens, we live and act for the benefit of all, including ourselves. But to be able to do that we need to develop spiritual understanding. What exactly does that mean? One aspect of it is to remove the roots of human suffering by eliminating wrong view and therefore wrong action. Another aspect is to learn to perceive one’s life and the matters of the world out of a larger context and a broader perspective than only the “Egoperspective”. This forms the basis of wisdom and only with this wisdom and equanimous attitude towards life, genuine compassion is possible. However, cultivating wisdom requires hard work and effort like every other thing man wants to learn seriously
As for any learning process inspiration is very important. And visiting such places of pilgrimage like Bodhgaya often can act as an engine for providing strength and energy for daily exercise. Why? Because through the aliveness and genuine spirit of such holy places it often happens that one get’s the chance to unite more deeply with the essence and true meaning of the Dharma.
About Victoria Knobloch
Victoria Knobloch is a freelance artist living in Leipzig, Germany. She works both as a classical singer as well as a freelance photographer. With her photography she wants to welcome the viewer into the exploration of our complex existence with more awareness and therefore a spirit of importance, astonishment and appreciation.
Thematically, she works a lot on vanishing cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary culture alike, yet the human element is the continuous thread. She is always in search of tranquility, beauty and the little worlds of the ordinary people. Preferably she is working in Asian countries where life is not yet touched that much by the capitalistic purpose-driven structures. She loves to interact with people who are still living in deeply rooted, pre-modern cultures. Next to that her work embraces the fields of spirituality and she especially is fascinated by Tibetan Buddhism. For documentations on this subject, she traveled among others to Kathmandu – Nepal, Ladakh – India, Kham, Tibet and the Buddhist holy place – Bodhgaya. Not only is she thrilled by the subject photographically, she is also studying the teachings, learning from the Buddhist masters, and trains herself in meditation. [Official Website]
