Early Courses in Bodhgaya

In the early days Goenkaji traveled around India in crowded trains from one rented course site to another. Up and down the subcontinent he would go answering invitations from people anxious to learn Vipassana. The first center, Dhamma Giri, was still only a dream. After the first course for English speaking students in Dalhousie in 1970, a huge demand started and there was a flood of courses for foreign students. As travelers met along the hippie trail in the early ‘70’s one of the first questions people would ask is, “Have you done a course with Goenka?” “Where are you off to next? Oh, I’m off to sit a Goenka course.” Usually a discussion would follow and then fellow travelers would write down the Bombay address to get information on course dates. Dates and locations of courses were exchanged from Kathmandu to Calcutta and from Bali to Tokyo. All over the East travelers were sharing their experiences with others from his courses.

In those early days of the 1970’s there was a good chance Goenkaji might be in Bodhgaya. In 1971, Bodhgaya was just a small town. Bullock carts roamed the streets, women carried water on their heads, and in the small bustling market farmers and merchants tried to get your attention to buy their wares. It was as typical an Indian town as there could be. Except for one thing: pilgrims came from all over the world to the place where the Buddha had attained enlightenment. Not only pilgrims, but world travelers and hippies fresh from the communes of California and Haight Ashbury gathered there also. They not only wanted to visit the Mahabodhi temple and Bodhi tree where the Buddha was enlightened, but also to do a course with Goenka.

On the road from Gaya the first building you came to was the Burmese Buddhist Vihara. It was built by the Burmese government for pilgrims visiting Bodhgaya from Burma. With the change of government Burmese were not permitted to travel after 1962 so there were very few pilgrims, which made the place available for holding Vipassana courses. A monk ran the vihara. He was an older man and was affectionately called Buddha Baba. He was very welcoming to the Vipassana courses, happy that the Buddha’s teachings would be practiced right there where the Buddha attained his enlightenment. With this welcome Goenkaji held many courses here over the years until Dhamma Giri became a reality.

A student of Goenkaji’s from Nepal donated a pagoda to the Burmese Vihara that was built behind the main building. There was a room inside that served as Goenkaji’s accommodation and where he meditated. During the first courses the sittings were held inside the rooms on the second floor. Soon there was so much demand for Vipassana courses that a tent was erected on the roof to hold all the students.

In the January 19, 1972 a very large course was held there. This was a very eventful course because during it there was a huge rain storm and wind that blew the tent down. It meant every student had to meditate as well as sleep inside the small building. It was exceptionally crowded with students stacked up like firewood where they slept. Then in the morning they would put their belongings aside and meditate in the same place. Although the courses were filled to the brim and there were few toilets or showers, people worked peacefully and happily together in this tightly packed facility.

Bodhgaya was a wonderful place to meditate. Although it had been 2,500 years since the enlightenment of the Buddha, the vibrations there were still very strong. The strong connection to the Buddha in Bodhgaya made it a very special place for many people. But in those days few people visited Bodhgaya. There were three or four monasteries and it was a tight knit little place. It was hard to even find a meal. At night it was so quiet because no one was on the streets. Sleeping at the vihara during a course was pleasant and the sound of the 4 am gong sounded beautiful in the stillness. Before and after the courses people would go to meditate near the beautiful Mahabodhi Temple. One could sit on the grass under the trees and near the Bodhi tree. It might be hot in the sun, but under those trees with the cool vibration of enlightenment permeating the atmosphere everyone felt wonderful. Many early travelers got the Dhamma in the Burmese Vihara in Bodhgaya, a place that will linger for a long time in students’ memories.

Today the Mahabodhi Temple is a huge complex and the town now covers nearby rice fields and villages. There are dozens of monasteries from nearly every Buddhist country in the world. Hundreds if not thousands of people visit every day. And yet the vibrations continue to be strong and meditating there is still wonderful. In addition there is now a very nice center, Dhamma Bodhi, in Bodhgaya where students each have their own room and there is a pagoda for meditation. Goenkaji’s efforts have come to bear fruit.