Kolkata, India,

After attending the International Tipiṭaka Chanting Ceremony and introducing The Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas Project or Dhammacetiya at Bodhgaya, four of us, Bhikkhu Chon Huu, Bhikkhu Chon Tin, Bhikkhu Thien Niem, and I (Bhikkhu Paññākāra), together with 100 Thailand’s Venerable Monks, left Kolkata airport and started the journey of ascetic lives of 2022. The members of Dhammacetiya Organizing Committee were present at the airport in the early morning to offer preventive medicine to the Venerable Monks.

The first day trip is about 25km. We walked across long bridges, passed by shabby houses along the road and markets packed with people jostling each other and heavy traffic. Pigs and cows were competing for food in the garbage dumps while a strong odor lingered throughout the area. The trip was just more than 25km, but it was tiresome enough for me for the first time walking barefoot across a route strewn with rocks, broken pottery pieces, and hot asphalt roads that burned and blistered my feet.

I loved and admired the Buddha more in every step I took. The more sore and burned my feet became, the more I think of Him, who spent 45 years walking barefoot through mountains, forests, villages, towns, cities, and countries to teach and save the people who shared kammic bonds with Him from suffering. He never gave up his mission for a single day and kept teaching and saving people until his last breath.

Our group walking along the long asphalt road finally reached its stop: a temple. The final steps towards the temple were not easy. Many stones, both large and small, and pebbles cut my burned feet, causing sharp pain to both my body and mind. Finally, a pleasant destination appeared in front of us. Each of us chose a place for ourselves to set up a camping sheet and a tent to rest. More than 100 tents were set up along the slope, spreading to a flat area and down to the lake. Checking the time, it was just after 2pm, too late to have lunch, so the group only drank water for the rest of the day. Having prepared a place to rest, I staggered around the campground, and noticed that there were two monks sitting and poking a needle into the blisters. While I was looking on curiously, one monk told me to sit down, gave me a needle and said in Thai, “Use this needle to puncture the blister to let blood and fluid ooze out.” I followed suit and reduced the swelling, leaving me feeling lighter and making walking much easier.

Then the monks chanted protection suttas, spread loving-kindness and rested, getting ready for the second day of the journey at 3am. In the midst of endless space, surrounded by darkness, in this dhutaṅga walking journey, I made a vow to sow the seeds of favorable relationships with all sentient beings in building the Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas. I hope to develop a wholesome relationship with everyone. May all sentient beings always have the Right View and Wisdom to cross from the shore of delusion to reach the shore of enlightenment.

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