February 21, 2023
 
Two months have passed so quickly. The roads running through the villages, the houses in towns, and the markets that the Sangha have passed since the first day were made of concrete, asphalt, or surfaced with gravel and stones, which made us think that it is a dry, barren land with heavy traffic. Fortunately, there are still rice fields, yellow mustard fields, and distant forests with luxuriant foliage and dense trees.
 
The road from the Nepali border to Kusinara is completely and surprisingly different from the roads we have previously passed. The Venerable group leader guided us through a forest with shady sal trees standing straight. The winding path through the verdant forest is embellished with purple, yellow, and white wildflowers, which helps people’s minds feel more relaxed and peaceful.
 
The Sangha has grown stronger with the addition of two new members: Nikko, a white dog, and Karuna, a brown dog. However, my heart went out to Āloka, who has been seriously ill since being hit by a car. His breathing was weak, he felt exhausted, and his severe runny nose forced him to breathe through his mouth, evoking deep compassion from all of us for his suffering. The monks have shown their support by visiting him, comforting him with gentle touches, and providing him with care. Given Āloka’s inability to walk long distances, I arranged for him to ride in a truck for convenience.
 
We returned to the border of India and Nepal to complete the necessary customs paperwork. While there, the chef asked me to take a look at Āloka. When I picked Āloka up, I noticed he was cold, lethargic, and had difficulty breathing. I massaged him and gave him some milk. Two of us, a teacher and a disciple, sat by the roadside while the other monks completed the necessary paperwork to exit Nepal. Congested with a runny nose and thick phlegm, Āloka could not ward off numerous flies that pestered him. I fanned him to sleep with the handkerchief I used to tie my bag and felt deeply sympathetic toward his plight. Vehicles and people passed by and gawked at us as if we were a strange sight to behold!
 
Finally, we finished the customs procedures. I left the group and carried Āloka in search of a hospital. However, I was unsure of where to find one. I held him close and asked anyone I encountered for directions to a hospital. Unfortunately, I asked them in English, but they answered me in an Indian language. So I carried him and kept going, determined to find help for Āloka. I also tried to search for a hospital using Google Maps, but it showed me numerous incorrect results, even directing me to a location in Nepal.
 
I saw a large Yamaha auto repair shop and hoped that someone there would be able to communicate with me in English. I entered the shop, holding Āloka in my arms and pleading for assistance, feeling as distressed as a father searching for help for his child. At that moment, a story came to mind about a woman carrying her dead child while crying and searching for someone to save her child. Finally, when she met the Buddha, he told her, “Go and ask for a house where nobody had ever died and ask for a mustard seed, then the Tathāgata could save your child.” Through this process, she became awakened because she learned that birth, old age, illness, and death are inevitable aspects of life. As I stood in the repair shop, I reflected on the inescapable nature of these universal truths.
 
Fortunately, the shop owner, the manager, and nearly seven workers gathered around us to listen. Each of them grabbed a phone and made calls in search of a hospital for me. After some time, they managed to obtain a veterinary hospital’s address and phone number. To help us get there, the car shop owner arranged for a motorbike taxi for us – a teacher and a disciple – to take because the hospital was about 40 minutes away by car.
 
While waiting for the car, Āloka was sleeping, and I took a brief trip to the bathroom. Everyone else had returned to work. I didn’t know when Āloka had woken up and left without anyone noticing, presumably to find me. When I returned, Āloka was nowhere to be found. In a panic, we searched for him in the busy, crowded area near the border. I searched and still couldn’t find Āloka, but I had a feeling Āloka must have returned to the customs clearance place to find me. I went back to that place and saw Āloka sitting there waiting. I hurriedly hugged Āloka again and felt so sorry for him. His strength was gone, and legs were limp, but he had still tried to return to the spot where I had carried him away.
 
Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctor administered four shots to address Āloka’s high fever. The doctor gave me additional medication and informed me that Āloka was fine. I carried him to Wat Thai 960 temple, which was our stopover, so that he could rest. The monks there eagerly welcomed us back and tried to provide food for Āloka, though he could not eat anything. Once I had prepared the “nest,” I settled him into it to rest. He slept through the night, and by morning, his fever had seemingly subsided.
 
 

#chuahuongdao #chuahuongdaotemple #sbsstupas
#buddha #buddhism #Dhutanga #dhammajourney
 
Source: Dhammacetiya