ANOTHER Buddha!

We had a 4 day weekend for Diwali and used the time to visit the Buddhist caves of Ellora and Ajanta - both World Heritage Sites. We took the overnight train from Hyderabad arriving at a painful 4:00 am. However, the caves were more than worth the journey. Fellow Fulbright Teacher, Rodney Kleber (from MA) met us in Aurangabad and together with Erin we went caving.

Tucked in to an otherwise unspectacular hillside the caves of Ellora where breathtaking. The caves served as monastaries, meditation rooms, and temples. Intricate carvings, dating back thousands of years, decorate the courtyards and interiors, the centerpiece of each being one large Buddha statue standing (or rather sitting) several meters tall.

Evan was eager to explore, or should I say run wildly, through the caves and tiny meditation rooms. He became even more excited when he discovered Buddha. In an effort to keep him distracted I showed him how the Buddha was sitting, and how he held his hands. I did my best to explain why he was sitting like that, and where his toes went, and that no, Buddha is not sleeping, just meditating. He seemed confused by the idea of sitting really still for no purpose, but he was hooked just the same. After the discovery of Buddha Evan was on a quest for more. As we went exploring, every cave became a new opportunity to find more Buddhas, and to ask more questions about what he was doing, or why the rock was so old. Before long, every carving became the Buddha. "ANOTHER Buddha!" He would shout with animated delight.

The final cave at Ellora is the most magnificent. Kailasa Temple (also known less glamorously as Cave 16) was an enormous three leveled rock-cut Hindu temple with tremendous carved elephants around the periphery. Absolutely stunning. Evan commenced his Buddha search, despite the fact that it was not a Buddhist cave, but it really didn't matter.

It was a beautiful place and a beautiful experience. The highlight for me being Evan's innocent enjoyment of Buddhist art. The really neat thing is that the experience has stuck with him. He now likes to "sit like the Buddha" legs crossed, hands in prayer. A few times we have averted tantrums by sitting like Buddha to take a deep breath. And just the other day as he was coloring he explained that he was drawing a cave with a Buddha inside.