India & Nepal Buddhist Sector Tour Packages

With the development and encouragement of tourism in India, the connectivity of these places have developed massively. The Buddhist tour packages ensure a convenient travel experience to these spiritual centres. Throughout the journey you will experience a sense of peace and calm that will leave a lasting impression in your heart for a long time. A Buddhist pilgrimage is said to provide liberation or nirvana. This pilgrimage goes from Lumbini to Bodh Gaya and explores various sites, stupas and places related to the teachings of Buddhism. The whole pilgrimage is all about offering an experience that will be a refreshing experience in itself while also looking forward to the future.

About Buddhism

Buddhism is one of the oldest and majorly followed religions in the world. Originating in Bihar around 5thc century BC this religion has garnered a huge following all over the world. The philosophy of the religion was developed from the teachings of Gautam Buddha or the awakened / enlightened one. Ever since its birth the teachings made its way across borders like China, Korea and Japan. Seekers and religious students started to make their way to India in order to learn more about this unique religion that was being taught by Gautam Buddha himself in Nalanda University. Buddhism was preached in the language of the masses that was Pali and Sanskrit, the same language in which the literary texts and source of the religion survives till date. This was one of the most appealing features for the spreading of Buddhism as a religion tenfold. This day, Buddhism stands as one of the majorly followed religions in the world.

About Siddharth Gautam

The founder of Buddhism was called Siddharth Gautam who lived from 566 to 480 BC. He was born in a royal family as a son of an Indian warrior king. Gautam led a very extravagant and privileged life which was the direct result of his position and social standing. However, soon he got very bored and started feeling unfulfilled of his privileges and got the urge to look for something more, a different purpose in life. He left the royal indulgences, his wife and his child, to pursue the greater meaning in life. He started wondering and during one of these instances he met with an old man, an ill man, a corpse and an ascetic who made him believe that all worldly pleasures need to be renounced. He came to the realisation or gained enlightenment while meditating under a banyan tree in Bodh Gaya. After achieving salvation, he decided to walk all over India while spreading the teachings of dharma.

Facts about Buddhism

With a rich historical background there are several interesting aspects and facts about Buddhism. Here are some facts about Buddhism:

• Half of the world’s Buddhist population resides in China according to research. Still, they make up for only about 18% of the country’s population. Other than this, 13% of the Buddhist population resides in Thailand, 9% in Japan and only 1.4% of the Buddhist population outside Asia.
• Buddhism in Asia is a matter of both practice and identity. Various journalists and scholars have studied that many people living in Asian countries may even engage in various Buddhist practices without recognizing themselves as a part of any other organised religion.
• The first mention of Buddha in western writing is in the writings of Clement of Alexandria that dates around 2 AD.
• The Buddha founded the concept of Sanghas which is an order of monks and nuns that helps in preserving the knowledge and teachings of Buddhism even to this day.
• There is no single holy book when it comes to Buddhism. Various scriptures about its teachings are preserved in a variety of Asian languages.
• Buddhism emphasises on mindfulness and meditation because of which it is often considered as a form of psychology over a widely practised religion.

Buddhist Teachings

The Four Noble Truths: The primary feature of any Buddhist teaching is the concept of four noble truths in life. These are: the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. To put it simply, suffering exists, it stems from somewhere and eventually it has to come to an end. The intention of talking about suffering is not to create a negative view of the world but a rather more pragmatic approach to deal with the world as it is along with the attempts to rectify it.

Karma: Unlike the concept of karma in contemporary society, the Buddhist interpretation of karma does not refer to preordained faith. Karma according to Buddhism refers to the good and bad actions that a person takes in their lifetime. The weight of these actions is determined by certain conditions such as: frequent and repetitive actions, determined intentional action, actions performed without regret, action against extraordinary persons and action toward those who have helped one in the past.

The Cycle Of Rebirth: Karma plays out in the Buddhism cycle of rebirth. There are 6 separate planes into which any living being can be reborn which consists of – three fortunate realms and three unfortunate realms. People with favourable and positive karma are born in the fortunate realm and the realm of man is considered as the highest realm of rebirth. In the same manner, the inhabitants of the unfortunate realm suffer from untold suffering.

Buddhist Pilgrimage Places

Places of Buddhist relevance mostly lie in the Indo – Gangetic Plain of Nepal and North India. These are the places where Gautam Buddha was born, lived, achieved salvation and taught Buddhism. Here are the four main pilgrimage sites listed by Buddha himself: Lumbini – Buddha’s birthplace and currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Bodh Gaya – the place where he achieved complete salvation; Sarnath – the place where the enlightened Buddha delivered his first sermon and Kushinagar – the place where Buddha had died and achieved mahaparinirvana.