Ferdi Kayhan
7 pieces
Dalai Lama: Most-Photographed Man Prepares to Retire
Bodh Gaya, India. The 14th Dalai Lama , known to his followers for having a charismatic personality and universal values, is actually named Tenzin Gyatso. Dalai Lamas are…
On the Banks of the Ganges: Reflections of a Journey in Time
Varanasi, India . I realize this is winter in northern India just like in New York, but I had thought that India would be warmer and greener. The countryside is often dra…
Buddhism and the Universal Concept of Social Responsibility
Bodh Gaya, India . Studying in Japan back in college, I had a very unique Buddhist experience, one of which I did not understand until years afterwards. I had joined a Bu…
My Pilgrimage Complete: Life Continues Like a Wheel
Bodh Gaya, India. Four years ago I wrote the most-read piece of my life: Will a Vow of Poverty Fill the Void in My Soul? One of the reasons I was interested in this pilgr…
Next Step of Indian Pilgrimage: Vultures’ Peak Where Buddha Preached
Rajgir, India. Following several days in Bodh Gaya, where Buddha obtained enlightenment under the tree, we continue our pilgrimage to another holy site of Buddhism: Rajgi…
Rediscovering the World’s First Great University in Buddhist India
Nālandā, India. The next stop of our pilgrimage is the ancient center of higher learning , Nālandā. Unknown to me before in New York, the Buddhists built the first great…
Under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya Where the Prince Became The Buddha
Bodh Gaya — the place of Gautama Buddha ’s enlightenment under a Bodhi tree considered the most sacred place in Buddhism — is not much to look at upon arrival. Flat, dust…