Buddhism: The Pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya
The students have learned that each of the major religions incorporates the idea of pilgrimage: taking a journey to a sacred place, in order to more fully understand the religion or to feel closer to God.
There are several places in India to which Buddhists take pilgrimages. The most famous is the village of Bodh Gaya, to visit the banyan tree where the Buddha achieved enlightenment.
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Caden: I learned at my old school that some Buddhist monks take a vow of silence. If they cannot speak, how do the monks show good manners, like saying "thank you"? [Mr. Richmond: Caden is correct; some Buddhist monks do promise not to speak, so that they can focus all of their mental energy on the Eightfold Path. I love Caden's intriguing question about manners!]
Carter: Why do Buddhists highlight all the bad things in the world even if they want them to stop? (They seem to remind people of suffering a lot). [Mr. Richmond: Some scholars, like Carter, have noticed that Buddhism emphasizes suffering ... do you think the religion focuses too much attention on the "bad things"?]
Brynne: Do any monks disagree with the Buddha and his teachings? What do they think? Can they still be a monk? [Mr. Richmond: In every religion, there are people who don't agree about every single detail. Who do you think should decide on the "official" version of a religion?]
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