Silence and Stillness
Bihar is where meditation was taught first, and it is still taught here free
What it is
Not a route -- a set of things you can actually sit. A ten-day Vipassana course at one of four centres in the state, taught and fed and housed at no charge. Morning sittings at the monasteries around the Mahabodhi tree. The caves at Barabar and Dungeshwari, where people have gone to be alone for two thousand years.
Why it matters
People fly to Bihar for exactly this and then cannot find out how to do it, because a course is not a ticket and a monastery is not a listing. This is the part of Bihar that is hardest to discover and easiest to love.
You will understand
- What a ten-day course actually involves, before you apply
- Which monasteries at Bodh Gaya teach in English, and when
- Where you can sit alone and legally, and where you cannot
- Best season
- Oct - Mar
- Days for the whole yatra
- 10
The stops
- Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya: The compound opens at five. That first hour is the whole reason to stay in this town.
- Root Institute for Wisdom Culture: Courses and drop-in sittings in English, and a garden to sit in.
- Tergar Monastery: Mingyur Rinpoche's seat, with public teaching in the winter season.
- Wat Thai Buddhagaya: The Thai temple, and the oldest foreign monastery in the town.
- Dungeshwari Cave Temple: The cave above the river where he fasted for six years. A climb, and quiet.
- Barabar Caves: Polished granite chambers cut for ascetics. The echo inside is the point.
- Saptaparni Cave: Rajgir, where the first council sat. Above the hot springs, up steps.
- Pippala Cave: A stone chamber on Vaibhara, used by monks and, later, as a watchtower.
- Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Rajgir: The ridge at dawn, before the ropeway queue.
- Gurpa Hill: Where Mahakassapa is said to be waiting inside the hill. A hard climb, and almost nobody goes.
Experiences on this yatra
- Ten-day Vipassana course: Ten days of silence, taught free, in the state where it was taught first
- Yoga at Munger: The school that sent Indian yoga to the world, on the bank of the Ganga
- Sit with a monastery: Eighteen countries keep a monastery here, and several teach anybody who walks in
- Dawn under the Bodhi tree: The courtyard opens at five, and for an hour it is almost empty
- Sit in a cave: People have gone to these rooms to be alone for two thousand two hundred years
- The hot springs at Rajgir: Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Muslims have bathed in the same water here for centuries
Know before you go
- Vipassana courses are booked months ahead, directly with the centre
- Ten days means ten days. You cannot leave in the middle.
- Winter is the season for everything on this page
Questions pilgrims ask
How many days does the Silence and Stillness take?
10 days is right for most families. It can be done in 1, or stretched to 14.
When is the best time for the Silence and Stillness?
Oct - Mar.
Which places are on the Silence and Stillness?
Mahabodhi Temple, Root Institute for Wisdom Culture, Tergar Monastery, Wat Thai Buddhagaya, Dungeshwari Cave Temple, Barabar Caves, Saptaparni Cave, Pippala Cave, Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Gurpa Hill.
What should I know before the Silence and Stillness?
Vipassana courses are booked months ahead, directly with the centre. Ten days means ten days. You cannot leave in the middle.. Winter is the season for everything on this page.
Plan my Yatra. Rather talk to someone? Call or WhatsApp +91 87893 56605, or contact us.