Buddhist monk Yakito interacts with a resident at Kumrahar in Patna. Telegraph picture

Patna, Feb. 11: Yakito (42), a monk from California in the United States, came to Bihar in search of peace and to explore the land of his spiritual leader, Lord Buddha.

He set out on foot from Patna to Bidhopur, Vaishali, Kesaria, Lauria and then back to Patna, covering approximately 760km in 24 days.

Yakito started his spiritual tour on January 17 this year and returned to Patna on February 10. Nowhere during his journey did he use any public conveyance as he wanted to see the real Bihar by walking and meeting the people and get the “real feel” of what Buddha experienced as he set out on his search for knowledge 2,600 years ago.

Yakito, who has been to Bodhgaya thrice earlier, chose to give the tourist destination a skip this time. Asked why he did he not visit Bodhgaya, he said: “My purpose to visit Bihar this time was to experience peace. Bodhgaya is often overcrowded and hence there is lack of peace which is very essential for meditation.”

This time, he especially planned to visit and explore northern Bihar (Bidhopur, Vaishali, Kesaria, Chakia and Lauria).

Many monks visit Bihar every year to learn more about Gautam Buddha. While most of them like to meditate near the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, some opt for other popular places associated with Buddha like Rajgir, Vaishali, Nalanda, Kesaria and so on.

On being asked why he chose to explore northern Bihar, Yakito said he had learnt about these places while reading about Buddhism in the US. He has been practising Buddhism for the past 20 years, spending his initial 17 years as a monk in Thailand. He went back to the US three years ago.

Asked what made him decide to travel on foot and not use any public or private vehicle for his journey, Yakito, who has his own monastery in California called Abhaynagiri, said: “My monastery in the US is very comfortable. I realised that while sitting and meditating there I will never be able to feel the real suffering and learn about it. This is not real Buddhism. A Buddhist monk must feel the suffering of the people by experiencing it all by himself, and what can be a better way than walk and explore the land where Buddha attained enlightenment.”

He described his 24-day journey as an “incredible tour”.

At Bidhopur village, he saw Ananda stupa and the Buddha statue on the banks of the river Ganga. From there he went to Vaishali where he meditated for some time. He said the place where he found eternal peace was the Licchavi palace, an excavated site, which he found extremely peaceful, clean and beautifully constructed.

In Kesaria, he was happy to see the Ashokan pillar and stupa and gather information about that period.

The place which he liked the most was Lauria, where he stayed for six days to learn more about Buddha and Buddhism.

He said he was fascinated by the beauty of 11 magnificent Ashokan pillars at Lauria, which helped him “reconstruct a clear picture of Ashoka’s policy of Dhamma (belief in love and care for all) and his devotion for Buddha and his teachings”.

According to Yakito, this place was very more peaceful as compared to others and the reason perhaps was that it was a remote location and still not very famous as a tourist site.

Yakito was overwhelmed as he spoke about his experience during the tour. He said he was touched by the hospitality of the people and their eagerness to help him.

“People of Bihar are very nice, they have so much love to give. Since I am a bhikchhuk, I live on the food and drink which people offer me. I don’t carry any money because it’s against my religion but that was not at all a problem as even before I could ask for anything, people were ready to offer me food and water,” he said.

Taking about America, Yakito said: “America is a bubble because people there don’t have depth and they do not understand the real world. They are more materialistic. On the other hand, people of these villages have so much depth and knowledge. I am touched by the kindness of the people here.”

Before his visit to Bihar, Yakito said he was afraid that since the state was so densely populated, a foreigner may find it difficult to walk with a lot of people around. However, his visit has completely changed his perception.

Yakito said he would love to visit Bihar again and explore other remote areas. Asked when he is planning his next visit, Yakito said that would depend on when he will have enough funds to take a flight back to the state.

At Bidhopur village, he saw Ananda stupa and the Buddha image on the banks of river Ganga, from there he went to Vaishali where he did meditation. The place where he found eternal peace was the Licchavi palace, an excavated site which according to him was very peaceful, clean and beautifully constructed.

In Kesaria he was happy to see the Ashokan pillar and stupa and gather information about that period. The place which is liked most was Lauria, where he stayed for six days to know more about this place and was taken by the eleven beautiful magnificent Ashokan pillars, which helped him in developing a clear picture of Ashoka’s policy of Dhamma and his eternal love for Buddha and his teachings. According to him this place was very peaceful as compared to other places the reason perhaps being its remote location and still not being a very famous site for the tourists.

Before his visit to Bihar he was afraid that since Bihar is a densely populated, so as a foreigner it might be very difficult for him to walk with lot of people around, but his visit has completely changed his perception. He said he would love to visit Bihar again and explore it in a much deeper sense and extend the number of days.