Field Notes

My final anthropology project demands that I interpret pilgrimage as it is manifested by Sri Lankan pilgrims here in Bodh Gaya. In order to convey how fabulous/awkward/beautiful/confusing it is to "gather data" about human beings experiencing the sacred, I will share an excerpt from my field notes:

3:32 p.m. Arrival at Sri Lankan monastery. Sri Lankans were planning on leaving from there at 3:30 (according to a monk I talked to yesterday), but there is no trace of any pilgrimage group. Punctual folk. I proceed to the Mahabodhi temple to seek the pilgrims.

3:46 p.m. After initial confusion (mistaking a congregation of Thais for the actual target), we correctly identify the herd. They are sitting on the edge of the inner-gate, as if waiting for Bodhi-tree space. The group, in its density, is inpenetrable--singling out a lone pilgrim for interviewing is daunting. A couple of older women pass around flowers, which everyone touches. We gather courage.

3:53 p.m. We awkwardly trail a circumambulating trio of pilgrims. Chimi asks one of them if she's from Sri Lanka, and she smiles and nods. "Do you speak English?" Chimi then asks. "Yes, Lanka," the woman replies.

4:05 p.m. Excitement! Ritual! Two monks lead a group of 60 or so pilgrims carrying a long banner on their heads. There is a monk chanting into a speaker at the back of the pilgrim-banner-caterpillar, and everyone is chanting along.

4:24 p.m. After an almost-collision between banner-laden Sri Lankan circumambulators and a file of Taiwanese pilgrims beating a small bell, the herd completes three laps of the Mahabodhi. The banner is draped on the inner gate, and then the group congregates on the platform where we took Bodhisattva vows with Rinpoche. Once more, we gather courage.

4:27 p.m. Excitement! Interview! We decide that pilgrims with digital cameras are the most likely to speak English, and we approach a man who especially sends of that "I speak English" vibe. And he talks to us! About pilgrimage! And the flag thing! (See attached page for interview details.)

This sort of "field work" has gone on for several days now. My project partner and I call it "Sri Lankan stalking"--when studying pilgrimage, the Mahabodhi transforms into a strange and awkward Safari through the diversity of Buddhist culture. It will sure be interesting to talk to these folks about love in a mere week...