The next morning, we had a great breakfast at Cafe Om, a very famous restaurant at the Tibetan refugee camp. After breakfast, we continued our search for our meditation boards but got the answer, "there are 500 Tibetan monks joining the oral transmission event in Bodhgaya, try to share with others".
We proceeded to walk to the famous Mahabodhi Temple which is a pilgrimage destination for
Buddhists from all over the world. It is also the place for our retreat. Around the temple
is a marble walkway and behind the temple stands the famous "Bodhi Tree", where
Buddha attained enlightenment under this tree 2500 years ago. Though the original tree
died long ago, it has been replaced several times. The temple is surrounded with all kinds
of structures and stupas and few smaller temples. 
A number of monks sat on the ground chanting mantras and Sadhanan, hundreds of Tibetan
monks prostrated in prayer in Tibetan style, and few South East Asian monks sat in a
silent meditation. Many lay people also prostrated in Tibetan style prayer, including
myself. There was a group of monks who were very kind and loaned me their meditation board
when they were finished with their prostration. Whenever I had a negative thoughts or felt
weary, I would walk into the hall and bowed deeply 3 times and walked around the main
stupas a couple of times and continued my prostration. 
I wanted to also mention that I met an old yogi by the name of Ven. L.L. Sopa when in
Bodhgaya. He has spent a good part of his life living in the Himalayan mountains and had
come to join the oral transmission event. It was an amazing experience to witness the
simplicity and happiness apparent in this old yogi that it is difficult to express in
words. In the temple, he chose the simplest place to sleep; a piece of board in one of the
hallways of the temple. He only owns 2 robes which he alternates. Ven. Tenzin Lama and I
invited him for dinner in an Indian restaurant and he told us that it was his first time
he had been in a restaurant; he's 67 years old. What a remarkable person he is. I encountered many visitors from Taiwan and other countries very interested about the prostration and Tibetan Buddhism. Due to their short visit, some of the Taiwanese gave me money to offer the Tibetan monks in rejoicing with their effort. During the break, Ven. Tenzin Lama helped me exchange the dollars to rupees. We walked around the temple early the next morning and offered 50 rupees to each monk. I rejoiced and thanked the Taiwanese Buddhists.
Outside the Mahabodhi Temple, there were many noisy vehicles, music, pushy postcards, street vendors and beggars etc., to remind me that suffering was just a few steps away from heaven.
In Bodhgaya, I had lunch & dinner at the "Paljor" restaurant. I had delicious Momo and Tibetan noodles with friendly a-ma-la, pala (mother &father in Tibetan) and their beautiful daughter making me feel like part of their family. If you are ever there, don't miss the "Cafe OM" restaurant, the best breakfast you can find in Bodhgaya and hospitality second to none.
Sarnah:
On the outskirts of Varanasi is Sarnath, Deer Park, where Buddha gave his first sermon on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path to enlightenment.
On the way back, we also stopped by the Kanga River, we took a few pictures and had
wonderful conversations with friendly Indians. We also met 2 tourists from New York. They
both were very excited to see someone from the United States. 
After Buddha's enlightenment, Sakymuni Buddha frequently visited Mount
Gridhrakrta near Rajagrha, where he gathered an assembly of disciples and propagated his
teachings. This mountain is called the Vulture Peak because of the shape of its peak. Each
time when the Buddha was there, his disciples of monks and arhats, Bodhisattvas of foreign
lands, and other sentient beings would gather at the same locale and listen attentively to
the Buddha's teachings of the Dharma. Hence the Assembly at Vulture Peak.
When we first got on the cable car, it was quite scary, unlike any American cable car I
have been on. It's like a ski lift where you have to jump to get on. We took pictures on
the way to the peak. The view was beautiful (only if you don't look down). We performed
prostrates in front of the beautiful white stupa at the peak. There were few Indian
families that wanted to take pictures with us; what a different culture. We also joined
Lama Chopa/Tsog with Khen Rinpoche of Ganden Monastery at the place where Buddha gave Hart
Suture. 