Matt Milligan has been planning a trip, but his preparations aren’t like most travelers.
The 2003 Brandon High School graduate says he’s had to get every shot known to man. Over the course of a month, he’s been vaccinated against hepatitis, typhoid, malaria, meningitis, Japanese encephalitis, polio and rabies.
He will be shaving his head to avoid picking up lice or bugs, although he will keep his beard. And instead of packing lots of clothes for his 15-week trip, he will be packing malaria pills.
It might not sound like a dream trip, but Milligan, 20, is excited about it.
He is traveling to India to study Buddhism.
‘It will be quite an experience,? says Milligan, who majors in religion at Albion College. The program in which he will study Buddhism in India this semester is through Antioch College and the credits will transfer to Albion, from which he will graduate next spring.
Milligan has been studying the religions of India since he was 12 as a hobby. When it came time for college, he considered majoring in film or religion and chose the latter. He is not interested in seminary, rather, he is interested in comparative religion. He wants to teach it at the college level, focusing on Hinduism and Buddhism.
Buddhism, which Milligan describes as the striving for enlightenment through meditation, was founded in India, but he says it has been marginalized and has a small following in that country now. Hinduism has become the major religion of India.
?(Buddhism) basically says a belief in a specific God does not matter,? he says. ‘What matters is the diminishment of suffering. Through the diminishment, you find God.?
Milligan leaves Sept. 7 and goes to London for three days for orientation before traveling to New Delhi for another three days of orientation, meant to teach him how to live in India and ease him in.
‘It’s going to be culture shock,? says Milligan.
After orientation, he will travel to Bodh-Gaya in Bihar, the poorest province in India, 200 miles east of New Delhi. Bodh-Gaya is considered the most holy spot in all of Buddhism, it is where Buddha reached enlightenment under what is considered to be the tree of knowledge.
In Bodh-Gaya, Milligan will study at Mahabodhi Temple, the mecca of Buddhism. He will rise at 5 a.m. every day to meditate under the tree. He will then drink tea and do yoga. After that is language training (which he has twice a day), during which he will learn Hindi. He will also learn the history of Buddhism.
Classes are until noon, and then from noon to 4 p.m. is free time. He will meditate again then have dinner and tea.
‘Tea is a big thing,? Milligan said. ‘We have it three or four times a day. I’ve never been a huge tea drinker, but I guess I will be.?
Bedtime is 9 p.m. and he will stay in a monastery near the temple. On weekends he can do whatever he likes and he and the 35 American students he will be going with will take field trips to the Taj Mahal and other popular areas.
Milligan is most looking forward to his last month in India’when he will have independent study and can travel anywhere in India, researching whatever he pleases. He plans to study what is left of Buddhism in India and follow the revival movement.
‘It will be a great time all around, but that one month of living on my own will be so beneficial,? he said.
Milligan was raised a Catholic, but says he was never into it, he has always had a critical eye. He sees a lot of fault in religion and doesn’t personally believe in it, although he can see good aspects in several different faiths.
‘I believe in something greater than my own being, but not necessarily the popular conception of God or faith,? says Milligan, who cites Hinduism and Buddhism as closer to what he believes than anything else. ‘I see a lot of conflict in the world caused by religion and I think by studying religion I am trying to find an answer to this conflict. A lot of terrorism is done in the name of religion. I think religious conflict has plagued humanity since the beginning of humanity.?
Milligan is not concerned about his safety in India. Although India is densely populated, he says the people get along fine. He is hoping to integrate with them, one reason why he will take only a few articles of clothing with him, buying most of his clothes there.
One thing he is nervous about is the lack of communication he will have. He hopes to connect with his family and his girlfriend (who is studying music in Ireland) by paying to email at internet cafes in the city. But he believes the experience will enable him to make connections academically for his future career teaching religion at the college level and he says it will also mature him.
‘I think it will build a strong character,? Milligan said. ‘It will be a deeply spiritually moving experience. I will find out a lot about myself and my place in the cosmos.?