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Restored from Taliban fanatics

by Nemsiri Mutukumara

A colossal collection of records of the Fourth Great Council - 4th Sangayana organised and held under the inspiration and patronage of Emperor Kanishka about 100 A.C.E. (After the Common Era) will be made available in print by the Oslo based Centre for Advanced Study in Norway.

The Sangayana was held in the city of Jalandhar in present Afghanistan.

Emperor Kanishka a powerful King of the Saka dynasty which is synonymous with the Saka Era which dawns on April 13-14 and with it the people in the orient celebrate the dawn of New Year - held sway over a vast region including Kabul, Gandhara, Sindh, Kashmir, Madhyadesa and territories of North West India. Emperor Kanishka was held in high esteem by the Buddhists of Northern India in the same manner as they held Emperor Asoka.

The Buddhist manuscripts in the Schoyen Collection stem from a cave in the same area as the famous Baniyan Buddha that was destroyed by the Taliban fanatics in Afghanistan in the summer of 2001. The Buddhist “Dead Sea Scrolls” (left) from the monastery in Baniyan are mainly written on palm leaves and birch bark but a few of the manuscripts are also written on parchment. The ink has lasted incredibly over the centuries.

An adherent of some form of Iranian religion, Emperor Kanishka was influenced by the flourishing state of Buddhism and Buddhist Culture in the entire region which stood along the ancient silk route which ran from East to the West.

At the time Emperor Kanishka embraced Buddhism his kingdom had no less than eighteen nikayas - sects - "all acknowledged to be the repositories of the genuine doctrine" (P.V. Bapat: 2500 years of Buddhism). Chinese traveller, writer, Bhikkhu Yuan Chwang says, Emperor Kanishka was so devoted and interested in learning the teachings of the Buddha and invited a Bhikkhu to the Palace everyday to give him instructions. The Bhikkhus differed in their instructions and were often contradictory. Perplexed about this situation, the Emperor consulted the Venerable Parsva to learn the genuine doctrine.

On the advice of the Venerable Parsva, Emperor Kanishka organised the Sangayana - Council to rehearse the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha. Eminent bhikkhus from various Nikayas were invited to participate in the council with the objective of putting an end to the division in the Bhikkhu Sangha order. The Sangayana was held in a palatial and spacious Vihara in a large compound. Five hundred bhikkhus participated in the Sangayana.

The bhikkhus were invited to write commentaries - Atuva - on the Pitakas - Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma.

The Sutta Pitaka Atuva was composed in one hundred thousand slokas, the Vinaya, Vibhasa, a commentary on the Vinaya also consisted of one hundred thousand slokas and the Abhidharma Vibhasa which was composed in the Sangayana also had one hundred thousand slokas.

Professor Bapat believes that the Sangayana was predominated by the Sarvastivada school while the major sub-divisions of the Sthaviravada Schools including the less Orthodox sections also participated in a fair number.

According to Yuan Chwang's travelogue, the commentaries were inscribed on copper plates and enclosed in stone boxes which were deposited in a tope made for the purpose for future reference.

The palm leaf manuscripts were kept in libraries for the use of the community - which created history by putting an end to differences between and among the Nikayas and brought sanity and unity among the Bhikkhu Sangha.

The Sangayana held by Emperor Kanishka is considered an epoch-making event in the history of Buddhism in that it made Sanskrit the vehicle of Buddhist scriptures.

And these monumental work, were read and researched by a team of scholars led by Professor Jens Braarving of the Oslo University is now available for the world community. The way the 2000 year old manuscripts appearing in Oslo through, London in England is absolutely interesting.

Professor Braarvig says, "Some five or six years ago the remains of an approximately 1400 year old library were carried on the back of a donkey from Afghanistan through the Hindu Kush range of mountains. "These Buddhist manuscripts stem from monastery library that judging by the evidence was destroyed in the eighth century.

It is illustrative that some people call the collection "Buddhism's Dead Sea Scrolls" for both their age and their historical significance can be compared. By means of palaeographic methods we have ascertained that the manuscripts span a period of 600 years from the first to the seventh centuries."

From the Afghan, a Pakistani had brought some pieces of manuscripts to a London Auction House. At this stage, a multi-millionaire collector of Historical documents and manuscripts, Martin Schoyen had purchased, one hundred pieces.

Schoyen who met the Pakistani and purchased the entire lot of manuscripts from the 2000 foot high mountain range in Afghanistan.

Schoyen is reported to have paid a fabulous sum of money - a staggering 800 million Kroner (Norwegian currency) approximately 100 (one hundred) million US dollars for the entire collection consisting of 3000 fragments of several hundred books from a library that judging by the evidence was built up by the Mahasanghika Nikaya.

The library was destroyed by the Muslim invaders of Buddhist Afghanistan in the eighth century but the fragments that did survive were incredibly well preserved in the cold, dry climate of the high Afghan plains. The remains were found in a cave nearly 300 kilometers North of Bamiyan where in March 2001, the barbarous fanatical Islamic fundamentalists regime in Afghanistan blew up two gigantic Buddha statues that were more than 50 meters high and almost 2000 years old.

Professor Braarvig explains that the Buddhist manuscripts in fragments came from Afghanistan to Norway in a completely unsorted state after 1400 years of total neglect. There are some complete books in the collection but there are a lot of micro-fragments.

"Our task is to restore the original manuscripts to the extent that is possible and we will be comparing them with other editions of those manuscripts that are known fro m earlier. But there are also some completely unknown texts from Buddhism in the Collection". According to Professor Braarvig the old manuscripts are on the whole written on palm leaves or birch-bark, gathered into books by means of a thread passed through a hole in all the pages.

There are also some fragments of texts written in parchment,which incidentally, is a highly unbuddhistic material.

Recalling the birth of the project to read, research, translate and publish the Buddhist manuscripts from Afghanistan, Professor Braarvig says, "The Buddhist research communities heard of the Bamiyan find during a conference in 1996. A four-member committee was formed with Professor K. Matsuda, Professor J. U. Hartmann, Dr. L. Sander and himself.

Professor Braarvig who met the owner Collector Schoyen who was very positive about the centre for Advance Study request to study and publish the Collection. The committee is still coordinating the project. In this collection, the writing system is divided to two main groups. Firstly the Kharosti script which was in use up to the third century (ACE) and in the second, the writing is Brahmi which was developed in the same time but continued in the following centuries.

Braarvig a distinguished linguist believes that Brahmi provides the basis for many other Indian writing systems and the manuscripts in the Schoyen Collection therefore gives new insight into the origin of today's written culture in India.

Referring to the current situation arising out of the September 11 attack on US World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington by the Taliban Islamic Fundamentalists Professor Braarvig says,"today's Afghanistan which European and Americans see as a war-torn and unhappy area on the periphery of the world, was both central and significant earlier in history. "The area was crossed by both the Silk Route between Europe and China and the main thoroughfare between China and the Indian Continent.

The Silk Route brought Buddhism from India to China and on the way the holy Buddhist writings were translated into Khotanese, classical Turkish, Tibetan and Mongolian in a process marked by understanding and mutual respect. People travelled a lot in the old days too and the cultural exchanges were perhaps stronger at the time because the actual journey took so long."

The lively exchanges led to the establishment of both libraries and other Buddhist cultural monuments along the Silk Route.

"Our material contains all the genres that are known from earlier in Buddhist literature. Buddha's own worlds - the sutras - and the monks' rules of conduct - the Vinaya - as well as a rich selection of stories and extensive literature in the form of commentaries.

Some of the Schoyen texts are totally unknown and difficult to identify, some have been in existence from earlier times in Chinese or Tibetan translations while others can be found in parallel versions in Sanskrit or other languages.

"A very interesting manuscript is written in Bactrian which is an Iranian language written with Greek letters. Professor Braarvig says: "In our daily lives we are not always conscious of how important history and tradition are for us, but when an enormous statue of Buddha which was part of our global cultural heritage was blown to pieces because of may be a misunderstand dogma the whole world reacted with shock.

"In the midst of this absurd event there are perhaps grounds for optimism because it showed that the world community does have a conscience linked to the preservation of our common cultural traditions. "The manuscripts in the Schoyen Collection do not only have historical interest, but are also personal greetings from the monks who wrote so neatly on palm leaves and birch-bark almost 2,000 years ago," Professor Braarvig says.

Dhamma in the modern age

A three part television documentary series exploring Buddhism in the modern society. Series Produced and Directed By: Kalinga Seneviratne Shot on Location in: Thailand, Singapore and Australia Production Company: Global Eye Media

"Dhamma in the Modern Age" is a three part television documentary series looking at how one of Asia's greatest religions is adapting to the modern consumerist world. The series is presented through an Asian Buddhist perspective using the 'Voice of the people' principle. In this modern age where Buddhism is becoming increasingly popular within non-Asian communities around the world, this series aims to provide some insight into how Buddhism is adapting to new environments.

Episode 1: Consumerism and Sufficiency Economics?

Shot In: Thailand

Duration: 28 mins

Thailand is one of the world's leading Buddhist countries and the religion influences almost every aspect of Thai life. During the economic boom of the 1980s and the early 1990s, Thailand became a highly consumerist society, which may contradict the root of the Buddhist teachings - of eradicating craving. Since the dramatic bursting of the economic bubble in 1997, there has been much debate in Thailand about an alternative path to economic development. Thailand's, much revered King Bhumibol has proposed a system of development based on Buddhist principles which is called 'Sufficiency Economics'.

This program looks at various aspects of Buddhist practices in Thailand some of which tends to overlook the perceived conflict between the Dhamma (Buddhist teachings) and consumerism, while others acknowledge it and try to adopt Buddhist principles to modern economic development. The programs features the views of leading Thai Buddhist monks like Venerable Bhavana Visutthikhun, Venerable Phra Payom Kalyano and Venerable Phra Ajarn Subin Paneeto, as well as leading Buddhist social activist Sulak Sivaraksa and economist Prof Apichai Puntasen.

This program features activities such as novice training at Ven. Bhavana's Wat Luang Phor Sodh Monastery, a grand stupa opening festival at Wat Dhammakaya, a controversial Buddhist Temple in the north of Bangkok, Buddhist environmentalists monks and rural development activists monks in rural Thailand.

In the program, Sulak Sivaraksa argues that mainstream Buddhism in Thailand is practiced with a capitol 'B' with consumerism and nationalism at its core. While Wat Dhammakaya devotees argue that there is nothing wrong in capitol 'B' Buddhism, if at the same time the temples use their wealth to help people cope with the stress and strains of everyday life, and especially the youth. There is also a growing movement within Buddhism to try and develop an alternative economic model for Thailand. This program explores this issue of self-reliant economics using Buddhist principles, especially in agriculture.

Episode 2: Dhamma Amidst Modernity

Shot In: Singapore

Duration: 28 mins

Singapore is one of Asia's most modern societies, and a casual visitor to the island republic may get the idea that it is a highly Westernised country. Yet, under the surface, Singapore is very traditional and Asian. Today, Singaporean youth are rediscovering their cultural and religious roots, and many are flocking back to Buddhism, the religion, the young generation of the 1970s and 1980s tended to treat as superstitious and backwards. This program explores why and how there is a revival of Buddhism in this predominantly ethnic Chinese society.

Through interviews with local Buddhist devotees, youth, lay teachers and monks such as Ven Dhammarathana and Ven Ming Yi, the program explores how Buddhism is adapting very successfully to a modern Asian environment.

The program features the celebration of Vesak, including the dusk to dawn 'three steps and a bow" ceremony on Vesak eve at Phor Kark See Monastery, where thousands of devotees from all walks of life take part. The documentary also includes events such as the traditional fire ceremony (from Tibet) at True Buddha Yuan XI Tang Temple and the end of the rains retreat 'Katina' ceremony at the Palelai Thai Buddhist Temple. Another festival featured is the Hungry Ghost Festival which is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated by both the Taoists and Buddhists. But, today many Buddhists are giving it a new focus without losing its traditional idea. In presenting all these traditional festivals, we explored how the modern practitioner interpret the symbolism of these events to their daily lives. This is done through "Vox Pops" style interview clips. We also join students at the Nanyang Technological University over a weekend when they hold a Buddhist camp, which includes Dhamma discussion, chanting, meditation and disco dancing. And we join the Singapore Soka Association, a Japanese oriented Buddhist sect, at their nursery graduation and a multi-cultural peace concert at the national indoor stadium attended by over 10,000 people.

Loving kindness and compassion towards all living beings is an important aspect of the Buddhist teachings and we join Buddhists at a walkathon to raise funds for the Buddhist Free Clinics in Singapore and later visit one of these clinics and the Buddhist-run Renci Hospital to explore how these teachings are put into practice.

Episode 3: When East Meets West

Shot In: Australia

Duration: 28 mins

Buddhism has been the fastest growing religion in Australia in the last decade. Under the theme of 'When East Meets West", this program explores how a predominantly Asian religion is adapting to a new Western environment in Australia.

The program includes interviews with a wide range of Australian Buddhists - both Asian and Caucasian. It also includes footage of a number of Buddhist festivals and events, including a 1990 traditional stupa relic-laying ceremony at the Wat Buddharangsee Temple in Lumeah, New South Wales.

In the program we first explore how the Sri Lankan Buddhists are trying to use traditional festivals at the local temple to help maintain their religious culture among the Australian born children. While at the Phuoc Hue Vietnam Temple in Wetherril Park in Western Sydney, we explore what the temple is doing to help Vietnamese youth to cope with life in Australia.

While at the Vajrayana Institute (Tibetian) in Newtown and the Sunnataram Forest Monastery (Thai) near Bundanoon we explore how Australian converts to the religion are responding to their new found faith. We speak to some of them about views on Buddhism and its relevance to their daily life.

At Sunnataram Monastery we also see how the local public schoolchildren, almost all of them non-Buddhists, take part in a traditional Buddhist dana (mid-day meal offering) ceremony.

At the Aloka Meditation Centre near Gosford we join Malaysian born Buddhist monk Ven Mahinda and a group of devotees - from both Asian and Caucasian backgrounds - at a Bodhi Puja (paying homage to the Bo Tree), dana offering and a meditation session. We also visit the Mind and Body Healing Festival at the Darling Harbour Convention Center in Sydney where the 'Buddhist Perspective' was the major theme and speak to a number of Buddhist workshop facilitators, including Lama Chodek and Phra Mana Viriyarampo two well-known Asian Buddhist monks in Australia.

Also featured in the program is an ordination ceremony at the Laotian Temple in Wetherril Park, where an Argentinian born Catholic university lecturer becomes a Buddhist monk. He is also interviewed after the ceremony.

The program explores a range of views from both the Eastern and Western perspectives on the practice of Buddhism in the Australian environment, as well as whether the monastic tradition could survive within the Australian culture.

This program is designed to encourage discussion on the topic of Eastern religions adapting to Western culture or vice-versa.

The way of life according to Buddha

I like frogs, sitting cross-legged, like Buddha (Gautama, the Enlightened One)

These lines were found in a poetry book, one in a series, titled according to my memory "A tree of poems". The poem was titled Frogs. On seeing these lines, after the initial shock, one begins to contemplate as to why on earth these lines were written. Keep aside a devoted Buddhist any reasonable person would find it almost impossible to reason out.

The only conclusion is that hatred, arising from economic and political reasons have motivated the writer.

The Buddha is universally accepted as a symbol of tranquillity, serenity and all that is kind, composed and peaceful.

Such a source of calm and pious beauty to be compared to a frog, by any length of imagination is not poetry. The very idea is so incongruent that hatred is the only result.

It is a fact now well-known that most educated Westerners, specially university academics have begun to see the truth in Buddhism and are fast taking refuge in the Dhamma.

Buddhist temples are coming up fast in Western countries and the congregation is led out of the church to the place of Buddhist sermons and meditation. The endless amassing of wealth and luxury is part and parcel of capitalism. It is the doctrine of the church that inspires it.

To keep capitalism thriving the church must flourish and vice versa.

To keep it flourishing the simple and humble living encouraged by the Buddha Dhamma is an impediment. Thus this ridicule and defame.

To conquer through the strength of arms is no more a possibility. Religion, education, culture, so-called aid a variety of dubious methods all coming under the guise of social welfare and development are the modern ways of conquer.

The benign, the lofty, yet simple virtues preached by the Buddha Dhamma must be swept away to spread the sermon of wealth, luxury and lust. The way of life according to Buddha is an obstacle to the exploitation of this country. What makes this puerile attempt to insult the Buddha a matter of great public concern is that this poetry book is a text used by International Schools. How is it that this type of tripe comes into a classroom. Doesn't this show the dire lack of supervision of these so-called International Schools? Isn't it a shame on the authorities concerned? It is high time that a comprehensive survey is conducted on what goes on in these so-called International Schools and see that they don't undermine the virtues that had long safeguarded our society.

One last word to the author of this poem and to the promoters who initiate this type of diabolically unethical activity and to our own servile so-called educationists whose only consolation is the aping of the West; remember, the more you chop the sandalwood the more fragrant it is.

- Victor Munasinghe

Heartwood

(Discourse to the Brahmin Pingalakoccha from the Culasaropama Sutta)

Consider, Brahmin, One who goes forth into homelessness,
Realising he is subject to birth,
Ageing, and death, sorrow and lamentation
Pain, grief and despair,
A victim of suffering, a prey to suffering
Seeking an end to this whole world of grief.

In going forth, he does not value,
Gain, honour and renown,
Has no fulfilment in attaining
Virtue, concentration, knowledge and vision
He does not slacken his pace.
He seeks states higher and more sublime.

Through the directed though and rapture of seclusion,
To the stilling of thought
In the rapture of concentration,
To the fading away of rapture
In the pleasant abiding
Of equanimity and mindfulness.
Then abandoning of pleasure and pain,
Joy and grief,in pure equanimity
He is totally mindful,
Surmounting the limitation of form,
Sense, impact and perception of diversity.

He now enters upon and abides
In the base of infinite space,
Suffused by infinite consciousness,
Aware that there is nothing
Behind material form,
Needing neither perception nor non-perception,
He arrives at the cessation
Of perception and feeling.

So higher than knowledge and vision,
Wisdom arises,
And all the taints are totally destroyed.
This, Brahmin, is the heartwood,
The seeking, finding and winning of heartwood,
The unshakeable deliverance of mind,
The goal of the holy life,
Its heartwood and its end.

- U. Karunatilake

Kanheri Caves: Eminently impressive

by Dr. Subhashini Aryan

The entire Deccan plateau of India is studded with innumerable rock-cut cave temples and monasteries erected by the royalty for providing shelter to the wandering Buddhist monks, especially during the rainy season. The metropolitan city of Mumbai too has several such shrines and viharas, amongst which the Elephanta caves are the most renowned. However, there are lesser known cave-temples at Jogeshvari, Mandapeshvari and Kanheri as well.

Facade of Cave - 3 at Kanheri.

Located about 10 kms. south-east of the Borivalli area in Mumbai, there is a sprawling cave-complex erected about two thousand years ago. It stands amidst the lush green surroundings of a forest now converted into a National Park. Popularly known as Kanheri (from Kanhagiri, corrupted form of Krishangiri) caves, it is a huge complex of unevenly grouped cave temples and viharas cut out of a hill which rises about 1500 ft. above the sea level - the largest amongst the Buddhist monuments of the pre and early Christian period. It has the largest stupa in front of the enormous Chaitya cave that was discovered by Dr. James Bird in 1839. The scattered, straggling arrangement of the caves makes it extremely difficult to define its architectural character.

Stupa for worship; interior walls display the Buddha and Bodhisatva figures.

Most of the caves are devoid of any sculptural embellishment or architectural component, probably because the caves and viharas were excavated at different periods. Some belong to the pre-Christian era while others appear to have been erected in the second century A.D.; yet others came into being between 4th-5th centuries A.D.

These dates are not entirely conjectural. The architectural features such as the octagonal pillars without a base and a capital, seen at Kanheri caves, also exist elsewhere in the rock-cut cave shrines of the pre-christian era, of which Ajanta and Nasik are the most notable examples. In the interior of Cave 3 is an inscription recording the name of the last ruler of the Satavahana dynasty, viz. Yajna Shri Satakarni, c. 172 - 201 A.D. In spite of the presence of this epigraph, which tempts one to securely date this cave to the latter quarter of the 2nd century. A.D., one cannot but have reservations about this date. A closer examination of the architectural plans, pillar designs and motifs and certain other features in this cave and in the ones surrounding it furnish sufficient evidence to surmise that these components might have been added earlier or later than the Satavahana period. It would seem that the task begun in the pre-Christian period continued in subsequent centuries, as and when patronage was available.

Two portions of this vast cave-complex, comprising 146 caves, are the most significant: the Chaitya cave and the Darbar hall. These have been invested with the most impressively sculpted figures, some of which are as tall as 23ft. A few steps enable one to gain an entry to the Chatiya temple. The entrance is flanked by the Naga deities, and as one glances to the left, a large stupa can be seen standing, ensconced in a large deep recessed niche. Both this stupa and the one in worship in the interior are reminiscent of the one that occupies the pivotal position in the Karla shrine. These are not hemi-spherical like the Sanchi stupa but cylindrical, a form that continued in use for several subsequent centuries by the protagonists of the Hinayana ideology. It seems that these stupas marks its last phase. Soon thereafter, the Mahayanists started leaving their imprints on the sands of Time.

As one goes up the steps, one is confronted by a large panel, featuring twin pairs, evidently the donors of this cave complex. These two wealthy merchant brothers, Gajasena and Gajamitra who find mention in the inscription of Cave 3, are shown along with their consorts. This tradition is not peculiar to the Kanheri caves alone but is widespread all over the region. Bhaja, Karle, Kondane and numerous other sites also display such donor couples, chiselled in a far more lyrical, impressive style. The costumes, ornaments, coiffures, physiognomical features and expressions of the donor couples at Kanheri are markedly dissimilar from those found at the other cave temples, and give one an insight into contemporary vogues.

The elaborate architectural components and significant sculptures in Cave 3 are among the last of the monuments of the Hinayana phase in Western India. Characterised by the vault-roofed chaitya halls, this phase came to a close in the last quarter of the second century A.D. Therefore, for dating of different caves at Kanheri, their various architectural features are a more convincing and reliable source of evidence than the 'foundation inscription'.

In addition to the octagonal pillars without plinths and capitals, the other variety of colonnade columns at Kanheri have a pot base and inverted lotus capitals surmounted by pairs of lions, exactly similar to those seen at Karla, Bhaja and Bedsa. Yet another variety displays pillars that replicate the design of the Elephanta pillars, with cushion capitals, providing a clue that they date around A.D. 500-550, in the same time-zone as for the Elephanta caves. One may also surmise that as at Ajanta, the architect-sculptors also kept working at Kanheri over a period of time extending from the pre-Christian eras through the early 2nd century B.C. to the 5th century A.D. Although the Kanheri caves certainly do not deserve the same meritorious place in Indian architecture and sculpture as the Ajanta caves do, but one cannot altogether dismiss them as far less interesting.

The chaitya hall, the temple and the Darbar hall are the best caves in the entire complex. The Caves 3,4 and 66 are relieved with eminently impressive sculptures of the Buddha in varied sitting and standing postures, that strike one almost immediately. Alongside are the Bodhisattvas with their female companions and other figures. Radiant with inner serenity, their slim, delicate figures with soft, gentle contours overpower the visitor with their awesome and dignified presence. One feels compelled to kneel before them and bow one's head at their lotus feet.

(The author is a noted art historian and educationist) Courtesy: India perspectives

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