[Assam] Bamiyan Buddha Statues in Afghanistan

Wed Jun 28 21:44:57 PDT 2006

Hemenda:
Recently I had the honor to speak about Buddhism in a small Chinese gathering in Houston through the Tzu Chi Foundation. Incidently that was arranged as a reaction to the demolishing the Bamiyan Buddha in Afghanistan.  As a reaction in the most Buddhist manner, Tzu Chi Foundation have organized this Exhibition titled "Journey to the West" depicting the classic pilgrimage of Xuan Tsang (Pronounced Suan-Chang, previously spelled as Hsuan Tsang). I sopoke about Xuan Tsang's historic journey to Kamrup in the 7th century and meeting king Kumar Bhaskar Varman. BTW one of the questions, I was asked ."What Happened to Buddhism in India?". This is a legitimate question, one Nehru asked himself at one time and tried to explain. Anyhow, I explained my views taking help from Nehru and as well as the Chinese scholar Lin Yutang who seemed to grasp the essense of the spirits of India and China well (His book, "Wisdom of China and Wisdom of India" are worth reading). I also explained my way why Buddhism succeeded in China and not in India. As you know Buddhism is the only thing which China imported from outside, and China still has a inner resentment that India dominated her mind for 2000 years through Buddhism. Ironically, I think these things have some bearing why China opted for Communism after the WW-II and India did not. etc.
More later.
Rajen   
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Himendra Thakur 
  To: Rajen & Ajanta Barua 
  Cc: Manoj Das ; assam at assamnet.org 
  Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2006 11:24 PM
  Subject: Bamiyan Buddha Statues in Afghanistan

  Dear Rajen,

  Many thanks for your reply. The material that you kindly shared with me will help me a lot. I am going to save it and study it again.

  At the time of demolishing the Bamiyan Buddha, the then Afghanistan Govt declared that there were no Buddhist left in their country. Do you have any information how the Buddhista got wiped out?

  In fact, a high mountain area in Afghanistan called "Kafiristan" was wiped out in 1898 ---- was it a Buddhist area?

  At the time of partition of India, 1947, the Buddhist Chakma population in Chitagong Hill tracts were 97%. Today, it is almost zero. 

  It appears Buddhists get wiped out without much protest. If it is a fact, does it have any bearing on their philosophy? Do we have something to learn from their history so that it is not repeated on us in Assam?

  With the best wishes,
  Himendra

  ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Rajen & Ajanta Barua 
    To: Himendra Thakur 
    Cc: assam at assamnet.org 
    Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2006 11:01 PM
    Subject: Re: Buddhism & Hellenic culture

    Himenda:
    Thank you for that very enlightened perspective. 
    Buddhism practically remained in India during its first 500 years. During that time, Buddhism split into two: Mahayana and Hinayana. Mahayana spread first to Afghanistan which became a launching pad of Buddhism to China. In Afghanistan, Buddhism was influenced by Hellenic as well as the Persian culture. Compared to Hinayana, Mahayana was much more flexible and liberal which was one reason why it was successful in exporting itself to outside India. 
    Regarding spread of Buddhism, I think that is a right question. Why Buddhism did not spread to Greece etc. Actually Buddhism went to Greece, Egypt and other countries. Only it seems it did not take root there for various reasons. However, Greece influenced Buddhism very much, and one of the reasons why Buddhism was successfully launched to China and Japan, was due to this Hellenic influence. We donot have any records of Buddhism in Greece during the early parts, but many Greeks were converted to Buddhism, and Ashoka was supposedly had Greek Buddhist monks (alongwith Greek security officers). All we know that after the coming of the Huns, Buddhism could not succeed on the west. Then of course Islam evolved and stopped any further spread. 

    The following points may be noted regarding the Buddhist religion.
    1) Buddhism was basically an urban religion. It succeeded mainly in the cities in the intellectual circle.
    2) Buddhism succeeded in agricultural (basically rice culture) countries.
    3) In every country where Buddhism went, it was influenced and molded by the local culture so much so that every country developed different Buddhism. Unlike Christianity, Buddhism does not have a Head Quarter that controls the religion. The Buddhist Sutras from India were translated into different languages and further developed locally. Original idea of Dhyana in Indian Buddhism was adopted in China as Chan which evolved the Chan Buddhism. This was later exported to Japan where it developed in to Zen Buddhism. Today the Zen Buddhism is quite different from original Indian Buddhism. In case of Buddhism we can say that each civilization had adopted Buddhism so much as its own that they adopted and developed the religion to suit its own culture. We see this everywhere, in China, Tibet, Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam etc. 

    Please see the following which gives more on spread of Buddhism in Greece.
    More later.
    Rajen
    ------------------------------------------------------------- 

    Hellenistic world
    Some of the Edicts of Ashoka inscriptions describe the efforts made by Ashoka to propagate the Buddhist faith throughout the Hellenistic world, which at that time formed an uninterrupted continuum from the borders of India to Greece. The Edicts indicate a clear understanding of the political organization in Hellenistic territories: the names and location of the main Greek monarchs of the time are identified, and they are claimed as recipients of Buddhist proselytism: Antiochus II Theos of the Seleucid Kingdom (261-246 BCE), Ptolemy II Philadelphos of Egypt (285-247 B.C.), Antigonus Gonatas of Macedonia (276-239 BCE), Magas of Cyrene (288-258 BCE), and Alexander II of Epirus (272-255 BCE).

    Buddhist proselytism at the time of king Ashoka (260-218 BCE).
      "The conquest by Dharma has been won here, on the borders, and even six hundred yojanas (4,000 miles) away, where the Greek king Antiochos rules, beyond there where the four kings named Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas and Alexander rule, likewise in the south among the Cholas, the Pandyas, and as far as Tamraparni (Sri Lanka)." (Edicts of Ashoka, 13th Rock Edict, S. Dhammika). 
    Furthermore, according to Pali sources, some of Ashoka's emissaries were Greek Buddhist monks, indicating close religious exchanges between the two cultures:

      "When the thera (elder) Moggaliputta, the illuminator of the religion of the Conqueror (Ashoka), had brought the (third) council to an end (...) he sent forth theras, one here and one there: (...) and to Aparantaka (the "Western countries" corresponding to Gujarat and Sindh) he sent the Greek (Yona) named Dhammarakkhita". (Mahavamsa XII). 

    Bilingual inscription (Greek and Aramaic) by king Ashoka, from Kandahar. Kabul Museum.
    It is not clear how much these interactions may have been influential, but some authors have commented that some level of syncretism between Hellenist thought and Buddhism may have started in Hellenic lands at that time. They have pointed to the presence of Buddhist communities in the Hellenistic world around that period, in particular in Alexandria (mentioned by Clement of Alexandria), and to the pre-Christian monastic order of the Therapeutae (possibly a deformation of the Pali word "Theravada"), who may have "almost entirely drawn (its) inspiration from the teaching and practices of Buddhist asceticism" (Robert Lissen).

    Buddhist gravestones from the Ptolemaic period have also been found in Alexandria, decorated with depictions of the Dharma wheel (Tarn, "The Greeks in Bactria and India"). Commenting on the presence of Buddhists in Alexandria, some scholars have even pointed out that "It was later in this very place that some of the most active centers of Christianity were established" (Robert Linssen "Zen living").

    In the 2nd century CE, the Christian dogmatist Clement of Alexandria recognized Bactrian Buddhists (Sramanas) and Indian Gymnosophists for their influence on Greek thought:

      "Thus philosophy, a thing of the highest utility, flourished in antiquity among the barbarians, shedding its light over the nations. And afterwards it came to Greece. First in its ranks were the prophets of the Egyptians; and the Chaldeans among the Assyrians; and the Druids among the Gauls; and the Sramanas among the Bactrians ("?????????? ???????"); and the philosophers of the Celts; and the Magi of the Persians, who foretold the Saviour's birth, and came into the land of Judaea guided by a star. The Indian gymnosophists are also in the number, and the other barbarian philosophers. And of these there are two classes, some of them called Sramanas ("????????"), and others Brahmins ("?????????")." Clement of Alexandria "The Stromata, or Miscellanies" Book I, Chapter XV [1] 
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Himendra Thakur 
      To: Barua25 
      Cc: assam at assamnet.org 
      Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 8:27 PM
      Subject: Buddhism & Hellenic culture

      Dear Rajen,

      I have a question: Whereas Buddhism spread from India to China and Japan in the pre-Islamic & pre-Christian days, why Buddhism did it not spread to Greece and other Mediterranean civilizations? 

      The highest tribute to India in recorded history is contemporary to Alexander the Great. He inherited the throne Macedonia, Greece, in 336 BC at the age of 20. He belonged to an age about 300 years before Christianity and 1000 years before Islam. We can study him without going through the balancing act of simultaneous conciliation of Christianity and Islam, because they were not there.  

      Soon after ascending the throne, Alexander started his campaign of conquering the world. After 10 years of conquests that included the victory over the massive Persian army and Persian Emperor Darius III in 331 BC.    

      In 326 BC, when he invaded India, Alexander was 30 year old. Very skillfully using the technique of night attacks (which remained a weak point of Indian defense even at the time of Islamic invaders 1500 years later), Alexander defeated King Porus at the epic Battle of Hydaspes.  Alexander turned the enemy into a friend, remained in India for one year, cancelled his eastward campaign, and returned in July 325 BC. He never reached his motherland. He died in Babylon in 323 BC at the age of 33.

      The reasons for his return from India are cited by many historians as a combination of persuasion by Alexander's own general Coenus and other subordinates, and the refusal of his army who were tired of long stay away from home, actually afraid of the battle elephants of the Magadha kingdom in the east in those pre-gunpowder wars. 

      These reasons appear to be created for public consumption. These reasons were contrary to the world-conquering character of Alexander. 

      During the continuous battles in the previous ten years, Alexander developed a practice of bringing fresh recruits from Macedonia by recycling his soldiers with one year home leave after every two years of battlefield duty. He also had the manpower of the entire Persian empire behind him. 

      As for the battle elephants in those pre-gunpowder days, Alexander perfected a tactic of deactivating the elephant by attacking the mahout and his replacements with arrow and javelins. Battle elephants did not save India in the pre-gunpowder invasions by Islamic marauders 1500 years later. 

      As for the advice of Coenus or any other subordinate, the leadership quality of a world-conquering king of ancient times was unlikely to be guided by subordinates. We must look for more convincing reasons.

      Surprised by the indifferent behaviour of a group of Jain monks during his stay in India, Alexander asked them why they ignored a world-conquering King. Recorded by Greek writer Arrian (92-175), the Jain monks replied, "You are but human like rest of us. Every man can possess only so much of earth as he is standing on. When you will be dead, you will own just as much land as will suffice to bury you. So, why conquer the world?" 

      Unlike the Islamic invaders who massacred people and imposed their "religion" 1500 years later, Alexander did not put the Jain monks to death or destroy their temple. He showed them respect, reminiscent of his famous saying to the old philosopher Diogenes: "If I was not Alexander, I would be Diogenes." 

      Evidence is not extensive to suggest whether Alexander, or the Greek scholars, understood Advaita, the supreme wisdom that led India to follow the path of sat-chit-ananda: Reality-Consciousness-Joy which baffled Alexander. Our own Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru proudly recorded in 1945 that he did not understand Advaita, probably to glorify his socialism which was rather an erroneous tunnel-view of what Karl Marx tried to establish for human welfare. Very stylishly, Nehru went on using "monism" to mean Advaita to the last day of his life.

      To the Greek scholars of ancient times, India remained a mystery land. The writings of Arrian (92 AD-175 AD), Strabo (64 BC-24 AD), Diodorus (90 BC-30 BC), Flavius Philostatus (170 AD-247 AD) are full of praise of India. The most adulatory account was from Magasthenes (350 BC-290 BC), contemporary to Alexander. However, some of these praises exceed commonsense and may not be considered as a truthful report. 

      Even before coming to India, Alexander showed respect to other people's culture by adopting Persian costumes and following their customs which were opposed by his own countrymen. The idea of "One World" --- a strange concept in those ancient times --- was rising as a hazy cloud in his young mind. He followed this idea the only way he knew: Conquer the World. In India, he found his answer. He returned. It was not necessary for him to advance any further. 

      Alexander came to the throne about 150 years after the Mahaprayan of Lord Buddha, and about 50 years before Emperor Ashoka started to spread Buddhism all over the known world.  During Ashoka's time, the contact between India and Greece was well established through the Seleucid Empire, Greco-Bactrin Kingdom of Diodotus I, and others. 

      Whereas Buddhism spread to China and Japan at the time of Emperor Ashoka, it is a mystery why Buddhism could not influence the Greeks. 

      I'll be thankful if you could enlighten on this topic.

      With the best wishes,
      Himendra
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