Bharat-born Buddhism in a world of bickering

Whether one takes it as human faith or belief and follows it as religion, philosophy or spirituality, the fact is; all four major religions of the world: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism are Asia-born. The first two originating from the arid land of the Levant and the latter two bloomed in midst of a vast riverine/water body which spanned from the lofty snowline to deep sea called “Bharata-Varsha, or land of Bharata” of the “Epics and the Puranas”:

“Uttaram yat samudrasya
Hmadreschaiva dakshinam
Varsham tad Bharatam nama
Bharati yatra santatih”.
(Vishnu Purana, II, 3. 1)

"The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bharata; there dwells the descendant of Bharata"

Of the above four, however, let’s today have a glimpse of salient features of Buddhism founded in 6th BC and enthusiastically propagated by the 3rd century BC empire-state of emperor Ashok. Indeed, the unassuming and reticent founding father of Buddhism subsequently gave India the pride of place in the heart of millions of Buddhists, spread across geographical distance, to visit the sanctum sanctorum of the origin of the divinity of the creator, Lord Buddha. Understandably, Buddhism made India equal to what Mecca stands for the Muslims; Jerusalem to Christians and Kashi for the Hindus. Additionally, the “Char Dham” of the Hindus can be seen to be at equal footing with that of Buddhism’s “Char Dham” of Lumbini, Nepal, where the Lord was born and the three Indian centres of Gaya (where enlightenment was attained), Sarnath (the hub of preaching and teaching) and Kusinagar or Kasia where the Lord left for his abode of eternal bliss. 

Indeed, the familiar serene and smiling face of a meditate-ing Buddha under the tree invariably made a captivating scenario leading to a spirit of spontaneous obeisance and fraternity around. No wonder Buddhism and its disciples never ever had to carry either a sword or a man-killing military operations manual to ravage the countryside with a merciless ride on horse, chariot and elephant brigade of glorified myth and victor’s history.

Sheer power of love, piety and empathy, giving a helping-hand and all-embracing fraternity constituted the primary tool of Buddhism to tap the mind and attract the alien in their own land. It’s the magic of simple, intelligible words which made Buddhism so attractive and irresistible. It was charm, rather than challenge, which formed the magnet for men of all hues beyond the geography of India’s 50 lac square kilometre.

Thus, belonging to Sakya clan of Kapilavastu (modern south Nepal bordering India) Buddha (Siddharth at birth) in the 6th century BC to Gautam gotra or family was born with silver spoon in mouth, being the son of Raja Suddhodana. Yet, the son of the king chose to be an ascetic, renouncing all the worldly power and pleasures at twenty-nine, soon after the birth of his son Rahul.   

Why and how did all this happen? It’s because the sensitive and an exceptionally precocious mind of the son of the Raja developed a profound grasp over, and astute detection of, the causes of human misery and the inescapable suffering therefrom, especially at old age. Hence, the emphasis was on, for leading simple, harmonious and contended life. To do that, Lord Buddha stipulated the “Middle Path” called the “Noble Eight-fold path”: “Right Views, Right Aspirations, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Contemplation”. 

Nevertheless, despite lofty thoughts and lucid semantics, Buddhism remained confined within its place of origin and did not expand till another royal push was given by the Magadha Emperor Ashok after his 261 BC pyrrhic victory in Kalinga war. Overnight, the electric transformation of a remorse-filled Satan Ashok to Saint/Sadhu Ashok (Chandasoka to Dharmasoka) opened the door for Buddhism to expand under the guidance and navigation of the “changed-man”. Ashok led from the front for peaceful “conquest” through love and piety thereby eschewing war as an instrument of state policy forever. This not only came as a boon for Buddhism but opened new vista for India transcending Central, East and Southeast Asian barriers with consummate ease, without shedding a single drop of blood. Thus, what Buddha taught as an ideal theory, Ashok put it into idyllic practice.

Overnight, the Emperor deployed the state machinery to propound the basics of Buddhism in the simplest of forms; setting up rock and pillar inscriptions at far-flung frontier posts from north-west to south and east to west.

In lightning speed the non-violent “Dharma” (Buddhist doctrine) became the fulcrum of the foreign policy of Indian Emperor. Without imposing his sectarian belief on others the Emperor practised what he preached. Resorting to non-violence, tolerance, fraternity, humility and obeisance to fellow humans of all faith and followers. 

Dharma in the Ashok lexicon was referred to as “Dhamma”, as found from various Rock Edicts at Shahbazgarhi (Peshawar), Mansehra (Hazara District Pakistan), Kalsi (Dehradun), Girnar (Junagarh), Sopara (Maharashtra), Dhauli (near Bhuvaneswara), Jaugada (Odisha), Yerragudi (Kurnool), Prayagraj (UP), Palkigundi, Lauriya Araraj (Bihar), Lauriya Nandangarh (Bihar), Delhi. Separate Kalinga Edicts at Tosali (or Samapa) and the “Standing Buddha” at Bamiyan (today’s Afghanistan) spoke volumes about the power of non-violence impacting places bordering far-away Central Asia.

Not content with symbolic structure, what amazed the world was the written substance inscribed in the rock edits in the simplest of semantics. Buddhist Dhamma from India radiated through the beauty of thoughts and the glory of action. Dhamma consisted of “(1) Sadhave or Bahu-kayane (much good); (2) Ap asinave (freedom from depravity); (3) Daya (mercy); (4) Dane (magnanimity); (5) Sache (truthfulness); (6) Sachaye (purity); and (7) Madhave (gentleness)”.     

To put the basics into a practice followed the charter of duties for all. “Anarambho prananam (non-slaughter of animate beings); avihisa bhutanam (non-injury to live creatures); matari pitari susrusa (hearkening to father and mother); thaira susrusa (hearkening to elders); gurunam apachiti (reverence to teachers); mita-samstuta-natikanam bahmana-samananam danam sampatipati (magnanimity and seemly behaviour towards friends, acquaintances and relatives and towards priests and Sramana ascetics); dasa-bhatakamhi samyapratipati (seemly behaviour to servants)”; and “apa-vyayata and apa bhandata (small expense and accumulation)”. That constituted the core of Ashok’s profound understanding of the universal altruism of Buddhism. Indeed, how simple, easy, lucid, luring and enduring religious words could be? Devoid of jargon and the complications of an ethereal and exotic extravaganza, what else could be more exciting to adopt, and easier to imbibe? No ritual, no rite, no romance, no retribution even if one does not understand right! How does it become possible? It does become not only possible but real through piety, mercy, non-violence and simple ways of life.

Thus, Buddhism today, like other religions, may have its several schools of competing thought, nevertheless, that does not in any way corrode the fundamentals and the foundation on which is built the indestructible edifice of non-violent and peaceful ways to teach and preach. No wonder, with all its destructive ideology and devastating implementation thereof, the Communist Party of China (CPC) cannot stand the inherent superiority of Buddhism to conquer the mind over matter and materialism. One, therefore, is neither shocked nor surprised at the non-participation of the Xi-led CPC in discussing peace, prosperity, tranquillity and world fraternity. Buddhism and Beijing are poles apart. Terror in Tibet and the hounding of harmless are embedded into Dragon’s DNA. Lord Buddha is meaningless. Ashok is useless. International Buddhist Confederation is hopeless in the eyes of hostile Hans. Only the CPC “core commander” Xi is matchless.  

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.) 

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