Engaged Buddhism-2013- Chief Guest and dignitaries on the Dais
The
“Engaged Buddhism” initiative is conceived to promote Community-Heritage
interface in Bihar. All ancient Buddhist literature indicates the deep
association of the Buddha, the Dhamma
and the Saṅgha with Magadha, the
kingdom of King Bimbisāra. A culture
of patronage that was established by King
Bimbisāra and cemented further by Emperor Ashoka took its root in the heartland of Magadha. Because of its
sacredness and culture of local patronage, Magadha over the next 1500 years
after the Mahāparinirvāṇa of the
Buddha, became a conglomerate of Buddhist monasteries of various traditions.
Literary evidence suggests that receiving patronage from kings and patrons, the
best monks from far-off Buddhist lands vied to establish monasteries in this
sacred land of Magadha. Monks, scholars and the followers of the teachings of
the Buddha from all over Buddhist lands took years to make the arduous journey
to visit this land to practice and collect manuscripts of the true teachings of
the Buddha and pay pilgrimage to the sacred traces of the Buddha and his
prominent disciples.
Magadha
was distinguished by two groups: one was the Buddhist institutions and
practicing monks from all over the Buddhist lands and the other was villages
and the community supporting the monks and institutions. This relationship
between the two groups was symbiotic in that monks and Buddhist institutions
provided a “Dhamma ambience” and also
facilitated rituals and in return villages supported the daily needs of the Saṅgha. Venerable Xuanzang witnessed
this ambience and visited many of the monasteries in Magadha. His records
mention at least 50 monasteries in Magadha. This number most likely multiplied
over the next few centuries, reaching its peak during the Pala-Sena period (8th-12thcentury
CE) as reflected in the vast ancient remains scattered in the Magadha region.
Since
ancient times, this sacred piece of land has been a place of proliferation of
new schools of thought. Buddhist literature reveals that many prominent
teachers with great followings coexisted in Magadha. As per tradition, after
the usual exchange of greetings when any two people met, they would enquire as
to which teacher they were following. There was a peaceful coexistence among
the various schools of thought. In the second half of the first millenia CE,
monasteries and monk-scholars from the monasteries of Magadha acted as Dhammadūta
and facilitated development of Dhamma
in far-off lands. Monks from Magadha carefully camouflaged the Dhamma within a variety local traditions
and rituals while maintaining the true teachings and practice at the core. As
the Dhamma was developing elsewhere, Buddhist monasteries continued to
interact with the cultural beliefs within the local communities of Magadha.
Centuries of such interaction led to an emergence of a pantheon of deities.
With existing icons, monk-scholars and monasteries of Magadha facilitated the
conception, design, and development of the vast and extensive Buddhist
iconography, which is appreciated in the world today and as reflected in
sculptures and artifacts throughout the Live-Museum of Magadha.
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| The Workshop in progress |
Literary
evidence and archaeological finds suggest that the monastery-community
symbiosis and the elaborate Buddhist pilgrimage had fluctuating periods of
increases and decreases. During good times, monasteries were renewed time and
again, as well as, the building of new monasteries. During periods of
adversity, monks left their monasteries and only returned when a supporting
regime created a conducive environment for them to return. Monasteries somehow
survived these times of adversity showing us the strong resilience of the
monastery-community symbiosis over its 1500 year journey.
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| Venerable Bhikkhu Sangha reciting the mangala patha |
The
travelogues of Tibetan monk-scholar Venerable Dharmaswāmin very thoroughly
narrate the scenario of the early 13thcentury CE when monks would
run away into forests to escape the swords of Turks, returning in a few days or
weeks hoping that the turmoil had ended. Continuing in this way for at least
100 years, the majority of monasteries simply vanished, while a few key monks
managed to survive at key places with the hope that Magadha would emerge once
again. As fate would have it, the new circumstances were no longer conducive
for the growth and sustenance of monasteries of Magadha. This led to the gradual death of the symbiotic
relationship between monastery and community.
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| Condolence prayer for Late Shri Abhay Sharma, a heritage leader from Village Keur (Jehanabad district) |
With
the exit of the monks, Magadha was left with pockets of monastic remains
scattered throughout Magadha. In the next few years and decades, these monastic
remains were populated by people from the surrounding communities. Monasteries
fell to ruin over the next few centuries and eventually became covered under
layers of bio mass. New populations who settled over and around these mounds
were ill equipped to handle the vast amount of religious artifacts. A few
temples with images of Buddhist and Hindu deities continued to be used for
worship, but due to a lack of resources and patronage over the next few
centuries, these also eventually fell to ruin, leading to sculptures left out
under the open sky.
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| Dr. D Lama making the welcome address |
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| Release of Book "Engaged Buddhism" |
Populations
that had settled over the monastic remains kept discovering sculptures and
artifacts and villages slowly developed collectives at a few sites within the
villages. But for all such collectives, worship of sculptures started in the
open under the shade of trees, without any thought of protection for these
sculptures. As we foray into present-day villages this practice still continues
with collectives called Goraiyānsthān, probably a corruption of the word Guru-Sthān, meaning teacher’s place.
In the early 18th
century, the vast tangible heritage in India in general and Bihar in particular
generated much curiosity and subsequent research and studies established the
Buddhist origin of Bihar. During this time, sculptures and artifacts lost their
inherent definition of an object of worship and instead were labeled works of art.
As such, they were “legally” removed from their original sites and placed in
museums, drawing rooms, and personal collections. The community was a mute
spectator to what was happening to their religious heritage; something that did
not just happen in Bihar and India, but across Asia, Africa, and South America
and is still going on. This was carried it out earlier because of colonial
powers and now encouraged through illegal spurious trade.
Communities
are still using the centuries-old traditional way of worshiping sculptures in
the open. This has led to inevitable loss, as collections have been robbed over
the years. Villagers narrate how they once had collectives of hundreds of
sculptures, but over the past fifty years, only few remain. In the recent past,
Bihar has begun to wake up to its past. Signs of a reemergence of Magadha’s
glory have been revealed over the past few years as communities are becoming
more aware of their heritage. Many villages are now building temples to shade
and protect such collectives. The sanctity of this live-museum of Magadha must
be communicated to the world. When the world realizes the inherent beauty of
this live-museum, it will partake in the reemergence of Magadha and its rich
heritage; its association with the sublime wandering of the Buddha.
As communities live with the tangible and intangible
heritage of Bihar, efforts to generate awareness to the community at large of
this heritage as being a part of long Buddhist history that needs to be
preserved for all posterity to appreciate has begun. This is one more phase in
the long journey of the true teachings of the Buddha for the world to become
aware and contribute towards its revitalization. With
this broad objective, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara (NNM) initiated an initiative to photo-document
this “Live-Museum” of Magadha; capturing how the community lives with this
heritage, making it a part of their rituals, and why it needs to be respected,
safeguarded and restored. With world awareness towards the sanctity and beauty
of the “Live-museum” of Magadha, we hope deep in our hearts that the next
century will help to reverse the process of heritage loss and bring the religious
sculptures back to their origins.
In
the workshop, individuals from different villages share their stories
about how they have been contributing towards safeguarding the heritage.
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| Shri Vikash Kumar from Sonsa (Nawadha District) |
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| Shri. Anil Kumar from Village Dhurgaon (Nalanda District) |
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| Shri. Indradev Prasad, Village Keur (Jehanabad district) |
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| Shri Denanath Pandey, Beswak Village (Nalanda District) |
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| Dr. Arun Kumar, Coordinator, "Engaged Buddhism" Workshop thanking all the participants. |
