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The Buddha's true face

Buddha Statue: In the Dhammadayada Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya the Buddha says, "Monks, be heirs of my Dhamma, not heirs of material things". Clearly the Buddha wanted his disciples to give more attention to his liberating teaching than to things like his bodily remains or personal possessions. Nonetheless, after his parinirvana his disciples felt deeply his absence and longed for some form of closeness to their beloved teacher.

In time this led to the cult of relics. It also led to a great interest in what the Buddha looked like. There are many references in the Tipitaka to the Buddha's personal appearance. In the Anguttara Nikaya it says, "It is wonderful, truly marvellous, how serene the good Gotama's presence is, how clear and radiant his complexion".

In the Sonadanda Sutta he is described as being "fair in colour, fine in presence, stately to behold". Although these and other passages from the suttas make it clear that the Buddha was extraordinarily handsome, they are only descriptions. Devotees wanted more than that, they wanted to actually see the Buddha's face. Consequently legend gradually developed that several very ancient and exceptionally beautiful Buddha statues were not just artists impressions of the Buddha but actual portraits of him. The most famous of these statues was at Bodh Gaya.

An impressive piece

The earliest Buddha statue found at Bodh Gaya and now in the Indian Museum in Calcutta dates from the year 383 CE. Although much damaged it is still an impressive piece of sculpture, the facial features in particular showing serenity yet determination.

In about the first half of the 5th century a statue was installed in the then newly built Mahabodhi Temple and within a very short time the belief arose that this statue was an portrait of the Buddha. It came to be known as the Image of the True Face or more commonly, as the Mahabodhi Image.

The Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang who visited Bodh Gaya in the 7th century has left us this detailed description of the Mahabodhi Image. "He (the statue) was facing the east and as dignified in appearance as when alive. The throne on which he sits was 4 feet 2 inches high and 12 feet 5 inches broad. The figure was 11 feet 5 inches high, the two knees were 8 feet 8 inches apart and the two shoulders 6 feet 2 inches.

The Buddha's features

The Buddha's features are perfectly depicted and the loving expression of his face lifelike... The statue stands in a dark chamber in which lamps and torches are kept burning, but those who wish to see the sacred features cannot do so by coming into the chamber. In the morning they have to reflect the sunlight onto the statue by means of a great mirror so that the details can be seen. Those who behold them find their religious emotions much increased".


Upper part of a standing Buddha statue found in Saranath, India which belongs to 5th century AD. Now this statue is kept in National Museum, Delhi.

The story concerning the statues origins as told to Hiuen Tsiang is as follows. The brahmin who built the Mahabodhi Temple wished to enshrine a statue in it but for a long time no suitable sculpture could be found.

Eventually a man appeared who said he could do the job. He asked that a pile of scented clay and a lighted lamp be placed in the temple chamber and the door be locked for six months. This was done but being impatient the brahmin opened the door four days before the required time.

Inside was found a statue of surpassing beauty, perfect in every detail except for a small part of the breast which was unfinished. Some time later, a monk who spent the night in the chamber had a dream in which Maitreya appeared to him and said that it was he who had moulded the statue.

Six hundred years later the Tibetan pilgrim Dharmasvamin was told a story about the Image's origins reminiscent to this one but differing from it in details, indicating that the legends were constantly evolving.

According to Dharmasvamin three brothers fell into an argument about which religion was the best. On being told that Buddhism was inferior to others the youngest brother went crying to his mother. She called the three boys and told them to go to the Himalayas and ask Mahesvara for his opinion.

Mahesvara of course confirmed the younger brother's belief in the supremacy of Buddhism and all three brothers decided to become monks.

A monastery at Veluvana

The eldest built a monastery at Veluvana, the second built one at Isipatana and not to be outdone, the youngest brother decided to make a Buddha statue for the Maha Bodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. In a dream he was told to get material consisting of one part precious substances, one part fragrant substances and one part sandalwood paste, place it in the main shrine of the Temple and to keep the door closed for a particular period of time.

This was done but he opened the door before the appointed time and inside found a the statue complete except for the little toe on the right foot.

The mother of the three boys who had known the Buddha when she was a young girl, declared that the statue was exactly like the Buddha except in four respects. Whereas the Buddha's usina was invisible, it could be seen on the statue, the Buddha moved but the statue did not, it could not teach the Dhamma and it did not radiate light.

In Buddhism Buddha statues are expressions of devotion of the artists who make them and aids to contemplation to those who worship them and therefore it is not correct to say that "Buddhists worship idols". That this is not a new idea, a modern rationalisation, is amply proved by the writings of Robert Knox who, in the 17th century, described the Kandians attitude to Buddha statues thus.

"As for these Images, they say they do not own them to be Gods themselves but only Figures representing their Gods to their memories, and as such, they give them honour and worship".

Nonetheless the Mahabodhi Image was sometimes worshipped as if it were the Buddha himself, food was offered to it and devotees would drape robes over it.

I Tsing

The Chinese monk, I Tsing, who visited Bodh Gaya in the 7th century wrote, "Afterwards we came to the Maha Bodhi Temple and worshipped the Image of the True Face of the Buddha. I took bolts of thick and fine silk which had been given to me by the monks and laymen of Shantung, made a robe of it the size of the Tathagata and myself offered it to the Image. Many myriads of small canopies which were entrusted to me by the Vinaya master Huien of Pu', I offered on his behalf. The meditation master teacher An Tao of Ts'ao asked me to worship the Image and I did this in his name.

Then I prostrated myself completely on the ground with my mind undivided, sincere and respectful. Firstly I wished that China might experience the four benefits and that those benefits might prevail throughout the whole universe.

The great hero

Then I expressed the desire to be reborn under the Naa tree so that as to meet Maitriya and practise the true Dhamma and realise the knowledge not subject to rebirth". A Chinese inscription found to the north of the Temple written by the monk Ko Yun in 1022 says of the Image; "The great hero Maitreya out of compassion for all beings left them the real likeness...

The Image is respected by the heterodox, cherished by the discerning and although 2000 years old its face remains new". The inscription also tells us that Ko Yun and his companions draped the Image with a robe made of silk that they had bought with them all the way from China for the purpose. This practice of putting robes on the statue in the main shrine of the Mahabodhi Temple continues even today.

As time went by the Image was even believed to be able to speak. Perhaps such a belief should not surprise us too much. Many people in the theistic religions believe that their god talks to them in dreams or in prayer.

In fact one of the last references we have to the Mahabodhi Image mentions it speaking. In 1300 the Tibetan Tantric adept Man-luns-po travelled to Bodh Gaya and made a vow before the Mahabodhi Image to neither eat or drink until it spoke to him. After waiting eighteen days he got his wish when the statue said.

Oh! Son of noble family. Proceed to Mount Potala and there practise in the manner of bodhisatvas in the presence of Avalokitesvara". The details of Man-luns-po's subsequent journey suggest that he did actually go to the sacred mountain in Kerala.

The most lifelike symbol

Being as it were the most lifelike symbol of the Buddha, the Mahabodhi Image attracted the attention of devoted Buddhists but also those who hated and wanted to destroy Buddhism. The most notorious of these was the fanatical Saivite Bengali King Sasanka.

Early in the 7th century his minions attacked Bodh Gaya with the intention of destroying the Maha bodhi Image. Hiuen Tsiang relates what happened. "King Sasanka... wished to destroy this image but having seen its loving expression his mind had no rest or determination and he returned homeward with his retinue.

On his way he said to one of his officers. 'We must remove the statue of the Buddha and replace it with one of Mahesvara'. The officer having received this order was moved with fear and sighing said.

'If I destroy the statue of the Buddha I will reap misfortune for many kalpas. If on the other hand I disobey the king he will kill me and my family. I am doomed whether I obey or not.

What then shall I do? On this he called to his presence a man who was a Buddhist to help him and sent him to build across the chamber and in front of the Buddha statue a wall of brick.

Out of a feeling of shame at the darkness placed burning lamp in with the statue and then on the wall drew the figure of Mahesvara. The work being finished he reported it to the king who was suddenly seized with terror. His body became covered with sores, his flesh rotted off and at after a while he died. Dharmasvamin

The officer quickly ordered the wall to be pulled down and although several days had elapsed the lamp was found to be still burning". In the 13th century Bodh Gaya came under attack again, this time by Muslim invaders, and the monks used a similar strategy to save the Mahabodhi Image.

Dharmasvamin tells us.

They blocked up the door in front of the Mahabodhi Image with bricks and plastered it. Near it they place another image as a substitute. On its surface they drew an image of Mahesvara to protect it from the non-Buddhists". Dharmasvamin was also told that formerly the Mahabodhi Image had two beautiful gems in its eyes that emitted a light so bright that it was possible to read by it. During a lightening raid a little before his visit a soldier had put a lader against the Image and prised the eyes out.

As he was climbing down he slipped and fell, dropping the gems and smashing them, after which their light grew dim. The Tibetan historian Taranatha tells us a legend he heard about the origins of these gems.

Miracles

He relates that when the man who had built the Mahabodhi temple had placed the statue in it, he happened to find a wondrous self-illuminating gem. When he expressed regret that he had nor not found the gem earlier two holes a suddenly appeared in the statue's eyes.

As he prepared to cut the gem in two so he could put it in the statue's sockets, a second gem miraculously appeared.

The Mahabodhi Image had a considerable influence on art in India, other parts of Asia through copies of it which were taken to various Buddhist countries. Baladitya's huge temple at Nalanda had a life size copy of the statue as did the main temple at Vikramasila.

When the Chinese pilgrim I Tsing returned home in 698 he brought with him a picture of the statue and presented it to the Fo Shou Chi Monastery. The Chinese envoy Wang Hiuen Ts'e made four separate trips to India, visiting Bodh Gaya during two of them.


The stream winner - An elucidation

Noble Eightfold Path: A sotapanna or stream winner is one who has tread the Noble Eightfold Path to the extent that he or she will not fall back from that path in his or her journey through this round of births and deaths and will be heading towards Nirvana to be attained in a future birth.

This means that one must develop the Path factors of the Eightfold Path within oneself beyond the point of no return in the Path to be a stream winner. It is similar to throwing an object in to space where, if the velocity is less than the escape velocity it will fall back to earth while if the velocity is greater than the escape velocity it will not fall back to earth.

In the Buddhist texts it is said that to attain stream winning the three fetters, namely, having the view that the five groups of clinging is a self, holding on to rites and rituals (as a means for overcoming suffering) and skeptical doubt, should be overcome. Skeptical doubt means doubting things without proper investigations.

The first fetter is to be overcome by investigating and contemplating on the five groups of clinging. The second fetter is to be overcome by understanding the dependent origination and seeing that clinging to rites and rituals is in fact a manifestation of craving for liberation from suffering in all its forms which defeats its own purpose.

The third is by seeing the operation of the first three of the following links in the Dependent Origination within oneself through mindfulness which is within the grasp of a layman and by treading the Noble Eightfold Path. Links eight and nine of course comes within the purview of an Arhant.

Dependent on name and form when greed, hatred and delusion is present there is contact Dependent on contact is feeling that is pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.

Dependent on feelings is craving which makes one to run after things that produce pleasant feelings and to run away from things that produce unpleasant and neutral feelings in search of things that produce pleasant feelings all of which lead to karmic actions.

Dependent on craving is clinging to the five groups as me and as mine.

Dependent on clinging is becoming or drifting in sansara.

The importance of understanding the Dependent Origination is expressed by the Buddha in the following words to Ananda:

Because of not understanding and not penetrating this Dharma, Ananda, this generation has become like a tangled skein, a knotted ball of thread, like matted rushes and reeds, and does not pass beyond Sansara with its planes of misery, unfortunate destinations, and lower realms' (DN 15).

The above five causal links in the Dependent Origination operate unceasingly within us every time we confront a visible form, a sound, a smell, a taste, a tangible thing or a thought that affect us and the process takes place so fast that we fail to notice it happening and thereby they go to accumulation within us lengthening our tenure in sansara without our knowledge.

It should be noted that all the three fetters mentioned above can be overcome by understanding and contemplating on the above links of the Dependent Origination and treading the Noble Eightfold Path. Therefore it is these two aspects of the Dharma that should be understood and practised to such a degree so that one will possess them wherever or whatever time one happens to be born.

This is the necessary condition for stream winning. For example one could be born at a time when there is no Dharma in this world. At such a time the only protection is the strength of the necessary qualities, tendencies and aspirations one has developed to prevent falling away from the path. The Buddha's life story is itself an example of this. He was not born a Buddha but he had all the inborn qualities and aspirations to become a Buddha to the extent where all the wealth and comforts in the world which was provided could not stop him.

Even then it took him six years of stupendous effort to become the Buddha. So we must not be disillusioned that having secured stream winning there is still much work to be done. Stream winning is a means to an end and not an end by itself. It is not possible to objectively evaluate the degree to which one should tread the path so that one crosses the fall back point in the path.

According to the Buddhist texts it is something one will subjectively come to know when he or she passes the fall back point in the path or in other words subjectively become aware that he or she is a stream winner.

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