The Buddha's true face
Ven. S. Dhammika Thera
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.
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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
Mahinda Ramanayake
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. |