BUDDHIST SPECTRUM

Birthplace of Tapassu and Bhalluka

Lionel Wijesiri

The nativity of Tapassu and Bhalluka, (variedly described as Tapussa and Bhallika or Bhalliya) the two merchant brothers of Ukkala who became the first disciples of the Buddha were, until recently, shrouded in mystery. Ukkala (or Okkala) is the ancient name of Orissa. The Mahabharata mentions the Ukkala several times in the lists of ancient tribes. In certain Buddhist literature it is described as ‘Okkala’.

These two brothers, well known among Buddhist devotees, were the first two lay devotees (upasaka) of the Buddha. While on their way to Rajagaha, they saw the Buddha at the foot of the Rajayatana tree, in the eighth week after the Enlightenment. They approached him and offered the first alms to him.

They took refuge in the Buddha and the Dhamma (as by this time the Sangha had not arisen) and thus became the first two upsasakas. At their request for an object of worship, the Buddha gave them eight handfuls of hair from His head according to Anguttara Nikaya Commentary.

They subsequently enshrined them in a magnificent caitya at Asitanjana- the capital of Kamsabhoga situated in the region of Uttarapatha.

According to the commentary of the Theragatha, these two merchants also subsequently visited the Buddha at Rajagriha and by that time Tapassu was renamed as Sotapanna and Devachikaupasaka, and his name has been incorporated in the list of eminent upasakas of Buddha. Bhallika, on the other hand, joined the Sangha and became an arhat.

The Pujavaliya text of Ceylon delineates that Tapassu and Bhallika after their conversion visited the east coast of Sri Lanka, where they erected a Chaitya to commemorate their visit.

An inscription dated 7th Century AD in Sri Lanka mentions the two names while they also figure in sculptures found in several places in India South Gate of Sanchi, bas-reliefs at Taxila, Nagarjunikonda, Amaravati etc. They are also carved out on a sculpture at Shotorak (Begram) in Afghanistan.

Kamsabhoga

Kalinga or Orissa was a thriving kingdom of trade in ancient Jambudipa. If analyzed further, we find that the ancient Jambudipa was divided into a number of major divisions and the northern one was Uttarapatha.

Its boundaries are nowhere explicitly stated in ancient literature. It has been suggested that Uttarapatha was originally the name of a great trade-route, the high road which extended from Savatthi to Takhsila in Gandhara.

This region was famous from very early times for its horses and horse- dealers,’ and horses were brought down for sale from there to such cities as Benares

We do not know much about this ancient city of Kamsabhoga. The Pali commentary indicates king Mahakamsa and his successors of the Kamsavamsa race ruled in the Buddha period. The Kamsavamsa dynasty was destroyed by the sons of Devagabbha and Upasagara subsequently. Location of Kamsabhoga and its capital Asitanjana has not been satisfactorily accomplished until recently. Some writers located Kamsabhoga in Bahlika (Bactria), while others identified Asitanjana with Pokkharavati and located it to the north of river Kabul and to the south of Hindukush mountain range in the Gandhara-Kamboja area.

Still others identified Kamsabhoga with Mathura country in Uttar Pradesh but since Kamsabhoga of the Pali texts is said to be located in Uttarapatha, its identification and location in Mathura probably was not correct.

Now, the latest excavations recognize that this is not a mere folktale but true. The scientists recognize that Asitnjana could be either Radhanagar (the ancient capital of Kalinga) or Tarapore, another site of excavations which revealed the names of Tapussu and Bhalliya. Several stupas of ancient origin are found in this region.

Tribes

The ancient text of Buddhists, The Mahcattarisaka Sutta of the Majjahimanikaya speaks of two tribes of Ukkala named Vassa and Bhanna as renouncing their earlier faith in Ahetu vada, Akritya vada and Nastika vada in favour of Buddhism.

According to Majjhima Nikaya, Vassa and Bhanna are the two tribes of Ukkala who professed a type of religion called Ahetuvada, Akiriyavada and Natthikavada. Buddha says, “Bhikkhus, even those teachers from Okkala, Vassa and Bhanna, who held the doctrine of non-causality, the doctrine of non-doing, and the doctrine of nihilism, would not think that this Dhamma discourse on the Great Forty should be censured and rejected.”

These two tribes later on are known to have embraced Buddhism preached by the Buddha. Tapassu and Bhallika are ascribed to Vassa and Bhanna tribes of ancient Ukkala. The two merchant brothers became so widely popular in Buddhist world that they were represented in various garbs in various countries. For example, the Burmese legends speak Tapassu (Tapoosa) and Bhallika (Palekat) as the residents of the city of Okkalaba in the Irrawaddy valley.

As per Chinese sources, the Buddha had lauded Ukkala as one of the twelve suitable places for the attainment of perfection. That Buddhism has received the royal patronage is given in Kalingabodhi Jataka referring to Kalinga II, who has paid reverential honour to the Bodhi tree at Uruvela near Gaya for seven days.

This liturgical and archaeological evidence amply proves that the Ukkala was not only flourishing commercially, especially in maritime trade, but also was traditionally Buddhist in religion.

References

In 1959 the treatise, Buddhism in Odisha, had been published written by Dr N K Sahoo, the then Professor of Sambalpur University. He reinforces that Okkalaba is nothing but a variant form of the country of Ukkla, mistaken as a city. Binod S Das, too, agrees. In his book - Changing Profile of the Frontier Bengal - he says, “The remnants of ancient trade route connecting the salt and forest tracts of this region with Kalinga, Ukkala and Odra countries of the south-west and Suhma and Magadha on the north stiIl existed. The Burmese legends represent Tapoosa and Bafekat as the inhabitants of the city of Okkalaba or Ukkala, who after arriving at the port of Adzeita (TamraIipta) went to Soowama (Suhma) and then proceeded towards Rajgriha and met the Buddha. This legend points to the existence of the trade route within this region connecting the neighbouring localities of the Frontier Bengal.”

The Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang who visited India in first half of 7th century A.D. has spoken about two places as belonging to Tapassu and Bhallika in Balkh regions.

But as per the older Pali accounts found in the Vinaya texts, the Nikayas and the Jatakas, the two merchant brothers are represented as hailing from the country i.e. Janapada of Ukkala which should be identified with Ukkla i.e. modern Orissa in the Southeast of India. Under this historical backdrop, we have to identify the original home land of Tapassu and Bhallika basing on the fresh archaeological evidence.

The Archaeological evidences have now proven that Radhanagar or Rajnagar fort in the Dharmasala tehsil of Jajpur district may be identified with the ancient city of Asitanjana. Radhanagar is the most ancient Early Historic fort in Orissa dating back to the pre-Mauryan era which is also well connected with Tapassu and Bhalluka.

Now, the Department of Culture, Govt. of Orissa is making extensive archaeological exploration and excavations in various parts of the state to gather scientific source material to strengthen the historicity and nativity of the two famous merchant brothers of world eminence.

WFB conference

From November 14 to 17:

Priyanka Kurugala

Sri Lanka is the host country for the celebrations of 60th anniversary and 25th General Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) in 2010. After 26 years the country has the opportunity to hold an international forum of WFB.

All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC) has come forward to pioneer the launch of the national task of hosting the World Fellowship of Buddhists in Sri Lanka since the previous occasion in 1986. This event will be held in Colombo after 24 years.

First president of WFB was late professor Gunapala Malalasekera who was ACBC’s president too. Based on his vision and under the guidance of our Buddhist leaders the WFB was formed on May 25, 1950, at the premises of temple of the sacred tooth relic in Kandy.

For the inaugural meeting of the World Fellowship of Buddhists there were delegates from 27 countries. Devotees from the branches such as Theravada, Mahayana, Thanthrayana and Vajrayana participated in this event. Representatives from Asia, Europe and North America were present too. On that day there were about 27 member countries but by now the membership has grown up to 164 regional centres in 41 countries.

The WFB has a number of aims and objectives to spread Buddhism and the Buddha’s teachings throughout the world. Promoting strict observance and practice of the teachings among the members is the main target of this organization.

They target to secure unity, solidarity and brotherhood among Buddhists. To propagate the sublime doctrine of Buddha, to organize and carry on activities in the field of social, educational, cultural and other humanitarian services, to work for happiness, harmony and peace on earth and collaborate with other organizations working with the same objectives are the other ends of this organization.

The 60th anniversary and the 25th General Conference of the WFB will be a giant step to fulfil these targets. Reconciliation Through The Teachings of Buddha’ is the theme of this grand occasion.

The conference will be held at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel, Sugathadasa Stadium, on November 14 (opening ceremony), 15(Business forum) , 16 (Symposium) respectively. The forth day, November 17, of the conference will witness representatives visiting the Dalada Maligava. Reception by the Diyawadana Nilame and special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic for visitors will also be held. The symposium will be held at Sugathadasa indoor stadium under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa on November 16.

Six hundred delegates form 164 Regional centres of WFB from 40 countries will participate in this forum. About 3000 participants including conference and anniversary delegates, observers, invitees, guests, representatives of Buddhist organizations and students from Dhamma schools are expected to participate at this occasion.

To appreciate his excellent Buddhist leadership which had been provided to eradicated the war the WFB has decided to honour President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Thailand King Bhumibol Adulgades for his service to Buddhism.

Prime Minister D M Jayaratna is the president of the organizing committee. He is also the chief guest of the opening ceremony of WFB Conference.

ACBC Chairman Jagath Sumathipala and other members have pioneered this task. We have the opportunity to hold the 2600th Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi anniversary in 2011.

At the business forum we can expect that the country will get numerous opportunities development.

Along with this we should develop our minds according to the teaching of the Buddha. It is the way to reach the objectives of consoling human mind through common Buddhist achievement.

Dr Ananda Guruge is the Senior Vice President of World Fellowship of Buddhists.

Realizing the suffering as it is - Part 2

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The total cure the Buddha promised as a result of his course of therapy shows that, in actuality, he was much less pessimistic than the vast majority of the world, for whom wisdom means accepting the bad things in life with the good, assuming that there is no chance in this life for unalloyed happiness.

The Buddha was an extremely demanding person, unwilling to bend to this supposed wisdom or to rest with anything less than absolute happiness. His course of therapy points to the fact that such happiness is possible, and can be attained through our own efforts.

Another charge often leveled at Buddhism is that its focus is narrow, aiming only at the issue of stress and pain, and ignoring the larger or more uplifting issues of spiritual life. This, again, misses the thrust of the Buddha’s cure for the ills of the heart and mind.

One of the most important insights leading up to the Buddha’s awakening was his realization that the act of comprehending pain lay at the essence of the spiritual quest.

In trying to comprehend pain, one begins to delve into the non-verbal, subconscious levels of the mind, bringing to light many ill-formed and hidden processes of which one was previously unaware.

In this sense, pain is like a watering hole where all the animals in the forest - all the mind’s subconscious tendencies - will eventually come to drink.

Just as a naturalist who wants to make a survey of the wildlife in a particular area can simply station himself near a watering hole, in the same way, a meditator who wants to understand the mind can simply keep watch right at pain in order to see what subconscious reactions will appear.

Thus the act of trying to comprehend pain leads not only to an improved understanding of pain itself, but also to an increased awareness of the most basic processes at work in the mind. As one fully comprehends pain, one gains a full comprehension of other spiritual issues as well, realizing which questions were worth asking and which ones weren’t, at the same time gaining answers to the first set of questions and learning how to put the second set aside.

Thus the study of the four noble truths is aimed first at understanding these four categories, and then at applying them to experience so that one may act properly toward each of the categories and thus attain the highest, most total happiness possible.

It then builds on this understanding by discussing the role of the four noble truths in the course of the practice, and then analyzing in detail each of the truths, together with the duty appropriate to each. Further related readings can be found in the book The Wings to Awakening.

The Buddha: ‘What do you think, Rahula: What is a mirror for?’ Rahula: ‘For reflection, sir.’ The Buddha: ‘In the same way, Rahula, bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts are to be done with repeated reflection.

‘Whenever you want to perform a bodily act, you should reflect on it: ‘This bodily act I want to perform - would it lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Is it an unskillful bodily act, with painful consequences, painful results?’ If, on reflection, you know that it would lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it would be an unskillful bodily act with painful consequences, painful results, then any bodily act of that sort is absolutely unfit for you to do.

But if on reflection you know that it would not cause affliction... it would be a skillful bodily act with happy consequences, happy results, then any bodily act of that sort is fit for you to do.

(Similarly with verbal acts and mental acts.) ‘While you are performing a bodily act, you should reflect on it: ‘This bodily act I am doing - is it leading to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Is it an unskillful bodily act, with painful consequences, painful results?’ If, on reflection, you know that it is leading to self-affliction, to affliction of others, or both... you should give it up. But if on reflection you know that it is not... you may continue with it.

(Similarly with verbal acts and mental acts.) ‘Having performed a bodily act, you should reflect on it... If, on reflection, you know that it led to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it was an unskillful bodily act with painful consequences, painful results, then you should confess it, reveal it, lay it open to the Teacher or to a knowledgeable companion in the holy life. Having confessed it... you should exercise restraint in the future.

But if on reflection you know that it did not lead to affliction... it was a skillful bodily act with happy consequences, happy results, then you should stay mentally refreshed and joyful, training day and night in skillful mental qualities.

(Similarly with verbal acts.) ‘Having performed a mental act, you should reflect on it... If, on reflection, you know that it led to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it was an unskillful mental act with painful consequences, painful results, then you should feel horrified, humiliated, and disgusted with it. Feeling horrified... you should exercise restraint in the future.

But if on reflection you know that it did not lead to affliction... it was a skillful mental act with happy consequences, happy results, then you should stay mentally refreshed and joyful, training day and night in skillful mental qualities.

‘Rahula, all the priests and contemplatives in the course of the past who purified their bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts, did it through repeated reflection on their bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts in just this way.

‘All the priests and contemplatives in the course of the future... All the priests and contemplatives at present who purify their bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts, do it through repeated reflection on their bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts in just this way.

‘And so, Rahula, you should train yourself: ‘I will purify my bodily acts through repeated reflection. I will purify my verbal acts through repeated reflection. I will purify my mental acts through repeated reflection.’ That’s how you should train yourself. That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Ven. Rahula delighted in the Blessed One’s words. - MN 61

Once the Blessed One was staying at Kosambi in the Simsapa tree grove. Then, picking up a few Simsapa leaves with his hand, he asked the monks, ‘What do you think, monks: Which are more numerous, the few Simsapa leaves in my hand or those overhead in the Simsapa grove?’ ‘The leaves in the hand of the Blessed One are few in number, lord.

Those overhead in the grove are far more numerous.’ ‘In the same way, monks, those things that I have known with direct knowledge but have not taught are far more numerous than the things I have taught.

And why haven’t I taught them? Because they are not connected with the goal, do not relate to the rudiments of the holy life, and do not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding. That is why I have not taught them.

www.accesstoinsight.org