Of Bones And Buddhists

In April police in Jaigaon, India, uncovered a human-bones factory and arrested six people. The factory's bones had come from cremation centers on the Ganges River in Varanasi, the Hindu holy city. They were being sold to Buddhist monasteries and to students of traditional medicine. Eastern India was once a flourishing center for the export of human skeletons. The government banned the trade in the late 1980s after human rights groups questioned bone-collection practices. ‘During interrogation [the gang] confessed that the hollow human thigh bones were in great demand in Bhutanese monasteries and were used as blow-horns, and the skulls as vessels to drink from at religious ceremonies,’ investigating officer Ravinder Nalwa told the Reuters news service Tuesday.

Buddhism In Bali

Much attention has been given to how far west Buddhism extended in ancient times. The most westerly Buddhist monument that can be is the foundations of a large stupa in the south east corner of the ancient citadel of Khiva in Turkmenistan. Small communities of Buddhists may have existed beyond this but if they did they would have been insignificant, isolated and exceptional. We can say therefore that the outer edge of Buddhism in the west was what is now western Iran. But how far to the east did Buddhism spread its gentle and civilizing influence? To the outer islands of Indonesia, to Australia or perhaps beyond? In the 1920’s a superb bronze bust of the Buddha was found on Sulawesi, one of the larger islands that make up Indonesia. This is the eastern most point that any Buddhist antiquity has ever been found. There is, though, no evidence of an enduring Buddhist presence either on Sulawesi or beyond it; no ruined temples or monasteries, no inscriptions or references to it in the historical records. However, only a few hundred miles south-west of Sulawesi is the small island of Bali where inscriptional and literary evidence shows that Buddhism existed along side Hinduism for about seven hundred years.
Indian merchants first arrived in Bali in about 200 BCE and it was probably these people who introduced Buddhism and Hinduism. A Balinese work of uncertain date called the Nagarakertagama by the Buddhist monk lists all the Buddhist temples in Bali, 26 altogether, and mentions that in 1275 King Kretanagara underwent a Tantric Buddhist initiation to protect his kingdom from an expected invasion by Kublai Khan. The island’s history is scant until 1343 when it was conquered by and absorbed into the Majapahit Empire of Java-Sumatra. Hinduism and Buddhism both received state patronage although the type of Buddhism that prevailed gradually became indistinguishable from Hinduism. A Javanese Buddhist work from about the 12th century contains this telling verse. ‘The one substance is called two, that is, the Buddha and Siva. They say they are different but how can they be divided? Despite differences there is oneness.’ Clearly at the time these words were being composed some Buddhists were struggling to maintain the uniqueness of the Dhamma while others were stressing its similarity with Hinduism. Eventually in both Java and Bali the integrators prevailed. Incidentally, the phrase ‘Despite differences there is oneness’ (Bhineka tunggal ika) has been taken as the motto for the Republic of Indonesia. With the collapse of Mahapahit in 1515 and the ascendancy of Islam, Java’s old intellectual and religious elite, including the last surviving Buddhist monks and scholars sought refuge in Bali.
In January 2004 I fulfilled a long-standing wish to visit the island that Nehru eulogized as ‘The Morning of the World.’ I planned to visit all the sights that other tourists like to see but my main intention was to search out the traces of Buddhism and find out something about Bali’s small Buddhist community. My first stop was the Bali Museum in Denpasar, the capital of the island. The older part of the museum was built in 1910 in the style of a royal palace and gives some idea of the artistic sophistication of the traditional Balinese culture. The exhibits on display in the museum reinforce the impression that the Balinese have an unusually highly developed aesthetic scene. The paintings, masks, pottery, wood calving and fabrics are superlative. In one room is a modest collection of Buddhist antiquities. These consist of clay votive stupas found at Pedgeng dating from about the 9th century and seals with the well-known Dhammapariaya on them. There is also a small collection of bronze images of the Buddha and various bodhisattvas. The captions on these exhibits gave little information about them and so I made an appointment to see the curator. He was able to give details about publications containing some details about the history of Buddhism in Bali but told me that no comprehensive account of it has ever been written. Next I headed for Goa Gajah near Ubud where I had read there were some traces of Buddhism. Goa Gajah was a sacred spring in ancient times and locals still come to bathe in its two pools. Water pours into the pools from pots held by beautifully calved figures of apsaras. Beyond the spring is a deep mossy and fern filled canyon with huge boulders strewn around it. The rocks on the side of the canyon have half finished Buddha statues, architectural forms and other things calved out of them. One bolder has what was quite clearly meant to be the pinnacle of a stupa calved out of it, again unfinished. There are also several artificial caves cut out of the cliffs one of which have three small stupas in front of it. The several inscriptions found at Goa Gajah show that both Hindu and Buddhist ascetics once lived here. My next stop was Besakih Bali’s largest and most sacred temple , which is situated on the lowest slopes of the spectacular Gunung Agung volcano. As the bus wound its way gradually upward the air became cooler and the landscape began to remind me of the country around Kandy, lush and green and filled with flowers. The top of Gunung Agung was hidden by cloud. Before the 10th century Besakih had been a Buddhist temple but just as Buddhism gradually declined and was absorbed into Hinduism so Besakih gradually became a Hindu temple. The temple itself is laid out in a series of terraces and extends for about a mile up the side of the volcano. I looked for signs of Buddhism, old statues or familiar motifs but could find nothing. Volcanic eruptions have destroyed or damaged Besakih several times throughout its history. Perhaps excavations in the thick black ash on which the present temple now stands would yield evidence of it’s Buddhist predecessor.

My last stop was the eastern town of Klungkung which had been capital of a small kingdom during the 16th and 17th centuries. In the center of the town is Taman Gili (The Island Garden) the only surviving part of the old royal palace which was built in 1710. The ceiling of several pavilions in the garden are covered in paintings of the highest quality. Most of these depict incidents from the Tantrikatha, a Balinese version of the Thousand and One Nights, and the Hindu epic Mahabhatara. But there is also some 20 panels illustrating the life and adventures of a legendary Buddhist character named Satusoma. This is of course a retelling of the famous Sutasoma Jataka. The paintings depicting Satusoma’s deeds are full of action and drama and the legends about him are very interesting. Although my main intention in visiting Bali was to seek out traces of Buddhism I was very interested in seeing the many beautiful Hindu temples also. When I was at the Puseh Pura Desa Temple at Batubulan I chanced to see a line of images which included an elegantly calved one of the Buddha. Later in the temple at Pura Ulunsiwa I saw another statue of the Buddha still being worshiped. Hinduism first integrated Buddhism into itself and then erased its identity leaving only there two sad reminders.
The last census in 1989 showed that there were 13,274 Buddhists in Bali, nearly all of them either ethnic Chinese or people from other parts of Indonesia. There are two Buddhist temples, one in Singharaj in the north of the island built by the Thai and Indonesian governments in 1971 and another in Denpasar. I visited both these establishments and was sad to see that the monks in them did little more than conduct rituals and do blessings for the people who came. I was invited to the homes of several Buddhists and was treated with the greatest respect but it was very clear that my hosts knew little about the Dhamma. They all acknowledged their ignorance and seemed to have a genuine desire to know more but as they all said, there was no one to teach them. But Hinduism in Bali is surprisingly vigorous and still claims the allegiance of almost everyone, young and old. It seems unlikely that the teachings of the Buddha will prove to be attractive to the Balinese for a long time in the future.

Happy Birthday

There are not many politicians whose behavior could be held up for emulation unless it was for ‘political acumen,’ a euphemism for slippery maneuvering, ruthlessness and knowing how to use people. An exception to this would have to be Nelson Mandela. He emerged from 29 years of harsh inceraration without any rancor or bitterness. He has constantly spoken up for reconciliation and forgiveness as the best way to heal the ugly wounds of apartheid and his words come across as completely sincere. A few years ago he went out of his way meet the wife of one of his former tormentor, Mrs. Botha. He held out his hand to her, she refused to take it, and yet throughout the proceeding conversation he remained his usual polite smiling self. We need more people who survive injustice without turning their victimhood into a means of self-promotion or who insist that they can only get ‘closure’ by extracting an apology from their oppressors. The Buddha said;

He who, though innocent, patiently bears
abuse, flogging and imprisonment,
with endurance as his only strength;
him I call a true brahman.Dhp.399

Nelson Mandela is 90 today. I wish him a Happy Birthday and hope that he has many more.

Quite A Mouthfull

Monks, there are these four dangers for those who go down to the water. What four? The danger or waves, of crocodiles, of whirlpools and the danger of sharks. So too, there are four dangers for one who has gone forth from home into homelessness as a monk equivalent to the four dangers of the water…And what is the danger of crocodiles? Monks, ‘crocodiles’ is a term for gluttony (M.I,160-61).

On The Face Of It

The complexion (chavivanna) is the colour and condition of the facial skin and the countenance (mukha) is the expression on the face. Complexion is one of the five types of human beauty; the others being beautiful hair, muscle structure, teeth and youth (Ja.I,394). In ancient India a complexion which was ‘not too dark and not too fair’ was considered the most desirable (M.I,88). Our complexion is influenced by physical factors like genetics, health, diet and climate. However, our psychological state has some influence on our complexion too and it is the major factor in shaping our countenance. The numerous muscles in the face are unique in that they are attached to the facial skin, surrounding and radiating from the eyes, mouth, nose and ears. Our emotions make these muscles expand or contract which influences blood flow to the skin and thus skin colour. Emotions that have become habitual can cause some muscles to be permanently tight or loose changing the contours of the face so that the skin becomes smooth or wrinkled.
Popular wisdom says that a person's heart is written on their face and there is an element of truth in this saying. Fear or worry can make the eyes to sink into their sockets, the cheeks droop and the skin become pale. An explosive temper can make the face red and in time cause the capillaries to become visible (dhamanisanthtagatta) so that the skin has a blotchy appearance. A persistently angry, critical or haughty outlook can give the skin a dark hue and make the ends of the mouth turn down into a sneer.
In numerous places throughout the scriptures the Buddha is described as having a golden-coloured skin (kancanasannibhattaca), exceptionally smooth skin (sukhumacchavi) and clear and radiant faculties (vippasannani indriyani, A.I,181; D.III,143; Sn.551). This outer beauty was a direct result of his inner transformation. The experience of enlightenment had dissolved all greed, hatred and perplexity creating space for the unrestricted expression of love, kindness, detachment and clarity. This in turn gave the Buddha a beautiful complexion and countenance that lasted even into his old age.
A sure sign of progress in meditation is that the face develops a more noticeably calm and pleasant demeanour (bhadramukha). Those who are able to spend longer periods in meditation and whose practice is fruitful, are sometimes reported as having radiant complexions. This is particularly true for those doing loving-kindness meditation or who have attained any of the four jhanas (S.III,236; V,301).

Older And Wiser

The famous evangelist Billy Graham used to read the Bible very carefully and tell it as he read it – God saves Christians and condemns everyone else to eternal Hell. The Bible still says the same as it did when Graham was young but apparently he reads it rather different nowadays. Nice to see. This is part of a dialogue between Reverend Schuller and Billy Graham that was broadcast on The Hour of Power, program #1426, May 32.

Schuller: ‘Tell me, what is the future of Christianity?’

Graham: ‘Well, Christianity and being a true believer, you know, I think there’s the body of Christ which comes from all the Christian groups around the world, or outside the Christian groups. I think that everybody that loves Christ or knows Christ, whether they’re conscious of it or not, they’re members of the body of Christ. And I don’t think that we’re going to see a great sweeping revival that will turn the whole world to Christ at any time. What God is doing today is calling people out of the world for His name. Whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the body of Christ because they’ve been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts they need something that they don’t have and they turn to the only light they have and I think they’re saved and they’re going to be with us in heaven.’

Schuller: ‘What I hear you saying is that it’s possible for Jesus Christ to come into a human heart and soul and life even if they’ve been born in darkness and have never had exposure to the Bible. Is that a correct interpretation of what you’re saying?’

Graham: ‘Yes it is because I believe that. I’ve met people in various parts of the world in tribal situations that they have never seen a Bible or heard about a Bible, have never heard of Jesus but they’ve believed in their hearts that there is a God and they tried to live a life that was quite apart from the surrounding community in which they lived.’

Schuller: ‘This is fantastic. I’m so thrilled to hear you say that. There’s a wideness in God’s mercy.

Graham: ‘There is. There definitely is.’

The Reverend Schuller must have been mistaken when he said that there is ‘a wideness in God’s mercy.’ The Christian God is presumably the same as he has always been; it’s Billy Graham’s mercy that’s got a bit wider. Goodness! If this goes on he might start quoting the Metta Sutta.

Be Like A Banyan Tree

The Buddha said; Just as in some pleasant countryside where four main roads meet, the majestic banyan tree growing there is a haven of rest for all the birds around about; even so, the believing clansman is a haven of rest for many people – monks and nuns, lay men and lay women.
A great tree with firmly rooted trunk,
And branches bearing leaves and fruit
Becomes a delightful gathering place for birds.
Those in need shade go there for shade,
And those in need of fruit go there for fruit.
In the same way, those who are free from lust,
Hatred and from delusion, the cankerless ones
Who are a field of merit in the world
Associate with a person who is endowed with virtue,
Faith, modesty, who is well-mannered,
Friendly, gentle and nor rough.
They teach him Dhamma that dispels all suffering
And which, if he understands it,
He becomes perfectly calm and cankerless.
(A.III,42-3).