Essence of Buddhism

I. There is no god (existence of supernatural power) in Buddhism.

II. Buddhism is based on Rationality:

Buddha says on rationality/reasoning:

Do not believe in traditions merely because they have been handed down for many generations and in many places; do not believe in anything because it is rumoured and spoken of by many; do not believe because the written statements of some old sage is produced; do not believe in what you have fancied, thinking that because it is extraordinary, it must have been implanted by a deva or a wonderful being. After observation and analysis, when it agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

-Kalama Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya

Accordingly Buddhism requires nothing to be accepted on trust without enquiry.

III. Panchacila:

1. Pranatipata vermani sikka padam samadiyami

Meaning no killing of living being.

2. Adinna dana vermani sikkapadam samadiyami

Meaning no stealing.

3. Kame su mithyachara vermani sikkapadam samadiyami

Meaning no adultery.

4. Musa vada vermani sikkapadam samadiyami

Meaning no lying

5. Suramerayamajja thana vermmani sikkapadam samadiyami

Meaning no consumption of toxicating drinks.

IV. The Four Noble Truths

1. Dukkha Suffering

2. Samudaya The arising of the suffering

3. Nirodha The cessation of suffering

4. Magga The path leading to the cessation of suffering

V. Noble Eightfold Path

Noble Eightfold Path consists of the following :

1. Samma –ditthi Right Understanding

2. Samma – sankalpa Right Thought

3. Samma – vaca Right speech

4. Samma- kammanta Right action

5. Samma – ajiva Right livelihood

6. Samma – vayama Right Efforts

7. Samma – sati Right Mindfulness

8. Samma – samadhi Right Concentration

VI. Ten Paramitas

Parami is a pali word meaning perfection.

1. Dana Giving, generosity, liberality

2. Cila Virtuous conduct, morality, righteousness

3. Khanti Forebearance, patience

4. Virya Energy

5. Nekkhamma Renunciation, selflessness

6. Prajna Wisdom, insight, intution

7. Sacca Truthfulness, honesty

8. Pranidhana Aspiration or resolution/determination

9. Metta Loving-kindness, compassionate

10. Upekkha Equanimity, calm, serene, unruffled and peaceful

VII. Advice of Buddha:

Sabba papassa akaranam, kusalassa upasampada

Sacittapariyodapanam, etam Buddhana sasanam

Meaning,

To cease from doing all evils, to cultivate good

To purify one’s mind, this is the advice of Buddha.

VIII. Dr.B.R.Ambedkar on Buddhism:

I like Buddhism because it gives the following three principles, which no other religion does:

1. Prajna Understanding as against superstition and supernaturalism

2. Karuna Love

3. Samata Equality

That is what man wants for good and happy life on earth.

References

1. Revival of Buddhism in India and role of Dr.Babasaheb B.R.Ambedkar' by Bhagwan Das, Dalit Today Prakashan, Lucknow (India)

2. Buddhism in a nutshell' by Narada Thera, Buddhist Missionary Society, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

3. The Essence of Buddhism' by P. Lakshmi Narasu, Asian Education Services, New Delhi (India)

4. Buddha & His Dhamma' by Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, Dr.B.R.Ambedkar Writings & Speeches Vol.11, published by Govt. of Maharashtra, India

Bihar: 18th century univ set for conservation

Patna: After lying neglected for years, the ruins of Vikramshila university, an ancient seat of Buddhist learning located in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, are set to be conserved, like its older contemporary, Nalanda university, so that current and future generations would get to know about the rich tradition of scholarship in the state.

The Archaeological Survey of India's Patna circle has decided to launch a mega plan for conservation of the university ruins, located near Antichak village in the Kahalgaon sub-division of Bhagalpur district, about 150 km from Patna, officials said.

The excavated ruins of Vikramshila university, set up in the 8th century by the Pala dynasty king Dharmapala, are awaiting conservation. "The ASI is serious about conservation of the entire excavated structure of Vikramshila like of Nalanda university," ASI Patna's superintending archaeologist Sanjay K. Manjul told reporters.

He said conservation of the ruins would help to protect it for future generations.

"We have sent the conservation plan to the director general of ASI for approval. After receiving approval, we will launch the conservation plan," he said.

According to ASI officials here, conservation of 52 shells or reading room-like structures adjoining the main stupa and a major portion of the excavated structure will be taken up.

The ASI's conservation plan comes in the wake of the Bihar government's move to develop Vikramshila's ruins as a tourist destination like Nalanda, situated around 90 km from the state capital.

Vikramshila university, set up by the Pala dynasty (750-1174 A.D) king Dharmapala in the late 8th or early 9th century, was intended to complement the existing world-class universities at Nalanda and Takshila. It lasted four centuries before it was destroyed during an attack on local kingdoms by Bakhtiyar Khilji of the Delhi Sultanate.

As per the ASI, the remains at Antichak were excavated by B.P. Sinha of Patna University during 1960-69.

The antiquities found at Vikramashila comprise terracotta objects, including a large number of plaques representing Buddhist and Brahmanical deities, animal and bird figurines and some symbolic representations, as also a large number of stone images of gods and goddesses.

A few small bronzes of Buddhist deities like the Buddha, Maitreya, Vajrapani, Avalokitesvara and Manjusri have been found. The bulk of antiquities comprise stone, iron, copper, silver and bronze objects, including a few silver and copper coins.

Locals are not happy with the pace of ASI's work.

Members of the Vikramshila Nagarik Samiti said that after more than three and a half decades of excavation by the ASI, no work has been done at the site on the pattern of Nalanda. The Samiti has been demanding Vikramshila be included in the state's Buddhist tourist circuit for its development.

The ancient university at Nalanda was a seat of higher learning in the fifth century. The university was home to over 10,000 students, including from abroad, and nearly 2,000 teachers.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/bihar/bihar-18th-century-univ-set-for-conservation_739393.html

Ritigala, evergreen misty mountain once an austere Buddhist monastery

By Lawanya Wijesekera

Part of the Cultural Triangle, Ritigala is one of the less visited but most legendary ancient sites of Sri Lanka. Situated 188 km north-east of Colombo in the North Central province, it is right between the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa midway on the Habarana-Maradankadawala (A11) road. We chose to visit Ritigala as a day trip, from Kandy. Travelling to Matale and Dambulla we then took an off road from Kekirawa town towards Ganewalpola and then on to Ritigala. It was a two and a half hour drive from Kandy. There were a few other visitors when we reached the foot of the range. The Ritigala mountain range, spreads over a 3776-acre (1582 ha) land, a Strict Nature Reserve managed by the Department of Wildlife of Sri Lanka together with the Forest Department. One of our group began to tell us the epic story associated with the mountain. Rich in chronicles woven together with history, legend and mythology, the source of the name Ritigala is arbitrary – “Gala” means rock in Sinhala, but “Riti” may have come from the abundance of a variety of tall evergreen tree that can be seen in the forest: Riti (Antiaris toxicaria) with a trunk as straight as a pole. “Riti” is the Sinhala word for pole. On the other hand “Riti” may have originated from the Pali word “arittha”, meaning ‘safety’. The last and smallest "roundabout" with well preserved curved curbstones Its proud history goes back to the time of the Ramayana. This legendary mountain is believed to have been the launching pad of Lord Hanuman’s (the monkey lord) gigantic leap from Sri Lanka to India, to tell his master King Rama, where his wife, Queen Sita was being held by King Ravana of Lanka. Folklore claims that the evergreen nature of the Ritigala forest range is due to some medicinal plants dropping off from the chunk of Himalayan forest that Hanuman was carrying back to Rama's brother, Prince Lakshmana who had been wounded in combat between Rama and Ravana . At the office of the Department of Archaeology by the entrance to Ritigala, a guide accompanies you giving historical details of the site. According to our guide, Ritigala had been used as a place of refuge, from as far back as the 3rd century BC by Prince Pandukhabaya(377-307 BC), King Dutugemunu (161-137 BC) and King Jetthatissa in the seventh century. Ritigala had also been used as an ancient Buddhist monastery by hermit (Pamsukulika) monks who practised extreme austerity. This fact is evidenced by the rock inscriptions discovered in some of the 70 odd natural caves at the site, dating back to the 1st century BC. The guide informed us that what we see today are the remnants of the monastery that King Sena I, built in the 9th century AD for these Buddhist monks. The Archaeological Department has painstakingly restored many of the ruins. The site reminded me of the open theatre complex at the University of Peradeniya. There before us were the remnants of a huge construction that looked like a polygonal audience of a huge arena. What resembled the seats was made of huge rectangular stones. Only a part of the construction was restored. The other part consists of scattered stone slabs. I imagined people sitting on this huge arena but the guide informed us that this is the bund of a large man-made reservoir, with a circumference of 1,200 and not as I imagined an open theatre! The inside is lined with stone steps to protect it and also to provide access for bathers. The top of the bund is also paved with large stones, he said. The path we strode leading to the ruins ran along the southern bank of the reservoir. And in one of the corners of this polygonal tank we could see a stream pour forth. Today this reservoir is abandoned and wild greenery has filled the base which is without water. From the site of the tank and stream we started climbing up the mountain on a stone path of about 1.5 metres wide, carefully laid with interlocking four-sided slabs of even stones. The path was edged with proportionate curbstones, and we noticed the inner sides hewed in to accommodate space for the horizontal slabs. I marvelled at the exquisite craftsmanship of the workers who had created this in the 9th century AD. The thick canopy of tall trees reduced the blazing heat of the noonday sun. It is said that this path set through the tranquil surrounding of the jungle was used by monks as a long meditational pathway. Meandering along this paved path which runs for about 1000 feet we came across three major stops along the way. These must have been some circular construction, of which, only the basement remains today. The first of these “roundabouts”, roughly halfway along the path, is the largest, while the second and third were progressively smaller. They might have been summer huts or resting points along the way. The craftsmanship of the curved stone curbstone was impressive. The pathway led us to some remnants of the building complex where the monks lived. There were three such extraordinary stone sites, all aligned in the same direction. Each was built in accordance with the unique architecture known as “double-platforms”, the courtyard sunk below the ground level of the surrounding area, characteristic of other forest monasteries as well. To the right side of the first “double-platforms” structure lie the ruins of the monastery’s hospital wing. We can still see parts of grinding stones which were used to prepare the medicinal herbs, leaves and roots. There were huge stone cut Ayurvedic oil baths where a person would be immersed in medicinal oils. There was even a decorated urinal stone in this hospital wing. Absent were Buddha statues, stupas/ pagodas, image houses, temples or Bo trees. Our guide put this down to the intense asceticism and detachment of the Ritigala Monastery monks. By the 10th-12th century AD, following the Chola invasions, the Ritigala monastery was abandoned by the hermit monks. The jungle and bandits took over. Chola invaders destroyed the buildings and it was rediscovered by British surveyors after seven centuries of dereliction, in the 19th century when it was explored and mapped by the first Archaeological Commissioner in Ceylon H. C. P. Bell in 1893. Biodiversity hot spot Ritigala is also a biodiversity hot spot in the dry zone. The steep mountain clad in evergreen foliage is covered with dense jungle and is the watershed of the Malwatu Oya which feeds the Nachauwa tank and Kalueba Ela which in turn feeds Huruluwewa. Beyond where the human trail ends, it is said that the jungle is home to wild elephants, leopards, sloth bears and diverse bird life. Ritigala is also a paradise for bird lovers, being home to several endangered bird species, including the Black eagle, Grey hornbill, Sri Lanka spur fowl, Malabar pied hornbill and spot-winged thrush. http://www.sundaytimes.lk/111113/Plus/plus_07.html

Need to save AP Buddhist Heritage Sites

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh has the largest number of Buddhist heritage sites in the country and yet out of the four sites listed in UNESCO's World Heritage List, none are from the state. Identifying the need for fresh documentation of heritage sites in the states and preservation of culturally important sites, the Centre for Buddhist studies of University of Hyderabad organised a twoday workshop on Cultural Landscaping of Buddhist Heritage Sites in AP on Tuesday. Anil C Punetha, principal secretary, revenue department, inaugurated the IndoGerman workshop. Dr CB Varma, head, Centre for Buddhist Studies urged experts from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany and department of Archeology and Museums to underline the urgency for fresh documentation of at least 10 heritage sites using modern technologies like 3D photography, photogrammetary, radar and GIS photography.Prof Chenna Reddy and Prof Subramanyam of the Archaeology and Museums department said 155 Buddhist sites have not been explored due to financial constraints and threw light on 17 sites which are potential world heritage sites.

Deciding Between Heritage and Hard Cash in Afghanistan

Dig that Afghan culture A police officer stands guard at the Mes Aynak excavation

Many in Afghanistan hold that the country's future lies underground, in vast mineral deposits with the potential to boost the country's economy for decades. Nowhere is that more true than Mes Aynak. The ancient mine, 30 km south of Kabul in Logar province, is believed to be the world's second largest untapped copper source. According to Afghanistan's Mining Ministry, the site is worth tens of billions of dollars at today's prices. Extracting the metal could deliver thousands of jobs and $1.2 billion in revenue a year to a country in desperate need as international assistance dries up ahead of the planned U.S. and NATO withdrawal in 2014.

Copper, however, is not the only treasure at Mes Aynak. Archaeologists are also excavating an ancient Buddhist temple complex located on top of the deposits. It has so far yielded manuscripts, Buddha statues and stunning ancient architecture. The discovery rivals Machu Picchu in terms of historic import, says Philippe Marquis, a French archaeologist overseeing the project, and could also rewrite the history of Buddhism and the Silk Road. (See "Why Afghanistan Is Far from Hopeless.")

In a reversal of the theory that religious centers grew up alongside but separate from commercial activity, Marquis and his team suspect that in Mes Aynak, religious leaders may have actually directed copper mining and refining and used the monastery network to trade the metal as far away as Japan and Korea. "People always talk about the Silk Road," says Marquis. "What if it was the Copper Road or the Buddhist Road that established trade across the region?"

The clock, however, is ticking. The Chinese-government-backed China Metallurgical Group Corp., which successfully bid on the mine in 2007, wanted to start mining in '09. The work will destroy the temple complex, so the group agreed to a three-year pause for a basic excavation. The short window is emblematic of the difficult compromises that must be made as Afghanistan struggles to balance financial and cultural concerns. "I don't think anyone can argue with the fact that the Buddha statues would last far longer than copper in terms of generational value," says Laura Tedesco, an archaeologist and manager of the U.S. embassy's cultural-heritage programs. "But the needs of the country right now are in the revenue from the mine." (Read "Afghanistan's Buddhas Can Be Rebuilt. But Should They?")

Mes Aynak's more recent history is less glorious than its ancient past. The hidden valley, located at the end of a dusty road that zigzags past rocky hills streaked with chalky green stains of oxidizing copper, was once an al-Qaeda training ground. No one has found graffiti from Osama bin Laden yet, but most archaeologists familiar with the site agree that the terrorist group, among others, looted statues to sell on the international antiquities black market. According to a recent article in the Journal of Art Crime, Mohammad Atta, the lead hijacker in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, attempted to sell looted artifacts from Afghanistan to a German archaeologist in order to fund his Florida flight training.

The irony is that although the Chinese mine will eventually destroy the archaeological site, it has contributed to the protection of its artifacts. "We have enough examples of other Buddhist sites in Afghanistan destroyed because of looting, ignorance and lack of care," says Marquis. But because of the international attention brought to Mes Aynak in the wake of the Chinese bid, archaeologists now have some $50 million from the World Bank, USAID and other foreign donors to invest in excavation and the construction of a nearby interpretive museum. Security for the mine also helps protect the archaeologists, and the site, from nearby insurgents. Besides, Marquis adds, the ancient mud construction materials and unbaked-clay statues would not last long exposed to the Afghan elements. "The fact is that preservation in situ would be impossible." (Read "Why the U.S. Will Never Save Afghanistan.")

If Marquis's theories are correct, copper once made Afghanistan the hub of central Asian trade. And if he and his team of archaeologists dig fast enough, Mes Aynak could yet restore some of Afghanistan's regional luster, not just in copper, but in culture as well.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2099676,00.html#ixzz1eqa1SDWg