About ‘A History of Buddhism in India’ – A Book Review of Sorts

The writing of this short posting was inspired by Lama Sonam Tashi's pictures that he posted on Facebook recently, about his pilgrimage to the many different Buddhist sites scattered around his home state of Odisha (in the west still better known as Orissa). 

These wonderful images (some of which I shared because of my enthusiasm for Buddhist India) brought to mind the fact that quite a few of us Vajrayana practitioners know probably very little about the Indian origins of our teachings and lineages, or the entire context of ancient India, even though we may be much better informed about their later Tibetan emanations and histories. 

Sad to add that most people in India themselves know next to nothing about the twelve-hundred tears of rich Buddhist heritage literally spread all over the country, which of course also means: way beyond its present-day borders.  If we take Dudjom Rinpoche’s calculation for Shakyamuni’s parinirvana in 876 BCE as the base (rather than the more widely accepted calculation by westerns historians), it would even amount to close to nineteen-hundred years of Buddha dharma in India!  In which context we furthermore would think of and speak of India in the borders of those times, which were never fixed and unchanging, when Indian Buddhist influence ranged from the independent kingdoms along the silk-road in Central Asia in the North all the way to Sri Lanka in the South, and from parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan in the West to present-day Bangladesh and Myanmar. 

From this rich Indian Buddhist heritage in the heartland of the dharma the teachings and practices spread all over Asia and even parts of the Eastern Mediterranean.  In the Near East and Europe at the time (like during the Roman Empire and before) the dharma existed mainly as a Diaspora that left only a fleeting impact.  Whereas in Asia the Buddhist dharma emanating from India became a main, and in some places the main, cultural force—in South East Asia, in China, in Korea, in Japan, in Mongolia, even in some areas of the far reaches of Siberia which are now part of Russia.

So we should know a little more about the cradle and origins of the teachings that had such worldwide impact in what to us may appear as the distant past.  But even then the world was already pretty much connected (at least Eurasia was), albeit not as fast as today.  To the reader who is limited to the modern western languages, like myself, there is only one obstacle to learning more: the lack of non-scholarly books on the subject.  However, in this case the lack, fortunately, is not complete. 

Which brings me to the actual focus of the posting: the book Light of Liberation—A History of Buddhism in India, published as Crystal Mirror VII by Tarthang Tulku’s Dharma Publishing.  To my knowledge, it is the only book that gives an easily readable, extensive and detailed account of the dharma and its spreading and development in its country of origin.  Its presentations are partly based on textual sources, and partly developed from modern archeological research. 

The book starts out with describing the cosmological setting, touches upon the political division of Northern India, at the  time of Shakyamuni’s birth and gives a beautiful account of the Buddha’s life.  The latter is not drawn from one text but from all different scriptural sources, thus making the narrative especially vivid, interwoven with many pertinent quotes.  I learned so much from it, and was quite moved, for example by Subhadra’s story, who was Shakyamuni’s last disciple, becoming an Arhat in the very moment of his ordination.  “Then, not wishing to see the Buddha’s departure from life, he asked the Buddha for permission to enter nirvana; upon receiving the Buddha’s permission, Subhadra passed away.” I cannot explain why this little anecdote moved me so much, but it did.  This life story of the Buddha is truly rich in little known details.

Another aspect that I find particularly wonderful about this volume, are the many maps.  They reveal in one glance how much the dharma was spread all over the country, the centers of learning and sangha activity changing with the centuries.

Let’s for example look at the logician Dignaga’s life.  Most everbody will know about his affiliation with the University and monastery of Nalanda.  But Dignaga was actually born in Kanci, which I believe is located in the northern parts of today’s Tamil Nadu where he first studies the entire Tripitaka with the Vatsiputriya master Nagadatta.  Only thereafter did he proceed to Nalanda to study with Vasubandha.  His studies complete, he entered a longer retreat at a place called Bhoteshala in Odisha (Orissa).  After retreat he returnsed to Nalanada to teach, and composes treatises on Abhidharma, Buddhist logic and Vijnanavada topics, followed again by longer retreats in Odisha where he also composed his famous Pramana-Samucchaya.  After the completion of which he converted the minister of the then King of Odisha, who in turn built sixteen large monasteries in the country (inland and along the Kalinga coast).  When this was done Dignaga proceeded further south and revived Buddhist centers, which had fallen into disrepair, like in Vangi, Amaravati and probably Kanci.  In the last stages of his life he returned to and passed away in Odisha. 

It really helps to see all of this activity illustrated in a map, because it gives a better idea of its scope and geographical range.  Dignaga traveled from South to North and North to South throughout his life, from today’s Sri Lanka to today’s Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with Odisha (Orissa) as one of its main focus.  The book is full of such maps that bring Buddhist life in India to full recognition.

May be from another vantage, none of this is important.  When these facts become only book knowledge they indeed tend to turn into dead weight.  But, imagine going to some of these places and reviving them by doing some ceremony, or just meditating, like Lama Sonam Tashi and some of his friends did in Odisha, recently!  Then the past is no longer the past.  It reveals itself as very much present.  The places and stories become alive again and unfold their powers of goodness.

In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra (according to my root teacher Acharya Dawa Chhodak Rinpoche), it says that the Buddha’s teaching will radiate outward from India reaching the entire world.  But finally, when they have been completely extinguished elsewhere they will still flicker on a little longer in India.  Only when they finally cease to exist in India, will Shakyamuni’s teachings come to an end, before Maitreya’s teachings can appear.

For my Indian dharma friends, as for everyone else of course, I can only recommend to reconnect with India’s glorious dharma past, to presently enact it.  Reading Light of Liberation—A History of Buddhism in India, may be of assistance to make it happen.