Soft Power – Page 6 – Indo-Buddhist Heritage Forum

Atisha Dipankara Srijnana: The Reformer of Buddhism in Tibet

Submitted by Phuntsog Dolma (Ph. D) The Indian Nalanda Buddhist masters had given huge contribution in spreading the doctrine of the authentic Buddha-dharma to the Far East countries. The eminent spiritual Acharyas like Bodhidharma in China, Dhyänabhadra in Korea and Atisha Dipaìkara in Tibet, are well known saint philosophers who through their scholastic work have earned enormous recognition and became the figure of veneration down to the present in these countries. The accounts of Atisha Dipankara’s life are found in Tibetan texts—biographies, doctrinal works, catalogues and hymns written in praise. Like Shakyamuni Buddha, Atisha Dipankara was also born as a royal prince to the Gaur family of Vikramanipur city in Bangal in the year 980 AD which was then under the Pala Empire of Ancient India. He was the second among three of his siblings of King Kalyan Shri and Queen Prabhavati and was given the name Chandragarbha. It is said that, at the time of his birth many auspicious signs were appeared. Born to a royal family and being the brightest of all siblings, his parents wished him to be a great royal successor but Atisha from his early childhood displayed an unusually peaceful and compassionate nature and aspiration to spiritual practice. Subsequently, on his path to spirituality, Atish studied under many great masters like Jetari, Guru Avadhuti, Sri Rakshita etc. from whom he received his monk ordination and was given the name Dipankarasrijnana. Further, in order to enhance highest quality of knowledge and practice on Bodhichitta, Atisha travelled to Suvarnadvipa, presently known as Sumatra in Indonesia and studied under a sublime teacher named Dharmakirti who in Tibetan is known as Lama Serling pa. After studying for 12 long years in Suvarnadvuipa, when Atisha returned back to India he was appointed as the Abbot of Vikramashila monastery. Through his skills in debate and philosophy, Atisha rose to a figure of prominance not only in India but his fame reached upto the land of snow i.e Tibet where Lha Lama Yeshe Od and his nephew Jangchup Od took great hardships in inviting him to Tibet. In the 10th century, Lha Lama Yeshi Od (whose forefathers can be traced back to the lineage of King Lang-darma) was ruling over the upper part of Tibet mainly in Guge and Purang known as western Tibet. The state of Buddhism at that time in Tibet was in a destitute condition as the 42nd Tibetan king Lang-dharma suppressed Buddhism under the influence of Bon religious protagonists. Consequently, Buddhism in Tibet was nearly declined and the Buddha’s teachings were diluted with many misinterpretations. In such a critical time, Yeshe Od knowing the richness of Buddhism and how it was brought up by his ancestors, decided to invite Indian master Atisha Dipanka to Tibet who could guide his people to the authentic teachings of the Buddha. Tibetan sources record that Yeshe Od sent his invitation twice to master Atisha. In his first attempt, he sent one of his ministers with a large quantity of gold but to his dismay Atisha rejected his proposal due to his responsibilities at Vikramshila monastic Institution. When his minister intimated the king about his failure of inviting master Atisha the king thought that the gold he had sent as a present was not enough. Therefore, Yeshe Od in order to collect some more gold set off to Turkistan with small escort but he was captured by the Gar-log king on his way. The Gar-log king agreed to release Yeshi Od only on two conditions: either the king should become his subject or he should pay a ransom of solid gold that has as much size as the captured king. However, Yeshe Od advised his nephew Jangchup Od to utilize this gold to invite the great Atisha from India and preserved the religion of their ancestors, as he found reviving Buddhism in Tibet is more important than saving his life. Thus, with much struggle and sacrifice Jangchub Od was finally successful in inviting the great Indian Pandit Atisha Dipankara to Tibet. Upon his arrival in 1042, Atisha was given a warm welcome by Changchub Od and his people. During his stay in Tibet, Atisha emphasized on the revival of pure Mahayana doctrine by dispelling many misconceptions that continued earlier. Atisha and his disciples made corrections and revision of the Tibetan translations of the Buddhist texts, thus, clarified many confusing points. He also expounded several works on the principles and cult of the general and esoteric branches of Buddhism. Atisha Dipankara wrote several works among which Bodhipatha Pradipa (The Lamp that shows the Path to Enlightenment) known as Changchub Lam-gye Donme in Tibetan is the prominent one and many of his texts are found in the Tibetan Tengur (canonical texts) volumes. Thus, Atisha Dipankara stayed in Tibet for 17 years and his noble deeds are gratefully remembered by all his disciples. In fact, The Tibetan history credits Atisha Dipankara as the reformer of Buddhism and laying its foundation in pure form in Tibet. Today, he is well revered as Jobo-rje-dpal-ldan-Atisha among Tibetans and the Buddhists of Himalayan regions of India.

Indian soft power : Buddhism

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Since the time ‘soft power’ was conceptualized by Joseph Nye in the 1990s, the idea has gained more traction in foreign-policy discussions across the world. In recognition of the changing nature of international relations and a turn (at least in rhetoric) towards peaceful global interaction, Nye posited that conventional hard-power tactics predicated on military might would no longer be the sole factor in determining the degree to which a nation commanded power in the international system. India has a unique soft power that no other country in the world possess and i.e. it being the HOME OF WORLD BUDDHISM. Buddhism has contributed to its soft power in the following ways. “The teachings of ‘Buddh’ (Lord Buddha) rather than the message of ‘yuddh’ (war) is India’s contribution to the world”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 during his address on terrorism to United Nations General Assembly. Buddha and his teachings are precious because of their relevance to the world even 2,600 years later. His saying, “mind is the source of happiness and unhappiness” from thousands of years ago, is still considered the central mantra for inner transformation. Buddhism has been described by experts as India’s civilizational heritage which finds place in foreign policies across the globe. As it emphasizes peaceful co-existence that most of the countries desire, the world has embraced its principles. According to Pew Research Centre, the think tank based in Washington DC, there are about 488 million worldwide followers of Buddhism which originated in India. Thus India’s most strongest soft power in the world is indeed its rich heritage of Buddhism.

Soft Power

Maitreya Buddha Project in Kushinagar

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According to Buddhist scriptures, Maitreya will be the next Buddha and will embody and teach the path of loving-kindness. Maitreya Buddha Project is based on the premise that loving-kindness is the cause of peace and that “inner peace” within individuals is the direct cause of “outer peace” among families, communities and nations. The Maitreya Buddha statue will be the centre piece of a landscaped park which will contain halls for prayer and meditation and shrine rooms filled with spiritual art. Surrounding the Maitreya Buddha Project site, the State Government of Uttar Pradesh has set up the Kushinagar Special Development Area Authority to support the planned development of the area around the Project. Within the Kushinagar Special Development Area, Maitreya Buddha Project has already begun a mobile healthcare initiative. This will provide healthcare services, particularly for the underprivileged in Kushinagar and surrounding villages. Maitreya Buddha Project’s vision integrates spiritual, educational, healthcare and economic benefits with technological advancement and environmental responsibility. The project is being designed and built to international standards of “best practice” and aspires to become a model of socially responsible and sustainable development. As the project and its spiritual and social work are planned to thrive and continue developing for at least 1000 years, the Maitreya Buddha Project holds the potential to bring incalculable and sustainable benefit. Who is Maitreya Buddha? Maitreya is a bodhisattva who will appear on Earth in the future and is regarded as a future Buddha of this world. He is also known as Ajita Boddhisattva. Maitreya has promised that “anyone keeping just one vow of moral discipline purely during the time of Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings will become my personal disciple when I appear, and all such disciples I shall liberate.” Ven. Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche

‘Buddha’s gift’ : The Buddha Rice

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The Buddha Rice or the ‘Buddha ka Mahaprasad’ (an offering to Lord Buddha) or the Kala Namak Rice has been rebranded as ‘Buddha Rice’, presenting it as an offering made to the Buddhist monks. The packaging of the rice carries a popular quote of Mahatma Buddha saying ‘The unique aroma of the rice will remind people about me’. In order to promote the production, processing, packaging, and branding of Kala Namak Rice, the UP Government has declared it as the One District One Product (ODOP) of Siddharth Nagar whereas the Central Government has announced it as the ODOP of Basti, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj and Sant Kabir Nagar as well. Historically Kala Namak Rice was grown at Bajaha Village in Siddharth Nagar district during the period of Mahatma Buddha. It is said that Lord Buddha broke his fast on the Hiranyavati bank with pudding made of the same rice and had distributed it as offering among devotees. Story behind the Buddha Rice The story goes back to the Buddha. He was on his way to Kapilavastu after attaining enlightenment. He crossed the Bajha jungle in the Terai region and came to a place called Mathla. Here, the villagers stopped him, asking for blessings. The Buddha took the rice he had taken in alms and gave it to them: a short grain with unusual black husk. “Sow it,” he said. “It will have a special aroma. And that will always remind people of me.” It is not easy tracing history’s footsteps. Nearly 3,000 years later, the Bajha jungle has disappeared. There is a Bajha village somewhere in southern Nepal near Kapilavastu district. Instead of Mathla, there is a Mudila village in the Siddharth Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh—considered to be the heart of ancient Kapilavastu. But the rice continues to be sown in a handful of villages, in the Terai region. Colloquially the “kalanamak” for its black-salty husk, it is the hidden “black pearl” of Uttar Pradesh. Nutrients Professor U.S. Singh of the Gobind Ballav Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT),Uttaranchal, explains how the Buddha rice outclasses the Dehradun basmati, and not just in aroma. Compare the two on nutrition content: for every 100 g of the Buddha rice you get about 390 kcal of energy (for basmati it is 130). Every 100 g of Buddha rice provides over 9% protein (2.4 g for basmati), nearly 90% carbohydrates, about 2% of dietary fibre, rich supply of iron, zinc, copper and magnesium, zero sugar and fat. It is much more resistant to rice diseases, bacterial blight and droughts. Water requirement is quite low, as compared to basmati. With it all, the cost of cultivating this rice—including seed, fertiliser, manure, pesticides, power for land preparation, irrigation—is exactly half that of basmati, shows Singh. Comparison with Basmati Kalanamak rice is said to outshine even the most exclusive Basmati rice in all quality traits except grain length. Kalanamak rice is a non-basmati rice with short to medium grain length. Aroma of Kalanamak rice, which is said to be the gift of Gautam Buddha, is stronger than all Basmati varieties. Elongation after cooking, which is one of the most important quality trait in the international rice market, is 40% greater than Basmati rice. Cooked kalanamak is softer and fluffier that other rice varieties. Amylose content is close to 20% as compared to 24% and higher in Basmati. High amylose levels tend to make the rice cook firm and dry. Rice with a medium amylose content of between 16% and 22% usually cooks softer and the grains stick together more readily Due to so many benefits and quality the Buddha Rice is regarded as a “gift from Lord Buddha” to the Sravasti people when he visited the area after enlightenment.

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