Continued----------------
In the Mahayana Pantheon Tara is the spouse of Avalokitesvara. Tara captured the imagination of Indian Tantrics. She was worshipped both in fierce and mild form for centuries she ruledsupreme in Tantric circles in kamrup. Bang and Mithila regions. Tara's invocatory Mantra-Dharani or shell, 'Om Tare Tuttare,Svaha ' became the most favourite cult-coinage of Tantric sadhakas. Even today the tantric invocation of Tara is one of the most effective methods of wish fulfilment in Tantric puja and japa. That the invocation of Tara does bring the desired result,even if it is not strictly moral, can be read in Parti Parikatha by Phanisvara Nath Renu. The accuracy of forged signatures could not be disputed even by top handwriting experts as the power of Mother Tara lent the signatures a perfect identity with the real hand. As Sambhota, the great, was well versed in the practices of ' Bon ' pre- Buddhist Tibetcult, he brought the pantheon of female deities to India and the most gifted ,elusive and bountiful of them all' Tara' took a liking to India and became the presiding deity of Tantric rituals. The story goes that the Tibetan monarch Srongbtsan-sgam -po( 569-650A.D.) had exotic tastes and he took two women to be his royal consort-one from Nepal and the other from China. It was at their instance, for they had Buddhist learnings , that Sambhota was sent to Nalanda. He brought several Mahayana texts to Tibet and a specially developed script for his people. This is why Tibetan script is phonetic like Sanskrit although Tibetan speech is Mongoloid and tonal. Pictorial symbols for sounds never got established there. In china of the early Christian Era books were prepared in scroll form where as in India it was the palm-leaves model that prevailed . Tibet took to Indian model. It was however after many centuries that Buddhismgot firmly established as Tibet. It was the visit of Dipankara Srijnava-known in Tibet as Asita ' The great master ' that Tibet finally took to Buddhism. ' Bon ' was not altogether uprooted, no cult having religious association ever does. It left its traces on Mahayana and that is why Tibetan cult of Tantra took to certain modifications in names as well as practices. It would not be out of place to dwell a little more on the life and achievements of Dipankara, President of Vikaram Sila University around 1042A.D.The Tibetan ruler of the time ye-ses-od, having heard of the great Dipankara Srijnava , sent two scholars of repute to request his visit to Tibet. Dipankara was in his early sixties at the time. He did not feel inclined to move to a difficult terrain but having been urgently pressed by the emissaries he ultimately yielded. He reached Tibet in 1042,learnt Tibetan and translated Sanskrit texts in Tibetan. His conduct and learning made a deep and lasting impress on the Tibetan royalty and priesthood Tibet went into raptures over him. He was recognised as the incarnation of Boddhisattava Manjusri. Tibet called him in hushed reverence' The noble lord ' ( jo- Bo -rje ). The number of Tantric texts in Tibet is and has been a matter of long controversy. The two, collections named -Bkoh-Gyur and bastan-bgyur contain over four thousand five hundred texts. Three fourths of these texts are of Indian origin -mostly translations from Sanskrit works written by pandits of Nalanda , Vikramsila and Odantipura. And what is note worthy is the fact that translators, both Indian and Tibetan, were old alumni of these Universities in the true spirit of seekers of knowledge and their devotion to their teachers was unmatched. It would be revealing to mention one such incident narrated by the noted writer, explorer and interpreter Mahapandit Rahul sankratyana-an unforgettable name in the field of creative thought. Nalanda University flourished till 1205 A.D. when it was suddenly and totally destroyed by the invading Muslim Army. A great number of Pandits and Mahapandits was put to sword. Many fled away aand took to hiding. Rahul Sri Bhadra , Professor of Nalanda,who was about eighty years old continued to live at Nalanda even when the University had already been battered and lay in ruin. He was supported by a Brahmin nobleman, Jayadeva,of odantipura Things got hot for Jaideva too Rahul Sri Bhadra did not feel inclined to leave the place at that late stage in his life although he knew for certain that he was to be tortured and beheaded. His young Tibetan disciple known by his Indian name Dharma Swami persuaded him to leave the place and it was Dharma Swami persuaded him to leave the place and it was Dharma Swami who carried his old teacher on his back along with a supply of rice, sugar and some books to be ruined temple not far from Nalanda. Mahapandit Rahul brought yalk loads of Buddhist manusripts from Tibet during his trekking of the central Pamir Region and his story was recovered from a monastery in central Tibet. The basic tantric texts that from the core of Tibetan tantric studies are Hevajra Tantra, Abhidhanottra, Kalachakr a and Panchkarma. It is more than clear that Tibetan Tantric tradition is heavily dependent on Indian sources and the essentials that from the central theme of thought development are the same. The first Panchen Lama1570-1662 A. D. compiled the root texts of combined Indian and Tibetan tradition and described it is the main path all the Buddhas have travelled. This main path is Mahayana Buddhismformented by ' Bon rituals'.Now Swastika, the most symbolic of all tantric symbols, was already there in ' Bon' although it had the name of Gyung-Drung and was left handed whereas in Buddhist tradition it is right -handed. The legend of the flying mountains whose wings were clipped by the king of gods-Indra-as known in India was also there in ' Bon'. The only difference being the replacement of Indra by wizard sorcerer. Sacrifices were there and so were elaborate rituals with drawings and odd vestments. Many beliefs bordered on the weird. There was demonolalatory and fetishism . With the import of Nalanda thought -' Bon ' under went a purging process.
( Continued in next issue )
In the Mahayana Pantheon Tara is the spouse of Avalokitesvara. Tara captured the imagination of Indian Tantrics. She was worshipped both in fierce and mild form for centuries she ruledsupreme in Tantric circles in kamrup. Bang and Mithila regions. Tara's invocatory Mantra-Dharani or shell, 'Om Tare Tuttare,Svaha ' became the most favourite cult-coinage of Tantric sadhakas. Even today the tantric invocation of Tara is one of the most effective methods of wish fulfilment in Tantric puja and japa. That the invocation of Tara does bring the desired result,even if it is not strictly moral, can be read in Parti Parikatha by Phanisvara Nath Renu. The accuracy of forged signatures could not be disputed even by top handwriting experts as the power of Mother Tara lent the signatures a perfect identity with the real hand. As Sambhota, the great, was well versed in the practices of ' Bon ' pre- Buddhist Tibetcult, he brought the pantheon of female deities to India and the most gifted ,elusive and bountiful of them all' Tara' took a liking to India and became the presiding deity of Tantric rituals. The story goes that the Tibetan monarch Srongbtsan-sgam -po( 569-650A.D.) had exotic tastes and he took two women to be his royal consort-one from Nepal and the other from China. It was at their instance, for they had Buddhist learnings , that Sambhota was sent to Nalanda. He brought several Mahayana texts to Tibet and a specially developed script for his people. This is why Tibetan script is phonetic like Sanskrit although Tibetan speech is Mongoloid and tonal. Pictorial symbols for sounds never got established there. In china of the early Christian Era books were prepared in scroll form where as in India it was the palm-leaves model that prevailed . Tibet took to Indian model. It was however after many centuries that Buddhismgot firmly established as Tibet. It was the visit of Dipankara Srijnava-known in Tibet as Asita ' The great master ' that Tibet finally took to Buddhism. ' Bon ' was not altogether uprooted, no cult having religious association ever does. It left its traces on Mahayana and that is why Tibetan cult of Tantra took to certain modifications in names as well as practices. It would not be out of place to dwell a little more on the life and achievements of Dipankara, President of Vikaram Sila University around 1042A.D.The Tibetan ruler of the time ye-ses-od, having heard of the great Dipankara Srijnava , sent two scholars of repute to request his visit to Tibet. Dipankara was in his early sixties at the time. He did not feel inclined to move to a difficult terrain but having been urgently pressed by the emissaries he ultimately yielded. He reached Tibet in 1042,learnt Tibetan and translated Sanskrit texts in Tibetan. His conduct and learning made a deep and lasting impress on the Tibetan royalty and priesthood Tibet went into raptures over him. He was recognised as the incarnation of Boddhisattava Manjusri. Tibet called him in hushed reverence' The noble lord ' ( jo- Bo -rje ). The number of Tantric texts in Tibet is and has been a matter of long controversy. The two, collections named -Bkoh-Gyur and bastan-bgyur contain over four thousand five hundred texts. Three fourths of these texts are of Indian origin -mostly translations from Sanskrit works written by pandits of Nalanda , Vikramsila and Odantipura. And what is note worthy is the fact that translators, both Indian and Tibetan, were old alumni of these Universities in the true spirit of seekers of knowledge and their devotion to their teachers was unmatched. It would be revealing to mention one such incident narrated by the noted writer, explorer and interpreter Mahapandit Rahul sankratyana-an unforgettable name in the field of creative thought. Nalanda University flourished till 1205 A.D. when it was suddenly and totally destroyed by the invading Muslim Army. A great number of Pandits and Mahapandits was put to sword. Many fled away aand took to hiding. Rahul Sri Bhadra , Professor of Nalanda,who was about eighty years old continued to live at Nalanda even when the University had already been battered and lay in ruin. He was supported by a Brahmin nobleman, Jayadeva,of odantipura Things got hot for Jaideva too Rahul Sri Bhadra did not feel inclined to leave the place at that late stage in his life although he knew for certain that he was to be tortured and beheaded. His young Tibetan disciple known by his Indian name Dharma Swami persuaded him to leave the place and it was Dharma Swami persuaded him to leave the place and it was Dharma Swami who carried his old teacher on his back along with a supply of rice, sugar and some books to be ruined temple not far from Nalanda. Mahapandit Rahul brought yalk loads of Buddhist manusripts from Tibet during his trekking of the central Pamir Region and his story was recovered from a monastery in central Tibet. The basic tantric texts that from the core of Tibetan tantric studies are Hevajra Tantra, Abhidhanottra, Kalachakr a and Panchkarma. It is more than clear that Tibetan Tantric tradition is heavily dependent on Indian sources and the essentials that from the central theme of thought development are the same. The first Panchen Lama1570-1662 A. D. compiled the root texts of combined Indian and Tibetan tradition and described it is the main path all the Buddhas have travelled. This main path is Mahayana Buddhismformented by ' Bon rituals'.Now Swastika, the most symbolic of all tantric symbols, was already there in ' Bon' although it had the name of Gyung-Drung and was left handed whereas in Buddhist tradition it is right -handed. The legend of the flying mountains whose wings were clipped by the king of gods-Indra-as known in India was also there in ' Bon'. The only difference being the replacement of Indra by wizard sorcerer. Sacrifices were there and so were elaborate rituals with drawings and odd vestments. Many beliefs bordered on the weird. There was demonolalatory and fetishism . With the import of Nalanda thought -' Bon ' under went a purging process.
( Continued in next issue )
No comments:
Post a Comment