Buddhism in Nepal

Introduction

Nepal, the land of the Himalayas, is also home to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha and millions of Buddhist followers. With a significant number of Buddhist residents, Nepal is considered to be the common meeting point between the Indian and Tibetan streams of Buddhism which is justified by the small nation's geographical location. Nepal is bordered to the north by Tibet and India to the east, west and south. This close proximity has helped both streams of Buddhism to flourish all over the nation. The religion of Buddhism is deeply embedded in the culture and traditions of the Nepali people. Though the majority of Nepali people identify themselves as Hindus, one can observe considerate amount of Buddhist influence in the daily lives of Nepali people. This is justified by the presence of various cultural and religious heritages sharing places of worship for the people of both the faiths. That is why the distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism is not always clear in Nepal.

Buddhism In Nepal

The history of Buddhism in Nepal dates back to the days of Siddhartha Gautama, the prince of Shakya clan of Kapilvastu which is located in the present day Rupandehi district in Nepal. Following his Buddhahood, his birthplace has been revered as a holy pilgrimage for millions of followers of Buddhism all over the world. Many legends also suggest that various Boddhisattvas and previous Buddhas visited the land. One can see various monuments and landmarks around the capital city of Kathmandu which are dedicated to them. Nepal has served asa great meeting point for many Indian and Tibetan teachers of Buddhism. One of the legends suggest that Nagarjuna, the great Boddhisatva visited, lived and taught in Nepal after the deity cut out the gorge from the lake, thus creating the Kathmandu Valley. Similarly, Emperor Ashoka erected a pillar at Lumbini to signify the birthplace of the Buddha in the second century BCE. It is also believed that his daughter, princess Charumati established the village of Chabahil and also built the Charumati Stupa in Kathmandu. The country later became one of the major locations for Buddhist education and Buddhist Sankrit Literature. The following years also saw the rise of Buddhist arts like Buddha Statues, miniature stupas, Buddhist manuscripts, images, Thangkas, etc. in Nepal, for which the country is still widely known for all over the world.

In traditional Nepali Buddhism, there are believed to have nine special texts which are called Nine Dharma Jewels or Navagrantha. These texts are:

• Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
• Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra
• Ten Stages Sutra
• Samādhirāja Sūtra
• Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
• Lotus Sutra
• Tathāgataguhya Sūtra
• Lalitavistara Sūtra
• Golden Light Sutra

Buddhism in Nepal consists of basically three streams of Buddhism; Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana streams. The Tibetan Mahayana stream has most of its followers in the northern part of Nepal. The Newari Buddhism, on the other hand is a form of Vajrayana Buddhism. Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism or the Thunderbolt way and is believed to have been derived from Mahayana Buddhism. This stream is popular religious system in the Kathmandu valley. These days some Nepali followers have turned to Theravada practice based on the Pali canon.

Nepal is also home to many Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Thousands of pilgrims visit the country every year to visit these sites in order to pay their respects to the enlightened one. Many famous Buddhist temples have been erected throughout the Nepal since the ancient times. One of the biggest Buddhist pilgrimage site in Nepal is Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha as mentioned earlier. Likewise, the ancient stupas of Swayambhu and Bouddhanath are regarded as most sacred sites for the followers of Buddhism. All of the above three sites are also listed as the World Heritage sites by UNESCO. The stupa of Swayambhunath, however has been the most sacred site and is considered as an important power place for the local Buddhists. Believed to have been "self-created" or "self-existent" form of Buddha, the premises of the stupa is surrounded by various Buddhist monasteries and quite a handful of ancient Buddha statues. The myth surrounding the stupa tells the story of the primordial Buddha's enlightenment and the spread of Buddhism in Nepal.

Buddha Statues : What are they for?

Recently, I came across a man who collected statues of Buddha. Even though he was not a Buddhist, he claimed to have felt the sense of calm from the statues. Someone told him that his collection of Buddha statues may be blasphemous as he was not a Buddhist. He inquired if it was true or not. Well, the simple answer from my side was a big "NO".

These statues symbolize calmness and peace of mind. They come in various forms, Mudras and in various styles. These statues often have different places of origins and their styles differ according to the place of their origins. The most famous representation of Buddha statues is of Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha. Others represent various aspects of Buddha's teachings and the events of his life.

In early 2001, when Afghanistan was still controlled by the Taliban, who decided to destroyed two enormous Buddha statues in a mountainside. They considered these statues as an insult to their religious beliefs. The news disturbed the historical and artistic communities all over the world. From their point of view, the statues were an important pieces of ancient art. Even, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York offered the insurgent government $20 million to spare the statues. I did agree that it was not a good thing for the statues to be destroyed but I disagreed with the museum's effort to save them. Buddhism teaches impermanence. Non attachment is one of the main teaching of the Buddha. The effort to give money to the Talibans just to save some statues contradicted the enlightened one's teachings and sermons because, even if all the Buddha statues in the world were destroyed, or if they would cease to exist, the divine teachings or the Dharma teachings would never cease to continue. The philosophy of Buddhism would not die.

Buddhist do not take Buddha statues as the objects of worship. After all, they are just statues. There is am interesting Buddhist story which illustrates this point. Hundreds of years ago, a Zen monk stopped at a temple for shelter in the middle of a winter night with freezing temperature. The insides of the temple was not much warmer than the outside. The freezing temperature made the resident monks shiver as the fire was almost out with nothing more to burn. Then, the wandering monk bowed to the woodenBuddha statue and threw it into the fire. He then proclaimed, "Now it is finally good for something". After all, it was just a statue.

There is a huge difference between respect and worship. When anyone worships a statue or an image, it should be out of respect. Any attack or insult directed at this object results in anger of the followers. The blasphemer must pay for their sins. There are wars, people die, all because the objects are disrespected and not properly worshiped. Bowing or offering incense to the statues are the acts of respect and gratitude towards the Buddha's teachings but not for the statue itself. the Buddha attained enlightenment and experienced his own awakening  and later chose to share his knowledge with everyone. The statues represent his generosity and we should be grateful for that.