sarnath – Nithinks.com

SUTRA OF THE LION’S ROAR

What is the significance of the four lions depicted in the National Emblem of India? What teachings of Gautam Buddha do these represent? Why did Emperor Ashoka get the statue of these four lions built on the top of the Ashoka pillar? Today, even after almost 2600 years, the embodiment of Buddha’s teachings is a unique example of the richness of the Indian culture.

Recently a controversy has arisen over the “Lion Capital”, the national emblem of India.

The reason for this controversy was the replica of the LionCapital to be installed on top of the newly constructed building of the Parliament of India.

Highlights of the Lion Capital statue to be installed on the roof of the new Parliament building

@ The Lion Capital statue to be installed on the roof of the newly built Parliament House is a replica of the original statue located in the museum of Sarnath, Varanasi.

@ The replica to be installed on the roof of the Parliament House is made of bronze and weighs 16,000 kg. The total height of this replica is 6.5 meters.

@ The replica was made by 100 artisans over a period 9 months. This statue is completely hand made, no machine has been used in its construction.

The controversy behind this statue-:

Major opposition parties mainly Congress and Communist Party are attacking the ruling party over this statue. These political parties say that in the construction of this statue, the four lions have been shown as aggressive, whereas in the Lion Capital statue at Sarnath, the four lions have been shown calm and majestic.

Some people say that these lions seem to be violent and man-eaters.

This dispute increased so much that some people went to the court, well the court rejected this petition, but many people are still angry about this incident.

At first glance, it seems that because of being associated with Buddhism, these four lions must have been depicted with a calm nature in the Original statue.

Are the four lions actually depicted as calm & majestic in the original statue located in the Sarnath Museum?

Close up of Lion Capital in Sarnath Museum. (Wikimedia commons )

In fact, even in the original Lion Capital, the four lions are depicted in an aggressive posture.

All four lion’s mouths are open, sharp teeth, their tongue flapping, protruding veins, heavy mane, their claws sticking out (It is worth noting that lion’s claws are retractable and they come out of their paws only when hunting.) It becomes clear at the very first sight itself that all the four lions are depicted in an aggressive posture.

Now an important question arises here.

There is a lot of emphasis on non-violence in Buddhism, then why are the lions depicted in an aggressive posture in the Lion Capital ?

Along with this it becomes necessary to find answers to some more questions.

@ What does the Lion Capital built by Emperor Ashoka on the top of the pillar symbolize?

@ What teachings of Buddha did Emperor Ashoka consider as the basis for the construction of the Ashoka Pillar?

To answer these questions, we must turn to Buddhist literature and Lion Capital. Fortunately, all of these sources are available in abundance.

IN THE WORDS OF THE BUDDHA HIMSELF

THE SUTRA OF THE LION’S ROAR

A teaching of the Buddha was named the Sutra of the Lion’s Roar by his disciple Ananda. Buddha had emphasized the need of Buddhist organization(known as SANGHA, a BUDDHIST COMMUNITY) under this and highlighted the importance of organization.

SANGHA : Monastic community of bhikkhu (monks )and bhikkuni (nuns) Buddha described Sangha as the community that supports one along the path.

Buddha explained this importance of Sangha by giving the example of rice that joint effort is better than single effort, just as a rice grain has the natural tendency to turn into a rice plant, but for this to happen some other Factors are also required such as: sunlight, soil, water, air etc.

Similarly, a person can also try to attain enlightenment all by himself, but with the help of other people, his/her path becomes easier, so association is necessary for attaining knowledge. According to Buddha, by concerted effort under the Sangha, the wall of ignorance crumbles in the same way as darkness with the advent of light.

After explaining the importance of the Sangha, Buddha described the Sangha as powerful as a lion roaming in the jungle.
According to Buddha, The lion is the king of the jungle, when he comes out of his cave, the message of his arrival spreads in all four directions.
When the lion roars before the hunt, fear prevails in all the animals and all the creatures start hiding.
Birds start flying high on hearing the lion’s roar, crocodiles start searching the depth of water, foxes hide in burrows, even the majestic elephants which are decorated with precious jewels, equipped with golden canopies start running away from the roar.

Sangha is the proclamation of the path of enlightenment like the roar of a lion in the jungle. Buddha says that Sangha is like the roar of a lion. All false ideas and misconceptions lurking in some corner are replaced with the ideas and concerted effort of the Sangh.

The teachings of the Buddha, known as the Sutra of the Lion Roaring, make it clear that the lion that the Buddha portrayed the Sangha as, was a majestic and aggressive one.

Now another question arises as to why did Emperor Ashoka get Buddha’s sermons depicting Sangha like a lion installed on the top of the pillars in the form of idols at Sarnath and some other places?

Not only did Buddha give the first sermon in Varanasi Sarnath, but he also gave the concept of the Buddhist Sangha here and established the Sangha. Later, a huge Buddhist monastery was also established here.

The great Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang, during his visit to India, mentioned the residence of 1500 monks and nuns in this huge Buddhist monastery.

In 1905, during the excavation of Sarnath, the ruins of the Ashoka Pillar were found. A picture from that period shows the Lion Capital, and the section of the pillar bearing Emperor Ashoka’s edict. Presently the top of the pillar is located in the Sarnath Museum and the fragments of the pillar are located in a glass show case among the Sarnath Ruins.

Ashoka Pillar Fragments and the warning of Emperor Ashoka can be seen in Sarnath.

English translation of Emperor Ashoka’s warning It is mentioned by Mr. F.O Oertal. The credit for the archaeological excavations of Sarnath in 1905 and the discovery of the Ashoka pillar goes to Mr. F.O Oertal.

Thus saith the beloved of the Gods announced in the Order of Monks and in the Order of Nuns. The Church (Baudh- Math)is not to be divided But whosoever, monk or nun, shall break up the Church, shall be made to dwell white garments and dwell in a place which is not a residence for the clergy. Thus must this edict be announced in the Order of Monks and in the Order of Nuns…………………
Key points of Emperor Ashoka’s warning

Emperor Ashoka was very upset and worried about the rising trend of rebellion in the Sangha. In order to convey his point clearly to the Buddhist monks and nuns, the emperor got his warning inscribed on a pillar.

The top of the pillar reflects Gautam Buddha’s description of the Sangha as a lion and reflects the majestic qualities of the lion, certainly for this reason, Emperor Ashoka built the Lion Capital on the top of the pillar.

Observing the teachings of Buddha himself in the Buddhist literature and the warning of Emperor Ashoka, which is still inscribed on the Ashoka Pillar and the top of the pillar kept in the museum of Sarnath, there is no doubt that the Lion Capital’s lions are majestic. Depicted in an aggressive and virtuous posture.

If you want to find out the significance of the Ashoka pillar, the carved figure of other animals on the lion capital, the wheel with 32 spokes, the wheel with 24 spokes and the base like a lotus flower? You can check out this blog post that I wrote earlier—– https://nithinks.com/2022/11/23/ashokan-pillar-its-history-and-importance/

Source :- OLD PATH WHITE CLOUDS (THICH NHAT HANH)

BUDDHACARITA (ASHWAGHOSH)

THE ROMANTIC LEGEND OF SHAKYA BUDDHA (FO SO HING TSAN )

CHAUKHANDI STUPA(SQUARE EDIFICE) SARNATH VARANASI

CHAUKHANDI STUPA WAS BUILT TO MARK THE SITE WHERE BUDDHA MET HIS FIRST FIVE DISCIPLES WHILE TRAVELLING FROM GAYA TO SARNATH.

DHARMA IS NOT THE RESULT OF THINKING. IT IS THE FRUIT OF DIRECT EXPERIENCE.

It was at this place that Buddha met his first five disciples and informed them all about his enlightenment and inspired them to follow the path of truth.

Later these five disciples of Buddha~1. Assaji 2. Bhaddiya 3.Kondanna 4. Mahanama 5,Vappa were called Panchvargiya.

Chaukhandi Stupa can be divided into two parts.

1.Ancient stupa (Chaukhandi stupa)

2. Humayun Burj

CHAUKHANDI STUPA

The stupa is square in shape. Because of its four-armed plan structure, it is called Chaukhandi Stupa. It is made of solid bricks placed on three floors.

Like other major Buddhist buildings in Sarnath, this stupa was also built during the reign of Emperor Ashoka (250 BC). Later this stupa was given a grand form during the Gupta period (500CE).

During the excavation, a statue of Buddha and some other statues were found. The famous Chinese traveler XUANZANG also described this stupa. Xuanzang came to Sarnath in 637 AD.

The archaeological excavations conducted in 1835 and 1904-05 brought light to this 93 feet high, brick stupa laid in mud mortar having three diminishing square terraces each about 12feet High and 12ft broad, each terrace is supported by an outer and inner wall with a number of cross walls to strengthen the structure. The outer walls of the terraces are ornamented with a series of niches separated by pilasters.

There is a deep hole, about 5 feet in diameter on the topmost part of Chaukhandi Stupa (which is, also the floor of the Humayun Burj). The hole extends, vertically coming down to the ground. It looks like a tunnel when viewed from above.
This hole was dug by the archaeologist JOHN MARSHAL (1835 AD) during the excavation of Chaukhandi Stupa to see it from inside.

A clear impression of the buildings of the Gupta period can be seen at the base of the stupa.

Humayun Burj

The top part of the Chaukhandi Stupa, known as Humayun Burj was built during the Mughal period. Information regarding the construction of this octagonal building is written on the square stone plate on it’s Northern Doorway. This stone plate can be seen at top in this picture.

There is an octagonal structure(Humayun Burj) on top of the Chaukhandi Stupa, its height is about 23 feet. It was built during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar. There is an inscription written in Persian language regarding the construction of Humayun Burj. Which says–

To commemorate the stay of Humayun at the Chaukhandi Stupa, Govardhan, son of Raja Todar Mall, built this octagonal building in 1588 CE during the reign of Akbar.

One such another octagonal building is located near Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi which is known as Sabz Burj.

When Humayun had conquered the fort of Chunar, he had camped in Banaras for a few days, perhaps then only he might have come here.

In the documents of Mughal era, this place has been mentioned as Humayun Burj.

A painting for Mr. Colin Mackenzie in 1814 by a painter named Sheikh Abdullah.

In this painting Humayun Burj, the top of Chaukhandi Stupa can be seen at some distance from Dhamekh Stupa. DHAMEKH STUPA: The larger stupa in the image is the Dhamekh Stupa. Dhamekh Stupa was built on the sacred spot where Buddha delivered his first sermon.

During that time there was no information regarding the history of Chaukhandi Stupa. The structure built in the Gupta period was completely buried under layers of soil for centuries and only the octagonal building built in the Mughal period was visible at its top.

In 1835, to understand the history related to this building, and to get some important articles related to Buddhism, John Marshall dug a vertical hole in this building as I had already mentioned above.

Mr. F.O.Oertel gets the credit for introducing the world to the grand form of the Chaukhandi Stupa hidden in the mud under the octagonal Mughal building.
It is quite clear from the above painting that the actual Chaukhandi Stupa was completely hidden under the soil .

The memories related to Sarnath and Buddha’s teachings remained in the minds of the people of Banaras till the fourteenth century, but after that they were forgotten under Islamic rule. The pre-Islamic history of India was shrouded in ignorance and darkness for a long time.

At the end of the seventeenth century a sense of interest and curiosity about the pre-Islamic history of India aroused within some Britishers . Soon many British intellectuals, including people of all kinds, orientalists, linguists, archaeologists, historians, engineers, started doing serious work on the pre-Islamic period of the Indian subcontinent.

Soon, by the end of the eighteenth century, the ancient history of India appeared before the world in a gleaming form. The discovery of this glorious past later became the backbone of India’s nationalist movement.

Whisper of History

In 2019, Chaukhandi Stupa was accorded the status of a monument of national importance.

Presently it is a well preserved building. Chaukhandi Stupa is situated in a very beautiful garden. At a distance of about 800 meters from the main Sarnath complex , tourists also rarely come here. The serene atmosphere here is made on sight. If you are interested in ancient Indian history, then this place is no less than a jewel for you.

Even if you do not want to look at Chaukhandi Stupa from the subtle point of view of history, you can sit here comfortably for some time, which is no less than a boon in today’s run-of-the-mill life.
The Chaukhandi Stupa is flanked by rows of large trees where meditating is undoubtedly a supernatural experience.
While meditating in this calm environment under the sunlight filtered through the leaves of trees, it seems that the old times want to tell their history to by whispering it in your ears.

BODHI TREE (SARNATH)

WHEN I LOOKED AT THE KINGS OF TREES,” I KNEW THAT EVEN NOW I WAS LOOKING AT THE SELF – EXISTENT MASTER”. (ASHOKA )

Bodhi Tree Complex at Sarnath has been developed in Moolgandha Kuti Vihar courtyard. Inaugurating the Bodhi Tree Complex, Shri Dalai Lama said that the complex is dedicated to the service of humanity.

Why is the Bodhi tree considered the most sacred tree in Buddhism?

Bodhi Tree – Bodhi tree is the peepal tree located in the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya (Uruvela) in Gaya district of Bihar, under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment in 623 BC.

Buddha also developed many new methods of meditation during the attainment of enlightenment under this peepal tree.

What do the words Budh,Bodhi mean?

According to the Buddhacharita,

The word “Awaken” in Magadhi language is known & pronounced as “BUDDH”. Thus the person who awakes (i.e attains knowledge) is called Buddha. For this reason Prince Siddhartha was called Buddha after attaining enlightenment. The word BODHI shares the same root as the word buddha and also means awakening. Magadhi language is the main language spoken in the Middle East of India.

**I took this image from my mobile at a stationery shop in Sarnath**

Some symbols have great importance in Buddhism.

LION ,STUPA , BODHI TREE , ELEPHANT , CHAKRA ,etc. Are all symbols that are associated with the life of Buddha. in some or the other way

LION :- LION REPRESENT SHAKYASIMHA, LION OF SHAKYA CLAN.

STUPA :- AFTER THE ADOPTION OF BUDDHISM BY EMPEROR ASHOKA , 84000 STUPAS (Buddhist prayer places) WERE BUILT BY HIM .

BODHI TREE :- PEEPAL TREE UNDER WHICH BUDDHA ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT .

ELEPHANT :- RELATES TO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA ENTERING THE WOMB OF HER MOTHER MAYADEVI IN HER DREAM .

CHAKRA :- (WHEEL OF THE MORAL LAW). DHARMA IN THE FORM OF THE CHAKRA (WHEEL) .

LOTUS :- SACRED FLOWER DESCRIBED IN HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM.

THE GREAT PEEPAL TREE

WHEN I LOOKED AT THE KINGS OF TREES,” I KNEW THAT EVEN NOW I WAS LOOKING AT THE SELF – EXISTENT MASTER”. (ASHOKA )

**The Mahabodhi Tree at the Sri Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India**.

JOURNEY OF THE BODHI TREE THROUGH SRI LANKA

Anuradhapura අනුරාධපුරය, r அனுராதபுரம்

ANURADHAPURA :- Anuradhapura is one of the oldest cities of Sri Lanka. It has been the capital of Sri Lanka in ancient times.

Emperor Ashoka, after adopting Buddhism, sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka for the propagation of Buddhism. Sanghamitra took with her a branch of the Bodhi tree, and this branch of the sacred tree was planted in Anuradhapura. The new Bodhi tree which emerged from the branch of the original Bodhi tree is still present in Anuradhapura.

BODHI TREE IS PLANTED IN KASHI (VARANASI).

Why Bodhi Tree was Replanted in Sarnath ?

There is a wonderful story regarding the reason why the Bodhi tree was planted in Sarnath, and it’s as amazing as it’s unbound importance.

After the discovery of many relics of the Buddha period in Sarnath, the attention of the Mahabodhi Society established in Sri Lanka was drawn towards it. This organization was striving for the renewal of all the holy places associated with Buddha and Buddhism.

The construction work of the new grand Mulgandha-Kuti Vihar temple at Sarnath was completed in 1931 by the Mahabodhi Society. Meanwhile, Angarika Dharmapala, the founder of the Mahabodhi Society, replanted a branch of the Bodhi tree from Anuradhapura Sri Lanka(remember that this tree was itself a replantation of the original Bodhi tree!!!) in the courtyard of the Mulgandha Kuti Vihara temple. Presently it has grown into a huge tree which is technically the same tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.

BODHI TREE AND THE COMPLEX

IN 1999, THE BODHI TREE COMPLEX WAS WIDENED BY MAKING SPACE FOR MEDITATION AND DHAMMA SERMONS WITH TWENTY EIGHT IMAGES OF PREVIOUS BUDDHAS’ AROUND THE BODHI TREE BEGINNING FROM TARANANKARA BUDDHA TO GAUTAMA BUDDHA, ALL SAID TO HAVE BEING ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT UNDER THE SRI MAHA BODHI TREE AT BUDDHAGAYA AND PREACHED THEIR FIRST SERMONS AT ISIPATANA-DEER PARK, SARNATH.A GRANITE PLATE INSCRIBED WITH THE DHAMMA CHAKKA PAVATTANA SUTTA,THE FIRST SERMON OF THE SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA WAS ALSO ERECTED. THE ENTIRE BODHI COMPLEX CONSTRUCTED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE HUMANITY AND TO GENERATIONS TO COME IN NEXT MILLENNIUM WAS DECLARED OPEN ON 17TH DECEMBER,1999 BY THE XIV TH HIS HOLINESSTHE DALAI LAMA WITH A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD TO RESTORE AND PROMOTE PEACE AND HARMONY IN THE NEXT MILLENNIUM IN LINE WITH BUDDHISM.

Bodhi Tree Complex images

**A HUGE BELL IS INSTALLED AT A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE SACRED TREE.**

THE RETAINING WALL AROUND THE BODHI TREE AND THE IMAGES OF THE SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA PREACHING HIS FIRST SERMON TO HIS FIRST FIVE DISCIPLES. THIS STRUCTURE WASERECTED IN 1989 WITH THE KIND ASSISTANCE – OF MAYANMAR BUDDHIST DEVOTEES.

KASHI, FOR IN HER EYES YOU CAN SEE THE PAST OF INDIA , AND IN THE MURMUR OF HER WATERS YOU CAN HEAR THE VOICES OF AGES LONG GONE BY .

If you are in Sarnath then do your best to stay here in the evening.

I reached the courtyard of the sacred tree around 6 o’clock in the evening. Almost all the tourists had left as it was slowly turning dark. I must say, there was, a seriously calm atmosphere. The birds were also returning to their nests, I could hear their voice as they were on their way towards home. I also heard some peacocks from time to time, the voices of birds were not creating any sort disturbance in the atmosphere of peace.

I was sitting on the stone steps of Mulgandha Kuti Vihar temple thinking something when a temple employee came towards me and said softly “Sir now it is time to close the temple so please vacate this campus.”

I agreed and was preparing to leave when I saw some people carrying candles towards the holy tree, I asked the staff and came to know that it is time for the evening worship of the holy tree.

I asked the employee can I watch this program? He smiled and said ” Of course”.Just take permission from the monks who organised this program. I moved towards those monks and expressed my wish, they happily granted me the permission I seeked.

After a few moments these monks started the circumambulation of the sacred tree, while doing the circumambulation, they also started lighting diyas on the small statues of Buddha around the tree. Now the monks started reciting religious mantras while doing the circumambulation.

I could not understand even a single word of this religious mantra, (I understood that the language was something special it didn’t sound like Sanskrit at all, but I was not able to figure out the language itself on my own) later I came to know that the monks were using the Pali language.

The original teachings of Buddha are in the Pali language. Pali language was commonly used at the time of Buddha and Sanskrit was the language of the elite people and Brahmanas. Today Pali language is taught in the universities of Varanasi but common people never use it, Pali language is not used even in the surrounding areas of Sarnath.

It was a wonderful experience to listen to Buddha’s teachings in the original language after thousands of years, at the same place where Buddha gave his first sermon.

I must say that it was a transcendental experience.
For a moment I felt as if Buddha was giving his first sermon to his disciples, and I am witnessing that moment too.