Ananda Coomaraswamy's Profiles of Buddha and Buddhism

ANANDA COOMARASWAMY’S PROFILES OF

BUDDHA AND BUDDHISM

Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy wrote two outstanding books on Buddha and Buddhism: (1) Buddha and the Gospel of Buddhism all by himself and (2) The Living Thoughts of Gutama the Buddha in collaboration with I. B. Horner. A unique feature of these books is the subtle blending of mythology, history and psychology in a human matrix. It is certain that Gotama lived in the third century B. C. as a man amongst men. But later he became a divine, legendary and mythical image of supreme compassion. Many of the Buddha’s epithets connect him with the Sun or Fire and signify his divinity. As Dr. Coomaraswamy points out:

He is “the Eye in the world”, his name is ‘Truth’, and amongst the most characterstic synonyms of Buddha are the expressions “Brahma-become” and “Dharma-become.” Many of the details of his life are direct reflections of older myths. These considerations raise the question, whether the life of the “Conqueror of Death” and “Teacher of Gods and Men”, who says that he was born and bred in the Brahma-world and who descended from heaven to take birth in Maha Maya’s womb, can be regarded as historical or simply as a myth in which the nature and acts of the Vedic deities Agni and Indra have been more or less plausibly euhemerized.

Dr Coomaraswamy projects a historical Buddha with mythical interpretation. For example, during Buddha’s Mahabhinishkramana orThe Great Renunciation, Gotama’s ride on Kanthaka’s though Kapilavastu on the full-moon day of ashadha “was accompanied by pomp and glory, for the gods and angels bore myriads of torches before and behind him, and a rain of beautiful flowers was cast down from the heaven of Indra, so that the very flanks of Kanthaka were covered.” Again, when the time of Awakening (Bodhi) comes, Gotama, the Bodhisatta, from his radiant dreams, draws the conclusion, “this very day I shall become a Buddha.” Dr Coomaraswamy describes “the great effort” under the Bodhi tree in mythical terms:

“Then Maya (Death)–the old Vedic Ahi-Vrtra-Namuchi, Holdfast,” overcome in the past by Agni-Brahaspati and Indra, but never really slain-perceiving that “the Bodhisatta wants to liberate himself from my dominion,” would not let him go, and led his armies against him. The Gods were terrified and fled in alarm; the Bodhisatta sat there alone, with only his own transcendent virtues for bodyguard. Mara’s assault with weapons of thunder and lightning, darkness, flood and fire, and all the temptations presented by Mara’s three beautiful daughters, left the Bodhisatta literally un-affected and unmoved. Mara, unable to recover the throne to which he had laid claim, could only retire. The Gods returned and celebrated the prince’s victory and so night fell.

From mythic images the reader is then led into psychic realms:

Entering into ever deeper states of contemplation the Bodhisatta obtained successively the knowledge of Former Births, Divine Insight, the understanding of Causal Origination, and finally, at dawn, the Full Enlightenment or Awakening (Samma-Sambodhi) that he had been seeking, and so, ceasing to be a Bodhisatta, became a Buddha. A Buddha is no longer in a category, but incommumerable; no longer “this man so-and-so,” no longer anyone, but one whose proper name it would be vain to ask, and to whom are appropriate only such epithets as Arahant (Worthy) Tathagata (True-come), Bhagava (Dispenser), Mahapurusha (Great citizen), Saccanama (Truth named) and Anoma (unfathomable)...for the Buddha expressly identifies himself with the Eternal Law (Dhamma) that he embodies absolute theosis.

Despite the hagiographer’s euhemerism, the human interest in the book never flags for a moment. For example, Buddha was not made to appear guilty of insouciance in renouncing the world. After witnessing the four signs to retire from the world–old age,  disease, death and a monk–and after having decided to go forth as a wanderer, Gotama gives notice to his father that the time is at hand for his going forth. The dialogue that ensues is very stimulating:

“What is there needful to change thy purpose? Tell me whatever thou deairest and it shall be thine, be it myself, the palace, or the kingdom.” The Bodhisatta replied, “Sire, I desire four things, pray thee grant them: the first, to remain for ever in possession of the fresh colour of youth; the second, that sickness may never attack me; the third, my life may have no term; the last, that I may not be subject to decay.” When the king heard these words, he was overcome by grief, for the prince desired what it was not possible for a man to bestow. Then the Bodhisatta continued: “If then I cannot avoid old age, sickness, death and decay, grant at least this one thing, that when I leave this world I may never more be subject to rebirth.” And when the king could give no better answer he granted his son’s desire.

Dr. Coomaraswamy gives a number of equally invigorating dialogues and anecdotes to elucidate many a philosophical point. Here is a gripping altercation between a Brahman, Sangarva and Buddha. Sangarva compares Hindu ritual with the Buddhist monk’s renunciation and rejects the later:

Sangarva speaks thus to the Lord, “Let me tell you, good Gotama, that brahmans offer sacrifice and get others to do so. Therefore, good Gotama, whoever himself offers a sacrificie, or whoever gets others to do so–all these are following a course of merit benefiting many persons and which is due to sacrifice. But whoever, whether of this or that family, has gone forth from home into homelessness–he tames (but) one self, calms (but) one self, makes (but) one self attain utter nirvana. Thus he is following a course of merit which benefits one person and which is due to going forth.”

“Well, brahman, I will ask you a question in reply. What do you think? A truth-finder (Tathagata) arises here in the world, a perfected one, a wholly awakened one, endowed with knowledge and right conduct, well-farer, knower of the worlds, incomparable, charioteer of men to be tamed, teacher of devas and men, awakened one, lord. He speaks thus: ‘Come, this is the way, this is the course I have followed until, having realized by my own super-knowledge the matchless immergence in the Brahma-faring, I have made it known. Come you too, follow (them) likewise, so that you too having realized by your own super-knowledge the matchless immergence in the Brahma-faring, may abide in it.’ It is thus that the Teacher himself teaches dhamma, and others follow for the sake of suchness (truth). Moreover these number many hundreds, many thousands, many hundred thousands, so what do you think, brahman? This being so, does the course of merit that is due to going forth benefit one person or many persons?”

One philosophical point which Dr Coomaraswamy settled was Buddha’s anatmavada. He narrates an anecdote. On his way from Benares to Uruvela, Buddha met a party of youngmen picnicking with their wives. One of them was an unmarried young man who brought with him his mistress. She ran off with some of the young-men’s belongings. They were all looking for her, and asked Buddha if he had seen her. Buddha replied:

What think ye? Were it not better ye sought the self (attanam gavesayyatha), rather than the woman?
(Vinayapitika i. 23)

Dr Coomaraswamy thinks that Buddha’s answer is of utmost significance for our understanding of the Buddhist doctrine of self-denial:

We find the very Master in whom the work of self-naughting has been accomplished recommending others to seek for the self–an apparent contradiction that can only be resolved if we clearly distinguish between the ‘selves’ referred to–one to be naughted, one to be cultivated.

The story of Buddha as a historical figure is known to everybody; and yet one feels inspired and edified when one reads Dr Coomaraswamy’s most absorbing account of Buddha and His gospel. This is chiefly due to the humanism and artful synthesis of mythology, history, psychology and philosophy in his great work.