Part 2.9 - Evolution of Buddhism and its Popularity in Assam

[Full title: Religion or Religious Condition (D) Buddhism (1) Evolution and Its Popularity in Assam]

There are some aesthetic item at Madan-Kamdev which led us to go through a brief discussion about the evolutionary history of Budhism and its popularity in Assam. The rise of Gautam Buddha and his philosophy was the most prolific religious development of the history of India. Immediately after his death controversies starts mainly over the questions of interpretations of the sayings of great master. These controversies continued for nearly about six centuries and ultimately in 2nd century A.D., this great religious philosophy evolved into two fractions. These two fractions known to the history as the Hinayana (orthodox fraction) and the Mahayana (redical fraction). The orthodox fraction i.e. the Hinayana group believed in the attainment of Arhat-hood or final liberation through the strict ethical discipline and the process of Jhana while the redical fraction i.e. the Mahayana group believe in the attainment of Buddha-hood or the ultimate stage of knowledge through the different stages of Bodhisattva-hood.225 This concept of Bodhisattva-hood has prepared a ground for the incorporation of some magical elements to the province of Mahayana Buddhism. The incorporation of magical element had received further elaboration after 7 th century A.D., when the Mahayana cult started in admitting a whole new pantheon of god and goddesses of dazzling beauty. 226 With these pro-Tantric ingredients, Mahayana cult entered into a new phase of development, know to the history as a 225. Dasgupta, S.: Op-cit, 1995, p.15. 226. Kosambi, D.D.: A Cultural and Civilization of Ancient India, 1994, p.179.

290 phase of Tantric Buddhism. This phase of Tantric Buddhism can be discussed under the customary division of three different schools viz. Vajrayan, Kala-Chakrayana and Sahajayana.227 Among these three school of Tantric Buddhism the last one, i.e. the Sahajayana being often referred as the most matured phase of Tantric Buddhism and after 8 th century A.D. it became famous, particularly in eastern India. Regarding the popularity of Buddhism in Assam, the first point to remember is that the epicentre of Buddism in India was Magadha and Uttar Kosala. 228 Geographically, Pragjyotisha-Kamrupa [Kamarupa] was very near to the epi centre of this great religion which naturally made it prone to the influences of the teaching of great master. £ Tibetan historian Taranath had stated that one Arya Dhitika, a Buddhist monk of 3 rd century B.C was responsible for 229 the spread of Buddhism in Kamrupa. He further reiterated that the Buddhist monk Asvabhava was the first preacher of the Mahayana philosophy in this remote corner of Indian subcontinent whose date has been fixed in and around 600 A.D. 230 Similarly, Rajtarangini of Kalhana also explained the popularity of Buddhism in Kamrupa in connection of a story referring to the construction of a great stupa by a princess of Pragjyotisha, Amritprabha, married to a Kashimiri king Meghavahana. The age of Meghavahana was 5 th century A.D. and 227. Dasgupta, S. : Op-cit, 1995, p.24. 228. Barua, K.L. : Op-cit, 1966, p.96. 229. Barpujari, H.K.(ed.) : Op-cit, 1990, p.323. 230. Hazarika, P.: Charyapada(As), 2005, p.64.

291 thus Amritprabha appeared to be the daughter of king Balavarman of Kamrupa.231 From Kalahana, it may be deduced that Amritprabha might have brought to Kashmir a Tibetan Buddhist guru who was a preceptor of her father and got a Vihara constrcted in the territory of her husband and under the supervision of the said guru. 232 234 It was in the early half of 7 th century A.D. the famous Chines traveller Hiuen Tsang visited Kamrupa. He, in his account states that it was during the time of his visit the law of Buddha did not have wide range of recognition. 233 Whatever Buddhist there were in it, performed their acts of devotion secretly. But on the contrary, the activities and the respect that was shown by Kumar Bhaskarvarma, then king of Kamrupa, to this great scholar, have normally instructed that by the time of the visit of Hiuen Tsang, the king of Kamrupa, though not became the ardent followers of the law of Buddha, but they might have beared a deep sense of respect to the teaching of the great master. Despite of all these references, still it is quite difficult to ascertain the facts regarding the early prevalence of Buddhism in Assam prior to 7 th century A.D.. But after 7 th century A.D., there exist convincing evidences about the popularity of later from of Buddhism in Assam. M Neog, in reference to Sadhanamala had stated that there were four pithas for the Tantric Buddhist, and of them 231. Barpujari, H.K.(ed.) : Op-cit, 1990, p.335. 232. Ibid. 233. Choudhury, P.C.: Op-cit, p. 403. 234. Watter, T.(ed.) On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 1996, p.186. 235. Barpujari, H.K.(ed.) : Op-cit, 1990, p.336.

292 Kamakhya and Sirihatta were evidently in Kamrupa while the other two, Purnagiri and Odiyana, if not in Kamrupa, but just at the outskirt of the country. 236 Kamakhya and Sirihatta possibly the main centres of dissemination of Vajrayana doctraines. 237 Thus, Kamrupa emerged to be the best preferred land for both Hindu and Buddhist Tantra-sadhaka. Lama Taranatha had stated that there was a great chaitya in Kamrupa. Identifying this chaitya as being at Hajo, P.C. Choudhury has stated that Hajo attained a great celebrity in Mahayana Buddhism and the Buddhism of the Tibetan affiliation and migh have contained some relics of Buddha, most likely of the saint Padmasambha of the 7 th century A.D., who probably died at Hajo and a shrine was built over his ashes. This is supported by the mystic syllable, mani padme hum, mani standing for the Buddha and padme for Padmasambha. The sanctity of the place is also born out by the fact that some monastery of Tibet is believed to have been built with clad of earth 239 from Hajo. Padmasambha was a powerful apostle of Tantrism, he was called as guru Rinpoche and thus have enjoyed the first place as the preceptor of Buddhism in Tibet. 240 These have further highten the scope to call Kamrupa and more specifically Hajo, as one of the cosmopolitan centre of Tantric Buddhism. Apart from that, Charyapadas are another form of evidences to explain the popularity of the later form of Buddhism in Kamrupa. It is generally believed that- there were eighty four 236. Neog, M.: Religion of North East, 1984, p.64. 237. Ibid., p.64. 238. Hazarika, P. : Op-cit, 2005, p.8. 239. Choudhury, P.C. : Op-cit, p. 402. 240. Banerjee, A.C. : Aspects of Buddhist Culture from Tibetan Sources, 1984, pp.28,41.

293 Siddha Acharya who in one way or others have their association with Kamrupa and twenty three of them composed the Charyapada. 241 One such composer of Charyapada was Luipada of 9 th/10 th century A.D., said to be the most prominent Siddhacharya hailed from the bank of Brahmaputra ie from Kamrupa. Like the Luipada, Sarahapada was another prominent Siddha-acharya of 10 th/11 th century, often referred as being a person belonging to the Sudra community of Kamrupa. 242 Nagarjuna a famous physician, associated with Kamrupa for his Tantric activities, was one of the prominent deciple of Sarahapada. 243 Similarly, Minanatha and Macchidranatha, were the two other famous Siddhacharya belonging to the Kaivarta community of Kamrupa. 244 Along with that Darikpada, Kahnupada, Mahindrapada were some of the other Siddhacharya of Tantric Buddhism who, in one way or other have found their association with Kamrupa. Apart from that, two famous Pala kings of Kamrupa, Ratnapala and Indrapala, said to have beared deep sense of respect to the cause of this later form of Buddhism and ultimately became the ardent follower of this Tantric philosophy. 245 This, in comparison of the descriptions of Hieun Tsang, can better be explained in the following words that the king of Kamrupa, though remain as the real exponent of Brahmanical faith in their public life but in private 241. Hazarika, P.: Op-cit, 2005, p.41. 242. Ibid, p.45. 243. Barpujari, H.K.(ed.) : Op-cit, 1990, p.341. 244. Kakati, B.K.: Op-cit, 1955, p.100. 245. Barpujari, H.K.(ed.): Op-cit, 1990, p.342.

294 life, some of them dared to be the receiver of the pro Buddhist Tantric diksha. Thus, it can be said that Buddhism in Kamrupa survived specially in collaboration of Tantric ideal and ultimately the country emerged to be a strong hold of this later form of Buddhism when no sharp distinction remained between the Brahmanical and the Buddhist god. Buddhism in Kamrupa survived under the growing dominancy of Pauranic Hinduism and in doing so it had lost its basic character and remained as a fraction of Pauranic Buddhism. 246