The Mahatma - A Tribute

At Gandhi’s call all India blossomed forth to new greatness, just as once before, in earlier times, when Buddha proclaimed the truth of fellow feeling and compassion among all living creatures. These are the lines of tribute and connection seen by the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1861 – 1941) – between the two Giants India produced – Gautama Buddha (624 – 544 BCE) – The Tathagata, and MK Gandhi (1869 – 1948) – the Mahatma. And Gandhi did arouse the fervor in greatness – by translating the principle of nonviolence to free the Indian subcontinental peoples from the humiliating colonial rule of the British. Nearly two centuries of this rule – totally impoverished the subcontinent by destroying the local economy – implanting the seeds of discord, mistrust and animosity among peoples of different identities – and eroded the self-respect, confidence and dignity of them. True, some developments did take place – but they were all planned and implemented to lengthen and promote the colonial rule – at the cost of turning the peoples into servants and coolies – in actuality and in inflicting such mental degradations upon them. The continuation of this poignant degradation still lingers in the psyche of the subcontinental peoples.
On this International Nonviolence Day, the 2nd of October, the birthday of Gandhi – I am delighted to pay homage to this iconic man of extraordinary courage and sacrifice. Standing on the footsteps of the Buddha and Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great (304 – 232 BCE), and the nonviolence tradition of another Indian religion, Jainism – his renouncement of violence is accomplished by living a simple life. The nonviolence tradition historically defines the greater Indian civilization that once shown the light of wisdom to the world – the sublime direction charted out by the Buddha – and its first proud implementation by none other than Emperor Ashoka[HG Wells (1866 – 1946) wrote in his Outline of History: Amid tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowed the columns of history . . . the name of Ashoka shines and shines almost alone, a star . . . ]. A remarkable tribute to the greatness of Emperor Ashoka is a Buddhist temple in Yinzhou Zheiiang, China. The temple – The Temple of King Ashoka – was first built in 282 CE during Western Jin Dynasty (265 – 317 CE). All subsequent dynasties contributed to expand, rebuild and renovate the temple. It is hailed as one of the five mountain Buddhist temples in China – and is a historic cultural heritage of modern China.
Despite being called a half-naked-Fakir by the arrogant British (see a glimpse of it in Democracy and Larry the Cat) – one of many such affronts – to inflict humiliation and insults upon him – he had to do this to feel the pain and hardships of the millions of downtrodden population – to know their pulse better – to be one with them. Perhaps his life can best be described – in words what Alexander S Pushkin (1799 – 1837) wrote: . . . fearing no insult, asking for no crown; receive with indifference both flattery and slander, and do not argue with fool . . . In doing so, he transformed India and the world at large – with the renewed message and practice of nonviolence – a loving principle – so eternal that it has the power to transcend all artificial boundaries, discords and divisions crafted for utter selfish gains (see All-embracing Power of Sublimities).
Imagine how great his following of the traditional nonviolence method was – he expressed no grudge against the British – instead built the mass movement to end the foreign occupation of colonial subjugation – to let the subcontinental peoples define their own destiny. By the time, he took the helm of independence movement – he was a transformed man – from his first-hand humiliating experience in South Africa and later in India – to the renouncement of violence. His aim was to exert forceful impetus to the establishment of just Social Order and Governance deserved by people – downtrodden in years of colonial oppression – which still persists in different parts of the world in different colors and pretexts (see How Long Does It Take).
In his native land in the Indian Subcontinent – it was no easy task, because people reached their limit of tolerance of continued exploitation and humiliation. Armed freedom struggle already started in parts of the subcontinent – in the east in Bengal and in the west in Punjab. The primary struggle in the west was triggered by the most heinous Jallianwala Bagh Massacre at Amritsar in 1919 (it prompted worldwide condemnation with Tagore’s refusal to accept the Knighthood offered to him by the British Monarchy). During a showcase trial, in reply to a question by a prosecutor: what provision was made for the wounded, General Dyer arrogantly replied without showing any sign of remorse or apology: I was ready to help any who applied. Imagine, emergency response to save lives of unarmed men, women and children – severely wounded by bullets fired in his command – never crossed his cruel cowardly mind. Instead, the wounded were supposed to apply so that he could judge whether they qualify.
In the east, angered by an unjust ruling, an 18-year old Bengali youth Khudiram Bose attempted to assault a British Judge – resulting in his hanging to death in 1908. This rebellion – later immortalized by a very sad melodious song of Lata Mangeshkar (1929 – 2022) – used to be sung by Bengali people of all ages. Perhaps this and the later episodes of colonial brutality, laid the foundation of the Bengal freedom struggle. It was led by Netaji SC Bose (1897 - 1945) with several episodes of uprising in Chattogram led by Masterda Surya Sen (1894 - 1934). The great impetus to the movement came during the 1943 Bengal Famine – when the then British PM Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965) infamously refused to release food stocks from the gov storage facilities. His decision let some 3 million people die of starvation. People tend to think that a democratically elected gov – with all the modern insinuations and misrepresentations in winning tantrums – is fair and righteous, but here is one example how an elected gov could take such a brutal decision. Perhaps, this represented one of a major high-profile example of the malicious Economic Warfare – as it is known today.
His reply to the colonial hatred that unleashed many different facets of insults and brutalities – was not counter-hatred. Instead, the approach was formulated to follow the Buddha saying – the 5th verse of the DHAMMAPADA: Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a Law Eternal.
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Gandhi’s translation of the nonviolence method to freedom struggle took many dimensions. Here is a brief on some major ones. (1) One was – and is widely practiced today all over the world is peaceful protest/march without provocation of any sort. (2) The second was non-cooperation movement – with his argument that if masses of an occupied colony resort to such a method – collapse of the occupying power is bound to happen. This movement generated another offshoot – that was to avoid using merchandise produced in the home country of the occupying power, as well as those products and services produced in the colony by colonial companies. This method is a way of applying a control valve on downstream consumption to put a dent on the upstream economic gains of the colonist. (3) As a third – Gandhi termed his protests against colonial injustices – as Satyagrah Andolan or the movement to pressure the ruling clique to release the truth of what have been really happening.
(4) Finally, when he was disappointed with his own people, and in cases of stubbornness or stalemate with the gov – he went on to Anashan Darmagot or hunger strike until demands were met. One can imagine how much dedication and determination was required to go through such a life-threatening hardship and self-deprivation. This practice of protest was used by Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar and traveller Xuanzang (602 - 664 CE) in the past - not as a means of mass-protest incitement, but to free himself from the request of Turfan King (a pious Buddhist himself) - who wanted to keep him in Turfan to teach Buddhism (more in A Tribute to Xuanzang). His protest was heeded to and honored - with the king supporting and letting him go to the Land of the Buddha's Birth.
I have visited Delhi twice before, this time in 2018, my travel together with my elder daughter Dipa to The Happy Dust of India – was to explore Delhi once again with the Mahatma in mind. On top of the list were Gandhi Smriti Museum (the image is in the museum, in front of a painting – with Gandhi on the blessing footsteps of the Buddha) and the Mahatma Cremation Center at Raj Ghat on the bank of the Jamuna River (the second image). Also included in the trip, were some other Delhi landmarks – the India Gate overlooking the Rashtapati Bhavan and the Vidhan Sabha; the Red Fort; the Lodi Gardens; the Buddha Jayanti Park (inaugurated in 1964 commemorating the celebration of the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha’s enlightenment); the Lotus Temple; the World Peace Pagoda; the excavated Buddha relic in old Delhi {said to have been restored by Burma with J Nehru (1889 – 1964) visiting the discovered relic; the restoration seems an incomplete venture – being looked after by mahant, instead of Buddhist monks}; and the Mahabodhi Society Buddhist Temple.
It is at this temple, while inaugurating in 1939, the Mahatma said: It is my deliberate opinion that the essential part of the teachings of the Buddha now forms an integral part of Hinduism. It is impossible for Hindu India today to retrace her steps and go behind the great reformation that Gautama effected in Hinduism. By his immense sacrifice, by his great renunciation, and by the immaculate purity of his life he left an indelible impression upon Hinduism, and Hinduism owes an eternal debt of gratitude to that great teacher. Apart from the travel experience, drawing up of this piece relied upon several website articles, including a 1996 University of Idaho paper: Gandhi and Mahayana Buddhism, Journal of Oriental Studies, 35 (2).
This, and returning back to Tagore’s vision – here are something more on Buddhist tradition of nonviolence. Nonviolence is the first precept of Buddhist Panchsila (see Symmetry, Stability and Harmony). It is one of the 10 Paramitas or the Pursuits to Perfection – the Metta Parami (see The Tathagata; Some Difficult Things) – the Buddha mastered on his journey to enlightenment – to Buddhahood. It forms an integral part of Kushala Mula leading to wholesome thoughts and deeds – the Buddha meticulously identified and defined (see details in Enlightenment, Emptiness and Nirvana). It is defined as the one belonging to Sublime Abode that has the power of a different kind – the power of bringing all together (see The All-embracing Power of Sublimities) by melting down conflicts into the strength of unity. Buddha Dharma is The Way of Simplicity, Balance and Wisdom.
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Political historians and media of modern India hardly have any ink to mention the name of Buddha in their narratives. It is only in Pundit J Nehru’s writing – in The Discovery of India and in the Glimpses of World History, and in Dr BR Ambedkar’s (1891—1956) outstanding works: a volume published by the Gov of Maharashtra, 1987: Writings and Speeches of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Vol 3, The Buddha and His Dhamma 1956 and Revolution and Counter Revolution in Ancient India – one can see how the Buddhist tradition, and the nearly two millennia of Buddhist rule shaped the Indian subcontinent. Buddha Dharma has all but existed in subtlety during the independence movement – in numerous ruins scattered all over the subcontinent [destoyed by two-pronged attacks, both by Hindu revivalists and Islamic invaders; only now, the Archaeological Department of India is discovering, excavating, restoring and protecting them as the country’s proud historical heritage sites; and for that matter, similar campaigns are also being implemented in Bangladesh and Pakistan] – and in some marginalized peoples who were basically absorbed by Hinduism as outcasts.
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• I am tempted to introduce a short note here. In recent times, most of these peoples are returning back to the former glory of Buddhist traditions - like the small communities of forgotten peoples in Odisha, India and in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. The Marathi people under the great leadership of Dr BR Ambedkar did the similar - converting en-masse to Buddhism. While many succumbed to conversion, only a noble clan of people – the greater-Bengal Barua Buddhists was able to keep their tradition alive – perhaps by escaping the forceful and threatening conversion campaigns of Islamic invaders – or the impacts of Hindu revivalist movement.
• Indications suggest that they did this by migrating en-masse sometime during the 12th century – from somewhere in Magadh to the greater Chattogram area that was then under the Arakanese Buddhist rule (the very peculiar and distinct Chattogram Bengali language dialect; soupy cuisine with frequent use of dry-fish; use of Atop rice instead of parboiled rice as in other parts of Bangladesh; Sampan boat that are found no-where in Bangladesh – are all testimonies to the Arakanese influence). Perhaps this is one of the reasons why so many people in Bangladesh and India – have the ‘BARUA’ surname. To prevent inter-marriages among the extended family members – Barua elders introduced goostie system to identify family lineages. The migration route (perhaps by crossing the Brahmaputra River narrows near Assam) becomes apparent if one traces the traditional Barua surname locations – from Assam to the northeastern part of India – to Cumilla and Noakhali in Bangladesh. But, most settled in the greater Chattogram areas. Did the Arakanese gov invite the Barua people from the land of the Buddha in Magadh – the capital region of Emperor Ashoka – the seat of the world’s second earliest university at Nalanda – to come to their kingdom? It is not highly unlikely. Perhaps that’s how Mahayanist Baruas became Theravadin of the Arakanese (some Arakanese/Burmese terms are still used to identify some Buddhist practices and establishments in Chattogram). It seems some got absorbed into Hinduism, especially the Baruahs of Assam; the Chattogram Baruas got assimilated with the greater Arakanese people with some inter-marriages. During the migration period around the 12th century – Assamese rulers belonged to the Tai-Ahom Dynasty. This dynasty was established by people whose ancestry originated in China, Thailand and Myanmar – Dai of the Yunnan province in China, the Thai of Siam and adjacent Burma. Perhaps, another reason that attracted the migrating BARUAs were the Buddhist tradition of Tai-Ahom people – with some settling there. At a later time, the Buddhist tradition of this BARUAH (H was perhaps added to the surname to appreciate the hospitality of Ahom residents and rulers) people were corrupted by the resurgent and aggressive ritualistic practices associated with fear and superstition of the Hindu priestly class.
• Among many Buddhist festivities, Fairs or Mela in Chattogram – one particular Mela at Mahamuni (a popular name of the Buddha) Pahartali was very remarkable. Pahartali is a Barua majority village boasting some of the earliest education centers. Continuing for a month – the Mela used to be held around a garden of temples and pagodas. The timing is the Bengali Calendar year-end/welcoming next new-year festivity, in Chaitra-Baishak – ending with the colorful Buddha Day celebration. Ethnic indigenous Marma (Maghs) and Chakma youths used to tie communal wedding knot during the Fair with colorful fanfare and celebration. For Baruas, the communal wedding is not customary – but they were part of the celebration. One particular attraction of the Mela participated by people of all ages – was bamboo fence labyrinth where the ultimate goal or prize was reaching the Buddha Dharma Citadel located at the center. Now gone, or only little remnants remaining, locals and visitors from distant areas – irrespective of religious affiliations – used to throng to enjoy the Mela, trading rural artifacts and delicacies.
• Perhaps the most remarkable mention in the Xuanzang travel records of the ruins in Chattogram is the Buragosai Mandir at Chakrashala. This is significant because it remains relatively active among Barua Buddhists. Participated and enjoyed by all – a large Buddhist festival occurs each year at the Mandir to commemorate the Buddha’s steps into the soil of Chakrashala. More in the Sacred Feet of the Buddha.
• There is another very famous and popular hill-top temple in Ramu of Bangladesh Cox's Bazar district. Legend has it that the Buddha - on way to visit Burma (Myanmar) took rest and stayed one night at this Rangkut temple. An old Buddha statue commemorates this legendary episode of Buddha's journey. Apart from being a very popular pilgrimage site - many noted dignitaries including Rabindranath Tagore visited the temple.  
• This is just a nutshell – and may not reflect the completeness of the story – as, to my knowledge rigorous research is lacking. My attempt is based on my own experience and assessments – supplemented by reading the pieces of history I could gather.
• With a little bit of this note; here are a few sentences on Barua contributions to the independence movement. During the British rule, despite being a minority – among all peoples of the greater Bengal, Baruas had a high literacy and education rate (perhaps the result of the Burmese tradition of temple-centric education system; as well, let’s not forget that great monasteries – such as the Nalanda and the Vikramshila Mahaviharas – offering secular education curricula, were some of the earliest universities in human history. That’s why the chief monks of temples and monasteries used to hold the title of Adakhya). Some of the earliest primary and high schools, and colleges in Chattogram areas were founded by Baruas – with their identities marking the popular names of the Buddha. Naturally, they were conscious participants in the anti-colonial politics. Barua historians and scholars (among many, are the names of Dr BM Barua, 1888–1948, an educator, Buddhist historian and an authority on oriental language; and Prof PR Barua, 1918-1994, a scholar of Buddhist literature and an authority on Pali language) proudly list the names of Barua leaders who were active during the anti-colonial independence movement, as well as those who fought for Bangladesh liberation. Among others, Mr. Shupati Barua, CSP – a well-reputed Chief Financial Officer of East Pakistan Railway was abducted and murdered by Pakistan Army during the fag end of Pakistani rule – of what is infamously known as the 1971 Killing of Bengali Intellectuals.
  

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In addition, there were Buddhist majority states/provinces – those in Ladakh and in northeastern India. They did not fill the political landscape during the independence movement – as they were sparsely populated, and local people were mostly ethnically different from the majority Hindu and Muslim population. But, the former glory of Buddhist legacy is being rediscovered in numerous efforts – as Gandhi, Nehru, Sardar Patel (1875 – 1950) and AK Azad (1888 – 1958) once did.
Here are some more glimpses of sayings on how Gandhi was inspired by the Buddha:

• Gandhi on Buddha: . . . the greatest teacher of ahimsa (non-violence) . . . taught us to defy appearances and trust in the final triumph of Truth and Love . . .
• German philosopher, Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965): . . . Gandhi continues what the Buddha began. In the Buddha the spirit of love sets itself the task of creating different spiritual conditions in the world; in Gandhi it undertakes to transform all worldly conditions . . .
• Nehru in some of his many writings on relevance of Buddhism in freedom struggle: . . . If any question has to be considered, it has to be considered peacefully and democratically in the way taught by the Buddha . . . The Buddha has been something greater than all doctrine and dogma, and his eternal message has thrilled humanity through the ages. Perhaps at no time in past history was his message of peace more needed for a suffering and distracting humanity than it is today . . .

It is said that during many communications Gandhi had with Leo Tolstoy (1828 - 1910), Tolstoy once wrote to him: . . . for thousands of years, human civilization has lived and followed the path of violence as a guiding principle of ensuring survival. Yet, this way of life is incompatible with the much more natural law of love . . . I do not know whether Gandhi was inspired by AO Hume (1829 – 1912) – a British Botanist working in the Indian civil service, who was credited to have laid the foundation for the formation of India National Congress (later named as the Congress Party). He wrote in a poem in 1886:
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Sons of Ind, be up and doing,
Let your course by none be stayed;
Lo! the Dawn is in the East;
By themselves are nations made!
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No wonder, Gandhi’s method inspired so many world leaders – and will continue to be the guiding light for liberation of many oppressed peoples around the world. Let me begin with a remark by another Giant, Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955): . . . a role model for the generations to come . . . I believe that Gandhi’s views were the most enlightened of all the political men in our time . . . Some more visible names out of many outstanding individuals inspired by Gandhi are: His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (1935 – ); Martin Luther King Jr (1929 - 1968); Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013); Will Durant (1885 - 1981); Ho Chi Minh (1890 - 1969); U Thant (1909 - 1974); KA Ghaffar Khan (1890 - 1988); and Aung San Suu Kyi (1945 – ).
Most people do not know about another legacy of Gandhi. A Japanese Buddhist monk Ven. Nichidatsu Fujii (1885 – 1985; founder of Nippozan-Myohoji Buddhist Order) – addressed as Guruji by Gandhi – was inspired by him to build peace pagodas – to spread the Buddha’s message of Sublimities around the world. The monk took initiative to materialize Gandhi’s vision – as he went through the traumatic poignant experience after the horrific nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Today, some 80 peace pagodas dot different parts of the world – with 14 of them in South Asia: 7 in India, 4 in Sri Lanka, 2 in Nepal and 1 in Bangladesh.
Gandhi’s true legacy lies in inviting the world – to learn from one of the most enlightening glorious traditions of the past. He was telling the world to realize the fact that pressing a trigger to kill people – as a way to resolve conflict is too easy – but at the colossal cost of adding more fuel to the fire rather than extinguishing it. He found the RIGHT ME – while traversing the Wheel of Life with his aim focused on: In a life’s journey, there is neither winning nor losing, there is only achievement. Unlike other subcontinental leaders who were basically following and comparing themselves (as if they were inferior) to that of colonial powers – Gandhi took the path of enlightening them and the world – pointing finger to have self-respect and dignity – to practice and utilize the power of simplicity, love and nonviolence. True, there were some controversies – but Gandhi’s sacrifice and courage surpass everything – he was the modern shining light that will continue to show directions to all peoples around the world.
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Before finishing, it is important to highlight a different outpouring of violence. This menace appeared in our time in the age of cyberworld. With the rapid advance of this technology powered by Artificial Intelligence – it changed the way people communicate with one another – and the way businesses function. While it has contributed enormously to the human progress – it has also opened the door to a broad spectrum of hackers, criminals, terrorists, and state actors – with the user-platform vendors acting as the accomplice – to enter into people’s lives and livelihood with virtual impunity – remotely and surreptitiously.
These malevolent actors – are not only impersonating law-abiding citizens, violating user-privacy, harassing and bullying them – but are also taking control of the victim’s computer – stealing personal information, trading them for profit and malicious motives. Denying and disrupting normally accessible services, often in the guise of adulterated advertisements – they inflict damages and harm the just causes of the victims. The targeted victims are mostly the marginalized sections of the population – but none are safe from this long-arm violence. Further, it has unleashed the darkness of Information Warfare – with unbelievable rapidity in proliferation of misinformation and disinformation – continuously stoking the evils of anger, animosity and hatred. One such manifestation is the evil politics of mass distraction – fooling and distracting people from the real problems affecting them and their livelihood. What was once considered as the irresponsible practice in the pages of Tabloid Newspaper – has now entered into the mainstream media – shaming the civilized behavior – hard-earned through many years of works by conscientious people around the world. These and many other aspects of this type of online violence are discussed in Artificial Intelligence – the Tool of No Limit.
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Finally, I like to finish this piece with a saying of Gandhi: I am praying for the light that will dispel darkness. Let those who have living faith in non-violence, join me in the prayer. This saying proudly stands on a billboard in the Gandhi Smriti Museum. On his birth anniversary let us join this iconic leader in his call – by renouncing all kinds of violence for peace and harmony across the globe – by being conscientious, heedful and diligent – whenever – wherever – whatever. Let the light of wisdom transcend all malicious and sectarian thinking and boundaries.

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- by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 2 October 2022

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