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. . . . 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. . . . 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. . . .
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:
. . . 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! . . . 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. . . . 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. . . . 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. . . . . . - by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 2 October 2022
1 Comment
Rabin Barua
10/3/2022 08:44:57 am
I got to know many unknown things about Mahatma Gandhi through your article. I liked this quote very much.
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