Great Religions of the Silk Road: Buddhism

Summary

This lecture explores the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road, emphasizing the transmission of narratives and biographies over dogmatic beliefs. It discusses the diverse forms of Buddha's depiction and the shared stories among different Buddhist cultures. The talk also challenges the stereotype of Islam's role in Buddhism's decline, highlighting the lack of evidence for violent conflict and suggesting economic and cultural shifts contributed to Buddhism's attrition in the region.

Takeaways

• 📚 The study of Buddhism along the Silk Road is approached through narratives and biographies rather than through a unified doctrine.
• 🌏 Buddhism's spread is characterized by a diversity of stories and depictions of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, varying across different regions in Asia.
• 🎭 The life of the Buddha is a powerful narrative shared among Buddhists, despite variations in the details of the story across different cultures.
• 👶 The story of the Buddha traditionally begins with his mother's dreams and miraculous birth, emphasizing his destined greatness.
• 🏰 Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha, was born into luxury and was shielded from the realities of aging, sickness, and death by his family.
• 🚶‍♂️ Siddhartha's encounters with an old man, a sick man, and a dead man led to his realization of the inevitability of suffering and his decision to seek enlightenment.
• 🧘 Siddhartha's spiritual journey involved renouncing his wealth and worldly life, practicing asceticism, and eventually achieving enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.
• 🌟 The concept of 'anatta' or 'no-self' is central to Buddhist teachings, emphasizing the illusory nature of the self and the interconnectedness of all beings.
• 🎨 Buddhist art and literature flourished between the 1st and 5th centuries CE, particularly in regions like Gandhara, reflecting a cosmopolitan blend of cultural influences.
• 🔍 The decline of Buddhism in the Silk Road region was not due to violent conflict with Muslims but rather a gradual process involving social, economic, and cultural shifts.
• 🤝 There is evidence of cooperation and exchange between Buddhists and Muslims, including in intellectual, economic, and even military spheres.

Q & A

What is the speaker's approach to studying Buddhism along the Silk Road?

The speaker approaches the study of Buddhism along the Silk Road by focusing on the spread of narratives and biographies rather than beliefs, emphasizing the similarities in stories told by Buddhists from different regions.

Why is it considered ridiculous to claim to have the true story of the Buddha's life?

It is considered ridiculous because there are many biographies of the Buddha in various forms, and Buddhists generally do not claim any single narrative as the definitive account of the Buddha's life.

What is the significance of the biographies of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas in Buddhism?

The biographies of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas are significant as they are the stories that are repeatedly told across different cultures and regions, forming a common ground for Buddhists despite their doctrinal differences.

Why did Buddhism flourish in areas like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and the Tarim Basin early on?

Buddhism flourished in these areas due to their strategic location along the Silk Road, rich cultural exchange, and the cosmopolitan nature of the region, which allowed for the religion to develop and spread.

What is the historical context of the Buddha's life and the spread of Buddhism?

The Buddha was born in what is now southern Nepal, and his teachings were primarily in North India. However, the earliest flourishing of Buddhism occurred in regions like Gandhara, which was a significant cultural and trade hub along the Silk Road.

How did the rise of Islam impact Buddhism along the Silk Road?

Contrary to the stereotype that Muslims destroyed Buddhism, the speaker suggests that there is little evidence of violent conflict between the two. Instead, Buddhism declined due to a lack of patronage, the rise of other sects, and the ease with which the religion could move to other regions like China.

What is the importance of the Gandhara region in the history of Buddhism?

The Gandhara region is important because it was a center for the flourishing of Buddhism, where Buddhist art and literature developed significantly between the 1st and 5th centuries CE, influenced by a mix of Greek, Parthian, and Indian cultures.

What are the Jataka tales and why are they significant in Buddhist literature?

The Jataka tales are stories about the Buddha's previous births, and they are significant because they emphasize different aspects of his life, teachings, and moral lessons, contributing to the rich narrative tradition in Buddhism.

How did the speaker describe the Buddha's enlightenment experience?

The speaker described the Buddha's enlightenment as a process that occurred over nine hours, during which he gained insight into his past lives and the interconnectedness of all beings, leading to the realization of the non-existence of a permanent self.

What is the common misconception about the decline of Buddhism along the Silk Road?

The common misconception is that the decline of Buddhism was due to violent conflict with the rise of Islam. However, the speaker suggests that the decline was more due to socio-economic factors, lack of patronage, and the religion's nomadic nature that allowed it to move to other regions.

What evidence is there of Buddhist and Muslim collaboration in the past?

There is evidence of Buddhist and Muslim collaboration in various fields such as economics, architecture, and astrology. They worked together intellectually and sometimes even militarily, indicating a level of mutual respect and cooperation.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Approaching Buddhism through Narratives and Biographies

The speaker begins by discussing the study of Buddhism along the Silk Road, emphasizing the importance of narratives and biographies over doctrine. They highlight the diversity of beliefs among Buddhists from different regions and the prevalence of similar stories about the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. The speaker mentions that these stories were adapted and retold in various forms, reflecting the spread of Buddhism as a cultural phenomenon rather than a unified religious doctrine. The talk also touches on the early flourishing of Buddhism in regions like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, contrary to common misconceptions about the religion's origins and spread.

05:00

👶 The Life of Buddha: Birth and Early Years

This paragraph delves into the life of Buddha, starting from his birth in Lumbini, Nepal, around the 5th century BCE. It describes the affluent Shakya clan into which Buddha was born and the various omens and dreams surrounding his birth. The narrative includes the story of a white elephant entering his mother's side, symbolizing the conception of a great being. As a child, Buddha is portrayed as exceptionally gifted and privileged, growing up in luxury and shielded from the realities of the outside world. His parents' attempts to keep him from experiencing suffering are also discussed, along with his eventual curiosity about the world beyond his estate.

10:02

🚶‍♂️ Buddha's Encounters with Suffering and Enlightenment

The speaker recounts Buddha's first encounters with the realities of life, such as aging, illness, and death, which were hidden from him by his father. These experiences deeply affected Buddha and led to his depression and questioning of the purpose of life. The paragraph describes Buddha's interactions with a sick man, the sight of a dead body, and his subsequent realization of the impermanence of life. It also details his meeting with an ascetic, which inspired him to seek a path of spiritual enlightenment beyond the material world.

15:03

🌱 The Journey to Enlightenment and Buddha's Teachings

This section narrates Buddha's quest for enlightenment, including his six-year journey of asceticism and eventual realization under the Bodhi tree. The speaker explains Buddha's insight into the nature of self and interconnectedness with all beings, as well as the concept of karma and the importance of overcoming ego. The paragraph also covers Buddha's 45 years of teaching, emphasizing the core message of his teachings, and concludes with his simple and unremarkable death due to food poisoning.

20:05

🎨 Artistic Depictions and Cultural Exchange Along the Silk Road

The speaker explores the rich artistic and cultural expressions of Buddhism along the Silk Road, particularly in Gandhara, where Buddhist art flourished between 200 BCE and 200 CE. The paragraph discusses the cosmopolitan nature of the art, reflecting influences from Greece, Parthia, and North India. It highlights the depiction of the Buddha's life, the Jataka stories, and the unique artistic styles that emerged from this cultural exchange, including Greco-Buddhist elements and the 32 marks of an enlightened being.

25:07

🏛 The Spread and Decline of Buddhism in Historical Context

This paragraph examines the spread of Buddhism in ancient cultures and its decline along the Silk Road. The speaker challenges common misconceptions about the disappearance of Buddhism, noting that it predated Islam in many regions and was not solely due to Muslim conquests. Instead, the decline was attributed to a lack of patronage, the rise of other sects, and the nomadic nature of Buddhism, which allowed it to move with shifting patronage. The speaker also emphasizes the collaboration between Buddhists and Muslims in various fields, including economics, architecture, and astrology.

30:22

🤔 Questioning the Reliability of Buddhist Texts and Practices

In the final paragraph, the speaker addresses questions about the inclusion of Hinduism in the discussion, the role of Buddhists in various professions, and the reliability of Buddhist texts compared to archaeological evidence. The speaker acknowledges the discrepancies between textual accounts and historical realities, emphasizing the importance of considering both sources of information. They also touch on the cultural practices of Buddhists, such as the significance of the six senses and the adaptation of these practices in different cultural contexts.

35:23

📚 Intermission and Further Inquiry

The script concludes with an announcement of a 15-minute intermission, providing an opportunity for attendees to ask questions or engage in discussions with the speakers. The paragraph invites participants to explore further topics and hints at the continuation of the conversation after the break.

Keywords

💡Buddhism

Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that originated in India with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha. It emphasizes personal spiritual development and the attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life. In the video, the study of Buddhism is approached through narratives and biographies rather than through doctrine, highlighting the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road and its cultural adaptations.

💡Silk Road

The Silk Road refers to a historical network of trade routes that connected the East and West, facilitating cultural exchanges and the spread of religions, including Buddhism. The video discusses how Buddhism flourished in regions along the Silk Road, such as Gandhara, and how its narratives and biographies were shared and adapted in these areas.

💡Biography

A biography is an account of a person's life, written by someone else. In the context of the video, the biographies of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas are highlighted as a significant means through which Buddhism spread, with various cultures having their own versions and interpretations of these stories.

💡Bodhisattva

A Bodhisattva, in Buddhism, is an enlightened being who, out of compassion, chooses to be reborn in the cycle of life and death to help others achieve enlightenment. The video mentions the biographies of great Bodhisattvas as an integral part of Buddhist narratives spread along the Silk Road.

💡Gandhara

Gandhara is a region in ancient northwestern India, now within modern Pakistan and Afghanistan, known for its rich Buddhist heritage. The video describes Gandhara as a place where Buddhist art and literature flourished, with a unique blend of Greco-Buddhist culture.

💡Jataka Tales

Jataka Tales are a collection of stories about the previous births of the Buddha, illustrating his moral qualities. The video mentions these tales as a significant part of Buddhist narratives, with 551 or 553 stories that were depicted in art and literature along the Silk Road.

💡Bamiyan

Bamiyan refers to a valley in Afghanistan where once stood two large Buddha statues, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. The video uses Bamiyan as an example of the flourishing Buddhist art and the cosmopolitan nature of the Silk Road, where Buddhist narratives were depicted in various forms of art.

💡Enlightenment

In Buddhism, enlightenment refers to the state of profound understanding and insight into the nature of reality, leading to liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The video discusses the Buddha's own journey towards enlightenment and how this concept is central to the Buddhist narratives.

💡Asceticism

Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by rigorous self-discipline and abstention from material and physical pleasures. The video describes how the Buddha initially practiced asceticism in his quest for enlightenment but later abandoned it in favor of the Middle Way, which balances indulgence and self-mortification.

💡Anatta

Anatta, or 'no-self,' is a fundamental Buddhist concept that rejects the idea of a permanent, unchanging self. The video explains that the Buddha's enlightenment involved the realization of anatta, understanding that the ego is an illusion and that all beings are interconnected.

💡Dharma

Dharma, in Buddhism, refers to the teachings of the Buddha, the cosmic law, or the path leading to enlightenment. The video discusses how the Buddha's teachings, or Dharma, were spread through narratives and biographies, shaping the understanding of Buddhism along the Silk Road.

Highlights

The study of Buddhism along the Silk Road is approached through narratives and biographies rather than traditional religious beliefs.

Buddhism's spread is characterized by the retelling of stories and biographies that vary across different regions, reflecting a lack of uniform doctrine.

The concept of multiple biographies of the Buddha, including the Jataka tales, emphasizes different aspects of his life, indicating a rich and diverse tradition.

Buddhism flourished in regions such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and the Tarim Basin, contrary to the common belief that it only spread from India.

The rise of Islam on the Silk Road did not lead to the destruction of Buddhism, challenging the stereotype of religious conflict.

Buddhist narratives were first written down between the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE, marking a significant period in Buddhist literature.

The life of the Buddha, as told by different Buddhist schools, shares a compelling story that has been influential in spreading Buddhism.

The story of the Buddha's birth involves symbolic events and dreams, reflecting the importance of narrative in understanding his life.

Gautama's life of luxury and his eventual encounter with the realities of aging, sickness, and death led to his spiritual quest for enlightenment.

The Buddha's enlightenment under the Bodhi tree and his subsequent teachings emphasize the concept of non-self and the interconnectedness of all beings.

Buddhism's decline along the Silk Road was not due to violent conflict with Islam but rather a gradual process influenced by various factors.

The destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001 by the Taliban is often misunderstood as representative of the decline of Buddhism, but the actual reasons are more complex.

Archaeological evidence suggests a cosmopolitan Buddhist culture along the Silk Road, with influences from Greek, Parthian, and Indian cultures.

Buddhist art and manuscripts from the Gandhara region provide insights into the early development and spread of Buddhist narratives.

The Buddhist concept of the 'Six Marks' reflects the holistic understanding of human senses and existence, which is significant in Buddhist philosophy.

The interaction between Buddhist and Muslim scholars in fields such as mathematics and astrology shows a history of intellectual exchange.

The reliability of ancient Buddhist scriptures is questioned, suggesting a need to balance textual analysis with archaeological findings.

Transcripts

okay I want to start today by talking

about approaching the study of Buddhism

in along the Silk Road and not

approaching it through the way we often

think about religion approaching it

through belief approaching it through

doctor I tend to see the spread of

Buddhism as a spread of narratives and

biography and when you talk to a

Buddhist about their religion it will

often not agree you talk to say shingo

and Buddha's in Japan you talk to a tear

about Buddhist and Laos and you talk to

my and Buddhist in central China they

might not agree at all or doctrine in

almost any way but they will generally

be able to tell you very similar stories

and very similar biographies of famous

Buddhist

which I'll show some through these great

biographies of great Bodhisattvas and

great Buddhists and you find the story

of the Buddha and the stories of very

famous Bodhisattvas told over and over

and over again in different forms and

you find the Buddha depicted in many

different forms along the Silk Road and

in other places in Asia there are many

many biographies of the Buddha and many

biographies of Bodhisattvas so to say

that all I have the true story of the

life of the Buddha is ridiculous no one

no Buddhist generally claims that either

either when even when new biographies of

the Buddha were being composed in

Sanskrit or poly or Chinese or Tibetan

it wasn't that another biography was

trashed or it was but dad was said that

this were filling in the story and some

of these like the Buddhist Rita

Lanza these biographies of the Buddha or

the Madonna emphasize different points

about his life so some really

concentrate on his mother some

concentrate on his youth some

concentrate on only his preaching and

the places he travels some concentrated

on his life before he was a Buddha the

previous and these my other fees he was

in a world culture and they started to

be written down first century BCE to the

first century CE II around this time and

then between the 1st and the 4th century

CE we find them the Aspire grafite

starting to be depicted in art I'll show

some ease and where this art really

flourished and where this literature

really flourished was this area of

Pakistan Afghanistan Iran and the tearin

basin in the earliest parts of Buddhist

history even though the Buddha was born

in what was nowadays southern Nepal and

his most of his preaching was in North

India the Buddha never traveled to these

areas this is where Buddhism really

flourished early on and it's also

interesting talking about how the Islam

rise into prominence on Silk Road

talking about how Buddhism was a primary

religion it went down and it wasn't

because of Muslims which is generally

the stereotype that Muslims destroy

Buddhism we actually have almost no

evidence of that at all many of the

early translators of Buddhist texts in

the Sanskrit Sanskrit into Chinese were

from this region of ashame etosha on G

cow and traveled in this region and also

the other great path of Buddhism through

a song into North Vietnam in that area

but today I'm not going to be talking

about mostly so four people are not

familiar with Buddhism I'm going to give

you a very quick I'm going to try to

limit myself to to ten minutes

life of the Buddha and so you understand

the power of this biography and I think

you know we can look at other religions

the life of Muhammad the life of Jesus

these are powerful stories that people

tell and even if they're not learning

scholars is that they can always relate

this story and relating these stories

they often had and subtract different

details I'm going to tell you the story

that most Buddhists most Buddhist

schools agree on and also the one that

mine when I was a month my attic kind of

the basic one he's he told to me and

it's quite a compelling story and then

we'll see how that gets played out hit

mark on the Silk Road

so most stories of the life of the

Buddha begin before he was born

there are many previous Buddha's

sometimes five previous Buddha's are

talked about sometimes five hundred and

thirty eight thousand previous Buddhists

are talked about

we have long lists of Buddhist names of

the buddha in sanskrit and pali texts

from from india and then again from this

region of Pakistan and Afghanistan along

present-day Pakistan Afghanistan Iran so

we hear about these previous Buddha's

and each of the previous Buddhist says

kind of predicts the next one eventually

we come to the historical period and the

Buddha was probably born well probably

born 568 BCE

maybe a hundred years later so around

the fourth or fifth centuries

in the area of lumbini and southern

Nepal near the cities of modern-day

cities of a four hours south of

Kathmandu and maybe ten hours north of

of one lemon not that far north of

Banaras or Varanasi so at this time

period there was a very rich family

okay known as the shock yes and the

shock a plant still survives today

there's many monks names have the shocky

and last name and there's a there's a

group in Katmandu that claims of their

descendants of this tribe the shock you

try and the psyches were really rich the

Buddha's often talked as if he was a

prince or a king he was and he was just

super rich okay there was a lot of super

rich guys around at this time and they

had big estates and they had their own

small armies and it was said that the

buddha was born into this family but

before he was born his mother had a

series of trains and this was what we

would call a hindu family although

that's kind of an improper term for her

at this time that's and his mother had a

series of dreams one dream is that she

was standing in a forest and a floating

white elephant came through the sky and

slammed into her side and she woke up

and she went to her Brahman astrologers

and she said could this mean it means

that a seed of a great being is now

inside of you she had another dream

about the kings of the four corners of

the earth and queens of the four corners

either visiting her at different times

and bowing down to her again this was

interpreted that you have a great being

inside of you so eventually she is

pregnant ten months later ten months is

important if you were if you just ate

for ten months that's this good sign of

enlightenment so ask your mothers where

you laid if you were late that was good

and unfortunately I was born in a

snowstorm in a cab actually they were

moving me from a cab to a police car in

a snowstorm in West Philadelphia

and I was born two weeks early so I am

about as unlikely as possible so like if

you just think long and even if your mom

says I don't remember tell yourself that

on a bad day so he was born after 10

months and he comes out of his mother's

womb and it's a it's there's no virgin

birth it's a normal part she's holding a

tree I'll show you a picture of this in

a second or a manuscript that does fix

this and she comes out walking and

talking and seven magic lotuses appear

in the ground and the Buddha walks in

the seven low seven Lotus gets to the

last but he points his finger to the

earth like we see here this is the

depiction of it as a child clothes for

some reason and says I will become

enlightened then all of a sudden he

turns back into an infant falls to the

ground and can't speak and so this was

seen as something very strange as a

child she grows up in a life of luxury

real luxury I mean go to my senses

nameless a little Gautama was was was

just really the kid get heated you know

is the kid down the street who had the

big house that you really didn't like he

got everything he had the new Xbox for

Christmas or the new playing all the

time and it was a real jerk and he was

presented that when these biographies

that he you know he was he got

everything he didn't have to work for

anything and he was he was described as

Godot he was cut as Blair was long skin

was gold and he was good at poetry good

archery I mean he was just wondering

what happened I mean there's always that

kid in high school right you just seem

to be good at everything like there's a

kid in my high school who was like the

star of the basketball team you got 1550

on his SATs I mean he just wanted to

punch on things and it's out and his

name is Michael Jordan and even at a

good

and so he he was everybody loved to hate

him and he got everything he wanted he

is he has an arranged marriage he has a

son everything's going great but the one

thing is he's never allowed to leave his

estate okay is a very large estate in a

very large home

and his parents would never let him

leave so he could play in The Pleasure

Gardens he could to sport with

concubines he could eat whatever he

wants he but he couldn't leave the

grounds of this estate

okay it was a walled estate and so he

started to have questions about where

did his servants go at night and where

did they come from the morning you know

they're always there but he didn't know

where they came from

and you know he thought it was kind of

strange and he wanted to go out and kind

of see what was going on outside where

these people were coming from and he

goes to his father and he says dad I

would like to go out absolutely not not

there's nothing to see there you have

everything you need

did I introduce you the new concubine

did I show you this plate a mutton you

know what I mean like you know there's

there's nothing to see and so Goodwin

put it out of his mind but it's kind of

bothering him he kept bothering him so

you went to his charioteer China and he

said I want to go now I want to go and

see the world chants it absolutely not

absolutely not your father would have to

kill because well really I'm your boss

so you got to let me go yes absolutely

please don't get me in trouble he goes

listen China I need to go out and you

need to listen to me China said okay we

will go before dawn when everything's

quiet we'll sneak out the back entrance

or back gate we'll go out real quick and

we'll get back before the Sun rises

the Buddha said go to me wasn't

hopefully yeah

so they go out and he is going on the

road is pretty boring he sees people

starting to wake up people starting them

all around on the paths and the fields

outside of his estate and he sees this

man walking in this Chinese so painting

depicts these these scenes he sees he

sees an old man with a cane but Gautama

didn't know the word jhana he didn't

know the word old his father had never

let him see anybody hold if anybody

servant got old he immediately had been

fired the Buddha spoke go to his

father's always kind of oiled his hair

slicked back his hair he always made

sure he was popular he didn't want his

son to ever know about age he didn't

want his son to be depressed that you

get old and so he hid him from anything

that was old and so the hood is like who

why is that man walking so funny he was

in the Buddha jumped off the charity

walk thought this is a great walk I'm

gonna read these biographies it's really

energetic wait does is China is pulling

back you this what are you doing what

are you doing don't make fun of him

that's not very nice he goes no I just

like his silly walking it's not silly

Wong he's done he's old old means he's

lived a full life and his body is

physically breaking down and he's having

trouble walking what you don't know I

don't know I think it's turn - this is

boring let's go back home you're right

there's nothing to see out here and he

goes back home a couple weeks go by and

he's sitting around his palace and he's

looking in ponds he's looking this face

and he's trying to see and he talks of

China more about old and he goes trying

to tell me more about this age and he

goes you know do you look slightly

different now at 29 though it's my was

29 you look slightly different than you

looked at 17 don't you well sure yes I'm

much better looking I'm awesome and and

he goes yeah but you look different

and he goes doesn't ya so dark does your

father nothing look a little bit

different I guess so and this started to

really depressed is that you mean I'm

gonna start looking like

like my father I mean he's still looking

but yeah it's a little different for me

and he says let me what's collide again

Johnny said no absolutely not no we

gotta go gotta go down in a boom they go

out they go out and he sees a man on the

side of the road wood now he doesn't

realize it's the same man you saw before

but this man is on the side of the road

he's like great detail and he's got

sores on his back and he goes that's

hilarious let's let me do that he gets

down he starts copying because this is

great you're not married and China comes

to him he said he's sick what do you

mean sick what do you mean the sec I've

never heard this word before

stupid Gautama let's go back home he

goes explaining never you know sometimes

you eat too much button and you feel

kind of weird yeah I guess so that's it

you ever you know notice that some of

your servants don't show up because your

father woman that come well they're not

showing up because they're sick

sometimes

you remember Rob Lowe your son he kept

coughing and coughing and sneezing at

that one night yeah he's right though

was that they're really silly no he

wasn't acting silly he couldn't help

himself he was sick everybody gets old

and everybody gets sick that man got old

and now he is sick why I don't

understand it I really bother him I

really got in the pressed he's very

depressed man he says China I need to

see something you guys need to see

something different let's go out no no

no no back and forth let me go they go

out and you sees this crab on the side

of the road and the crowd is women are

pulling their hair pulling the shirts

open this is a very common way of

describing in India morning and people

are screaming and he thinks that they're

looking at something really entertaining

because all they must be playing cards

then he jumps off the charity goes oh I

want to play I want to play too and he

starts acting out like what are we

looking at what are we looking at China

pulls it back yes that person's dying he

looks over the crowd and there's a man

lying on the ground

what's on and in the Buddhist we go to

my starts poking him with a stick do it

again I want to see what everybody was

entertained by toy man's dead man Anna

we did never heard that word before he

never witness anybody dying the Buddha's

mother actually died soon after birth he

was raised by by a stepmom

but he didn't remember his mother and he

had never heard of death before now he

was really depressed trying to say get

old he gets sick and you die everyone

gets all vegan six and done any news

really depressed and so you just walked

around the palace for weeks after net

sad depressed couldn't get entertained

by one why are people laughing why are

people playing music if they just know

they're gonna die why why do anything if

this is what end up Syd I just don't

understand the point of all of this

anymore and then he started being

disgusted by his son and his and his

wife and his servants and his father

it's like how can you go on knowing this

but he kept it to himself but he was

very depressed and finally goes one more

time one more time police of justice

it's the last time they go out and he

sees on side of the road a man with a

shaved head in simple robes but he had a

smile on his face he had no shoes he had

nothing this is a seminar or what we

might call a month nowadays okay this

was very common at the time of the

Buddha's birth there was lots of a set

of tribes around practicing spiritual

standards

um and she says how could that man be so

content the look on his face is so can't

anybody think that Buddha's smiling for

sure how could it be like this and he

said I want to be like that man

have the peace of mind that man has so

you go escape take me home and he goes

home I know was the morning after a kind

of a particularly large party and she

walks and he sees his servants kind of

sleeping off the night of drunkenness

and he goes pulls back the screen of his

bed and that time it depends I'll slept

together in the same bed he saw his son

his wife sleeping on the bed and sure

she's drooling and her hair's messed up

his son was drooling like this and he's

disgusted he's disgusted by everything

he sees disgusted by the excess

disgusted by this kind of going through

life non deliberately without reflecting

upon these things and reflecting them on

your life and he says I'm leaving and

China's tongue says no no please only

because you have to leave this is your

last act on I will never ask you again

for anything else and they go out this

is trying to leave him leaving and they

go out and they go to very very far away

and they go to an edge of a lake and

it's a fulmen they've traveled all day

long and it goes into the night and so

full moon at night at midnight and he

stops and it gives everything that he

owns to he's naked gives everything you

know no way to China because his trying

to leave me well before you come give me

your sword so gives him a sword cuts his

long hair off and this is a very famous

scene in Buddhism the victim mark the

cutting of the hair and she goes off and

he wanders for six years and he meets

many ascetics along the way I won't talk

about these aesthetics but they train

him in different things but he's never

satisfied by this deep asceticism the

starving of yourself is torturing me of

yourself this denial or so and he just

sees it as weakening the body but he's

not getting any more content and then he

walks away from the last ascetic he

works with six years later and he's he's

emaciated he's lived a life of poverty

and of starvation and austerities and he

stumbles at the base of the tree the saw

tippecanoe buddhist art it's a beautiful

kind of sitting peacefully as a tree but

in the Texas Exes party's almost

collapses and he collapsed there and he

starts he basically gives up he says

that I don't want spiritual

enlightenment anymore

I don't want to go home

I want to go forward I don't want to

learn I am simply one to be and it

starts the cycle of enlightenment and it

says it takes nine hours three watches

of the nights and in those three watches

he sees his past lives he sees the past

lives of all other beings in the

universe he sees himself as a an ant in

a cow and a servant and King and warrior

and merchants and sees everyone else

like this is that a simply ways of

rising and falling that we're in and

then finally his Karma is exhibit common

Pali it is exhausted and he achieves in

life and I won't go into what that

actually means

but achieves the idea that myself

doesn't exist is that I only have a

sense of self and since I don't really

have a true self I am one with everyone

else in the universe and the problem is

the ego the problem is putting yourself

as something special about others and

you can see how this would be very

different than Islam and Christianity of

course he wanders for 45 years preaching

about this message usually inviting and

he dies of eating bad pork in the town

of kusinara he gets food poisoning um

and I was just reading with some of my

graduate students the death of of the

Buddha a very simple death and a very

kind of out-of-the-way town along the

dusty road not important at all and he

simply has a bad meal and he gets sick

and he's gonna die and he gives us says

a few things different things at the end

but not a very glorious death in a very

small tale this story was extremely

compelling along the Silk Road we had

this story told over and over again we

have textual fragmented people artistic

depictions in paintings which came later

of course in sculpture which I'll show

you in a few minutes in relief and

illuminated manuscripts a little bit

later and so this story was told over

and over again this is the Buddha's

mother depicted in Tibet near Western

Tibet on your

Kashmir we have manuscripts depicting

you see the seven lotuses right here go

to my young Gautama coming out this is

the Buddha when he was meditating in the

forest it was raining one day and a

magical Naga snake five headed snake

came and gave me an umbrella for him and

protected him this is Kashmir e so along

the Silk Road between about 200 BC and

200 CE there is an area called Gandhara

okay this is the Peschel art of holi and

at some times this was a very large

kingdom that spread out especially under

the the Koosh Koosh Ana's at the

cushions

sometimes it was quite small and out of

the way but the important part of this

town is if we think about that mat it's

kind of right in the center of that Silk

Road between Beijing and Istanbul

okay and right before the Terramax basin

right before you kind of have to make

this long-distance trek into China okay

above or behind if you matters how you

think of geography the Himalayas okay

and this is also an incredibly important

place not only because it was kind of a

rich Valley but it's also near the

headwaters of the Ganges or what would

eventually become the Ganges and the

Indus River and so in this area Buddhism

flourished and so Buddhists you know

preachers which traveled with merchants

largely the oldest Buddha image in the

world is on a coin for example and so

the Buddhist monks and nuns traveled

with these merchants and this was a

great training area okay and in in this

area we see the culture of Buddhism

especially between say the first century

CE in the 5th century CE really

flourishing ok so long before Islam was

there so this idea but I'll talk about

that a second

and so really flourishing and you see a

very cosmopolitan style as you see in

this image here depict it picked up from

in

was from from Greece influence from the

Parthians

and influence from North India so in the

areas of Bamiyan which is probably the

area most know well from the to Buddha

images that were destroyed there by the

Taliban I mentioned that more than a

second eras of hada we have a

flourishing Buddhist art and a lot of

this art biographies a lot of this are

stories and a lot of the artistic

depictions there are from the Jatakas or

the stories of the Buddha before he was

over so his preview the stories of his

previous birth the 551 or 553 stories

depending on on how what you can and so

in this area we have a lot of

biographies being produced a lot of are

about the life of the Buddha and in this

area we really do see the cosmopolitan

Eicher of the Silk Road in Indo printing

columns I mean it's really you have

commonly you would think you can find in

Greece and sometimes with a Buddha

depicted sending in a center of a leaf

on it we have robe Styles toga style

roles that are very different from

Indian style robes in the way they live

and the way the shoulders are covered

and that that are similar to he major

name in Greece we have the poses of

course that are different we have the

introduction probably if the halo or

rain Nimbus at this time of the Buddhist

art but we also have the influence of

Buddhist art on greco-bactrian art here

in this area we have the 32 marks of an

enlightened being back it was dead it

marks on the bottom of the feet marks on

the chest often a swastika on the

transmitting kind of glory or a kind of

honor you have long earlobes side of

link again among earlobes good thing

sign of enlightenment until these marks

were showing up you have atlas depicted

on Buddha's are atlas kind of holding up

Buddha altars here and so you really

have this great mixture of our along the

Silk Road and Buddhism was flourishing

in this area in Afghanistan northern

Iran Pakistan long before it really did

in China and long before it was

flourishing and even places like we

think you know the most Buddhist country

on Earth will be time lands about 96%

Buddhist this is this is a good seven

eight hundred years before we really

have Buddhism established in a place

like Thailand

um Sri Lanka had Buddhism about this

time too and that's considered often the

oldest Buddhist culture but this is

really um ancient Buddhist cultures and

of course long before we of Buddhism

ever in Japan and so if you really want

to study early Buddhist history you have

to go to areas that are not today not

hardly Buddhist at all I mean it'd be

very hard to find a Buddhist today a

Buddhist community well-established

Buddhist community there although we

have Buddhist pilgrims from Southeast

Asia and Japan still going there today

to visit some of these sites the origins

of Buddhist writing are all this

evidences from this area of the Silk

Road is Wellington Gandhara area near

Peschel are near the Kashmir in south of

sogdia and east of Iran our present-day

Iran and the oldies are all in dispute

texts that were discovered in this in

this region and you can see there are

the scrolls that are being broken apart

my friend Paul and Shane are are this is

the work of putting these things two

together and they're trying to

reconstruct this literature again a lot

of stories of the lives of Bodhisattvas

and Buddha's are we finding them on the

oldest Buddhist manuscripts from about

first century BCE is about but a little

bit later even though Buddhism was an

oral culture about five hundred years

before that other pieces of evidence

from this region manuscripts that we're

finding a little bit later from here and

then Tibetan style manuscripts as well

starting to be

on paper so this is the Bamiyan Valley

okay and you can see the two areas of

where the giant Bamiyan Buddhas Blair

words were destroyed in 2001 and this

was something I think if anybody follows

history or archeology or this region you

you knew about it and it was all in the

papers of course at this time and I

think a lot of people I wanted to leave

with this and end the talk there's a lot

of people when they think about well why

did Buddhism disappear along the Silk

Road when it was such a thriving

religion in this area and such and this

was really the golden period of

Buddhists our early Buddhists are so why

did it disappear and I think this image

of the destruction of a buddha image by

or one of the largest in the world by

the Taliban kind of sons sums up with a

lot of people's stereotypes about this

are however this is this is if we

studied this over oh this isn't true

okay we have very little evidence that

there was actually a violent conflict

between Muslims booters we have a little

bit but very very little and what

happened is is that most people don't

ask why didn't ISM disappear but they

don't ask well why didn't go to some

Buddhist art survived so long I mean

this was 2001 you had hustling cultures

living in this area for 700 years or

more that didn't touch action more that

didn't touch this image and why and it

was controversial among Muslims that

this was destroyed

you had Buddhist cities and Buddhist

institutions have survived without being

harassed and destroyed what happens

Buddha says disappears and it actually

kind of declined long before Islam got

into this region at all there's a lack

of popular patrons it Hinduism different

intercepts especially Shia bite sects

were growing in much more popularity at

the time and we find generally not a

top-down destruction not kind of

the kind of order destruction what kind

of a slow attrition of Buddhism through

lack of donations through lack of energy

and also the ease of moving to China and

the ease of getting out of this area and

patronage in China Buddhism is a nomadic

religion it was a nomadic religion from

the get-go it doesn't have a whole

demanda doesn't have a Vatican things

like this and it was easily moved out of

this area so if a patron was better 300

miles away or 500 miles away why not

move some Islamic leaders actively

supported Buddhist communities we have

evidence of this we have the survival of

Buddhist institutions and we also have

evidence of Buddhist and Muslim off to

work together not only intellectually

work together but also sometimes

militarily work together to fight

against Hindus and so I wanted to leave

you with the ideas that Buddhism spread

through stories but I don't want you to

take away the common story told about

how Buddhism disappeared thank you very

much

well I mean I think you could include me

into a problem you teacher yes you would

ask me why Hindu wasn't wasn't included

in our program today it could have

easily been included however we don't

have a throught Hindu cultures were

thriving much farther side of the Silk

Road and across the municipality there

certainly were many Kenyans and

especially the dull men in this valley

and of course Vedic cultures pre Hindu

they could even say it was new it wasn't

until the British came along and we have

a lot of things that we call he was put

under that umbrella that that were

surviving but they weren't certainly

certainly certainly a major so but I

mean

the confidence as economies well I'm not

an expert in that but there were many

Buddhist who were working or basically

hired to work in Iran and drive as

economists and also we have evidence for

architects and especially astrologers

mistis astrologers and mathematicians

there's a great lack of study of the

history of mathematics in this region

and ministry of architecture where we

find a lot of Buddhists and Muslims

working together

Muslims were giving to Buddhists certain

ideas like the idea of zero and certain

mathematical concepts and Buddhists were

giving lots of information especially

about astrology the workings of the

cosmos in time and so yes there's a lots

and lots of evidence of Muslims and

Buddhists working together in terms of

economists I've heard that but I don't

that's on my field so but you're into

logical guess lots of working yeah it's

not not really related but you know in

China

honestly Buddhist practice with the Shah

Massoud what the monks shave their head

and wasn't quite purpose of them putting

the six box with a head and when they

burned themselves an incense what is

that well I'm not an expert on China but

in terms of six marks I have to get a

tattoo of six marks as well that is the

it your senses the five senses plus the

sixth sense okay and it's

as any taste and touch and feel but what

your whole being is constructed of its

five and then the sixth is an

understanding of that so six is a very

common work but also there's six

traditional levels of the universe which

I can't go 6 is a big number needs to

pick number two underneath this big

number so yeah that is a that is related

to that and then you have colours on Sri

Lankan dark flag with like that too so

it's the right principle one final

question yeah recently reading the

article and stones bones and Buddhists

British Opens - yeah and he was the

introduction was talking about the

pathetic of the traditional Pali

Buddhist texts of the terrible form of

Buddhism he was arguing that some of the

archaeological data does not reflect

what it taught there is that here with

the argument he was saying that

Westerners were kind of looking at it

from a Protestant point of view of the

worst if their holy book says that it

hadn't been that way right

but we found evidence monks were

supposed to before but yet there were

monks donating buildings I thought how

much can we trust the to pineco the the

ancient Buddhist scriptures as opposed

to well first of all Greg Greg and I are

friends and yeah I do i do who he was

arguing and so and he's absolutely right

but I think it's the same with any

religion is that if you want to look at

a religious text of whether it the Old

Testament of the Quran or the Pali Canon

or the Vedas or whatever historically

that's fine you can mine historical data

out of it and then some of it is

mythological some of it is because

you're writing against your enemy you're

right you're purposely putting them down

and horrifying yourself and you have to

operated with archaeological evidence

and so if the texts inform the

archeology or vice versa that's helpful

but you can't take as one a superior

type of knowledge over the other

absolutely right in terms of monks and

nuns they were coming from generally the

upper classes and we're before they

ordain we're donating massive things and

then there are some evidence and

afterwards even their families were and

they were donating these things and

that's what led to a lot of this clergy

and the culture of building the soup and

satchels yeah okay at this point we will

take a 15-minute intermission and

reconvene here at 2:40 there is a cafe

upstairs where you can even copy and

some other things and feel free to ask

our speakers is formally professions