1900 years of Afghan Buddhism

by Lionel Wijesiri, Daily News (Sri Lanka), March 23, 2005

Ryukoku University, a Buddhist school in Kyoto, and Afghanistan's National Institute of Archaeology have signed an accord to survey and excavate newly found Buddhist relics lying west of the famed Bamiyan ruins. The excavation is expected to shed new light on the history of Buddhism in Afghanistan.

Buddhist stupas, monasteries and the massive statues carved out of a sand rock at Bamiyan in the heart of Afghanistan were the wonder of scholars and connoisseurs of art and culture. Unfortunately they are no more, devastated by the Taliban regime of Afghanistan.

Buddhism has played very important role in shaping the history and culture of Afghanistan. It continued to be a Buddhist country for more than nineteen centuries and thereafter for many reasons the pristine culture and original religion of Afghanistan were completely wiped out from there.

We know the story of Tapassu and Bhalluka. They are said to have been touring merchants and met the Buddha under the Rajayatana tree at Bodha-Gaya while coming from Ukkala (Orissa) in the eighth week after his Enlightenment. They took refuge in the Buddha and the Dhamma and thus became the first lay-devotees or Upasakas of the Buddha.

It is now proven that their homeland was located somewhere near Balkh, the ancient Bahlika at the far end of the north-western Afghanistan. It has also been suggested that the name Bhalluka is a derivative from the town Bahalika.

In all probability it appears that Tapassu and Bhalluka were the merchants from Balkh area and they were the first persons who took the message of the Buddha to Afghanistan. Bhalluka later became a monk and built a monastery near his home city. He brought with him eight hairs of the Buddha as relics, for which he built a stupa monument.

The area across the Khyber Pass, which was called Udyana in ancient days is a part of Afghanistan in the Province of Ningarahar with its capital Jelalabad. It was a part of Gandhara in ancient times.

There are stories about Sakyan migration from eastern India to Gandhara, even during the Buddha's life-time. These are now proven facts. We have found the skull relics of the Buddha from Hadda and his tooth relics from Dauranta. Both these places are near Jelalabad.

Another relic casket with inscription was found at Wardak located in this very area. All these antiquities discovered from this area lead us to infer that Jelalabad or Udyana was an important centre of Buddhism from the very beginning.

History

Just after the second Buddhist Council, held in 443 BC, it is said that a section of the early Theravada Sangha branched off. They are known as Mahasanghikas, probably because they were in large number. They migrated from Magadha into two streams. One went to south India and the other to north India and settled in Udyana.

Several years later, the Mahasanghikas split into further five sub-schools. The main one was Lokottaravada, which later established itself in the Bamiyan Valley in the Hindu Kush Mountains. There, its followers built the world's largest standing Buddha statue, in keeping with their assertion of Buddha as a transcendent, superhuman figure.

The Han Chinese pilgrim Fai-hien travelled through the territory between 399 and 414 and reported the flourishing of Buddhism.

In 330 BC, Alexander the Great conquered most of the Afghanistan. He was tolerant of the religious traditions of these regions and seemed interested primarily in military conquest. His successors established the Seleucid Dynasty.

In 317 BC, however, the Indian Mauryan Dynasty took the country from the Seleucids and thus the area was only superficially influenced during this short period.

The Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (268 - 232 BC) favoured Theravada Buddhism. In the latter part of his reign, he sent a Theravadan mission, led by Maharakkhita. The mission erected "Ashoka pillars" with edicts based on Buddhist principles. Through these missions, Theravada established a presence in Afghanistan.

In 197 BC, the Greek and Bactria conquered Afghanistan from the Mauryans. One of its kings, Menandros (Pali: Milinda, ruled 155 - 130 BCE), was a follower of Theravada due to the influence of the visiting Indian monk Nagasena. The king put many questions to this Indian master and their dialogue became known as The Questions of Milinda.

Shortly afterwards, the Graeco-Bactrian state established relations with Sri Lanka and sent a delegation of monks to the consecration ceremony of the great stupa built there by King Dutthagamani (ruled 101 - 77 BCE). From the cultural contact that ensued, Graeco-Bactrian monks orally transmitted The Questions of Milinda to Sri Lanka. It later became an extra-canonical text in the Theravada tradition.

Kanishka

In the second century AD with the ascension of Kanishka to the throne, Afghanistan became a great seat of Buddhist learning and the arts. It was from this pivotal centre that Buddhism reached China and Mongolia. Kanishka, being intellectually convinced of the pragmatism of Buddhism became a Buddhist and later became a very liberal, generous and steadfast promoter of Buddhism and Buddhist art and culture.

During his long and epoch-making reign (120 to 160 AD), Buddhism and Buddhist art and culture became the life-blood of his far-flung empire. In Peshawar, Kanishka built a beautiful Sanghararma (monastery like the Mahavihara of Anuradhapura) with a lofty stupa of about 150 feet in height, a most breathtaking construction of the time. Capisa was dotted with viharas and statues.

In 224 CE, the Persian Sasanad Empire overthrew Kushan rule in Afghanistan. Sasanids tolerated Buddhism and allowed the construction of more Buddhist monasteries. It was during their rule that the Lokottaravada followers erected the two colossal Buddha statues at Bamiyan.

At the beginning of the fourth century, the White Huns took the territory from the Sasanids. At first, the White Huns followed their own religion, which resembled Zoroastrianism. Soon, however, they became supporters of Buddhism.

During the subsequent centuries, political and military alliances changed frequently as the Arabs, Chinese, Tibetans, Turki Shahis, and various other Turkic tribes fought and took control of Afghanistan.

Tragedy struck in 1215, when Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, conquered Afghanistan. As was his policy elsewhere, he destroyed those who opposed his takeover and devastated their lands. By 1325, all the leaders of the community have been converted to Islam. After this, there is no positive indication of the continuing presence of Buddhism in Afghanistan.

source: http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/03/23/fea09.htm