Dear Aakar Patel,
This letter is in response to your recent article on Buddhism
"the art of losing the good stuff." Without any doubt you seem to have good enough knowledge on buddhism but I felt somewhere down the line you've wrote that letter without single logic. And my dear, there is big difference in rocket science and religion. The string of religion is simply it's
logic and faith; like an air, we can feel it but can't touch or see it. Also, you seem to have zero knowledge on
Tibetan Buddhism and how dare you poke and insult the iconic king and pundit who have done so much in the name of dharma. Perhaps that's what is missing in your article. It is foolish for anybody to even write about religion like
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jain, without any knowledge of it's origin and the sole purpose of it's teaching. The sad part is you've wrote something so long and informative in your article about export/import of religion without a single word of "KARMA." Amusing indeed!!!! Now, thats the real art of losing the good stuff I must say. And I'm more then happy to point out where you have lacked that sense,,,,,,,,,
"We exported Theravada from the south and civilized Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Cold and austere (observe how calm Lankans and Thai are), godless and illuminating, for me, Theravada is real Buddhism."
The missionaries of Ashoka; the king you have insult is the responsible for converting these countries to have temple, faith, and religion or some civilization in their nation which once used to be nothing but forest. And I don't understand what's so "real" about the theravada buddhism just because they are godless. Perhaps godless must be the reason to their "ape" like facial feature and behaviors. Perhaps that's the karma of their nation to be called heaven on earth where half the nation is dying with extremely high poverty, crime, and rest by spreading AIDS to rest of the world. I must say you've a good taste in arts!
"From the north, we exported Mahayana, civilizing Japan, China, Tibet and Bhutan with magic about bodhisattvas. How they converted our mumbo-jumbo into cultural gold is a mystery."
The day we were born, we had been taught that only Tibetans had the highest responsible and rights towards buddhism. We had been raised with the idea that the reason to our existence is only because of our karma, and we are here only to accomplish our parents (Buddhasatva's) goal which is to spread peace and happiness.
Tibetans had neither converted or adopted Buddhism, it was there since day one. And the great indian masters have referred it as heaven of thirty three (trayastrimshadeva). Since the day Kauravs had lost Kurukshetra war, maharaja Rupti had escaped in to Tibet and founded Tibet. Dalai Lama says we are the descend of him. Also around 150 BCE the king of Magadha had exiled in Tibet and became the first ever king in history of Tibet named "Nya Tri Tsenpo" by six bon priest and gave birth to the cradle of Tibetan civilization and left great line of royal lineage. We had inherited our dharma, it was neither donated nor adopted. The secret to our mystery is best hidden, or else like any westerners you too will go crazy over "Tibetan" and starts bowing down to us every time you meet us. Tibetan Buddhism exist in central Tibet before even Mahayana got exported from Nalanda University. It was our native "Bon Buddhism." Padmasambava, (the founder of Tibet's oldest sect Nyigma) was the mystery sage from the Indus valley who is responsible of this "cultural gold" by bringing soul and philosophy in Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet, along with Kashmiri Pundits who had invented the Tibetan alphabet and literature. And Lord Shiva had reside there since the day he got married to the daughter of Himalaya Goddess Parvati. And since day one we have our own Tibetan name for Shiva and it's called "Lord Wangchuk." Bottom line nothing gets import or export in to heaven (Tibet), it's best if you leave it as a mystery and untouched. At end the birth of our body, mind, and speech roots from the ultimate truth of purana and that's all it matters to us even if it's rubbish to you.
"It is true, however, that the Japanese didn’t absorb the poisonous Indian message ofmaya. They look at the world empirically, and their Buddhist sites and rituals are different from ours. These nations accept their debt to us and it is remarkable how liked Indians are in many of these places."
Being different is good as long as they don't sink in the ocean. An ocean of wisdom sometimes can be too heavy to survive when one lacks shining karma or else why land in middle of ocean at first place na. :-)
"Anyway, we had no use for Mahayana either and it is gone from here."
Wake up! Dalai Lama, Karmapa Lama, etc living in India is also the reason to bringing Mahayana back to it's root so never say it's gone from India. And this link will be perfect article to touch up and enlightened your knowledge on returns of Mahayana.
http://o-meditation.com/2009/10/18/osho-and-the-16th-karmapa/
I stared at the line a long time when I first happened across it, and was not surprised when tears welled up and blurred it. Jawaharlal Nehru must have been as moved, for Ashok’s wheel is on our flag, and his superb lion capital (when did we lose that talent for sculpture?) is the symbol of our republic. Nehru was moved further, for he named his only daughter Priyadarshini, after Ashok. What a gift Prinsep gave us.
A simple lion represents the power of a king who had founded the princely state of ancient india in to one big nation. Who had understood the meaning of "karma" and promoted peace and buddha dharma all over the world. A simple brahmin had felt the power of dharma and it's wisdom that he was the first ever man to rule the nation and fulfilled his dharam/karam by certainly bringing "Mahayana back to his home" by offering HH Dalai Lama and Tibetan people home away from home! Perhaps this picture of Priyadarshini speaks the tears of Nehru. It takes a lot to realize the existence of karma and shed tears from eyes when it is no longer blindfolded. Perhaps, because I have seen and sense that tears falling out of my own blood, the elders from my family members who are greatly bonded to such a deed and spent a lifetime admiring the philosophies of great sages. Perhaps, if only you have that sense,,,,,,,,,,we can certainly make a difference in saving "the art of losing the good stuff."
.JPG)
