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Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 The Nirvana Trail Sunil Kumar Pattnaik Buddhism - The great philosophy had its origins (such liberation was often called moksha or mukti, in India. As we know some time in 6th-5th century but other words also came to be used, such as B.C. it emerged as a dominant force in Indian nirbana and kevalin). The third idea was that there religion right from its birth, down about the eleventh are certain means, for liberation from rebirth. With century. It declined in India, but still prevalent in these notions also went the conception of a soul parts of the North India and in Nepal and beyond of Jiva or Purusa who might continue into in Tibet and Mongolia and in the Island of Ceylon liberation. The Buddha's new spin was first to or Lanka. It spread to South-East Asia, from identify the problem of rebirth as having to do Thailand and Myanmar into Combodia, Laos, and essentially with impermanence. The fabric of life Vietnam, so that by modern times Buddhism is impermanent. But, secondly, this means that became a dominant force. In the first millennium there can be no permanent soul or self; there is of Buddhist India, the predominant form was therefore no entity, there is liberation. Nirvana Mahayana, which developed Buddhist philosophy does not involve the persistence of the saint or in amazing directions. Much of this material, the Buddha or Tathagata. Or more strictly, since together with Tantric notions, were retained and the Buddha's analysis of life reduces things to elaborated in Tibet. Meanwhile from the first complexes of events, the very question as to century B.C. / A.D. Buddhism had begun to move whether the self exists after death is meaningless; into China via the Silk Route (North of Tibet) and in due course, some Chinese-flavor developed, like the querry as to whether a flame goes north, notably Mua Yen an Chan which had their south, east or west after it goes out. Though the influence in Korea and Japan, where Zen in means to liberation lies in yoga or contemplation, particular, evolved in a Japanese way. Chinese there are ethical pre-requisties. The Buddha had Philosophical Buddhism is largely based on Indian an ethical interpretation of brahmanical rituals and sources. ritual powers. The framework of this worldview was moral. The Buddhist philosophy contained three main ideas. One idea was that of rebirth or From an early time the Buddha Sangha, reincarnation. Generally, the Sramanic movements created formulas, for instance, the four noble accepted the thought that without special effort, truths analyzed the human predicament and its we are destined to continuous rebirth. The second solution in the guise of a medical formula. The idea was that nevertheless, liberation is possible human condition of suffering (dukkha) or ill force 59 Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 is caused by carring; there is a cure for suffering, the form of Stupas, Monasteries, Temples and and that is the eight-fold path (the attangikamarga Chaityas can be seen in the excavated sites at or magga in Pali), which culminates in samadhi. Lalitgiri, Udayagiri, Ratnagiri and Langudi Hills This formula of four noble truths, parallels the of Cuttack and Jajpur districts. The development declaration that everything is conditioned - a view of Buddhism from mere a religious creed to ultimately formulated in the doctrine of dependent acceptable forms of mass religion like Hinayana, origination, patccasamuppada (Pali) or Mahayana and Vajrayana, all conglomerated in pratityasamatpada (Sanskrit). This common the different forms of monuments and images. formula see human problems as deriving from Some scholars even identify Hinayana greed, hatred and delusion. This is akin to monuments, Mahayana images and Vajrayana ignorance but slightly different. At any rate, the Temples etc., which can be very well attested from opposites of these "sins" (lack of benevolence, these monumental remains. grasping and insight) bring about liberation. In Buddhism, it is believed that Lord These ideas and thoughts have been Buddha had declared Kalinga (ancient Orissa) knobbed in every Buddhist sites of India. All the as one of the twelve places where attainment of sites like Rajgir, Bodhgaya, Nalanda (Bihar) perfection can be achieved. It was one of the four Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri, Langudi (Orissa) Salihundam, important places possessing inexhaustible Nagarjunkonda, Amamavali (Andhra Pradesh) or treasures of precious substances. These four Ajanta, Ellora, Bagh, Karle (Maharastra) etc. tells precious treasures have also been referred to in the same story. The narrative stories can be found Divyavadana, which states that Pingla of Kalinga, in the form of material remains such as Stupa, Panduka of Mithila, Elepatra of Gandhara and monastery and Chaitya and the images of Buddha Sarikha of Varanasi would be ruling when and Boddhisattvas spread over the country. As Maitreya (future Buddha) would appear as we have seen, the spark of ideas have been Buddha. Buddhist tradition also pay tribute to the transported to the countries of South-East and cultural heritage of Kalinga by admitting that after Far East Asia. India remains the epicenter. Thus, the death of Buddha, one of his tooth relics was the Buddhist sites have a great relevance to the carried to Dantapura, the capital of Kalinga where modern thought and culture. it was enshrined. The State of Orissa is literally dotted with The spark of Buddhism can be glanced hundreds of Buddhist sites. The material remains when Asoka the great Mauryan Emperor (269- such as monuments, their art and architecture, 232 BC) conquered Orissa then known as settlement pattern and other cultural remains are Kalinga in 3rd century B.C. The Kalinga war the reflections of the ancient glorious heritage. marked the turning point in the life of Asoka as Buddhist Heritage of Orissa can be well as in the history of Buddhism. Asoka became glimpsed through the monumental remains at great champion of Buddhism. It is in Kalinga that Dhauli, Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri, Udayagiri, Langudi Hill, the foundation of a great religion and culture was Kuruma, Ganiapalli, Aragarh, Boudh, Solampur, laid and Kalinga became the torchbearer of peace Khadipada, Ayodhya, Khiching, Achutrajpur etc. and non-violence to the whole world. The Stray Buddhist images are spread over almost all archaeological remains in this context found at parts of Orissa. But the monumental remains in Dhauli (near Bhubaneswar) and Jaugada (Ganjam 60 Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 District) in the form of major Asokan rock edicts (Stupa and Chaitya Griha), residential area with are the earliest historical monuments and are monasteries and images of numerous Buddhist Buddhist in nature and spirit. To add to this, the pantheons. Hence, the Buddha and host of other edicts at Dhauli (ancient Tosali) is distinguished Buddhist images appeals in contemporary world by sculptural forepart of an elephant coming out when traditional values are being questioned in of the rocky womb. The elephant here can be the intellectual suptism of the times. Here, the taken theriomorphically and symbolically as the Buddha images seated in various posses like representation of Buddha. Asoka is said to have Bhumisparsa mudra, Abhaya mudra, built a monastery called Bhojakagiri Vihara near Dharmachkra pravatana mudra, taught us how Tosali (Bhubaneswar) where his brother Tissa to perfect ourselves as human beings and to make spent his last days. From the rock edicts, we can the most of life. 'Dhammapada' - the collection of get glimpses of the benevolent work extended to 423 verses, that holds the kernal of Buddha's the people of Kalinga and the communication teachings, reminds here that "Our life is shaped system developed during that time such as roads, by our mind; we become what we think." The rest houses, mile stones, wells etc. There are also image of Buddha, mostly found in Orissa, seated some other Asokan remains like the broken pillar in Bhumispraja mudra (Earth touching pose) as and Bell capital found at Bhubaneswar. serene meditator, un-disturbed by the ebb and flow of history, is at once a comforting and Buddhist vestiges from 3rd century BC compelling one. The reflection is that we are largely to the time of Gangas and Gajapatis (14th - 15th responsible for our own misery, because we century A.D.) can be seen from the excavated cannot control our mental states, and the remains at Lalitgiri, Udayagiri, Ratnagiri and recognition that we can transform our lives by our Langudi Hill. The vastness of the monuments own effort, instead of waiting for help from discovered / excavated at these places are the external sources and authority. The name of this treasure houses for the tourists which form the settlement stand revealed from a monastic sealing Nirvan Trail or Diamond Triangle. depicting "Sri Chandraditya Vihara Samagra Lalitgiri in Cuttack district forms a part Arya Vikshu Sangha". This site can be of Buddhist Heritage triangle and is one of the comparable to other Buddhist sites like Sanchi earliest and the most important Buddhist site in (M.P) and Saranath (UP). Orissa. The Buddhist remains at Lalitgiri are Ratnagiri, another big Buddhist site protected monument of Archaeological Survey situated only 20 km. away from the above site is of India. The extensive mounds at Lalitgiri spread located midway between the rivers Brahmani and over on the hills of Lands, Parabhadi and Birupa in the present district of Jajpur, where the Sukhuapara were taken up for excavation during archaeological excavation was carried out during the year 1985-92. The excavation revealed the the year 1958 to 1962. Stratigraphically, the cultural sequence of the site to be from 3rd century earliest strata has been dated to fifth century A.D.

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