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Talk on early Bhuddist Figures at Nalanda University
Sitting in a famous center of learning, the history of Mahayana Buddhism unfolds through figures like Nagarjuna, author of the Madhyamaka Shastra Karika, and Aryadeva, who propounded the teaching of emptiness, sunyata. In the fifth century, Asanga and Vasubandhu systematized the teaching of Vijnanavada, the doctrine of Consciousness Only. This teaching is vital for rooting Buddhism in the West through the door of psychology, provided it is modified to be practical rather than highly theoretical. Later figures like Dignaga and Dharmakirti introduced logic and epistemology, but the center eventually became too speculative and intellectual.
The wiping out of Buddhism in India resulted from specific causes. First, it became an elite system of learning, losing ground with the population by not maintaining a strong relationship with the grassroots. Second, it relied too heavily on royal patronage. Third, prideful debates with Brahmanical philosophers created hostility, leading to the burning of the library and eventual destruction by Muslim invasion. In contrast, the Buddha utilized loving speech and mindful dialogue. In a meeting with the Brahmana Sonadanda, the Buddha inquired about the five conditions required to be a real Brahmana:
- The person should look beautiful in appearance.
- He has to master the technique of chanting and reciting the Vedas.
- He has to be of pure blood for at least seven generations.
- He should possess virtues, the moral quality of a gentleman.
- He should possess wisdom or insight.
Through dialogue, it is established that only the last two conditions, moral quality (sila) and insight (prajna), are essential. These two qualities help purify each other, just as one foot washes the other. The Buddha’s gentle manner won the hearts of the people, showing that loving kindness leads to better results than the harmful debates that later characterized the university. Observing the ruins of this place offers an insight into impermanence, reminding us that while everything is bound to be disintegrated, we can live life fully, peacefully, and happily in the present moment.