Review of Pintu Kumar, Buddhist Learning in South Asia: Education, Religion, and Culture at the Ancient Śrī Nālandā Mahāvihāra, New York: Lexington Books, 2018 (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Ancient Nālandā Mahāvihāra: The Beginning of Institutional Education
The Journal of the World Universities Forum
The quest to know the wonders of nature, the material world, and later the increasing desire for knowledge led humanity to build learning centres at each age in history. The specific qualities of each of the educational institution can largely be accounted in terms of the date of its establishment; the conditions under which it was found; the political situation of the location; and the cultural context in which it was installed, which was a chance or an intended design. The paramount aim of this paper is to analyse the mahāvihāra of Nālandā as an institution of learning. We will undertake a critical examination of its objectives, method of teaching, curriculum, teachers, students and administrative system. The Buddhist religion and philosophy was intimately connected with Nālandā Mahāvihāra from its origin to decline. It was the high profile centre for the research and study of Buddhist religion and philosophy to propagate Buddhism in and out of ancient India. This fact must be kept in mind while studying about this noteworthy educational institution.
During its heyday from the fifth to the twelfth centuries C.E., Nalanda Monastery was one of the largest and most advanced knowledge producing and transmitting institutions in the world. Tens of thousands of monks came from many parts of India as well as various parts of Asia to study there. The monastery complex taught not only the teachings of the Buddha, but also subjects such as astrology, music, grammar, rhetoric, medicine, indeed the entire corpus of knowledge that was available in the world at that time. It is therefore not difficult to imagine that these intense academic activities included not only teaching of transmitted texts, but must also have included active interpretations of these texts, as well as very strong creative activities in producing new knowledge. Thus, in the attempt to search for the indigenous source of scientific and technological creativity for Asia, it is impossible to neglect the formidable contribution of Nalanda Monastery. In the proposed paper, I will discuss the role of the Monastery (or university) in knowledge production and refinement of technological capabilities. The paper will also focus on the philosophical and epistemological aspects of Mahayana Buddhism, especially on how the Doctrine of Emptiness (Śūnyatā) might have a bearing on how scientific and technological capabilities in Asia could be further developed.
Latest Research on Ancient Buddhist Temple Sites of Nalanda in India
Gyeongju Institute of Cultural and Heritage Research , South Korea , 2024
The ancient Mahavihara site of Nalanda has garnered the attention of researchers for the past two centuries, beginning in the early decades of the 19th century. The work on the knowledge traditions of Nalanda is outstanding, providing in-depth insights into the practices during its existence. The archaeological discoveries are the most important sources for understanding the architectural and morphological details of the institution building of Nalanda. In the last two decades, excavations have revealed considerable evidence of temple remains. The authenticity and integrity of the evidence exposed during early excavations are further attested by archival documents preserved in photo albums and cartographic collections of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). There are authentic material sources, especially drawings from old fieldwork conducted between the 1860s and 1930s are available. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some volumes of albums were traced in the Archaeological Site Museum Nalanda. These collections of archival photographs contain pictures of the excavation works carried out during the early phase. The recent excavations around the Sarai Mound area revealed a cluster of votive stupas attached to the magnificent temple enshrining a standing image of Buddha made in stucco, perhaps one of the tallest statues of the time. In the last two decades, some temples were exposed at the backside of the main Temple site 3, attributed to the 4th structural phase and some votive stupa structures. Analysis of these findings, together with the archival drawings, photographs, and recent excavations, provides great insight into the core material aspect, specifically for the temple remains of Nalanda.
How to Create a Great Monastery: Xuanzang’s Foundation Legend of Nālandā in Its Indian Context
Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies, 2020
Xuanzang's Datang Xiyu ji has been and is notoriously used for the reconstruction of South Asian history and the history of Buddhism in India. Very often Xuanzang's information is either dismissed because it does not corroborate or even contradicts the 'facts' in Indian sources (epigraphic or literary sources), or is used to overwrite these sources. Both approaches usually do not take into account the wider context in which the different sources are situated. This paper will take up as a case study Xuanzang's description of the foundation of Nālandā Mahāvihāra through the Gupta kings and the available South Asian material to show how a comparative analysis can lead to a new approach to the Datang Xiyu ji as a source for the study of cultural history instead of reading it exclusively in a simplistically and uncritically positivist way.
A Revisiting to the Nemesis of Nālandā Mahavihāra
Pathak Publisher & Distributors New Delhi (India), 2023
Established by Kumāragupta I of the imperial Gupta dynasty in 5th century CE, Nālandā Mahavihāra (district Nālandā, Bihar state) eventually and deservingly earned the distinction of a celebrated centre of oriental learning during the Gupta and Pāla periods. It shot into prominence for its impressive structured curriculum, faculty of international fame, elaborate and meticulous admission process, organized scholasticcummo nastic lay out, marvellous art & architecture, strict discipline and many more things. The cause of its end is generally assigned to its being put on fire by Muhammed Bakhtyār Khiljī around 1205 CE. Records put it that the invaders killed the monks, razed down the monastery and set on fire the large libraries of Nālandā namely Ratnasāgara, Ratnodadhi and Ratnarañjaka. It is believed that the fire lasted for about six months as there was a huge collection of manuscripts in it. Bakhtyarpur, a place about 40 kms north of Nālandā, is believed to be the camping site of the military general during his exploits in east India (Bihar and Bengal) and owes its name to the ruler. Minhāj-i-Sirāj Jūzjānī, a Persian historian of the 13th century CE has also described in his book Tabaqāt-i-Nāciri that Muhammed Bakhtyār Khiljī destroyed a city in western Bihar which they called Bihar and which was found to be a place of study (Raverty 1881:552). Since etymologically Bihar has originated from the sanskrit word vihāra which means monastery, it is believed that the reference is of Nālandā Mahavihāra which was a place of study with similar geographical location as described by the historian. Incidentally, the headquarter of Nālandā district, Bihar Sharif, located about 12 kms from the Nālandā ruins is even now popularly abbreviated as Bihar which the historian has referred as name of the destroyed city. Tāranātha, the Tibetan historian of 17th century CE has also stated that the turks conquered the whole of Magadha and destroyed many monasteries, at Nālandā they did much damage and the monks fled abroad (Ghosh 2006:14). There are many post baked burnt bricks and black soot marks, remnant of fire activity, at the site like in the cells of monastery 1 (figure 1) which are cited as testimony of these references.
2018
The paper would aim to look at the historical, conceptual and monastic development of the Buddhist monasteries (mahāvihāras), built under the aegis of the Pala and Bhaumakara rulers (8th-12th century CE) of the Eastern India, while outlining the cultural, artistic and architectural interrelationships which these religious edifices shared with the contemporaneous Buddhist buildings of Southeast Asia. These edifying buildings stood the test of time as the cultural landmarks reminiscent of the religious, pedagogic and artistic endeavours and served an archetypal model for the Southeast Asian traditions. While serving as institutional strongholds, these monastic universities upheld the idea of faith, peace and harmony. Grounded on the ideals of Vajrayana Buddhism, they ministered the notion of all-inclusiveness, gradually eliminating the patriarchy and misogyny as seen in their radical approach. They also efficaciously manifested the notion of geographical diffusionism by encouraging th...
Revival of Nalanda University: the legacy continues
In this article of mine I have tried to show the position, glory of one of the most important educational centers of early India, i. e. Nalanda mahavihara (university). This paper of mine will focus on how the university gained importance in the early medieval period and reached its peak in the medieval period before the advent of the Islamic rule, when it was destroyed literally. Finally through this paper I have tried to travel through time period and have made a minute attempt to exhibit the legacy of the university that has been carried through modern times with the help of the central government of India, some other NGO"s and governments of neighboring SAARC countries and European nations. Hence this paper of mine is nothing but a micro effort by me to portray the formation, transformation and revival of one of our best educational hub and may be the first university with a huge campus in South East Asia. 1 (P. V. 2009V. (Saka 1930