ANANDA COOMARASWAMY’S PROFILES OF
PROF.
G. V. L. N. SARMA
Dr.
Ananda Coomaraswamy wrote two outstanding books on Buddha and Buddhism: (1) Buddha and the Gospel of Buddhism all by
himself and (2) The Living Thoughts of
Gutama the Buddha in collaboration with I. B. Horner. A unique feature of
these books is the subtle blending of mythology, history and psychology in a
human matrix. It is certain that Gotama lived in the third century B. C. as a
man amongst men. But later he became a divine, legendary and mythical image of
supreme compassion. Many of the Buddha’s epithets connect him with the Sun or
Fire and signify his divinity. As Dr. Coomaraswamy points out:
He
is “the Eye in the world”, his name is ‘Truth’, and amongst the most characterstic
synonyms of Buddha are the expressions “Brahma-become” and “Dharma-become.”
Many of the details of his life are direct reflections of older myths. These
considerations raise the question, whether the life of the “Conqueror of Death”
and “Teacher of Gods and Men”, who says that he was born and bred in the
Brahma-world and who descended from heaven to take birth in Maha Maya’s womb,
can be regarded as historical or simply as a myth in which the nature and acts
of the Vedic deities Agni and Indra have been more or less plausibly
euhemerized.
Dr
Coomaraswamy projects a historical Buddha with mythical interpretation. For
example, during Buddha’s Mahabhinishkramana
or The Great
Renunciation, Gotama’s ride on Kanthaka’s back though Kapilavastu on the full-moon
day of ashadha “was accompanied by
pomp and glory, for the gods and angels bore myriads of torches before and
behind him, and a rain of beautiful flowers was cast down from the heaven of
Indra, so that the very flanks of Kanthaka were covered.” Again, when the time
of Awakening (Bodhi) comes, Gotama, the Bodhisatta, from his radiant dreams,
draws the conclusion, “this very day I shall become a Buddha.” Dr Coomaraswamy
describes “the great effort” under the Bodhi tree in mythical terms:
“Then
Maya (Death)–the old Vedic Ahi-Vrtra-Namuchi, Holdfast,” overcome in the past
by Agni-Brahaspati and Indra, but never really slain-perceiving that “the
Bodhisatta wants to liberate himself from my dominion,” would not let him go,
and led his armies against him. The Gods were terrified and fled in alarm; the
Bodhisatta sat there alone, with only his own transcendent virtues for
bodyguard. Mara’s assault with weapons of thunder and lightning, darkness,
flood and fire, and all the temptations presented by Mara’s three beautiful
daughters, left the Bodhisatta literally un-affected and unmoved. Mara, unable
to recover the throne to which he had laid claim, could only retire. The Gods
returned and celebrated the prince’s victory and so night fell.
From
mythic images the reader is then led into psychic realms:
Entering
into ever deeper states of contemplation the Bodhisatta obtained successively
the knowledge of Former Births, Divine Insight, the understanding of Causal
Origination, and finally, at dawn, the Full Enlightenment or Awakening
(Samma-Sambodhi) that he had been seeking, and so, ceasing to be a Bodhisatta,
became a Buddha. A Buddha is no longer in a category, but incommumerable; no
longer “this man so-and-so,” no longer anyone, but one whose proper name it would
be vain to ask, and to whom are appropriate only such epithets as Arahant (Worthy) Tathagata (True-come), Bhagava
(Dispenser), Mahapurusha (Great
citizen), Saccanama (Truth named) and
Anoma (unfathomable)...for the Buddha
expressly identifies himself with the Eternal Law (Dhamma) that he embodies
absolute theosis.
Despite
the hagiographer’s euhemerism, the human interest in the book never flags for a
moment. For example, Buddha was not made to appear guilty of insouciance in
renouncing the world. After witnessing the four signs to retire from the
world–old age, disease, death and a
monk–and after having decided to go forth as a wanderer, Gotama gives notice to
his father that the time is at hand for his going forth. The dialogue that
ensues is very stimulating:
“What
is there needful to change thy purpose? Tell me whatever thou deairest and it
shall be thine, be it myself, the palace, or the kingdom.” The Bodhisatta
replied, “Sire, I desire four things, pray thee grant them: the first, to
remain for ever in possession of the fresh colour of youth; the second, that
sickness may never attack me; the third, my life may have no term; the last,
that I may not be subject to decay.” When the king heard these words, he was
overcome by grief, for the prince desired what it was not possible for a man to
bestow. Then the Bodhisatta continued: “If then I cannot avoid old age,
sickness, death and decay, grant at least this one thing, that when I leave
this world I may never more be subject to rebirth.” And when the king could
give no better answer he granted his son’s desire.
Dr.
Coomaraswamy gives a number of equally invigorating dialogues and anecdotes to
elucidate many a philosophical point. Here is a gripping altercation between a
Brahman, Sangarva and Buddha. Sangarva compares Hindu ritual with the Buddhist
monk’s renunciation and rejects the later:
Sangarva
speaks thus to the Lord, “Let me tell you, good Gotama, that brahmans offer
sacrifice and get others to do so. Therefore, good Gotama, whoever himself offers
a sacrificie, or whoever gets others to do so–all these are following a course
of merit benefiting many persons and which is due to sacrifice. But whoever,
whether of this or that family, has gone forth from home into homelessness–he
tames (but) one self, calms (but) one self, makes (but) one self attain utter
nirvana. Thus he is following a course of merit which benefits one person and
which is due to going forth.”
“Well,
brahman, I will ask you a question in reply. What do you think? A truth-finder
(Tathagata) arises here in the world, a perfected one, a wholly awakened one,
endowed with knowledge and right conduct, well-farer, knower of the worlds,
incomparable, charioteer of men to be tamed, teacher of devas and men, awakened
one, lord. He speaks thus: ‘Come, this is the way, this is the course I have
followed until, having realized by my own super-knowledge the matchless
immergence in the Brahma-faring, I have made it known. Come you too, follow
(them) likewise, so that you too having realized by your own super-knowledge
the matchless immergence in the Brahma-faring, may abide in it.’ It is thus
that the Teacher himself teaches dhamma, and
others follow for the sake of suchness (truth). Moreover these number many
hundreds, many thousands, many hundred thousands, so what do you think,
brahman? This being so, does the course of merit that is due to going forth
benefit one person or many persons?”
One
philosophical point which Dr Coomaraswamy settled was Buddha’s anatmavada. He narrates an anecdote. On
his way from Benares to Uruvela, Buddha met a party of youngmen picnicking with
their wives. One of them was an unmarried young man who brought with him his
mistress. She ran off with some of the young-men’s belongings. They were all
looking for her, and asked Buddha if he had seen her. Buddha replied:
What
think ye? Were it not better ye sought the self (attanam gavesayyatha), rather than the woman?
(Vinayapitika i. 23)
Dr
Coomaraswamy thinks that Buddha’s answer is of utmost significance for our
understanding of the Buddhist doctrine of self-denial:
We
find the very Master in whom the work of self-naughting has been accomplished
recommending others to seek for the self–an apparent contradiction that can
only be resolved if we clearly distinguish between the ‘selves’ referred to–one
to be naughted, one to be cultivated.
The
story of Buddha as a historical figure is known to everybody; and yet one feels
inspired and edified when one reads Dr Coomaraswamy’s most absorbing account of
Buddha and His gospel. This is chiefly due to the humanism and artful synthesis
of mythology, history, psychology and philosophy in his great work.