Is Borobudur waiting for the Maitreya Buddha
Candi Borobudur is a product of the caitya worship or the belief in the descent of Buddharaja Maitreya first established and promoted by Nagarjuna and the Satavahana king in South India around the beginning of the third century A.D. Although Borobudur shows some influences from Nagarjunakonda and Amaravat! in its architectural structure and iconographical design, its designers created their own Javanese styles of caitya that are not seen elsewhere in Asia. Borobudur demonstrates its unique Javanese
interpretations of the beliefs and figures stated in the Verification Sutra. For instance, the image and the role of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra is very much emphasized and is depicted in many styles not seen elsewhere. Bodhisattva Samantabhadra's image and role is basically depicted also in sites such as Nagarjunakonda, AmaravatI, Ajanta and Ellora. Although these sites promote the same belief, however, their depiction of the image of the Bodhisattva is very mechanical,he is always standing by one side of Buddharaja Maitreya.
Maitreya is the earliest bodhisattva around whom a cult developed and is mentioned in scriptures from the 3rd century ce. He was accepted by all schools of Buddhism and is still the only bodhisattva generally honoured by the Theravada tradition. The name Maitreya is derived from the Sanskrit maitrī (“friendliness”).
Iconographically, Borobudur also presents many detailed depictions of the esoteric beliefs prevailing in Asia at that time. For instance, there are the esoteric images of Avalokitesvara Amoghapasa and the Bodhisattva image of Buddharaja Maitreya.
India in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE was divided into various states, including the Kushan Empire and the Satavahana Kingdom. At this point in Buddhist history, the Buddhist community was already divided into various Buddhist schools and had spread throughout India. At this time, there was already a small and nascent Mahāyāna movement. Mahāyāna
ideas were held by a minority of Buddhists in India at the time. As Joseph Walser writes, "Mahāyāna before the fifth century was largely invisible and probably existed only as a minority and largely unrecognized movement within the fold of nikāya Buddhism." By the second century, early Mahāyāna Sūtras such as the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā were already circulating among certain Mahāyāna circles.
Nāgārjuna (c. 150 – c. 250 CE was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers. Nāgārjuna is widely considered to be the founder of the madhyamaka (centrism, middle-way) school of Buddhist philosophy and a defender of the Mahāyāna movement.
His Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Root Verses on Madhyamaka, MMK) is the most important text on the madhyamaka philosophy of emptiness. The MMK inspired a large number of commentaries in Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan, Korean and Japanese and continues to be studied today. Nāgārjuna was an advisor to a
king of the Sātavāhana dynasty which ruled the Deccan Plateau in the second century. This is supported by most of the traditional hagiographical sources as well. Archaeological evidence at Amarāvatī indicates that if this is true, the king may have been Yajña Śrī Śātakarṇi (c. second half of the 2nd century). On the basis of this association, Nāgārjuna is conventionally placed at around 150–250 CE
caitya worship or the belief in the descent of Buddharaja Maitreya -Uncovering the Meaning of the Hidden Base of Candi Borobudur Conclusion Architecturally and iconographically,A SHORT EXPLORATION OF T.Y.S LAMA GANGCHEN'S THEORIES ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE SACRED GEOMETR Y AND MANDALA SYMBOLISM OF CANDI BOROBUDUR IN THE LIGHT OF ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP ON THE SUBJECT by Caroline Gammon, MA.
The Satavahanas contributed greatly to the embellishment of the Buddhist stupa of Sanchi. It was heavily repaired under King Satakarni II. The gateways and the balustrade were built after 70 BCE, and appear to have been commissioned by the Satavahanas. An inscription on the Southern Gateway records that it was the work
of Satakarni II's royal architect Ananda. An inscription records the gift of one of the top architraves of the Southern Gateway by the artisans of the Satavahana Emperor Satakarni: Gift of Ananda, the son of Vasithi, the foreman of the artisans of rajan Siri Satakarni
Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pali) is regarded as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, the being is referred to as Ajita.
According to Buddhist tradition, Maitreya is a bodhisattva who will appear on Earth in the future, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor to the present Buddha, Gautama Buddha (also known as Śākyamuni Buddha). The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya refers to a time in
the future when the dharma will have been forgotten by most on the terrestrial world. Maitreya has also been employed in a millenarian role by many non-Buddhist religions in the past, such as Theosophy, the White Lotus, as well as by modern new religious movements, such as Yiguandao.
The name Maitreya is derived from the Sanskrit word maitrī "friendship", which is in turn derived from the noun mitra "friend". The Pali form Metteyya is mentioned in the Cakkavatti-Sīhanāda Sutta (Digha Nikaya 26) of the Pāli Canon, and also in chapter 28 of the Buddhavamsa. Most of the Buddha's sermons are presented as having been presented in answer to a question, or in some other appropriate context, but this sutta has a beginning and ending in which the Buddha is talking to monks about something
totally different. This leads scholar Richard Gombrich to conclude that either the whole sutta is apocryphal or that it has at least been tampered with. One mention of the prophecy of Maitreya is in the Maitreyavyākaraṇa. It implies that he is a teacher of meditative trance sādhanā and states that gods, men and other beings:
Will lose their doubts, and the torrents of their cravings will be cut off: free from all misery they will manage to cross the ocean of becoming; and, as a result of Maitreya's teachings, they will lead a holy life. No longer will they regard anything as their own, they will have no possession, no gold or silver, no home, no relatives! But they will lead the holy life of oneness under Maitreya's guidance. They will have torn the net of the passions, they will manage to enter into trances, and theirs will be an abundance of joy and happiness, for they will lead a holy life under Maitreya's guidance
Chan from Sanskrit dhyāna (meaning "meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming dominant during the Tang and Song dynasties. After the Yuan dynasty, Chan more or less fused with Pure Land Buddhism. The Yuan dynasty was founded by
the Mongol warlord Kublai Khan in 1271 and conquered the Song dynasty in 1279. The Yuan dynasty lasted nearly a hundred years before a series of rebellions known as the Red Turban Rebellion resulted in its collapse in 1368 and the rise of the Ming dynasty.
The Yuan dynasty lasted nearly a hundred years before a series of rebellions known as the Red Turban Rebellion resulted in its collapse in 1368 and the rise of the Ming dynasty.
Chan is the originating tradition of Zen Buddhism (the Japanese pronunciation of the same character, which is the most commonly used name for the school in English). Chan Buddhism spread from China south to Vietnam as Thiền and north to Korea as Seon, and, in the 13th century, east to Japan as Japanese Zen.
In the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, in the first centuries CE in northern India, Maitreya was the most popular figure to be represented along with Gautama Buddha (often called Śākyamuni "sage of the Shakya"). In 4th to 6th-century China, "Buddhist artisans used the names Shakyamuni and Maitreya interchangeably... indicating both that the distinction between the two had not yet been drawn and that their respective iconographies had not yet been firmly set". An example is the stone sculpture found in the
Qingzhou cache dedicated to Maitreya in 529 CE as recorded in the inscription (currently in the Qingzhou Museum, Shandong). The religious belief of Maitreya apparently developed around the same time as that of Amitābha, as early as the 3rd century CE.
Maitreya is typically pictured seated, with either both feet on the ground or crossed at the ankles, on a throne, waiting for his time. He is dressed in the clothes of either a bhikṣu (monk) or Indian royalty. As a bodhisattva, he would usually be standing and dressed in jewels. Usually he wears a small stupa in his headdress that represents the stupa with relics of Gautama Buddha to help him identify it when his turn comes to lay claim to his succession, and can be holding a dharmachakra resting on a lotus.
A khata scarf is always tied around his waist as a girdle.
In the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, Maitreya is represented as a northern Indian nobleman, holding a kumbha in his left hand. Sometimes this is a "wisdom urn" (Tibetan: Bumpa). He is flanked by his two acolytes, the brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu, who founded the Yogacara tradition.
Examples of Buddhist art at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh include the now world famous Great stupa which saw a lot of additions and modifications during the Gupta period,in the 5th century. A figure of Vajrapani capital near the northern gateway is at the Site Museum at Sanchi. Mahayana forms became prominent at this time. Cosmologically speaking, access to enlightenment is gained through the north. There are four Buddhas on all four sides. He is depicted in dhyana mudra, indicative of meditation.
Temple 17, Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh/ Buddha statue, Great Stupa, Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh.
During this time many new temples were added. At Sanchi is a temple called Temple 17 which is a well preserved small shrine. It has simple mandapa and a garbagriha. The
temple has both Buddhist and Hindu architectural features. The Maitreyasamiti was an extensive Buddhist play in pre-Islamic Central Asia. The Maitreyavyakarana (in Sataka form) in Central Asia and the Anagatavamsa of South India also mention him.
On the sides of the Borobudur stupa-mandala of Central Java are carved several sutras in the form of bas-reliefs. The longest one with 450 panels is Sudana the merchants son’s quest for enlightenment.
The Buddha sends him to the South, to meet Manjushri and then Manjushri sends him on a pilgrimage on which he meets 50 other gurus, in the form of monks, a nun, wives, mothers, businessmen, a sailor, school children, yogis, kings and queens, gods and goddesses, a school teacher, artisans and doctors. Each one explains one aspect of the bodhisattva path to Sudana who under their guidance of the final gurus, Maitreya and Samantabhadra evolves into a bodhisattva with direct understanding of reality, fully commited to working for the benefit of humanity.
Maitreya currently resides in the Tuṣita Heaven (Pāli: Tusita), said to be reachable through meditation. Gautama Buddha also lived here before he was born into the world as all bodhisattvas live in the Tuṣita Heaven before they descend to the human realm to become Buddhas. Although all bodhisattvas are destined to become Buddhas, the concept of a bodhisattva differs greatly in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. In Theravada Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who is striving for full enlightenment (Arahantship in Pali), whereas in Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who has already reached a very advanced state of grace or enlightenment but holds back from entering nirvana so that he may help others.
According to the Lotus Sutra in Nichiren Buddhism, all people possess the potential to reveal an innate Buddha nature during their own lifetimes, a concept which may appear to contradict the idea of Buddha as savior or messiah. Although Maitreya is a significant figure in the Lotus Sutra, the explanation of Nichiren is that Maitreya is a metaphor of stewardship and aid for the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, as written in the Lotus Sutra:
Moreover... all the bodhisattvas, Bodhisattva Maitreya... will guard and protect the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, so one may indeed rest assured.
Thus, each individual can embody the character of the Maitreya because he is a metaphor for compassion: The name Maitreya means ‘Compassionate One’ and designates the Votaries of the Lotus Sutra.
Thailand
Excerpts from an Article which I find worth quoting from since I have myself not been to the Site.
Introduction to the Gaṇḍavyūha Reliefs at Borobudur
Since the exact purpose of Borobudur is not clear, as it is not a temple, and it is not simply a stūpa, and it is not clear if it was meant as an introduction to Buddhist teaching for the layman either. It is fairly safe to say that it broadly belongs to the Mahāyāna, but it shows signs of Tantric influence.
Many of the texts that were illustrated on the walls have by now been identified, although the exact version of the texts remains unknown, and the stories on the reliefs do seem to differ somewhat from the received texts that we now know. At the base of the shrine, and now covered up, are found illustrations of the Mahākarmavibhaṅga text, which tells of the workings of karma and the rewards for good and bad deeds in heaven and hell, some of the reliefs have been identified as belonging to certain stories, but the majority have not.
Although this part of the shrine is no longer accessible, except for a small corner which has been opened up, it was photographed in the late 19th century by the Javanese photographer Kassian Cephas, and it is in fact one of the most important parts of the monument, because it was covered over before it was completed, and the
builders left traces of inscriptions on some of the half-finished reliefs, which would have been removed upon completion as they were elsewhere. It is from these inscriptions, which are written in Sanskrit and in an old Javanese script, that we can date the monument on epigraphic grounds quite accurately and that we also have an idea of the texts that were available to the builders, and how they went about construction.
Above that in ascending order we have Jātaka tales from the previous lives of the Buddha, the exact source book for which is unknown; the Life of the Buddha told on 120 panels according to the story as found in the Lalitavistara, a Sanskritised Prakrit text that appears to be an expansion of an earlier work belonging to the Sarvāstivāda school, which is the work we are centrally concerned with in this book.
Many of the reliefs in the next set have been identified as belonging to the Avadāna series of stories, which again tells of the karmic results of actions good and bad. A number of them – but not all apparently – occur in the collection known as the Divyāvadāna (the Divine Traditons), but many of the reliefs remain unidentified from those stories.
On the next level there are more Jātaka and Avadāna type stories, and also the beginnings of the illustrations of the major work that is featured at Borobudur, the Gaṇḍavyūha and its culminating hymn, the Bhadracarī, which tells of the young man Sudhana’s pilgrimage along the Bodhisattva Path, in which he meets a series of spiritual friends who reveal parts of the truth which he seeks.
This is topped by three more levels where no reliefs occur. On the penultimate level we find chetiyas, or shrines, housing Buddha statues displaying particular gestures indicative of teaching and blessing, and at the top of the monument is a large stūpa, which dominates the whole construction.
That is an overview of the Candi, but it is far from the whole story, because it is clear that the monument was part of a larger construction which was built along a twelve kilometre lay line, that takes in the ancient candis of Pavon, Mendut and Ngawen as well. As with Borobudur itself the exact function of these temples in the greater scheme of things is still unclear, though they do in themselves house shrines and also have relief carvings, and may have been part of a pilgrimage route to the greater monument.
The Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra
The Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra is one of the main scriptures of the Mahāyāna tradition, and is available to us in the original Sanskrit, and also in one Tibetan and several Chinese translations. It is counted as the 5th of the 9 great texts of that tradition in Nepal. It is clear the scripture is one of the earliest of the Avataṁsaka collection and it circulated as a seperate text for many centuries. Almost certainly the version of the text known to the builders of Borobudur was still separate from the later collection.
The Śailendra dynasty in Java at the time of the construction of Borobudur seems to have had relations with the heart of Buddhist philosophical development in the great universities of north-east India, such as Nālandā and Vickrāmaśīla, and it is probably through these contacts that the sūtra had made its way to Java, where it was obviously held in the highest esteem.
When designing the Borobudur the architects had chosen to illustrate numerous Mahāyāna texts on the walls: the Karmavibhaṅga on the base (which is now mainly hidden from view). The Jātaka on three walls and the Divyāvādana texts on one wall on Levels 1 & 2. The Lalitavistara, which relates the early life of the Buddha, on the top section of the inner wall at Level 2. However, the Gaṇḍavyūha occupies a much larger amount, covering five walls from Levels 2-4, in over 470 panels, and is the culmination of the relief work at the monument.
Owing to the philosophical nature of the text and the great deal of space alloted to it, it must have been the most difficult of the texts for the sculptors to illustrate, as a lot of what is written about cannot easily be put into concrete form. To overcome this problem the sculptors have often taken long, involved sentences and illustrated items from them on succeeding panels.
The Story in Brief
The Gaṇḍavyūha is a long and complex text, filled with elaborations and repetitions, that sometimes serve to obscure the movement of the narrative, and it may help to have an outline of the story in mind so we can see how the characters that are featured on the walls at Borobudur fit in to the overall storyline.
The sūtra opens at the Jetavana in Śrāvastī with the Buddha in his Dharma body as Vairocana sitting surrounded by disciples: lay, monastics and Bodhisattvas. The Buddha then enters a special meditation state and reveals the true interpenetrative nature of the cosmos (Dharmadhātu), but only to those who are developed enough to see and understand it.
It is notable that the Buddha never speaks in this sūtra, his teaching is only conveyed through visionary experience. This also applies to the methodology of the spiritual friends who guide the hero of the story, Sudhana, along the way: direct teaching is kept to a minimum, and seems to be incidental, rather than central. It is what Sudhana sees and experiences for himself that is important.
After the revelation of the Dharmadhātu, the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī breaks away from the assembly and surrounded by a group of monks, including Ven. Śāriputra, travels south where his own devotees gather round. There he points out Sudhana, the hero of the story, who establishes his Bodhicitta (a mind set of Awakening).
Mañjuśrī instructs him to go and meet with his first spiritual friend (kalyāṇa-mitra), the monk Meghaśrī, and ask him for instruction in the Bodhisattva path. Sudhana follows this instruction and Meghaśrī praises him for his request and explains what he himself has realised up till that time. He then points out that is all he knows, and he should go and meet with another friend who may be able to help him further.
As Sudhana goes to the next friend he renews his thoughts of why meeting with spiritual friends is necessary, and renews his commitments. He then seeks out the next friend on his pilgrimage, who is usually surrounded by a great glory of one kind or another, and often a retinue of followers, and is sometimes teaching.
He tells his aspiration, and is confirmed in it by the friend, who then shows him a vision of what he himself knows, or practices: it often includes visions of incalculable Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, acting out their callings in all the multiverses; and may also include demonstrations of good practices, such as generosity, and other perfections (pāramita).
In the text Sudhana sometimes asks his friends how they got the wonderful visions and abilities they display, and the answer is usually an occasion for relating their past lives in which they did various good deeds which are seeing fruition in the present.
Although no overall timespan is given for the pilgrimage, we sometimes get an indication of the great dedication Sudhana had on the journey, as when it takes twelve years of searching to find his 5th spiritual friend, the rich merchant Muktaka; or when he meets his 6th friend, Sāradhvaja, and spends six months continuously in meditation with him.
Worthy of note is that the friends Sudhana meets include both Buddhist and non-Buddhist (e.g. Mahādeva, identified as the god Śiva), monastic and lay, male and female, rich and poor. For those with eyes to see, the truth is revealed regardless of status or affiliation.
A surprisingly high number of the friends he meets are female, both human and divine, and many of these are counted amongst the longer encounters in the book, so that there seems to be a definite emphasis on the feminine, which, as we will see, is brought out even more so on the walls at Borobudur.
Exactly why the encounters with females has been emphasised is unknown, unless it has to do with royal patronage at Borobudur itself. It is quite possible that the Śailendra queens were the main donors of the monument, and therefore emphasis was placed on good deeds done by Queens and other women.
Eventually Sudhana meets with Maitreya, who will be the next Buddha in this aeon. It is he who allows Sudhana to enter the Great Tower containing the Chamber of the Adornments of Vairocana (Vairocana-vyūhālaṁkāra-garbha-mahā-kūṭāgāra), where he comes to understand the nature of reality in the universe, and which occupies by far the longest part of the story, both in the texts and on the walls.
He then meets again with Mañjuśrī, who had first sent him off, thereby coming full circle in his pilgrimage. However, the encounter is very short as Mañjuśrī simply passes him on to the ultimate Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra, who explains to Sudhana that the knowledge he has attained is to be used for the benefit of others. The text culminates in the famous Bhadra-cari-praṇidhāna verses.
The Story on the Walls
Although the story on the walls follows the text in outline it sometimes varies from the written word in detail. We might find, for instance, that a meeting is described in the text as taking place in a forest, but is then transposed to inside a building on the walls. Also details that are central to the textual story are occasionally omitted. It seems from this that only very general instructions were given to the sculptors and not a detailed description or plan to follow.
A technical limitation is imposed on the sculptors of the reliefs by the number of blocks on the walls they had to carve. On the inner walls they are three blocks on top of each other to make up the height of the panel; the balustrades, on the other hand, have only two blocks. We therefore find that there can be three levels of action on the inner walls, but everything had to be accommodated within two levels on the balustrades.
A second matter that needs noting is that characters are represented by type, and there seems to be no attempt to retain consistency of representation, even in the main character of Sudhana, so although we can recognise him for the most part, his appearance changes form panel to panel. This applies to other features also, and there seems to have been no felt need for consistency of presentation.
Another point of interest is that on the walls Sudhana is normally portrayed along with his companions. These companions, however, are never mentioned in the text. It doesn’t seem unreasonable that he would have been traveling with others – devotees or guards – as they are sometimes shown, but they don’t find mention in the text.
It appears that originally the illustrations were only meant to occupy the three inner walls on levels 2-4, and we can see how the story leads from one to the other as we ascend. Later it seems the reliefs on the balustrades were added – as they were on other levels – and were filled in, in this case, with more stories of the good works of the Bodhisattva Maitreya. This then leads to an imbalance in the stories that are allotted to the panels.
The first series of reliefs, on the inner wall at level two, which has 128 panels, illustrate Sudhana’s meetings with the first fifty or so of his spiritual friends. There is a peculiarity though, in that most of the meetings are represented twice. There is a first and almost complete series (16-71), and then a partial second series (73-128).
On the inner wall on the third level (88 panels), with Maitreya’s blessing, Sudhana enters the Great Tower containing the Chamber of the Adornments of Vairocana where he comes to understand the nature of the Dharmadhātu. Maitreya in person stays outside, but inside he is often seen as pervading the universe and his deeds in the three times are revealed to Sudhana.
The balustrades on Levels 3 (88 panels) and 4 (60 panels) depict Maitreya’s previous good deeds, and the last 24 panels on Level 4 show Sudhana’s early encounters with Samantabhadra, his final teacher.
The inner wall on Level 4 also concerns Samantabhadra and there are shown 72 panels which illustrate the first 48 of the 64 verses of the text of the Bhadra-cari-praṇidhāna which concludes the Gaṇḍavyūha, sections of which are recited throughout temples and homes in East Asia to this day. A complete translation of these verses is presented here.
Some Characters
Here are some of the main figures shown on the walls. Note that. Bodhisattvas, kings and members of the nobility are all shown as being richly decorated, with crowns and jewelry, and even sitting in similar postures, and it is therefore sometimes difficult to tell them apart when we are unsure of the story being represented.
⦁ Sudhansa: The main character of the story, and indeed the hero, is Sudhana. He is a Bodhisattva and is usually shown as crowned and in rich adornment like many others. However, he is highlighted by having a parasol held over him, and he is usually shown as amongst the first group of characters that we see as we walk along the walls which were designed to be viewed from the point of view of the pradakṣiṇa, or ritual circumambulation, which is made by keeping the right side of the body to the object of
reverence. This means that when looking at the inner walls Sudhana appears mainly on the right of the panel; while on the balustrade he appears usually on the left. There are variations that are pointed out, but this is the general pattern
⦁ kalyāṇa-mitra: On the first wall the spiritual friend (kalyāṇa-mitra) that Sudhana meets with is the main character in the relief, and is usually shown inside a pavilion that serves to highlight his position as the central character. Occasionally this friend will be situated not in a building, but under an elaborate tree. Sometimes they share their shelter with one or more people, and sometimes they alone are inside and others are outside.
⦁ Maitreya: Sudhana’s most important spiritual friend is Maitreya, who is shown on level three, both sides, and most of level four, balustrade. He can be identified by the stūpa which is set in his crown, though as with all the types, this can sometimes be missing, and is occasionally lost to decay.
⦁ Bodhisattvas:Bodhisattvas, as stated, are usually dressed in finery, and have crowns and jewelry decorating their bodies.
⦁ Monastics: Monastics, on the other hand, are simply dressed, and are shown with very short, or shorn, hair.
⦁ Devas; These are supernatural beings. Devas are normally portrayed above the clouds, often paying homage or making offerings to the main figure in the scene below.
⦁ Nagas: which are earth-bound devas who have snakes in their headress;
⦁ Garudas: garuḍas, human-type creatures, but with strong beaks;
⦁ yakṣas, thick-set with heavy mustaches;
⦁ gandharvas, who play musical instruments;
⦁ asūras, who are heavy-set and bearded; and
⦁ kinnaras, who are females but with bird bodies from the waist down.
⦁ Brahmins are also portrayed as having beards, and are sometimes hard to distinguish from asūras.
