Original Buddhism in Bangladesh

Who Are the Bengali Buddhists?
Ven. Karunananda, Abbot

California Bodhi Vihara, Long Beach, CA

.

While the mystic poet Rabindranath Tagore, the modern saint Dipa Ma (Nani Bala Barua), and her guru Anagarika Munindra may get all the attention, Bangladesh actually has a long and storied history of Buddhism. From its first contact with the Buddha, according to Canonical records, delivering a discourse to its oppression by the Mughal Empire of Akbar and his descendants, Banga (as it was once known) and the Chittagong Baruas have preserved the original message of the Buddha Gautama’s dispensation.

Bangladeshi Buddhists maintain the original form of Buddhism, the "Teaching of the Elder" [enlightened arhats, the immediate disciples of the Buddha]. And California now has the distinction of housing the first Indian subcontinental monastery outside of Asia.

In the 8th century, when Buddhism yet thrived in its birthplace India -- when Southern Nepal, Assam in the north, the state of West Bengal, and Eastern Pakistan were all a part of Bharat (“India” proper) -- King Shashanko came into power and laid waste to Buddhism in India. He was the forbear of the famous "Hindu" systematizer Sri Shankara Acarya, who amalgamated divergent traditions prevalent in the subcontinent into one organized religion.

King Shashanko converted to Brahmanism, slaughtering monks and razing famous Buddhist universities. He then converted people by force, displacing Buddhism as the dominant religion of Bihar. The king even went so far as to order the destruction of the original Bodhi tree, under which Siddhartha Gautama gained enlightenment to become the Buddha. He died of leprosy within seven days as a result.

Tibetan historical accounts, namely the Rajata Ramgini, record the litany of atrocities. This sent waves of fleeing monks and lay Buddhists east to what is now Bangladesh. Monks, to preserve their lives and their ordinations, disrobed except for saffron shreds around their fingers. They trekked over the perilous mountains of Assam and the wilds of Nagaland to the Buddhist stronghold of the Arkanese kings (Arkanese kings which ruled in Burma)....

Search Wikipedia “Bangladeshi Buddhists”