Dawn of Religion: Buddhism in Indo-Arya

Buddhism is far older and more wisdespread than previously imagined. Here in an unrelated photo monks visit a relic of a Tang Dynasty pagoda at Huayuan, NW China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 9/9/06.

Max Müller and The Ur-Heimat of Religions
Ranajit Pal

More than one hundred years have passed since the great German scholar Max Müller (1823-1900) first initiated the study of the history of religions on a cross-cultural basis, not limited only to biblical religion. Max Müller's approach was characterized by a deep commitment to the methods of empirical science and his compilation of the critical edition of the RgVeda marks a new age in Indology.

(berzinarchives.com)

The approach of the Dutch scholars C. P. Tiele and P. D. Chantepie de la Saussaye was similar, and it soon became apparent that despite widely different external manifestations, there are extraordinary parallels between the basic thoughts in the great ancient religions. From his profound comparative study of Eastern and Western mysticism, Rudolf Otto drew attention to close similarities between the writings of the medieval Hindu philosopher Shankara and the medieval German mystic Meister Eckehart.

The renowned art critic and theologian Ananda Coomaraswamy pointed to close similarities between the work of Christian writers such as St. Thomas, Ruysbroek, and Boehme, and passages in Vedic literature -- similarities which are so striking that many sentences from the Christian writers can be taken as almost literal translations of Sanskrit sentences.

The famous scholar of Buddhism, T. W. Rhys Davids, drew attention to close parallels between Buddhist and Christian doctrines. Coomaraswamy saw this as an expression of basic unity of the great religions. And Max Müller wrote that this cannot be attributed to chance alone.

In his view the real reason was more profound but still mundane -- there must have been an early historical contact between ancient peoples in an Ur-Heimat [German, "original homeland"]. Max Müller's enthusiasm was not shared by the next generation of scholars like Otto and the Dutch phenomenologist Gerardus van der Leeuw, who decried the reliance on high scientific ideals[10]. However, a careful study seems to vindicate Max Müller.

Recent archaeological discoveries in southeastern Iran, Baluchistan, and Afghanistan point to the existence of a terrestrial "Heaven" in Seistan, which was the cradle of nearly all the great religions: Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, and perhaps also Christianity.

Gotama's Birthplace Kapilavastu was in Seistan
The biggest hurdle in the reconstruction of the [proper] history of religions is the location of Gotama Buddha's birthplace, Kapilavastu, in modern Nepal, far from Seistan.

That this is a fraud by a crafty forger, Dr. Anton Fuhrer, has been shown by T. A. Phelps[11]. About the endless disputes centering the identification of Kapilavastu, Vincent Smith remarked, "The mystery of Kapilavastu will continue for many years to be the sport of unverified conjecture." No primary relic of Gotama has been unearthed from eastern India except his ashes, which were probably brought from the northwest.

As the work of Sir Aurel Stein and others has shown, Buddhist manuscripts are all from Central Asia and Ceylon. Not a single manuscript has been found in modern India. Again Indian-Buddhist finds are all post-Asokan with no trace of Gotama or Chandragupta. Even Gotama's mortal remains are mostly from the Northwest.

Northwest Roots

To solve the problem one has to turn to the northwest -- to Kuh-i-Khwaja in Seistan, near the Afghan border, where Stein discovered a Buddhist shrine. Even during Alexander's day this area was densely populated and was the granary of Iran.

While all the ancient sites of Iran are in the west, Kuh-i-Khwaja is the only site of the East. Since the Bible alludes to an "ancient east," this must have been a center of great importance. Gotama was a contemporary and namesake of Gomata. And stalwarts like Olmstead, Toynbee, and Dandamayev realized that Darius had lied in the Behistun inscription: Gomata was not an impostor. His immense popularity is attested to by Herodotus' report that the whole of Asia rose in revolt in his support.

He was a great benefactor who abolished taxes and freed slaves; his Palace was at Sikayauvati, which links him to Sakya, Gotama's title; he proscribed Zarathustra just as Gotama had banished Devadatta. And Al-beruni stated that the Zoroastrians drove the Buddhists eastward.

In the highly authentic Ajanta caves, the child Siddhartha is shown dressed as a foreigner. Thus, Bagapa, Viceroy of Babylon during Darius' reign, was surely Gotama, whose title was "Bhagava" [Sanskrit honorific, Bhagwan]. Bagapa must have been the chief priest of E-Sagila.

Before his death Gotama lamented his happy days at the Isigili mount, which is the E-Sagila. There is a reference in the Persepolis Fortification tablets (PF 756) to Gaumata in a religious context which indicates that Bardiya was killed, not Gaumata. After Darius-I's death, Gotama was probably banished by his son Xerexes, who crushed the Daevas [Devas] or Buddhists.

Gotama's mortal remains were also found mostly from the Northwest, which must have been his arena.

Alexander in an Abode of Prophets
The large number of "Alexandrias" founded by Alexander in Asia and Africa were his greatest gift to humanity, wrote Bertrand Russell. Of these one in southeastern Iran has a very curious sounding name -- Alexandria Prophthasia.

The eminent Hellenic and Oriental scholar Sir William Tarn located Alexandria Prophthasia (the city was renamed, not founded by Alexander) at Kuh-i-Khwaja in Seistan. Since "Prophtes" in Greek means "Prophet," it must have been named after a Prophet. Who was this Seer of Kuh-i-Khwaja?

Only Jones' folly obscured that this sage was Gomata the Maga, who was Gotama [the Buddha] himself. The name "Prophthasia" may also be a memory of other Prophets including Abraham and Nebuchadrezzar. Alexander was greatly inspired by NebuChandressar and the same may be true of Gotama.

It turns out that both the names Babil and the Bible echo the name of a very ancient city in Seistan -- Kapilavastu or Babil. Babylon later continued the holy tradition of Babil. To understand the Asokan Edict at Ruminidei one has to note that Ashoka followed Alexander who had exempted the Ariaspians of Kapilavastu from taxes. The Ariaspians are the Hariasvas of the [Hindu religious texts the] Puranas. The Mahabharata [literally, "Greater India," another set of texts] refers to king Hariasva, who was a strict vegetarian.

NOTES

10. The classicist Gilbert Murray has termed it as "the failure of nerve" in the academic study of religion.
11. See http://www.lumkap.org.uk. Not a single archaeological find corroborates Jones' so-called discovery of Palibothra at Patna, yet Indologists trudge on wearily.
Pal, R., "Gotama Buddha in West Asia," Annals of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, vol.77, p.67-120