Tibet treasury: 84,000 new manuscripts found

Lilly Ravenwood, History Enhanced; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Tibet used to be a Himalayan empire with many treasures, spiritual/temporal (Richard Mortel)

Just Beyond the Wall of the Buddhist monastery (©Source: Richard Mortel/flickr.com)

Unseen: 84,000 unread manuscripts discovered in Tibetan lamasery (©Richard Mortel/flickr)

The Dalai Lama finishes a sand yantra

In the heart of Tibet stands the Sakya Monastery, a silent witness to centuries gone by. This special place held a secret.

For years, behind old walls, lay a library filled with ancient manuscripts. These papers tell tales from long ago, and they waited patiently, hidden from the world, to share their stories, until now.

Many had walked the Buddhist monastery's halls, unaware of the treasures that lay just out of sight.

JUST BEYOND THE WALLS: The old books and scrolls have seen empires rise and fall. They've captured the wisdom and adventures of people from ages past.

They know about ancient kingdoms and great adventures. When discovered, it was like finding a map to another time.

• More: Unveiling the Unseen: 84,000 unread manuscripts discovered at Tibetan Buddhist monastery

Why Muslims destroyed world's 1st university

Bodhisattva, Jan. 30, 2022; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Why Muhammed Bakhtiyar Khilji burnt the Nalanda Buddhist University: the real reasons and firsthand accounts

(Bodhisattva) Why did Khilji slaughter thousands of monks and why did he then set the entire university on fire?

Was this the result of some misunderstanding or done on purpose with the objective of bringing Islam and driving Buddhism out of India? What do the accounts of the eyewitnesses of this unthinkable massacre tell us? Do they report a different motive for the bloodshed and burning of 9 million books?

Bakhtiyar Khilji arrived at Nalanda University with only 200 Central Asian horsemen. The six-story maha-vihara ("great monastery") looked like a huge military fort without any beginning or end.

Khilji killed thousands of monks and burned the nine-story library of the university. At any given time more than 1,500 Buddhist teachers and 10,000 students (first monastics then open to lay people from all over Asia) used to live in this university.

CHAPTERS

• 0:00 - Intro
• 2:02 - Eyewitness Accounts
• 5:01 - History and Significance of Nalanda University
• 8:28 - Destruction by Bakhtiyar Khilji
• 9:41- Impact on Buddhism

They were caught completely unaware of the impending attack. The next several hours were some of the most shameful hours in the long history of India (Great Bharat).

Every single teacher and student was murdered in one of the most horrible massacres the country has ever seen. The destruction was so complete that when he asked his soldiers to bring someone who could explain the content of the books, the soldiers could not find a single person alive.

They discovered that the entire city and hundreds of buildings spread in several kilometers was not a "fort" but a university, which the locals called Bihar (Vihar = monastic complex).

Khilji looted the monastery and obtained a great quantity of plunder. Before leaving the monastery, Khalji ordered the library and university to be set on fire.

With that, all the knowledge that was stored in those books and manuscripts was burned to ashes along with the bodies of the murdered monastics.

The millions of books of the library kept on burning for more than three months. But why did General Khalji kill thousands of innocent and unarmed monks, and why did he set the entire library and university on fire?

Was this result of some accidental misunderstanding or on purpose? What do the accounts of the eyewitnesses of this massacre tell us? Do they paint a better motive for the bloodshed and burning of millions of books?

Let’s explore one of the most shameful events in the history of humankind. #Nalanda #Khilji #University

CREDITS

• Timurid Siege of Multan (Mydust)
• Konark palm leaf manuscript (Amshpatten)
• Sanskrit written on the Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur (Matthew T. Rader)
• Ancient Monasteries Bihar Sharif (Odantapuribs)
• Front view of Vikramshila Monastery (Deepak Kumar Sharma)
• Buddhaghosa with three copies of Visuddhimagga (Photo Dharma)
• Painting of Battle of Tarain - Rajput States (Amit20081980)
• 1572-The Wounding of Khan Kilan by Rajputs-Akbarnama (Victoria and Albert Museum)
• Maharaja Chhatrasal (SPVCA)
• Nalanda University India (Hiroki Ogawa)

World's 1st university: Buddhist Nalanda (BBC)

BBC Reel, June 10, 2022; Bodhisattva; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

How the world's oldest university was lost for 800 years (BBC)

(BBC Reel) Founded more than 1,500 years ago, India's ancient Nalanda [Buddhist monastic] University is thought to have been the world's first residential university.

The Buddha-to-be went to college at Taxila

Established more than 500 years before England's Oxford University, at its peak Nalanda hosted over 10,000 students from around the world.

It is considered by historians to be one of the great centers of learning of the ancient world.

• [Two other perhaps older universities were at Timbuktu, in Islamic Africa, and the school the Bodhisattva ("Buddha-to-be") attended along with Ananda in a previous life, Taxila/Takkasila, the capital of ancient Gandhara (modern Pakistan), which is mentioned in the Jataka Tales.]

Nalanda University was destroyed towards the end of the 12th Century AD. Its legendary library was burned to the ground, and much of its ancient knowledge was lost.

Now, 800 years later, it is being revived for the modern age.

Video by Mithun Pramanik. Commissioned by Dan John. #bbcnews #bbc #india #bbcreel #india #university #indian

Why did Muslims destroy it?

(Bodhisattva) Why Turko-Afghan mass murderer Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji burned down Nalanda Buddhist University and killed all of its resident monk teachers and monastic students: real reasons and firsthand accounts.

Where in the world is Timbuktu?

In its Golden Age, Timbuktu's numerous Islamic scholars and extensive trading network supported an important book trade, together with the campuses of Sankore Madrasa, an Islamic university.

This established Timbuktu as a scholarly center in Africa. Several notable historic writers, such as Shabeni and Leo Africanus, wrote about the city.

These stories fueled speculation in Europe, where the city's reputation shifted from being extremely rich to being mysterious. More

[So white Europeans destroyed it, took its knowledge, then denied it ever existed. This created the joke that "Timbuktu" is synonymous with "Podunk," a faraway or nonexistent place.]

The oldest Buddhist texts ever discovered

Richard Salomon (amazon.com); Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

A set of 29 scrolls recently acquired by the British Library promise to provide a window into a crucial phase of the history of Buddhism in pre-India (Scythia, Saka, Central Asia, IVC) just as the Dead Sea scrolls changed our understanding of Judaism and early Christianity.

The fragmentary birch bark scrolls, which were found inside one of a set of inscribed clay pots, are written in the Gandhari Prakrit (Pali-Sanskrit) language and in Kharosthi script.

Dating from around the beginning of the Christian era, the scrolls are probably the oldest Buddhist manuscripts ever discovered.

The manuscripts and pots come from a region known in ancient times as Gandhara, corresponding to modern northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan (a part of India until 1948).

At the peak of its influence, Gandhara was the capital of a series of wealthy and powerful dynasties and became one of the world’s most important centers of Buddhism and the gateway through which Buddhism was transmitted from India to China and other parts of Asia.

• The Gandhāran Buddhist texts are the oldest Buddhist manuscripts yet discovered, dating from about the 1st century CE (UW Press: Ancient Buddhist Scrolls from Gandhara). They are also the oldest Indian manuscripts (Richard Salomon, The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhāra: An Introduction with Selected Translations, p. 1, referring to works written on paper, tree bark, and palm leaves. For there are older inscriptions carved in stone). They represent the literature of Gandharan Buddhism from present-day Northwestern Pakistan and Eastern Afghanistan and are written in Gāndhārī. They were sold to European and Japanese institutions and individuals, and they are currently being recovered and studied by several universities. Gandhara was also a principal point of contact between India and the Western world. Despite abundant archeological evidence of Gandhara’s thriving culture, until now there has been virtually no documentary evidence of its literary and religious canon.

Gandhara's Greco-Buddhist art, Indo-Pakistan, 3rd cent.

This book introduces a groundbreaking project to decipher and interpret the Gandhäran texts. It provides a detailed description of the manuscripts and a survey of their contents, along with a preliminary evaluation of their significance. Also included are representative samples of texts and translations.

This discovery sheds new light on the regional character of early Indian Buddhist traditions, the process of the formation of standardized written canons (such as Pali/Magadhi), and the transmission of Buddhism into Central and East Asia.

Ancient Buddhist scrolls from Gandhara will appeal to a broad audience with interests in Buddhism, comparative religion, and Asian languages. More

• Review: Like a Buddha statue coated in old chewing gum This is a translation of the oldest Buddhist writings ever found, which are very damaged. Translations are ongoing with texts scattered across various private collections in Europe and Japan. They are recovering the oldest known teachings of the Buddha in a collaborative work of professors who must justify their translations.
• More info: The Early Buddhist Manuscript Project
• A maverick history of early Buddhism (Ranajit Pal)

"Celebrating Frida Kahlo," Oct. 15 (video)

AltadenaLibrary.org; Crystal Quintero, Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

"I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality." - Frida Kahlo

Frida and Che are Latin American icons on par with Mary and Jesus (Cortni Frecha)

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Celebrating Mexican Frida Kahlo
Join us and the Altadena Library (unincorporated Los Angeles foothill community above Pasadena) as it celebrates the life of Frida Kahlo.

Kahlo is one of the most important 20th century artists of the Americas. The library's Miriam Quezada will present an exhibition and movie inspired by Kahlo's life and artistic work.
 

Behind Frida Kahlo portraits lie the many faces of an extraordinary artist.

She painted her pain, solitude, returning to her Mexican origins, the political activism reflecting her commitment to social justice, and the surrealism reflected in her art, all incorporated into her natural surroundings. More

• FREE special Altadena Library event
• 600 East Mariposa St., near Lake Ave.
• Altadena, Los Angeles, CA 91101
• Saturday, Oct. 15, 2:00-4:30 pm

• Museum of Latin American Art 20th Anniversary

(Documentary) "The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo," born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón (July 6, 1907-July 13, 1954), wife of artist Diego Rivera, born in Coyoacán, Mexico, painter of self-portraits.

Kahlo's life began and ended in Mexico City, in her home known as the Blue House. She gave her birth date as July 7, 1910. But her birth certificate shows July 6, 1907. Kahlo allegedly wanted the year of her birth to coincide with the year of the beginning of the Mexican Revolution so that her life would begin with the birth of modern Mexico. At the age of 6, Frida developed polio, which caused her right leg to appear much thinner than the left. It remained that way permanently. Her work has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous (Native American) tradition and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.

Luminary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and Salma Hayek's cinematic portrayal of her.

Frida and Che rival icons Mary and son (a.k.a. Virgin of Guadalupe and Jesus)

Contemplate Pussy Riot (Masha Gessen in L.A.)

CC Liu, Irma Quintero, Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; LFLA; Johnny Whiteside (laweekly.com)

Balaclava-clad Pussy Riot portraiture (theguardian.com)

 

Pussy Rioting at Mark Taper (C.D. Sinyakov)

When rebel collective Pussy Riot took its court-banned "Punk Prayer"* into Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior two years ago, it was not a gimmicky stunt but a legitimate act of revolution.

Prompted by Pres. Vladimir Putin's cynical, ongoing, and deeply manipulative embrace of the church and its national congregation -- essentially and outrageously reducing the culture of Eastern Orthodox Christianity to a propaganda wing for his oppressive regime -- Pussy Riot was compelled to protest.

 

Nadezhda Nadia Tolokonnikova, the young mother who became the face of Pussy Riot

American Pussy Riot supporters (P.J. Richards)

Rarely have art and agitation collided so memorably. This visit from Russian-born journalist-author Masha Gessen, discussing her new book, Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot, should be a profoundly, mmm, arresting affair. The Pussy Riot phenom is far more complex and genuinely radical than the facile carnival of DayGlo balaclavas and whip-wielding Cossacks that the mainstream media gleefully serve up.

• The feminists of Pussy Riot and Femen stand up to Putin
• FEMEN: Topless protesting for attention and change!
• Defending Putin's Propagandists [on the RT media outlet]

Anti-Putin protest (blog.foreignpolicy.com)

And the outspoken, openly gay Gessen (author of 2012's scorching The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin) is the ideal voice to place the subject in its proper sociopolitical context [with the American losses in Sochi, the liberation of Ukraine, and the tug-of-war over Crimea].

Pussy Riot supporters, Germany (AFP)

Gessen is joined in conversation by St. Mary's College Professor Suzi Weissman. Expect a thorough and illuminating dissection of this ardent, fearless, and endlessly admirable gang of stink stirrers. 

 

[Remember anyone with a balaclava -- a colorful knitted ski mask -- can be a Pussy Riot activist. "Riot," according to Nadia, means an uprising, "upstart," a putsch as seen in Ukraine.]

TONIGHT: Los Angeles Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., downtown.; Wed., March 12, 2014, 7:15 p.m.; free, reservation required. (213) 228-7025, lfla.org.

*PUNK PRAYER: Saint Maria, Virg Yin, drive away Putin/Drive away! Drive away Putin!//Black robe, golden epaulets/All parishioners are crawling and bowing/The ghost of freedom is in heaven/Gay pride sent to Siberia in chains//The head of the KGB is their chief saint/Leads protesters to prison under escort/In order not to offend the Holy/Women have to give birth and to love//Holy shit, shit, Lord's shit!/Holy shit, shit, Lord's shit!//Saint Maria, Virgin, become a feminist/Become a feminist, Become a feminist//Church praises the rotten dictators/The cross-bearer procession of black limousines/In school you are going to meet with a teacher-preacher/Go to class -- bring him money!//Patriarch Gundyaev believes in Putin/Bitch, you better believe in God/Belt of the Virgin is no substitute for mass-meetings/In protest of our Ever-Virgin Mary!//Saint Maria, Virgin, drive away Putin!

 

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"Pussy Riot" coming to L.A. (Masha Gessen)

Amber Larson, Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; ALOUD (lfla.org)

"I was my own person again" (Slate.com)

Pussy Riot, the feminist art collective and sometime punk band, is author Masha Gessen's new obsession -- after exposing Pres. Vlad Putin.

A full discussion of their story as well as that of the Dictator That Could (Vladimir Putin) will take place this Wednesday in the Los Angeles Central Library.

Nadia's hunger strike (theguardian.com)

On Wednesday, March 12, 2014 (7:15 pm, Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library, downtown Los Angeles) ALOUD welcomes author Masha Gessen (Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot) in conversation with St. Mary’s College Professor of politics Suzi Weissman.

• 5 Free Things to do in L.A. this Week (LA Weekly)

Tortured and tormented in custody (AFP)

On February 21, 2012 five young women entered the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow wearing neon-colored dresses, tights, and balaclavas (knitted face masks) to perform “A Punk Prayer” beseeching the “Mother of God” to “get rid of Putin.” 

American activists stand up for Pussy Riot

What transformed a group of young women into a collective of artists with a shared vision, and what gave them the courage to express that vision and to deal with the subsequently devastating outcomes?

 

Through the trial of three feminist punk band Pussy Riot members, Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen, author of Putin: The Man Without a Face, tells a larger story about Vladimir Putin’s Russia, with its state-controlled media, pervasive corruption, and pliant judiciary. [The free event is RSVP only and sold out, but there may be standby seating.]

 

HBO Documentaries: "Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer"

  

“I Was My Own Person Again”

Collective of balaclava-clad artists

The women of Pussy Riot made meaning out of a horrific experience in prison. Now, they’re launching another protest movement in Russia. Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova try to talk about other inmates more than they do about themselves, in part because they are now free, and in part because they feel they were ultimately in a privileged position in prison. What they have disclosed of their experience opens the window on the hell that is the life of a Russian inmate. More

Columbia University: East Asian Library

Looking for a specific title or author, or want to conduct a subject search? Start with WORLDCAT — the single largest bibliographic database of library holdings around the world. Be aware that most of Columbia University's East Asian holdings (including thousands of Tibetan records) have not yet been uploaded to WorldCat.

If a title in WorldCat displays no holdings icon for Columbia University Libraries, search the University's online catalog CLIO. It is likely that the item is in our collection. If not, Columbia faculty and students can submit requests through Interlibrary Loan or BorrowDirect (a more rapid service drawing from a consortium of research libraries in the region).

Of course, several key institutions with Tibetan Studies resources do not subscribe to WorldCat. Their catalogs must be searched separately, which can be done online for the following:

• Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (New York City)
• Latse Contemporary Tibetan Cultural Library (New York City)
• Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (Dharamsala)

Print catalogs of Tibetan collections in the United States and elsewhere may list additional holdings (often rare) that are not listed in WorldCat. The following list of print catalogs is arranged by geographic location: North America, Western and Eastern Europe, East Asia, and South Asia. More>>

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• All this and much more at: BuddhaNet.net