A place like the Vulture Peak seems to have preserved the peace and serenity that a man captured more than 2,500 years ago. How is it possible?
A recent visit to Nalanda and Rajagriha (modern Rajgir) has been a reminder about the level of knowledge, vitality and spirituality of Ancient India. While visiting the old ruins or climbing one of the Buddha’s favourite teaching spots, the “Gridhrakuta” (or Vulture Peak), many thoughts came to mind.
A place like the Vulture Peak seems to have preserved the peace and serenity that a man captured more than 2,500 years ago. How is it possible? This man did not have access to the Internet, no newspapers or social media, but he nevertheless brought a revolution in the minds of hundreds of millions worldwide and his atmosphere still pervades the place today, attracting lakhs of seekers, devotees or pilgrims. This phenomenon is not easy to grasp for our modern minds.
Another question: Will humanity have taken a step forward when in a few years after Artificial Intelligence (AI) invades all aspects of our lives? In my view, it may not.
Something which has always fascinated me is how the vigour of the Buddhist monastic life shifted from the hot plains of India to the desolate caves and gompas of the Tibetan plateau. Most of the architects of this move were from Nalanda Mahavihara, including Atisha Dipankara (982-1054 CE), a former abbot.
The Muslim invasion of northern India marked the end of the last remnants of Buddhism in the land of its birth: “Individuals, or even small sects, directly or indirectly professing the religion, might be found in the country for centuries to come, and may be said to exist even now, but Buddhism as a force in society vanished from India since 1200 AD, never to return,” wrote the great historian R.C. Majumdar.
During my visit, the image of a Tibetan monk, Dharmasvamin, who visited Nalanda in 1235, was in my mind. In the mahavihara, he saw only destruction; he could not recover a single manuscript from what was once the richest library in the world. Finally, the Tibetan met an old monk in his 90s who could teach him Sanskrit. Dharmasvamin studied for some time with the old man, but as the Muslim troops were approaching again, he carried his old master on his shoulders and hid until the raiders had gone.
The old monk on the shoulders of his Tibetan chela symbolises the end of an era; Nalanda, the source of knowledge, had gone dry, though the cultural influence of India over Tibet continued to flourish for centuries.
According to archaeological discoveries, the first university (vihara) was probably founded after 400 CE. In his memoirs, the Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian (399-412 CE) visited the area around Rajagriha looking for Buddhist texts; though he spent 10 years in India, visiting all major Buddhist pilgrimage sites, including the Nalanda area, he never mentioned the Nalanda monastery, which probably started to exist in its institutional form only in the fifth century. The monastery is said to have been founded by the Gupta emperors a few years after Fa Xian’s visit; during the next seven centuries, it greatly expanded and its fame spread to the entire world. A seal identifies a monarch named Shakraditya (415-455 CE) as the founder, attributing the first sangharama (monastery) to him; this was later corroborated by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang.
Though some historians believe that great scholars like Nagarjuna (1st-3rd century CE), the foremost thinker in Mahayana Buddhism, or Aryadeva (3rd century CE) studied in Nalanda, it is not certain that Nalanda was a full-fledged vihara until the fifth century. Being the largest centre of knowledge in North India and with many small viharas affiliated to Nalanda, later it became known as Nalanda Mahavihara.
Abhay K, an author and diplomat, recently wrote a book, Nalanda: How it changed the world, and the Mahavihara’s influence is undeniable.
While walking through the ruins of the ancient university, it is striking that its apogee, this institution could support up to 10,000 monks; this is thanks to the steadfast and powerful patronage from the local kings (and the hundreds of villages around). One can surmise that Nalanda survived because the patrons had the wisdom to leave the organisation to wise monks who managed the affairs of the Mahavihara; the governance of the wise allowed the ancient “Indian spirit” to flourish for centuries.
Sri Aurobindo, the modern rishi, wrote: “When we look at the past of India, what strikes us next is her stupendous vitality, her inexhaustible power of life and joy of life, her almost unimaginably prolific creativeness… She has been creating abundantly and incessantly, lavishly, with an inexhaustible many sidedness, republics and kingdoms and empires, philosophies and cosmogonies and sciences and creeds and arts and poems and all kinds of monuments, palaces and temples and public works, communities and societies and religious orders, laws and codes and rituals, physical sciences, psychic sciences, systems of yoga, systems of politics and administration, arts spiritual, arts worldly, trades, industries, fine crafts.”
Indeed, the Mahavihara was part of an eco-system. Can it be replicated today? It is doubtful, with the strong tendency (one could say compulsion) from governments (both Central and local) to manage everything; but knowledge and spirituality cannot depend (or survive) only on government grants or schemes.
The revival of the ancient university is certainly an interesting experiment attempted by the Central government, but can it succeed?
Among some positive aspects, the Bihar government had given almost 500 acres of land and the connectivity with Patna and Gaya has now improved. I must say that I was quite impressed by the new campus.
Unfortunately, only some 500 students have enrolled so far and not many from far-away foreign countries. Recently an economist, Sachin Chaturvedi, has taken charge as the vice-chancellor of Nalanda University. Aiming to have 900 students by the end of the year, Prof. Chaturvedi explained that the university was in a “take-off mode, though 99 per cent of the construction work has been completed”.
The project is run by the external affairs ministry, which would like to attract more students and faculty from across the globe. “Nalanda will give the message of peace and promote more rigorous research to connect Indian philosophy with the contemporary world,” said Prof. Chaturvedi.
But today, where are the Dharmakirtis, the Shantidevas, the Santaraksitas or the Atishas? Even if they exist, can they survive or blossom in a governmental framework?
Further, as the singer said: “The Times They Are A-Changin”. Humanity’s inclinations are not the same today as they were twelve centuries ago. The success of New Nalanda will depend on all these factors.
Claude Arpi is Distinguished Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi), and writes on India, China, Tibet and Indo-French relations
