Mahesh Kaul
The strange thing about humans is that they are never ready to visualize death for themselves. When a man witnesses death of another person he never realizes that it will be the fate of his mortal frame as well. Instead he accumulates what is perishable with a firm belief that he will enjoy the material pleasures and assets forever. The reason being that the dependence of man on the outer world and environs are merely meant to stimulate the internal faculties to explore the infinite realm of the cosmic consciousness. But due to inability of the control over senses and the utilization power of the energy inherent in every human being, it leads to non utilization of the inner potential, the vastness of the soul and its eternal power of healing is lost in ignorance.
Gautam Buddha was a realized soul who changed the canvas of whole humanity and the world and laid the foundation of the path based on spiritual rationality, a scientific approach to the world affairs. He shaped the socio cultural domain of India, which was in harmony with the nature and the fellow beings.
His poise and wisdom was based on the power of inner self and the power of self realization.He arrived at a time when the Indian society was burdened with the rituals that were more prone to austerity than realization of the truth. His teachings and wisdom should be seen in the perspective of the turbulence prevalent in the society.
Karen Armstrong’s book titled “Buddha” is comprehensive and biographical account of the evolution of Buddha and the development of the circle around him. She has contextualized her work by providing the glimpses of the religious and spiritual movements around the world and that makes her work more interesting and enables the reader to have an idea of the human psyche at a time when Buddha attracted the consciousness of the people.
The book has been divided into six chapters beside an introduction, notes, glossary and index. Writing about the contents of her book and the subject she writes in the introduction, “The search for a place apart, separate from the world and yet marvelously within it, that is impartial, utterly fair, calm and which fills us with that, against all odds, there is value in our lives, is what many seek in the reality we call ‘God’. In the person of Buddha, who had gone beyond the limitations and partialities of selfhood, people seemed to find it in a human being. The life of the Buddha challenges some of our strongest convictions, but it can also be a beacon. We may not be able to practice the method he prescribed in its entirety, but his example illuminates some of the ways in which we can reach for an enhanced and more truly compassionate humanity.”
The important thing that should be of interest to an avid reader and thinker is the discourse she sets in the chapter 1, titled “Renunciation”. Besides dealing with the experiences and background of the Gautama, the Buddha she has explained the rationale about the relevance of Buddha and situated his philosophical standpoint in the international context.
Raising an important point regarding the change in social milieu and the environment for the acceptance of the Buddha’s discourse she writes, “Why did the people of India feel this disease with life? This malaise was not confined to the subcontinent, but afflicted people in several far flung regions of the civilized world. An increasing number had come to feel that the spiritual practices of their ancestors no longer worked for them, and an impressive array of prophetic and philosophical geniuses made supreme efforts to find a solution.”
It is not a coincidence but there seems to have been a kind of resurgence and stimulation in the region confined to India, China and Iran for a path breaking religious and social transformation moving away from the stratified system. Explaining this period and the evolution of the new horizon she writes, “Some historians call this period (which extended from about 800 to 200 B.C.E.) the ‘Axial Age’ because it proved pivotal to humanity. The ethos forged during this era has continued to nourish men and women to the present day. Gautama would become one of the most important and most typical of the luminaries of the Axial Age, alongside the great Hebrew prophets of the eighth, seventh, and sixth centuries; Confucius and Lao Tzu, who reformed the religious traditions of China in the sixth and fifth centuries; the sixth century Iranian sage Zoroaster; and Socrates and Plato (c.427-327), who urged the Greeks to question even those truths which appeared to be self -evident.”
Karen Armstrong dwells at length and defines Buddha and his personality beyond the established norms and analysis. Writing further on the Axial Age, she writes,” The Axial Age marks the beginning of humanity as we now know it. During this period, men and women became conscious of their existence, their own nature and their limitations in an unprecedented way. Their experience of utter impotence in a cruel world impelled them to seek the highest goals and an absolute reality in the depths of their being. The great sages of the time taught human beings how to cope with the misery of life, transcend their weakness, and live in peace in the midst of this flawed world. The new religious systems that emerged during this period-Taoism and Confucianism in China, Buddhism and Hinduism in India, monotheism in Iran and the Middle East and Greek rationalism in Europe-all shared fundamental characteristics beneath their obvious differences. It was only in participating in this massive transformation that the various peoples of the world were able to progress and join forward march of history. Yet despite its great importance, the Axial Age remains mysterious. We do not know what caused it, or why it took root only in three core areas: in China; in India and Iran and in the eastern Mediterranean.”
This whole description gives a peep into the rise of Buddhism and other religious and spiritual traditions. The need is to understand the similar transformation the three countries which are the dominant cultural forces even today and the emerging political and economic trends also give the evidence of the commonality of the change and cultural undercurrents that should redefine the emerging world order.
Book is an enriching account of the life and time of the Buddha and presents a scholarly view of the philosophical and theological undercurrents and idioms.
(The Writer is a PhD Scholar at SHTM, Faculty of Business Studies, University of Jammu, Jammu)
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