Middle Land, Middle Way: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Buddha's India

by Shravasti Dhammika

A comprehensive guidebook to the places in India made sacred by the Buddha s presence. Beginning with an inspiring account of Buddhist pilgrimage, the author then covers sixteen places in detail. With maps and colour photos, an essential companion for pilgrim and traveler. An extremely valuable source of information for anyone intending to go on pilgrimage in India. Written by Ven. Shravasti Dhammika (an Australian Buddhist monk) this book provides details of the most popular sites, in clear easy to read language.

Genres: Buddhism, Travel

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Totochelamouche]

Apart from its historical importance, the Sakyan's stupa is of interest for several other reasons. The earliest stupa showed no signs of having been opened after its construction, thus suggesting that the legend about King Asoka opening all but the Ramagama stupa may not be entirely true. It is possible that he left the stupa at Kapilavatthu untouched out of respect for the Sakyans.

The inscription reads:

Sukiti bhatinam sa-bhaginikanam sa-puta-dalanam iyam salila-nidhane Buddhasa bhagavate Sakyinam.

When scholars later deciphered the inscription, which remains the earliest decipherable writing ever found in India [...]

However there must have been at least intermittent habitation for we read of a monk living there in the 4th century who repaired one of Kapilavatthu's stupas with funds provided by the king of Sri Lanka.

The Buddha visited Sāvatthī several times before finally making it his headquarters in the 25th year of his enlightenment. From then on, he spent every rains retreat except his last in the environs of the city. He had probably decided to limit his wanderings at this time due to advancing age (he would have been 60) and he no doubt chose Savatthi as his base because of the generous support given to him by the city's wealthiest merchants and perhaps because it was a few day’s walk from Kapilavatthu, his home town.

The Vinaya describes the complex as consisting of ‘halls, monastery buildings, cells, porches, attendance halls, fire rooms, toilets, covered walkways, wells, bathrooms and lotus ponds.’ And in honor of the two men who were responsible for its coming into being, the place was called Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park.

In the centuries after the Buddha, Sāvatthī declined, but the Jetavana continued to remain an important center of Buddhism. When Fa Hien came to Sāvatthī, the city was no more than a small town, already in decline and inhabited by only about 200 families, although the Jetavana seems to have still been relatively thriving. ‘Its gate faces east and it has two chambers before which stand two stone pillars. On the top of the left pillar is a wheel and on the top of the right one is a bull. The water in the pool is clear, the trees and plants luxuriant, and flowers of many colors make a lovely sight.’ Inside the Jetavana, he saw a temple, probably the Gandhakuti, which housed a famous sandalwood statue of the Buddha.

By Huien Tsiang's time, both Sāvatthī and the Jetavana were deserted and ruined. Of the Jetavana, he says: ‘The residences (of the monks) were wholly destroyed; the foundations only remain, with the exception of one solitary brick building which stands alone in the midst of the ruins and contains an image of the Buddha.’

In the coming years, several other equally large monasteries were built around Savatthi, the Pubbarama (the Eastern Monastery, now represented by the village of Khanbari) and the Rajakarama being the two most famous, and it was in these monasteries and other locations around Savatthi that the Buddha delivered most of his discourses.