Sumapuri temple（雪域寓言）

 

Sumapuri temple

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When Agudemba traveled to Bangladesh, the enthusiastic old man Lavani took him to visit the Bahapur ruins.

Old Lavani told Agudumba:

The Bahapur ruins in Rajshahi County, Bangladesh, are considered to be the famous Sumapuri temple ruins in the Polo era. It was built by Devapala, the third king of the Polo dynasty, from the end of the 8th century to the beginning of the 9th century. First destroyed. Many monks visited Sumopuri Monastery, and Atisha stayed in the temple for many years. In 1034, he taught "The Commentary on Madhyamaka on the Heart" to the translator Natso Trichenjewa. This book is the commentary on Nagarjuna's "Middle Way" by Ching Dian, and is a classic of the Madhyamaka Sutra. Later, Atisha also preached this book at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, and wrote "Essentials of Madhyamaka" at the request of translator Natso Trichenjewa.

Agudengba came to the ruins of Sumopuri Temple. The main body of the ruins is a cross-shaped central temple building with a tall square pagoda in the center. The Zen Buddhas in the four directions may be placed in the temple, facing the four directions. Pillar Hall.

Agudemba strolled through the ruins and was impressed by the brick carvings that adorned the terrace walls. In addition to various Buddhist and Hindu gods, the brick carvings also include pillar-bearing warriors, acrobats, various monsters, etc. The themes are extremely rich.

But what does their appearance in Buddhist temples mean?

Old Lavani said that there is an important detail in the archaeological report: there is a brick sculpture of Akho Buddha, with the bodhi tree as the background, imprinted with the earth seal, and embedded in the center of the east wall. Akho Buddha is one of the five Buddhas, and its spatial orientation is exactly the east. This shows that these brick carvings are arranged according to the requirements of the mandala and are objects of worship for those who circumambulate, which is the core concept of Vajrayana. In this way, the complicated brick carvings become orderly.

The old man Lavani also said that according to Tibetan historical records, Black Walker, a Bangladeshi, is one of the eighty-four achievers. After receiving the true transmission of the Dharma of Shengle Deity, he taught and taught Dharma in Sumopuri Temple and other places. A large number of scholars, such as Delopa, Naropa, etc. His works related to Tantra, Great Mighty Virtue, and Herculean Bliss, and the "Four Initiations of Herculean Bliss" he preached had a great influence.

Biwaba is also one of the eighty-four great achievers. He comes from the Shengtian sect, a descendant of the Dharma protector of the Consciousness-only sect. The Indian Buddhist monk Shantarakshita is Biwaba's personal disciple. Biwapa once studied Buddhism and Tantra at Sumapuri Temple. He integrated the "Red Yama Deka Tantra" and "The Fundamental Tantra of Herculean Bliss" and based on the "Second Edition of the Hevajra Tantra", from the cause and path Practice in three aspects: , fruit and fruit. He directly received the secret method Vajra taught to the Selfless Mother, took Hevajra as the deity, and founded the "Tao-Fruit" method. Kun Konchogjebu, the founder of the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism, obtained all the teachings of Biwapa through the translator Zhuo Mi, and built the Sakya Monastery in the Zhongqu River Valley in Tibet in 1073.

Therefore, the images of Vajra Dharamshasa, Astana Mother, and Viwapa are often seen in the murals of Sakya sect temples, marking the core, teachings and worldly manifestations of Sakya teachings. It is the most important deity of the Sakya "Path and Fruition" method. Coincidentally, some fragmented stone sculptures were discovered during the excavation of the Somopuri Temple ruins. Three specimens were announced in the archaeological report, one is the head of a Bodhisattva with a crown, one is the God of Wealth holding a money bag in his left hand, and the other is a statue of Hevajra.

This statue of Hevajra has 6 sides, each with 3 eyes and 16 arms. Each side holds a skull bowl filled with unknown objects. The middle arm embraces the goddess Shakti. The statue was made around the late 11th century. This discovery confirmed from archaeological data that the Sumapuri Temple not only experienced the initial Mahayoga stage, but also experienced the Supreme Yoga stage. Since Supreme Yoga is the final form of Vajrayana and has not existed for a long time, this type of deity statue is extremely rare and therefore extremely precious.

Agudumba understood:

Tantric teachings did not grow from within Mahayana Buddhism, but came from the influence of Hinduism. The tantric deity has multiple heads, arms, and legs, with exaggerated expressions and feet that twist and deform enemies due to squeezing. These are the inner state, state of mind, joy, and profound sense of life tragedy through which tantric teachings are expressed. At that time in India, when the country was ruined and people were in ruins, this was a kind of struggle and a kind of redemption.

The archaeological practice in Bangladesh over the years has also given Agudengpa a clearer understanding of the monastic remains in Tibet.

Old Lavani smiled and said to Agudengba: "Smart Mr. Agudengba, if you want to know more about Tibetan Buddhism, you have to find the historical source of Buddhism from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and other South Asian subcontinents to understand it. During the time when the Buddha was alive.”

Old Lavani sang a song "Natishva":

 

Natishwar ruins in Bangladesh

Spectacular cross-shaped central temple

A civilization center in ancient India

The most eye-catching in the history of Buddhist architecture

The base of an octagonal pagoda

Symbolizing the composition of the eight-leaf lotus flower

The Four Directions Buddha statue has four pillar halls

Can be used for meetings and teachings

 

Buddhism originated in this land

He left behind the footprints of the Buddha’s propagation

Experienced from primitive to Vajrayana

Witness the changes of religions in different periods

Mandala in Vajrayana Buddhism

It means containing the essence of the universe

Feel the correspondence between the universe and people

Practitioners can find belonging in it