[Buddha-l] NYTimes.com: Let Us Pray for Wealth

[Dan Lusthaus]

Reverting to name-calling (this, we are to accept, is a "fact," while
actually historical facts are not -- in Buddhism we call such misguided
reversals viparyaasa), our relentless Richard writes:

>That the destruction of the Buddha images at Bamiyan was not an isolated,
> I have never called anyone who does not have my priorities deluded. I have
> only called Cassandras who identify Islam as a serious threat deluded. And
I
> have called them that only because they are.

As a reminder that the destruction of the Buddhist images at Bamiyan was not
an isolated or unique event, and that the same is on-going (we won't mention
who is doing it -- but everyone except Richard can guess), the following are
copied from another e-list from messages posted in the last day or so. Since
this is FYI, without consulting the posters, I will edit out their names. In
case anyone is wondering, the list is Indo-Eurasian (a Yahoo group), that
consists of many top scholars in and of various regions of Asia, etc.,
including many dealing with south, central and western Asia from a variety
of disciplines (art, linguistics, religion, textual studies, archaeology,
etc.), and numerous Muslims.

This discussion was initiated when it was noted that recent news accounts of
the destruction of Buddhas in Pakistan included the wrong photos -- showing
photos of a previously damaged Buddha, and not the newly attacked. The
discussion, after some turns, led in this direction:

1) ---------
Vishakha Desai's article is linked here:

http://tinyurl.com/ys5nkc

And here with image:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=38,5330,0,0,1,0

This is the second time they have tried to destroy it:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/10/buddhist-relics.html

Pakistan, like Afghanistan, is now in no position to protect their ancient
"kaffir" ruins.

2) ------------
thanks a lot for the links. Unfortunately, the second article again
shows the wrong Buddha image, namely the one between Malakand and Saidu,
situated directly to the right of the road: it was damaged exactly that
way already in 1980 when I saw it for the first time.

But the photographs of the other one are beautiful and most interesting.
  BTW the german online Magazine SPIEGEL makes that Buddha 40 meters
high --- bad recherche as so often regarding art in Pakistan --- : (
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,515708,00.html )

3) ------------
Dear colleagues

A colleague on another list has provided a good view of the image
being destroyed.

I have never seen it.

Begin forwarded message:

> From:
> Date: November 8, 2007 1:15:41 AM EST
> To: acsaa-l at ccat.sas.upenn.edu
>
> ACSAA friends,
>
> This is the actual image in Swat that was blown up last week:
>
> http://english.sxu.edu/~mrabe/swat/
>
> [the one posted by buddhistchannel.tv was like that already in 1990
> when the above photograph was taken.]
>
> All hail the Absent ones,

4) ------------------
thanks a lot for that wonderful photograph!
Unfortunately I also have not seen it during my stays
in Swat...

A similar big one is only to be found (to my knowledge)
on the edge of lake Satpara in Baltistan province (my
photos are not really good...).

5) -----------------
Some other views of the beautiful Buddha that both Pakistan and World
have lost forever:
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/CP_stories.php?id=64056
(I gave this in September)

And more photos can be seen (click > key to navigate),
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/popup?id=3731019

The German article that [N] gave tells that Fazlullah heading all
these destruction is only 28 years old. Good photographic
documentation of ancient art in both Afghanistan and Pakistan is
definitely needed. Hope museums in Swat and elesewhere in the region
can be saved, and documented by art historians before any raids
takingplace.

6) ---------------
Dear List,

Not sure that these are "raids" as such, quite methodical I think. I was at
a talk recently in which some of the attacks on the Buddhist images in
Afghanistan were laid along side the Islamic calendar and it seems pretty
clear that the desecrations were meant to coincide with particular
historical events from Islamic history, which are part of some sequence of
religious observance; and which, in these extreme examples, were "expressed"
through the destruction of the Buddhist images. Can't quite recall of the
details here. Not sure if this kind of "religious observance" is behind
these recent attacks, but I imagine they are not mindless and random, or
simply part of a general "iconoclast" impulse within Islam, rather they may
be something more specific.

It is also interesting to note that when the West offered to "buy" the
Buddhist images in Afghanistan that that actually promoted them to the
status of "idol" and so made it more difficult for moderates within
Afghanistan to reason with the extremists. In any case, I am conflating to
situations here, but the one might shed light on the other.

Does anyone on the list know more details about the timing of these attacks
with regard to the Islamic calendar? What are the methods that governments
in Pakistan and the West are employing to save the existing images? Money
may not be the best recourse. Just curious in any case.


7) ---------------------
Steve was so kind to save a scan that I made this afternoon on his server:
http://www.safarmer.com/Indo-Eurasian/1980.jpg
It's a photograph of the Buddha located on the roadside between Malakand
and Saidu. I took the photograph in summer 1980. The heap of loose
stones at the bottom of the flat relief clearly shows that it was (is)
great fun for the locals to throw stones on the devil (Buddha).

This relief is clearly different from the one at Jehanabad (could
someone please try to locate Jehanabad in Google Earth?!?? - would be
most helpful!) of which we have a good photograph thanks to John.

Of course, [R] is right when he states that it is most desirable to
have a full documentation of Buddhist Art in Swat on the internet, lest
things are lost due to iconoclastic stupidity and negligance by the
local authorities (what kind of authority is there nowadays in Swat??).

But how to achieve such a goal? Just a proposal: I'm ready to contribute
 whatever photographs and information I have, and even the Web-Space I
could provide.

So whoever is interested in collaboration for such a collection is
heartily invited...

Besides the Buddhas: What about the other Buddhist sites, for example
the wonderful excavation of Domenico Faccenna at Butkara I --- I think
they are in danger of destruction as well...

8) ---------------------
Not that I at all disagree with your concern and desire to preserve these
images, but with regard to my earlier question [...] is it
helpful to just dismiss these actions as "iconoclast stupidity" -- thinking
only dismissively about these actions -- without any thought to what informs
them? This approach may not, in the end, actually help solve the problem. I
am not saying I know the answer to this, but to simply dismiss the
extremists outright as ignorant seems potentially misguided. Not sure
actually. I think it worthy at least, of our consideration.

Best Wishes,

9) -----------------
The Huntington archive has several hundred such photographs online
and several hundred more waiting to be scanned. But nowhere enough.
I have been informed of huge local collections in hiding and is quasi
government hands by a major Pakistani Official. If the Taliban decide
to go after these, it could become a huge disaster for the artistic
and academic world.



-----

OK, Richard, now you can take out the garbage. Don't forget to separate the
trash for recycling (unless your samataa practice concerning religions
prohibits that). The above obviously doesn't concern you, only us concerned
Cassandras.

best,
Dan