[Buddha-l] Remaining in Samsara

[Christopher Fynn]

Dmytro O. Ivakhnenko wrote:

> Good day,
> 
> I posed myself a question of how exactly the idea of 'remaining in 
> Samsara to help others' originated in Buddhism, especially in Theravada.
> 
> Evidently, among Theravadin countries, this started in the 8th century 
> in Sri Lanka (see citations in the end of the message). Simultaneously 
> there developed the cult of Lokesvara Natha (Sri Lankan version of 
> Avalokitesvara).

> "The cult of Avalokitesvara also spread to Sri Lanka. This is a little 
> surprising as Sri Lanka primarily follows Theravada Buddhism, while 
> Avalokitesvara was originally a strictly Mahayana conception. In Sri 
> Lanka, he is called Natha, which is an abbreviation of Lokesvaranatha, 
> which means "Lord of the World". He has become identified with the 
> bodhisattva Maitreya, the "future Buddha". He is also seen as being 
> identical with several Hindu gods. Natha is seen as the guardian deity 
> of Sri Lanka, and is reportedly worshipped primarily because he is 
> regarded as a pragmatically useful source of advantages in the 
> phenomenal world. Although I have been able to find very little 
> information on it, apparently the cult of Natha has also spread with 
> little change to other Theravada Buddhist countries, such as Cambodia 
> and Burma.

Yes there is  plenty of archaeological evidence (images) of 
Avalokiteshvara  in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia etc.


> In Nepal, Avalokitesvara is conflated with the Brahman deity 
> Matsyendranath. He is worshipped in elaborate rituals which are 
> performed by a priestly caste. Ordination is handed down from father to 
> son, with some important positions being sold to the highest bidder from 
> within the caste. According to one reporter, the meanings behind the 
> rituals have been largely forgotten. However, they continue to be 
> performed because they are customary and are considered to bring luck."

"Matsyendranath" is one of the "84 siddhas" in the Buddhist Vajrayana 
tradition - it seems this siddha brought some lineages of 
Avalokiteshvara practice to Nepal and established the Red and White 
Matsyendranath temples. His name has just beome conflated with that of 
the Bodhisattva of whom he was probably seen as an emanation.

The same Matsyendranath is also associated with the establishment of 
the Kadrinath temple in Mangalore, Karnataka which likewise contains an 
image of Avalokiteshvara. He is supposed to have come there from Kanchi 
which was at the time a major centre of Vajrayana Buddhism and is not 
far from Sri Lanka.

The legend is he ran away with the daughter or Queen of the King of 
Kanchi. Her name was Mangal Devi hence the place got the name Mangalore.

According to a professor I met at Mysore university in the hills behind 
this temple there are also ruins of Buddhist stupas and other images of 
Avalokiteshvara and Tara.

> Avalokitesvara and Tibetan Contemplation, by Karen M. Andrews
> http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Avalokitesvara_and_Tibetan_Contemplation,_by_Karen_M._Andrews

> The name Natha, and the Avalokitesvara connection, points to the Nath 
> (Mahasiddha) tradition. There we find the statements like:

> "According to a recent Nath Guru, Shri Gurudev Mahendranath, another aim 
> was to avoid reincarnation. In The Magick Path of Tantra, he wrote about 
> several of the aims of the Naths,

>      "Our aims in life are to enjoy peace, freedom, and happiness in 
> this life, but also to avoid rebirth onto this Earth plane. All this 
> depends not on divine benevolence, but on the way we ourselves think and 
> act."

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nath

> "Mahasiddhas are a form of bodhisattva, meaning they not only have the 
> spiritual abilities to enter nirvana whenever they please, but they are 
> so compassionate they resolve to remain in samsara instead to help others."
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahasiddha
> 
> So it seems that the idea of remaining in Samsara emerged under the 
> influence of such notion in Mahasiddha (Nath) tradition.
> 
> Has any author explored this connection?

This connection is widely known about - IMO much of the Nath tradition 
arose from  Buddhist tantrism not the other way round. The common 
figures are comparitively late in the enumerations of Buddhist teachers 
but near the beginning of the lineages in the Nath Tradition. Also 
places like Kadrinath in Karnatika were obviously once Buddhist but 
later became centres associated with the Nath tradition.

While it undoubtedly existed, do you really need to look to an 
Avalokiteshvara cult in what are now Theravada countries for the idea of 
"remaining in Samsara to help others"? Hasn't Theravada Buddhism always 
had the idea of Samyaksambuddha which are distinguished from Arhats?

Dr. U Rewatta Dhamma a highly respected Burmese monk who lived in the UK 
once told me there are - and always have been - some Theravada monks in 
Burma who take Boddhisattva vows to liberate all beings.

- Chris


==

BTW In Tibetan Buddhism Natha (Tibetan "Gonpo") is the usual name used 
for the wrathful form of Avalokiteshvara, otherwise known as Mahakala.