Travelling Faith
Jyoti Khataniar
Man does not live by bread alone. The suffering of others , existential crises and situational angst inspire great minds to find solutions beyond everyday life. These solutions lead to the formation of the spiritual requirements. Great minds design certain solutions and ideas from their far and wide travels which many a times are revealed to them by either some external sources like God or agents of God or an intensified examination into their own minds. The Buddha realised the four noble truths when he made an intensive journey into his own mind amidst several celestial threats and dangerous provocations during a full moon midnight around 2500 years ago . When the ultimate truth is realised and the life is closely examined, the great minds do not become steady and they never withdraw themselves from worldly responsibilities. They become more dynamic and always travel incessantly to make others awake so that common masses can find solace and prepare themselves to seek truth and maintain a balance in their everyday life. The spiritual crisis that these great minds experience inspires them to spread their messages against all adversities and stiff opposition. Great minds like that of the Buddha, Ashoka , Shankaracharya, Nagarjuna, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Atisha, Srimanta Sankardeva among others have roamed around on this earth to spread the message of eternal truth for building a better society during their lifespan. These messages were so strong and the influence was so powerful that we can not only observe spiritual uplift of the common masses but also social progress and material success in terms of building a welfare state. It is said that in 252 BC Ashoka introduced a group of officials called ‘ Dhamma Mahamattas ‘ to instill the message of ethical living among his subjects. During his 37 years of reign, he erected 33 edicts across the length and breadth of his entire empire that ranged from the hills and valleys of Afghanistan to the south of Deccan. Through these official messengers and reporters ( pativedakas), Ashoka laid the foundation of a just and secular society. He inspired the officials to travel all round the year to understand the needs and aspirations of common masses and mould their ways of living so that the teachings of Lord Buddha could inspire them to lead a life that is characterised by ten ideas that include compassion, honesty , purity of thought, respectfulness etc among others. Adi Shankaracharya (eighth century ) who , in order to rebuild the foundation of Hinduism through Advaita Vedanta, travelled almost all over India and built four mathas ( seats of learning and worship) namely Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetam , Jyotir Matha , Kalika Matha and Govardhana Matha is an example of supreme commitment to knowledge and dynamism.
It may be noted that the great travellers like Atisha born in 982 AD in Vajrayogini Village situated in present day Bangladesh travelled as far as Indonesia to learn the intrinsic principles of Buddhism from another great scholar Dharmakirti. Atisha arrived in South Sumatra with his 125 companions through a 12 month dangerous sea journey . He stayed there for almost twelve years. Before Atisha left, Dharmakirti composed six scripts, considered as one of the most profound summaries of Lord Buddha’s teachings. These contain experiences of other leading Buddhist scholars like Shantideva, Asanga, Nagarjuna. Atisha spent his later years in various places of India, Tibet and Nepal to revive Buddhism at a time when it was facing a serious decline. He was heading Vikramshila monastery with 8000 students and 108 professors. Atisha’s teaching and travelling experiences are now a profound part of the Buddhist world, known as Buddhayana.
Similarly, Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankardeva spent many years travelling to many parts of India. He began his first pilgrimage in 1481 AD accompanied by 17 others including his teacher Mahendra Kandali and it took him to almost all the major seats of Vaishnavite religion in India. In Badrikasharama during this journey, he composed his first Borgeet ‘ Mana Meri Rama Charanahi Lago’. Sankardeva’s second pilgrimage in 1550 AD included an entourage of 177 disciples with prominent names like Mahapurusha Madhavdeva, Ramrai, Ramarama . These pilgrimages inspired Srimanta Sankardeva to systematically develop his own ideas for spreading his message for all sections of the medieval Assamese society.
It can be noted that these travelling experiences with common masses from diverse cultures across different parts of the land inspire the great minds to form the most comprehensive point of view and introduce a framework for others to follow. Their journey is the journey to realise the potential of human life and to investigate the strength of discipline and ethical code of conduct amid darkness and chaos.