Nalanda: The Great University of Buddhist India

by Musiol through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org
This one is another piece of significant new research. We hear a bit about all three northern Buddhist monasteries destroyed by Turkish Muslims at the end of the 12th century, but here we focus in on the greatest of all time, Nalanda. In Buddha's day, it was a place, but not much more. Buddha spent time there, but at the peak of Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, it was enormous and represented all classic traditions, with a preponderance of Mahayana and a later manifestation of Vajrayana. This city of scholars, Nalanda puts even modern universities to shame as centers of learning. The enormity is very crisply and aptly depicted by this work. The nine-story library, the six foot thick insulated walls and on and on in rapid succession are very excellently depicted in narration, visuals and detailed and organized intellectual content. This home to my favorite thinkers -- Nagarjuna to Naropa is a personal favorite. (13 mins)
see original at
http://www.opensourcebuddhism.org/AUTHORS/ARCHITECTURE-INDIA-NALANDA-MUSIOL-0...

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[sohei75]

I find it very hard not to resent the Muslim world for what Islam did to Buddhism. It was cultural and religious genocide. I am even more resentful when I see many in the Muslim world holding on to the crusades as if it happened yesterday. How can they act as if they are innocent victims in the world when their faith brought so much destruction. I feel a genuine apology from the Muslim world for what their ancestors did in India and elsewhere is long overdue.

[GrandmasterTigerfist]

The way Muslims persihed Buddhist heritages with agression..

Buddhism will perish islam with love..

[milascave2]

@cillantro I'm not saying that the British rule of India was good. Colonialism/imperialism is not good. I am saying that the Caste system was already bad thousands of years before the British arived.  Buddha said so in 500 BC, and it remains true today.

[cillantro]

@milascave2 Buddhism rejects all worldly actions and finds solace in some tree or mountain.Hinduism is a bit deeper.It realises this is a harsh world,one has to adapt to survive.You need people and professions,guilds and scholars to run this world.Not ascetics.That is the reason China rejected Buddhism after practising it for nearly 1000+ years.Buddha can talk what he wants.I am telling you that the caste system was harsh on everyone.Buddha was shallow enough to not get this?It is his followers.

[cillantro]

@milascave2 Caste system is nothing like your racism.It was meant not to segragate.Buddhist Japan still has burakumin and other outcasts.These people are still denied opportunities and can never leave Japan.Unlike our patriotic dalits who are given free education,jobs,healthcare so on free of cost regardless of his dad being a millionaire all at the cost of taxpayers,so that those dalits can then go to USA,UK or something and bitch about injustices in India.It is a fair system in India.LOL.cheer

[cillantro]

@milascave2 The caste system just ensured that everyone did their jobs keeping in mind their limitations and the larger good of soceity.Talents were gauged based on abilities,not birth.That is why there are black skinned brahmins and light skinned sudras.Later on when India's urban culture got destroyed due to invasions by ghazni,timur,ghori and others(not chronologically correct,but still)our cities were burnt to the ground.Indians took refuge in villages where petty chiefs reuled tyranically..

[cillantro]

@milascave2 India was the only country with no history of Anti-semitism,slavery and religious intolerance.How could we have been cruel with the caste system?The caste system is a buzz word for so called backward castes coz it benefits them through free college seats which go for a million rupees otherwise and the politicians who earn vote banks.Just like appeasement of minorts.If so called lower castes realised they were never ill treated,who will they vote for?Real leader,not current scum!...

[cillantro]

@milascave2 The caste system was mere division of labour.,Thats why majority brahmins were poor,while some dalits have ancestral property.This is difficult to understand,so let me explain.The Vedas say no human is inferior to another.Those with more rarer skills were revered in society because they were precious,and the others were just normal.Canada does'nt give work visas or points based immigration to garbage men does it?

The brits were the ones who created a caste divide to rule us all.

[cillantro]

@milascave2 Sure,if the dalits loved India as much as they did the British,they would be huged by Indians too.Do not trust a british(english) man,especially when he has an empire.How do you think they ruled an empire of 200 million people with merely a 100,000 men?Almost all were conscripts from local armies!The british were kings at propaganda!This is one of those acts.The british starved to death 4 million people in Bengal and enslaved Indians to be sent to Fiji,Mauritius,Africa etc.Yeah right