King Kanishka the Great: The Colossus of Kushan India

A Monarch Without Equal

After Emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE), India waited 600 years for a ruler of comparable grandeur—Kanishka I (c. 127–150 CE). His Kushan Empire stretched from Mathura to Afghanistan, with its capital at Purushapura (modern Peshawar, Pakistan).

The Mathura Statue: A Royal Puzzle Solved

In 1864 CE (2407 BE), archaeologist Alexander Cunningham unearthed a headless red sandstone statue at Katra Mound, Mathura. The figure’s legs faced opposite directions—a mystery until its Brahmi-inscribed base revealed:

"Mahārāja Rājadhirāja Devaputra Kāṇiṣka"
(“The Great King, King of Kings, Son of God, Kanishka”)

 

• Significance:

  • Proves Kanishka’s patronage of Mathura’s art school, which blended Hellenistic and Indian styles.

  • Titles echo Ashoka’s Devanampiya (“Beloved-of-the-Gods”), but with Persian-inspired Rājadhirāja.

• Current Location: Mathura Museum, Uttar Pradesh.

Kanishka’s Buddhist Legacy

1. Fourth Buddhist Council:

   • Convened at Kundalvana, Kashmir (c. 78 CE)—standardized Sarvāstivādin texts and birthed Mahayana Buddhism.

   • Attended by 500 monks, including the philosopher Vasumitra and poet Ashvaghosha.

2. Coinage Revolution:

   • Issued gold coins depicting Buddha, Shiva, and Iranian deities—a multicultural empire’s hallmark.

3. Gandharan Art:

   • His reign perfected the Greco-Buddhist style (e.g., Kanishka Reliquary from Shah-ji-Dheri).

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Xuanzang’s Account (7th c. CE)

The Chinese pilgrim recorded:

• Kanishka built a 400-foot stupa at Peshawar, housing Buddha’s alms bowl (later destroyed by Mughals).

• His conquests matched Ashoka’s, but his religious tolerance included Zoroastrianism and Hinduism.

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Why Kanishka Matters Today

• Bridge Between Worlds: His empire linked Rome, China, and India via the Silk Road.

• Buddhist Icon: The Kanishka casket (found in 1908) proves his role in spreading Buddhism to Central Asia.

Did You Know? The Kanishka era (started 78 CE) is still used in Nepal’s Bikram Sambat calendar!

(Note: Debate persists over Kanishka’s dates—some scholars place him in the 2nd c. CE.)

Thank note to Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University

Acknowledgment to Sithagu Sayadaw

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Samuccheda-sīla (Virtue of complete cutting off)

"Let's examine the aggregates. Isn't form (rūpa) taught to be like foam? Isn't feeling (vedanā) taught to be like a water bubble? Isn't perception (saññā) taught to be like a mirage? Isn't mental formations (saṅkhāra) taught to be like a banana trunk? Isn't consciousness (viññāṇa) taught to be like a magic show? Consider this.

All five have no essence. This essencelessness must be understood. Aren't all five taught to be like five enemies? We live with these enemies daily. If we know they're enemies, shouldn't we try to break free from them? Now we suffer because we don't recognize them as enemies. Try to understand this.

🌺Form (Rūpa)🌺
We need to understand the meaning of form. Countless deaths have occurred due to this form. Haven't you seen or heard of people dying from diarrhea? They call it dysentery. Medicine couldn't help. That's being killed by rūpakkhandha. Isn't this worth considering?

🌺Feeling (Vedanā)🌺
Haven't people been killed by feeling? Isn't feeling taught to be like a water bubble? Consider the story of Brahmin Cūḷaka - when the food suited his taste, he ate too much, drank water, and died when his intestines burst. Have you heard of him? That's being killed by vedanākkhandha. Isn't this worth considering?

🌺Perception (Saññā)🌺
There are deaths caused by perception too. Haven't there been cases of wrong injections due to misperception? Haven't people died from wrong injections? That's being killed by saññākkhandha. Countless have died this way.

🌺Mental Formations (Saṅkhāra)🌺
Isn't it taught "one wrong step on the path, one wrong spoonful of food"? That's being killed by saṅkhārakkhandha.

🌺Consciousness (Viññāṇa)🌺
There are deaths caused by consciousness too. Consider young couples in love after high school, promising to marry after graduate studies. Both study hard. After graduation, they plan to marry, but both sets of parents disapprove. When they can't be together, they say "If I can't have him/her, I'll take poison and die." Haven't you heard of people dying by taking poison? That's being killed by viññāṇakkhandha. Haven't people hung themselves? That's being killed by viññāṇakkhandha. Haven't people jumped into water? That's being killed by viññāṇakkhandha. Do you believe this?"

"Form (Rūpakkhandha) changes like foam on water,
Contemplate its arising and passing like foam,
This leads to Path and Fruition.

Feeling (Vedanākkhandha) experiences like a water bubble,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a bubble,
This leads to Path and Fruition.

Perception (Saññākkhandha) marks like a mirage,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a mirage,
This leads to Path and Fruition.

Mental formations (Saṅkhārakkhandha) construct like a banana trunk,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a banana trunk,
This leads to Path and Fruition.

Consciousness (Viññāṇakkhandha) knows randomly like a magic show,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a magic show,
This leads to Path and Fruition.

Arising and passing - what truth is this? (It's the Truth of Suffering, Lord)
Is it happiness or suffering? When you truly know it's suffering, this is yathābhūta-ñāṇa (knowledge of things as they really are).

Try contemplating a second time - don't you see only arising and passing?
What truth is this? (It's the Truth of Suffering, Lord)
Now the knowledge matures. Don't you develop the desire to be free from the aggregates?
You become disenchanted with the world - isn't this called nibbindā-ñāṇa (knowledge of disenchantment)?

Try contemplating a third time - don't you see only arising and passing?
What truth is this? (It's the Truth of Suffering, Lord)
Search from head to toe, throughout the body.
Can you find even a needle-point of happiness?
If you can't find even that much happiness, isn't it all suffering?
When you determine this, don't you gain clear comprehension?

At this point, the three factors of the Noble Eightfold Path enter:
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood - these three factors of virtue.
This virtue becomes samuccheda-sīla (virtue of complete cutting off).
It's full of essence, like an unmovable stone pillar.
Isn't it worth examining how it becomes so unshakeable?"

"If someone speaks harmful words that could cause shame and loss, do you still think of retaliation? Do you still act out with excessive speech? Do you still act out physically? This is how complete the sīla (virtue) becomes. Isn't this called samuccheda-sīla (virtue of complete cutting off)?

When these three factors combine with the five insights, don't they complete the eight? When eight are complete, as the ancient masters taught, 'Maggābhiññā sakiṃ matā' - like a thunderbolt. When lightning strikes a palm tree, does it grow again? Now too, attaining one Path and Fruition is crucial.

When the eight are complete, do you still see the five aggregates? Do you still see arising and passing away? Isn't this called lokuttara (supramundane)? Isn't it worth considering what Stream-enterers abandon? Don't they eliminate the latent defilements of wrong view (diṭṭhi) and doubt (vicikicchā)? When these latent defilements are eliminated, do mental actions still arise?

When mental actions don't arise, do physical and verbal actions still occur? If they don't occur, aren't the kamma leading to lower realms exhausted? Doesn't the cycle of suffering in lower realms end? Isn't this called pahāna-pariññā (knowledge of abandoning)?

Ñāta-pariññā, tīraṇa-pariññā, pahāna-pariññā - for one who gains these three kinds of knowledge, countless unwholesome kamma from beginningless saṃsāra: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, taking intoxicants - all these ancient unwholesome kamma and debts, as vast as the earth itself...

Do these unwholesome kamma still have the chance to give results? Don't they all become ahosi-kamma (ineffective kamma)? How inspiring is this! When these three kinds of knowledge are gained, true happiness is attained. Practice with conviction!

When contacted, aggregates arise and pass away
What truth is this? (The Truth of Suffering, Lord)
What knows this? (The Truth of the Path, Lord)
What is abandoned? (The Truth of Origin, Lord)
No more aggregates arising is (The Truth of Cessation, Lord)

How many sections in Dependent Origination? (Four sections, Lord)
How many factors in each section? (Five factors, Lord)
Five times four equals (Twenty)
These eight factors (Should be easily memorized as the way to liberation from saṃsāra)

Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu!"

The Sacred Legacy of Lord Buddha's Plasma Stupa in Ancient India

In a remarkable testament to the enduring legacy of Lord Buddha's teachings and the profound impact of his final days, a tale unfolds that intertwines suffering, faith, and reverence. According to ancient scripts recounting the final days of Lord Buddha, it is told that he endured a profound affliction—bleeding per rectum, a condition often associated with dysentery. As he approached the end of his earthly journey, the Enlightened One faced excruciating pain, with each passing moment marked by the agony of bloody diarrhea. It is speculated that these symptoms align with those of Entamoeba histolytica, a parasitic amoeba known to cause dysentery. Despite the immense suffering, the compassionate physician of Lord Buddha attended to him diligently. Yet, in the wake of his passing, the remnants of his ailment became relics imbued with profound significance. Seven vessels containing Lord Buddha's blood, the poignant remnants of his earthly ordeal, remained under the care of his physician.

However, in a twist of fate, these relics found their way into obscurity, relegated to the confines of a stupa with little regard. It was only when news of these relics reached the ears of His Majesty King A. Jata. Sat that their significance was recognized. Moved by reverence and a sense of duty, King A. Jata. Sat retrieved the relics from the physician's stupa and brought them into his kingdom. Yet, the journey of these relics did not end there. With the passage of time and the shifting tides of history, His Majesty King Kanishaka emerged victorious in conquest, bringing the relics under his domain. Among the treasures he discovered within the stupa were three vessels containing Lord Buddha's blood, a poignant reminder of the Enlightened One's mortal suffering and transcendent wisdom. In a gesture of profound veneration, His Majesty King Kanishaka honored these relics by creating a stupa dedicated to preserving their sanctity. Within the walls of this sacred monument, the blood of Lord Buddha, once a testament to mortal suffering, became a symbol of spiritual transcendence and enlightenment. The preservation of Lord Buddha's blood plasma for over 2600 years defies conventional understanding, yet it finds its explanation in the advanced medical knowledge of the time. During that era, physicians like Zewaka were adept at surgical procedures, including brain operations. It is through the application of such refined medical techniques that the precious blood plasma of Lord Buddha was securely kept, ensuring its preservation through the ages Today, these blood stupas stand as testament to the enduring legacy of Lord Buddha, a reminder of the transformative power of suffering and the eternal resonance of his teachings. Through the ages, they continue to inspire reverence and contemplation, inviting all who encounter them to reflect on the profound truths they embody.

Acknowledgment and Respect

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Ba Maw Sayardawgyi for his invaluable guidance and roadmap provided for the preservation of relics. His expertise, insights, and dedication to the preservation of sacred artifacts have been instrumental in shaping the direction of this research project. Ba Maw Sayardawgyi's profound knowledge and commitment to the preservation of relics have illuminated the path forward in safeguarding these sacred treasures. His guidance has not only enriched the understanding of relic preservation but has also inspired a deeper sense of responsibility in this endeavor. I am deeply appreciative of the time and wisdom generously shared by Ba Maw Sayardawgyi, which have contributed to the authenticity and significance of this research. His dedication to the preservation of relics is a testament to his unwavering commitment to cultural and spiritual heritage. I offer my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ba Maw Sayardawgyi for his invaluable contributions and for being a guiding light in the pursuit of relics preservation. Ashin Dhammasami Founder The Hswagata Buddha Tooth Relics Preservation Museum

Bhikkhuni Sangha and the Construction of Religious Monuments (Inscription of Bhikkhuni Dhammarakkhita)

Throughout the long history of Buddhism, the Bhikkhuni Sangha (community of ordained Buddhist nuns) appears to have had only a minor role. They were not invited to participate in the Buddhist Councils (Saṅgāyana), and even during Emperor Ashoka's time, when he sent out nine missionary delegations, no Bhikkhuni was included. This may be due to the difficulties and dangers that women faced when traveling long distances, making it impractical for them to join such missions. As a result, the Bhikkhuni Sangha did not spread widely, and it appears that their role gradually diminished after the Buddha's parinibbāna (passing away). Some scholars have even claimed that the Bhikkhuni Sangha may have disappeared around 600 BE (43 BCE).

However, archaeological evidence from inscriptions at important Buddhist sites suggests otherwise. Even during the Pāla dynasty period (circa 1300–1600 BE / 757–1057 CE), the names of Bhikkhunis can still be found, implying that the Bhikkhuni Sangha continued to exist, albeit with limited influence. It is likely that Bhikkhunis remained active until the final decline of Buddhism in India, around 1700 BE (1157 CE).

The Bharhut Inscription

One of the most significant pieces of evidence is found at Bharhut Stupa, built during the Shunga Dynasty, around 300 BE (circa 227 BCE). Inscriptions from this site, written in Brāhmī script and Prakrit language, record the names of Bhikkhunis from various cities who donated to the construction of different parts of the stupa. In total, at least ten Bhikkhunis are named as sponsors of various structures, including pillars, gateways (toranas), stupa walls, and other surrounding elements.

One Bhikkhuni in particular is recorded as the donor of a railing pillar surrounding the stupa. The inscription, written in three lines, reads:

1. Kosapekaye (Kosambīkaye) Bhikkhunīye

2. Venuginiyāye Dhamarakhitā

3. Yā (Dhammarakkhitāya) dānaṁ

Translation:

"The donation of the Bhikkhuni named Dhammarakkhita, from the Venuginīya clan, a native of Kosambī."

This indicates that the donor of the pillar was a Bhikkhuni named Dhammarakkhita (Pāli) or Dharmarakṣitā (Sanskrit). She belonged to the Venuginīya family and hailed from the city of Kosambī.

This evidence confirms that Bhikkhunis not only existed during that period but also took part in significant religious acts, such as sponsoring major parts of a stupa's construction—an indication of their religious commitment, status, and merit.

Language Evolution in Inscriptions

During the Maurya, Shunga, and Kushan periods (approx. 200–750 BE / 343 BCE–207 CE), donor inscriptions typically began with the word “dānaṁ” meaning “gift” or “offering.” However, in the later Gupta and Pāla periods (approx. 1000–1600 BE / 543–1057 CE), where Sanskrit became more dominant, inscriptions began using the term “deyyadharma”, which also means religious offering or pious gift.

Ancient inscriptions like the one at Bharhut provide not only architectural and artistic insights but also highlight the often-overlooked role of Bhikkhuni Sangha in the support and development of the Buddhist religion. Though historical records may be sparse, these stone inscriptions are silent yet powerful testimonies to the contributions and devotion of Buddhist nuns.

The story of Bhikkhuni Dhammarakkhita stands as concrete evidence of female monastics’ presence and religious involvement, demonstrating that women played an essential part in the early propagation and establishment of Buddhism—even if their voices were not always recorded in mainstream historical texts.

“Though quiet in the pages of history, the faith of the Bhikkhuni resounds in the stone inscriptions.”

The Dream of the Sacred Relics : The Scholar's Discovery of the Dreamt Coil

In the stillness of the night, amidst the whispers of the wind and the gentle sway of trees, a dream unfolded in the realm of Sao Dhammasami, a sanctuary of spiritual serenity. Within the depths of slumber, the ethereal veil lifted, revealing a vision laden with mystique and sacred significance. Sao Dhammasami, the custodian of this revered sanctuary, found himself traversing the realms of dream and reality. In the embrace of his nocturnal journey, he witnessed a profound encounter that would linger in his consciousness long after awakening. As he walked through the hallowed halls of the stupas, each step resonated with reverence and anticipation. The air hummed with an otherworldly energy, drawing him closer to the heart of the enshrined relics. With each passing moment, the ethereal glow of spiritual connection illuminated his path. Upon reaching the center of the sanctum, Sao Dhammasami beheld a sight of awe-inspiring wonder. Two tooth relics, gleaming with timeless radiance, stood as beacons of transcendence. Their presence exuded a palpable sense of guardianship, as if watching over the sanctity of the space. But amidst the divine spectacle, another revelation unfolded—a golden coil, delicately adorned and nestled beside the relics. Its intricate design whispered tales of ancient wisdom and sacred lineage, a testament to the enduring legacy of spiritual heritage. In this ethereal realm, time seemed to stand still as Sao Dhammasami basked in the aura of this celestial communion. The guardianship of the relics and the spiritual resonance of the golden coil intertwined, weaving a tapestry of profound significance that transcended the boundaries of mortal comprehension. As the dream gradually dissolved into the realms of waking reality, Sao Dhammasami carried with him the echoes of this sacred encounter. The memory lingered, a guiding light amidst the ebb and flow of earthly existence—a reminder of the eternal bond between the sacred and the sublime, woven into the fabric of his soul. In the quiet corridors of scholarly pursuit, where the echoes of history intertwine with the thirst for knowledge, a revelation emerged that would challenge the boundaries of understanding. Amidst the pages of an archaeological paper, meticulously crafted by a dedicated scholar, lay a chapter of profound significance—one that mirrored the ethereal visions of Sao Dhammasami's dream. As the scholar delved into the annals of antiquity, tracing the footsteps of civilizations long gone, a serendipitous encounter unfolded. Buried within the depths of excavation sites, amidst the rubble of ages past, lay a relic of unparalleled beauty—a golden coil, intricately wrought with symbols of spiritual significance. With each delicate brushstroke and meticulous examination, the scholar unearthed the enigmatic tale woven within the coils of gold. It spoke of a lineage stretching back through the corridors of time, a testament to the enduring legacy of spiritual heritage that transcended the confines of mortal understanding. Yet, as the scholar pieced together the fragments of history, a revelation dawned—one that mirrored the dreams of Sao Dhammasami in eerie resonance. For within the pages of the archaeological paper lay a narrative of discovery that echoed the sacred vision that had stirred the depths of the custodian's soul. The scholar's findings breathed life into the ethereal realms of dreams, bridging the gap between the tangible and the transcendent. It was as if the echoes of Sao Dhammasami's nocturnal journey had reverberated through the corridors of time, guiding the scholar's hand to uncover the mysteries hidden beneath layers of history. In the nexus of scholarship and spirituality, the discovery of the dreamt coil illuminated a path of revelation—a testament to the interconnectedness of all things, where dreams and reality intertwine in a dance of cosmic significance. And as the scholar's words echoed through the annals of academia, they carried with them the resonance of a truth that transcended the confines of empirical understanding—an acknowledgment of the mystical bond between the seen and the unseen, the known and the unknowable.

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