‘Our heart is a hill / Underneath it, a Buddha sleeps’: A writer muses on Buddha and his teachings

Sanchi isn’t far from my home, a fortunate proximity that allows for frequent visits. It is the only place associated with Buddha that I have visited so often. Curiously, Buddha himself is said never to have set foot there. Yet Sanchi holds a revered place on the Buddhist map. Even in places where Gautama did not tread, his presence is felt. Though his journey in the outside world has ended, in the inner world, his footprints remain fresh, as if he has just walked by. What is love but this: the inward sensation of something that has already transpired outside and the continuous reliving of that experience.

How natural it is that when Buddha is mentioned, a soft melody of love begins to play in the background.

Buddha’s path was not one of worship (aradhana), but of devotion (upasana). Derived from “upa” (near) and “asana” (sitting), “upasana” conveys the idea of sitting close to oneself – an inward practice, contrasting with the external objects and rituals required of worship.

In the stupas, viharas and museums of Sanchi, numerous statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas can be found, both intact and fragmented. Yet the one that captivates me the most is the statue of Gautama Buddha seated...

Read more

News