Shanker Thapa's Buddhism And Nepal Japan Relation

This article was published in > Journal of Nepal - Japan Studies, Vol. IV, No. 1, 2004, Kathmandu: Sakai Lions Club and Imanishi Memorial Fellowship Trust Nepal.

Buddhism and Nepal – Japan Academic Relations: A Native Perspective Prof. Dr. Shanker Thapa [email protected]

The relations between two countries at people's level are much concerned in modern history. People to people contact between Nepal and Japan started in 1899 with the visit of a Zen monk Ekai Kawaguchi. The Japanese historians are quite aware that ancient Japanese academia might have come across about Kathmandu valley while going through with the accounts of Xuan Jiang, an ancient Chinese traveler.( 'A Brief: n.d.:1) This relation has been in the fields of exodus of Buddhism as well as Buddhist literature and adaptation of Hindu and Buddhist gods and goddesses in Japan. Some of the deities worshipped in Japan are, of course the Nepalese deities. The Factors Enhancing Relations: Nepalese Deities in Japan: This article mainly deals with Nepal-Japan relations in terms of Buddhism. The nature of relations is also dealt in terms of Nepalese deities immigrated to Japan in the ancient times. This has helped to establish good relations between the two countries. It is very interesting that some of the Nepalese deities mainly Mahamayuri, Saraswati, Ganesh, Manjusri, Mahankala, Avalokitesvara, Indra, Sakyamuni Buddha, and Amitabha Buddha are highly revered in Japan. These deities headed to Japan in the ancient times from China as part of exodus of Buddhism. Benzaiten (Benten) is the Japanese form of Saraswati, the Nepalese goddess of learning. Her Japanese counterpart is attributed to fortune, who holds a musical instrument called biwa. Nepalese Goddess Saraswati arrived in Japan via China as Benzaiten. Taishakuten (Indara) is the Japanese form of Nepalese god Indra. Taishakuten is also a very popular god among the Japanese. It is a matter of proud for Japanese if one receives ablutions in the temple of Taishakuten. (Takamichi: n.d.: 1) This much feeling is sufficient to know how popular is Indra as a god in Japan. However, Mahamayuri, a Buddhist deity very popular among the Nepalese Buddhists, is transformed as Kujaku myo-o in the Japanese version. The deity in the form of a Sutra was translated into Chinese as early as in the 4th century. This proves that

Mahamayuri was the only text that was more popular in China as well as in Japan. Mahamayuri is very popular in Japan. She is regarded as the Mother of the Buddha. Such a recognition proves that one of the text of Pancharaksa (the five protective deities) group became very popular in Japan. Mahamayauri alone was very famous in the Northern Buddhist countries. In the Japanese Buddhist culture, Mahamayuri is often depicted in temple banners and also in the form of statutes. She is called Kujaku myo-o in Japan who is seated on a peacock. She is figured with one head and four hands. One of her hands holds a pomegranate instead of classically assigned jewel in Japan (Getty:1978:187). All the Myo-o (Gods) as in Nepal, promise protection and genuine advantages in this life.( Takaoki:1972: 148-149). The position assigned to Mahamayuri obviously shows the importance of protective deities in Japan. Such a popularity of gods and goddesses of Nepal in Japan obviously helps to know certain kinds of cultural and spiritual exchanges between Nepal and Japan that helped develop bilateral relations. In addition to exodus of Nepalese deities in Japan, Buddhism has been one of the important variables in the relationship with Japan particularly academic one at the people to people level. In this context, the activities of Japanese people are discussed on the basis of Buddhism especially visits, repository of Buddhist manuscripts in Japan, and publication of catalogues of Nepalese manuscripts that are preserved elsewhere in Japan. Buddhism in Bilateral Relations Buddhist Library-Nagoya The Buddhist Library in Nagoya has a vast collection of microfilms of Nepalese Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts, which is excellent in its subject areas. This library in itself has played a role of immense significance in the relationship. Akio Ujike, Professor of Koyasan University, who studied Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts of Nepal under Pt. Amogha Vajra Vajracharya got motivated to establish the Buddhist Library is also the pioneer to introduce Buddhism of Nepal to Japan. The same Guru also taught iconography to Rev. Takaoka Shucho. He is the one who started a very ambitious project to microfilm Nepalese Buddhist manuscripts. Rev. Takaoka has materialized to microfilm thousands of books of Buddhist Mss (1973) that were in individual possessions. Mr. Ito Akira, late Mr. Kumagaya Seiji, and Takaoka published wood block prints of 108 Lokesvaras (Hyakuhachi Kannon Mokkoku Zuzoshu Kankokai) that were produced by Nepalese artists. The Buddhist Library also initiated Nepal-Buddhist Publisher to publish translations of Buddhist Sanskrit texts. The experts from both the countries contributed in this project. They published A Microfilm Catalogue of Buddhist Manuscripts in Nepal and wood block printing collection of 108 Lokesvaras, Japanese translation of Lokesvara Parichaya written by Amogha Vajra Vajracharya. The chanting and Puja of Prajnaparamita at Sensoji-temple (Tokyo), Tokurinji-temple (Nagoya), Myoujuji-temple

(Osaka) and Saikyoji-temple (Kobe) were also organized in time and again on the auspices of 108 Lokesvara Sangha led by Pt. Asha Kaji Vajracharya. Similarly, a group of Buddhist musicians also performed the Jnanamala Bhajan and Carya Nritya. The Lokesvar Sangha also arranged study trips to Nepal for Japanese Buddhists as well. Shishinkai (a Japanese lay Buddhist Group) also helped to establish The Lotus Research Center in Patan, which was originally intended for the preservation of the Buddhism of Nepal. The activities of the Buddhist Library, Lokeswar Parichaya, and Shishinkai contributed to the development of Nepal Japan relations through Buddhism. In addition to it, the contribution of Reiyukai can not be minimized. Among other things their attempt to create social values is very important (Thapa:1999:10-30). They also supported activities in Lumbini. The major help there came in the form of establishment of an international Buddhist Research Institute and a very nice Buddhist library in Lumbini. Japanese Repositories of Nepalese Manuscripts The collection of Buddhist Sanskrit Mss. in Nepal has become an important aspect of academic relations between Nepal and Japan. The abundant repository of collections of Mss. in Nepal attracted Japanese Buddhists scholars. So, some of the Japanese Buddhists monks and scholars collected volumes of Nepalese Mss. and deposited in the institutional repositories in Japan. Very nice collections are at Tokyo University Library (Matsunami: 1986:1-386), the Faculty of letters at Kyoto university (Kiyotaka: 1983), Tokai University Library (Yutaka :1960), Taisho archives and the Toyo Bunko. However, the collection of Rev. Ekai Kawaguchi is the first and foremost (Subedi:1999: 119-125). He collected Sanskrit manuscripts in Nepal with permission of HRH Maharaja Chandra Shumsher, who also presented him several volumes of Buddhist manuscripts. He visited Nepal several times, and was also accompanied by Prof. J. Takakushu in some occasions. The latter also collected Nepalese Buddhist Mss. and carried on to Japan. His total collection contains 180 volumes, whereas Ekai Kawaguchi collected 390 covering the wide range of subjects. Altogether they presented 570 volumes of Nepalese manuscripts to the Tokyo University Library in 1915. Most of them are still a part of this collection. Tokyo University Library currently has 518 volumes of manuscripts in their possession. The collection of Nepal's Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts was regarded as even more precious and pious by the Buddhist everywhere after it was exposed to the outside world in the middle of the nineteenth century. Certainly, the Japanese scholars have understood the position of Nepal in the context of Sanskrit Buddhist literature. Japanese Catalogues of Nepalese Buddhist Mss Japanese scholars have very much contributed in the study of Buddhist Mss. They have prepared catalogues of Nepalese Mss in their country.

A Japanese scholar has prepared a catalogue that included the Buddhist tantric manuscripts preserved at Keshar Library and the National Archives in Nepal (Moriguchi:1989:1-158). The Keshar Library collection contains manuscripts of various Buddhist themes which include - Sutra, Dharani, Purana Tantra, Avadana, jataka, Bodhicharya, Mandala, Stuti / Stotra, ritual books, and commentaries. Japanese scholars also showed a keen interest in Nepalese Buddhist manuscripts. The Ven. Ekai Kawaguchi and Prof. Takakusu of the University of Tokyo collected Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts in Nepal. There are many centers within Japan that contain Nepalese Mss. The Buddhist Library alone has several thousand microfilms of Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts from Nepal, and several catalogues on Nepalese Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts are published elsewhere in Japan. The Taisho University has also published a brief catalogue on Buddhist manuscripts, which is at the Bir library in Kathmandu (Buddhist:1955:55-84). The Ven. Ekai Kawaguchi and Prof. Takakusu also prepared a hand written notebook which is at Tokyo University; it lists the Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts of that collection (Catalogue : n. d). Two other catalogues of Buddhist texts which were published in Japan are also very important. Matsunami Sieren edited a catalogue of Nepalese Buddhist manuscripts which are in the Tokyo University Collection (Matsunami:1965:1-386). The other catalogue is about the extended collection of microfilms of Nepalese Buddhist Sanskrit literature at the Buddhist Library at Nagoya (Takaoka:1981:1-120). The catalogue of the University of Tokyo's library has five hundred eighteen entries of Nepalese Buddhist manuscripts, which have been classified according to the following types - Sutra (29), Avadana (36), Tantra (85) Dharani (460) and Shastra (28). It also lists eighty nine non-Buddhist manuscripts. Prof. Takakusu has donated 180 volumes of manuscripts, which he collected in Nepal in 1913 A.D., to the collection. Ven. Kawaguchi donated other volumes in 1915. All of the entries in this catalogue have been classified into six main groups according to the theme of each manuscript, which also contains the following details such as - short description, title, appearance, property, folios, lines in a folio, size of the folio, manuscripts number, date of transcription, script, beginning words, and frame narrative. In addition to this information, each manuscript refers to other published catalogues in which the same manuscript is listed. The catalogue numbers of the Taisho and Peking editions are also included for each manuscript in this catalogue. In case of the entry is translated in Chinese, it is also indicated in the particulars included with each manuscript. This information also shows how those manuscripts are related to the one at the Bir Library collection (Nepal) or at the Royal Asiatic Society of Kolkata. The catalogue of the Buddhist Library collection of microfilms edited by Hidenobu Takaoka has nine sections according to theme. Almost every kind of Buddhist

manuscript is included in this catalogue. Sanskrit manuscripts was microfilmed by the team in Nepal that was sent by the Buddhist Library. These texts are very important in the study of Mahayana Buddhism. The catalogue was prepared for the purpose of preserving Nepal's Buddhist heritage and preventing it from losing its tangible and intangible cultural assets which have been enriched by Nepal's history, religious, and cultural excellence (Takaoka:1981: III). Due to the fact that Newars are losing interest in traditional and religious life and values, rites are no longer being passed on precisely, the broken tradition of the Master-disciple and the relationship and inability to prevent Buddhist manuscripts from being taken out of the country, the preparation of these catalogues has proved to be of great help in the preservation of the Buddhist heritage of Nepal. The Buddhist Library catalogue has entries on Sutra, tantra, Dharani, Vidhi, and other Buddhist themes as well as entries on Bouddha Shastra as well. Each entry contains details that include - script. Date, language, material and form of manuscripts, type of paper, size, total number of folios, size of the folio, total lines in a folio, miniatures paintings, and microfilm reel number. Taisho University rendered an invaluable service in the collection of Buddhist literature, Tibetan Tripitaka, etc. and also published some catalogues, which also included manuscripts in the Bir Library collection in Nepal (Buddhist :1955:55-84).Tokai University published another catalogue on Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts (Imamoto: 1960), and two other important catalogues were also published in Japan (Nagao: 1963; Kiyotaka and Keiyo: 1983) . Mitutoshi Moriguchi, a Japanese Buddhist scholar, published a catalogue of the tantric Buddhist manuscripts at the Keshar Library and National Archives of Nepal (.Moriguchi:18989:1-158). It is very important catalogue of tantric texts preserved within Nepal, whose importance has long been recognized. Mitutoshi Moriguchi came to Nepal in search of the texts of Manjusri Mulakalpa and Dharmasamuccaya as mentioned in The Memoirs of Taisho University, which are based on the material of Prof. Ryotai Kaneko of Toyo Bunko (Buddhist:1955:55-84). While in Kathmandu, Moriguchi searched for Buddhist tantric texts at the National Archives, Keshar Library, and elsewhere in the city of Kathmandu. He was able to locate very important tantric manuscripts such as • Manjusrijnana Tantra, • Vajradhatumukhakhyanadegurividhi, • Vajrodaya, • Mahamandaladevatanamavali (a part of Vajrodaya), • Nagarjuna-Indrabhuti (a hypothetical name according to the small tradition of Advayavajra), • Guhyasiddijnanasiddisadhnopayika (of the Saptasiddi Samgraha

included in the works of Kuddarapada), • Balimala and so forth (Buddhist: 1955:VII). He also located a copy of Sarvatathagatatattvasamgrahanama Mahayana Sutra in the Keshar Library under the title of Sarvakulatattvasiddi Vidhivitara tantra. The manuscripts included in Moriguchi's catalogue are from the National Archives' and Keshar Library collections and were microfilmed by the NGMPP (Nepal-German Manuscripts Preservation Project). There are 615 entries, which provide the following details about the manuscripts: alphabetical order of manuscripts, title of the manuscripts, the author, microfilm number (status of microfilm), number of folios, type of folios, complete/incomplete, and date. In addition to this information, several copies of manuscripts folios are on even pages in the catalogue that deals with colophons. Similar titles, related titles of the Peking edition of Tripitaka and sDedge catalogues, and numbers of the same manuscripts are also given, allowing one to compare the knowledge that is obtained from this catalogue. The Xerox copies of various manuscripts folios also provide information on the typology of the folios and on various writing styles. Those folios document changes in the style of writing, and form of the letters over the centuries. The manuscripts on the list are identified according to their location by the letters C+ and D+ to indicate the Keshar Library and National Archives collections respectively. As the title suggests, this catalogue lists only Buddhist tantric manuscripts. All kinds of tantric books belonging to the Kriya, Carya, Yoga and Anuttara Yoga tantra are included in this catalogue. These manuscripts are written in Ranjana, Bhujimol, Newari and Devnagari scripts on palm-leaf and Nepalese paper folios, and some documents are also written on Nilapatra (blue dyed paper) folios. Copies are listed in the regular index and in the supplementary section, which lists the Xerox copies of manuscripts folios. The author index is also included in the catalogue and contains the names of some prominent Nepalese Buddhist scholars. The Nepal-Japan relation at the peoples' level has largely been determined by Buddhism itself. The activities in learning or publication of Mss related things has strengthened the relations since long ago. It became the basis of academic relations. Conclusion: Not only is the institutional relation between two countries important, the people to people relation is also very important in bilateral relations. One of the major parts of the relationship between Nepal and Japan is the relation that has been established at the peoples' level. In fact, it is very informal type of relations that has been addressed from different dimensions. In the context of Nepal Japan relations in terms of Buddhism and related aspects, development of Lumbini as a sacred pilgrimage is significant. The master plan for developing Lumbini was created by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange

((Bearak:1998:2). The Japan Buddhist Federation also rendered invaluable contribution in the development of Buddhism and its academic aspects in Nepal. The distinguished Buddhist Rev. Hiroyuki Kawashima has done considerable work in this context.

References: •

'A Brief History of Japan-Nepal Relations',(www.np.EmbJapan.go.jp/ relations. html)

•

Barry, Bearak, 'Buddha's Birthplace Hopes for a New Incarnation', Lumbini Journal, December 2, 1998, www.kenyon.edu/depts/religion/fac/adler/reln260/

lumbini.htm. Buddhist Manuscripts of the Bir Library, by the Sanskrit Seminar of Taisho University', Memoirs of Taisho University, No. 40, 1955. Catalogue of the Kawaguchi Takakushu Collection of Sanskrit Manuscripts Possessed by Tokyo University Library', (Handwritten), n. d. •

Getty, Alice, (1978), The Gods of Northern Buddhism, New Delhi: Munshi Ram Manohar Lall.

•

Imamoto, Yutaka, (1960), 'Catalogue of Buddhist Sanskrit Manuscripts in the Library of Tokai University', Proceedings of the Faculty of Letters, Vol. 2, Tokyo: Tokai University.

•

Kiyotaka, Goshima and Keiyo Noguchi (ed), (1983), A Succinct Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts in the Possession of the Faculty of Letters, Kyoto: Kyoto University Press.

•

Moriguchi, Mitutoshi, (1989), A Catalogue of the Buddhist Tantric Manuscripts in the National Archives of Nepal and Keshar Library, Tokyo: Sankibou Busshorin.

•

Nagao, Gajin, (1963), Buddhist Manuscripts Text of Kathmandu (in JapanesePresented to Dr. Iwai in his 70th birth day).

•

Saawa, Takaoki, (1972), Art in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, New York: Weather Hill.

•

Seiren, Matsunami (comp), (1965), Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts in the Tokyo University Library, Tokyo: Suzuki Research Foundation.

•

Subedi, Abhi, (1999), Ekai Kawaguchi The Trespassing Insider, Kathmandu:

Mandala Books. Takamichi Okabe, 'Nepalese Deities In Japan', cited in www.np.emb-japan.go.jp/ history/ diet .html •

Takaoka, Hidenobu (ed.), (1981), A Microfilm Catalogue of the Buddhist Manuscripts in Nepal Vol. 1, Nagoya, Buddhist Library.

•

Thapa, Shanker, (1999), 'Japanese New Religious Movement in Nepal: Its Impact On Making of a New Social Order', (a research report submitted to the Sumitomo Foundation, Tokyo).