Buddhism amid the Ruins

Once again we have the merry season,but, like so many of us, my thoughts are much on Afghanistan these days. Recent footage of the ruins that once were cities is heartbreaking. To counter these seemingly hopeless images, though, we have the recent emergence of Afghani womens' faces and voices. Afghani women have given eloquent presentations at 10 Downing Street and before a Senate committee headed by Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton. This new energy is captured beautifully on the cover of the December 3 Time Magazine. Could we see a new beginning yet in that most afflicted of countries, and could women spearhead a new civilization of progress and humanity there?

What is the history of Buddhism in this devastated land? Are there Buddhists there today? Are they able to practice their faith despite the recent theocracy of the Taliban? In so many cultures, "forbidden" groups go underground and do survive.

For answers, I turn to a remarkable source of Buddhist information, The Damma Times. This publication is sponsored by the Panna Youth Centre, Singapore. It can be read at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DhammaTimes One has to join this Yahoo! group, but that is easily done. The articles are well-written and cover the gamut of Buddhist interest from theology to politics world-wide. They are astoundingly prolific and timely.

In a November 28 article titled Dalai Lama calls for Afghan plan, it is evident that His Holiness is concerned as are we all. He speaks out for general humanism: "I feel it is important to have further involvement for the country's development in education and the economy. Something like a semi-Marshall Plan should happen," the Dalai Lama said. "Then eventually I think the Afghan people could really get the benefit," he added.

With his typical diplomacy and precision, he summarized the present situation: "In the initial period I stressed that violent methods were unpredictable," he said. "Today, I look at the situation in Afghanistan and see some positive results, particularly when I saw the local people welcome the defeat of the Taliban."

In a reprint from The Chicago Tribune November 28, 2001, called Buddha icons are huge in their absence, we learn that Buddhism did flourish along the Silk Road until the 8th Century. Despite the rule of the Moguls and later invasions from Europe, there was respect for different beliefs. The Bamiyan statues (See my April 1, 2001 article) stood as monuments to the rich history of the region. They were sites for pilgrimage and gave identity to the local villagers.