Buddhism 101

Lesson 3: Important Buddhist Figures and Related Mythology

This lesson is a survey of major Buddhist figures and the legends that surround their life and work; it deals with some of the major Buddhist figures, figures that are historical, fictional, and/or somewhere in between. Religions are shaped by people and their personalities, and Buddhism has a wide mix of cultures and a vast expanse of time to draw upon. You will be introduced to characters that may amuse, inspire and surprise you, and learn of the way they are viewed within the various Buddhist traditions. Some are magnificent celestial buddhas, some are lowly field workers who are adept at perceiving the nature of reality. All have been shrouded in some way by the legends that have grown around them.

Let us look at a good example – the Indian Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna, who lived in the second century CE. We know he was a real person, and we have texts that can be (with some certainty) attributed to him. He is responsible for developing theories of emptiness, which play a large role in the Madhyamika (“Middle Way”) tradition, which is within the Mahayana school. This tradition teaches that everything in the phenomenal world is devoid of reality. We have much of his writings, and know a great deal about his philosophy. But legend has grown around him as well. Many believe him to have been adept at reading scripture to a superhuman degree, and that he could become invisible and travel underwater. Though we may be skeptical, we must recognize that these traditions are equally important to Buddhist culture, and should be studied with respect for the tradition.

As before, this lesson will close with two exercise questions related to the topic. You will again be asked to critically examine the material you were presented with in this lesson. As well, there will be another five question multiple choice test. This test will be slightly different than previous tests – in the Lesson 3 test you will be given a characteristic or trait of a figure, and be asked to identify the figure from a list of five candidates. Each question features the same five options. This test is designed to help you separate Buddhist figures in your own mind – it is easy to begin to confuse names of a foreign language. Ensure when you read the lesson material that you pay close attention to the figure being discussed. Do not hesitate to review sections – it will take time to become familiar with the colorful array of Buddhist figures.

A final note before you begin Lesson 3: please be advised that I have chosen the most popular (i.e. common) names used for this figures – if you proceed to do your own research you may find similar but decidedly different names. This is especially true for Chinese names, where two popular transliteration schemes (pinyin and Wade-Giles) are popular. However, most academic works will offer both translations at the outset of any discussion.

Religious Kings

     There are several rulers, of various nations, that are associated with Buddhism – even the historical Buddha was of noble birth. They may be real, and have had a significant historical impact on the Buddhist tradition, or fictional devices used to further explain the ideas of the Buddha. In this section we will briefly discuss some of the major examples of these types of figures.

Ashoka
     Ashoka is sometimes referred to as the “Constantine of the East”, indicating the emperor that propagated Christianity within the Roman empire – this is anachronistic and ethnocentric, since Ashoka performed his actions long before the birth of Constantine (the third century BCE). Perhaps Constantine should be known as the “Ashoka of the West”. In any event, the king Ashoka did much to promote Buddhism in his kingdom, though not at the expense of other traditions. Prior to his conversion he had made great conquests in India, and in the process many died under his command and in the regions he conquered. He put up great stone tablets, which have been recovered, that explain his new found religious beliefs and express his regret for his former actions. He became a model for later Buddhist kings.

Milinda
     King Milinda may or may not have been a historical figure, and the dialogue that occurs in the work the Questions of King Milinda are likely fictional. He is a Hellenistic king – that is, his kingdom was founded in the path of the conquest of Alexander the Great, and was based on Greek culture. However, it was within the Buddhist sphere of influence, and Milinda, intrigued by the ideas put forth in this philosophy, asked the Buddhist sage Nagasena a series of questions. Over the course of the questioning Milinda is treated to Buddhist answers to all his questions, and eventually becomes a lay devotee of Nagasena. This tale is an interesting early encounter between Buddhism and Western (Greek) thought.

Tibetan Dharma Kings
     Buddhism went through two periods in Tibet – its first introduction, which ended in a collapse of Buddhism, and then a later return of the dharma. The initial phase of Buddhism was crowned with a succession of religious kings, called Chogyel. During this period Tibet experienced much prosperity and renown.

     The first of these kings was Songtsen Gampo, who had two wives, one Nepalese and one Chinese, who both brought with them the Buddhist faith. They set up Buddhist temples in Tibet and are traditionally thought to have held much influence over the king. He is responsible for initiating the development of a written Tibetan language.

     The next king was Trisong Detsen. He is even more responsible for the propagation of Buddhism, founding (with others) the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery. He also encouraged the translation of Buddhist texts into the Tibetan language.

     The final religious king was Relbachen. His involvement with Buddhism was so intense that his duties as king were neglected, leading to political disaster. He was succeeded by the king Lang Darma, the wicked king who was assassinated by a monk as discussed in the introduction to this course. Relbachen is known for his work in standardizing Buddhist texts.

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