Sarnath

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

Sarnath (formerly also Mrigadava, Rishipattana, Isipatana), located 13 kilometres from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, is the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha was founded.

Origin of names

Mrigadava means "deer-park". Isipatana is the name used in the Pali Canon, and means the place where holy men (Pali: isi, Sanskrit: rishi) fell to earth. The legend says that when the Buddha-to-be was born, some devas came down to announce it to 500 rishis. The rishis all rose into the air and disappeared and their relics fell to the ground. Sarnath, from Saranganath, means "Lord of the Deer" and relates to another old Buddhist story in which the Bodhisattva is a deer and offers his life to a king instead of the doe the latter is planning to kill. The king is so moved that he creates the park as a sanctuary for deer. The park is still there today.

History

The Buddha went to Sarnath from Bodh Gaya after his enlightenment. He was seeking his five former companions. Having found them he taught them and they also became enlightened, and hence the Sangha, or community of the enlightened ones, was founded. The Buddha spent the next rainy season in Sarnath at the mulagandhakuti vihara. The Sangha having grown to 60 in number, the Buddha sent them out in all directions to teach the Dharma.

The first five disciples pay respects to the Wheel of the Dharma at the deerpark of Isipatana.

Buddhism flourished in Sarnath in part because of kings and wealthy merchants based in Varanasi. By the third century Sarnath had become an important center for the arts, which reached its zenith during the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries CE). In the 7th century by the time Xuan Zang visited from China, he found 30 monasteries and 3000 monks living at Sarnath.

Sarnath became a major centre of the Sammatiya school of Buddhism, one of the Nikaya or Hinayana schools. However, the presence of images of Heruka and Tara indicate that Vajrayana Buddhism was also practiced here.

At the end of the 12th century Sarnath was sacked by Turkish Muslims, and the site was subsequently plundered for building materials.

Features

All of the ancient buildings and structures at Sarnath were damaged or destroyed by the Turks. However, amongst the ruins the Dhamek Stupa is an impressive 128 feet high and 93 feet in diameter. The Dharmarajika Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas remaining, although only the foundations remain. The decaying ruins of the Mulagandhakuti vihara mark the place where the Buddha spent his first rainy season while to the east is the modern Mulagandhakuti Vihara with its beautiful wall paintings and behind it the Deer Park (where deer are still to be seen).

The Ashoka Pillar was broken some time ago but the base still stands. The lion capital, which miraculously survived its 45 foot drop to the ground, became a symbol on the Indian flag, and is still on display at the Sarnath Archeological Museum which also houses some of the greatest treasures of Indian Buddhist art including almost 300 images.

There is also a Bodhi tree planted by Anagarika Dharmapala which was grown from a cutting of the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya.

For Buddhists, this is one of four pilgrimage sites designated by Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Lumbini.

Discourses

The first ever discourse was delivered here and is known in Pali as the Dhammacakkhapavathana Sutta. Other Suttas include the Anattalakhana Sutta, and the Saccavibhanga Sutta.

External links

• Buddhanet
• Map showing Sarnath
• Dhammaloka Trust
• Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta - English translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu .
• Entry for Isipatana in the Pali Dictionary of Proper Names