Jada Smith

5/15/15
Ancient World

One With the Seated Buddha

Universally, the Buddha is a symbol of arising from ignorance and truly

finding nirvana and peace amidst the chaos. Siddhartha Gautama, known as
the Buddha, founded Buddhism in the late 6th century. The Buddha taught
the Four Noble Truths; suffering is universal, desire causes suffering, ceasing
to desire relieves suffering, and following the Eightfold Path releases one
from suffering. Additionally, in the Buddhas story, the Buddha was said to
encounter four people that changed his life. He encountered an old man, a
severely ill man, a corpse, and a wandering ascetic. The Buddha had lived a
life of royalty and privilege, and these encounters showed Siddhartha that
there was more to life than castles and jewelry. It showed him that there
was a whole world of suffering and pain beyond the gates of his palace. If
the Buddha did not feel compassion for the old man, the sick man, and the
corpse, he would not have come across the wandering ascetic and become
the Buddha. The Buddha followed the Four Noble Truths and overcame
obstacles such as desire and temptation by feeling compassion for the old
man, ill man, and the corpse. This idea is demonstrated in various Buddhist
sculptures, such as the Seated Buddha Reaching Enlightenment Flanked by
Avalokitesvara and Maitreya. I chose to do this source because this year was
the first year that I learned about Buddhism, and as I learned more, my
curiosity heightened, and I wanted to learn even more about the religions
values. The Seated Buddha Reaching Enlightenment Flanked by

Avalokitesvara and Maitreya from the Met Museum presents the eternal
truth of overcoming obstacles through compassion.

In addition to the factual aspect of the sculpture, the Bodhisattvas display

the compassion aspect of the eternal truth of overcoming obstacles through
compassion. The Seated Buddha Reaching Enlightenment Flanked by
Avalokitesvara and Maitreya sculpture is twenty-six and one-fourth inches
tall and seventeen and three-eighths inches wide. In the late 10th to early
11th century, this sculpture (made out of black schist) was located in Bihar,
India in the Nalanda monastery.1 Being that the sculpture was located in a
monastery, the main audience for this artwork during the time that it
existed in the ancient world was the Buddhist monks because a monastery
is a place that is occupied by people, specifically monks, that live in
seclusion due to religious vows.2 The sculpture portrays two bodhisattvas on
either side of the Buddha. One of the Bodhisattvas that flank the Buddha is
Maitreya, which is the bodhisattva of the future who was born to teach
others how to become enlightened.3 The other bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara,
represents compassion and Avalokitesvara translates to, The Lord who

1 "Seated Buddha Reaching Enlightenment, Flanked by Avalokitesvara

and Maitreya l India, Bihar, Nalanda Monastery l Pala Period." Seated
Buddha Reaching Enlightenment, Flanked by Avalokitesvara and
Maitreya. Accessed May 13, 2015.
2 Dictionary.com. Accessed April 30, 2015.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/monastery.
3 "Bodhisattva Maitreya, 100300." Asian Art Museum. Accessed April
30, 2015. http://education.asianart.org/exploreresources/artwork/bodhisattva-maitreya-100-300.

looks down (in compassion)4. The compassion piece of the eternal truth
comes into play with the Bodhisattvas and the Buddhas story because the
definition of a Bodhisattva is able to reach enlightenment, but delays their
journey to teach others how to overcome the obstacle of desire and
suffering, out of compassion.5 Therefore, the Bodhisattvas that flank the
Buddha in the sculpture represent the compassion aspect of the eternal
truth overcoming obstacles through compassion.

The time period that the sculpture was present in allowed the sculpture to
be culturally accepted and the history of the Turkish Muslim Invasion reveals
physical evidence of the overcoming obstacles aspect of the eternal truth. The
Seated Buddha Reaching Enlightenment Flanked by Avalokitesvara and
Maitreya was made during the Pala Period, when the Pala Dynasty was in
power in Bihar. The Pala dynasty was in power from the 8th to the 12th century
in Bihar and Bengal, India. Pala means protector in Prakrit, which can
connect to Avalokitesvara because he is the bodhisattva who looks down on
the world in compassion, and protects it.6 The Palas, adherents to Mahayana
Buddhism, were generous patrons of Buddhist temples and the famous
universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila. It was through their missionaries
4 "Avalokitesvara Mantra | Wildmind Buddhist Meditation."
Avalokitesvara Mantra | Wildmind Buddhist Meditation. Accessed April
30, 2015. http://www.wildmind.org/mantras/figures/avalokitesvara.
5 Fiero, Gloria K. "The Spread of Buddhism." In Medieval Europe and
the World Beyond: Book 2, 2-4. 5th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006.
6 "The Pala Dynasty." History Pala Empire, Pala Dynasty, Pala Dynasty
in India 8th 12th Century. Accessed April 30, 2015.
http://www.lotussculpture.com/pala.htm.

that Buddhism was finally established in Tibet.7 This quotation exemplifies the
fact that the Pala dynasty supported Buddhism, and without their support, this
sculpture would not have been created. In addition, according to Fiero, the
invasion of the Turkish Muslims resulted in the capture of Delhi in the late 10th
century, which was around the time that the Seated Buddha Reaching
Enlightenment was in the Nalanda Monastery. The invasion of the Turkish
Muslims resulted in not only chaos, but also the destruction of the Nalanda
monastery. Countless amounts of Buddhist statues were destroyed due to the
Muslim law, but the Seated Buddha Reaching Enlightenment survived the
wreckage and prevailed to be admired by many people today.8 The idea of the
sculpture surviving the chaos also exemplifies the overcoming obstacles
aspect of the eternal truth.

The eternal truth of overcoming obstacles through compassion is very

prevalent throughout ancient Buddhist texts as well. According to the
Introduction of the Karita of Asvaghosha, The Karita of Asvaghosha is an early
Sankrit poem written about the history of the Buddha and about the Buddha
himself.9 Therefore, it is valuable because due to the fact that it is an ancient
poem, it provides insight and prospective to the outlook on the Buddha, and
the eternal truths and lessons that emerge from his life stories and

7 Ibid
8 Fiero, Gloria K. "The Message of the Buddha." In Medieval Europe and
the World Beyond: Book 2, 2-4. 5th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006.
9 The Buddha-karita of Asvaghosha Introduction. The Buddha-karita
of Asvaghosha Introduction. Accessed May 7, 2015.

experiences. The eternal truth of overcoming obstacles through compassion is

displayed in the Karita of Asvaghosha when it states, "Enjoy therefore for a
while the sovereignty of the earth,--thou shalt go to the forest at the time
provided by the sstras,--do not show disregard for thy unhappy kindred,-compassion for all creatures is the true religion.10 This quotation addresses
compassion in a manner that demonstrates the idea that even in ancient texts
the compassion aspect of the eternal truth is prevalent. The Karita of
Asvaghosha explains compassion as the true religion, which addresses
Buddhism as a whole, rather than individually. The Buddhas overall message
is truly a perfect example of the true religion because according to Fiero,
The Enlightened One preached a message of humility and compassion, the
pursuit of which might lead his followers to nirvana, the ultimate release from
illusion and from the Wheel of Rebirth.11 Both the idea of compassion being
the true religion and the Buddha teaching a message of compassion and
humility correlate with The Seated Buddha Reaching Enlightenment sculpture
because the eternal truth of overcoming obstacles through compassion,
whether it be by teaching others how to become enlightened out of
compassion or overcoming the obstacle disobedience and following the true
religion(a religion base on compassion), emerges in both The Karita of
Asvaghosha and the sculpture.

10 The Buddha-karita of Asvaghosha Book IX. The Buddha-karita

Asvaghosha Book IX. Accessed May 5, 2015.
11 Fiero, Gloria K. "The Rise of Buddhism." In Medieval Europe and the
World Beyond: Book 2, 2-4. 5th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

The eternal truth of overcoming obstacles is very prevalent in todays

society, such as in the popular television series, Lost. Lost is about a plane
that had technical difficulties and crashed onto an island. About thirty
people survived the crash, and after they recollected themselves, instead of
helping other people that were injured, they fought each other for food,
water, and many other supplies. As the television series progressed, the
main character ends up being one of the few people that cares for the
people that were injured in the crash. After the people that were fighting
over supplies saw him helping the injured people, they followed his example
and helped as well.12 The main character could have been like all the others
and let the injured people die from blood loss, but out of compassion, he
overcame the obstacle of greed, and saved many peoples lives. As said by
the Huffington Post, The idea is to get around the obstacle by accepting
that it exists and detouring to the path you might have felt was the unlikely
one to take.13 In addition, the theme of overcoming obstacles through
compassion is apparent in the commercial, 50 People 1 Question. In this
commercial, 50 people were asked the question, If you could change one
thing about your body, what would it be? The first shot that shown was a
woman around her thirties saying only one?. The adults (25-45 years old)
were asked the question first, and their answers spanned from stretch
marks to ears to feet. After, the children (4-10 years old) were asked, and
12 "Lost." Lostpedia. Accessed May 15,
2015. http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Lost.
13 Lauren, Linda. "Ways to Avoid Micromanagement." Overcoming
obstacles. March 23, 2015. Accessed May 15, 2015.

their answers were a mermaid tale, shark mouth so I could eat a lot of
stuff, extra pointy ears, legs like a cheetah, and wings.14 The sole
purpose of this advertisement was to target the common issue of
insecurities among many people in todays society. The Jubilee Project was
trying to overcome the obstacle of insecurities that are very prevalent in the
world today by making the audience that watched the ad feel compassion
towards all of the adults that really were unhappy about the way they were.
These two media examples from the 21st century matter because they
present obstacles that are prevalent in the world today, such as greed and
insecurity, and address the idea of overcoming those obstacles through
compassion, which directly connects to the eternal truth of overcoming
obstacles through compassion that emerges in The Seated Buddha Flanked
by Avalokitesvara and Maitreya sculpture. The legacy of Buddhist beliefs
and the eternal truth of overcoming obstacles through compassion is truly
alive and well today.
In conclusion, the eternal truth of overcoming obstacles through
compassion in not only displayed in the Seated Buddha Reaching
Enlightenment Flanked by Avalokitesvara and Maitreya, but also in the
Buddhas life, the Bodhisattvas, ancient Buddhist texts, and media in the 21st
century. Buddhas life, the Bodhisattvas, and ancient Buddhist texts can all be
portrayed differently according to perspective, but the theme of overcoming
obstacles is universal and is apparent in the Buddhas life, his followers, and

14 Comfortable: 50 People 1 Question. Jubilee Project. Film.

Buddhist texts nonetheless. Additionally, many people today associate media

in the 21st century with negativity, such as bullying, shaming, and media being
the source of insecurities, but Lost, 50 People 1 Question, and countless other
shows in todays society are fighting these negative connotations associated
with media in the 21st century. Despite having to focus on portraying a positive
message in the media, the media seems to have also revealed the eternal
truth of overcoming obstacles through compassion, which gives the people of
the world hope for a brighter, more accepting, and most of all, a more
compassionate future.