パーリ学仏教文化学 (15) - 004Sraman Gyana Ratna「A Survey on Buddhist Meditation Practice in Bangladesh ： Its Past, Present and Future」

A

Survey

on

Buddhist

Meditation

Practice

in

Bangladesh

-Its

Past,

Present

and

Future-Gyana

Ratna

Sraman

In

the

ancient age, an

Austro-Asian

race

first

inhabited

this

_part

of

the

region.

Then

came

the

Dravidians

from

VVestern

India

and

later

on

the

Aryans

from

Central

Asia

to

establish

their

small settlements,

During

the

time

ofthe

Mauryan

Empire

_(ca.

320-180

B.C.)

Buddhism

came

to

Bengal,

when

Mauryan

Empire

declined

and

the

eastern

_portion

of

Bengal

became

the

kingdom

of

Samatata.

The

third

empire was

the

Harsha

Empire

(A.D.

600-47),

which

draw

Samatata

into

its

loosely

administered

_political

structure.

The

disunity

following

the

demise

of

this

short-lived empire

allowed

a

Budclhist

chiefnamed

Gopala

to

seize

_power

as

the

first

ruler

of

the

Pala

Dynasty

_(A.D.

750-1

150).

He

and

his

successors

_provided

Bengal

with

stable

_government,

security,

and

_prosperity

while spreading

Buddhism

throughout

the

state and

into

neighboring

territories.

Undoubtedly

the

reign

of

the

Palas

was

the

_golden

age

of

Buddhism

in

Bangladesh.

The

Palas

were

devout

Buddhists

and

under

their

active

patronage

a number of new

Buddhist

centers of

international

reputation

sprang

up

in

this

region, viz.,

Somapura

Mahavihara,

at

Paharpur,

3

miles

away

from

the

Jamalgarlj'

railway station,

Bangladesh.

The

other

Buddhist

monasteries

of

the

Ptila

_period

mention

may

be

made of

(i)

Jagaddala

in

VttrendiEi

_(nortern

Bengal),

_(ii)

Vikrampuri

_(Bikrampur,

Dhaka),

_(iii)

Pattikeraka

_{(Mainamati-Lalmai}

range,

Comilla)

(iv)

Parpdita

Vihalra,

a strong

hold

of

Tantrik

Budclhism

(in

Chittagong),

(v)

Devtkota

_(Bangrh,

West

Dinajpur),

and

(vi)

Traikalaka

in

the

_Radha

_(western

Bengle).

Under

the

patronage

ofthe

P51a

rulers

Mahayana

Buddhism

`became

a

Society for the Study of Pali and Buddhist Culture Society for theStudy of Pali and Buddhist Culture

28

!<=i?.

ij!).igLyt.tVi-\''i

the

north

to

the

islands

ofthe

Malaya

Archipelago

in

the

south-east.'

A

direct

cultural

interlink

between

India

and

Tibet,

Indian

and

South-East

Asia

was

firmly

established

during

the

_period

which

_popularized

Buddhism

immensely

in

this

sub-continent.

There

had

been

religious and cultural exchanges

taken

place

with

lndia

and

other

Asian

countries

by

the

famous

saint

of

Bengal

AtTsa

Dipafikara

_Srifiana

which maintained

the

_growth

and

_preservation

of

immense

Buddhist

iiterature,

art and architecture.

This

cultural

exchange

remarkably

_paved

the

_path

to

the

_growth

of

Tantric

Buddhism,

`which

developed

a

highly

esoteric

_yogic

systems of sadhana with

a

belief

in

the

efficacy of magic spelis, mantras and

dharapts

and

_practice

of mudras

(physical

postures),

mandalas

(mystical

diagrams),

kriyas

(rites)

etc,

in

Tibet

and

Nepal.'M

After

the

Pala

dynasty

Buddhism

was

decline

in

Bangladesh.

It

is

remarkable

that

with

the

advert

of

the

Sena

kings,

who

had

Vaisrpavite

leanings,

Buddhist

literature

and culture went underground

for

all

time.

We

hear

ofno suppression or

_persecution

ofBuddhism under

the

over

lordship

of

the

Senas,

but

it

was

probably

a

_part

oftheir

_policy

to

encourage

Brahmanical

studies

as

a reaction against

the

Buddhistic

tendencies

of

the

Pala

kings.

During

the

Sena

and

_post

Sena

_periods,

the

Buddhist

rlUntra

lost

its

own

characteristics, as

the

Buddhist

Tantric

scholars

had

tQ

make adjustment with

the

Brahmanical

Ttintra

ofthe

_period

in

order

to

maintain

their

very

existence

in

their

homeland

as well as

Buddhist

Tantric

Yogis

passed

from

Buddhism

to

Saivism

simply

to

please

their

heretic

rulers

and

_gain

_political

favors.(2}

Muslims

who came

to

this

region at

the

beginning

ofthe

13th

century

continued

their

rule

till

the

advent of

the

British

in

the

18th

century.

The

British

domination

over

the

subcontinent

continued

for

about

200

_years,

and

on

leaving

in

i947,

they

_partitioned

it

into

lndia

and

Pakistan,

Bangladesh

formed

the

eastern wing of

Pakistan

until

it

became

independent

on

December

16,

1971.

At

present

there

are

four

major religions

in

Bangladesh.

These

are

Islam

..ASuTvey

on Buddhist

Meditatien

PracticeinBangladesh

₂₉

perfect

peace

and

harmony

with

fe11ow

minority

brethren

who are well

represented

in

_all

walks

of

life.

The

purpose

of

this

_presentation

_is

to

_present

a

real

condition

of

Buddhist

meditation

_practice

in

Bangladesh

_and

its

_past,

_present

_and

future.

_I

appiied

two

methods

to

develop

the

article.

One

is

historical

background

through

literary

documents

and

the

other

one

is

survival

data

through

survey

and

interview

to

the

laities

and monks.

As

far

as

my

knowiedge,

there

are

no

more

_presentation

was

held

in

the

_past

and

_present

about

the

fietd.

Let

me

take

this

opportunity

to

_present

the

subject.

Historical

_Background

_of

_Meditation

_Practice

_in

_Bangladesh

SZimatha-vipassandi

is

one of

Indian's

most

ancient

meditation

techniques.

_It

was rediscovered

2545

_years

ago

by

Gotama

the

Buddha,

and

is

the

essence

of what

he

_practiced

and

taught

during

his

forty-five

_year

ministry.

During

the

Buddha's

time,

large

numbers

of

_people

in

northern

India

_(including

_Bahga)

_were

freed

from

the

bonds

ofsuffering

by

_practicing

meditation,

allowing

them

to

attain

high

levels

ofachievernent

at

all spheres

of

life.

Over

time,

the

technique

spread

to

the

neighboring

countries

of

Myanmar,

Sri

Lanka,

Thailand

and

other

countTies,

where

it

had

the

same

ennobling etfect.

Five

centuries

after

the

Buddha,

_purity

ofthe

noble

teaching

ofsamatha-vipassand

was

lost

in

India

and elsewhere as well as.

But

in

the

country

of

Myanmar,

however,

chain-devoted

teachers

_preserved

it.

Frorn

_generation

to

generation,

over

two

thousand

_years,

this

dedicated

_lineage

transmitted

the

technique

in

its

_pristine

_purity.

The

geographical

situation of

Bangladesh

is

very

close

to

lndia

and

Myanmar

During

the

renaissance _of

Theravada

_Buddhism

_in

Bangladesh

(1856)(3)

along with

Buddha's

teaching

_meditation

_also

_entered

from

_the

_then

Burma.

During

that

time

_Theravada

meditation

was

flourished

among

the

Society for the Study of Pali and Buddhist Culture Society for theStudy of Pali and Buddhist Culture

3o

7e-v\tsthscIt\

practice

meditation

in

their

daily

life.

Below

I

_present

some

important

historical

data

regarding

Buddhist

Meditation

in

Bangladesh,{4>

A

historical

guideline

ofthe

Buddhist

Meditation

Practice

in

Chittagong

and

Chittagong

Hill

Tracts

(ref

map

p.

43)

was

_given

below

from

8th

to

20th

century

through

survey

and

interview

ofBuddhist

monks

and

lay

devotees.

Meditation

Practice

in

the

_past:

From

8th

to

18th

Century

From

the

8th

century

to

the

end

of

the

12th

century,

the

Buddhism

practiced

in

Bangladesh

was

7bntric

Buddhism.

linntric

Lama

also

_practiced

meditation and

this

had

considerable social

impact.

From

12th

to

end

ofthe

18th

century,

the

history

of

Buddhism

in

Bangladesh

is

very

obscure.

According

to

Pa44it

Hkiraprasjd

Sjstri,

"The

Buddhists

fbrgot

their

own

religion,

their

_philosophy

and

their

ideals.

...

There

remained a

_group

of

ignorant

bhikkhus

or married

persons

in

the

garb

of `hhikkhu'

and

they

reformed

Buddhism

in

their

own way, according

to

their

will."(5>

At

that

time

the

Buddhism

of

Bangladesh

was mixed up

with

7lrntrism

and

Brahmanism

and

the

Buddhist

monks were

known

as

Tliaur

=:

T7idikur

(meaning

`priest' of

the

Hindus).

During

that

time

Plen,

Khemanancla

T7iakur

_(14ncthar

Manidy,

PZrn.

_barimoham

Thakur

_(Kaclaipunj,

Pbn.

Purnacara

77iakur

_{(;thayaKhalij.}

P7rn.

Shilcaran

Lama

(Chittagong

Hill

Tracts)

_practiced

Tantric

Meditation

and

attained

some sorts of super

natural

_power.

A

lot

ofpeople

still

remember

them,

in

their

own

area

as noble

ones.

Meditation

Practice

in

the

19th

Century

There

is

little

infbrmation

about

Buddhist

meditation ofBangladesh

in

the

19th

century.

During

my survey

I

came

to

know

that

there

were

two

reputed meditation masters

at

this

time

in

Bangladesh.

One

of

them

is

Plen.

Govindu

Bhikkhu

_(Llbbra,

Hathazarij

and

the

other

one

is

P2?n,

Projnatissa

A

Survey

on Buddhist

Medhation

PracticcinBangladesh

₃₁

system.

There

are

a

lot

ofstories about

both

ofthem.

Regardjng

Ven.

Govindn

Bhikkhu,

when

he

was

in

.lbbra,

people

ofthe

village criticized

his

way

oflife

and

called

him

a "mate" and some

other

bad

words.

At

that

time

_he

_laid

a

curse

on

imprecated

the

villagers

and said, "the

boo-tree

will

break

into

two

pieces

and

the

villagers

will not

_progress."

After

that

his

curses

on

imprecate

come

true,

one

day

the

Boo-tree

really

broke

in

two

_pieces

and

villagers

did

not

_progress.

Still

many

_people

of

the

villager

are

saying

about

his

imprecating

fact.(6)

Another

time,

Ven.

Govindo

visited

the

river

Iilalcla.

There

was no

bridge

over

the

river.

People

crossed

the

river

by

boat.

Late

at night

Ven.

Govindu

went

to

that

_place

and

wanted

to

cross

the

river,

He

called

the

boatman

who was asleep

in

his

house

near

the

river.

The

boatman

became

very

angry

and abused

PZ,n.

Govindn.

After

that

PZin.

Govincla

came

to

the

riverside,

took

a

_piece

ofbanana

leaC

which was

floating

in

the

river, and

boarded

it.

The

banana

leaf

carried

him

across

the

river

immediately.

The

boatman

saw

this

and

discussed

it

with

the

villagers.(7}

Later

on

not only

Buddhist

_people

but

also

the

Muslim

and

Hindus

became

very

_polite

to

him.

Day

by

day

his

name and

fame

_grew,

and

finally

Pkn.

Govindn

became

_a

_very

respected

_personality

for

the

believers

of

all

religious.

Meditation

Practice

in

the

20th

Century

In

the

20th

century

Buddhist

Meditation

of

Bangiadesh

became

much

more

_popular.

We

can

say

the

20th

century

is

the

renaissance ofmeditation

in

Bangladesh.

A

lot

of

medhation

masters

were

appeared.

Among

them

C,7)jtsaka

Dn

Ray'endealal

Mutsudtfi

_(Guman

_Mantan,

_Hdthazarij,

_Plen.

Dhamma

vahari

Mahdthera,

Plen.

_GyaniswaTa

Mahdithera,

len.

Bisuddhacara

Mahditherq

Plen.

Ethantaralaighita

_Mahjthera

_(IBinazuri,

Raozanj,

Plen.

Stidhanjnanctha

Mahathera

_(ZRangamatij

Plen.

Dn

Shdisana

Rakkhita

_Mahathera

_{(7Vdrdyanganj,}

_Dhakoj,

_len.

_Prty'nojyoti

_Mahjthera

(?L4ahtimuni,

Raozanj,

_Cipdsikii

Babuler

MZi

_{(IRangunicij,}

LCPasika

Rani

bdla

Society for the Study of Pali and Buddhist Culture Society for theStudy of Pali and Buddhist Culture

32

.

7i"-iJ\tstw)ZfLi\-t

centuries

only

monks

_practiced

the

meditation,

In

contrast,

the

20th

century

laypeople

also started

to

_practice

meditation

in

their

daily

lives.

[ipdsaka

Dn

Rtu'ench'alal

Mtztsucldi

was

in

Myanmar

(Burma)

fbr

a

long

time

fbr

business

purposes,

At

that

time

he

came

in

touch

with many

famous

meditation

masters

in

Myanmar.

When

he

returns

to

his

motherland

he

tried

to

explain

it

to

his

villager.

Many

people

became

interested

in

practicing

meditation.

Within

a short

time

the

news spread out around

the

Buddhist

fbllowers.

Finally

he

decided

to

teach

meditation

to

the

_people.

Slowly

many

_people

eome

to

know

the

system

ofmeditation

and

with

in

a short

time

many mobile

meditation

centersC8)

had

been

set

up

over

the

Chittagong

division.

Dn

Mutsuddi

became

very much

familiar

with all

Buddhist

_people

ofBangladesh

through

his

meditation

practice.

During

my survey

in

Bangladesh

l

found

that

everyone

accepted

him

as

a

_pioneer

of

Buddhist

Meditation

of

Bangladesh,

Another

contemporary

master

is

An`iigarika

Munindroji

who was

born

in

Demsha,

Chittagong,

and

is

now

living

in

Calcutta,

India.

He

has

taught

meditation at

home

and abroad.

Nowadays

An(igarika

MIinindecli'i

is

living

in

Mahdhodhi,

Calcutta

and

teaching

meditation at

the

International

Vipassana

Research

lnstitute

of

Igatpuri,

Bombay.(9)

At

present

there

are

two

kinds

of

Buddhist

meditation

_practice

in

Bangladesh,

They

are

Samatha

and

P'ipassanj

Meditation.

P'Zpassanj

is

the

most

_popular

in

praetice.

Very

few

_people

practice

Samatha,

PZin.

Sticthdinanancla

Maha-thera,"O)

called

Plrna

Bhante(ii)

is

the

only one

renowned

Bangladeshi

in

this

practice,

P'hna

Bhante

possesses

some

supernatural

_power.

He

is

also

_qualified

in

allof

Mdhj

Stiti"hjna-sutta.<i

2)

So

people

revere

him

as an

Arahant

also.

But

it

is

very surprising

that

he

had

no

textbook

or

any

instruction

on

that

particular

sutta

while

he

was

dwelling

in

the

forest.

SZibbe

sahkhara

anicca, sabbe saitkhara

dukkha

and sabhe

cthamma

anattj,

these

are

the

three

stanzas which

gave

him

the

whole

knowledge

on

Maha

SZitipatthana-sutta,

while

he

dwelt

alone

in

a

deep

forest

named

Dhanpata

in

Chittagong

Hill

Tracts

(CHT)

fbr

twelve

years.

Now,

his

A Surveyon

Buddhist

Meditation

Practice

in

Bangladesh

₃₃

fbilowing

iine

by

line

from

the

text.

He

has

been

leading

a

life

ofmeditation

smce

1949

and

now

lives

at

Rcy'

lana

Vlhdira.('3)

The

second

meditation

teacher

is

Dr.

Venerable

Shasana

Raklthita

Mahathera,

the

Ex-Prof

ofDhaka

University.

He

has

no

meditation

center of

his

own

but

has

led

a

life

of meditation

for

_more

_then

40

_years.

One

_of

his

senior

disciples,

Venerable

Prajnajyoti

MahEthera,

_{established a meditation}

center

m

1995.

This

Venerable

is

also

a

well-known

meditation

teacher

enJoying

meditation

iife

fbr

more

then

30

_years.

_These

three

teachers

have

helped

many meditators

in

Pipczssana

_and

in

hayagatj-sati(i4)

_meditation

through

the

Bengali

Language.

The

narne

of

his

meditation

center

is

Mahamuni

Forest

Meditation

center.{i5)

It

is

in

Mahamuni

forest,

40

km

_east

ofChittagong

International

Airport.

Present

Day

Meditation

Centers

in

Bangladesh

Befbre

my

survey

I

did

not

know

how

many

Buddhist

meditation

centers

existed

in

Bangladesh.

_After

_{my surveM now}

_it

_is

_clear

_that

_there

_are

₄₁

meditation

centers

in

Bangladesh.

Among

them

there

are

three

_types

of

meditation

centers

_{and most of}

them

_are

in

Chittagong

_and

_Chittagong

_Hill

Tracts.

_(re

£

map

_p.

43)

They

are as

fbllows:

Table1

MeditationCentersinBang]adesh

NameoftheCenter Nameoftheteacher _Address

Established-mentYear

l.DhanapataVanaViharaBhavana

Kendra SelfPraetice Kaptai,Rangamati,

_CHT.

194g

2.JarnitzuriSumanachara

Vidarsanarama Ven.Shilaratna'MahEtheraZamirzuri,Dehazari_{Chandanaish,CTG.}

1957

3,MirzapurEhantidhamBidarshan

BhtivaliaKendra

NowClosed

MiTzapur,Hathazari,_CTG, 1958

4.DhammaVihadVidarshan

ShikkhaKendra NowClesed

DewanjiPara,

_{Chandanish,CTG,}

1960

5,DighinalaVanaViharaBhEvEna

Kendra

Ven.NandhaP51a

Mahathera

Dighinala,

KkagTachari,CHT. 1961

'6.TintilaVanaViharaMeditation

_Center

ttVen.YogasiddhiThera

Langodu,Rangamati,

Society for the Study of Pali and Buddhist Culture Society for the Study of Pali and Buddhist Culture

34

,sc-V7thtyJSCIk\ '

21.

'

ShantarakkhitaVidiarshanBha-vEnaKendra NowClesed WestBinazuri,

Raozan,C'1'G,

1970

-ttRajaVanaVihara

Ven.Shadanananda

Mahathera(VanaBhante)

'Rangamati,C'H'r.

1975

JomercukVanasramBhAv5na Kendra

Ven.AtmadipaBhikkhuRangamuti,CHT.

1980

ShakpuraPrajnabangshaVidar

shanKendra Ven.Prajnabangsha Mahathera

Shakpura,?atiya,

CTG,

1984

BhikkhuTrainingandMeditation

Center

Ven,ShasanaRaklchita

Thera Kadalpur,Raozan, CTG.

1986

JurachariVanaViharaBhavana

Kendra

Ven.BuddhasreeThera'

'

Juraichari,Rangamati,

CHT.

1990

DhammapurVanaVihEraBha-vEnaKendra Ven.Prajnalankara

Mahathera

Khagrachari,CHT.

1990 AmtaliVanaVihEraBhayana Kencita

tt

SelfPractice

Juraichari,Rangamati,_CHT.

1991

KatachariVanaViharaBhavana

Kendra

SelfPractice

Rangamati,CHT, 1992

GohiTaMahAsasanaBhavfin

Kendra Ven.PurnqiyotiThera

WestGohira,Raozati,

CTG,

1993 GyanankurVanaVihara MeditationC.enter

'

Seli'Practice

_{Baghaichari,CHT.}

Sarovvatali, 1994

'

FuramonVanaVih5TaBhavana Kendra

JVen,AnomadarshiBhikkhuRaiigamati,CHT.

'

1995 BilaichariVanaVihdraBhavfina

Kendra

SetfPractice

'

Bilaiehari.Rangamati,

CHII

199S

M'EdinipurvanavihiraBhfivfina Kendra

'Ven.SumanajyotiThcraDureharl,Baghaichari,

CHT. 1995 JivTaliVanaViharaBhEvAna Kendra SelfPracticc

'Baghaichari,

Rangamati,CHT.

1995

tt

"MahamuniAranyaDheyEna

Kcndra Ven,PrajnajyotiMahEtheraMahAmuni,Raozan,

CTG.

199S

JAjyapurvanavihfiraBhiyfina

Kendra Ven.BhrlguThera Baghaichari,

Rangamati,CH'IL

1996tttt

.DaghaiaVanaVihEraBhfivAna

Kendra

SelfPractice

Baghaichari,

Rangamati,CHT.

1996

.KajachariVanaViharaBhavEna

Kendra

SelfPractice

Baghaichari, Raiigamati,CHT.

1996

'.GhagraVanaViharaBhavEna

Kendra

,SelfPractice

Ghagra,Kaukhali,

CHT. 1996

.ManikchariBh5v5naKendra

Ven.SritimitraBhikkhuManikchari, Khagrachari,CIIT,

1997

.KatachariAranyakutirMeditation

Center

Selt'Practice

'

Katachari,Rangamati,

CHT,

1997

.NirabanpurMeditationCenterVen.AryaNandhaBhiklthuKutukcharl,

_{Rangamati,CHT.}

1997

,VarvocapVanaViharaBhavana

Kendra

'

Ven.NandaBangsha

Mahathera Rangamati,CHT, 1997

A

Survey

on

Buddhist

Meditation

Practice

in

Bangladesh

35

31.RatnankurVanaVihEraBhiy5na

Kendra

Ven.VisuddhaNandaTheTaNaniyacar,Rangamati,

CHT.

1997

32.ShilchariAmetyForest

McditationCenter

SelfPractice Betbimi4Rangamati,

CHT.

1998

33.GyanaukurBhavanaKendra

Ven.ShasanapriyaTheraPumara,Rangunia,

CTG.

199g

34.ShatipurAranyaDheyanaKendraVen,ShasanaRakkhita_Thera Panchari,Khagrachari,

CHIL

1999

3S.ManipuTAranyaDheyanaKendraVen,BashistaThera Panchari,Khagrachari,

CIIT.

1999

36.SukarchariVanaViharaBhAvana

Kendra SelfPractice

Manikchari,

Rangamati,CHT,

1999

37.KaokhaliVanaVihhraBh5vana

Kendra

Ven,DhammatissaBhiklchuKaokhali,Rangamati,

CHT,

1999

38.PrajnajyotiMeditationCenteTVen,Tilokabangsha

_Bhikkhu

Mogaltoli,Agrabad,

CTG.

2000

39,MahalchariVanaVihalaBhavEna

Kendra SelfPractice Mahalchari,

Khagrachari,CHT,

2000

40,BangalTaliVanaViharaBhEvana

Kendra

SelfPraetice

KarangataliBazar, Rangamati,CHT.

2000

41.BaghaiHatVanaViharaBhfivana

Kendra Se}fPractice

Rangamati,CHT.

2000

42,MobileMeditationCenter

Ven.BodhipalaSramanera

UpasakaTemiaBrataBarua

UpasikERdnuBalaBarua

ChandagaoResidential

Area,Chandagao,

CTG.

i _{Te{alcenters42 Tetalteachers26}

IYpes

of

Meditation

Centers

in

Bangladesh

Nowadays,

meditation

lovers

of

Bangladesh

have

established a

lot

of

meditation

centers.

All

together

there

are

41

meditation

centers

in

Bangladesh

(table

1).

Among

them

there

are

three

types

ofmeditation

centers, as

fo11ows:

1)2)3)

Meditation

Center

with

[leacher

Meditation

Center

with no 'feacher

(selfpractice)

Mobile

Meditation

Center

and

1)

Meditation

Center

with

[Ibacher:

This

type

ofmeditation

centers

is

rare

in

the

_plain

area

ofBangladesh,

Society for the Study of Pali and Buddhist Culture Society for theStudy of Pali and Buddhist Culture

36

?e-v\t6twpt((L#

are only .laminzuri

Sumanacdra

P7clarsandram,

Shdkpura

Projnjbangsha

vaclarsan

Kendra

and

Mahamuni

Araaya

Dhayjna

Kendra.

Laymen

and

women,

even

_young

boys

and

_girls,

occupy

most

ofthe

centers

in

Chittagong.

On

the

other

hand,

only

monks

and

novices use most

of

the

centers

in

the

Chittagong

Hill

Tracts.

The

above

two

centers

are

offering

meditation courses

throughout

the

_year

to

the

local

_people.

The

above

two

centers

are

located

in

village

areas.

Until

last

_year

there

were

no meditation

centers

in

Chittagong

city.

In

January

8th

2000,

city

dwellers

set

up

a meditation

center

at

Mogaltoli,

Chittagong.

Twice

a

day

_people

ofthe

eity are coming

to

the

center

to

_practice

meditation.

The

direct

management

of center management

committees runs most of

the

centers.

Some

of

the

meditators

_pay

and

some

do

not.

The

management committees

collect

funds

from

Buddhist

fbllowers

for

the

course.

In

Chittagong

Hill

Tracts

monks

and

Novices

use most

of

the

centers.

They

collect

alms

once a

day

before

lunch,

and some of

the

centers

are receive

dana

from

the

fbllowers.

Nowadays

quite

a

number of students

also

take

_part

in

meditation courses,

which

is

a very

_good

sign

fbr

the

future

ofBuddhist

meditation

ofBangladesh.

2)

Meditation

Centers

with

no

'Ibacher

(selfipractice):

This

type

ofmeditation centers

is

found

mostly

in

Chittagong

Hill

Tracts

and

is

only

for

monks and

novices.

They

are

look

like

selfipractice

centers,

The

life

ofthe

meditator

in

a selflpractice center

is

very strict.

Almost

all of

them

_practice

dhutanga,(i6}

which

is

quite

hard

fbr

norrnal

monks and

novices.

During

my survey,

I

asked a senior

monk

why a monk

or

novice

has

to

_practice

this

type

of

harder

meditation system

when

Buddha

taught

us a

"Middle

Way"

He

replied "the system

is

not so

hard

fbr

the

diligent

son

of

Buddha

because

they

left

everything, even

their

family

name,

their

_parents,

relatives,

friends,

normal

clothes,

hair,

all

kinds

of

worldly

things.

Buddha

himselfalso

fo1}owed

the

same way

and

introduced

it

to

his

fbllowers.

If

it

is

not

the

middle way

Buddha

didn't

introduce

it

to

his

disciples.

Even

he

didn't

A Surveyon

Buddhist

MeditationPractice

in

Bangladesh

₃₇

monks

and novices

in

Bangladesh

but

_only

_a

few

_of

_them

_are

interested

_to

practice

this

system.

Ofcourse

it

is

very

hard

in

the

beginning

for

_every

_one.

After

they

_get

involved

in

the

_practice

it

is

not

too

hard."

In

the

_plain

area

most ofthe 'Ilemples

are used

for

self:-practice

but

_not

for

duutahgn

_practice.

Very

recently

the

residential monks and novices

ofS7idikyamuni

temple(i7)

of

Chittagong

city

started

to

_practice

deutafiga.

But

_still

_it

_is

_limited

_to

_the

monks

and

novices.

3)

Mobile

Meditation

Center:

,

It

means

temporary

meditation

center.

These

types

ofmeditation centers

are

exist

in

all

Buddhist

villages.

EspeciallM

in

the

winter season,

_people

arrange

these

_types

ofmeditation

courses

in

their

local

temples.

_Most

ofthe

funds

come

from

_public

donations.

Ofcourse,

in

Mobile

Meditation

_Centers

meditators

can't

_practice

all

typesCi8)

of

meditation

except

sitting

meditation,

because

the

meditation

area

is

not so

big

and

also

together

there

are

more

then

1OO

meditators

_practicing

meditation.

Most

ofthe

mobile

meditation

courses

are

taken

by

the

layperson.

It

can

be

said

that

during

the

winter

season most

ofthe

Buddhist

villages

become

centers of mobile

meditation.

There

is

a

team

ofMobile

meditation

teachers

fbr

P'ipassanj

meditation

practice.

A

well-known

meditation

teacher

named

Plen.

Bod7iipai

S7amanera

is

the

head

of

that

mobile

team.

Throughout

the

_year,

the

local

_people

for

meditation camp

invite

the

_team.

_The

_team

_goes

_to

hold

_ten

days

_medhation

course

in

each camp.

These

are now

very

_popular

now

in

the

Buddhist

community ofBangladesh.

What

is

the

timetable

ofthe

meditation

centers?

I

think

it

depends

_upon

the

master

ofthe

centers.

Below

is

the

_general

timetable

ofthe meditation

Society for the Study of Pali and Buddhist Culture Society for the Studyof Pali and BuddhistCulture

38

,<-v\th#s{ttljt

Table

2Time

sehedule of

Meditation(i9)

-t

Time

'

MeditationPractice

4:OOamt4:30amWeakupbell,Washingface,hand,toiletingetc.

4:30am-5:OOamWalkingMeditationwithgroup

_{ttt5:OOam-5:3Oam}

SittingMeditationwithgroup

S:30am-6:eOam

'

WalkingMeditationwithgroup

6:OOam-6::OamSittingMeditationwithgroup

.-t..

6:30am-7:OOam

-tt

lndividualMeditationpractice

7:OOam-8:OOam

tt.

Breakfastwitheatingmeditation

8:30am-9:Oeam

t-t

Wa)kingMeditatienwithgroup

9:OOam-9:30am

SittingMeditationwithgroup

9:30am-11:OOamIndiyidualMeditationpractice,takingofbath

11:OOam-12:OOamLunchwithEatingMeditation

12:OOam-1:OOpm

RecliningMeditationpractice

'

1:OOpm-1:3OprnWalkingMeditationwithgroup

_tt

1:30pm-2:OOpmSittingMeditationwithgroup

2:OOpm-2:30pm

vet

Walkingmeditationwithgroup

2:30pm-3:OOpm

u-tSittingMeditationwithgroup

3:OOpm-3:30pmLemontea,fruitjuice

3:30pm--4:OOpm

individualMeditation.practice

'

4:OOpm-4i30pmWalkingMeditationwithgroup

4:30pm-5:OOpmSittingMeditatienwithgroup

5:OOpm-5:30pmWalkingMeditatienwithgroup

5:30pm--6:OOpmSittingMeditationwithgroup

6:OOpm-6:30pmIndividualMeditationpractice

6:30pm-7:OOpmWalkingMeditationwithgroup

_tt

7:OOPm-7:30pmSittingMeditationwithgreup

7:30pm-8:OOpmWalkingMeditationwithgroup

8:OOpm-8:30pmSittingMedltationwithgroup

8:30pm-

Lemontea,fruitjuice,reporttomeditationteacher,meditation,

discourseswiththeteacher

10:OOpm-

Takingrestwithrecliningmeditationorpracticcindividualmeditation

A

Survey

on Buddhist

Meditation

Practice

in

Bangiadesh

₃₉

Meditation

ofBangladesh

in

Future

Recently

in

Bangladesh

many

_people

have

become

interested

in

Meditation.

In

village

areas

there

are

the

temples

where

_people

can

_go

easily

and

can

_practice

meditation

and

other religious

activities.

But

in

the

city

areas

there

are not many

temples

and religious

activities.

Distance

and

expense

limit

_{participation.}

City

residents

are

much

busier

than

villagers.

Therefore,

they

need

a

_place

where

they

can

_practice

spiritual

things.

For

them,

_I

think

audiocassettes;

books

and

videocassettes

are

very

effective.

We

must

also

establish some meditation

centers

in

the

city

areas,

or

the

city

temples

may

provide

meditation

courses

for

city

dwellers.

Land

in

the

city

is

very

expensive.

So

we

must

set

up

some

multistoried

building

for

meditatjon

practice

in

the

temple

complex.

Benefits

ofMeditation

Practice

In

my

survey

I

asked

some

of

the

meditators

about

the

benefits

of

meditation.

Most

of

them

replied

the

same.

Of

course

some

of

them

have

more

thoughtfu1

ideas.

Most

_of

_the

_{practitioners}

_replied

_that

_they

_could

_get

mental

_peace

when

they

_practice

meditation.

In

the

family

life

from

morning

to

night

they

are

_quite

busy

with

their

family

associated

business.

They

are

always

involved

with

_gain

and

loss,

honor

and

dishonor,

happiness

and

misery,

_praise

and

blame

each

of

other

in

society.

Therefore,

when

_people

practice

meditation

they

can observe, contemplate

their

own

mind and

_get

free

from

above

8

worldly conditions

(loka-cthamma),{20)

_and

find

_relief

_from

restlessness,

And

finally

_they

find

_mental

_peace.

_When

_they

_practice

meditation

they

also

observe

their

mentaI

activities

with

sharp

eyes,

which

is

always working with spiritual

things

and

free

from

worldly

thinking.

By

the

spiritual

thinking

they

can

find

the

reality

of

things

as

they

are.

Therefore,

many

of

them

answered

they

can

understand

the

real

teaching

of

the

Buddha

Society for the Study of Pali and Buddhist Culture Society for theStudy of Pali and Buddhist Culture

40

,e-U#t6,ptXiLti;i

they

are

_getting

benefus

of meditation

in

terms

of

treatment

of

diseases.

It

is

true

that

many

_people

of

the

world are using mental

therapy

in

the

medical

science.

These

types

of mental

therapy

are

mainly

based

on

Buddhist

way

of

contemplation

ofmind.

In

the

near

future

Buddhist

meditation

may

be

come

the

best

medicine

for

menta1

care

of

the

_peoples

of

the

world.

Difficulties

or

Problems

with

the

Meditation

Practice

I

asked

some

meditators

about

_problems

they

face

in

their

meditation

practice.

They

replied

that

we

have

a

shortage

of

experienced

meditation

teachers,

Not

only

that

but

also

during

the

meditation

time

some

of

the

meditators

become

idle

in

their

mind

but

it

is

very

difficult

to

overcome

because

of

inexperienced

teachers'

guideline.

Because

of

the

deep

concentration

sometimes

the

meditators

lose

their

memory.

They

can't

recall

anything

in

their

mind easily.

They

can't move

their

body,

legs,

and

hands

or

even

open

their

eyes.

Sometimes

meditators

overestimate

themselves

and

say,

they

can

see

heaven

and

hell

and

they

attain

some

sorts

ofspiritual

_power.

In

some

cases meditators

gets

stifthess

of

the

body,

which

may

be

the

cause

of

paralysis.

It's

true

that

in

Bangladesh

most meditation

teachers

learn

meditation

by

themselves

either

listening

to

their

teacher

or

through

reading

books.

Both

ofthese

ways are acceptable,

but

I

myselfprefer

to

add

theory

and

_practice

together.

Without

knowing

the

theory

and

practice

it

may

be

difficult

or

even

dangerous

to

teach

meditation.

Conclusion

From

the

above

_presentation

it

may

be

said

that

there

is

a

_growing

interest

in

meditation

in

the

_present

day

society

ofBangladesh.

As

we saw

in

table

1,

there

are

more

then

40

meditation centers

in

Chittagong

and

Chittagong

Hill

Tracts

but

not many expert masters are

leading

the

centers.

In

A

Survey

on BuddhistMeditation

Practice

in

Bangladesh

wronglM which _may

be

_the

dangerous

fbr

_the

future

_of

meditation as

well

as

for

the

meditators

themselves.

Tlo

remedy

the

situation,

we should make available

audiocassettes

and

videocassettes

with

explanation

ofmeditation

by

expert

masters

as

well as

translation

ofmeditation

books

in

Bengali

language.

For

_proper

_guidance

of meditation

_practice,

I

think

the

meditation

lovers

of

Bangladesh

should

either

invite

expert masters

from

Myanmar

or

_go

to

Myanmar

_for

_intensive

_practice.

41

development

Notes

and

References

(1)

Asiatique

Journai,

1934,

_pp.

209-211;

History

ofBengal,

Vbl,

I,

_p.

327.

<2)

History

ofBengal,

Vbl.

I,

_p.

350.

(3}

Sukumal

Chaudhuri:

Contemporar:y

Budtthism

in

Banggadesh,

Calcutta

1982,

_p.

32.

(4)

I

cellected

the

data

with

the

support ofVen.

Prajnabangsha

Mah5thera

and a

_group

of

monks ofRaja

Vhna

Vihara,

Rangamati,

CHT.

(5)

Haraprasad

Granthavali

_(in

Bengali),

_p.

424.

(6)

During

my survey,

I

_came

_to

know

_the

story

from

the

_people

ofJobra

Village.

(7)

This

story was

told

me one of

the

close

fo11ower

_of

Ven.

Govinda

Bhikkhu

who

resided very near

to

the

Halda

river

He

also

told

me

that

Ven.

Govinda

frequently

visited

his

house

when

he

(Vbn.

Govinda)

across the river

Halda.

(8>

Mobile

Meditation

Center

means `center

for

the

time

being',

Mostly

meditation

courses are

_given

7-1O

days.

After

end ofthe course

there

_{are no more} meditation center,

This

type

of meditation courses

has

been

taking

_place

once a

_year.

These

kinds

of

meditation centers aTe called mobile meditation centers

in

Bangladesh,

(9)

Establi'shed

by

Satya

NErayan

Goenka.who

is

now one of

the

famous

_master of

Vipassana

meditation

in

India.

(1ct

Ven,

Sadhanfinanda

Mahathera

resides at

Raj

VIina

Vihdra

in

the

District

Headquarter

of

Rangamati,

CHT,

His

whole

instruction

and

discursion

are

in

his

own

local

the

Chakma

language.

(11)

Vana

Bhante,

its

literary

meaning

is

`fbrest

monk',

the

real name

is

Ven.

Sadhananandha

Mahathera.

He

was

_practiced

medhation

in

the

forest

for

a

long

_time.

Forest,

in

the

Bengali

language

we called

Vana.

Therefbre,

_after

his

fu1fi11ment

_ef

'medhation

when

he

came out

from

vana to

_plain

area,

_people

started to call

him

Vana

Bhante.

Society for the Study of Pali and Buddhist Culture Society for theStudy of Pali and Buddhist Culture

42

7e-v\thpt])(k\

(12

DN.

Vbl.

II,

Sutta

No.

22;

MN.

Nbl.

I,

Sutta

No.

10,

(lsi

It

was established

in

1975,

which

is

75

km.

East

ofChittagong

International

Airport.

There

is

modern

_guesthouse

with

24

beds.

But

the

meditaters are use

to

stay

in

the

different

forest

hermitages

having

instmcted

by

him

for

several

days.

(1aj

MN.

VOI,

III,

SuttaNo.

119,

(15)

Mahtimuni

Aranya

Dheyana

Kendra,

Mahfimuni,

Pahtirtoli,

Raozan,

Chittagong.

(le

MN.

I.

282;

V]

1l3;

AN.

1.

30;

V,

181-90;

Vin.

III,

15;

Vl

131,

193;

Pug.

275-84;

Vis.

Mag.

Chapt.

Ill;

Vism,

59

sq;

Bu.

I.

59;

SnA.

494;

DhA.

I,

68;

II.

32;

IV

30;

Ndi

188;

Miln.

Chapt,

VI;

J,

III.

342;

IV,

8;

P.

VL

Bapat:

Vimuktimarga

Dhutaguoa-NirdeSa.

Asia

Publishing

House,

New

York

1964;

R

V

Bapat:

Vimuttimagga

Review

(Journal

of

Vidyalankara

University

efCeylon).

Vbl.

I,

No.

1,

Kelaniya,

Ceylon

1972,

_pp.

172-190;

Gerijun

H.

Sasaki

(ed.):

Vimuktimdrga

DhutafiganirdeSa.

Hozokan

Ltd.,

Kyoto

1958;

Prajnabangsha

Mahathera:

Practice

ef

Spiritual

Precepts

and

Duties

of

Lay

Peoples,

Mainamati

Art

Press,

Chittagong,

Bangladesh

2000,

p,

17.

Dhutafiga,

means of Lshaking

offthe

defilements'

tmeans ofpurification' `ascetic

practiee'.

There

are

13

kinds

of

dhutafiga,

They

are:

i)

_{pafisukUlika-dhutahga,}

ii)

ticivarika-,

iii)

_{pirpdap5tika-,}

iv)

sapadanika-, v) ekasanika-, vi)

pattapirpdika-,

vii)

khalupacchabhattika-,

viii)

arafifiika-,

ix)

rukichamalika-, x) abbhekfisika-, xi) susanika-, xii)

_{yathasanthatika-,}

and xiii)

nesajj

ika-,

These

arestrictobservances recommended

by

the

Buddha

tomonks, as a

help

tocultivate ¢ontentedness, renunciation, energy and

the

like.

One

ormore ofthem may

be

observed

for

a shorter or

lenger

_period

oftime.

(11

Ven,

Prajnabangsha

Mah5thera

established

the

ternple on an old

_graveyard

of

Buddhist

in

January

the

8th

ofthe

_year

200e

with

the

support ofthe

1aities

ofChinagong

city and

Bangladesh

Buddhist

fo11owers

vvho

is

now

in

abroad.

Now

5

monks and

Novices

are residing

in

the

center

through

their

dhutafiga

practice.

CIS

.

According

to

the

Maha

Satipatt.hana-sutta

(DN.

Vbl.

II,

Sutta

No.

22)

sutta,

(MN.

Vbl.

I,

Sutta

Ne.

10)

and

Kayagata-sati-sutta

(MN.

Vbl.

III,

Sutta

No,

119)

there

are

four

types

ofmeditation

_practice.

They

are:

i)

Standing

meditation,

ii)

Walking

meditation,

iii)

Setting

meditatien and

iv)

Reclining

meditation,

(1si

DN.

Vbl.

(,

71,

"After

his

_{meal when}

he

has

_returned

from

_{receiving alms,}

he

_sits

down

cross-legged, upright, setting up mindfulness

before

him'i.

MN.

SVbl.

III,

135;

cf.

MN,

Vbl.

I.

273-4;

"Monk,

you

must train

_yeurselfto

be

vigilant;

by

day

in

sitting

down

er

_pacing

to

and

fro

_purify

_your

mind

from

hindrances;

in

the

first

watch of

the

night

in

sining

down

or

_pacing

to

and

fro

_purify

_your

mind

from

hindrances;

in

the

middle watch

A

Survey

on Buddhist

Meditation

Practice

in

Bangladesh

₄₃

with

foot

resting on

foot,

mindful and selfipossessed,

having

decided

_the

hour

_to

awaken;

in

the

last

watch ofthe night _when

_you

have

risen,

_purify

_your

mind

hindrances

in

sitting

down

or

_pacing

to

and

fro.

However,

the

above

_timetable

is

_changeable

according tothe season,

_place,

_and

Meditation

master.

oo

AN,

VIII,

5;

Vism,

XXII.

waee

ew

rwsi

ee

tiscwt･x trlew･by

-･R

gl$l

k

.klmttS :;M'maoph

"'`'/'..si'l･,!'1.f

s･:･･.1',''i-d

Ga

'ntauths'

qf tfte

gg

ff

egefi

Map

ofBangladesh

"t

xKl)i

Bangladesh

[ntornotrt>fielbouoteny lhvimsnhatlptSary t NelmneLxapltai imlcststnl /N.,.

x

.XhptthNi

pt

x

eng,i

:6

encx

ssR{k

ee

bevecoaiM(si"ss}tves