Indian Society for Buddhist Studies

Author(s): Prachya Vidyapeeth
Publisher: Prachya Vidyapeeth

Page 50

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situation in the region which had seen the maximum number of wars, battles, turmoil.The land of Syria, Israel, Palestine and the Gulf Region can in no way be called the land of Peace but emphatically how peace amidst all adversity still can be seen. The Near East without borders becomes the symbol of new reality of Peace. The artworks adoring the Holy Land have three streams (Christian, Moslems and Jews) flowing in the region thereby making them a congruous place for the Divine. The event that marks the start of Christian Era: The Annunciation of Mary of Nazareth. In the 6th Century, an artist created a mosaic map marking sites mentioned in The Holy Bible. This map is Madaba in Jordan that shows the Holy Land: Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Sinai Desert leading to the Nile Delta in Egypt. In the descriptive terms the Figurative Peak is supposedly Jerusalem: Considered as the Centre of the World. It has the confluence of all the major cultures and religions of the time.
The second part of the paper would include Buddhism in comparative light. The Kalkacharya Tantra literature reveals both external and internal levels of battles that could easily be called ‘Holy.Wars.' In the Laitavistara, Sakhyamuni is described as a self-born reposed with power of appearing anywhere and in any form with Adhisthaniki Riddhi. The mention of great observance Mahavilokotani of Sakhyamuni before his advent into the human world makes the biographical perspective confused with the super-mundane attitude (lokottara). In Buddhist Art, the plurality of Boddhisattava has been remarkably established. Manjuśrī, Avalokitesvara, Vajrapani, Vimalakirti, etc. are ethereal. The alms bowl and the yellow robe becomes synonymous as associations. Manusi Buddha has been in acceptance to a person when a devotee feels his or her own semblance.
A close similarity is found in the mythology associated to Christianity and Buddhism. Conception Myths of both The Buddha and Jesus were closely similar. The values and precepts advocated by the two faiths are also seen to resemble in their essence. The emphasis is on the similarities and correspondence between human beings and the Cosmos. The Path shown in both the streams seen in a comparative light brings forth how