Before and after 'BUDDHA' = 'IDOL'
“..There can be no doubt that the fall of Buddhism in India was due to the invasions of the Musalmans…Islam came out as the enemy of the ‘But’.
The word ‘But,’ as everybody knows, is an Arabic word and means an idol. Not many people, however, know that the derivation of the word ‘But’ is the Arabic corruption of Buddha. Thus the origin of the word indicates that in the Moslem mind idol worship had come to be identified with the Religion of the Buddha.
To the Muslims, they were one and the same thing. The mission to break the idols thus became the mission to destroy Buddhism.
Islam destroyed Buddhism not only in India but wherever it went. Before Islam came into being Buddhism was the religion of Bactria, Parthia, Afghanistan, Gandhar and Chinese Turkestan, as it was of the whole of Asia….”
More here
Islamic hostility to Buddhist 'idolatry' continues to the present
"When we consider Buddhism's appearance, its scriptures, general beliefs, style of worship in the light of the Qur'an, we begin to see that its basic philosophy is founded on very deviant doctrines. Indeed, its worship contains strange practices leading its devotees to worship idols of stone and clay. As a belief, Buddhism is contrary to logic and intelligence. Countries where it has been adopted have mixed it with their own idolatrous ideas, traditions and local customs, joining it with myths and deviant ideas until it has evolved into a totally godless philosophy." More here and here
Additional Buddhist refutations of Islamic accusations of idolatry
Destruction of University of Nalanda
"After the second battle of Tarain in 1192 when the forces of Islam were victorius there was nothing to keep them from invading the so-called Middle Land where Nalanda was located. In 1193 Mohammad Bakhtyar and his armies swept across the Gangetic Plain destroying all Buddhistic temples and institution he found and killing all Buddhist monks who fell into his hands. Nalanda was almost completely plundered, but a few monks who had managed to survive the onslaught returned and attempted to revive the institution. A second attack by the Moslems followed and this time Nalanda was destroyed for good. The abandoned ruins of the once great monastery slowly crumbled into dust, only to be restored, at least in part, in the twentieth century."
More on the destruction of Nalanda HERE
Buddhism will be swept away entirely and crushed utterly
"I feel, through my direct experiences of it, that Islam has not changed its ways in the least. In fact it has become more aggressive now than at any time since its period of greatest expansion in the 900s to the 1200s. “Modern” Islam seeks to return humanity to those very same times – a revival of the dark ages of Islamic slaughter, mayhem, and pillage – all in the name of Allah.
Islam destroys all weaker cultures
No fanfare and little notice marked the 10th anniversary earlier this year of the destruction of the 1,500-year-old Bamiyan Buddhas. These 6th-century stately statues carved into sandstone cliffs in central Afghanistan included one of the tallest standing Buddhas in the world. On March 12, 2001, the 180- and 121-foot Buddhas crumpled under dynamite set off by the Taliban -- the Islamist militia group ruling Afghanistan from 1996 through late 2001. Mullah Omar, the leader of the Al Qaeda-supported movement, deemed the statutes idolatrous graven images insulting to Islam and ordered their destruction. Other Buddhist images, including statues and relief carvings as well as ancient Sikh gurdwaras and Hindu temples, were also destroyed by the Islamic terrorists belonging to the Taliban Movement.
This kind of cultural destruction has been part and parcel of Islam since its inception. According to Dr. Bill Warner, founder of the Center for the Study of Political Islam, "Political Islam has annihilated every culture it has invaded or immigrated to by destroying the host culture." - Tenth anniversary of the destruction of the Bamiyan
UPDATE what we have forgotten
Refutation of taqiyya about the destruction of Buddhism in India
RELATED ARTICLES:
Islam will Dominate
Taliban destroy Buddhist Art in Pakistan
The greatest man-made force for evil in the world today?
Numinous Symbolism - Pagan, Buddhist and Christian
Why Beauty Matters - Roger Scruton, BBC2
Contemporary Buddhist Art from Thailand
The Samsaric (Worldly) Gods
The word ‘But,’ as everybody knows, is an Arabic word and means an idol. Not many people, however, know that the derivation of the word ‘But’ is the Arabic corruption of Buddha. Thus the origin of the word indicates that in the Moslem mind idol worship had come to be identified with the Religion of the Buddha.
To the Muslims, they were one and the same thing. The mission to break the idols thus became the mission to destroy Buddhism.
Islam destroyed Buddhism not only in India but wherever it went. Before Islam came into being Buddhism was the religion of Bactria, Parthia, Afghanistan, Gandhar and Chinese Turkestan, as it was of the whole of Asia….”
More here
Islamic hostility to Buddhist 'idolatry' continues to the present
"When we consider Buddhism's appearance, its scriptures, general beliefs, style of worship in the light of the Qur'an, we begin to see that its basic philosophy is founded on very deviant doctrines. Indeed, its worship contains strange practices leading its devotees to worship idols of stone and clay. As a belief, Buddhism is contrary to logic and intelligence. Countries where it has been adopted have mixed it with their own idolatrous ideas, traditions and local customs, joining it with myths and deviant ideas until it has evolved into a totally godless philosophy." More here and here
Additional Buddhist refutations of Islamic accusations of idolatry
Destruction of University of Nalanda
"After the second battle of Tarain in 1192 when the forces of Islam were victorius there was nothing to keep them from invading the so-called Middle Land where Nalanda was located. In 1193 Mohammad Bakhtyar and his armies swept across the Gangetic Plain destroying all Buddhistic temples and institution he found and killing all Buddhist monks who fell into his hands. Nalanda was almost completely plundered, but a few monks who had managed to survive the onslaught returned and attempted to revive the institution. A second attack by the Moslems followed and this time Nalanda was destroyed for good. The abandoned ruins of the once great monastery slowly crumbled into dust, only to be restored, at least in part, in the twentieth century."
More on the destruction of Nalanda HERE
Buddhism will be swept away entirely and crushed utterly
"I feel, through my direct experiences of it, that Islam has not changed its ways in the least. In fact it has become more aggressive now than at any time since its period of greatest expansion in the 900s to the 1200s. “Modern” Islam seeks to return humanity to those very same times – a revival of the dark ages of Islamic slaughter, mayhem, and pillage – all in the name of Allah.
We Buddhists must realize that we, and our cherished practices, would be swept away entirely and crushed utterly, should Islam ever gain ascendancy in this world in which we live. Islam is the only belief that propagates itself thus – by the sword.
Islam destroys all weaker cultures
No fanfare and little notice marked the 10th anniversary earlier this year of the destruction of the 1,500-year-old Bamiyan Buddhas. These 6th-century stately statues carved into sandstone cliffs in central Afghanistan included one of the tallest standing Buddhas in the world. On March 12, 2001, the 180- and 121-foot Buddhas crumpled under dynamite set off by the Taliban -- the Islamist militia group ruling Afghanistan from 1996 through late 2001. Mullah Omar, the leader of the Al Qaeda-supported movement, deemed the statutes idolatrous graven images insulting to Islam and ordered their destruction. Other Buddhist images, including statues and relief carvings as well as ancient Sikh gurdwaras and Hindu temples, were also destroyed by the Islamic terrorists belonging to the Taliban Movement.
This kind of cultural destruction has been part and parcel of Islam since its inception. According to Dr. Bill Warner, founder of the Center for the Study of Political Islam, "Political Islam has annihilated every culture it has invaded or immigrated to by destroying the host culture." - Tenth anniversary of the destruction of the Bamiyan
UPDATE what we have forgotten
Refutation of taqiyya about the destruction of Buddhism in India
RELATED ARTICLES:
Islam will Dominate
Taliban destroy Buddhist Art in Pakistan
The greatest man-made force for evil in the world today?
Numinous Symbolism - Pagan, Buddhist and Christian
Why Beauty Matters - Roger Scruton, BBC2
Contemporary Buddhist Art from Thailand
The Samsaric (Worldly) Gods
5 comments:
thats sad
Sad... but true.
People who are stuck in illogical, intolerant, and dogmatic religions are usually extremely insecure and defensive. As this post clearly shows, they will resort to anti-intellectualism, mass murder, and even genocide.
Funny how Buddhism has almost never been involved in anything like this...
With Regards,
B.R.
The Buddha prohibited any images of himself during his lifetime, and spoke frequently against the idol ritualism and animal sacrifices of Hinduism. It was only 400 years after his death that his followers - going against his teaching - began to build statues of him. The Buddha himself understood perfectly the danger of idols leading people to begin to worship him as a deity (as has indeed happened in many parts of Asia where worship of Buddha statues has been mixed into local traditions and become the de facto 'Buddhism' in popular consciousness), whereas he always emphasized that he was only a teacher.
"Why do you crave to see this body of impure matter? One who perceives Dharma perceives me. One who perceives me perceives Dharma." - Buddha
Therefore the destruction of the Buddha cliff statues can in no way be considered destruction of Buddhism. If anything, it is a restoration of the Buddha's original position regarding images of himself. If you want to consider it the loss of a work of art, that is a separate issue.
Islamic Clerics (Ustazs) in Indonesia and Malaysia slanders buddhist and Hindu students in schools as idol worshippers.
The street where the main Buddhist Temple are located near Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) called Bricksfield by the British was renamed "Jalan Berhala " in malay means Idolatry Street.
To Anonymous
"...it is a restoration of the Buddha's original position regarding images of himself...."
What a brave stance you have, you know Lord Buddhas "original position...", please, enlighten us, because even though Theravadins "claim" to hold the oldest tradition, this is a very contentious point.
Yeah, yeah, we all know about the Greek influence....but "..original position.." !!!!
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