State of Buddhist Education in Bangladesh

Venerable Upali Sraman

Abstract
This essay is a brief survey of the situation of Buddhist education in Bangladesh a South Asian
country situated bordering India in three parts and Myanmar in the South Eastern corner. Having
recounted facts from history, remarking on the challenges of present, possibilities of international
interactions to upgrade the situation are hinted in this essay.
Historical Background
Bangladesh became a politically independent country in 1971. Prior to that, it was a part of
Pakistan since 1947 and formerly a state of British India known as East Bengal (comparing to
West Bengal which is still an Indian state). During the rule of the Pala dynasty in Northern India
(circa 4th century to 13th century), Buddhism was the predominant religion in Bengal. i The
Tantryna form of Buddhism, still existing in Tibet, is in fact said to have been originated in
Bengal. Many great monasteries and educational institutions were built during this period.
Chinese pilgrims like I-tsing wrote extensively about the educational establishments in Bengal of
that time. Some of the great monastic education centres accommodating hundreds of inhabitant
monks are: Vikramsila University, Pandit Bihar, Buddhist Monasteries in Maynamati and
Paharpur etc.
Carypada, a book of lyrical verses, written at that time contain some remnants of the Buddhist
thoughts that developed noticeably in Bengal.ii
With the fall of the Pala dynasty Buddhist education too lost its glorious royal support forever.
The Middle Eastern Mughal Muslim traders started to come to India by the beginning of the 12 th
century. As they expanded to north eastern parts of India and towards Bengal, the Buddhist
centres of learning were burnt down to ashes. With forced conversions and oppressive regimes of
the new invaders Buddhists had either converted to Islam or fled away to neighbouring countries
like states of present day Myanmar.
The British Period
When the British came and settled in South Asia some of these Buddhists still remained mainly
in the districts of Chittagong and Comilla. Chittagong was sometimes ruled by the king of
Arakan, a part of Myanmar. The British government officials generally recognized the Buddhists
as peaceful people and followed a sympathetic policy to govern them. Supported by the
sympathetic policy of the British, the Buddhists found a new hope of highlighting their distinct
identity. In 1856, a renaissance project was begun by Saramitra Mahathera who was originally
from an Arakan royal family and trained according to the monastic tradition of Myanmar.
Saramitra basically focused on the reformation of the ordination system of the existing Buddhist
monks, according to the Theravda Vinaya. iii He also discouraged superstitious beliefs of the

Buddhists and insisted on proper training of monks as regards the doctrine and discipline. As a
result of the efforts of Saramitra Mahathera the Buddhist education was once again revived.
One of the earliest literary contributions in the Bengali language in modern times is the
Bouddharajik.iv This text is a descriptive account on the Buddhas life. It was written by a
court Hindu poet of the Chakma kingdom. This book was published with the sponsorship of the
Queen of the Chakma circle known as Klindirni who was also greatly helpful to the revival of
Buddhist monastic tradition.v
The discovery of the Carypada, a medieval Bengali text, by Haraprasad Sasthri in 1886 was
greatly significant.vi This text, a collection of lyrical verses, preserved in the Nepal Royal Library
stood up like a flag reinvigorating the Bengal Buddhist identity and declaring the thoughts and
literary achievements of the medieval Buddhist masters. Even non-Buddhist Bengalese
expressed pride in being able to trace their past literary evidences in Carypada.
The Buddhist community being a very small minority group in British India was not well
represented in the Parliament. Many Buddhists were politically active and some even took part in
the armed struggles against British Raj for freedom. But the majority of the Buddhists thought it
more fruitful to awaken the Buddhist community through education. Buddhist monks generally
gave the leadership. Establishment of Pali Tols schools with special focus on teaching Pali
Language and Buddhist ethics was a major trend during British period. Many renowned Buddhist
scholars of that time had their first initiation into Pali language and literature in these Pali tols.
The Calcutta Dharmankur Sabha an association for the gathering of intellectuals and for
representing the Buddhists, was founded by Venerable Kripasaran in 1892. vii Buddhist and nonBuddhist intellectuals used to participate in the learned discussions on Buddhism in the Calcutta
Dharmankur Sabha. Great poets like Rabindranath Tagore had intellectual discussions on
Buddhism at Dharmankur Sabha. Anagarika Dharmapla, an iconic figure in Sri Lanka who was
one of the pioneers of modern Buddhist revival, used to visit the Calcutta Dharmankur Sabha.
The Sabha, thus became the centre for connecting the Bengals Buddhists with their counterparts
in the world.viii
This Sabha published journals, held seminars, and celebrated Buddhist sacred religious events.
One of the excellent academic contributions of the Calcutta Dharmankur Sabha was the
publication of the Jagajjyoti (Light of the World) a bilingual Journal where internationally
reputed Buddhist scholars used to contribute essays. It is recorded that the particular name of the
journal i.e. Jagajjyoti, meaning Light of the World, was chosen in response to Edwin Arnolds
epic Light of Asia. The founders of Jagajjyoti thought it was improper to limit the Buddha to
Asia whereas his teachings were universally applicable. Later on Venerable Kripasaran
established branches of the Dharmankur Sabha in other parts of India like Assam, Darjeeling,
Shillong and so on. Thus, Bengals Buddhist monks, under the leadership of the Venerable
Kripasaran Mahathera, worked tirelessly to reestablish Buddhist literature and culture in the
British India.

In Chittagong too many important schools were founded giving priority to the study of Buddhist
subjects. Buddhist monks visited traditional Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and
Thailand for getting training in the study of authentic Buddhist literary sources written in the Pli
and Sanskrit languages. Some of the great monks who contributed for the promotion of Buddhist
studies in their writings were: Venerable Dharmadhar Mahathera, Venerable Silalankara
Mahathera, Venerable Dharmavangsha Mahathera, Venerable Bangshadip Mahathera. The
contributions of these great monks are still esteemed highly. Many Bengali Buddhist scholars
elevated themselves and became internationally reputed for their contributions in Buddhist
studies. Mention must be made of Dr. Benimadhab Barua, who received D. Litt from London
University in 1913 and is said to be one of the very first Asian students to achieve that degree.
Baruas publication History of the Pre-Buddhistic Indian Philosophy is regarded as a classic in
the field of ancient Indian Philosophical studies. Dr. Barua also contributed immensely for the
study of Asokan Inscriptions and various aspects related to the Ancient India.
Thus, Buddhist studies flourished very well during the period of British rule.
Pakistan Period
The British rule of India ended in 1947, leaving India with majority Hindu population and
separating Pakistan with majority Muslims. East Bengal, which later became Bangladesh,
became known as East Pakistan. Buddhists got divided between India and Pakistan. At this
moment the Buddhist leaders too divided their roles. Some remained in West Bengal that became
a Hindu majority state in India.ix Others went to East Pakistan to support the Buddhists who
remained there. Venerable Bishuddhananda Mahathera, who later on won Asian Gold medal for
Peace, went to East Pakistan.x He was among the foremost leaders who played significant roles
to upgrade the economically downgraded situation of the Buddhists of East Pakistan. He built
two orphanages, one Dharmarajika Anathalay in the heartland of Dhaka and the other in his
birthplace Hoarapara. Hundreds of Buddhist boys and girls, who otherwise would totally miss
the light of education, were able to uplift themselves through these orphanages. Venerable
Bishuddhananda represented Bengali Buddhists in various international Buddhist gatherings and
peace missions.
Jyotipla Mahthera was another great monk who played significant role as a social worker,
educationist, scholar, and an ideal Buddhist monastic member. He established schools,
orphanages, weaving school, wool knitting factory and sewing industry. Venerable Jyotipla was
respected highly by Buddhists and non-Buddhits alike.
During the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, Jyotipla Mahathera, assisted by the exiled
Government of Bangladesh, visited several Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Hong
Kong, and Japan generating awareness regarding the brutality of the war and seeking
humanitarian supports that ultimately resulted in the end of war. His contributions for the

liberation of Bangladesh were recognized by the Government of Bangladesh and his demise was
a cause of national mourning.
Bangladesh Period
Bangladesh became a free nation in 1971 after a bloody war of nine months against Pakistan.
The very first government of Bangladesh formed with the leadership of Sheikh Mujib, who in
fact led the liberation movement, followed a secular policy at the beginning. But in order to
secure his position he was leaning more towards Islam although he promised to support all the
religions.xi There was no state religion in Bangladesh. Buddhism was represented in the special
religious programs in the national Television and Radio channels.
Since 1981, during the rule of President Zia-Ur Rahman, Bangladesh has been constitutionally
recognized as a Muslim state.xii Thus, Muslims form the major religious community and
followers of all the other religions have been given minority status. Buddhists form the second
biggest minority community (after the Hindus) with a population of around 1200,000 people.
Buddhists in Bangladesh generally tend to shy away from participation in Politics. We noted
above that during the latter part of the 19th century and early part of the 20 century, Buddhist
leaders focused on upgrading the Buddhists mainly through education. Many orphanages and
education centres were built up under the leadership of Buddhist monks. Some of those
education centres still continue to survive. Children from rural areas would come to these centers
and live there for a certain number of years until their primary and higher secondary studies are
completed. After that, many would go onto do higher studies in the colleges and universities
while some give up studies for jobs. Buddhist education institutions generally followed the
curriculum of government schools. Study of Pli, the canonical language of Buddhists, and
Buddhist ethics are special features of Buddhist education centers.
Buddhism as a subject is offered in the curricula of government schools and colleges. Pali and
Buddhism are studied in the Dhaka University and the Chittagong University at the Oriental
Languages Departments. However, due to limited government supports the quality of Pli or
Buddhist studies is in a poor condition. There are extremely few teachers qualified to teach Pli.
Due to limited vocational opportunities, students are not encouraged to study Pli or Buddhism
as major subjects. On the other hand, study of Buddhist ethics has proved to be very effective in
forming moral character of students.xiii The Buddhist monks who come to traditionally Buddhist
countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar for special training in Buddhist studies too
encounter number of difficulties. In recent times politically motivated attacks on Buddhist
minorities in Bangladesh too place big question mark on the future of Buddhist studies.xiv
However, recently due to organization of international conferences in various countries there is a
significant participation of Bangladeshi Buddhist monks who are able to interact with the
international Buddhist communities. These interactions give opportunities for sharing
experiences and for seeking possibilities to upgrade the state of Buddhist studies in Bangladesh.

Conclusion
The above paragraphs give us a brief overview of the experience of Buddhist education system
in Bangladesh. We hope the Buddhists internationally will be aware of this situation and extend
their supports to further develop Buddhist studies in Bangladesh. The development of Buddhist
studies is extremely significant because of the ethical dilemmas and consumerist anxieties of the
present world that modern education system fails to respond satisfactorily. The importance of
Buddhist learning for the progress of humanity is felt in the modern world more than ever before.
References

Niyogi Puspa, Buddhism in Ancient Bengal, Calcutta: JIJNASA. 1980

http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/rich_text_3.html
iii
Bechert, Heinz , Theravada Buddhist Sangha: Some General Observations on Historical and Political Factors in its
Development, The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Aug., 1970), pp. 761-778.
iv
, ,
v
Chaudhuri, Sukomal, ibid.
vi
http://sougataonline.com/?p=429
vii
http://www.bengalbuddhist.com/about-us.html
viii
http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Bauddha_Dharmankur_Sabha
ix
Johnson, Gordon, Partition, Agitation and Congress: Bengal 1904 to 1908 In: Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 7, No. 3
(1973), pp. 533-588.
x
http://v-mahathera.blogspot.com/2012_12_01_archive.html
xi
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/the-anomaly-of-a-secular-bangladesh/20130309.htm
xii
Ibid.
xiii
Barua, Bijoy (2007). Colonialism, Education and Rural Buddhist Communities in Bangladesh. International Education,
Vol. 37 Issue(1). Retrieved from: http://trace.tennessee.edu/internationaleducation/vol37/iss1/4
xiv
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Ramu_violence
ii