Buddhism flourished in Bengal during the 8th -12th centuries CE, the period when Pala dynasty was in power. Many great Buddhist monastic education centers like the Somapura Mahavihara, Pandit Vihara, and so on were established at that time.
Renowned Buddhist masters like Atisha Dipankara was connected to these education centers. The form of Buddhism practiced at that time was Tantric or Vajrayanic in nature. With the fall of the Pala dynasty in the 12th century began a gradual degeneration of Buddhist practices in Bengal. However, a small community of Buddhists managed to retain their identity and practices in some regions of present-day Bangladesh like Comilla, Chittagong, and Chittagong Hill tracts. These Buddhists continued to practice many Tantric rituals which were also influenced by worship of certain Hindu deities.
Modern reformation of Buddhism in Bangladesh began in 1856 CE when British colonialism was at its height in South Asia. Due to colonialism traditional borders between the countries or states of South Asia were redefined and traveling across the region became much easier. At this time, Radhacaran Mahasthabir, a Buddhist monk from the Chittagong region of Bangladesh met a Theravada Buddhist monk named Saramitra Mahathera from Myanmar. Both of them were on a visit to the Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India. This encounter with a monk from Myanmar had a profound impact on Radhacaran Mahasthabir. They had conversations on the “proper” or “pure” Buddhist monastic and cultural practices. As a result Radhacaran felt an urgent need to reform many of the rituals including re-ordinating Buddhist monks following the proper Theravada disciplinary rules.
This process of reformation basically involved re-definition of ‘being Buddhist’ by substituting explicitly Buddhism oriented practices and symbols over former rituals, priests, deities, and texts that had Tantric and Hindu associations. Formerly, for example Buddhists worshipped deities like Kartikeya, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Sani, Manasa and so on. In addition they also did go to Buddhist temples. Thus, they were practicing a form of Buddhism that allowed common rituals and worship of deities with Hindus. During the process of reformation these practices were questioned by monks who went to study in Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand.
In order to establish a pure Buddhist identity they followed the criteria of substitution. For example, whereas formerly Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune was invoked for material prosperity, now Buddhists were encouraged to invoke Arahant Sivali, a Buddhist saint known for good luck and never having lack of food. With this criteria of substitution was coupled education on Buddhist concepts like karma and rebirth based on right and wrong views. The adherents of wrong view, for example worshipping Hindu deities while being a Buddhist, has been propagated as a cause for birth into lower realms of existence. Thus, although they had been Buddhists already now they were becoming Buddhists in a new way by following new kind of rituals.
The reformation project has been a very successful one. Presently, Buddhists in general not only stopped worshipping the so called Hindu deities but also denounce them as “wrong views”. However, it is very important to question this denunciation of the deities and rituals. With shared deities and ritualistic practices Buddhists, Hindus, and sometimes Muslims too generally tend to have an amicable relationship. An important question worth pondering upon is - how will this denunciation of Hindu deities and practices as “wrong views” affect in the interrelationship between these communities?
—By Priya Rakkhit