B U D D H I S M Z E N B U D D H I S M O F A L L the Buddhist practices that evolved inJapan, none have been influential around the world those ofthe Soto school. Founded by the monk Dogen ZenJi, the school's teachings are the precursor 0f today's Zen Buddhism. Dogen was born in 12()() A. D. and understood early on what lmpermanence Of li means, When was orphaned at seven years old. He first practiced Buddhism on Mount Hiei. Seeking greater understanding, he traveled t0 China, still regarded at the time as the repository 0fBuddhist wisdom. He studied and meditated, and by the age of 28 is said t0 have attained "the bliss 0f Buddhist truth," emphasizing simplicity and discipline, which he brought back t0 Japan. Dogen sought [ 0 unify the focus 0fJ 叩 anese B uddhists , finding the common thread among all schools and sects. He wanted [ 0 bring believers' regard back to the Buddha him- self. Attendant bodhisattvas, scrlptures and commentaries, rituals and sacred objects—these were all externalizations. They could be helpful t001S in the faith or they could be tempting distractions, becommg ends in themselves that led a practitloner astray 伝 om the true path t0 enlightenment. The best way to approach the Buddha, he taught, was through seated meditation, / az と〃 . He described the state in Zazen as 'mind and body dropped 0 圧 " Using the sort ofparadoxes centralto Ch'an Buddhism, he said: "This state should be experienced by everyone; it is like piling fruit into a basket without a bottom, like pouring water intO a bOWl with a pierced hole; however much you may pile or pour, [ 0 all but required 12 years of discipline from those who chose the monas tic path. The Shi ngon B uddhism of Kukai (renamed Kobo Daishi after his death) emphasized ritual chanting and visual contemplation ofmandalas as methods for ClL11eting the mind and attaining enlightenment. An active Tendai monastery still operates on Mount Hiei. Pilgrims following the Shingon path today travel to Shik0ku and repeat K0b0 Daishi's 9()()-mile journey around the island and its 88 temples. you cannot fill it up. When this is realized, the pail bottom is broken through. But while there is still a trace of con- ceptualism which makes you say I have this understand- lng' or I have that realization,' then you are still playing with unrealities. Dogen S monastery, Eheiji, still operates in the moun- tains near Fukui, on the north-central coast Of Honshu overlooking the Sea 0fJapan. ThiS monastery and many Other Buddhist sites survived through a period in modern J 叩 anese history when the Meiji rulers banned Buddhism in favor ofthe more nation- alistic ShintO faith. TOday the tWO religions intertwine once in the daily lives Of the Japanese. lt iS not uncommon for a Japanese family t0 応Ⅱ ow Shint0 rituals for a marriage, then observe Buddhist rites for a funeral. This IS a preference that goes back tO anclent times, S1nce in ShintO the dead body could be considered impure, whereas in Buddhism the dead body received a priest's highest regard. Japanese Buddhists uphold the tradition 0f mammoth shrines. ln 12 5 2 the Great Amida Buddha was built in Ushiku, 50 miles north of Tokyo. Called the "High-rise Buddha," it rises 400 feet, the world's tallest bronze. S O U T H E A S T A S I A T H R O U G H 0 U T S 0 U T H E A S T Asia, as in Japan, Buddhism wove its way into a world already animated wi th primeval spirits , organized by local ri tual , and colored by the earlier influence Of Hinduism. Theravada miSS10n- approached by land and sea from lndia and Sri Lanka as early the first century; Mahayana m1SS10naries traveled south 伝 om Chi na after 7 ()() A. D. Some regions absorbed the religion more deeply than others, but the regional variatlons on the Buddhiststupa testify to the presence ofBuddhism in the landsc 叩 e of Southeast Asia. The hybrid energy ofthe region's religious heritage still pulses through miles Of ruins ln northwestern Cambodia. N()W overtaken Vines and tree roots, these remalns B U D D H I S M I N 177

T H E D A L A 1 Lama ( / ) , the spiritual leader ofTibetan Buddhism, visi ts with an elderly couple outside the Tashi Lhunpo monastery in southern lndia. ln 19 う 9 the Dalai Lama escaped t0 lndia, barely avoiding the Chinese Army. Establishing a government ⅲ exile in Dharmsala, the Dalai Lama has spent half a century drawing world attentlon [ 0 the plight ofTibetans and exerting pressure on the Chinese tO give hiS homeland a greater amount Of autonomy. The number 0f monks in Tibet has been greatly reduced by the Chinese, and many face persecution for behavior viewed as being overly nationalistic. Still, many monks continue [ 0 応Ⅱ ow in the Buddha's path ( 4 ん膨 ). 197

JUDAISM / 〃んん 0 ” Go ノ , ル 0 〃 g ん〃 0 イんル〃ノ イ Egypt, 0 イ / んん〃膨イ s ル膨リ , ・〃訪房 / 〃怩加 0 げ go みん膨巳 E X O D U S 2 0 : 2 A C C O R D I N G T O Genesis, the first bOOk Of the ancient Jewish Scriptures, human li 侘 began in a garden. The garden lay at the confluence of four rivers, two of which still 日 ow through lands we know today. ノ功化ツルのルイノん ca んみ The イ / んアな P 勗。功のツルん訪〃眦坊 / んルんんな〃ノイ〃ノルなルん功な gold; ノん g り / ノ グ功な〃ノな go 功乙 / 〃〃ノ功ズ砌 OPPOSI 旺 . ・ pr げ嬲〃 4 〃冴ど〃 / / / たル 0 4 ) 〃ど〃ノ girl ルと 4 ハ 4 な 4 ノ″ん〃 4 / んツノ 4 / ″匕 PRECEDING PAGES.•川〃所とノ切み / な 4 〃読プん / / 0 〃最かな / げツ , ん〃けり / 〃ぬ .

A S P E C I A L 民愛ドに P L A C E I T S J U T T I N G chin personifying power, a massive 〃ル襯 , one of nearly 9()(), rises against the stark landscape ofone ofthe most isolated places on earth—Easter lsland, or Rapa NLII, in the South Pacific ( の . " ho carved these statues , and why? And how did these people transport the megaliths, which weigh an average 0f 14 tons? Although the answers are still somewhat shrouded in mystery, archaeologists think that the island's P01ynesian inhabi- tants shaped the giant statues from rough volcanic rock tO honor their ancestors, and that the moai helped mediate between people and the gods, earth and sky. Rock art ( ル k ん ) decorates the entrance to an Easter lsland cave. Seven moai / んルノ第ッ g の 100k down on an 4 ″ , a plaza where rituals and dancing were performed.

G E O G R A P H Y B U D D H I S M I N S R I L A N K A T H E s T 0 R Y of Buddhism on the island of Sri Lanka is told through the dialogue between the Sage and the King. The Sage is Mahinda, sent on travels by his father, the lndian emperor Ashoka, to spread the promise ofBuddhism. The King is Tissa, who succeeded his father, Mutasiva, as ruler of the island's north-central region in 247 B. C. and reigned for 4() years. According [ 0 tradition, the Sage and the K1ng met first on Aradhana Gala, a rocky outcropping ofthe mountain then called Missaka, on the day of the auspicious んⅡ moon of May. As King Tissa stood with his bow and arrow beside a mango tree, Mahinda, wrapped in yellow robes, myste- riously appeared [ 0 him, then was Just as mysteriously joined by four other figures. At first Tissa presumed he was ) 〃んん〃、トーー the spirits Of the lakes, rivers, mountains, and trees worshiped on the island. When he i nquired of the robed men who they were, they replied samanas—wandering monks—and declared, compassion for you we are come hither. ' Sanghamitta, sister tO Mahinda, came tO Sri Lanka well, planting there a slip 伝 om the Bodh Gaya tree under which the Buddha reached enlightenment and intro- ducing the order 0f nuns. Soon Tissa embraced the religion brought to the kingdom by these disciples of the Buddha. Mahinda stayed on in Sri Lanka living in a cave. Many Of the places important [ 0 his story were later renamed in his honor. The mountain became Mihintale, the cave Mihindu Guha. A stupa, built [ 0 revere hiS remalns, still stands nearby. Broad stone stairways lead up to the Buddhist com- munity that developed on Mihi ntale. The school ofthought here kept true tO 1tS early origins, representing the 1 ore orthodox Theravada philosophy. The Tipitaka was first committed [ 0 writing in Sri Lanka in 29 B. C. These texts, recorded on fragile palm leaves in Pali, akin to Sanskrit, are the only known examples of that language. Theravada O F R E L I G 1 0 N Buddhism still 100kS [ 0 Sri Lanka the place where its core scripture, Often called the Pali canon, was recorded. By the fifth century A. D. , nearly 2,00() monks were living in caves and houses built nearby. Stone tablets from the 1 ()th century, which outlined the rules of the monastery, still stand amid the ruins tOday. Natural and manmade ponds connect with channels and spouts, sug- gesting ancient waterworks. Gateposts, railings, and wall ornaments are carved with floral and animal forms, in keep- lng with orthodox tradition. Distinct1ve tO many Of the Sri Lankan S1tes are eXClL11S1te moonstones—ornate seml— circular stone steps that begin a stairway leading [ 0 a Buddhist shrine. The moonstone at Anuradhapura IS carved With several arcs ()f design•. Of leaves, flower petals, four symbolic beasts—elephant, lion, horse, and bull—and, in the center, lotus blossoms folding in and opening out, symbolizing nirvana. Buddhism spread throughout Sri Lanka through the ministry of Mahinda and generations of monks who 応 1 ー lowed. Today, 70 percent ofSri Lankans practice Buddhism. They make a pilgrimage of 16 sacred sites on the island, including three said to have been visited by the Buddha— a claim with mythic but not histor1C veracity. They VISit Polonnaruwa, the city that rose tO power as Anuradhapura declined. At nearby GaI Vihara, also called Cave ofthe Spirits of Knowledge , colossal 12 th-century images of the B uddha dwell side by side, carved out of a granite clifE One Buddha stands, 25 feettall, and the other reclines, twice as long 伝 om head t0 toe. A third sits in the classic Sri Lankan enlightenment posture, le 丘 hand cradling the right, palms 叩 , and left ankle bearing the right, both soles up as well. Pilgrims also travel south to Kandy, where the le 丘 eye- [ 00 [ h ofthe Buddha is enshrined at Sri Dalada MaIigawa, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Every summer the festival called Esala Perahera fills the streets ofKandy with mLISIC, C010r , and dance in a popular ritual that dramatlzes the intersectlon Of BL1ddhism, Hinduism, and indigenous oppo 7 五 : ハ行 / 確の , 、「 4 灯ん川ノん〃なん B ″ノノん」、なと , 4 site イなル〃 & & ノん 4 〃わ〃 B ″ノノん、「なノ″ル〃 g ん、 / 〃々〃仞〃 . 1 ) 4

G E O G R A P H Y O F R E L I G I O N descent and more excruciati ng the eternal torture. WhO in 5 . He described the churches Constantine had built had a chance at salvation spent tlme after death at a cleans- at the Mount ofOlives and Bethlehem, but he also saw sim- lng ground, described in the P ga / 砿れ and those whose ple details, charged with religious meaning: the palm tree, earthly thoughts and behavior recommended them for for example, the fronds 0 「 WhiCh were strewn in Jesus' eternal salvation ended up, like Dante'S beloved Beatrice, path on hiS arrival in Jerusalem, n()W commemorated as with God in heaven, as he described it ⅲ the Pa ル消瓰 Palm Sunday, the Sunday preceding Easter. By the late F01 れ the fourth century on, Christians traveled [ 0 fourth century, pilgrims followed along sites that sym- special shri nes and cathedrals. By making a pilgrimage, they bolized the 信 [ e 応 1 progress ofJesus' li and Crucifixion. were galmng indulgences—banking up forgiveness for Called the stations ()f the cross, the processl()n IS replicated their sins. Especially important was a VIS1t tO sacred reliCS, ln lmagery and statuary at churches and monasterles which could confer blessings, throughout the world. bring good health, and even Following Old and New work miracles. lt iS said that a Testament S1tes, and sites Of sarcophagus containing the miracles and ofeveryday li in body James—one of Jesus' biblicaltimes , Christians carved disciples—m i raculously floated out their own Holy Land. Even 伝 om Palestine [ 0 Spain. When, the desert became Christian SOil , in the ninth century, a hermit as monasteries built amid rock was wandering in the Finisterre and sand attracted those WhO region, "the end 0f the Earth, wanted [ 0 live like Moses and in Spain, he saw a light shining Jesus in the wilderness. in the woods and named the Justinian founded a monastery place 〃 s た / / , Latin for later dedicated to St. Catheri ne, "field ofstars. " A bishop deter- claiming for Christianity a mined that here was the secret southern Arabian S1te where he grave 0fSt. James, called Santiago in Spanish. Soon pilgrims believed God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. from France and northern Spain were flocking tO Santiago Mar Saba Monastery still stands on a bluff above the barren de Compostela. A 12th-century pope promised total for- landscape east 0f Bethlehem. A thousand or more men lived giveness [ 0 a11 wh0 made the pilgrimage ln a year when St. at Mar Saba in the seventh century; t()day ten Greek James's special day, July 25 , Ⅱ on a Sunday. M0dern pil- Orthodox monks make their home there. grims still walk one 0 「応 ur maJOr routes tO the magnificent Christians continued tO live in and visit the sites ()f cathedral there, with itS silver reliquary containing the Palestine even ぉ the land came under Muslim rule. Mil itary remains Of St. James. conflicts between S()ldiers ofChristianity and lslam occurred The holiest of all Christian pilgrimages was the one as early as 636 at the Battle 0fYarmuk, on today's Jordan- to PaIestine. The first pilgrim [ 0 record his journey began Syria border. ln 638 , Muslims led by Caliph Umar seized in B ordeaux , i n Roman GauI , and reached Palestine by land Jerusalem from the Persians. By 6 う 6 , the Middle East AB()VE' ・切な、「川″〃ノ / んⅥノ〃 4 〃ノ C ん / ノち功ィり川〃ノ 0 ルイ N 吶で一 Da C んみ 4 / ノ〃 P ()PP() 7 五 : 0 〃 / んかれ・の , 加〃ノげ″んル切 / ん First C 読 , C み所〃 4 なんノ川〃肭 A 〃〃り訪 . 298

三を I S L A M I N A S I A magnificent Friday Mosque, still a living house ofworship, atop the ruins Of a Zoroastrian temple. Situated on the Zeravshan, a tributary Of the Oxus River in today's L A N D S I N Central Asia came early under the influence of lslam. During the Umayyad caliphate, messengers of Uzbekistan, Bukhara was a city of learning when the lslam traveled east from Medina. 気 h battles in 657 at AI Muslims entered. The new rulers mamtained that tradition, bullding four madrasas between the 16th and 19th centuries. Qadisiya, on the Euphrates, and in 642 at Nehavend, in today's lran, lslam spread t0 Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, ln the 20th century, when this region was part ofthe Soviet today's Pakistan, and Punjab and Sind in lndia. Early on, Union, the Communist leaders allowed only tWO madrasas tO contlnue [ 0 operate: the Mir-i Arab in Bukhara and the the caliphs enlisted Syrian warrlors and sent them east. Kukeldash in Shash, the capital of Fergana, now called Glorious mosques affirm a continuing Muslim pres- Tashkent. Upstream 伝 om Bukhara was Samarkand, where ence in Central ASia. Herat, a C1ty ln western . Afghanistan, stands along the Hari River in the southern foothills ofthe Timur, or Tamerlane, ruled. Between the two C1t1es stretched the lush Zeravshan Valley, a part ofthe Silk Road and a vision Paropamisus Range. ln the 13th century Muslims built the ABOVE' ・ Na ノなノ〃たル確〃な , な〃ハお / れ川 0 岬怩ル切加なん怩〃の g ル〃 ag ルゞん 4.

Beyond their many tribal deities, Arabs worshiped Allah in common. Allah, which means "the god," was the supreme creator Ofall, but an impersonal god, distant and unapproachable. He was the father 0f three goddesses, Lat, Manat, and Uzza, represented in the Kaaba, but Allah was so removed from daily li no one worshiped him or made a pilgrimage on his behalf. Polytheistic beliefs infused the sixth-century Arab world, yet monotheistic faiths were well established all around. Locally, JewiSh communities influenced Arabia's agricultural towns. Christian communities dOtted the Hijaz, and Yemen was ruled by a convertt0Juda1sm known for persecuting Chris tians. Across the Red Sea 伝 om Yemen lay Axum, today's Ethiopia, whose kings had practiced Christianity for nearly tWO centuries. That region ofnorth- eastern Africa is still a stronghold 0f Coptic Christianity. ln the larger sphere, sixth-century Arabia felt the pressure Of conflict between the monotheistic PO 、 vers nearby. The Christian Byzantine Empire, with its capital in Constantinople, included Turkey, Greece, Central Asia, and the eastern Mediterranean as well as Egypt. The Sassanian Empire encompassed Persia from the Euphrates River east and stretched tO the Caucasus in the north, the Hindu Kush in the east, and north almost as far as Tashkent in today's Uzbekistan. The Sassanians practiced Zoroastr1amsm, S1nce the third century the official religion Of Persia. These primarily urban cultures created a climate Of belief and practice that was influencing Arab culture. Despite differences, the three surrounding religions ・ーー Judaism, Christiamty, and Zoroastriamsm—shared common elements: monotheism, or the belief in one and only one ス B() 阯 : 行 4 り ca ノなル脚砒 g ん石ルル N 確坊 A. 4 , ル 9 0 イ 10 ん加ゐ ) 4 川 / s. 33 )

0 れ・ リ第ロの 00 ! ln the ninth and tenth centuries, the religion Of mounted on a screen (called an"iconostasis") that stretched Constantinople—now called Orthodox, 伝 om the Greek between the sanctuary and the altar. ln daily life icons for "correct teaching —continued tO spread. Missionaries were mounted on doorways, placed in a corner Ofthe maln traveled west from Greece tO Serbia, Bulgaria, and Moravia, r001 , worn on necklaces, and hung ln pr1S()n cells and ships' cabins. The icons remain important tOday. They are north and east intO Russia. Cyril and Methodius, tWO brothers devoted [ 0 the Christian faith, traveled from not simply pictures [ 0 admire, but sacred ObJects Of ven- Thessalonica north [ 0 the Danube River, earning a reputation eration that bring the person depicted on the icon intO the as the apostles to the Slavs. During their nusslons they presence Of the believer. AS icons are carried in processlon, 1 nvented an alphabet for the Slavic language , so they could people kneel; on entering the church, they kiss them; at share the Bible with those they met. That alphabet is still home, they light candles before them. used for Russian, Bulgarian, and other SIavic languages. lts name commemorates one Of the brothers: CyrilliC. T H E W I N D S O F C H A N G E ln these Eastern Christian churches, in Greece, in the Slavic countries, and in the MiddIe East, the worshiper was B Y T H E eighth century, the influence of the Byzantine surrounded by icons, painted on walls and columns, and Emperor began t0 diminish in Western Europe. ln addition, ABOVE: ハアル化ん 4 な前いイ / ん石のな〃 0 勗りノ C ″ななルん訪第・ R 〃 1 の 4 ・ 287

The neighboring Zulu believe that for a time after his burial, an 01d man S SP1rit wanders in the veldt, then reap- pears as a snake in the village, a sign that he has joined the ancestors. lt is tO the ancestors that the Zulu dance and give offerings, believing that they are the source Of barrenness or fertility, drought or rain, pestilence or a good harvest. The first day of November, a time in the Northern Hemisphere when nature itself has begun tO die, is a tra- ditional time to remember the spirits of the dead. The American holiday of HaIIoween, quite disconnected from religious ceremony, IS a vestige Of early Samhain observa- tions by which the Celts defended against the coming dark with bonfires blazing into the night. Roman conquerors extended the holy day to two days, combining respect for the dead with a harvest festival in honor of Pomona, the goddess offruits and trees. As Christians gained control 0f the British lsles, they reinterpreted the pagan holidays by calling November 1 AII Saints' Day, honoring the salnts and martyrs oftheir religion, followed by AII Souls' Day. Many still observed October 51 as AII Hallows' Evening—short- end to Halloween. Similarly, on the first two days 0f November, Mexicans observe the Day of the Dead, Dia 読川伽 . Believing that at this time Of the year the spirits Of the dead return tO their households, Mexican families set out lavish altars with candles, wreaths, flowers, and an array 0f 応 0d prepared only for this holiday, especially ル〃読〃 the bread of the dead, kneaded into the sh 叩 e of bones and human fig- ures representing souls. other families picnic at relatives graves. Gleeful fireworks call the faithfulto a solemn mass. う 2