Where Lord Buddha appeared His origin would also descend

. 20 June '18. Gaya.

The Hindus practicing the eternal religion; the Sanatan Dharma and the non-religion sect- Buddhist would visit Gaya, a holy place in India where the river Falgu flows into Ganga. It is a place of spiritual and historical significance where the Lord Krishna appeared as Sidhartha Gautama; the prince of the Sakya dynasty during the reign of the king Sudhodhana about 2500 years before Christ.   

Shrine of ISKCON Gaya

Indicating the cause for the Lord Krishna to descend on earth as the Lord’s heart melted due to compassion to the animals being killed in the name of the religious sacrifices though in violence (ninda or himsa), Jayadev Goswami’s hymn:  ‘Nindasi yajïa vidher ahaha sruti-jatam. Sadaya hrdaya darsita pasu-ghatam…’ truly reflects to us that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna appeared in the form of the Lord Buddha to stop violence against the animals. For this to come in effect, Lord Buddha taught the principle of non-voilence, a-himsa, to stop the sinful activities of the mankind, such as killing. If and when the humans could adhere to the principle of non-violence the next recourse the Lord prescribed as the law for the mankind is the religious devotional altruism that can be peacefully carried out by all human races irrespective of their background whatsoever and purifies their existence. That sublime altruism, practically non-voilent so much so the Lord Buddha wanted contrary to what the Buddhist are practicing today is the science of Krishna consciousness that involves loving devotional service called in Sanskrit as Bhakti.  

This scientific Krishna consciousness was taught in India several years later by the Lord Krishna after He descended as the Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Then the same method was propagated to the entire world by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Devotion is awakened by citing the maha mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. Practice of this science of Krishna consciousness is the eternal religion of this age, sanatan dharma, as it leads one to attain eternal (sanatan) salvation to the kingdom of God. Devotion cannot embark on the sinful platform of existence. One has to stop doing sinful activities in order to qualify for devotional service and to attain the eternity.

ISKCON Gaya temple view

This historical prologue mentioned here in short is to ground the need for the temple of Krishna Consciousness in the places of the pastimes of the Lord Buddha, namely in the Gaya where the teachings of Buddhism first manifested and also to every countries and cities where Buddhist livelihood exists and eating animals is continuing. If the Buddhists stop meat eating and chant the Hare Krishna maha mantra, their mind and consciousness will be purified and the violence may stop as much as the Lord Sidhartha Gautama Buddha wished the mankind to do.

Since the eternal occupation of the mankind, ie to engage in the loving devotional service and chant the holy name of the lord is being flourished worldwide by the magnanimous efforts of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada under his esteem ISKCON, Gaya, the capital city of Buddhist has one small Hare Krishna temple established very recently.  One devout rich man donated a building for the Krishna temple at the Gandhi Maidan. The building built during the British colonial period appears dilapidated and requires major renovation. It is a villa type resembling British architect with a front corridor leading to a small hall. In that hall a shrine was installed with the deity of Lord Krishna. Behind that hall there are few rooms where few brahmacari devotees could stay. Two rooms are spared for the visiting guest to stay. If the guest would come, their contribution and donation is the only source of income to maintain the deity worship. Of course the devotees are always at service distributing books and sanctified food.  There is a big courtyard in front where a cow kept and sankirtan can be held on open air.

Buddha Vihara, Gaya

Despite the readiness for hard work and sacrifice of the grand disciples of Srila Prabhupada to have an ISKCON temple there, they are stuck with dilemmas.  The donor of the asset asserted a condition that the ISKCON devotees must renovate the building or use the land to construct a Krishna temple. If they are unable to construct the temple then the asset should be given back to the donor. The ISKCON authorities did not like this condition set by the donor. ‘How can ISKCON renovate that building into a temple when that land or entire asset is not owned legally by ISKCON’, conveys the temple president the arguments of his authorities. The land donor argues, ‘ how can I donate such an expensive asset to the ISKCON before it could really show that it can build the temple and maintain it’. This is the dilemma in the divine service to the Lord where the organizational motivation is lacking.  A handful of devotees would not be able to initiate neither high level negotiation nor envisage a temple project. Yet those few devotees striving over the last two years expects their desire to have a temple in Gaya would be come true due to the blessings of their spiritual masters and the benediction Lord Buddha may bestow for his followers to become truly non-violence like a devout Krishna conscious soul as Srila Prabhupada.  The science of Krishna consciousness must penetrate the Buddhist Diaspora if the teachings of the Lord Buddha – ahimsa parama dharma, the non-violence as the innate duty of everyone is to be a realized fact as the lord wished.

By: Vrajendrasuta Dasa. Holland  

see http://www.iskcongaya.com