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Oddiyana

a kingdom mentioned in Buddhist literature
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Oddiyana, also Uddiyana, was a historical region which is considered important in the development and spread of Vajrayana Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhist traditions, it is viewed as a Beyul, a legendary heavenly place.[1][2][3][4]

13. Oddiyana shown in a map of eastern hemisphere within Pakistan.
Statue of Padmasambhava.

Padmasambhava, an eighth-century Buddhist master and founder of the Nyingma school, is believed to be born in Oddiyana. He had a crucial role in introducing Buddhism to Tibet. Siddha Garab Dorje, the founder of Dzogchen school, is also associated with this region.[5] Oddiyana. Oddiyana was also known as “the paradise of the Ḍākinīs" in some traditions.[6][7]

Location

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The Swat river valley in northern Pakistan.

Many Western scholars identify Oddiyana as the Swat Valley in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Alexis Sanderson, after reviewing different views, suggests that it might have been near Kashmir, with the modern Swat Valley as a likely central point. Udyāna, meaning "garden" or "orchard" in Sanskrit, is mentioned as north of Peshawar along the Swat River.[8]

According to the 8th-century Korean monk Hye Cho, Udyana was a mountainous Buddhist region, and after visiting Gandhara, he traveled north, arriving in Udyana, then continued northeast to Chitral. Faxian noted similarities in food and clothing between Udyana and the Indo-Gangetic Plain.[9]

John Reynolds suggests that Oddiyana is the name of a much wider geographical area than the Swat Valley alone, one embracing parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and even Western Tibet (Zhang Zhung)."[10] Along the same line of thinking, Herbert V. Guenther suggests the region of Sogdiana, today corresponding to regions of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, as the location of Oddiyana.[11] While professor Lokesh Chandra has argued that Oddiyana was located further in South India.[12]

An alternate theory places its location in what is now the modern Indian state of Odisha.[13][14] Though this theory has not been accepted by scholars.

In Tibetan Buddhism

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A Buddhist artifact from Swat, Pakistan.

In Tibetan Buddhist traditions, Oddiyana is considered a vital source of tantric teachings, with a rich history of flourishing Buddhist tantra. Many Tibetan Buddhist lineages, including Dzogchen founded by the siddha Garab Dorje, trace their roots to this region. It's believed that the first Vajrayana teachings were given by Gautama Buddha in Oddiyana, and important tantric texts like Mahayoga and Anuyoga were revealed there.[15]

 
Amlukura Buddhist Stupa in Swat, Pakistan.

In Tibetan Buddhist literature, Oddiyana is described as having multiple kings named Indrabhuti. Additionally, it is sometimes equated with Shambhala, a mystical land inhabited by Ḍākinīs, beyond reach for ordinary mortals. In the 'Seven Line Prayer' of Padmasambhava, Oḍḍiyāna is referred to as ཨོ་རྒྱན (o rgyan) in Tibetan.[16][17]

References

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  1. ↑ Joshi, Lal Mani (1977). Studies in the Buddhistic Culture of India During the 7th and 8th Centuries A.D. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-0281-0.
  2. ↑ ‘Uḍḍiyāna and Kashmir’, pp 265-269 ‘The Śaiva Exegesis of Kashmir’, in Mélanges tantriques à la mémoire d’Hélène Brunner. Tantric Studies in Memory of Hélène Brunner, Collection Indologie 106, EFEO, Institut français de Pondichéry (IFP), ed. Dominic Goodall and André Padoux, 2007.)
  3. ↑ "Uddiyana". Swat. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  4. ↑ Morgan, Llewelyn; Oliveri, Luca Maria (2022-06-02). The View from Malakand: Harold Deane's 'Note on Udyana and Gandhara'. Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-80327-208-5.
  5. ↑ Keown, Damien; Hodge, Stephen; Jones, Charles; Tinti, Paola (2003). A dictionary of Buddhism (1. publ ed.). Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-19-860560-7.
  6. ↑ Wedemeyer, Christian K. (2014-05-06). Making Sense of Tantric Buddhism: History, Semiology, and Transgression in the Indian Traditions. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-16241-8.
  7. ↑ Shah, Bipin. "Ancient Uddayana-the land of Buddha at Rajgriha, prior to establishment of Patliputra in Ganges Doab". Research gate. Research gate. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  8. ↑ Dudeja, Prof (Dr ) Jai Paul (2023-03-14). Profound Meditation Practices in Tibetan Buddhism. Blue Rose Publishers.
  9. ↑ "A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms, by Fa-hsien (chapter8)". 2004-08-17. Archived from the original on 2004-08-17. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  10. ↑ John M. Reynolds: The Golden Letters. Snow Lion, Ithaca, New York 1996, S. 211–212.
  11. ↑ Cfr. Herbert V. Guenther, Wholeness Lost and Wholeness Regained. Forgotten Tales of Individualism from Ancient Tibet. Albany, 1994,
  12. ↑ Oḍḍiyāna: A New Interpretation. In: M. Aris, Aung San Suu Kyi: Tibetan Studies in Honour of Hugh Richardson. Warminster, 1980, S. 73–78.
  13. ↑ Joshi, Lal Mani (1977). Studies in the Buddhistic Culture of India During the 7th and 8th Centuries A.D. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 258. ISBN 978-81-208-0281-0. One writer has recently made a renewed attempt to identify Uḍḍiyāna with Orissa which he regards as the "cradle of Tāntrika Buddhism". But this is improbable; the Chinese sources refer to Orissa as Wu-T'u or Ota or Wu-Cha, while the Tibetans refer to Orissa as Oḍivisa which must be different from Urgyan or Wu-Chang. Moreover, Orissa became a centre of Tāntrika Buddhism after the 7th century A.D.
  14. ↑ Keown, Damien (2003). A Dictionary of Buddhism (1 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 203, 208. ISBN 9780198605607. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  15. ↑ Wallis, Christopher D. (2013). Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition. pp. 211-282. Mattamayura Press.
  16. ↑ Morgan, Llewelyn; Oliveri, Luca Maria (2022-06-02). The View from Malakand: Harold Deane's 'Note on Udyana and Gandhara'. Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-80327-208-5.
  17. ↑ Dudeja, Prof (Dr ) Jai Paul (2023-03-14). Profound Meditation Practices in Tibetan Buddhism. Blue Rose Publishers.
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