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QUERY BY E. N. BELL
Probably I am not the first person to be baffled by the Pagoda problem. Could any better informed person explain
(1). The origin of the Pagoda?
(2). The meaning and derivation of the word? (Is it really a mis-transliteration of Dagoba?)
(3). Its symbolism, and the part it plays in pure Buddhist teaching?
ANSWER TO MR. BELL'S QUERY.
Professor Duroiselle has sent on to me, to reply, Mr. Bell's query regarding pagodas, and I have much pleasure in complying with his request. In India, pagodas are called "topes ", which is derived from Stupa in Sanskrit. and thupa in Pali. In Ceylon, they are called "dagobas ", which is derived from "dhatu-garbha" in Sanskrit, and "dhatu-gabbha" in Pali, meaning "a relic-chamber". The word "pagoda" is believed to be the transformation, by metathesis, of the word "dagoba ". The word Shwedagon is said to be derived from Shwe-dagob.
There is a slight difference in the shape of the Indian topes and Sinhalese dagobas. The former, some of which date from a century or two before the Christian era, and of which the Sanchi tope is the most notable type, consist of solid or nearly solid domical masses of masonry springing from a low base or drum, thereby presenting a curious resemblance to the Etruscan tumulus, which has a conical instead of a domical shape. In the case of an Indian tope, the relics are buried below the base of the structure, while in that of a Sinhalese dagoba, the relics are deposited in a square or rectangular box made of stone or masonry, which is placed near the pinnacle of the structure. That box is the real "dhatu-gabbha" or the "relic-chamber."
The pagoda appears to have derived its form from a tumulus, because ancient religions are partly based on the veneration of the tombs of ancestors. (Cp. the pyramids of Egypt and the Ming and other Imperial Tombs of China and also the observance of the All Souls' day in November by the Roman Catholics, and of the Tomb Festival in April by the Chinese). According to Buddhist tradition, however, the prototype of all pagodas is the Sulamani, situated an Mount Meru, in which is enshrined the hair cut off by Siddhartha on his great renunciation of the world (vide page 4 of the Society's Journal for December, 1911).
The symbolism of the component parts of a pagoda has been explained at pages 3-4 of the number of the Journal cited above. That information may now be supplemented as follows:
A pagoda rests on five receding terraces, because the sides of Mount Meru, on which Sulamani stands, are divided into five regions, each of which is inhabited by a separate order of beings. The Bawbawgyi Pagoda at Hmawza (near Prome), the Shwesandaw Pagoda at Pagan and the Myatheindan or Sinbyume Pagoda at Mingun, stand on five terraces.. In later buildings, the number of terraces is reduced from five to three, because apparently the Buddha is the revered of the "three worlds of Brahmas, devas, and men". Then come an octagon, which represents the earth, a circle, which represents the skyey dome, and a bell-shaped dome, which represents the Buddhist empyrean, where, according to the Chinese, the past Buddhas dwell after fulfilling their sacred mission on earth. Concentric circles of an odd number ranging from three or five onwards then appear, and they represent the successive layers of umbrellas. In the Indian Museum at Calcutta, there are stone figures of pagodas surmounted by successive layers of umbrellas. In sculpture, painting, and the ceramic art, sovereignty is represented by an umbrella. Thus a dog or elephant, which is King among its fellows, is represented with an umbrella over its head. The Buddha, as a Supreme Being among all creatures, is entitled to many umbrellas placed one above the other. Over the concentric circles and resting on a lotus capital is placed an amlaka which the Burmans call "Kayathi."
Its signification is involved in obscurity, although its resemblance to a linga of the Saivite Hindus may be noted. The final component part of a pagoda is an iron ti or crowning umbrella, which in Mongolia and Northern China assumes a flat shape and protects the building from rain, snow and frost.
Mr. Bell wants to know the part a pagoda plays in pure Buddhist teaching. This is rather a delicate question to answer. Burmese Buddhists say that there are four kinds of pagodas or zedis:
(I) Dhatu zedi: pagodas in which the corporeal relics of the Buddha are enshrined;
(II) Paribhoga zedi: pagodas in which the utensils of Gautama Buddha, or of his predecessors, are enshrined;
(III) Uddissaka zedi: pagodas in which figures of the Buddha and of his disciples, or pseudo replicas of relics or utensils are enshrined
(IV) Dhammazedi: pagodas in which the Buddhist scriptures are enshrined.
When a Burmese Buddhist kneels down and utters his prayers before a pagoda or an image of the Buddha, he endeavours to visualize the Sage Himself, on whose Virtues and Attributes he is contemplating, in whose footsteps he tries to walk, and whose type of character he makes his highest efforts to assimilate both in this and future existences. The act, from the standpoint of pure Buddhist teaching, can scarcely be called idolatry, and should be differentiated from similar acts prevailing in the Roman Catholic Church.
MR. TAW SEIN KO
CAMP HMAWZA
The 7th March, 1912.
BUDDHISM ARTICLES AND BOOK REVIEWS
FROM THE JOURNAL OF THE BURMA RESEARCH SOCIETY (1911-1977)