Origins of the Buddhist Earth Touching Gesture

[@DougsDharma]

🧡 If you find benefit in my videos, consider supporting the channel by joining us on Patreon and get fun extras like exclusive videos, ad-free audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: www.patreon.com/dougsseculardharma 🙂 📙 You can find my book here: books2read.com/buddhisthandbook

[@xiaomaozen]

What I sense personally (phenomenologically so to speak) when I see and/or exercise this gesture is a hint or even a warning: "Don't get lost in lofty idea(l)s (like enlightenment, nirvana, arhatship etc.), but stay grounded, down-to-earth, keep *in touch* with the here and now!" Just my radically subjective experience, but there you have it. 😅 Thanks for your historical and cultural elaborations, Doug! 🐱🙏

[@DougsDharma]

Yes exactly, keeping grounded!

[@victorneufeld6516]

i like that!

[@rt-rt9if]

Very beautiful and inspiring that story about the earth, how it receives and remains calm, a poetic and wise metaphor, thank you for explaining buddhism so clearly

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome. 🙏

[@missmerrily4830]

This explained a lot to me. Like many people I have always lumped the 'touching the earth' gesture together with the other hand mudras because that's how it was always presented to me in literature and online. And yet it came along with the the tagline that he was "touching the earth to bear witness" to his having reached enlightenment. This then seemed unlikely to be a teaching gesture. So it has always been a bit of a puzzle. Except of course it's right that this too could be a teaching, to simply teach about Buddha's own journey to enlightenment. Yes, I think I like that... an endorsement of seeing things as they really are! In the absence of any definite evidence I think I'll go with that. Well that clears that up! 😊 Thanks Doug!

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@jacopoziroli3846]

I love your simple, but not banal, description and explanation about this topic. I too was told about the "witnesses of the earth against Mara" mudra in university, and although I'm not particulary interested in early buddhist (I'm actually study Japanese language, its literature and its version of buddhism) I always watch your videos. Thank you Doug!

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome!

[@fingerprint5511]

Thanks Doug. Again, why I practice Theravada 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@AlexNurullin]

☸

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@Jorghee316]

I was thought about this, thanks for explaining

[@DougsDharma]

Happy to help!

[@Garden7Stones]

This was so cool! So glad I found this channel Thanks! ❤🙏❤

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome! Glad you're here as well. 🙏

[@_middleside]

Very cool. Congrats on the paper and thanks for the video.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for watching!

[@metta6516]

This remembered me of Pyrrho's and those ascetics that macedonians found there. It would be awesome if you could make a video either in the identity of them or on the differences and similarities between Pyrrho and the Buddha.

[@DougsDharma]

There is too little evidence about the ascetics to make definitive conclusions, however since they were described as naked sophists they were probably not Buddhist.

[@Singularidade]

This channel is amazing! "There's nothing about this in the literature, so i have to write it myself" hahahha

[@DougsDharma]

😄😄

[@fireatwill8143]

Great video Doug! I would imagine anyone with any interest in Buddhism, would be fascinated with the Buddha's moment of enlightenment. It is after all, central to the whole system, is it not? The only thing I tend to be wary of however, is the human tendency to embellish such things. For example, earthquakes or glowing halo's etc. I would be very interested to read yours, or anyone in the community's experience of these 'moments'. Do you believe the Buddha's enlightenment would have been accompanied by some kind of miraculous event, or would it have been an altogether much more peaceful and silent thing? 🙏🙏

[@DougsDharma]

It would have been a silent, internal event. The embellishments are part of the hagiography that came later.

[@yasithperera5700]

Supreme Buddhas enlightenment was accompanied by a miraculous event. Read Maha-parinibbana Sutta. It's not nice to misinterpret the Dhamma. It will indeed be harmful for ones practice. Eight Causes of Earthquakes Then Venerable Ānanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, “Sir, that was a really big earthquake! That was really a very big earthquake; awe-inspiring and hair-raising, and thunder cracked the sky! What’s the cause, what’s the reason for a great earthquake?” “Ānanda, there are these eight causes and reasons for a great earthquake. What eight? This great earth is grounded on water, the water is grounded on air, and the air stands in space. At a time when a great wind blows, it stirs the water, and the water stirs the earth. This is the first cause and reason for a great earthquake. (This the natural Earthquakes we see everyday. The National Earthquake Information Center says there are about 55 earthquakes a day around the world ) Furthermore, there is an ascetic or brahmin with psychic power who has achieved mastery of the mind, or a god who is mighty and powerful. They’ve developed a limited perception of earth and a limitless perception of water. They make the earth shake and rock and tremble. This is the second cause and reason for a great earthquake. Furthermore, when the being intent on awakening passes away from the host of Joyful Gods, he’s conceived in his mother’s belly, mindful and aware. Then the earth shakes and rocks and trembles. This is the third cause and reason for a great earthquake. Furthermore, when the being intent on awakening comes out of his mother’s belly mindful and aware, the earth shakes and rocks and trembles. This is the fourth cause and reason for a great earthquake. Furthermore, when the Realized One realizes the supreme perfect awakening, the earth shakes and rocks and trembles. This is the fifth cause and reason for a great earthquake. Furthermore, when the Realized One rolls forth the supreme Wheel of Dhamma, the earth shakes and rocks and trembles. This is the sixth cause and reason for a great earthquake. Furthermore, when the Realized One, mindful and aware, surrenders the life force, the earth shakes and rocks and trembles. This is the seventh cause and reason for a great earthquake. Furthermore, when the Realized One becomes fully extinguished in the element of extinguishment with nothing left over, the earth shakes and rocks and trembles. This is the eighth cause and reason for a great earthquake. These are the eight causes and reasons for a great earthquake.”

[@pencilcase46]

Buddha simply surrendered, begged divine earth mother/Kundalini to stand up for him, and so it was. After the job was done, another divine heavenly force was needed to make Gotama become the Buddha ❤

[@oldstudent2587]

Miranda Shaw, in her book, "Buddhist Goddesses of India," has a first chapter on Prthvi, the Earth Goddess. In it she shows two sculptures, both Kusana/Gandharan period, both stone bas reliefs, of Prthvi being present at the enlightenment. Both have Prthvi personified. The one dated 1st-2nd c. CE shows Prthvi holding up the enlightenment throne (the Bodhisattva is not on it yet he is standing in front of it), the other, 3rd c. CE shows the bhumisparsa gesture, Prthvi is rising up from the ground on one side, Mara is on the other.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, one of the sources I used in my paper is a PhD dissertation about the Earth Deity.

[@Dharmaku56]

Then Mara the Evil One, taking on the form of a farmer with a large plowshare over his shoulder, carrying a long goad stick - his hair disheveled, his clothes made of coarse hemp, his feet splattered with mud - went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, said, "Hey, contemplative. Have you seen my oxen?" "And what are your oxen, Evil One?" "Mine alone is the eye, contemplative. Mine are forms, mine is the sphere of consciousness & contact at the eye. Where can you go to escape me? Mine alone is the ear... the nose... the tongue... the body... Mine alone is the intellect, contemplative. Mine are ideas, mine is the sphere of consciousness & contact at the intellect. Where can you go to escape me?" "Yours alone is the eye, Evil One. Yours are forms, yours is the sphere of consciousness of contact at the eye. Where no eye exists, no forms exist, no sphere of consciousness & contact at the eye exists: there, Evil One, you cannot go. Yours alone is the ear... the nose... the tongue... the body... Yours alone is the intellect, Evil One. Yours are ideas, yours is the sphere of consciousness & contact at the intellect. Where no intellect exists, no ideas exist, no sphere of consciousness of contact at the intellect exists: there, Evil One, you cannot go." [Mara:] Of what they say, 'This is mine'; and those who say, 'Mine': If your intellect's here, contemplative, you can't escape from me. [The Buddha:] What they speak of isn't mine, and I'm not one of those who speak it. Know this, Evil One: you won't even see my tracks. Then Mara the Evil One - sad & dejected at realizing, "The Blessed One knows me; the One Well-gone knows me" - vanished right there. SN 4.19

[@playmobilegamescodm]

Reminds me of Anime where Villain is beating MC but MC transforms into something beyond imagination and beats the st of villain 😅

[@默-c1r]

🙏

[@kathirbalachandran7160]

As you correctly mentioned, the image of Buddha was created in sculptures much later after Buddha's lifetime. The sculpturing was originally influenced by the Greek traditions. It is also seen in the "Hair" of Buddha's image which is curly and nothing like any south east Asian's but more like Greek's. That supports the hypothesis that the "Earth touching" could also the influence by the Greek tradition. In fact the very first image could have been created by a Greek sculptor.

[@justapointofview7625]

Yes, it originated in Gandhara ancient Hellenic Kingdom in the Subcontinent. The faces of earliest statues almost look like traditional Greek statues of the era, and clearly shows the toga around their bodies. They can still be seen in museums and also on photos of them. Greeks knew of the Subcontinent even before Buddha's time. I avoid to use the term India as India is NOT one country to this day but now a Union of independent nations since historical times. Buddha was born in one of 18 Mahajanapadas not in India. Cheers.

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@playmobilegamescodm]

​@@justapointofview7625There's a difference between Ancient India and Modern India. Ancient India refers to a region with similar and different types of culture and philosophy and mixed together. In Modern age they are united under 1 government but still not completely True cause Modern India lost some parts from Ancient India and the connection was severed. So Modern India and Ancient India are different but using these terms makes the topic easier to understand.

[@Mrhasbarafree]

Doug, id love to know about your doctoral thesis; can you share your PhD research topic? I understand you're a post doc but im interested in what your first big project was. Sending blessings and gratitude 🙏

[@DougsDharma]

Ah my doctorate was in an area of contemporary analytic philosophy, having to do with fixing the content of perceptual states. It wasn't about Buddhism, except maybe extremely indirectly.

[@Mrhasbarafree]

​@@DougsDharmathank you.

[@Mrhasbarafree]

​@@DougsDharmaall I understand is that your work was different to continental philosophy. Thats all I have. Thanks for your Buddhist work. It's helpful and presented in a well scaffolded way for newbies like myself.

[@OldWolf1933]

In the Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta: To Cunda the Silversmith AN 10.176, there is talk of touching the earth. Maybe, the saying originated there? But, in reality, if the saying isn't found in the early teachings, then its not likely that the Buddha actually said it.

[@DougsDharma]

Interesting, thanks! In that context it appears to be a Brahminic ritual of morning purification, and one the Buddha doesn't recommend, so quite a different context.

[@OldWolf1933]

@@DougsDharma Yes, quite different in context. But I've read how the Buddha would often take Brahminic rituals and turn them around some how, just to make a point of the uselessness of rituals. That doesn't seem to be the case here, and the touching of the ground, may just be the additions of a later scribe. (Maybe one that thought a better way to use the touching of the ground ritual.)

[@Anshulhe]

But we do find in ancient indian sources that people are taking natural forces as witness like fire and water, sometimes even earth like in Ramayana

[@BradyHansen81]

As a warrior when I see Buddha touching the ground I see a man that is exposing his body to attack. A sign “I am willing to be so vulnerable I will place my hand further from my blade, if you were to attack me I could not move my hand to my blade then draw, I would surely die.” Showing that level of openness and vulnerability aka Bodhictta???

[@lonhodowal8779]

Lovele manthinker

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@paradoxsolverparadoxsolver748]

what is buddhist view on black magic

[@justapointofview7625]

Black magic is black magic. Buddhist do not believe in magic, superstitions, miracles or divinity, Buddha always asked us to reason, not to believe in.

[@DougsDharma]

Here is a video on the Buddha's views about magic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWHQgGSNnLupn8k

[@normalizedaudio2481]

Yellow, yellow. We have Mahayana about this "earth." Earthquake and you think we are strange.

[@anupnishanrao7767]

Sir can you cover what buddha said on LGBTQ community

[@justapointofview7625]

There was NO LGBTQ community then, never heard of that during that era. Never mentioned in any other literature either.

[@starshiptexas]

I wish you had included this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phra_Mae_Thorani

[@DougsDharma]

The earth deity appears in certain depictions of the earth-touching gesture, but is not essential to it. One of the sources for my paper was a PhD dissertation on the earth deity.

[@starshiptexas]

@@DougsDharma excellent, i will take a look