2 Giant Buddhas Survived 1,500 Years. Fragments, Graffiti and a Hologram Remain.

In the Fall of 1977, on my way to India from Tashkent, I visited Bamiyan. The bus dropped me off and I walked in with my Clan Robertson pack on my back, fishing pole sticking out of the top. Only two "tourists" where there; me and a Tasmanian, we slept the night before in a mud hut on a mud beds. Ate rice and dal as the monks must have. I climbed through the "stairwell" to the top of the Big Buddah. Each step was worn from the footsteps of monks ascending to do the same thing I did: meditate on the top of the Buddah's head (mountain behind, water in front). The "seat" I sat on was also worn by those who also found solace there. There were many, many "caves" for meditation; some were walled up but was told that one stone could be removed to place a bowl of rice for the meditant. Later in my Life I was involved in several large scientific expeditions. I would give this image to my colleagues after a short explanation of the Bamiyan Buddahs: "Think of that first monk, held from above by a strand of some kind of rope, mallet and chisel in hand. He looks to the wall, he looks behind, he looks above, he looks below then positioning the chisel against the wall strikes the first blow of wonder. This is what we are doing, this kind of exploration is the same." I'm now an old man involved in the three things old age should provide: summary, integration, and the ability to move on. So I'm going over the most important moments of my Life. This was one of them.

The 1,500 year old figures were masterpieces that reminded us of devotion and beauty reaching out across from the mountain, across the valley and across the centuries. Although invaders replaced the tolerant Buddhist religion in Afghanistan and elsewhere, the giant Buddha figures had remained as a symbol of serenity and endurance. It is unfortunate that no child in that section of the world be have a sense of wonder and ambition sparked by again by living near those elegant giants.

Shed tears for lost art, although it was not "art" but religious idolatry. It was supplanted by another religion without idols. I hope for a day when all religion is seen as "art" and all the wondrous myths humans have created are protected by a global, secular, scientific based belief. No doubt, I'm dreaming. Today anyway, but maybe not tomorrow in another 10,000 years.

Any tour of India will result in witnessing many many destroyed temples. This is nothing new.

Not withstanding the historical significance, I wonder what the public in 550AD or whenever it was who saw these Buddhists march into Afghanistan and carve up this beautiful virgin sandstone wall. Can you imagine Buddhists moving into Moab Utah and doing the same. So, we have to put this into perspective and from the comments below, it sounds like old Buddha himself would have cringed at the site. What we do in the name of religion.

For those waxing poetic about the impermanence of the material world: the Buddhas of Bamiyan no more belonged to the world’s Buddhists than the Great Pyramid belongs to the pharaoh Khufu. I wonder if such logic is used to justify Myanmar’s atrocities...

As a young man in 1971, I had the opportunity to visit Bamian and sit on the head of the largest Buddah statue. They were breathtaking. They are in the middle of nowhere, a difficult and dangerous trek to access. What a crime it was to destroy these ancient works.

And yet when Buddhists were asked about the destruction of this icon at the time, most gave answers like, "It's just a statue. It doesn't matter."

My husband and I served as Peace Corps volunteers in Afghanistan from 1970 until early ‘73. We camped by the stunning lakes in Bamiyan and climbed to the top of the smaller Buddha, seeing the stunning view of The Valley and mountains Rod Nordland describes in his article. When the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas in 2001 we were heartbroken. But the Buddhas live on in the photos we took and in our memories as a monument to the artistry and faith of their creators.

The absence of the statues is eloquent enough in its "display" of dependent origination. Often the footprints of the Buddha are used to indicate this. No need to rebuild, just a need to understand.

Even if it were feasible, what would be the point of restoring the Buddhas as long as the Taliban and other groups who would want to destroy them again are operating in the region?

Aren't humans the dumbest creatures on the planet ?

The irony of white westerners complaining about the impermanence of a Buddhist site. Thank you for laugh, no Buddhist cares one bit about this.

The destruction of these artworks was an act of barbarity. The existence of other crimes in other places cannot erase this fact. The gaping hole where once stood an object of wonder is mute testimony to the crime committed there.

This same thing happened in Athens, Greece to the Parthenon after 100s of years of rule by the Ottoman Turks. In the 1460s, Muslim Ottoman Turks turned one of the wonders of the world, the Parthenon, into a Mosque. Two hundred years later, the Ottoman Turks used one of the most beautiful buildings in the world as an ammunition dump. On September 26, 1687, the ammunition dump in the Parthenon was ignited resulting in an explosion that severely damaged the Parthenon and destroyed many of its sculptures. The Ottoman Turks then gave the okay for Lord Elgin to take away the choice bits that were still intact on the Parthenon to London, without permission of Greeks -- who no longer controlled their country, which was under Muslim rule. Most of the best bits are still in London to this day. This is what a conquering nation/culture/religion does to another when they want to obliterate them.

Once the US tires of the Afghan war, the Taliban will be back in power. This will be a repeat of Vietnam. Any restorations will be destroyed in a wave of triumphalism.

Even if the Buddhas were restored, there is no guarantee that the Taliban would not destroy them. Lord Buddha himself would have said, the material world is impermanent. Its better that the monuments stand as a testimony to the destructive nature of the Taliban and the religious intolerance they preach and practice. I would rather spend the money on education and social and economic development of the Afghan people.

There's another aspect of this that may further frustrate as you understand: The designation of World Heritage Site status by UNESCO has meant that the Bamyan valley is being prevented from properly developing its much-needed infrastructure because new construction might spoil the view of these broken remains. The poorly maintained compound just at the foot of the niche when looking across the valley to the stunning mountain scape? That's a rudimentary middle school. Likewise, the former Provincial Hospital was just a kilometer to the East, close to the base of the smaller Buddha niche, and on the edge of the town's center. Why was the prime site for these essential health services forcibly abandoned? The Hospital's development was stymied precisely because of its location: Too near the wrecked remains. The present-day health and development needs of this community are being suppressed for the potential of a we-don't-know-when-or-if restoration. And this in a Province with some of the poorest health outcomes and lowest economic status in all of Afghanistan, and indeed, in all the world. FOR SHAME, UNESCO, FOR SHAME.

This example is just one of many happening worldwide. In the USA National Parks are being trampled on just to get a selfie. It's core to a species that is causing climate change which is even the bigger picture. Most of those disgusting "people" are wearing suit coats and ties and run fortune 500 companies.

The Taliban are not the only reprehensible authoritarians in the new world order. We have people here in the United States who want to tell women what they can or can't do. A theocracy is a tall order, but the present criminal syndicate in power doesn't much care how they stay in power so long as they do. Those Buddhas were wonders. In this country, so are our national parks, some of which are under attack by those who worship capitalism instead of the God of their choice. Their God, however, serves their greedy purposes when they invoke him. Are they all that different from the Taliban?

The first reference I ever heard to the Taliban was their destruction of these world treasures. It's hard to imagine the small-mindedness and meanness it would take to do such a thing. On the other hand, the photo of the valley the Buddhas faced is stunning. I'm often struck by the beauty of the landscape in Afghanistan. I hope they find peace as a nation one day.

When we imagine that a handful of egos has destroyed something of such beauty, one cries. As we watch now as Ecuador gives American military access to the Galapagos as Eric Prince hankers to mine minerals in Afghanistan while plundering it with a private army (trump's ears perk up: money!), we watch the slow deterioration of man's greatest gifts, nature and art. Those are the very things that help the world's population excel. These are the gifts of man from the his very essence. I am heartbroken that our country is now led by a non man who for all of his show, knows nothing of true beauty. For the sake of the planet, someone stop these people from now destroying Iran and it's treasures.

What a sad and tragic loss for the people of Afghanistan and the world. Two 1500-year-old, peaceful Buddhas just used for target practice. The hologram gives one the idea of the beauty and scale of what was destroyed. It would be nice to have a museum there, with smaller, carved detailed statues, alongside old photographs, to remember these majestic, contemplative Buddhas.

The destruction itself has become a historical monument. Yes. Perhaps the peace negotiations for Afghanistan’s future should reconvene at this site. For the irony. Afghanistan seems to take pride in being the unchanging, defiant outlier against British, then American,....Western encroachment. Modernity is eschewed. The Taliban demand that Islamic law will be their guiding principle when they are given back this majestic nation. Evidently, their historic right. That will last...how long?

The fundamental teaching of Buddhism is the truth of impermanence. All things that are born: clouds, trees, people, monuments, must one day die. Add a small Buddha, but leave the site as a vivid example of his profound teaching about this World and our human lives

If it is $1.2 billion to restore, I don't care. Tell me where to send the check. No one is blinking at the cost to restore Notre Dame. On the other hand, the Buddha is everywhere. I would, happily. send my check to an entity that could do some good and inculcate Buddhist ideals. Preserving Mt. Everest might be a good choice. The mountain is awash with litter as the pursuit of money has taken hold. Tons of people die as the cash-starved government keeps issuing climbing permits to rich folks, mostly from the West. Let's do this: Establish a fund to replace these statues with a renewed and resplendent Goddess Mother To The World. There is a lot of money in the world, and so let's raise $1.2 billion, or whatever the cost of the Taliban destruction might be, and use it to ensure that Everest is cleaned up and never climbed again. No permits. Period. The government that issues the climbing permits would be offered a deal: We will give you $1 billion in exchange for guarantees that Everest will be left alone. That would preserve, I think, a monument that has stood for a lot longer than 1,500 years. As for the destroyed statues, let the rubble remain as a reminder to man of the foolishness of man.

I appreciate the significance of the shrine to Buddhists around the world. However, I rather imagine that the actual historical Buddha would probably choose to use the vast sums needed to rebuild the shrine for humanitarian relief of people in Afghanistan. I think the Buddha referred to this as “skillful means” towards enlightenment.

The Buddha taught us about impermanence. Not only for human life, but all aspects of our world. The beautiful sculptures are gone, but now, even more the message lives on. The solution, live now, not in the past or future.

All is empty and impermanent the Buddha is believed to have said. Yatha Bhuta. I've imagined that Buddhists world wide had reflected on this teaching when hearing of the Bamian Buddha's destruction. The felling of the Buddhas has, and continues to be, a powerful, if difficult, teaching.

Should we really accept all cultures and their ideas as equally valid? It seem to me that there are essential human values such as respect for history whatever it may be.

The desecration and destruction of the site should be left as is. It is a symbol of the hate that we humans too often show for ‘the other.’ The hole the Taliban left in their destruction should serve as a reminder of how fanaticism warps people to give into evil.

Any manner of orthodoxy is unconsciousness.

The destruction of these world treasures by religious fanatics is a horribly predictable type of event. Historically, heads have been lopped off the statues of kings, genitals gouged out of fresco-ed wall decorations and books heavily re-edited so as not to offend some group or culture. People burn books! I think, on the whole, humanity does make an effort to preserve the treasures we have produce, but, such is the curse of being human, we get moody and act out destructively. I can recall the day I was informed of the destruction of the Buddhas ~ it was more upsetting to me than when I read about the lunatic who whacked the tip of Mary's nose off of the "La Pieta" in 1972. When I personally saw this fantastic marble in Rome, it was sadly protected from us by inch-thick bullet-proof glass (well, it might have been plexiglas). Ah, the whole subject maddens me.

The fruits of fundamentalism of all sorts is evil.

Unfortunately, any restoration or rebuilding would only provide a new target for the Taliban in the future. Sad to note, most of the clamor to preserve, restore, rebuild in from the non-Islamic world.

The Taliban taught us many things at the site. Faith lives in the heart, not in the physical world. The space represents the emptiness of worshipping idols, or the fact that we are on our own and carry the seeds of faith within us. It is our responsibility now. We have many models of faith, each one important, all equal. The models are not important, the faith is. The emptiness we see in the rock, in ourselves cannot be filled. It is to be lived with, accepted, used for good. It is our condition. We are lucky to have had these monuments. Tearing them down perfectly displayed human shallowness and toil. Moving on perfectly displays grace.

The erasure of history, whether accidental or intentional, is never complete. Ironically, when something or someone is destroyed, what remains is often more powerful for millennia to come.

May we one day live in a world where we celebrate and protect the diversity of faith, wisdom and connection that we as a species have evolved over time. That is just a dream but a just and beautiful one nevertheless.