Mahayana Sutras, AD78

The Kushan empire arose out of Bactria and Sogdiana around the time of St. Paul’s travels, and it soon took control of northern India, encountering a flourishing Buddhist culture there. The leadership called for a great council to be held around 78AD in the Kashmir region, which began the development of new sutras (texts) to lay the foundation of Mahayana Buddhism and its eventual spread to China and beyond.

One work around this time period was known as the White Lotus of the Sublime Law (or the Lotus Sutra), which presented itself as a long-lost discourse given by the Buddha at the end of his life.

In this speech Buddha expresses the idea of the bodhisattva, one who attains nirvana but lingers for the sake of all who still suffer, so as not to abandon them, but to lead all to the light. The Buddha then describes himself as the master of a burning house, whose children must be bribed with toys to get them to escape it. Similarly, he first led his followers to lesser rewards of contemplation and discipline, but now the path of the bodhisattva is revealed as the better reward, a mission to save mankind.

Buddha describes another analogy, of a son who ran away, after which his father prospered and became a palace ruler. Servants were sent to the son to offer him a menial palace job, without identifying the ruler; he advances through the ranks, and eventually he learns the ruler’s identity, and regains his honor and his inheritance. Likewise, the Buddha first invited his followers to only personal enlightenment, but now his children are mature enough for him to teach them to bring others to attain to nirvana.

Buddha now announces his coming is like sudden rainclouds, perennially watering the earth; in this way he is reborn among mankind time and time again, to reveal the mysteries of nirvana anew. He then describes himself as a physician whose sons ingest an intoxicating poison; some accept his antidote while others refuse in their stupor. The physician must then feign his death to shock them into reason, and only returning once they have taken the cure. So too the bodhisattva now has this extra step to reach enlightenment, so as to become as the Buddha himself in his mission of mercy.

Often peacefully living among their Theravada brethren, Mahayana Buddhists nevertheless promoted an Ayurvedic vegetarian diet as the ideal for Buddha’s followers, with various dishes of pulses, greens, and brown rice, fruits and vegetables, raw sugar and ghee. The cuisine of this era is of pre-Mughal northern India, and likely resembled the vegetarian dishes of the modern Punjabi regions, with a fruit juice drink to wash it down.

KUSHAN BESAN KADHI 

Although yogurt was a common food in ancient India, the Kushan peoples of central Asia were far more dairy oriented, using it in more substantial ways. This stew is the result of yogurt with spices and pulse flour used as an entree topping for grains.

• 1/3 cup besan gram (chickpea) flour
• 2 cups Greek yogurt, lightly whipped
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2-3 tbsp ghee / unsalted butter
• 1 tsp fenugreek seed
• 1 tsp black mustard seed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1″ piece of ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Whisk besan flour into yogurt, slowly stir in water, and simmer on low 5 minutes. Whisk in salt, turmeric and pepper and cook 5-10 minutes more. Separately heat ghee with fenugreek seed and mustard seed 5 minutes on medium, and when seeds are popping, add ginger and cumin, and cook 5 minutes longer. Whisk ghee into the yogurt sauce, and stir in cilantro. Serve over rice.

KUSHAN SARSON DA SAAG

The vegetarianism of Norther Indian religious people led to a variety of preparations of vegetables, including this mash of greens and spices.

• 1 bunch mustard greens
• 1 cup packed with fenugreek leaves
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 large lemon, cut in half
• 2-3 tbsp ghee / unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt

Remove stems, and blanch all leaves 5-7 minutes, and drain, add to blender with 1 tbsp water, and add pepper, and blend to a puree. Separately heat ghee and add other spices, cooking 5 minutes. Add the juice of lemon (use a strainer to catch seeds), the 1/4 cup water to thin, and salt. Mix in greens and cook 5 minutes, stirring, and until any puddles of water cook down. Serve with barley rotis or bajra millet rotis, or over rice.

 KUSHAN MALPUA

Similar to the Greek tagenites, this fried pancake took on new flavors with local spices and the use of sugar cane processing.

• 3/4 cup barley flour
• 1/4 cup semolina
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp hand-ground anise seed
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup ghee / unsalted butter for light frying
• 3/4 cup raw sugar
• 1 cup water
• Sliced pistachio or almond to taste

Mix sugar and water and boil into a thin syrup, stirring. Make a thick pancake batter of the flours, milk, cardamom and anise, and heat up a shallow pan with ghee. Pour in the batter like a pancake and spread it slightly; fry and flip to brown both sides. Set pancake on paper towels to drain, then put on a rimmed plate and pour hot sugar syrup over it, and sprinkle on nuts.

KUSHAN GRAPE JUICE

A stricter observance of Ayurvedic principles and Buddhist reforms led to a variety of fruit syrups and juices. In this era grapes were common but alcohol was not seen as proper for those on the path to enlightenment.

• 2 lbs grapes, washed and destemmed (can also use raisins if not in season, but this is less ideal)
• Juice of lemon, to taste
• Salt to taste
• Raw sugar to taste

Mash grapes in a pot and bring to boil for 10 minutes. Mash down grapes and stir throughout. When finished strain well and cool. Stir in additional ingredients to taste.

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Extras: sesame, saffron, paneer, poppy, eggplant, mango, turmeric, tamarind, cabbage, cardamom, black/white pepper, ginger, anise, fennel, fenugreek, nigella, mustard, cumin, coriander, lentils, chickpea, pea, mung, barley, wheat, millet, rice, mint, dairy, curd, opo, almond, grape, Apple, pear, peach, plum, date, jaggery, sugarcane, vinegar, lime, urad, walnut, bee honey, dill, fig, cucumber, basil, pink salt