Professor Butter Beard and the “Lion Capital of Ashoka”
“The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd, you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom.” – Osho, “Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously”
I wish I could roar. Not a cute roar like Nellie’s when I let the third tray of cookies in the oven take precedence over her daybreak tour of duty. No. I crave the ability to release a fully tribal announcement roar from deep in my soul. That intense, rumbling growl that sends shivers down your spine and makes you feel like you are standing in the presence of royalty.
According to Dr. Henry Sinclair, both male and female lions roar for several reasons: communication with other members of their pride, displaying their health and strength to potential rivals, marking their territory to deter intruders, and attracting mates. The roar can be heard up to five miles away (as loud as 114 decibels, about 25 times louder than a gas-powered lawn mower), making it an effective way for lions to communicate and establish their dominance in their environment. Now that’s a roar.
MGM’s trademark lion Leo’s roar rumbles through the darkening theater hopefully deterring any delinquent audience member attempting to “check in” or finish that final text before the storytelling begins. Dorothy’s Lion dreams of being “King of the Forest” with “a ruff and a ruff and a royal growl.” And in the city, two devilishly handsome beasts diligently guard the knowledge within the New York Public Library, and I make sure to whisper “good morning” and offer my bow every time I enter their sacred territory.
But this week, it was the Buddhist lions of India who commanded my attention. The “Pillars of Ashoka” are a series of monolithic pillars dispersed throughout the Indian subcontinent, erected, or at least inscribed with edicts, by the 3rd Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great, who reigned from 268 to 232 BCE. Ashoka’s free-standing stone pillars, crowned by lion capitals and incised with inscriptions, were especially notable for their burnished surfaces which gave the sculptures a sparking and shimmering appearance in the bright sun. The pillars and the capitals are made of the same sandstone, which was quarried and carved in eastern India and then transported over considerable distances. Historians believe the technology for such undertakings was apparently brought to India by Persian craftsmen fleeing in the face of the advancing armies of Alexander the Great, who reached the frontiers of India in 326 BCE.
The most celebrated of the Ashokan pillars is the one erected at Sarnath, the site of Buddha’s First Sermon where he shared the Four Noble Truths (the dharma or the law). The top of this celebrated column, the capital, has three parts. First, a base of a lotus flower, the most universal symbol of Buddhism. Then, a drum on which four animals are carved represents the four cardinal directions: a horse (west), an ox (east), an elephant (south), and a lion (north). They are also thought to represent the four rivers that leave Lake Anavatapta and enter the world as the four major rivers. The moving animals forever follow one another, endlessly turning the wheel of existence.
Four proud lions stand atop the drum, each facing in the four cardinal directions. Their mouths are open, roaring or spreading the dharma, the Four Noble Truths, across the land. Dr. Karen Shelby writes that the lions reference the Buddha, formerly Shakyamuni, a member of the Shakya (lion) clan. The lion is also a symbol of royalty and leadership and may also represent the Buddhist emperor Ashoka who ordered these very columns. A cakra (wheel), almost “halo-like,” was originally mounted above the lions.
Dr. Shelby continues, “The lions are the Buddha himself from whom the knowledge of release from samsara is possible. And the cakra that once stood at the apex represents moksa, the release from samsara. The symbolism of moving up the column toward Enlightenment parallels the way in which the practitioner meditates on the stupa in order to attain the same goal.”
A roar that spreads the word. Perhaps my soul’s roars can be heard within my shared baked goods. After meditating on this very thought, I tied my apron a little tighter and reached for a jar of my favorite mango chutney from my upper pantry shelf. I swirled the sweet, tart and spicy jam into a batter full of vibrant ginger and lemon zest and baked it into a ring, which in my mind, represents the “wheel of existence.” Maybe this Buddhist pastry chef’s whispers transform in the intense heat into a mighty roar of butter, sugar and flavors.
Mango Chutney Pound Cake
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp fine sea salt
3 cups granulated sugar
Zest of 3 lemons (save the juice for the glaze)
12 ounces unsalted butter (3 sticks), room temperature
6 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla paste
1 ½ cups buttermilk
10 ounces mango chutney
Glaze:
The juice of the 3 lemons
½ cup granulated sugar
1) Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line the bottom of a 10-13 cup tube pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray the pan with baking spray with flour.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger and salt.
3) In the bowl of a standing mixer, using the paddle, mix together the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar appears damp and the zest is fully incorporated. Add the butter and cream together until the mixture is light and fluffy. With the mixer running, add in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla paste.
4) Alternately add: 1/3 of the dry mix, ¾ cup buttermilk, 1/3 of the dry mix, ¾ cup buttermilk and the final third of the dry mix.
5) Spoon half of the batter into the prepared tube pan. Add ½ of the chutney, dropping in 1 Tbsp at a time, and then use a wooden skewer to swirl the chutney into the batter. Add the remaining batter and repeat with the remaining chutney.
6) Bake the cake, on the center rack, for 60-70 minutes until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and set to cool, in the pan, on a wire rack.
7) While the cake bakes, in a small pan, bring the juice of the lemons and the ½ cup sugar to a light boil. Cook for two minutes and then set aside to cool.
8) After the cake cools, remove it from the pan, set on a serving plate and brush the syrup over the top of the cake letting all of it absorb into the cake.
