Jainism Spread 1. to Spread His Teaching, Mahavira Organized an Order of Followers Which Included Both Men and Women

Jainism Spread 1. To spread his teaching, Mahavira organized an order of followers which included both men and women. 2. It spread into Karnataka via CGM and the great Magadhan famine which lasted 12 years. 3. Jainism spread to Odisha in 4 cent BC and got the patronage of King Kharvela in 1 cent BC. 4. In TN, it spread in 2-1 cent BC and later it penetrated Malwa, Gujarat and Rajasthan. 5. In the early medieval age, it was finished from S India under attack from the bhakti saints. Impact Languages 1. They used Prakrit language out of which many regional languages grew specially Shauraseni from which modern Marathi came up. 2. Jainas composed earliest works in Apbhramsha and prepared its grammar. 3. They also contributed to the growth of Kannada Sculpture 1. Initially they, like Buddhism, didn't worship idols. But later on they too began to construct idols and thus contributed to sculpture. Architecture 1. Jaina caves at Udaigiri and Khandgiri were cut in Puri, Odisha. These were simple caves reflecting the asceticism of Jina order. But the entrances were carved. Social 1. It was a first serious challenge to the brahmanical religion and evils of varna system. Buddhism Causes of Spread (apart from the common ones with Jainism) 1. Buddhism found ready audience in non-Vedic lands and specially Magadha which was looked down upon in the brahmanical religion. 2. It used Pali + the personality of Buddha + clear distinction from brahmanical religion. 3. Buddhist sangha was very organized and got state patronage. 4. It was pragmatic and protected the interests of its powerful target groups. Eg. Debtors and slaves cannot enter sangha to protect the interests of money lenders & slave owners. It respected political authority. Buddhism and Gana Sanghas 1. It is known that Buddhism was close to Gana Sangha in its philosophy of kingship (social contract), customs etc. In terms of organization as well it was close to the gana sangha model. Regular fortnightly meetings were held, the views of monks were heard and decisions arrived at in accordance with the rules of the sangha. This is in sharp contrast with the monarchical rule. Periodic councils were held - first @ Rajgriha, second @ Vaishali and 3rd @ PP. 4th was held by Kanishka @ Kashmir. Similarities between Buddhism and Brahmanical Religion 1. Both didn't advocate production and labor rather lived on alms. 2. Both emphasized carrying out family obligations, protecting private property and respecting the political authority. 3. Bot supported social order based on classes - for Buddhists, it was based on action and for Brahmans, it was based on birth. 4. In reality, the status of shudras didn't change materially even in Buddhism. Although they were admitted into sangha, their position continued to be low. We hear of Buddha going into a brahmana assembly, a kshatriya assembly, a vaishya assembly but not a shudra assembly. Buddhism as a Revolution Against the Class Based Order 1. Buddhism was more socially inclusive than brahmanical, but it didn't really change much at the ground. Buddhist texts and order are not free from bias. 2. Buddha and his monks broke the tradition of restrictions on taking food. They could take food from anybody. 3. Buddhism also rejects superiority of brahmans and places kshatriyas on top. But, Buddhist texts were biased against the lower classes. 4. Soldiers had to seek king's permission, slaves their master's permission and debtors had to pay off their debts before joining sangha. 5. Varna and jati were supposed to be immaterial in attaining moksha but buddhist sangha had clear dominance of upper classes like brahmans, kshatriyas and gahapatis. 6. It uses the word brahmana for someone who has led an exemplary life. Brahmans joining the sangha were considered to be a great asset and mentioned in literature. Dhamma 1. Asoka clearly made a distinction between his personal belief in Buddhism and obligations as a king to ensure that all religions are respected. Thus we find that his inscriptions are of 2 kinds. The smaller group is addressed to the sangha as a lay upasaka king. Here he speaks of his belief in Buddhism, relationship with sangha and even shows a hint of intolerance when he proclaims that the dissident monks and nuns should be expelled from the sangha. In his larger set of inscriptions he is seen as a king. These describe his dhamma and show amazing level of tolerance. 2. Some historians have interpreted dhamma as Buddhism arguing Asoka wanted to spread Buddhism among all his subjects. But dhamma was not Buddhism. The description of dhamma in the edicts clearly shows that it was a broader set of ethics intended to explore ways of governance and to reduce social conflicts. Asokan empire consisted not of a monolithic society but a multitude of societies. There were Hellenistic society in NW with division between slaves and masters, there was the varna based society in the plains, there was the clan based society in the forests. Dhamma was an attempt to increase tolerance and to bring harmony. There were different religions, different practices. Dhamma was merely a set of unifying principles. 3. Dhamma principles were set such that they could be embraced by any group (much like Sulh-i- Kul). It was not defined in terms of rigid rules but just broad principles and the implementation was left vague so that it could be moulded by each group according to their own needs while still satisfying the overarching principle. Universities Nalanda University 1. Sources: We get a comprehensive account of Nalanda university from Huen Tsang which also gives invaluable information about the location of other buddhist shrines in India. I - Tsing studied at Nalanda and left an account of his travels including his stay @ Nalanda. 2. Patrons: It appears that Kumargupta built the first monastery at Nalanda. Its site was not too far nor too close to the city. Hence it was selected as an ideal centre for the pursuit of Buddhist studies by monks. Subsequent later Gupta kings made additions and expansions to the buildings. Even Harsha built the a monastery here and surrounded the university buildings with a high wall. 3. Scale: In the 10th century, there were over 10,000 resident students, 1500 teachers and 1500 workers here. They came from all parts of India and foreign lands (like Tibet, China, Japan, Korea, Sumatra, Java and Sri Lanka). Its chancellorship was reserved for India's foremost buddhist scholar. 4. Curriculum: Admission to Nalanda was by oral examination. This was done by a professor at the entrance hall. He was called Dvara Pandita. Proficiency in Sanskrit was necessary, as it was the medium of instruction. All Chinese monks going to India for higher studies in Buddhism had to go to Java and brush up their Sanskrit. The standards required were high. Casts, creed and nationality were no barriers in keeping with the Buddhist spirit. The study of Mahayana was compulsory for Buddhists. One could also study the doctrines of 18 other Buddhist sects. One could also study secular subjects like science, medicine, astrology, fine-arts, literature etc. The six systems of Hindu philosophy were also taught. The observatory of the university was situated in a very tall building. Lectures, debates and discussions were part of the educational curriculum. There were three large libraries. 5. Impact: A vast amount of what came to comprise Tibetan Buddhism, both its Mahayana and Vajrayan traditions, stems from the late (9th–12th century) Nalanda teachers and traditions. Other forms of Buddhism, such as the Mahayana Buddhism followed in Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan, flourished within the walls of the ancient university. A number of scholars have associated some Mahayana texts of SE and east Asia with the Buddhist tradition at Nālandā. .

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