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Buddha Dharma.Pdf Anamika Kumari Assistant Professor Department of History Gautam Buddha Mahila College, Gaya Magadh University, Gaya E – CONTENT (For Under Graduate courses) BUDDHISM (563 BC TO 483 BC) Life of Buddha: It is probably in 563 B.C. that Gautama Buddha was born at Lumbinivana in the Sakya state in the foot hills of the Himalayas. He was a Kshatriya prince. His father Suddhodana was the chief of the Sakya republican clan of Kapilavastu. His mother was Maya, a princess of the neighboring clan of Koliyas. There is a divergent opinion as to the date of the Buddha’s birth and death that need not be elaborated. The sacred memory of his birth has been perpetuated by a beautiful monolithic pillar containing an inscription set up by Asoka in 249 Page 1 of 13 B.C. His mother having died a few days after his birth, he was brought up by his step mother Mahamaya. Gautama was given proper education in his early life and he excelled in archery and other princely games. At the age of sixteen he was married to Yeshodara otherwise known as Gopa who was a sister of Devadatt. At the age of twenty nine a son was born to him, who was named Rahul. Home life was distasteful to him and he decided to live the life of an ascetic so that he could refrain from doing wrong in thought, word and deed. At the age of twenty nine he left the palace at night secretly and took to the life of wandering hermit. In the course of his travels, he learnt the Sankhya philosophy from Arada Kalama at Vaisali. He learnt the art of meditation from Rudraka Ramaputra at Rajgriha. He meditated and attained the Truth. He came to be known as Buddha or Enlightened. He then proceeded to spread the message of his knowledge to the people. As a missionary he gave his first sermon at Saranath. He went to Benaras where he converted a number of people to his new religion. He stayed at Rajgriha for a considerable period of time. He refuted the creeds of other sects and converted members of those sects to his own religion. He laid the foundation of his religious doctrine at Magadha. But Kosala was the nerve centre of his religious activities and he stayed there for twenty one years. For the rest of his life he travelled and preached throughout Kosala and Magadha. He died at Kusinagara at the age 80. It is near Gorakpur. At the Deer park at Saranath near Varanasi he set the “Wheel of Law” in motion or gave his first discourse. As a result of this, five disciples joined him. This small beginning formed the nucleus of the great Buddhist Church or Sanga or order. Page 2 of 13 Teachings of Buddha: The original teachings of Buddha has been a subject of controversy among scholars. But traditionally the first teachings of Buddha are preserved in the Dharmachakra Prarartana Sutra and it is regarded as the substance of his teaching. The originality of this sutra has become doubtful because of its being reduced to writing after the Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha and the additions and modifications which has undergone at the hands of later scholars of this religion. The exposition of the teachings of the Buddha in the early discourses of the Master as recorded in the Pali canon has been attempted on the formula of the four noble truths. The common mode of describing this formula is through the word Dukkha (Suffering) Dukkha Samudaya (origination of suffering) Dukkha Nirodhas (cessation of suffering) and Dukka Marga (way to the cessation of suffering.) It is however a mistake to suppose that this was the only form in which Buddhist scriptures express this formula. They very often substitute jana-marana (old age and death) trsna (desire) Nama rupa (name and form) avijja (ignorance) alaya (attachment) etc for Dukkha. This shows what the Buddha meant by Dukkha. Mental and physical pain, meeting uncongenial persons, separation from dear ones, disappointment due to failure to obtain the desired objects were also regarded as Dukka. Life with all its pleasures and pain is Dukkha and Dukkha alone. The second Noble Truth explains the origin of Dukkha. A discussion of its meaning involves the understanding of the nature of the phenomenal world. It is nitya or is it anitya. The Buddha proclaimed his teachings as the Middle path which avoids the two extremes of Being and Non-Being and propounded the doctrine of becoming. Page 3 of 13 The formula stresses its dynamic and never static character consisting of a series of point instants. It holds that like the changing surface of the sea the phenomenal world is in a constant state of flux in which the appearance and disappearance of every phenomenon is only momentary originating as the result of a certain set of conditions. The relationship between the factors conditioning the origin of a certain phenomenon is not casual but conditional. These conditioning factors move in a circle and therefore there is no question of any one of them being the first cause. Having thus traced the source of suffering due to ignorance about the nature of soul, subjectivity and the world of objects, the Buddha proceeds to announce that the suffering thus created, can be ended absolutely. The cessation of suffering is known as nirvana. It is also called Nidodha. This means the end of the flow of existence, stoppage of the process of continuous becoming or originating of suffering. It denotes complete detachmet from desires, deathlessness and tranquility, yet it is without any attributes or characteristics. It is unborn, unoriginated, uncreated and uncontested. Nirvana or cessation of suffering is then something not external to be achieved after a great effort. It is something like adopting the right view about oneself and the objective world and the relations between the two. The moment the right view is realized suffering automatically ends, leaving no trace of it. Although suffering is identical with existence and existence requires a physical body, cessation of suffering does not necessarily end the body. That is why one can have Nirvana while yet alive. The fourth noble Truth is called Dukkha Nirodha Marga. It deals with the ways and means of achieving Nirvana which is the ultimate end of human life according to the Buddha. Eightfold path: Page 4 of 13 The path to Nirvana has been described as eightfold consisting of the following eight precepts. Proper words, proper action, proper means of livelihood , proper exertion, mindfulness in the right way, proper meditation, Right resolution and the right view, Of these the first three are usually ranked in the category of moral disciplines, next three to that of mental discipline and the last two that of intellectual discipline. The discussion of the second noble truth shows that the Buddhist view of the world and organization regards ignorance as the root of all sufferings. Ignorance in this context means Ignorance of the Buddhist view. Cessation of Nirvana is thus nothing but a realization of Buddhist view of the world and thing. But this realization does not come unless the faculty of self discrimination is aroused. This is done only as the result of proposed mental training and concentration of mind and to control the mind a moral life is needed. The practical discipline of Buddhist therefore starts with the lowest rung of the ladder and imposes up on the monk the life and discipline of a homeless recluse. Rules of monastic life as laid down in the Vinaya Pitaka constitute the code of conduct of the monk. Then under the gridance of a preceptor the monk undergoes all sorts of mental training. They are supposed to equip him with increased knowledge and miraculous power. Thus the philosophy of Buddhism is intensely nationalistic. It believes in the law of karma and rebirth. A man according to its philosophy reaps the consequences of his own actions done in the previous existences. The cause of human suffering is birth and it is with in the powers of man to get rid of rebirth and the consequent suffering. The Buddhist Nirvana is release from rebirth. It does not formally deny the existence of God but does not mention. Him as a necessary factor for the attainment of Nirvana. Thus it lays emphasis on the undivided exertion at self improvement and moral actions as a means to attain it. Page 5 of 13 Ten Commandments: It lays down ten principles. Five for the monks and the five for the laymen. Ahimsa or abstaining from killing, respect for animal life, truthfulness, reverence to superiors, service to humanists, not to use intoxicants, not to sleep in comfort are the principles laid down. Buddhism rejects the infallibility of the Vedas, condems animal sacrifice, and the elaborate and meaningless ceremonies, worship and rejects the superiority of the Brahmanas and caste system. Buddha was a realist and Buddhism is a clear and simple religion to help mankind to attain salvation from the bondage of suffering and to understand the reasons of those sufferings. His teaching was an ideal of righteousness and self discipline. He preached without any religious sanction or any reference to God, or another world. Neither he talked of codes and conversions, not laws or rites. He relied on reason and logic and experience. He asked the people to seek the truth in their minds. He said that one must not accept this law because of reverence, but first test it like gold is tested by fire Buddha is direct about the existence of soul.
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