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 was born at Lumbinivana in the 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 , a princess of the neighboring clan of .

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

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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.

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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 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 canon has been attempted on the formula of the .

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.

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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 . 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 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 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:

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The path to Nirvana has been described as eightfold consisting of the following . Proper words, proper action, proper means of livelihood , proper exertion, 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 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 . 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.

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Ten Commandments:

It lays down ten principles. Five for the monks and the five for the laymen. 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 , 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 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. He neither accepted not denied the `existence of God or heaven or Swarga.

Buddhism taught the Codes of practical ethics and laid down democratic principle of social equality. According to Buddha man rather than God is the maker of his own destiny. If a man commits any wrong he will be punished and he will suffer in his life for his Karma. On the other hand, if he does a good work, in his next birth he will achieve a better life and this was shown by him as the way to attain Nirvana.

The three Pitakas describe the moral code which Buddha laid down for salvation or Nirvana. He adopted a middle course between luxury and austerity. He advised his followers to avoid extreme forms of luxury or hard ship. Buddha’s way

Page 6 of 13 was the middle path between the extreme of self indulgence and self mortification Kindness and love were given great emphasis by him.

Thus the teachings of the Buddha were codified by his disciples shortly after the of Buddha in Pali language in what is called Tripitakas (three baskets) and thus divided into three parts. The first part is Vinaya Pitaka which embodies the rules for the guidance of Buddhist monks and general management of Buddhist monastery. The second part is sutta pitaka, a collection of the religious discourses of Buddha and the third part Abhudharma pitaka which lays down the philosophical principles under lying Buddhism. The sutta pitaka is split into five sub-divisions each called Nikaya. The three Pitakas are very well defined as for as the subject matter is concerned. The sutra pitaka presents a comprehensive exposition of the , meditational practices and philosophy. The Vinaya Pitaka deals with the history of the graded growth of , the monastic rules and regulation and the precedence for ecclesiastical acts and punishments. The life of Buddhism, in fact depended on monasteries and lasted as long as the monasteries maintained their ideals. The Vinaya Pitaka served as the frame work to nurture- the spirit of the Buddhist religion.

Buddha made a division of his followers into two groups, viz the Bikshus or the monks and Day worshippers or upasikas. For the Bikshus he laid down a certain code of conduct which is to be found in the Patimoksha and the Vinaya Pitaka.

These rules may be conveniently divided into the following seven groups.

1. Ordination and Membership.

2. Fortnightly assembly and confession

3. Dress and Food

4. Monasteries

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5. Rules for the Nuns.

6. Constitutions

7. Buddhist sects.

Buddhist Sects:

After the death of Buddha his followers of gave different interpretations to his teachings as his teachings were not written. Soon after his death as differences arose, the Buddhists fragmented into several sects of which the most prominent were the (followers of lower vehicle) and the Mahayanists (the followers of the higher vehicle). While the scriptures of the Hinayana were written in Pali, the scriptures of the were written in . So the Hinayana is called the Pali school and the Mahayana the Sanskrit school. Hinayana sect prevails in Ceylon and Burma. It is often called Southern Buddhism. Mahayana sect thrives in Nepal, China, , Mongolia, Korea and Japan and is called the northern Buddhism. The two schools possessed some common features. The division as lower and higher, and northern and southern is not tenable as it was the product of north only. Hence it is for this reason many prefer to call the Hinayana as -the opinion of the or older Monks. The Mahayanism emphasized the ideal more than even that of Buddha.

Buddhism in the beginning was a code of moral principles and not a religion or metaphysical system. Buddhism in course of time, had to coil itself with a philosophical background, under changed situation; it had to borrow some metaphysical system of Brahmanical religion. Buddhism rooted in the doctrine of Karma or the law of the Deed done enshrined in the upanishads. Buddhism was greatly influenced by the Sankhya philosophy of the . The older system of Yoga and Dyanas of the Hindus equally exerted influence upon the Buddhists. Buddhism borrowed the theory of universal salvation from the Hindus. In the beginning a Buddhist had to attain his individual salvation and was not concerned

Page 8 of 13 with the salvation of others. This is considered to be one of the tenets of Hinayana Buddhism. This kind of selfish salvation was looked down by the Hindus, because the Brahmanical philosophy preached salvation for all. In view of this criticism Buddhism had to widen the scope of salvation. The new outlook to the concept of salvation gave rise to Mahayana Buddhism, which was essentially an adaptation of the Brahmanical system. The sranana ideal existed before Buddhism. Buddha adopted and embroidered it. Buddhism made its entry into Asia and south East Asia.

Spread of Buddhism:

The success of Buddhism lay in the failure of to command the whole hearted sympathy of the people because of its over emphasis on abstract philosophy, animal sacrifice, ritual and the monopoly of power by Brahmanas. Buddha did not call for rejection of all old tradition. He attempted to come forward with a new interpretation. He gave his own explanation for many of the established norms. Buddhism did not reject the traditional Indian divinities but it allotted to them such on insignificant place with in its own system that after being absorbed into Buddhism they were forced to disappear.

Viharas and played a very important part and due to this missionary spirit of the sangha Buddhism has been very dynamic. Buddhism has been very flexible in social outlook and adapted itself to the countries to which it traveled. Buddha used the popular language of the area he lived in which was Prakrit, from this developed Pali in which all Buddhist scriptures were written.

Buddhism embraced low castes in the same position as the Brahmanas. All people, lower or higher were put on the same platform. Buddhism got royal patronage of the kinds like , Asoka, and Harshavarthana. This gave an impetus to the spread of Buddhism which found its way to the outer world. There was no rival religion to Buddhism which could hinder its progress. The well disciplined Sangha was the pillar of the success of Buddhism. The charming

Page 9 of 13 character and dynamic personality of Buddha himself was also an important factor. Buddha was a magnetic personality and his character and teaching made in the Light of Asia, the Light not of Asia only, but of the world.

Date of Buddha’s Death:

Buddha was born in 563 B.C and died in 483 B.C. This has no historical basis. As per the Chinese tradition the date of death of Buddha comes to 483 B.C. on the basis of Asoka’s coronation.

Decline of Buddhism:

Buddhism has percolated into the deepest recesses of the religious and spiritual outlook of the present day Hindu.

The courses of the decline of Buddhism may be divided into two heads external at internal.

External:

Divya vadana, a Buddhist text regards Pushya sunga as the first Hindu king who was a persecutor of Buddhism. Dr. V.A. Smith maintains that the greatest of all the religious persecutors were the Moslem invaders The Muslim persecution dealt a deathblow-to the religion. But the external forces could not wipe out Buddhism. As Rhys David maintains one must seek elsewhere for the course of the decline of the Buddhist faith.

The changes that took place in the intellectual standard of the people were partly responsible. From the records of Hiuen Tsang it is believed that the faith had lost its pristine, purity. Gods of the Brahmanic religion were gradually incorporated. The popular phase of Buddhism itself evidenced internal degeneration. Buddhism lost grains before the rival faiths. Tantric schools like Mantrayana and sahajayana which were mostly of a degraded types were founded.

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Internal course:

The revival of Hindu faith, the rule of the north by the Rajput princes checked the progress of Buddhism According to Nehru the inclusion of Brahmanas in the fold of Buddhism destroyed the solidarity and entity of Buddhism and gave rise to Mahayanism. Hinduism succeeded in absorbing as it were a great and widespread popular religion without the usual wars of religions which disfigured the history of so may countries.

The schism that took place in Buddhism could not be patched up by the council. The net result of this was the division of the Buddhists into two groups- Sthaviras and Mahasanghikas which was the preface to a bigger and permanent rift into Hinayana and Mahayana. This division weakened the solidarity of Buddhism. It offered Hinduism the opportunity to meet the challenge of its rival.

Buddhism gradually entered into groves of corruption and demoralization. The private life of the monks became shameful given to pleasure and debauchery. Inefficient sangha was another reason for the decline. The last cause may be its failure to furnish the conception of deity. The demand for a deity was a world wide phenomenon.

Contribution of Buddhism to Indian Culture:

Buddhism was a child of Indian thought and had its nationalist background and though it has vanished from India as a widespread religion it could not but leave some lasting of effects upon India.

For the first time in the history of the world, Buddha prescribed a severely practical and simple code of ethics for his followers. He laid stress on ideal of service to humanity and freedom from avarice, sin, passion and hatred. Buddhism exercised humanistic effect on Hinduism.

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The finest contribution of Buddhism to Indian life was made in the realm of architecture and sculpture. Buddhism gave a powerful impulse to religious architecture. The whole life story of Lord Buddha was expressed in stone. The Buddhists were the first to dedicate cave temples. The viharas, the at , and Amaravathi, the stone pillars of Asoka and the cave temples of Kanheri, Kola and Nasik are considered the best specimens of the . The Buddhist art was essentially an art with an intense feeling for nature and a vivid comprehension of the unity of the life: human and animal, and vegetable. The method of the Buddha art was that of continuous narration and the technique used was one of the memory picture.

The monasteries were centres of education. The university during the Gupta period and the Vikramasila vihar under the Palas of Bengal were educational institutions of international repute. The Buddhist schools organized public educational instructions and up held the development of Hindu logic and philosophy

Altekar remarks that the rise of organized public educational institutions may be justly attributed to the influence of Buddhism. Buddhism tended to promote a love of morality and a healthy state of society by guarding it against the vice of profligacy. It has helped to raise the mind to a love of beautiful nature, and assisted in the advancement of art and literature. Buddhism not only supplemented faith but it added strength of the morality of the people, raised and elevated their conception.

Buddhism precluded profound logician. Buddhism toned down the martial spirit in the country. Buddhism helped in the evolution of the Indian nation and paved the way for a political union of India.

Buddhism broke the isolation of India and established the intimate contact between India and the foreign countries. It was India’s greatest gift to the outer world. Dr. P.C. Sircar observes. “It was Gautama Buddha who rose in open protest

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According to Will Durant “Buddha was a man of strong will, yet of gentle manner and speech. In controversy he was more patient and considerate than any other of the teachers of mankind. Buddha thus proved the light of not only Asia but also of the world.

THANK YOU

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