Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism

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There are certain similarities and distinction between Brahmanism and Jainism and Buddhism.

Buddha did not give a new divine book to his followers; nor did he condemn any fundamental belief of the Brahmanical religion. The principle of Karma on which Buddhist laid great emphasis was not new.

In the latter Vedic period, the Karma philosophy was explained in DharmaShastra and Sutra literature. ‘Pari Nirvana’ of Buddhists was also not something new. The highest ideal of a follower of the Vedas was to attain Moksha-freedom from birth and death; and this is the highest goal of the Buddhists also.

The eight fold path of the Buddhists contained only those great principle of mortality which were taught by the Vedic Rishis.

Buddhists and Hindus both, in the beginning, had no faith in idol worship.

There were a number of points on which Brahmanism and Buddhism differed radically. In the first instance, Brahmanism believed in and worshipped a number of nature-Gods. Buddhists denied the existence of a personal God. Buddha held that there was a universal law-Dharma which controlled the universe, and this Force of Power could not be bribed by prayers of the votary. It is good deeds and not prayers, and chanting of mantras, performing of sacrifices that can lead to Moksha.

The Buddhist also condemned the cast system, and the Sanskrit language held no sanctity for them. They held that all were born equal and no person could claim any superiority in the sphere of religion, simply by virtue of birth. Good deeds and not birth determine one’s position in the society.

Besides, Buddhism was a missionary religion. It had its Sangha-an organization whose special duty was to carry the message of Buddha to every home. Bhikshus and Bhikshunis devoted all their life to the spreading of the faith.

On the other hand, the Brahmanas had no such organization. They had Sanyasis who were to uplift the people in the sphere of religion; but those Sanyasis were not as organized.

The Buddhists believed in non-violence or Ahimsa. Injury to animals was a great sin.

But Hinduism had no faith in non-violence. The Brahmans performed animal sacrifices to please their Gods. They were materialistic and did not look down upon war. Even their God Indra used to fight against the God of evil, Vratra, who was with holding rain from the people.

Brahmanism and Jainism, too, are fundamentally not different. Both believed in Karma and Moksha. Both lay emphasis on morality. But in matters of detail they have wide differences. The Jains, unlike the Buddhists, do not deny the existence of God altogether. They carry the principle of Ahimsa to extreme. According to Mahavira, even the plants, stones and fire have life and non life is to be destroyed or injured. Brahmanism has no faith in such things.

The Jains hold that death by gradual starvation is a noble thing. The Brahmans consider it a sin. The Jains consider wearing of cloths as something irreligious, but Brahmans do not go to such an extreme.

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Tags: buddha, buddhism, hinduism, indra, jainism, moksha

Rise and Fall of Jainism

Svetambaras and Digambaras are main sects of Jains. The Svetambaras wear white robes where as the Digambaras use no clothes. The former are the followers of Parsava while the latter of Mahavira.

Jainism remained confined to India and never attempted distant conquest. Chief activity of Jainism was in Gujarat, Malwa and Rajputana where they are still an influential community.

Early literary development of the Kanarese and Tamil languages was due to a great measure to the labours of the Jain monks.

Their doctrine of ‘ahimsa’ had also greatly modified Hinduism.

Jainism was a popular religion and still exists in India with a large following. The Jain Tirthankaras were adored in temples with the passage of time and, by the Middle Ages their worship was very near to the Hindus with offerings of flowers, incense, lamps etc.

Jainism proved more accommodating to Hinduism and did not offer serious hostility.

According to Jainism all knowledge is probable and relative and thus possesses a tolerant spirit of accommodation with other religions. These factors helped in its progress and are responsible for its existence in present-day India.

However, various factors contributed to its decline in India.

• Absence of popular religious preachers after the death of Mahavira
• Division into two sects, absence of protection by the later rulers
• Revival of Hinduism under the Gupta, Chola, Chalukya and Rajput kings

Jainism has helped enriching Indian culture, in the fields of literature, architecture and sculpture. The language of its religious texts of Jainism had been Prakrit. It gave a literary shape to some spoken languages of India. Its contribution to art reached its zenith in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

The temples and idols are still existing in cities such as Mathura, Gwalior, Junagarh, Chittor, Abu and other places of Rajasthan, Bundelkhand, Mysore and Orissa. These have been accepted as the best specimens of Indian architecture and sculpture. Out of these well known are particularly the temples of Abu, the Jain tower at Chittorgarh, the elephant caves of Orissa and the 70 feet high idol of Gomateshwara or Bahubali in Mysore.

The original texts of Jains were called Purvas and were 14 in number. In the third century B.C. a Jain council held at Patliputra arranged them in twelve parts known as Angas. the twelfth Anga was lost in the course of time. The remaining eleven Angas were again arranged by a Jain council held at Valabhi in the fifth century A.D. These books were written in the Prakrit language.

Digambaras, constituted their own texts because they did not recognize these angas.

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Buddhism-Sangha or Monastic Order and Spread of Buddhism

Buddha founded a monastic order which is called Sangha. In the beginning, this Sangha was open to men only, but latter on the Master hesitatingly admitted even women into the Order.The monks were known as Bhikshus and the nuns as Bhikshunis.

A Bhikshu, before he joined the Order, had first to renounce family life and worldly pleasures and was to devote his whole life to the service of humanity. Then he was led to the assembly of ten monks and was to make a request that he wanted to become a monk. His hair and beard were then cut off and he was asked to wear the yellow robes of a monk.

He then uttered the following thrice- “Buddham, Sharnam Gachchami, Dharma Sharnam Gachchami, Sangham Sharnam Gachchami” that is “I take refuge in Buddha, I take refuge in Dharma and I take refuge in Sangha or Order”. Then the rules and procedure of the Sangha were read out to him. He was particularly informed of the “Ten Commandments” of the Master:

1. He was not to covet others’ property
2. He was not to take wine
3. He was to refrain from killing animals
4. He was not to associate with women
5. He was not to tell lies
6. He was not to eat at forbidden times
7. He was not to sing nor dance nor take part in dramas
8. He was not to use flowers, scents and ornaments
9. He was not to sleep on soft beds
10. He was not to have gold or silver.

There were special conditions for nuns or Bhikshunis:

a. A nun was not to spend her retreat where there were monks
b. Twice a month she was to receive admonition
c. Punishment to nuns was given by a Sangha consisting of monks and nuns.

All this meant life of poverty and chastity for a monk. He was to have one meal a day; and if he missed it, he could not take it any other time. He was not to touch gold and sliver.

The members of the Holy Order-the monks and the nuns were to spend most of the year among the people converting them to their point of view. They were to lives in monasteries and nunneries and were not to live in families.

During three months of the rainy season they had to return to their original monastery where a stock of the year’s work was taken. Each monastery then discussed the programme for the next year.

The Buddhist Sangha has had no central organization. Each Sangha carried on its work as an independent entity. But all Sanghas were accepted as merely parts of one Universal Sangha, and, every member of every Sangha was regarded as a member of all Sanghas. This was the bond of unity amongst them. Whenever any occasion arose, General Councils of the monks were held.

Every Sangha functioned on democratic principles. the general assembly of all the monks of a Sangha constituted the supreme authority concerning that Sangha, its members and all their activities. No meeting was legal, unless all the members were present, or if absent, formally declared their consent. All matters were decided by majority votes in the assembly. The head of the Sangha or Sangha-Parinayanka and all the officials concerning routine work of the Sangha were also elected by the assembly.

The nuns (Bhikkhunis) had separate Sanghas. They were established near the monk-Sanghas and were subordinate to them, as the Buddhist canon law assigned an inferior position to the nuns. Certain separate rules were also framed for nuns and their Sanghas.

The organization of the Sanghas had two other special features.

One was the regular assemblies of all monks residing within fixed boundaries of a locality held on the 8th, 14th and 15th days of each fortnight for religious discourses. Every monk had to accept his guilt or breach of any rule by him, if any, before all present and punishment to him was decided according to rules and regulations of the assembles.

During the three months of rains, the monks were enquired to take up a fixed abode. The rest of the year the monks used to wander all over the country.

Monks and the nuns had to practice certain spiritual exercises besides observing the code of conduct and rule of morality. The most important of he monk’s or the nun’s spiritual exercises were the four Sublime Moods (Brahma Vihara) in which sitting quietly cross-legged, he or she endeavored to fill his or her mind with the four cardinal virues of Buddhism, viz. love, compassion, joy and equanimity.

A fifth mood was that of impurity, in which he or she considered all the evilness and horror of the world and of the life of flesh. Another exercise for mental discipline was necessary for a monk, it was “Right collection.” It mean that he had to train himself to be continually aware of what he was doing, what faults or mistakes he had committed and be prepared to accept them and take remedial measures.

Hence the Sanghas were primarily the training centres for monks and nuns. These organization of the Sanghas helped in the propagation of Buddhism. The idea of organizing the Sanghas for the propagation of a particular religious faith was not new but the credit to give it a systemic character goes to Mahatma Buddha.

The first Buddhist council was held at Rajagriha soon after Buddha’s death under the auspices of King Ajatasatru and an attempt was made to compile the teachings of Buddha. The attempt did not succeed because the scriptures of Buddhism grew by a long process of development over several centuries.

The monks of Vaisali and Pataliputra had accepted certain rules which were declared against the teachings of Buddha by the monks of Kausambi and Avanti. The second council held at Vaisali failed to being about a compromise between the two opposite opinions which led to the first division of Buddhism.

Henceforth, those who opposed the rules were called the Sthaviravadins; and those who were in favour of the rules and their further relaxation were called the Mahasanghikas.

The third council was held at Pataliputra during the reign of Emperor Asoka. By that time Buddhists had developed serious differences among themselves. The lack of a supreme head of Buddhism who could settle the rival claims about the teachings of Mahatma Buddha proved to be the main cause of these divisions.

By Asoka’s time many Buddhist sects had raised Buddha almost to divinity and various places connected with his life had become places of pilgrimage. At several places Buddhsit viharas and stupas were also built-up. Emperor Ashoka himself helped in building many of them.

Asoka took keen interest in the propagation of Buddhism not only in Indian but even outside its geographical limits. By the time of his death Buddhism had become the most popular religion in India.

Asoka’s zeal created a reaction which reached its climax during the reign of Pushyamitra Sunga, and the progress of Buddhism did not stop. Rather, the invasions of foreigners like the Sakas and the Kushans gave India an opportunity to come in contact with the north-western countries of Asia and helped in its further progress beyond the frontiers of India. The Kushan rulers, particularly Kanishka, extended their patronage to Buddhism.

It was during the reign of Kanishka that the fourth general council of Buddhism was held in Kashmir which was presided over by Vasumitra. The great division took place after this council. Buddhism was divided into two major and important sects. One was called the Hinayana or the Lessser Vehicle, and the other was called the Mahayana or the Great Vehicle.

The new sect, Mahayanism proved to be more popular. It became popular not only in India but it penetrated and became popular in Afghanistan, Central Asia and as far as China and Japan. Hinayana sect of Buddhism remained popular in Ceylon and penetrated into Burma, Siam and certain other countries of South-East Asia. Thus at one time Buddhism became the foremost religion of Asia.

The Religious Texts

Buddhist religious texts were written in Pali and collectively known as Tripitaka (three baskets). The first part is the Vinayapitaka which lays down rules for the guidance of the monks and the general management of the Buddhist Church. The second part is the Suttapitakas, a collection of the religious discourses of Buddha; and, the third is the Abhidhammapitaka which contains an exposition of the philosophical principles underlying Buddhism.

Later, the Mahayana sect of Buddhism created their own texts. Besides, authoritative commentaries on the sacred texts and the Jatakas or stories relating to different births of Buddha also added much to the religious literature of Buddhism.

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Tags: bhikshu, buddha, buddhism, fix abode, kausambi and avanti, monastic order, monk, nuns, pataliputra, sangha order, spiritual exercises

Teachings of Buddha

Buddha had realized the Truth by following a life of purity and discipline and asked his followers to follow the same path. His teaching were simple and he explained them in the language of the people, illustrating them with homely parables. Buddha condemned offering of prayers to God to win His favour.

Four great truths

Buddha’s teachings begin with the Four Great Truths.

Truth of Pain.

There is suffering and sorrow in the world. There is sorrow when one’s near or dear dies. There is sorrow when one falls ill. To be separated from things which we like, that also is sorrow. Not to get what one wants, that too is sorrow.

Truth of the Cause of Pain.

Everything has a cause. The cause of all types of sorrow is Trishna i.e., desire and cravings. Man is a bundle of cravings and desires and so long as he is a slave to these desire, he cannot escape from pain and sorrow.

Truth of Cessation of Pain

This pain of sorrow can be removed by suppressing desires and cravings.

Truth To Conquer Desires

It requires a disciplined life which Buddha called the Middle path or the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Noble Eightfold Path

In order to attain supreme bliss,every Buddhist is to follow the noble eightfold path.

• Right views: Every one must realize from his own experience that sorrow is the basis of life and that sorrow can end only by controlling desires.
• Right Aspirations: One must resolve to have nothing to do with material pleasures; and also resolve not to have malice against any other being.
• Right Speech: One must abstain from telling lies, slander, abuse, harsh words and gossips.
• Right Action: One is to be very vigilant when acting in life. No one should be injured mentally or physically by our actions.
• Right Living: One is not to follow the professions of a butcher’s, a slavedealer’s or a poison-seller’s.
• Right Efforts: One is to control evil thoughts and actions, and in their place try to have good thoughts and to do good by deliberate effort.
• Right Mindfulness i.e.Vigilances: Sometimes one’s mind misleads one. Through self-examination and self-study, self-mastery is to be acquired.
• Right Contemplation or Meditation: But still one cannot attain salvation without meditation. T

Nirvana

Nirvana is when a person attains freedom from the Wheel of Life or from the cycle of birth and death.

Ahimsa

Buddha held that no one should kill or injure animate beings.One of his ten commandments was “refrain from killing”. He said that one should cultivate life for all beings.

He, however, was opposed to all types of violence, because violence was against the principle of love. Love for humanity and love for all beings was essential for a good Buddhist.

Anatta or Non-self

Buddha also asked his followers to rise above “Anatta”, which means they should practise complete self-abnegation. He held that the “Anatta” consisted of five elements which were perishable; and the worldly people were running after those elements. Those five elements are: bodily form, perception, feeling, disposition and intellect. The seeker after truth should not run after these nor be a slave to them.

Karma

Buddha held that one of the chief features of the Universal law of Dharma is, “As man acts, so shall he be”. We make or mar our future. Thoughts, actions and feelings of the past have fashioned our present, and our present deeds will determine our future when we are reborn. No person can escape the consequences of his or her deeds.

Different teaching of Buddha centered round one point-Do good deeds and lead a highly moral and disciplined life.

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Buddha and Buddhism

Life of Lord Buddha

Buddhism was founded by Gautama Sidhartha who is known by various names, “The Buddha,” the Englightened One”, “Sakyamuni the Sage of the Sakyas.” Tathagata. Tathagata means one who had attained the truth. He was the son of Suddhodana, the chief of Kshatriya clan of the Sakyas.

It is said that Buddha is the product of an infinitely long evolution through various forms of life. Before he descended into this world he lived in the Tusita Heaven. He was then a Bodhistava and his name was Sumedha.

He was greatly touched by Buddha Dipankara, the Buddha of the previus world, and wanted to become like him. He therefore left Tusita Heaven and decided to be reborn through Mahamaya, the wife of Suddhodana.

Mahamya had a dream of “White Elephant” with six tusks, entering into her body. The astrologers told Suddhodana that according to this dream his wife would give birth to a very great man-a prophet or an emperor.

In 623 B.C. when Mahamaya was returning from her father’s house to Kapilvastu (where Suddodana ruled) she gave birth to Buddha under a sal tree in the village of Lumbini Garden. Asoka, later on in 250 B.C. set up a commemorative pillar there, and in the inscription on that he stated “Here Buddha was born, the Sage of the Sakyas” (“Hida Budhe Jate Sakyamuniti”).

Several, miracles were witnessed at the time of Buddha’s birth. A spring of water appeared immediately in which the child was given a bath.

It is said that then the infant took seven firm steps and recited seven verses saying; “I will be an example of all that is good and it will be my last birth and I will cross the ocean of existence for ever.”

After seven days Buddha’s mother, Mahamaya died and the infant then was entrusted to his step-mother and aunt, Prajapati Gautami.

Suddhodana wanted that his Kshatriya son should be great conqueror and rule over vast territory. He consequently took special care that his son should be bred in such an atmosphere that he should not feel the transitory nature of the world.

He, therefore, was married at an early age. Buddha led a hapy married life for sometime and every one became sure that Buddha would lead a life of a normal householder. He even got a son whom he named Rahula which meant that “a bond was born to him”.

But Buddha was destined to be great sage.

Few incidents which Buddhists call “Four Great Signs” occurred and they exercised a tremendous influence on the future of the Buddha.

One evening his charioteer, Chhanna, drove him in the city and he came across an old man who had been forsaken by his people.

Next he saw a man suffering from agony of disease and when Chhanna his charioteer, told him that it was the lot of every human being to suffer from one disease or another in different phases of life, he was greatly depressed.

But it was the sight of a dead man surrounded by weeping relatives that touched the deepest chord of Gautama’s heart.

The fourth sign was that of a medicant who had renounced the world and was moving about in search for truth.

Gautama decided to find out the cause of all suffering. He wanted to know the Truth.He made up his mind and decided to leave his palace, his devoted wife and his child, Rahula.

He rode on his favourite horse, Kanthaka and left his house at midnight. This is called “the Great Renunciation”. (“Maha-Bhinishkramana”).

This took place in 537 B.C. when Buddha was only 29 years old.

After the “Great Renunciation”, Buddha got his hair cut, wore the yellow robes of a monk and began to wander in search, of a master. He spent some time in the caves near Rajagriha, the capital of Magadha. His new teachers Alara and Udrahas failed to satisfy him. From Rajagriha he went to the forest of Uruvela. There he spent a few year in self-mortification. He practiced fast after fast till he was reduced to a mere skeletions.

He, therefore, began to have frequent fainting fits. It is said that once he was goint to die, had he not been saved by a girl who gave him a glass of milk. Buddha then realized that mere suffering, and sacrifice could not lead to truth.

He thought that he had wasted six years. At last one day he sat under a Pipal tree. (Asvattha) and took a vow “I will not leave this place till I attain that peace of mind which I have been trying for all these years”.

But it was not an easy aim. The evil spirits whom the Buddhist tradition give the name of Mara, first threatened him and then tempted him. But Buddha would not leave the papal tree. At last Mara was defeated and Buddha was “enlightened” i.e., he got the highest knowledge or Bodhi.

Gautama thus became the Buddha, “the Enlightened One”. The site where he received Light is now a temple-the Mahabodhi temple.

After attaining the Light of Bodhi or Supreme Knowledge, Buddha decided to impart the knowledge to his people. From Gaya he went to Banaras and there he gave his first sermon to his five disciples in the “Deer Park”. These five disciples were once his comrades when he was doing penance and fasting. They hated Buddha because he had left the path of suffering.

But when they heard the message of the Enlightened One after his return from Gaya, all the five were converted. They are known as the “Five Elders” and their names are Kondanna, Vaspa, Bhadrikka, Maha naman and Assaji.

This “first sermon” by which he started converting people to his faith is known as “Turning of the wheel of Law” or “Dharma Chakra Pravartana”.

Buddha visited different parts of the country. He spoke to the people in their local languages and illustrated his teachings by homely parables. He told the people that the sacrifices and rituals were useless. Without righteous life there was no salvation. He made large conversions at Rajagriha, the capital of Magadha. He also converted his father, his son and other relative at Kapilvastu.

He even won a large number of followers from Kosala kingdom.

Buddha’s growing popularity excited the jealousy of his cousin, Devadatta. Twice he tried to kill Buddha, but each time he was saved by a miracle, Buddhists hold that several miracles were performed at Rajagriha, Sarsvati, Sankshya and Vaisali in the last two decades of the Master’s life.

Buddhism in a short time became a popular sect. Buddha’s teachings were simple and the way of living he advocated simpler than that preached by the rival sects like Jains and Ajivikas. Buddha’s favourite disciple in his last years was Ananda Sariputa and Mahamoggalyana. Thus forty-five years were spent in teaching and converting people.

Buddha died at the age of eighty

The story of his death is described in the following

In a village Kunshinagara (Gorakhpur Dist.) one poor disciple of Buddha, Chunda, prepared a dish of pork and offered it to the Master. He took it lest the feelings of his disciple be injured. But this caused a severe dysentery and Buddha realized that his end was near. He then called his disciples and asked them if they had any doubt or difficulty regarding anything, so that he might give its interpretation or views.

Some of his disciples like Ananda coult not tolerate his separation and burst into tears Buddha then reproved him: “Do not weep. Have I not told you that it is in the very nature of things that those most near and dear unto us must leave them-whatever is born must die”.

The last words of the Master were, “I have nothing more to tell you than this that decay is inherent in all component things; work out your salvation with diligence”.

After his death, his remains were divided into eight parts and distributed among his followers in different parts of the county.

Mounds were built on these remains which began to be called Stupas.

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Tags: buddha, buddhism, enlightenment, gautama sidhartha, kapilvastu, kundalvana, lumbini garden, mahamaya, Mara, renunciation, sakyas, Tathagat, truth

The Buddhism in India

Buddhism is the religion that made first bold attempt to solve our social problems. It boldly challenged caste system and inequality in the system. It raised a voice against bad customs and practices which Hinduism had adopted.

Buddhism challenged untouchability and spread the teaching that we should not accept religious dogma blindly. It taught us reason, love, pity, benevolence and the spirit of forgiveness.

Buddhism also preached non-violence. it also challenged authority of our religious books. It created a sense of respect for the women.

Buddhism had deep impact on Hinduism. Buddhism exposed the weaknesses of Hinduism.

Costly rituals, sacrifices were challenged. Buddhism believed that in religion blind faith should have no place.

In a sense Buddhism prompted revolt against Vedic religion.

It propagated the philosophy of equality of man. This was in stark opposition to caste system of Hinduism. Buddha’s great eight-fold path very significantly developed ethics and simplicity in society.

Buddhism appealed to the people and got attracted to it. It gave religions philosophical simplicity. It helped in the contribution of literature.

For the spread of Buddhism, monasteries, rock pillars, rock caves and images of Lord Buddha were made. These became beautiful art pieces. In this way Buddhism very much helped in the promotion of art. Buddhist missionaries also went abroad for the spread of their religion and thus India’s prestige in foreign countries was enhanced enormously.

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