Buddhism Facts:

Early life of Buddha:

Original Name – Siddhartha Birth place – Lumbinivana

Period – 563 BC

Father – Suddhodana : Chief of Sakya clan > Capital – Kapilavasthu

Mother – Maya died 7 days after his birth

Mother’s Sister > Mahaprajapati Gotami – Step Mother

Wife – Yasodhara

Son – Rahul

 

Age of 29 – wandering ascetic in search of truth, left family and kingdom

Great Renunciation or ahabhinishkraman

Idea of renunciation – Seeing 4 persons in 4 different stages – old man, very sick man, corpse , ascetic 

6 continuous years – homeless ascetic Reached Gaya – Enlightenment under pipal tree

Became Buddha at Gaya – “Bodh Gaya” >> Sambodhi, tree – bodhi tree

Mara – king of spirits and demons  disturbed in meditation

Sujata – farmer’s daughter > rice milk at Bodh Gaya

Deer park at Sarnath – 1st sermon “Dharmachakra Paravartana”

Preached his gospel to princes and peasants

Period of 45 yrs toured Eastern India  

Before death @ Pavapuri – Chanda – bad mushrooms & pork

Age of 80 – “Mahaparinirvana” @ Kushinagara – sal tree 483 BC

The Last teaching heard by Subhadra and Ananda

Teachings of Buddha:

Earliest source – Sutta Pitaka in Pali

Acc. to Buddhism – existence of a being is like a wheel of causes and effects

Ignorance gives rise to desire; desire to karma; and karma leads to the impulse to be born again and again to satisfy desire which is the source of suffering

If suffering is to be destroyed : Primary cause – ignorance must be destroyed

Can be achieved by the realization that the world is impermanent

Three Jewels of Buddhism – Tri Ratnas

 4 Noble Truths of   Buddhism (Atya satyas)

 

Ashtanga Marga (8 Fold path) of Buddhism:

Famous Monks at the time of Buddha:

Ananda – constant companion of Buddha and most devoted disciple Anurddha – master of right mindfulness

Mahakassapa – president of Buddhist council held at Rajagriha

Moggallana – he had greatest super natural powers

Sariputta – possessed the profound insight into the dhamma

Upali – master of Vinaya

Famous Buddhist Scholars:

Ashvagosha – contemporary of Kanishka, poet, dramatist, musician Nagarjuna – friend and contemporary  of Satavahana kings

Assanga and Vasubandhu > “Abhidaramakosa” encyclopedia of Buddhism – brothers

Buddhagosha – pali scholar “Visuddhimaga” > post- tripitaka literature

Dinnaga – founder of Buddhist logicDharmakirti – philosophical thinker and dialectician

Division in Buddhism – Mahayana and Hinayana

Dissensions in Buddhism: 

Key Points of

Hinayana Buddhism:

Oldest school – Sthaviravada (Theravada in Pali) Sanskrit – sarvastivada or doctrine which maintains the existence of all things ,

physical as well as mental

From sarvastivada or vaibhasika branched off another school – Sautantrika >> more critical in outlook

Pali – language of masses used by Hinayana Buddhists

Ashoka patronised Hinayanism

Mahayana Buddhism or Greater Vehicle:

Heavenliness of Buddha Salvation of all through the grace and help of Buddha and Bodhisattvas

Idol worship

Nirvana is not a negative cessation of misery but a positive state of bliss

Key Points of Mahayana Buddhism:

Chief philosophical schools – Madhyamika, Yogachara Madhyamika – Nagarjuna >> midway between uncompromising realism of

Hinayanism and idealism of Yogacharya

Yogacharya – Maitreyanatha  >> rejected the realism of Hinayanism and maintained absolute idealism

Sanskrit  was used by Mahayana Buddhists

Kanishka patronised Mahayanism later Harsha supported it

Vajrayana Buddhism or Vehicle of Thunder Bolt:

5 Great Events and their Symbols:

History of the Sangha:

First Council – Rajagriha >> teachings collected, classified, adjusted as authoritative canonicaltexts  : 2 pitakas – Vinaya and Sutta by UpaliRuler – Ajathasatru Presided by Mahakassapa Purpose – Maintain purity of buddha teachings  Second Council – Vaishali  R –Kalasoka P- sabakami difference of opinion among monks @ vaisali, 100 yrs after Mahaparinirvana >> schism in sangha – sthavaravadins  or theravadins andmahasanghikasPurpose – End the controversy between monks and their opponents  Third council – Ashoka > 256 yrs after parinirvana – Pataliputra – Chaimanship of Moggaliputta Tissa >> classifies buddhist texts and added Abhidhamma pitaka – establishment ofsthaviravadins – final compilation of Tripitakas – sending missionaries to diff parts of world :Purpose – settle the dispute arising out of the rival claim of authority  Fourth council – Kanishka at Kundalavan in Kashmir > presided by vasumithra, assisted by Ashvagosha – composition of 3 large commentaries > vibhashas – division of Mahayana and Hinayana – codification of sarvastivadin  doctrines as Mahavibhasa – conduct of deliberation ofsanskrit instead of pali – spread of buddhism to other parts of world

 Causes for the spread of Buddhism:

 Causes for the downfall of Buddhism:

Buddhism stands on 3 Pillars: The Buddha (Founder), The Dhamma (His Teachings)and The Sangha (Order of Buddhist monks and nuns)