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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)