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INDIA & SRI LANKA
1. INDIA
Siddhartha Gautama, who would one day become known as
Buddha ("the enlightened one" or "the awakened"), lived in Nepal
during the 6th to 4th century B.C.E.
Controversies about Buddha’s age
Buddha was a spiritual leader and a teacher whose life serves as
the foundation of the Buddhist religion.
Why teaching?
Leaders only in Buddhism?
His teachings spread not only throughout India, but also into many
countries in Asia and, lately, into Europe and America
Preserving Buddha’s teaching:
No written documents (first 500 years), why?
Reliability?
Solutions:
o Monks dedicating their lives memorizing
Consequences in modern Buddhism
o Councils were held, assuring accuracy
Emperor Asoka and Buddhism:
3th Mauryan Emperor
Ruthless character
Knowing his father was dying,
Asoka eliminated his rivals
Ambition, expansion, military conquests
The turning point (last conquest)
Kalinga War:
Mauryans: 10,000 killed
Kalingas: 50,000 killed
Many others wounded
Other consequences of war
o Misery
o Starvation
o Devastation
Asoka after the Kalinga War:
Disenchanted with war
No more military expeditions
Turns to religion
Becomes a devoted Buddhist
Consequently, Asoka:
Comes to respect the value of
life;
Decreases the amount of
animals killed;
No more hunting excursions;
goes on pilgrimages to holy places;
Plants trees, digs wells, opens
hospitals in the whole region
Present-day Odisha State (Kalinga Kingdom)
Asoka, Buddhism and the people:
Asoka teaches people not to harbor unwholesome thoughts such as:
o Greed
o Anger
o What else?
Asoka encourages people to:
o Be tolerant with all faiths
o Show reverence to holy men
o What else?
Objective?
o Improve the character of the people
How?
o Sending missionaries to the far corners of the known world
o Edicts of Asoka - His proclamations carved on rocks and pillars
Jumping into the - 13th century:
Buddhism largely disappeared
Few communities
o Himalayas
o Bangladesh
Buddhism left its footprint in India with the ideas of:
o Renunciation
o Non-violence
o Karma
o Freedom from rebirth “To escape the wheel of samsara (birth, life, death, rebirth)
requires becoming free from all present and past karma (…)”
o (Indian religions owe much to Buddhist concepts)
Other concepts that Buddhism supposedly contributed with:
o Tolerance
o Social Justice
o Democracy
Revival of Buddhism in recent years
Earning new followers and fresh recognition
2. Sri Lanka
Spreading Buddhism:
Asoka sends missionaries all over his Empire
Particularly successful in Sri Lanka
Soon after – Sri Lanka becomes a stronghold of Buddhism
Mahinda / Mahendra (meaning "conqueror of the world")
o First-born son of Asoka
o Influenced by his Buddhist mother
o At a young age, chooses monkhood
o Renounces the Mauryan Throne
o 246 BCE - Asoka sends Mahinda to Sri Lanka to visit the ruler (his friend)
o Teaches Buddhism, convert the ruler of the Lanka people.
o Buddhism’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka
o Establishes Theravada Buddhism (branch followed in Thailand)
o Builds a great monastery near the capital
Sanghamitra
o Eldest daughter of Emperor Asoka
o Brings a shoot of Bodhi tree (in Buddha Gaya)
o Establishes an Order of Nuns
With royal patronage, Buddhism becomes
the dominant religion by the 2nd century BCE
1st century BCE, the king of Sri Lanka commissions
the compilation of the Buddhist scriptures in written
form
1st century CE, Buddhism culture and scholarship flourishes
In 5th century CE, a famous scholar, Buddhaghosa,
outstandingly contributes to the literature of the
Theravada tradition
India / Sri Lanka relation:
Historically, Sri Lanka endured many invasions
and migrations from India
As a result, Sri Lanka has a composite population
of Hindu and Buddhist elements
Buddhism suffered setbacks during the periods of
greater Hindu influence
Buddhism suffered further setbacks in Sri Lanka, under the colonial rule of the
Portuguese, Dutch and British
Revival of Buddhism in 2nd half of the 19th century
Thanks to a learned monk named Gunananda
His eloquent lectures arise much interest
His lectures then call the attention of H. S. Olcott (USA)
Olcott himself becomes an enthusiast supporter of the revival
Singhalese young man named Dharmapala joins Olcott
Together they:
o travel widely
o give lectures on Buddhism
o distribute Buddhist literature
o raise funds for Buddhist education
With time, their active work raises widespread support for Buddhism in Sri Lanka
By the mid-20th century, Buddhism is as strong as it had ever been
Once again, Sri Lanka becomes a core source of inspiration to the Buddhist world