Buddha was born in the Shakya clan that belonged to the warrior
(Kshatriya) caste. His father was Shudhodana and his mother Maya. Before Buddha
was born his mother had a dream in which a white elephant descended from heaven
and entered her womb. Buddha was said to have been born in a grove named Lumbini
near the ancient town of Kapilavastu. At birth the name given to him was
Gautama, probably after the more ancient Vedic seer to whom some of the hymns in
the Rigveda are ascribed. Buddha was also known as Siddhartha which means 'he
whose aim is accomplished' The latter name seems to be a title given to him by
his disciples} although varying opinions are held on this issue.
The Prophecy of Buddha
At his birth, a sage is said to have told King Shudhodana that Gautama would
grow up to be a powerful king. But to become a king he should be kept away from
the sorrows of 1ife. And if perchance he happened to see any of the sorrows of
life he would become an universal teacher. Keen as King Shudhodhana was to see
Gautama to be a successful ruler, he built up special palace for Gautama from
where he could set his eyes on none of the world's sufferings. Even when the
prince Gautama went out for stroll or ride, all unpleasant objects were removed
so as to prevent Gautama's mind from being disturbed.
The Young Gautama is kept away from Real Life
But the prophesy of Gautama becoming an universal teacher was destined to be
fulfilled. One day through some lapse, Gautama managed to s1ip out unnoticed
from the palace. Riding through the streets of the city he saw for the first
time in his life, a lame person, a sick person, a dead body and an ascetic.
These sights made a deep impact on his tender teenaged mind and he set
thinking upon the cause of sufferings and sorrow. Consequently, Gautama began
neglecting the affairs of the State which his father had assigned to him.
Alarmed at his son's strange behaviour, King Shudhodana, to get his son off this
brroding decided to marry him to a princess Yashodhara. Some days after marriage
a son was born to them who was named Rahula.
But married life could not distract Gautama from his life's mission for long.
When his patience was at the end of its tether, Gautawna decided to forsake
family life and one day he slipped out of his palace along with his servant
Chandaka. After moving out of the city, Gautema cut off his hair removed his
royal ornaments and jewels, his rich garments and sandals and gave them to
Chandaka and bid him to return to the palace with the news of his (Gautama's)
departure.
SarnathThis place is also known as
Isipatana or "Deer
Park"
Situated 5 Kms north of Varanasi,
here the Buddha is said to have
preached
his first sermon.
Gautama becomes The Buddha – The Enlightened One
Thus Gautama set out on his quest for the cause of sufferings (Klesha). He
undertook severe austerities by fasting continuously. In this he was accompanied
by five disciples. But his frail and pampered body could not stand up to this
self-inflicted punishment and one day he fainted. Realizing that this was not
the way to arrive at the truth, he gave up the austerities. Horrified at their
Master's apostasy the five disciples left him. But undaunted, Gautama continued
his quest for the cause of sufferings. He seated himself under a fig tree
(Mahabodhi tree) and decided not get up unless he found answers to his
questions. His enlightenment is said to have come suddenly and was exceedingly
simple – viz., that all pain is caused - by desire, and therefore peace comes
when one ceases to crave for anything. This thought was new at that age and it
struck him with blinding force, and not only influenced his future life but left
a lasting imprint on Buddhist philosophy. Freedom from all desires was said to
release a person from the cycle of re-birth and lead to his salvation (Nirvana).
After this revelation Gautama started preaching to people and for this he
travelled from place to place. He is said to have delivered his first sermon at
a deer park (Isipatana) setting in motion, the wheel of law (Dharma-chakra or
Dhammachakra in Pali).
As his teachings impressed people his following grew. Among his early converts
were Sariputta, Mogallana and Ananda. He even received the patronage of rich
traders like Anathapindika (i.e. feeder of poor) and powerful kinqs of the age
like Ajatashatru of Magadha. After the revelation (Bodhi), Gautama came to be
known as Buddha or Gautama Buddha.
He was also known as Shakyamuni (Sage of the Shakyas). The tree under which
he attained enlightenment is known as the Bodhi or Mahabodhi tree But though he
received an impressive following Buddha never claimed Divine status. Very few
miracles are attributed to him.
"Miracles" by the Buddha
On one occasion a grieving lady carried her dead child to Buddha and asked
him to revive it. This was a perfect setting for a miracle to be woven into
religious folklore, but Buddhist records state that Buddha calmed the lady and
told her that he would require three mustard seeds to revive her child. But the
mustard seeds should be from a family where so far no one has ever died. To
fulfill this seemingly simple request the lady went from house to house only to
be told that sometime or the other, someone had died in every family. Gradually,
the truth dawned upon the grieving lady and going to a cemetery, she laid down
her child's body and taking its little hand in hers, she said "Beloved son, I
thought that death has overtaken you alone. but no it overtakes all of us". She
went back to Buddha and became his disciple.
The Buddhist Sangha and Morality
Buddhism is unique among religions in a fundamental sense. It does not
advocate invocation of any God. Salvation can be attained by controlling one's
desire; as desire is the cause of suffering. The original Buddhism had neither
God nor Devil. The emphasis was not on prayer but on controlling one's mind. In
this sense it was more a worldly philosophy rather than a religion. But with the
passage of time it acquired the nature of a religion complete with dogmas and
rituals. Buddha's life-story is an eventful one. The most potent institution
that Buddha established during his lifetime was the Sangha (monastic order) into
which men were admitted irrsespective of their caste.
The members of the Sangha who were known as Bhikkus (beggars)had to lead a
rigorous life devoid of all desires. Their daily needs were limited to those
necessary for physical survival. Their only possessions were a begging bowl,
yellow coloured loin cloth, a walking stick if necessary and a pair of sandals
for the more delicate. They were to sustain themselves by the alms they received
but were forbidden from expressly begging for alms. Alms were to be accepted if
given willingly and if not the Bhikkus were to move on to the next house. Thus
came into being a clergy, but which unlike its Hindu
counterpart was not based on caste and which was oriented towards missionary
activities rather on the performance and upholding of rituals.
The break of Buddhism from other forms of worship that constituted Hinduism was
almost complete in the lifetime of Buddha. This took the form of non-recognition
of any personified Gods, spirits or the devil, and the near absence of rituals,
repudiation of the caste
system and the intense missionary activity of the monks which included
rendering social service with the aim of alleviation of human suffering. Another
significant aspect was that in the early stages all followers of Buddha were
enrolled as members of the Sangha hence it was completely a missionary religion.
The distinction between the Bhikkus and other lay adherents of Buddhism came
about later when the following of the religion increased manifold.
From its inception Buddhism received royal patronage. In the lifetime of
Buddha Ajatashatru the king of north India's most powerful kingdom Magadha (in
present-day Bihar) patronised Buddhism during Buddha's lifetime, and a few years
after Buddha attained Nirvana {Salvation), the first religious council of the
Buddhists was held at the town Rajagriha, which was the capital of Magadha from
where Ajatashatru ruled. Councils such as this one were occasions for
formulation and revision of the Buddhist religious code which was supposed to be
adhered to by all followers. Thus it kept a check on the emergence of sub-sects-
a tendency which is a hallmark o� Hinduism.
The second such council was held at Vaishali also in Magadha, about a hundred
years after the first council i.e. in the 5th century B.C.E.
Relations Between Buddhism and Hinduism
Buddhism continued to grow steadily in the first few centuries after its
birth. The reasons were its universal appeal, humane outlook, emphasis on
missionary and social work and finally its peaceable methods that limited
confrontation with the established local religions to a philosophical level.
Thus even kings who patronised Hinduism did not feel it necessary to make a
distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism in policy matters. Buddhism normally
returned the sympathy of the ruling power by giving it a moral legitimacy
amongst the lay people. And although Brahmin orthodoxy did grudge the inroads
made into itself by the new faith there hardly ever was there active
confrontation between the two faiths.
On the contrary there was a exchange of beliefs and attitudes between
Hinduism and Buddhism. The Hindu insistence of vegetarianism and non-violence
(Ahimsa) are borrowed from Buddhism (and Jainism). Hinduism in turn tried to
absorb Buddhism within itself by making Buddha one of the incarnations of
Vishnu.
Major Royal Patrons – Samrat Ashok Maurya, Kanishka, Harsha Vardhana
The growth of Buddhism received a tremendous boost in the 3rd century
B.C.E. when Samrat Ashoka Maurya whose empire covered nearly the whole of India
(including present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan) was converted to Buddhism.
Samrat Ashoka elevated Buddhism to the level of a state religion and sent
missionaries not only to all parts of India but also to Sri Lanka, West Asia,
Central Asia and China. In his days Buddhism is said to have spread in varying
degrees up to Egypt and South-western Russia. Since the days of emperor Ashoka,
Buddhist missionaries built majestic monasteries known as Viharas, Stupas and
Chaityas.
The simple ascetic character of Buddhism had received its first dent under
the pampering effect of royal patronage. The religlon continued to grow
nevertheless. During the reign of Ashoka the third Religious Council was held at
Pataliputra which was the capital of Ashoka's vast empire.
But that Ashoka was not inimical to Hinduism is evident from one of the
titles that he took viz. Deva-naam-priya (Beloved of the Gods).
After the fall of the Maurya empire, Buddhism did not receive official
patronage on a comparable scale for a long time. During the period after the
Maurya empire, India was beset with invasions from the Indo-Greeks, Kushanas,
Parthians, etc. But most of these invaders acculturized themselves in a few
years after their coming and many of their kings embraced either Buddhism or
Hinduism. Prominent among them were, Menander (Milinda) who was an Indo-Greek
and to whom is ascribed the Buddhist treatise called Milinda-Panho (Questions of
Menander) in which thc king, posed certain questions to which answers were given
by a Buddhist Sage called Nagasena. The next major royal patron of Buddhism was
Kushana who was a Mongol king who ruled north India, Pakistan and Afghanistan in
the 1st century B.C.E. In his reign) the fourth religious council was held at
Jalandhara (Modern Jullundar in Indian Punjab). Now Buddhism had spread far and
wide and had received royal patronage in varying degrees almost continuously
from one king or another since Ashoka.
Split into Two Sects – Mahayana (Greater Vehicle) and Hinayana (Lesser
Vehicle)
By the time the fourth religious council was held, the religion had
vertically split up into two schools. One school had elevated Buddha to the
status of a God and introduced worship of the Buddha's image (idol), it also
evolved elaborate rituals which were derived largely from Hinduism, and gave up
the rigorous ascetic life in monasteries, discarded Pall and accepted Sanskrit
as the literary medium. These changes had far-reaching effects in narrowing the
breach between Buddhism and Hinduism but at the cost of departing from the
essence of the way of life that Buddha established. This school was called the
Mahayana {Greater Vehicle) school or the northern school of Buddhism. On the
other hand the Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle) school stuck to the original character
of Buddhism with its emphasis on rigorous and simple living although idol
worship gradually made its way into Hinayana also. This school is also known as
Theravada (from Staieryavada l. e. principle of stability) is mainly prevalent
in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand.
Despite the split, Buddhism continued to grow steadily up to the reign of the
Guptas.
Since the reign of the Gupta kings (3rd and 4th centuries C.E.) the growth of
Buddhism came to a standstill and gradually the decline set in. The reasons for
this decline could be many but the principal one was to be the absence of royal
patronage since the Gupta period, although there was no persecution either.
The last known royal patron of Buddhism was Harsh Vardhana who ruled over a
large part of northern India around the 7th century C.E. Harsha who was an
ardent worshipper of the Hindu deity – Shiva, did not embrace Buddhism, but he
extended many favours to the religion. During his reign the fifth religious
council was held at Prayaga (Allahabad).
No significant event took place thereafter in the history of Buddhism. But it
is certain that upto the beginning of the Gupta period the religion was on its
ascendance and its following in India was significant. From the Gupta period
Hinduism seems to have undergone a revival, partly under the patronage of the
Gupta kings. Buddhism then onwards was definitely on the decline. The
intellectual onslaught of Brahmanic philosophers like Adi Shankaracharya seems
to have had its toll in emasculating what was once a cohesive and vibrant way of
life. Whatever the reasons, it is certain that the following of Buddhism
declined sharply during and after the Gupta perlod.
It survived nominally as an intellectual tradition kept alive by the select
monks who controlled the monastic universities like the one at Nalanda. These
universities were highly respected as seats of learning and attracted students
from abroad. Fa Hien, Huien Tsiang and I-Tsing who came from China were said to
have studied at Nalanda and other centres of Buddhist learning. But from the 5th
century Onwards, Buddhism declined as the religion of the masses. Its following
seems to have been absorbed into Hinduism, although this could have also been
the result not of formal conversion but of a gradual relapse of the Buddhist
laity into the parent religion. The portrayal of Buddha as an incarnation of the
Hindu deity Vishnu, and the absorption of many Hindu attitudes by Mahayana
Buddhism, along with the absence of royal patronage to Buddhism (and the
extension of this patronage to Hinduism during Gupta times) must have
contributed to this effect. Whatever Buddhists that remained constituted an
elite who inhabited the Monasteries and rarely ventured out of them. Missionary
activity was nearly absent.
Muslim Invasions give the Fatal Blow to Buddhism
The last fatal blow to this once virile religion came from a non-Indian
impetus – the Muslim
invasion of north India in the 12th century. The defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan
and Jaichandra Gahadawal (Rathore) in 1192 and 1194 respectively by the
Afghan raider, Mahmud Ghori opened up the Gangetic plains to the ruthless
invader where the Buddhist (and Hindu) centres of learning were located. The
destruction of monasteries and the slaughter of monks that followed the headlong
rush, of the Muslim invaders, down the Ganges stilled the agony of this once
glorious order into the silence of death.
Thus passed out of existence in the land of its birth a religion that touched
the lives of millions of humans not only in India but in China, Japan, Korea and
other countries of Central Asia and South-East Asia. Buddhism in India was to
remain a dead religion until the 20th century.
Buddhism Resurrected in India in the 20th Century
In the mid 20th Century, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who was one of the architects of
India's Constitution, gave Buddhism a fresh lease of life by embracing it a few
years after India achieved independence. A significant number of members of
those castes who were denied equal rights in the Hindu caste hierarchy also
embraced Buddhism. Today an over-whelming proportion of Buddhists in India are
these recent converts who term themselves as Nava-Baudha or Neo-Buddhists. A
comparatively recent event of significance was the 6th religious council held at
Rangoon in 1954 which came 1300 years after the 5th council held at, Prayaga in
643 C.E. in the reign of the last major pan-Indian emperor – Harsha Vardhana.
The Rangoon council was also the first one to be held outside India.
Buddhism and Hinduism – Umbilical Marks
In the course of its eventful history Buddhism which began as a departure
from the ritualism of the Hindu religion gradually adapted and absorbed many
Hindu ideas and practices to the point that at times, the lines of distinction
between the two religions (the parent and the offspring) were blurred. The
objective of Nirvana towards which every Buddhist is supposed to strive is
undoubtedly an adaptation of the Hindu concept of Moksha. The
difference is that for the attainment of Moksha righteous behaviour and the
conformation of duties as assigned by the caste into which a person has been
born is necessary, while for the attainment of Nirvana a person
has to be free of all desires. But the essence of both concepts is the release
from the cycle of re-birth. The daily of life of the Buddhist Bhikkus
(missionary ascetics) was evidently inspired by the concept and practice of
Sanyasa which was the last phase of life a Hindu during which he was supposed to
be free of al1 desires and to roam from place to place in search of spiritual
enlightenment while spreading the gospel of rightousness among the people. The
yellow coloured robes
that the Buddhist Bhikkus donned were borrowed from the Saffron robes of
the Hindu ascetic. Although as for the Buddhists the yellow colour was chosen to
represent an autumn leaf which was once green but has inevitably turned yellow
in conformation with the law that everything born has to decay and pass away.
Among the auxiliary Hindu practices which found their way into Buddhism, idol
worship and the use of Sanskrit as the liturgical and scriptural language. The
Buddhist conception of Buddha as a God and that in a later period after five
thousand years when righteousness suffer an eclipse the Buddha will reappear on
the earth. This Buddha who will be known as Maiterya will restore the rule of
dhamma (law and religion). This idea implies belief in incarnations and
re-incarnations on lines parallel to the Hindu concept of Kalki who, we are
told, is to be the future incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
But all said and done though Buddhism precariously came close to Hinduism it
maintained its distinct entity unlike the Jaina religion
whose proximity to Hinduism nearly
made it a part of Hinduism. In its appeal Buddhism was not, like its parent
religion Hinduism, restricted to India and Indians but spread far and wide.
Thus in Buddhism, India gave birth to a major international religion,
while the Hindus continued their way. Buddhism was the world's first missionary
religion and won its triumphs through missionary activity. The ancient Buddhist
monks who carried the Master's message of peace, love and universal brotherhood
were pioneers in such a mission in Human history.
Buddhism is the only trans-national religion which has never preached malice
against other faiths, nor have its followers ever indulged in a holy war against
those of another faith. Buddhism has won its way by persuasion and never by the
sword, nor has it ever used its position or power to compel conformity to its
precepts.
And whatever its defects, it has unquestionably done much to benefit the
human race by introducing and perpetuating a higher standard of conduct in life.
One is inclined to bow before the Buddha, not in homage to a deity but in
recognition to a superior craftsman in the art of living.
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