Buddhism & Upanishads

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  Life of Buddha

  • Siddhartha, also known as Gautama, the founder of Buddhism
  • Born as Siddhartha in the Sakya clan to its king Suddhodhana and his chief queen Mahamaya.
  • He married Yashodhara, son named Rahula
  • Attain enlightenment at age of 35.
  • Passed away in Kusinagara, (Called Parinirvana).
Origin
  • His discarded garments and jewellery to his father. This is known as Mahabhiraskramana or the Great Going Forth.
  • Meditated for 49 days on end under a peepal tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar attained enlightenment.
  • Sarnath, near Varanasi, where he taught for the first time. He passed away at Kusinara.
  • Buddha described this as thirst or tanha.
  • Taught in the language of the ordinary people, prakrit.
Doctrines and Principles
  • Disciples of Buddha were Sariputta, Maha moggallana, Mahakaccayana and Ananda.
Four Noble Truth of Buddha
  • The Noble Truth of Suffering: Birth, age, death, unpleasantness, separation, unfulfilled wish.
  • The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering: thirst for pleasure, power, long life, etc. are the causes for sorrow.
  • The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Nirvana): complete stopping or release from sorrow.
  • The Noble Truth of the Path Leading to Cessation of Suffering: the Noble Eight fold Path or the Middle Path.
  • Believed in karma & Rebirth.
Eight Fold Path
    1. Right Views
    2. Right Resolve
    3. Right Speech
    4. Right Conduct
    5. Right Livelihood
    6. Right Effort
    7. Right Recollection
    8. Right Meditation
  • Not mentioned or talk about God.
Monastic establishments
  • Monasteries were built - viharas.
  • vihara was built was donated by a rich merchant or a landowner
Buddhist Councils
  • First Council at Rajgriha, headed by Upali & recited Vinaya Pitaka. Ananda recited Sutta Pitaka.
  • Second council at Vaishali. Buddhist order split into two – Sthaviravadins (Believers in the Teachings of the Elders) and Mahasanghikas (Members of the Great Community).
  • Third council at Pataliputra, convened by Ashoka.
  • The Sthaviravadins established themselves strongly and expelled the heretics. The last section called “Kathavatthu” was added to Abhidhamma Pitaka.
  • Fourth Council at Kashmir. Sarvastivadins were an important sect of Buddhism. Its doctrines were compiled in Mahavibhasa.
  • Brahmins, kshatriyas, merchants, labourers, barbers, courtesans and slaves can join in sangha.
Buddhist Sects
  • Sthaviravadins, Mahasanghikas & Sarvastivadins – Major sets.
  • Emergence of Mahayana (Great Vechile, popular and influential in India), Hinayana (Lesser vechile popular in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and other South-east Asian countries) & Vajrayana (Vechile of thunderbolt, popular in Bengal and Bihar. Emerge at end of the Gupta period)
Literature
  • Compiled in Pali. Pali canons called as tripitakas (Vinaya Pitaka (monastic rules and moral disciplines), Sutta Pitaka (Discourages & Teachings of Buddha) and Abhidhamma Pitaka(Expounded Buddhist philosophy))
  • Sutta Pitaka divided into five group or Nikayas. Contain works Theragath and Therigath ((Hymns of the Elder Monks and Nuns) & Jataka tales (Buddha’s deeds in previous births as Bodhisattva).
  • Other Works - Milinda Panha, Ceylonese chronicles Dipavamsa (Island Chronicles), Mahavamsa (Great Chronicle) and Culavamsa (Lesser Chronicle).
Buddhism in Tamilnadu
  • Southern parts of India.
  • Manimekalai by Sattanar epic of post sangam age in Buddhist literature.
  • Now extinct Kundalakesi is a Buddhist epic.
  • Dinnaga & Dhammapala who headed the famous Nalanda University were renowned Buddhist scholars from Kanchipuram.
Architecture
  • Buddhist temple in Nagapattinam called the Soolamani-varma-vihara.
  • Temple build during Pallava king, Narasimhavarman II on the request of Chinesh ruler.
Decline
  • Decline with the onset of the Bhakti movement.
  • Division into various splinter (Hinayana’, ‘Mahayana’, ‘Vajrayana’, ‘Tantrayana’ and ‘Sahajayana’ – lost its Originality).
  • Unintelligible to common people.
  • Invasion of Huns (Toramana & Mihirakula).
  • Rajput rulers not reconcile to Non-violence.
  • Finally, the invading Arabs and Turks.
System of ashramas
  • Around the time when Jainism and Buddhism were becoming popular, brahmins developed the system of ashramas.
    • Brahmacharya - lead simple lives and study the Vedas during the early years of their life.
    • Grihastha - marry and live as householders.
    • Vanaprastha - live in the forest and meditate.
    • Samnyasa - give up everything and become samnyasins.
  • Women were not allowed to study the Vedas
Upanishads
  • Little earlier to Buddha. Some people wanted to know about life after death.
  • They described this as the atman or the individual soul and the brahman or the universal soul.
  • Upanishad literally means ‘approaching and sitting near’
  • Upanishadic thinkers were men, especially brahmins and rajas.
  • Mention of women thinkers, such as Gargi, Satyakama Jabala
  • Upanishads were later developed by the famous thinker Shankaracharya.
Panini, the grammarian
  • Prepare grammar for Sanskrit.
  • He arranged the vowels and the consonants in a special order. write down the rules of the language in short formulae (around 3000 of them).
Miscellaneous
  • 2500 years ago, Greece and Athens – form democratic government.
  • Zoroaster was an Iranian prophet. Contain book Avesta (like vedas).

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