Buddhism-ugc
Buddha's Life
1-Gautama, the Buddha also known as Siddhartha, Sakyamuni and Tathagata.
2-Born in 563 BC (widely accepted), on the vaisakha purnima day at Lumbini, near Kapilvastu, capital of the Sakya republic.
3-Left home at the age of 29 and attained Nirvana at the age of 35 at Bodh Gaya.
4-Delivered his first sermon at Sarnath.
Buddhist Councils
1-The first Council was held in 483 BC at Sattapanni cave near Rajagriha to compile the Sutta Pitaka and Vinaya Pitaka.
2-The second council was held at Vaisali in 383 BC. The monks of Vaisali wanted some change in the rites. Schism into Sthaviravadins and Mahasan-ghikas.
3-The third council was held at Pataliputra during the reign of Ashoka. 236 years after the death of Buddha. It was held under the Presidentship of Moggliputta Tissa to revise the scriptures.
4-The fourth council was held during the reign of Kanishka in Kashmir under the President ship of Vasumitra and Asvaghosha and resulted in the division of Buddhists into Mahayanists and Hinayanists,
Buddhist Scriptures
1-The Vinaya Pitaka: (a) mainly deals with rules and regulations, which the Buddha promulgated, (b) it describes in detail the gradual development of the Sangha. © An account of the life and leaching of the Buddha is also given.
2-The Sutra Pitaka: (a) Consists chiefly of discourses delivered by Buddha himself on different occasions, (b) Few discourses delivered by Sariputta, Ananda. Moggalana and others are also included in it. © It lays down the principles of Buddhism.
3-The Abhidhamma Pitaka: Contains the profound philosophy of the Buddha’s teachings, (b) It investigates mind and matter, to help the understanding of things as they truly are.
4-The Khandhakas: contain regulations on the course or life in the monastic order and have two sections - the Mahavagga and the Cullavagga. The thud part - the Parivara is an insignificant composition by a Ceylonese monk.
5-Among the non-canonical literature Milindapanho, Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa are important. The later two are the great chronicles of Ceylon.
Know The Important Facts
1-Asvaghosha—Contemporary of Kanishka. lie was poet, dramatist. musician, scholar
and debator.
2-Nagarjuna—He was a friend and contemporary of Satavahana king Yajnasri Gautamiputra of Andhra. He propounded the Madhyamika School of Buddhist philosophy popularly known as Sunyavada.
3-Asanga and Vasubandhu—Two brothers who flourished in the Punjab region in fourth century AD. Asanga was the most important teacher of the Yogachara or Vijnanavada School founded by his guru, Maitreyanatha. Vasubandhu’s greatest work, Abhidharmakosa is still considered an important encyclopaedia of Buddhism.
4-Buddhaghosha — Who lived in the fifth century AD was a great Pali scholar. The commentaries and the Visuddhimaga written by him are a great achievement in the Post-Tripitaka literature.
5-Dinnaga—The last mighty intellectual of the fifth century, is well known as the founder of the Buddhist logic.
6 -Dharmakirti—lived in the seventh century AD was anther great Buddhist logician. He was a subtle philosophical thinker and dialectician.
Buddhist Philosophy
1-Idealism: Two source of valid knowledge: (a) Perception and (b) Inference.
2-Doctrineof dependent origination (Pratisamutpada): Central theory of Buddhist Philosophy. It tells us that in the empirical worid dominated by the intellect,
everything is relative, conditional. dependent, subject to birth and death and therefore impermanent.
3-Theory of momentariness {Kshanabhanga or Impermanence): It tells that everything ,in this world is merely a conglomeration of perishable qualities. According to it.Things that can produce effect exist and whatever can not produce effect has no existence.
Five Great Events of Buddha’s
Life and their Symbols
1-Birth: Lotus and Bull
2-Great Renunciation: Horse
3-Nirvana: Bodhi tree
4- First Sermon: Dharmachakra or wheel
5-Parinirvana or Death: Stupa
Four Noble Truths
1-The world is full of sorrows.
2-Desire is root cause of sorrow.
3-If Desire is conquered, all sorrows can be removed. Desire can be removed by following the eight-fold path.
Eight Fold Path
1-Right understanding
2-Right speech
3-Right livelihood
4-Right mindfulness
5-Right thought
6-Right action
7-Right effort
8-Right concentration.
Three Ratnas
1-Buddha
2-Dhamma
3-Sangha.
Sacred Shrines
1-Lumbini, Bodh-Gaya. Sarnath and Kusinagar, where the tour principal events of the Buddha’s life, namely, Birth, Enlightenment. First sermon and Mahaparinirvana took place. To these are added tour places Sravasti, Rajgriha. Vaishali and Sankasya—these
eight places have all along been considered as the eight holy places (ashtamahasthanas).
2-Other centres of Buddhism in Ancient IndiaAmravati and Nagarjunikonda in Andhra Pradesh; Nalanda in Bihar; Junagadh and Valabhi in Gujarat; Sanchi and Bharhut in MP; Ajanta-Ellora in Maharashtra, Dhaulagiri in Orissa; Kannauj. Kausambi and Mathura in U.P.: and Jagadala and Somapuri in West Bengal.
3-Buddhist architecture developed essentially in three forms, viz. (a) Stupa (relics of the Buddha or some prominent Buddhist monk are preserved) (b) Chaitya (prayer hall) © Vihara (residence).
Know The Important Facts
1-The Buddha extended the teaching of two elder contemporaries, Alara Kalama, and Udlaka.
2-According to Buddhism there is no-self, no God, no soul and no spirit.
3-There is very little theological or philosophical speculation involved
4-Buddhism is scientific in approach, a search for cause and effect relationships and knowledge of reality, as each individual human being experiences it.
5- It is psychological in approach, that is, it begins with human being.
6-“If women were not admitted into the monasteries, Buddhism would have continued for a thousand years, but because this admission has been granted, it would last only five hundred years” – Buddha.
Roots of Buddhism in the Past
1-The Vedanta
2-Sankhya philosophy
3-The Upanishads : Ideas about Kerma, soul, rebirth, moksha, ahimsa etc.
Contribution of Buddhism
1-The doctrine of Ahimsa—so strongly stressed, devoutly preached and sincerely practiced by the Buddhists. Was incorporated in Hinduism of later days.
2-The practice of worshipping personal Gods, making their images and erecting temples in their honour became a part of the later day Hinduism.
2-Buddhism proved to be one of the greatest civilising forces, which India gave to the neighbouring countries.
3-Buddhism broke the isolation of India and helped in establishment of intimate contacts between India and foreign countries.
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