Buddhism and Jainism

Reason for new movement

The Vedic rituals were expensive and the sacrifices prescribed were very complex and their meanings were over. The caste system had become rigid (both Buddhism and Jainism were offered a dignified place) unrest spread by the domination of Brahmins. All religious texts were in Sanskrit, which was not understood by the general public.

Buddhism

Buddha Dharma stands on three pillars:

1. Buddha: Its founder.
2. Dhamma: Its objectives.
3. Union: Order of Buddhist monks and nuns.

Buddha :-

• Also known as Shakyamuni and Tathagata.
• Born in 563 BC on the occasion of Vishalatha Purnima Day in Lumbini (near Kapilvastu) in Nepal.
• His father Shuddhodana Saka was the ruler.
• His mother (Mahamaya of the Kaushal dynasty) died seven days after his birth. He was raised by his step-mother Gautami.
• Married to Yashodhara at the age of 16, enjoyed the life of marriage till the age of 13 and they had a son named Rahul.
• After seeing an old man, a sick man, a corpse, an ascetic, he decided to become a wanderer.
• He left the palace (along with Channa, the chariot and his favorite horse, Kanthaka) in search of truth at the age of 29 (also known as the Mahabhinishkramana or the Maha Varna) and wandered for 7 years.
• First he meditated with Alara Kalma. But he was not convinced that he could get rid of sorrow through mental discipline and knowledge. His next teacher was Udraka Ramputra.
• He tortured himself for six years until his body was nothing but a skeleton. But after six years, he found his fast and penance useless. So he left these things. He also left five disciples to him.
• At the age of 35 in Magadh (Bihar), Gaya attained 'Nirvana' or 'Gyanodaya' under the Peepal tree.
• Sarnath gave his first sermon at the place where he lived with it. His first sermon is also called 'Dharmachakra Pravartan' or 'Wheel of Law'.
• In the Republic of Malla, at the age of 80 years, in 483 BC (like the village Kashya in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh), Mahaparinirvana was obtained in Kushinagar.

Dhamma:-

(1)Four great truths

• The world is full of sorrow and suffering.
• Desire is the cause of all pain and sorrow.
• Pain and sorrow can be eliminated by killing or controlling desire.
• Desire can be controlled by following the eightfold path.

(2)Eight fold path

• Right faith, right thinking, right action, including lifetime, right effort, right language, right memory and right concentration.

(3)Confidence in creation

• When desire ceases, rebirth occurs and nirvana is attained, that is, by following the eightfold path, one gets liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
• According to Mercury the soul is a myth.

(4)Believe in non-violence

• No animal should cause injury to animal or man.

(5)Law of karma

• Man reaps the fruits of his past deeds

(6)The union

• There are monks (bhikshus or shramanas) and nano.
• The monk served as a torch bearer of religion.
• Apart from the Sangh, the devotees were also called as Upuskas.

                                                       Buddhist parishad

Buddhist Council	Place	Director	Patron	Result
First Buddhist Council 483 BC	Saptaparni Cave, Rajgriha	Mahakssapa	Ajatashatru (Haryak dynasty)	Compilation of Sutpitaka and Vinaypitaka by Anand and Upali respectively
Second Buddhist Council 383 BC	Chullabanga Vaishali	Subservience	Kalashoka (Shisunga dynasty)	·         The monk of Vaishali wanted to make some changes in the rites. ·         Differences between Sthavira and Mahasanghikas
Third Buddhist Council 250 AD	Ashokrama Vihar, Pataliputra	Mowgliputta Tissa	Ashoka (Maurya Dynasty)	·         Compilation of abhidhamma father ·         Decision to send missionaries to different parts of the world
Fourth Buddhist Council 98 AD	Kundala Forest Kashmir	Vasumitra Ashwaghosh	Kanishka (Kushad dynasty)	·         Compilation of Mahavibha Shastra (Sanskrit commentary on Tripitaka) ·         The division of Buddhists into Hinayana and Mahayana

Mahayana and Hinayana

In Mahayana, the statue exists. It became popular in China, Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, Turkey and other Southeast countries. Hinayana became popular in Magadha and Sri Lanka. This person believed in salvation and did not believe in idol worship. Apart from these, two are the third vehicle known as 'Vajrayana', which appeared in the eighth century and has grown rapidly in Bihar and Bengal. They did not consume meat, fish, alcohol as a prohibition in the diet and used independently.

Literature of Buddhism

Buddhist literature in the first language is commonly known as: Tripitakas ie 'triple basket'.

Vinayapitaka: Rules of discipline in Buddha monasteries.

Sutpitaka: The largest collection of Buddha sermons.

Abhidhammapitaka: Explaining the philosophical principles of Buddhism.

Mahavansh and Deepavansh are other Buddhist texts. They provide information about Sri Lanka. There are legends about the various schemes of Jatakas Buddha.

Due to the fall of Buddhism

• In this, Brahmins died in front of rituals and ceremonies like idol worship etc. and it had condemned Buddhism earlier.
• For the revival of Hindu religion reform with the exhortation of Shankaracharya since the ninth century.
• Instead of Pali, the language of common people, Sanskrit used the language of intellectuals.
• Decline in moral standards among monks living in Buddhist monasteries.
• Women enter Buddhist monasteries.

In the sixth century, King Mihirkul of Hund and in the twelfth century Turkish invaders invaded.

Buddhist University	Place	Founder
Nalanda	Badgaon, Bihar	Kumaragupta (Gupta rule)
Odantpuri	Biharsharif, Bihar	Gopal (Pal Shashak)
Vikramshila	Bhagalpur, Bihar	Dharmapala (Pal Shashak)
Sompuri	North Bengal	Dharmapala (Pal Shashak)
Jagdal	Bengal	Rampal (Pal Shashak)
Vallabhi	Gujarat	Bhattaraka (Maitrak Shashka)

JAINISM

• Was founded by Rishabh Nath.
• 24 Tirthankara future speakers where Guru was all Kshatriya. The first was Rishabh Nath (symbol: calf). Their reference is also in Rigveda. But there is no historical basis for the first 22 Tirthankaras. Only the last two Tirthankaras have historical personalities.
• The 23rd Tirthankara Parshvanath (symbol: snake) was the son of King Sher of Benares. His main teachings were: non-violence, truth, non-theft and non-rights.
• The 24th and last Tirthankara was Vardhaman Mahavira (symbol: lion). He propagated the message almost like Parsvnath and added another principal to it.

Vardhman Mahaveer

• He was born in 599 BCE in Kundagram (District Muzaffarpur, Bihar).
• His father Siddhartha was the head of the Janatrika clan. His mother Trishala was the sister of Chetak, the prince of Lichchhavi, Vaishali. Mahavira was related to Bimbisara.
• Married to Yashoda, she had a daughter named Priyadarshana, whose husband Jamali became his first disciple.
• After the death of his parents at the age of 30, he became an ascetic.
• In the 13th year of his tenacity, outside the city of Jribhikgrama, he attained supreme knowledge (Kaivalya).
• Now they were called as Jains or Jitendriya and Mahavira and their followers were known as Jains. He got the title of Arihant i.e. qualification.
• He died at Pava, near Patna, in 527 BC at the age of 72.
• After the death of Mahavira during the reign of King Chandragupta Maurya, a critical famine established his important centers of faith, where the Deccan led to the exodus of a large number of Jain monks from the Ganges Valley. This migration led to a great sect in Jainism. Mahavir was founded by Bhadrabahu, who led the migrants, who insisted on the concept of nudity. The leader of the Gudhabhadra monks stayed in the north, told about the difficulties and confusion of the famine, allowing his followers to wear white clothes. Hence, the two sects of Jain came Digambara (ie, naked in clothes) and Shvetambara (dressed in white).

Mahavir's teachings

• Rejected the authority of the Vedas and did not attach any importance to the performance of sacrifice.
• He believed that every thing, even the smallest particle has a soul and consciousness. Therefore, he observed strict non-violence.
• Jain, as the sustainer or creator of the universe, has rejected the concept of universal soul or supreme power.
• Jainism denied the existence of gods but refused to give any important part of the gods to the cosmic plan. The gods are placed lower than the Jina.
• The belief in austerity and the attainment of salvation (salvation) by starvation (the main difference between Jainism and Buddhism).
• Vishwa Fraternity (Knowledge belief in caste system).
• In Jainism, triratnas are given and are called the path to attain nirvana. This is: right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.

                                    Jain Council

Jain	Council / year	Location	Speaker	Guardian	Result
1st	300 BC	Pataliputra	Sthulbhadra	Chandragupta Maurya,	compilation of 12 limbs
2nd	512 AD	Vallabhi	:, Devardhi Chashmraman	………….	final compilation of 12 limbs and appendages

Other points

• Jainism reached the highest point in the time of Chandragupta Maurya. In Kalinga, it was preserved by Kharavel in the very first century.
• Various reasons were responsible for the decline of Jainism in India. He took the concept of non-violence from far away.
• Also, later there was no protection from the kings.

Jain literature is in semi-Magadhi and Prakrit dialects. Due to influence in Jainism, several regional languages ​​emerged such as Shaurseni from which Marathi, Gujarati, Rajasthani and Kannada emerged.