Module 3: Buddhism

Early Years and History of Buddhism

Introduction

Buddhism is a religion indigenous to the Indian subcontinent that encompasses a variety of traditions,
beliefs and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly
known as the Buddha (meaning “the awakened one” in Sanskrit and Pāli). The Buddha lived and
taught in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. He is
recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacher who shared his insights to help
sentient beings end suffering (dukkha) through eliminating ignorance (avidyā) by way of
understanding and seeing dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda) and eliminating craving (taṇhā),
and thus attain the highest happiness, nirvāņa.

Two major branches of Buddhism are generally recognized:

Theravada (“The School of the Elders”)

Theravada has a widespread following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand,
Myanmar etc.).

Mahayana (“The Great Vehicle”)

Mahayana is found throughout East Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan etc.)
and includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon, and
Tiantai (Tendai).

In some classifications, Vajrayana —practiced mainly in Tibet and Mongolia, and adjacent parts of
China and Russia—is recognized as a third branch, while others classify it as a part of Mahayana.

While Buddhism remains most popular within Asia, both branches are now found throughout the
world. Estimates of Buddhists worldwide vary significantly depending on the way Buddhist adherence
is defined. Conservative estimates are between 350 and 750 million. Higher estimates are between
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1.2 and 1.7 billion. It is also recognized as one of the fastest growing religions in the world.

The Three Jewels

Buddhist schools vary on the exact nature of the path to liberation, the importance and canonicity of
various teachings and scriptures, and especially their respective practices. The foundations of
Buddhist tradition and practice are the Three Jewels :
 · The Buddha
· The Dharma (the teachings)
· The Sangha (the community)

Taking “refuge in the triple gem” has traditionally been a declaration and commitment to being on the
Buddhist path, and in general distinguishes a Buddhist from a non-Buddhist.

Other practices may include following ethical precepts; support of the monastic community;
renouncing conventional living and becoming a monastic; the development of mindfulness and
practice of meditation; cultivation of higher wisdom and discernment; study of scriptures; devotional
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practices; ceremonies; and in the Mahayana tradition, invocation of buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Early Years of the Buddha and the Four Sights

There is no agreement on when Siddhartha was born. This is still a question mark both in scholarship
and Buddhist tradition. Several dates have been proposed, but the many contradictions and
inaccuracies in the different chronologies and dating systems make it impossible to come up with a
satisfactory answer free of controversy.

Modern scholarship agrees that the Buddha passed away at some point between 410 and 370 BCE,
about 140-100 years before the time of Indian Emperor Ashoka’s reign (268-232 BCE). Both scholars
and Buddhist tradition agree that the Buddha lived for 80 years. More exactness on this matter seems
impossible.

Siddhartha’s caste was the Kshatriya caste (the warrior rulers caste). He belonged to the Sahkya clan
and was born in the Gautama family. Because of this, he became to be known as Shakyamuni “sage
of the Shakya clan”, which is the most common name used in the Mahayana literature to refer to the
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Buddha. His father was named Śuddhodana and his mother, Maya.

According to this narrative, shortly after the birth of young prince Gautama, an astrologer visited the
young prince’s father and prophesied that Siddhartha would either become a great king or renounce
the material world to become a holy man, depending on whether he saw what life was like outside the
palace walls.

Śuddhodana was determined to see his son become a king, so he prevented him from leaving the
palace grounds. But at age 29, despite his father’s efforts, Gautama ventured beyond the palace
several times. In a series of encounters—known in Buddhist literature as the four sights—he learned
of:

1. The suffering of ordinary people, encountering an old man

2. A sick man
3. A corpse
4. An ascetic holy man, apparently content and at peace with the world
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These experiences prompted Gautama to abandon royal life and take up a spiritual quest.

Historical Context

After leaving Kapilavastu, Siddhartha practiced the yoga discipline under the direction of two of the
leading masters of that time: Arada Kalama and Udraka Ramaputra. Siddhartha did not get the
results he expected, so he left the masters, engaged in extreme asceticism, and five followers joined
him. For a period of six years Siddhartha tried to attain his goal but was unsuccessful. After realizing
that asceticism was not the way to attain the results he was looking for, he gave up this way of life.
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After eating a meal and taking a bath, Siddhartha sat down under a tree of the species ficus religiosa,
where he finally attained Nirvana (perfect enlightenment) and became known as the Buddha.

Soon after this, the Buddha delivered his first sermon in a place named Sarnath, also known as the
“deer park,” near the city of Varanasi. This was a key moment in the Buddhist tradition, traditionally
known as the moment when the Buddha “set in motion the wheel of the law. ” The Buddha explained
the middle way between asceticism and a life of luxury, the four noble truths (suffering, its origin,
how to end it, and the eightfold path or the path leading to the extinction of suffering), and the
impersonality of all beings.

The Buddha’s first disciples joined him around this time, and the Buddhist monastic community,
known as Sangha, was established. Sariputra and Mahamaudgalyayana were the two chief disciples
of the Buddha. Mahakasyapa was also an important disciple who became the convener of the First
Buddhist Council. From Kapilavastu and Sravasti in the north, to Varanasi, Nalanda and many other
areas in the Ganges basin, the Buddha preached his vision for about 45 years. During his career he
visited his hometown, met his father, his foster mother and even his son, who joined the Sangha
along with other members of the Shakya clan. Upali, another disciple of the Buddha, joined the
Sangha around this time: he was a Shakya and regarded as the most competent monk in matters of
monastic discipline. Ananda, a cousin of the Buddha, also became a monk; he accompanied the
Buddha during the last stage of his life and persuaded him to admit women into the Sangha, thus
establishing the Bhikkhuni Sangha, the female Buddhist monastic community.

During his career, some kings and other rulers are described as followers of the Buddha. The
Buddha’s adversary is reported to be Davadatta, his own cousin, who became a follower of the
Buddha and turned out to be responsible for a schism of the Sangha, and he even tried to kill the
Buddha.

The last days of the Buddha are described in detail in an ancient text named Mahaparinirvana Sutra.
We are told that the Buddha visited Vaishali, where he fell ill and nearly died. Some accounts say that
here the Buddha delivered his last sermon. After recovering, the Buddha travelled to Kushinagar. On
his way, he accepted a meal from a smith named Cunda, which made him sick and led to his death.
Once he reached Kushinagar, he encouraged his disciples to continue their activity one last time and
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he finally passed away.
Forming of Two Separate Buddhist Lines

About a century after the death of Buddha, during the Second Buddhist Council, we find the first
major schism ever recorded in Buddhism: The Mahasanghika School.

Many different schools of Buddhism had developed at that time. Buddhist tradition speaks about 18
schools of early Buddhism, although we know that there were more than that, probably around 25.

A Buddhist school named Sthaviravada (in Sanskrit “ school of the elders ”) was the most powerful
of the early schools of Buddhism. Traditionally, it is held that the Mahasanghika School came into
existence as a result of a dispute over monastic practice. They also seem to have emphasized the
supramundane nature of the Buddha, so they were accused of preaching that the Buddha had the
attributes of a god. As a result of the conflict over monastic discipline, coupled with their controversial
views on the nature of the Buddha, the Mahasanghikas were expelled, thus forming two separate
Buddhist lines: the Sthaviravada and the Mahasanghika .

During the course of several centuries, both the Sthaviravada and the Mahasanghika schools
underwent many transformations, originating different schools.

· The Theravada School, which still exists in our day, emerged from the Sthaviravada line,
and is the dominant form of Buddhism in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, and
Thailand.
· The Mahasanghika School eventually disappeared as an ordination tradition.
· During the 1st century CE, while the oldest Buddhist groups were growing in south and
south-east Asia, a new Buddhist school named Mahayana (“ Great Vehicle ”) originated in
northern India. This school had a more adaptable approach and was open to doctrinal
innovations.
· Mahayama Buddhism is today the dominant form of Buddhism in Nepal, Tibet, China,
Japan, Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam.