Jainism and Buddhism

Question 1

Jainism

Answer 1

Founder of Jainism is -Rishabhadeva 1st of 24 tirthankaras

Life of Vardhamana Mahavira (last thirty Ankara - gave final shape to Jain doctrines (539- 467 B.C.)

• Vardhamana Mahavira was the 24th Tirthankara of the Jain tradition
• born at Kundagrama near Vaisali to Kshatriya parents Siddhartha and Trisala -married Yasoda and gave birth to a daughter
• age of thirty he became an ascetic and wandered for twelve years
• 13th year of his penance, he attained the highest spiritual knowledge called Kevala Gnana
• preached his doctrines for 30 years and died at the age of 72 at Pava near Rajagriha

Question 2

Teachings of Mahavira

Answer 2

3 principles of Jainism, also known as Triratnas (three gems)

• right faith - belief in the teachings and wisdom of Mahavira
• right knowledge - acceptance of the theory that there is no God and that the world has been existing without a creator and that all objects possess a soul
• right conduct - observance of the five great vows
  1. not to injure life
  2. not to lie
  3. not to steal
  4. not to acquire property
  5. not to lead immoral life
• clergy and laymen had to strictly follow the doctrine of ahimsa.

Question 3

Spread of Jainism

Answer 3

• Mahavira organised the Sangha to spread his teachings - admitted both men and women in the Sangha - both monks and lay followers
• division of Jainism into two sects Svetambaras (whiteclad) and Digambaras (Sky-clad or Naked)
• 1st Jain Council was convened at Pataliputra by Sthulabahu, the leader of the Digambaras, in the beginning of the 3rd century B.C
• 2nd Jain Council was held at Valabhi in 5th century A.D. - final compilation of Jain literature called Twelve Angas was completed in this council

Question 4

Buddhism

Answer 4

Life of Gautama Buddha (567- 487 B.C.)

• Gautama or Siddhartha - born in 567 B.C. in Lumbini Garden near Kapilavastu
• father was Suddodhana of the Sakya clan and mother Mayadevi - mother died at child birth -brought up by aunt Prajapati Gautami - sixteen married to Yasodhara -son, Rahula
• left home at the age of twenty nine in search of Truth - he sat under a bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya and did intense penance - got Enlightenment (Nirvana) at the age of thirty five - known as the Buddha or ‘the Enlightened One’.
• died at the age of eighty at Kusinagara
• most important disciples of Buddha were Sariputta, Moggallanna, Ananda, Kassapa and Upali.
• Teachings of Buddha The Four Noble Truths of Buddha are 1. The world is full of suffering 2.The cause of suffering is desire 3. If desires are get rid off, suffering can be removed 4. can be done by following the Eightfold Path.
• The Eightfold Path - 1. right view 2. right resolve 3. right speech 4. right conduct 5. right livelihood 6. right effort, 7. right mindfulness 8. right concentration
• Buddha neither accepts god nor rejects the existence of god - great emphasis on the law of karma
• argued that the condition of man in this life depends upon his own deeds
• taught that the soul does not exist
• emphasized Ahimsa.
• Spread of Buddhism Buddha had two kinds of disciples – monks (bhikshus) and lay worshippers (upasikas).

Question 5

Buddhist Councils

Answer 5

• 1st Buddhist Council at Rajagraha under chairmanship of Mahakasapa immediately after the death of Buddha - purpose was to maintain the purity of the teachings of the Buddha
• 2nd Buddhist Council at Vaisali around 383 B.C.
• 3rd Buddhist Council at Pataliputra under the patronage of Asoka. Moggaliputta Tissa presided over it. The final version of Tripitakas was completed in this council
• 4th Buddhist Council in Kashmir by Kanishka under the chairmanship of Vasumitra - Asvagosha participated - new school of Buddhism called Mahayana Buddhism came into existence during this council - Buddhism preached by the Buddha and propagated by Asoka - Hinayana
• Buddhist texts were collected and compiled some five hundred years after the death of the Buddha - known as the Tripitakas, namely the Sutta, the Vinaya and the Abhidhamma Pitakas
• written in the Pali language

Question 6

Causes for decline of Buddhism

Answer 6

• revival of Brahmanism and the rise of Bhagavatism
• Buddhists began to adopt Sanskrit, the language of the elite
• birth of Mahayana Buddhism - practice of idol worship and making offerings led to the deterioration of moral standards
• attack of the Huns in 5th and 6th centuries and the Turkish invaders in 12th century destroyed the monasteries

Question 7

Contribution of Buddhism to India

Answer 7

• concept of ahimsa was its chief contribution - became one of the cherished values of our nation
• contribution to the art and architecture of India - 1.stupas at Sanchi, Bharhut and Gaya 2. chaityas and viharas in different parts of India
• promoted education through residential universities like those at Taxila, Nalanda and Vikramasila
• language of Pali and other local languages developed through the teachings of Buddhism
• promoted the spread of Indian culture to other parts of Asia