Revision Notes on History: Jainism and Buddhism

Parents of Mahavira were Siddhartha, a Janatrika chief of Kundapura, and Trishala, a Ksha-
triya lady related to the ruling families of Vaishali and Magadha.

Mahavira married a princess named Yashoda.

Mahavira forsook the world at the age of thirty and roamed as a naked ascetic in several parts
of eastern India and practiced severe penance for 12 years. Half of this time was spent with a
mendicant (beggar) friar (brother) named Goshala who subsequently left him and became the
leader of the Ajivika sect.

In the 13th year of penance, Mahavira attained the highest spiritual knowledge called Kevala-
jnana, on the northern bank of river Rijupalika, outside Jrimbhikagrama, a little known
locality in eastern India. He was now known as a Kevalin (omniscient), a Jina (conqueror)
and Mahavira (the great hero).

Mahavira became the head of a sect called Nigranthas (free from Fretters), known in later
times as Jains or followers of Jina (conqueror).

Mahavira died at Pava in south Bihar, after wandering for 35 years as a religious teacher, at
the age of 72.

The Jains believe that Mahavira was not the founder of a new religious system, but the last of
a long succession of 24 Tirthankars or "ford-makers across the stream of existence.

The 23rd teacher, Parsav, the immediate predecessor of Mahavira, was a prince of Benaras
and enjoined on his disciples the great four vows of non-injury, truthfulness, abstention from
stealing and non-attachment.

Mahavira added the vow of Brahamcharya or continence to this

Jainism was atheistic in nature, the existence of God being irrelevant to its doctrine. It
believes that universe functions according to an eternal law and is continually passing
through a series of cosmic waves of progress and decline. Everything in the universe, mate-
rial or otherwise, has a soul. The purification of the soul is the purpose of living, for the pure
soul is released from the body and then resides in bliss.

Jains believe that by following the three-fold path of right Belief, right Knowledge and right
Conduct, souls will be released from transmigration and reach the pure and blissful abode or
Siddha Sila.

Jainism spread rapidly among the trading community. The emphasis on non-violence
prevented agriculturists from being Jainas, since cultivation involved killing insects and
pests.

According to the tradition of the Svetambara Jains, the original doctrine taught by Mahavira
was contained in fourteen old texts styled Purvas.

Close to 4th century B.C., due to a famine in south Bihar, important sections of Jains, headed
by Bhadrabahu, fled to Mysore.

To revive the knowledge of sacred texts, which was passing into oblivion following the
famine in south Bihar and fleeing of majority of Jains, a council was convoked by those who
were left behind in Pataliputra, which resulted in compilation of the 12 Angas which are
regarded as the most important part of the Jain canon. Another council was held at Valabhi in
Gujarat in 5th or 6th century A.D. which made a final collection of the scriptures and reduced
them to writing.

The followers of Bhadrabahu, on their return to the north, refused to acknowledge the Angas
and came to be known as Svetambaras (clad in white) as they wore white garments
notwithstanding the injunctions of Mahavira. The original followers came to be called
Digambaras (sky-clad or naked).

Gautama Buddha was born as Siddhartha to Suddhodana, a Raja or noble of Kapilvastu (in
the Nepal Terai to the north of Basti district of Uttar Pradesh) and Maya, a princess of
Devadaha, a small town in the Sakya territory. Maya died while giving birth to Siddhartha
and he was brought up by his aunt and step-mother Prajapati Gautami.

The site of nativity of Gautama Buddha is marked by the celebrated Rummindei Pillar of
Ashoka.
Siddhartha was married to Yashodara at the age of 16. Yashodara was also known as Bhadda
Kachchana, Subhadraka, Bimba or Gopa.

The Great Renunciation took place when Sidhartha reached the age of 29. For six years he
lived as a homeless ascetic. At Uruvila he practiced the most rigid austerities only to find that
they were of no help to him to achieve his goal.

Sidhartha finally sat under a pipal or Banyan tree at modern Bodh Gaya, after taking a bath in
the stream of river Nairanjana, modern Lilajan. Here he attained the supreme knowledge and
insight and became known as Buddha or the Enlightened One, Tathagata ("he who attained
the truth) and Sakyamuni or the sage of the Sakya clan.

The first sermon by Buddha was given in the Deer Park near Sarnath, in the neighbourhood
of Benaras. This sermon was called the Turning of the Wheel of Law, and was the nucleus of
the Buddhist teachings.

Among Buddhas early converts was his cousin Devadatta who, subsequently broke away
and founded a rival sect that survived in parts of Oudh and western Bengal till the Gupta
period.

The Buddha is said to have died at the age of 80 at Kusinagar, modern Kasia in the
Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
Buddha taught his followers the four "Noble Truths (Arya Satya) concerning suffering, the
cause of suffering, the destruction of suffering and the way that leads to the destruction of
sorrow.

As per Buddhist teachings, salvation is possible through the Eightfold Path, which consisted
of eight principles of action, leading to a balanced, moderate life (right views, resolves,
speech conduct, livelihood, effort, recollection and meditation, the combination of which was
described as Middle Way).

The doctrine of karma was essential to the Buddhist way of salvation.

Unlike the brahmanical idea, karma was not used to explain away caste status, since Buddha
rejected caste.

Buddhism was atheistic, in as much as God was not essential to the Universe, there being a
natural cosmic rise and decline.

The acceptance of nuns in the Buddhist monasteries was a revolutionary step from the point
of view of the status of women.

The earliest surviving form of Buddhism, called Theravada, is still predominant in Sri Lanka
and South-East Asian countries.

Shortly after the death of Buddha a great Council (Sangiti) was held at Rajagriha to compile
the religious doctrine (Dharma) and the monastic code (Vinaya). A second council was
convoked a century later at Vaishali which condemned the rules in respect of the ten points
and revised the scriptures.

A fresh condemnation of heresy took place during the reign of Ashoka, under whose
patronage a third council was summoned at Pataliputra by a learned monk, Tisaa Mog-
galiputta, 236 years after Buddhas death.

The fourth council was held under Kanishka which prepared elaborate commentaries
(Upadesh Shastras and Vibhasha Shastras) on the sacred texts.

According to Sri Lankan tradition, the sacred texts and commentaries were written down in
books in first century B.C. during the reign of King Vattagamani Abhaya. Later, the texts, as
distinguished from the commentaries, came to be known as Pali.