THE BUDDHIST WAY OF LIFE

Recently I was present at an interview given by the Venerable Masoyein Sayadaw, who is virtually the Sangha Raja or Thathanabaing of Burma, to some Buddhist monks of European origin. His advice to them is "Of course, you must learn the Dhamma during your stay there. But I would stress the importance of practice. Strive to be free from craving. If you succeed appreciably, you will be able to do a lot for your fellow-men when you return to your countries."

         In the very first sermon, Dhammacakka pavattana Sutta,* the Buddha proclaims, "What, O monks, is the origin of suffering? It is that craving which gives rise to ever fresh rebirth and, bound up with pleasure and lust, now here, now there, finds ever fresh delight. It is the Sensual Craving (Kamma tanha), the Craving for Existence (bhava tanha), the Craving for Self-annihilation (vibhava tanha)."

         In this talk, I do not propose to deal with the Craving for Existence, which is connected with the view of Eternalism, and the Craving for Self-annihilation, which is connected with the view of Nihilism. They require separate treatment.

         So far as the Sensuous Sphere (kamma-loka) is concerned Sensual Craving is most harassing. There are six kinds of craving corresponding to the six sense objects: craving for sights, sounds, smells, tastes, bodily impressions and mental impressions.

         To put an end to these cravings, at least to keep them under proper restraint, learning alone would not suffice. I can therefore understand fully why the Venerable Masoyein Sayadaw stresses the importance of practice of the Dhamma for the control and eradication of cravings.

Buddhism in india

Buddhism is a world religion, which arose in and around ancient Magadha, India (modern Bihar), and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (born in Lumbini, Nepal), who is known as the Buddha (literally the Enlightened One or Awakened One). It spread outside of Magadha starting in the Buddha's lifetime, and with the reign of the Buddhist Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, spread across India and became the dominant religion.^[2][3] Followers of Buddhism, called Buddhists in English, referred to themselves as Sakyans or Sakyabhiksu in ancient India.^[4][5]Buddhist scholar Donald S. Lopez asserts they also used the term Bauddha,^[6] although scholar Richard Cohen asserts that that term was used only by outsiders to describe Buddhists.^[7]

Buddhism has spread outside of India through two main traditions; Theravada which extended south and east and now has widespread following in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, and Mahayana, which diffused first west, then north and later east throughout East Asia. Both traditions have since spread throughout the world, mainly in North America and Europe. The practice of Buddhism as a distinct and organized religion declined from the land of its origin in around 13th century, but not without leaving a significant impact. Hindus continued to absorb Buddhist practices and teachings, such as meditation and the renunciation of the material world. Buddhist practice is most common in Himalayan areas like Ladakh,Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. Buddhism has reemerged as a major faith in India in the past century, thanks to its adoption by many Indian intellectuals, the migration of Buddhist Tibetan exiles, and the mass conversion of hundreds of thousands of Hindu Dalits.^[8]

Contents  [hide] 1 Siddhartha Gautama 2 Buddhist movements 2.1 Early Buddhism Schools 2.2 Mahayana 2.3 Vajrayana 3 Strengthening of Buddhism in India 3.1 The Early Spread of Buddhism 3.2 Asoka and the Mauryan Empire 3.3 Graeco-Bactrians, Sakas and Indo-Parthians 3.4 Kushan Empire 3.5 The Pala and Sena era 4 Dharma masters 5 Decline of Buddhism in India 5.1 Influence of Hinduism 5.1.1 The White Hun invasions 5.1.2 Turkish Muslim Conquerors 5.2 Causes within the Buddhist Tradition of the time 6 Revival of Buddhism in India 6.1 Anagarika Dharmapala and the Maha Bodhi Society 6.2 Bengal Buddhist Association 6.3 Tibetan Buddhism 6.4 Neo Buddhist movement (Conversion of Dalits) 6.5 Recent status of Neo Buddhists and Buddhism 6.6 Vipassana movement

[edit]Siddhartha Gautama

The Ashoka Chakra is an ancientIndian depiction of the Dharmachakra. Illustration of the Ashoka Chakra, as depicted on the National flag of the Republic of India.

Siddhārtha Gautama was the historical founder of Buddhism.

After asceticism and meditation, he discovered the Buddhist Middle Way—a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.

Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment sitting under a pipal tree, now known as the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India. Gautama, from then on, was known as"The Perfectly Self-Awakened One," the Samyaksambuddha.

Buddha found patronage in the ruler of Magadha, emperor Bimbisara. The emperor accepted Buddhism as personal faith and allowed the establishment of many Buddhist "Viharas." This eventually led to the renaming of the entire region as Bihar.^[9]

At the Deer Park Water Reservation near Vārāṇasī in northern India, Buddha set in motion the Wheel of Dharma by delivering his first sermon to the group of five companions with whom he had previously sought enlightenment. They, together with the Buddha, formed the first Saṅgha, the company of Buddhist monks, and hence, the first formation of Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) was completed.

For the remaining years of his life, the Buddha is said to have traveled in the Gangetic Plain of Northeastern India and other reigons.

Buddha attained Parinirvana in the abandoned jungles of Kuśināra.

[edit]Buddhist movements

The Buddha did not appoint any successor, and asked his followers to work for personal salvation. The teachings of the Buddha existed only in oral traditions. The Sangha held a number of Buddhist councils in order to reach consenseus on matters of Buddhist doctrine and practice.

According to the scriptures, a monk by the name of Mahakasyapa presided over the first Buddhist council held at Rajgir. Its purpose was to recite and agree on the Buddha's actual teachings and on monastic discipline. Some scholars consider this council fictitious.^[10]

The Second Buddhist Council is said to have taken place at Vaishāli. Its purpose was to deal with questionable monastic practices like the use of money, the drinking of palm wine, and other irregularities; the council declared these practices unlawful.

The Sattapanni caves of Rajgir served as the location for the First Buddhist Council.

What is commonly called the Third Buddhist Council was held at Pātaliputra, and was allegedly called by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Organized by the monk Moggaliputta Tissa, it was held in order to rid the sangha of the large number of monks who had joined the order because of its royal patronage. Most scholars now believe this council was exclusively Theravada, and that the dispatch of missionaries to various countries at about this time was nothing to do with it.

What is often called the Fourth Buddhist council is generally believed to have been held under the patronage of emperor Kanishka at Jālandhar, though the late Monseigneur Professor Lamotte considered it fictitious.^[11] It is generally believed to have been a council of the Sarvastivada school.

Following the Buddha's passing, many philosophical movements emerged within Buddhism. The first of these were the various Early Buddhist Schools (includingTheravada). Later Mahayana Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism arose.

Buddhism all over the world

The History of Buddhism spans the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama on the Indian subcontinent, in what is nowLumbini, Nepal. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today. The religion evolved as it spread from the northeastern region of the Indian subcontinent throughCentral, East, and Southeast Asia. At one time or another, it influenced most of the Asian continent. The history of Buddhism is also characterized by the development of numerous movements, schisms, and schools, among them the Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna traditions, with contrasting periods of expansion and retreat.

Contents  [hide] 1 Siddhartha Gautama 2 Early Buddhism 2.1 1st Buddhist council (5th c. BCE) 2.2 2nd Buddhist council (4th c. BCE) 3 Aśokan proselytism (c. 261 BCE) 3.1 3rd Buddhist council (c.250 BCE) 3.2 Hellenistic world 3.3 Expansion to Sri Lanka and Burma 4 Rise of the Sunga (2nd–1st century BCE) 5 Greco-Buddhist interaction (2nd century BCE–1st century CE) 5.1 Central Asian expansion 6 Rise of Mahāyāna (1st century BCE–2nd century CE) 6.1 The Two Fourth Councils 7 Mahāyāna expansion (1st century CE–10th century CE) 7.1 India 7.2 Central and Northern Asia 7.2.1 Central Asia 7.2.2 Parthia 7.2.3 Tarim Basin 7.2.4 China 7.2.5 Korea 7.2.6 Japan 7.2.7 Tibet 7.3 Southeast Asia 7.3.1 Srivijayan Empire (7th–13th century) 7.3.2 Khmer Empire (9th–13th century) 7.3.3 Vietnam 8 Emergence of the Vajrayāna (5th century) 9 Theravāda Renaissance (11th century CE— ) 10 Expansion of Buddhism to the West

[edit]Siddhartha Gautama

Main article: Siddhartha Gautama

The Aśoka Chakra, an ancient Indiandepiction of the Dharmachakra and depicted on the national flag of India.

Siddhārtha Gautama was the historical founder of Buddhism. He was born a Kshatriya prince in what is now Lumbini, Nepal, in 623 BCE.^[1] His particular family of Sakya Kshatriyas were of Brahmin lineage (Sanskrit: gotra), as indicated by the family name "Gautama". 19th-century scholars, such as Dr. Eitel, connected it to the Brahmin Rishi Gautama.^[2] In many Buddhist texts, Buddha is said to be a descendant of the Brahmin Sage Angirasa.^[3] For example, "In the Pāli Mahavagga "Angirasa" (in Pāli Angirasa) occurs as a name of Buddha Gautama who evidently belonged to the Angirasa tribe...".^[4] Scholar Edward J. Thomas too connected Buddha with sages Gautama and Angirasa.^[5]

After asceticism and meditation, Siddhartha Gautama discovered the Buddhist Middle Way—a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.

Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment sitting under a pipal tree, now known as the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India. Gautama, from then on, was known as "The Perfectly Self-Awakened One," the Samyaksambuddha.

Buddha found patronage in the ruler of Magadha, emperor Bimbisāra. The emperor accepted Buddhism as his personal faith and allowed the establishment of many Buddhist vihāras. This eventually led to the renaming of the entire region as Bihār.^[6]

At the Deer Park near Vārāṇasī in northern India, Buddha set in motion the Wheel of Dharma by delivering his first sermon to a group of five companions with whom he had previously sought enlightenment. Together with the Buddha they formed the first Saṅgha, the company of Buddhist monks, and hence, the first formation of the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha) was completed.