FUNDAMENTALS OF INDIAN HISTORY: BUDDHISM

PlanofthisModule:

WhyNewReligions?

WhatisaBuddha?

IsthereonlyOneBuddhai.e.GautamBuddha?
o
BuddhasoftheAnandaTemple

LifeofGautamBuddha:
o
Birth
o
Mahabhinsihkaramana
o
Enlightment
o
Dhammachakraparavirtana
o
Diciplesandpatrons
o
Travels
o
Mahaparinirvana
o
Symbolsof5greateventsofBuddhasLife

BuddhasTeachings:
o
FourNobleTruths:
o
EightFoldPathorAstangikamarg:
o
ConceptofNirvana:

BuddhistLiterature:
o
Tripitaka
o
SuttaPitaka:
o
VinayaPitaka:
o
Abhidhammapitaka:
o
Jatakas:
o
MilindaPanha:
o
Dipavamsa:
o
Mahavamsa:
o
Mahavamsa&SriLanka'sCivilWar
o
Mahavastu:
o
BuddhaCharita:
o
Mahvibhsastra
Lalitavistara
o
o
Divyavadana:
o
Udanavarga
o
Udana
o
BodhiVamsa

BuddhistScholars:
o
Avaghosa

o
o
o
o
o

Nagarjuna:
Asanga&Vasubandhu:
Buddhaghosa
DigngaorDinnaga:
Dharmakirti

OtherTopics:
o
BuddhistSangeetiorCouncils
o
Hinayana:
o
Mahayana:
o
Major Difference between Hinayana &
Mahayana:
Bodhisattva:
o
Avalokitevara
o
Manjusri:
o
Samantabhadra
o
Ksitigarbha
o
Maitreya
o
Vajrapani
o
Sadparibhta
o
Akasagarbha

ImportantBuddhistShrines:
o
Astamahasthanas:
o
Amaravati:
o
Nagarjunkonda
o
AjantaCaves
AngkorWat
o
o
BodhGaya
o
BodhiTree
o
Borobudur
o
BamyanCaves:
o
ElloraCaves
o
PushpagiriUniversity:

Compendium

WhyNewReligions?
ThepostVedicsocietywasdividedinto4varnasviz.Brahmins,Kshatriya,VaishyasandShudras.Birthhad
become the basis of varnas and two higher varnas viz. Brahmins and Kshatriya were given privileges. The
laterperiodsawtensionsrisinginthevarnas.ThetwodominantvarnasBrahminsandKshatriyacompeted
fordominance.KshatriyaactedasrulersandthereactedagainstthedominationofthepriestsofBrahmins.

ThereisastoryinJainMythologythatVardhamanaMahavirawastobebornasasonofaBrahminladyDevananda,butas

alltheTirthankaraswereKshatriyabybirth,IndratransferredthebabyinthewombofaKshatriyaqueenTrishla.Thisstory

mightbethepartofacampaignatthattimewhichtendedtoprovethesuperiorityofKshatriyaoverBrahmins.

BothGautamBuddhaandMahaviraJainbasicallydisputedtheauthorityoftheBrahmins.
ApartfromthatIndiawasnowdevelopingasaagrobasedeconomy.Theimportanceoftradeincreasedand
Vaishyas started getting more importance. The Vaishyas came at third position after the Brahmins and
Kshatriyaandtheylookedforotherreligionswhichcouldimprovetheirposition.Themoneylendingwasa
AboutthisDocument:
This paper is part of Gktodays reader supported Email Coaching / Assistance Programme for Public Service Examinations of 2011. Queries and suggestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
1|P a g e

trade in post Vedic era, but Brahmins looked down upon this business. The vaishyas wanted some better
religious position and that is one of the regions that the trader community vaishyas provided support to
bothJainismandBuddhism.

There was practice prevalent in the Vedic era that was killing the cattle for sacrifices. This ritual was not
accepted in the new agro economy. In fact except Brahmins, almost all common public was irked by the
ritualisticpracticesofthepostVedicperiodbaseduponexaggeration,superstition,Brahminicaldominance.
ThepositionofShudrasgotworsetoworst.
Sanskrit which was the prime language in theVedic and postVedic period now started losingcharm. Most
peoplespokePrakrit.ThePositionofwomengotinferior.

BuddhismandJainismwerethemovementsthatstartedtoreformtheHinduism.

WhatisaBuddha?
BuddhahoodinSanskritisBuddhatva.InPaliisitcalledBuddhattaorbuddhabhva.Itisthestateofperfect
enlightment attained by a Buddha. The perfect enlightment is sammsambodhi in Pali. This refers to the
universalandinnatepropertyofabsolutewisdom.
IsthereonlyOneBuddhai.e.GautamBuddha?
The Buddhavamsa isa text which is part ofthe Pali Canonof Buddhism. It deals with the life of Buddha. It
mentions 29 Buddhas in all. The 27 Buddhas, preceded Gautam Buddha and Maitreya, the 29th Buddha is
next to come in future. Gautam Buddha was 28th Buddha. The Buddhavamsa related that in the present
Kalpa,thereare5Buddhas.
1. Kakusandha
2. Kogamana
3. Kassapa
4. Gautama
5. Maitreya
ThefifthMaitreyaisafutureBuddha.Thefirstamongthese5BuddhasofthepresentKalpaisKakusandha.Kakusandhais
mentionedintheSanskritBuddhisttextsasKrakucchanda.InTibetheisknownasKhorvadjig.HewasborninNepal,near
Kapilvastu.Heattainedenlightmentunderasirisatree.ThesecondBudhaofthepresentKalpawasKogamana.Third
Buddha was Kassapa. In Sanskrit Buddhist texts, he is known as Kasyapa. He was also born in Nepal and attained
enlightmentunderaBanyanTree.

BuddhasoftheAnandaTemple
Ananda Temple is located in Bagan, in Burma. This temple was built in 1105 AD during the reign of King Kyanzittha. It has four
standingBuddhaswhichareadornedwithgoldleafandeachBuddhaimagefacesadirection.KakusandhaisNorthfacing,Kassapais
Southfacing,KonagamanaisEastfacing&Gautamaiswestfacing.

LifeofGautamBuddha:
Gautam Buddha is the historical Buddha of Buddhism. He founded Buddhism and is known as Supreme
Buddhaorammsambuddhaorsamyaksabuddha.HewasborninLumbini,alittleprincipalityofKapilvastu
inmoderndayNepal.HischildhoodnamewasSiddhartha.HewassonofShuddodhanaaleaderoftheshakya
clan.
The capital of this Sakya clan was Kapilvastu and it was not a monarchy but a sort of Republic. Queen
MahamayawasthenameofGautamBuddha.
HathrasdistrictofUttarPradeshwasrenamedas"MahamayaNagar",afterBuddha'smother.
ThebirthofBuddhaiscelebratedasVesakainsomecountries.InIndiaitisBuddhaPurnima.
QueenMahamayadiedsoonafterhisbirthandhewasraisedbyMahaPrajapatiorPrajapatiGautami.Hewas
aprincesohehadlivedhisearlychildhoodinluxury.
AboutthisDocument:
This paper is part of Gktodays reader supported Email Coaching / Assistance Programme for Public Service Examinations of 2011. Queries and suggestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
2|P a g e


His father wished him to be a great king and so he was shielded from the religious teachings or human
sufferings.But,asachildGautamausedtobeabsorbedinphilosophicalmusings.Hegotmarriedattheageof
16withYashodhara.ShegavebirthtoaSon,Rahula.

Attheageof29,whilegoingtomeethissubjectsheencounteredhumansufferingssuchasoldage,deathand
diseases.HeusedtoaskhischarioteerChanna1aboutthesesufferings.Hedeeplydepressedbythetruththat
humanlifeismomentaryandonehastosufferalot.Helefthishomeattheageof29years,sothathecould
overcome old age, illness and death by living a life of an ascetic. This is called "the great departure' or
Mahabhinishkramana.

HefirstwenttoRajgrihaRajgahaorRajgir.Hestartedbeggingalmsoverthereandlivinglifeofanascetic.
The King Bimbisara after a request from Kind Shuddodhana launched a search and Siddhartha was
recognizedbythemenofBimbisara.Bimbisaraofferedhimathrone,butGautamarefused.HeleftRajgirbut
promisedBimbisaratovisithiscapitalMagadha,later.

He studied under two hermits Alara and Udaka. He achieved high knowledge and was asked to succeed
Udaka,buthewasnotsatisfiedwiththepathandhisgoalsoherefused.

TheexperimentswiththelifeofascetismcouldnotbringdesiredfruitsforGautama.HelefttheUdaka,and
moved on with 5 companions who were led by Kaundinya. They set out for more austerity. They tried
enlightmentthroughtotaldeprivationof worldly goods includingfood. This ledhim to starving neardeath
condition,andonedayhecollapsedintoariverandalmostdrowned.

Thisledhimtoreconsiderthepath.Hestartedmovingawayfromascetismandmovingclosertomeditating
andthisiscalledtheMiddlePath,thepathofhavingoneselfawayfromextremeselfindulgenceandextreme
selfmortification.HeacceptedmilkandricepuddingfromavillagegirlcalledSujata.

WhilemeditatingunderaPipaltreeonthebankofriverNiranjanaatGaya,hecameacrossthedesiredtruth,
attheageof35yearsandafter49daysofmeditating.HewasnowcalledBuddhaorShakyamuniBuddha
whichmeanstheBuddhaofShakyaClan.
GautamaBuddhaneverindulgedhimselfintheabstractissuessuchasexistenceofGod,BrahmaandSouletc.Thebasicpurposeof
GautamaBuddhasteachingwastoseekremedyfromthesorrowofthehumanlifeandseekhappiness.Histeachingscategorizedin4
EternalTruthsprovidethepracticalsolutiontotheworldlyproblemsanddon'tindulgeinabstractdebate.

ThefirstdisciplesofBuddhaafterbecomingenlightenedweretwomerchantsnamedTapussaandBhallika.
Afterbecomingenlightened,hesoughttofindhisformerteachersAradaandUdakatoteachthem,butthey
had died. He then looked for Kaundinya and other companions. Gautama Buddha now preached his first
sermon which deals with the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, the core pillars of Buddhist
teaching regarding the intrinsic suffering of existence and how to deal with it. This was called
DhammacakkappavattanaSutta.Kaundinya&4othersbecamethefirsthumanbeingstobetaughtBuddha
'steachingandbecomeanarhat(spiritualpractitioner).ThiseventtookplaceatDeerParknearVaranasi.

TwogemsofBuddhismviz.BuddhaandDhammawarenowready.The5disciplesandBuddhaformedthe
first union of Buddhism which is called Sangha. So, with the formation of a Sangha, the three gems of

NameofthehorsewasKanthaka.

AboutthisDocument:
This paper is part of Gktodays reader supported Email Coaching / Assistance Programme for Public Service Examinations of 2011. Queries and suggestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
3|P a g e

Buddhism(Buddha,DhammaandSangha)werecompleted.Thereamingyearsoflife,Buddhatravelledmany
parts of the country and established the Sangha and propagated his teachings. Thousands of people joined
SanghaandtheseSanghasalsospreadinmanyparts.

As promised previously Buddha now travelled to Magadha, the capital of King Bimbisara. During this visit
Sariputta(wholaterfoundedTheravadatradition)andMahamoggallanabecameBuddha'sdiciples.

Sariputta,Mahamoggallana,Mahakasyapa,AnandaandAnuruddhacomprisedthefivechiefdisciples.Histen
foremostdiscipleswerecompletedbythequintetofUpali,Subhoti,Rahula,MahakaccanaandPunna.Rahula
washisson,whobecamediscipleattheageof7.

Buddha'sparinirvahappenedatKuinagaraattheageof80years.

Symbolsof5greateventsofBuddhasLife:
Event
BuddhasBirth
TheGreatDeparture(Mahabhinishkramana)
Enlightment(Nirvana)
FirstSermon(Dhammachakraparivartan)
Death(Parinirvana)

Symbol
Lotus&Bull
Horse
BodhiTree
Wheel
Stupa

BuddhasTeachings
FourNobleTruths:
Four noble truths were taught by Buddha in Dhammachakraparivartan. They are the core teachings of
Buddhism.
1. DukkhaorSorrow:Theworldisfullofsorrowandeverythingfrombirthtodeathbringssorrows
inlife.
2. DukkhaSamudayaorCauseofSorrow:Thecauseofsorrowsisdesire.Itistheunfulfillmentof
humandesireswhichleadshimtotheviciouscycleofbirthsandrebirths.
3. Dukkha Nirodha or Prevention of Sorrow: It is possible to prevent sorrow. Man can get rid of
sorrowbytriumphingoverthedesires.
4. DukkhaNirodhaGaminiPatipadaMaggaorThepathofPreventionofSorrow:Mancanavoid
Dukkha by avoiding extremes of life and following middle path or Madhyam Patipada. The life of
moderationandselfcontrolalongwithpursuanceof8foldpathisessentialtopreventtheDukkha.

EightFoldPathorAstangikamarg:
The eight fold path was recommended to eliminate the human misery. It basically comprises of 3 basic
divisionsofWisdom(PragyaSkanda),EthicalConduct(SheelSkanda)AndConcentration(SamadhiSkanda).
Followingtablerepresentstheeightfoldpath:

AboutthisDocument:
This paper is part of Gktodays reader supported Email Coaching / Assistance Programme for Public Service Examinations of 2011. Queries and suggestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
4|P a g e

Eigh
htFoldPath

PraagyaSkanda

RightVission

Right
Resolutio
on

SheelSkan
nda

RightActtion

Right
Speech
h

SamadhiSkaanda

Right
Livelihoo
od

RightEfforts

Right
Memoryy

Right
Meditation

V
R
A
SL
E
MM
Concepto
ofNirvana:
TheconceeptofNirvanainBuddhismisentirelydiffferentfromth
heHinduism.Buddhismdeeniedtheconcceptof
Moksha,h
howeveritdeffinesNirvanah
hastogettinggridofCycleo
ofDeathandb
birth.Itisachievedintheliffetime
itselfandn
notafterdeath.Toachievenirvanaoneshouldfollowm
moralcodeoffConduct.

Buddh
histLiteraturre
Tripitaka
a
Tripitaka or Three Basskets is a trad
ditional term used for various Buddhistt scriptures. It
I is known as
a pali
CanoninE
English.Theth
hreepitakasaareSuttaPitakka,VinayaPita
akaandAbhidh
hammaPitaka
a.
Th
heravdascho
oolTripitakaiistheonlycom
mpleteTripitaakapreservedinPali.
SrvstivdaissanearcomplleteTripitakaawritteninSaanskritandprreservedinSanskrit,Chinesseand
Tibetan.
Th
he7booksofAbhidhammapitakasurviveeinChineseT
Translation.
Dhammaguptak
katripitakaisswritteninGaandhari.
OtherversionsofTripitakaaareMahasangh
hika,Mahisasa
aka,Mlasrvstivda&K
yapya
SuttaPita
aka:
It contains over 10 tho
ousand suttas or sutras related to Buddha and his clo
ose companio
ons. This also deals
withtheffirstBuddhist councilwhich
hwasheldsh
hortlyafterBu
uddha'sdeath,,datedbytheemajorityofrrecent
scholars around
a
400 BC, under the patronage of king Ajatasattru with the monk
m
Mahakaasyapa presidiing, at
Rajgir.
Itssection
nsare:
1. DighaNikaya:C
Comprisesthee"long"discou
ursesin34lon
ngsutras.
2. MajjhimaNikay
M
ya:Comprisessthe"middlellength"discou
ursesin152su
utras.
3. Sa
amyuttaNikayya:Comprisessthe"connected"discoursesinover2800
0sutras.
4. AnguttaraNika
aya:Compriseesthe"numerical"discoursesinover960
00sutras.
5. Khuddaka
K
Nika
aya: Comprisees the "minorr collection" It
I has 1517 booklets.
b
(Thaai 15. Sinhali 17 &
Burmese18bo
ooklets).

VinayaPiitaka:
ThesubjectmatterofV
VinayPitakaissthemonasticcrulesformo
onksandnunss.Itcanalsob
becalledasBo
ookof
Discipline.
Suttavibh
hanga:ThebaasiccodeofMonasticdiscip
plineisknown
nasPatimokkh
ha.Itcontainss227rulesforfully
ordained Monks called
d bikkhus (Maaha vibhanga)) and 311 ru
ules for fully ordained
o
nun
ns called Bikk
khunis
(BikkhuniVibhanga)Th
heyarecontainedinSuttaviibhanga,oneo
ofthepartsoffVinayPitaka..
Khandhak
ka: Khandhak
ka is the seccond book off Vinay Pitak
ka. It has two
o volumes viiz. Mahavaggaa and
Cullavaggaa.Mahavaggadealswiththeawakeningo
ofBuddhaand
dhisgreatdissciples.Cullav
vaggadealswiththe

AboutthisDocu
ument:
This paper is parrt of Gktodays reader supported Email Coacching / Assistance Proggramme for Public Servvice Examinations of 20011. Queries and suggeestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmaail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
5|P a g e

firstandssecondBuddhistcouncilsan
ndestablishm
mentsofcomm
munityofBudd
dhistnunsand
drulesforBud
ddhist
communitty.
Parivara:Parivaraisth
helastbooko
ofVinayaPitak
ka.Itcoversthesummaryo
ofanalysisof rulesmention
nedin
firsttwob
andseemsto
booksofVinaayPitaka.Its islatestbook
i
obelaterthan
ntheFourth BuddhistCoin
ncilin
Ceylon.Italsocontainsquestionsand
danswers.
Abhidham
mmapitaka:
Abhidham
mmapitakadeaalswiththeph
hilosophyand
ddoctrineofB
Buddhismapp
pearinginthe suttas.Howeever,it
doesnotccontainthesysstematicphilo
osophicaltreatises.Therearre7worksofAbhidhammaaPitakawhich
hmost
scholarsaagreethatdon'trepresentth
hewordsofBu
uddhahimself.The7bookssare
1. Dhammasangani:ItcontainssamatrixwhiichliststheclaassificationoffDhammasorrideas.
2. Vibhanga
Vi
: It has
h 18 chapters dealing witth different teeachings of Buddhism. It iss in 3 volumees and
th
hirdvolumeissinquestionaanswerformatt.
3. Dhatukatha:Ithasamatrixaandvariousto
opics.
4. Pu
uggalapannattti:Ithasamaatrixwhichdeealswiththeliistofthepersons.
5. Kathavatthu:It
K
tcontainsthedebatesandccommentaryo
onthoesedebaates.
6. Yamaka:Yama
Ya
akahasquestionsinpairsan
ndunderstand
ding.
7. Pa
atthana:Italssocontainsth
hequestionsan
ndanswers.
Thefollow
winggraphicshowstheTrip
pitakaofBudd
dhism.

PaliCanon:Tripitakas

SuttaPitaka

V
VinayaPitak
ka

Abhidhammapitakka

DighaNikaya
MajjhiimaNikaya
Samyu
uttaNikaya
AngutttaraNikaya
Khudd
dakaNikaya

SSuttavibhangaa

Mahavibhang
ga

BikkhuniVibh
hanga
K
Khandhaka

Mahavagga

Cullavagga
P
Parivara

Dhamma
asangani
Vibhanga
a
Dhatuka
atha
Puggalap
pannatti
Kathavattthu
Yamaka
Patthana
a

Collectio
onofBuddhas
SermonsandTeachings

Dealswiththegovverning
D
r
rulesofSanghaan
ndmonks

DealswithBuddhist
Philosophyy

Prominen
ntBuddhistL
LiteraryWork
ks
Jatakas:
Jatakasarreverymuch closetofolklo
oreliterature andtheycon
ntainthetalesofpreviousb
birthsofBudd
dhain
poems.Th
heJatakahaveealsobenmeentionedinth
heKhuddakaN
Nikaya.There are547poem
ms.InSanskrititis
calledJata
akamala,InKh
hmertheyareeknownascieetak,andinCh
hinesetheyareecalledSadokk.
MilindaP
Panha:

AboutthisDocu
ument:
This paper is parrt of Gktodays reader supported Email Coacching / Assistance Proggramme for Public Servvice Examinations of 20011. Queries and suggeestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmaail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
6|P a g e

Milinda Panha means "Questions of Milinda". It contains the dialogue of IndoGreek king Meander and
BuddhistmonkNagasena.IthasbeenwritteninsecondtofirstcenturyBCandinitiallywritteninSanskrit.
ThereisonlyonecopyinSriLankanPaliofthiswork.Itwasprintedinthe6thBuddhistcouncilin1954.
Dipavamsa:
The meaning of Dipavamsa is "Chronicle of Island". It is the oldest historical record of Sri Lanka. It is
believed to have been compiled around 3rd or 4th century BC somewhere in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka
duringthereignofKingDhatusenaofSriLanka,thefirstMauryanKingofSriLanka.
TheAvukanaBuddhastatuewaserectedbyKingDhatusenainSriLanka.
DipavamsaisoneofthemostimportantworksinPaliLiterature.ItdetailsthetoothrelicandBodhiTree's
arrivalinSriLanka.ItalsodealswiththearrivalofBuddha'steachingandpreachersinSriLanka.Itmentions
thatBuddhavisitedKelaniyaandDighavapiinSriLanka.
Mahavamsa:
Mahavamsa is the most important Pali epic poem. Mahavamsa means "Great Chronicle". Its a historical
poeminPaliLanguagewhichdealsabouttheKingsofSriLanka.ThefirstversionofMahavamsadatesbackto
34thcenturyBCduringthereignofKingVijaya.TheMahavamsa,Dipavamsa,Culavamsa(smallchronicle)all
togetheraresometimesknownasMahavamsa.ItdealswiththeroyaldynastiesofnotonlySriLankabutthe
wholeIndiansubcontinentandisknownasworld'slongestunbrokenhistoricalaccounts.Theconsecrationof
AsokaanddetailsofSelucusandAlexanderhavebeendetailedinit.

Mahavamsa & Sri Lanka's Civil War

In
the
modern
times,
Mahavamsa
got
significance
in Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese people refer to Mahavamsa to claim that

historically Buddhism is the religion of Sri Lanka. This was to counter attack the Tamil Nationalists. In 1930's the Tamil
Sinhalese conflict started taking prominent shape and Sinhalese Nationalists claimed the historically the kings of Sri lanka
were Buddhist. This was countered by G.G. Ponnambalam, a Tamil Nationalist of Sri Lanka. He claimed that all the
historical kings such as Vijaya, Dhatusena, Kasyapa etc. were Tamils. This led to widespread violence in Sri Lanka. The
violence was calmed down by the British, but the chain reaction had started which culminated in the Sri Lankan Civil war
that only ended in 2009, with defeat & death of Prabhakaran.

Mahavastu:
Mahavastumeansthe"GreatEvent".ItsaworkinproseandverseandiswritteninSanskrit,PaliandPrakrit.
Itdetailsthemiracles&earlierlivesofBuddha.
BuddhaCharita:
Buddha Charita is an epic style Sanskrit work by Ashavaghosa and was compiled in second century BC.
DharmaraksawhoisknowntohavetranslatedmanyworksofBuddhisminChinese,translatedthisworkin
Chinese in 420AD. It mainly deals with Buddha's Life. Asvaghosa also wrote a Sanskrit Drama Sariputra
PrakaranwhichdealsaboutSariputtaorSariputrathediscipleofBuddha.
Mahvibhsastra
ItsanearlySanskritworkonBuddhism.Vibhasameansacompendiumandhas3prongs.Itisattributedto
vasumitraanddealswithnotonlyBuddhismbutalsoVaisheshikaandSamkyaphilosophies.
Lalitavistara
InSanskritLalitisaLotus.LalitvistaraisaSanskrittextthatdealswiththebiographyofBuddha.
Divyavadana:
Divyavadana means divine tales. It contains anthology in 38 stories and is a sankrit text which deals with
MauryanandSungaHistory.TheAsokavadanaisastoryinitwhichdealswiththelegendsofAsoka.
Udanavarga
UdanavargaisanearlyBuddhistsanskrittext.IthasversesattributedtoBuddhaandhisdisciples.
Udana
AboutthisDocument:
This paper is part of Gktodays reader supported Email Coaching / Assistance Programme for Public Service Examinations of 2011. Queries and suggestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
7|P a g e

UdanaisaPalitextincludedthereintheSuttaPitaka'sKhuddakaNikaya.Itcontainsthestoryof"Blindmen
andElephant".

BodhiVamsa
BodhiVamsaisamixSanskritPalitextwhichwascomposedbyUpatissaundertheruleofMahindaIVofSri
Lankain10thcenturyAD.ItdescribesthearrivalofbranchofBodhitreeinSriLankaandmanyotherthings
whichmentionedinMahavamsa.

BuddhistScholars
ThemostimportantturningpointintheexpansionofBuddhisminIndiawastheemergenceandconversion
of Asoka the Great (304232 BC). He embraced Buddhism after 8 years of his coronation, he became a
Buddhistandmadeithisstatereligionin260BC.HeconvenedthethirdBuddhistcouncil,whichwasheldin
PataliputrainthepresidencyofMoggaliputtaTissa.HelaunchedavigorouscampaigntopropagateBuddhism
whichcouldbecalledAsokasDhamma.ThemainscholarsofBuddhaareasfollows:

Avaghosa
Avaghosa is the Greatest Indian Poet Prior to Kalidasa. he is known as first Sanskrit Dramatist. His epics
rivaledthecontemporaryRamayana.HewroteBuddhisttextsinClassicalSanskrit.Hewasthecourtwriter
andreligiousadvisorofKushanakingKanishka.HismainworksareBuddhacharita,Mahalankara(Bookof
Glory)andSaundaranandakavya(detailsthelifeofNanda).

Nagarjuna:
NagarjunafoundedtheMadhyamikaschoolofMahayanBuddhism.HewascontemporaryofSatavahanaKing
Gautamiputra. He was born in a Brahmin family in Nagarjunkonda in modern Andhra Pradesh. Due to his
birth in Brahmin family and later conversion in Buddhism, it can be justified that his early work was in
sanskritandnotinPaliorHybridsanskrit.MostimportantworkisMlamadhyamakakrik,whichmeans
FundamentalVersesontheMiddleWay.HistheoryisalsoknownasShunyavademptiness".

Asanga&Vasubandhu:
BothwerehalfbrothersandproponentsofYogacharaandAbhidhammaTeachings.Theywerefrommodern
PeshawarinPakistan.MostimportantworkofVasubandhuwasAbhidharmamoksha.

Buddhaghosa
Buddhaghosalivedthe5thcenturyADandisknowntobeoneofthegreatestPalischolar.Hisnamemeans"
Voice of Buddha". Considered to be most important commentator of the Theravada. Details of his life have
beendescribedinMahavamsaandBuddhaghosuppatti.PleasenoteBuddhaghosuppattiwasnothiswork.He
is said to have gone to Sri Lanka from India's Magadha and settled in Anuradhapura. The most important
workisVisuddhimagga.
DigngaorDinnaga:
HeisconsideredtobethefounderofBuddhistlogic.
CandrakrtiorChandrakirti:
hewasadiscipleofNagarjunaandascholarattheNalandaUniversity.Prasannapadishismainworkwhich
meanshappywordsorclearwords
Dharmakirti
Dharmakirtilivedin7thcenturyADandwasprimarytheoristofBuddhistSankya.Hewasateacheratthe
NalandaUniversityandapoet.HehaswrittenSevenTreatisesonValidCognition.Hehasbeencalled"Kantof
India'.

AboutthisDocument:
This paper is part of Gktodays reader supported Email Coaching / Assistance Programme for Public Service Examinations of 2011. Queries and suggestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
8|P a g e


BuddhistSangeetiorCouncils
6Buddhistcouncilshavebeenconvened.Hereisashortdescription:
FirstBuddhistCouncil:400BC
Held soon after the mahaparinirvana of the Buddha, around 400 BC under the patronage of king
AjatshatruwiththemonkMahakasyapapresiding,atRajgriha,intheSattapaniCave.
TheideawastopreserveBuddha'steachings(Sutta)andrulesfordisciples(Vinaya).Ananda,oneof
thegreatdisciplesofBuddharecitedSuttasandUpali,anotherdisciplerecitedVinaya.Abhidhamma
Pitakawasalsoincluded.
SecondBuddhistCouncil:383BC
Itwasheldin383BC.ThisideaofthiscouncilwastosettleadisputeonVinayaPitaka,thecodeof
discipline.
Thedisputewason10Pointssuchasstoringsaltinhorn,eatingaftermidday,eatingonceandgoing
to villages for alms, eating sour milk after one's meal etc. It was not settles and Buddhism sects
appearedforthefirsttime.
ThesubgroupswereSthaviravada,MahasanghikaandSarvastivada.
ItwasheldatVaishaliunderthepatronageofKingKalasokaandthepresidencyofSabakami.
SthaviravadafollowedtheteachingsoftheeldersandMahasanghikabecameextinctlater.
Sthaviravadalatercontinuedtill3rdBuddhistcouncil.
ThirdBuddhistCouncil:250BC
ThirdBuddhistcouncilwasheldin250BCatPataliputraunderthepatronageofKingAsokaandunderthe
presidency of Moggaliputta Tissa. The teachings of Buddha which were under two baskets were now
classified in 3 baskets as Abhidhamma Pitaka was established in this council, and they were known as
"Tripitaka".ItalsotriedtosettleallthedisputesofVinayaPitaka.
FourthBuddhistCouncil:72AD
TheFourthBuddhistCouncilwasheldatKundalvana,Kashmirin72ADunderthepatronageofKushanking
Kanishka and the president of this council was Vasumitra, with Avaghosa as his deputy. This council
distinctlydividedtheBuddhisminto2sectsMahayan&Hinayan.
AnotherFourthBuddhistCouncilwasheldatTambapanni(onenameofSriLanka)atAlokaLenaunderthe
patronage of VattagamaniAbaya. However, most scholars agree that this was not eligible to be called a
Council as it was not under a king but a local chieftain. This council is also related to the cruel policy of
VattagamaniAbayatowardsJains,asitissaidthatajainpremiseswasdestroyedandaMahayantemplewas
built.
FifthBuddhistCouncil:1871
FifthBuddhistCounciltookplacein1871underthepatronageofKingMindoninMandalay,Burma.Itwas
presidedbyJagarabhivamsa,Narindabhidhaja,andSumangalasami.Theideawastorecitealltheteachingsof
theBuddhaandexaminethemsystematicallyifanyofthemwasdroppedoraltered.
SixthBuddhistCouncil:1954
The Sixth Buddhist Council was held in 1954 in Burma at Kaba Aye, in Yangoon under the patronage of
BurmeseGovernmentledbyPrimeMinisterUNu.ConstructionofMahaPassanaGuha,whichisverymuch
similar to India's Sattapanni Cave where the first Buddhist Council had been held, was authorized by the
government.ItwasaimedtopreservethegenuineDhammaandVinayaPitaka.Itheldunderthepresidency
ofMahasiSayadawandBhadantaVicittasarabhivamsa.500buddhistscholarsfrom8countriesparticipated
inthiscouncil.

The6councilshavebeenarrangedinthefollowinggraphictoaidtomemory:

AboutthisDocument:
This paper is part of Gktodays reader supported Email Coaching / Assistance Programme for Public Service Examinations of 2011. Queries and suggestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
9|P a g e

FiirstBuddhistCouncil400BC
Patronage KingAja
atshatru
Priest:Mahakasyapa
Place:Rajgriha,intheSattapaniCave

Preserve Bud
ddha'steachingss(Sutta)andruleesfordisciples

Se
econdBuddhistCouncil383BC
Patronage:Kalasoka
Priest:Sabakami
Place:Vaishali

SettleadisputeonVinayaPiitaka,thecodeo
ofdiscipline.Sub
bgroups
Sthaviravadaa,MahasanghikaaandSarvastivadaemerged

Th
hirdBuddhistCounccil250BC
Patronage:Asoka
Priest:MogaliputtaTissaorUpagupta
Place:Pataliputra

AbhidhammaPitakawaseestablished

Fo
ourthBuddhistCoun
ncil72AD
Patronage:Kanishka
a
Priest:Vasumitraan
ndAsvaghosa
Place:Kundalvana,kkashmir

DividedtheeBuddhisminto
o2sectsMahayaan&Hinayan.

FiifthBuddhistCouncil:1871
Patronage:KingMin
ndon
Priests:Jagarabhiva
amsa,Narindabhidhaja,andSumangalassami.
urma
Place:Mandalay,Bu
SiixthBuddhistCouncil:1954
Patronage:UNu
Priests:MahasiSaya
adawandBhadantaVicittasarabhivamsaa
Place:Yangoon

Hinayana&Mahaya
ana:
AYanaisaavehicle.AHiinayanaisaleesservehiclew
whileaMahay
yanisaGreatv
vehicle.
Hinayana
a:
Alsocalled
d"DeficientV
Vehicle",the"A
AbandonedVeehicle",orthee"DefectiveVeehicle".Itbelievesintheorriginal
teachingo
ofBuddha.Don
n'tbelieveinIIdolWorship andtrytoattaainindividuallsalvationthrroughselfdisccipline
and medittation. Stharvvivada or Therrvada is a Hin
nayana sect, which
w
followss the "doctrine of elders". Asoka
A
Patronized
dHinayanand
dPalithelangguageofmasseeswasusebytheHinayansscholars.

Mahayana
a:
Thissectb
believesinth
heheavenlinesssofBuddha andbelieves inIdolWorsh
hip.ItisalsoccalledBodhissattva
Vehicle.M
MahynaBud
ddhismspreadfromIndia toChina,Japaan,Vietnam,K
Korea,Singapo
ore,Taiwan,N
Nepal,
Tibet, Bhu
utan, and Mo
ongolia. Zen, Pure
P
Land, Tiantai, and Nichiren,
N
Shinggon and Tibeetan Buddhism
m are
traditions of Mahayanaa. Fundamenttal principles of Mahynaa doctrine were
w
based on
n the possibillity of
universalliberationfrom
msufferingfo
orallbeings(h
hencethe"GreeatVehicle")aandtheexisten
nceofBuddhaasand
Bodhisattv
vasembodyin
ngBuddhaNatture.Itallowsssalvationtob
bealternativeelyobtainedth
hroughthegrraceof
theAmitb
bhaBuddhab
byhavingfaith
handdevotinggoneselftomiindfulnessofttheBuddha.B
BelievesinMan
ntras.

MajorDiffferencebetw
weenHinayan
na&Mahayan
na:
Bothadop
ptoneandtheesameVinayaa,andtheyhav
veincommon
ntheprohibitiionsofthefiveoffenses,andalso
thepracticeoftheFourNobleTruth
hs.Thosewho
oveneratetheebodhisattvasandreadth
heMahyna sutras
s
arecalledtheMahyniists,whiletho
osewhodonottperformthessearecalledttheHnaynistts

AboutthisDocu
ument:
This paper is parrt of Gktodays reader supported Email Coacching / Assistance Proggramme for Public Servvice Examinations of 20011. Queries and suggeestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmaail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
10 | P a g e

Bodhisattva:
A Bodhisattva means one who has essence of enlightment. Anyone who has a spontaneous wish to attain
BuddhahoodforthebenefitofallisaBodhisattva.ItsaverypopularsubjectinBuddhistart.Abodhisattvais
boundtoenlightmentandreferstoallwhoaredestinedtobecomeBuddhasinthislifeoranotherlife.There
are celestial bodhisattvas which are manifestations of Gautam Buddha. Important 8 Bodhisattvas are as
follows:
1. Avalokitevara
AvalokitevaraencompassesallBuddhas.InChinaheisknownasGunshynPs,intibetanasChenrezig,
inThaiasAvalokitesuarn.HeissaidtoincarnateinDalaiLama.heisdepictedasholdingalotusflower.Heis
depictedasfemalealso.AcavewallpaintingofAvalokitevaraisdevotedinAjantaCavesasPadmapani.
2. Manjusri:
He is known as Wnsh in Chinse, Jampelyang in Tibetan and is a menifestation of great wisdom and
meditation.Majurisdepictedasamalebodhisattvawieldingaflamingswordinhisrighthand.
3. Samantabhadra
SamantabhadrameansUniversalWorthyandheisassociatedwithmeditation.KnownasFugenBosatsuin
JapaneseandverypopularinJapanamongtheTendaiandShingonsects.HismanifestationisActionandhe
iskeyfigureinFlowerGarlandSutra.
4. Ksitigarbha
KsitigarbhaisusuallydepictedasaBuddhistmonkintheOrient/EastAsia.KsitigarbhameansEarthWomb.
heisregardedasBodhisattvaofEarthorHellbeingsorMortals.Heisregardedasguardianofchildrenand
patrondeityofdeceasedchildrenandabortedfetusesinJapaneseculture.hecarriesastaff.

Ksitigarbha, Samantabhadra, Manjusri, and Avalokitesvara are the principal Bodhisattvas of East
AsianMahayanaBuddhism.

Laughing Buddha is popularly regarded as an incarnation of which of the following

Bodhisattvas?

1. Ksitigarhba 2. Maitreya 3. Avlokiteshwara 4. Samantabhadra

5. Maitreya
AnsweroftheabovequestionisMaitreya.MaitreyawillbesuccessorofGautamaBuddha.Heisalsoknownas
Ajita Boddhisattva. He holds a "water phial" in his left hand. Earliest mention of Metteyya is in the Digha
Nikaya26ofthePaliCanon.Itissaidthathewillarrivewhenoceanswilldecreaseinsize(thatiswhykeepsa
Kumbhaorphilialinhishand)andwillruletheKetumatiPureLand(Varanasi).BudaiorlaughingBuddha
isclaimedtobeanincarnationofMaitreya.BudaiwasaChineseZenmonkwholivedduringtheLaterLiang
Dynasty(907923CE)inChina.InJapanese,heiscalledHoteiandisoneofthe7LuckyGodsofJapan.
6. Vajrapani
Vajrapani is depicted as one of the 3 protective deities around Buddha, other are Manjusri and
Avlokiteshwara. Vajrapani manifests Buddha's power, Manjusri manifests Buddha's wisdom and
AvlokiteshwaramanifestsBuddha'scompassion.InJapanadharmaprotectorcalledNioisalsoVajrapani.
7. Sadparibhta
SadparibhtaisaBodhisattvawhichmanifestsneverdisparagingspirit.
Akasagarbha
Akasagarbha is boundless as space. He is known as twin brother of Ksitigarbha. He is menifestation of
wisdom.

AboutthisDocument:
This paper is part of Gktodays reader supported Email Coaching / Assistance Programme for Public Service Examinations of 2011. Queries and suggestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
11 | P a g e

ImportantBuddhistShrines:
Astamahasthanas:
Astamahasthanasare8greatholyplaces.4areasfollows:
1. Lumbini:BirthofBuddha.
2. Bodhgaya:EnlightmentofBuddha.
3. Sarnath:FirstsermonorDhammachakraparivartan
4. Kushinagar:Deathormahaparinirvana
Alongwiththem,Sravasti,Sankasya,RajgirandVaishaliareknownasAstamahasthanas.

Amaravati:
AmarawatiinAndhrapradeshsGunturdistrictisalsoknownasDhanyakatakaorDharanikotaandwasthe
siteofagreatBuddhistStupabuiltinpreMauryantimes,ruledbySatavahanakings.
Nagarjunkonda
Nagarjunkonda is near Nagarjun Sagar in Andhra Pradesh. Once, it was home to more than 30 Buddhist
Viharas(Buddhistuniversitiesandmonasteries),attractingstudentsfromasfarasChina,Gandhara,Bengal
andSriLanka.NagarjunkondawasonethelargestandmostimportantBuddhistcentersinSouthIndiafrom
the second centuary BC until the third century AD. It was named after Nagarjuna, a renowned Buddhist
scholar and philosopher, who had migrated here from Amaravati to propagate and spread the Buddhas
message of universal peach and brotherhood. Remains were discovered in 1926 by archaeologist AR
Saraswatiin1926.

AjantaCaves
AjantaCavesare31rockcutcavesfrom2ndto8thcenturyAD,locatedinAurangabad.Thefirstcavescalled
ChaityaswerecreatedduringSatavahanaDynasty.CaveNo.1hasthepaintingofPadmapaniandVajrapani.
PaintednarrativesoftheJatakatalesaredepictedonthewalls.

AngkorWat
AngkorWatislocatedinCambodia.ThetemplecomplexwasbuiltbySuryavarmanIIanditwasfirstdevoted
toVishnuandlatertoBuddhist.
BodhGaya
BodhGayawasknownasBodhimanda,Uruvela,Sambodhi,VajrasanaandMahabodhitill18thcenturywhen
Bodh Gaya name became popular. It has the Mahabodhi temple and Bodhi tree. It became Unesco world
heritagesitein2002.
BodhiTree
Its a Pipal Tree (Ficus Religiosa) and known as Bo in Sri Lanka. Located in Bodh Gaya. Under this tree
Gautamaattained enlightment. The current tree is adescendent of the original tree. There are other Bodhi
treesaswellviz.AnandabodhitreeinSravastiandtheBodhitree(Bo)oralsoknownasJayaSriMahaBodhi
plantedin288BCinAnuradhapura,SriLankaandbothofthemhavebeenpropagatedfromtheoriginaltree.
ItisalsoknownasoldestlivingHumanPlantedtreeintheworldwithaknownplantingdate.
Borobudur
BorobudurislocatedinIndonesiaandcomprisessixsquareplatformstoppedbythreecircularplatforms,and
isdecoratedwith2,672reliefpanelsand504Buddhastatues.ItsaworldHeritagesite.Thereare3Buddhist
templeswhichareknownasBorobudurTempleCompounds.
BamyanCaves:
TheyarelocatedinAfghanistanandhavestatuesrepresentedtheclassicblendedstyleofGandharaartof6th
century,TheywerethelargestexamplesofstandingBuddhacarvingsintheworld,beforetheywereblown
bydyanamitebyTalibanin2001.

AboutthisDocument:
This paper is part of Gktodays reader supported Email Coaching / Assistance Programme for Public Service Examinations of 2011. Queries and suggestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
12 | P a g e

ElloraCaves
ElloraCavesrepresentBuddhist,jainandHinduRockcuttemplesbuiltbyRastrakutaKings.EarliestBuddhist
cave is Cave 6; most caves of Buddhism are Viharas. Cave number 10 is a Chaitya hall also known as
ChandrashalaorVishwkarmaCaveandalsoknownascarpenter'scave.Atheartofthiscaveisa15ftstatueof
Buddhaseatedinapreachingpose.
PushpagiriUniversity:
Lalitgiri,RatnagiriandUdayagiriarethepartofthePuspagiriUniversitywhichflourishedtill11thcenturyin
Orissa.TheylieatoptheLangudihillsinJajpurandCuttakofOrissa.

Compendium
th
1. 2500 anniversaryofBuddhasmahaparinirvanawascelebratedin1956.
2. The birth and death details of Gautam Budha was fixed on the basis of the Cantonese records or
Chineserecords.
3. SriLankaisthecountrywhichpropagatedtheBuddhismtoSouthEastAsianCountries.
4. MahendraandSanghamitra,sonanddaughtersofAsokavisitedSriLanka.
5. ToothrelicwasacanineteethofBuddhawhichaftermanyhandsinOrissaandotherpartswastaken
toSriLanka.
6. AcharyaVasubandhuwasascholarwhowenttoNepaltopropagatehisowndoctrine.
7. Sron Btsan Sgam Po or Songtsn Gampo was the founder of the Tibetan empire and traditionally
creditedwithbeingthefirsttobringBuddhismtotheTibetanpeople.
8. In Japan Mahayan was introduced in 7th century. Zen Buddhism was introduced in 12th century
mainlyinJapanandkeyismeditation.ZenseemstohavebeenderivedfromDhayanainSanskrit.
9. Inchina,Buddhismwasintroducedin1stcenturyAD.MonksofKuchiplayedveryimportantrolein
propagatingBuddhisminChina.
10. PalaKingsDharmapalaandDevapalaweregreatpatronsofNalandaUniversity.
11. Vikramshila. Odantapuri& Somapapuri were theBuddhist Viharas founded by Palas but not
Nalanda.
12. AsokatriedtobringBuddhisminstrictdisciplineandsimilareffortwasdonebyonlyHarsha.
13. Kanishkasreignwasimportantbecause,Mahayanroseduringhistime,Buddhismwasintroducedin
ChinaandCentral;Asiaalsoduringhistime.
14. Buddhadidnotintendedtoestablishaformalreligionordoctrinethatiswhyhedidnottalkabout
God,soul,lifeafterdeathetc.hetriedtoprovidethepracticalsolutiontohumanproblems.
15. BuddhapracticallybelievedinDoctrineofKarma.
16. Themiddlepathmeansabalancedlife.
17. Existenceofsorrowisthebasictruth.
18. AnothernameofBuddhaisTathagatwhichmeansbeyondallcomingandgoing.
19. BothJainandBuddhismPropounderswerekshatriyasandbothsomewheredrewtheirinspiration
fromUpanishads.
20. UposthaisUpavasaorfastinBuddhism.TheBuddhistmonkskeep4fastsinamonthviz.Newmoon,
fullmoonand2quartermoons.

AboutthisDocument:
This paper is part of Gktodays reader supported Email Coaching / Assistance Programme for Public Service Examinations of 2011. Queries and suggestions may be emailed at
gktoday.in@gmail.com 2010 Suresh Soni www.gktoday.in
13 | P a g e