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Understanding Buddhism for GS Prelims

Buddhism has been a favourite topic for UPSC to frame at least one question in the preliminary examination every year. Here we will look
to understand the basic concepts, terms and philosophy related to Buddhism that will enable us to answer those questions.

What/Who is/was Buddha ?

Siddharta ( family name Gautama ) founded Buddhism. He was given the title of Buddha. Buddha means one who has woken up to reality
i.e enlightened. So, rather than a single person, Buddha is a title that can be given to anyone who is enlightened. Since Siddhartha was the
first to attain it ( according to Buddhists ), he is called the Supreme Buddha.

Buddhism as a reaction to rigidities in Hinduism

It is said that the rigidities of the caste system in Hinduism, abuse of power by the Brahman priests was a prominent cause of origination
of Buddhism. There are many similarities and differences between the two, which is out of scope of this post. However you can go through
this article if you want.

The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold path ( Middle path )

1. The truth of Suffering No matter how much we struggle, we are unable to find the ultimate happiness or satisfaction. Suffering is the
common bond we share. Therefore suffering is the real truth of our existence.

2. Desire : The truth about the cause of suffering Cravings, desires and ignorance about reality are the cause of suffering.

3. The truth about end of suffering If desire is eliminated, then only the suffering would stop. This stage when all desires are burned is
called nirvana in Buddhism.

4. The path for ending suffering This path is called the eightfold path. It emphasizes on a middle path between worldly pleasure and
painful asceticism.

worldly pleasures<-MIDDLE PATH>painful asceticism.

The image below taken from expertlearners illustrate the 4 noble truth and 8 fold path very well.

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On the issue of God, Soul and Transmigration

Does Buddhism believe in GOD ? Do they believe that living beings have a soul ? UPSC often form statement on the basis of these facts.
Well, the answer for the above is no, for both of them. Buddhism does NOT believe in GOD and SOUL. Their view is that life is transient
and changing. Ans where change prevails, something like a permanent soul would have no meaning.

Similarly rather than believing in God, Buddhismfocuseson moral progress independent of God. Buddha believed that religious ideas and
especially the god idea have their origins in fear. Quoting Buddha here Gripped by fear people go to sacred mountains, sacred groves,
sacred trees and shrines.

However, Buddhism has been said to accept the theory of transmigration. But, Buddhists refute to accept transmigration as understood in
transmigration of soul. What they believe is rebirth and not exactly transmigration.

Quoting from buddhanet You may have noticed that in Buddhism, we consistently speak of rebirth and not transmigration. This is
because in Buddhism we do not believe in an abiding entity, in a substance that trans-migrates. We do not believe in a self that is reborn.
This is why when we explain rebirth, we make use of examples which do not require the transmigration of an essence or a substance. For
example, when a sprout is born from a seed, there is no substance that transmigrates. The seed and the sprout are not identical. Similarly,
when we light one candle from another candle, no substance travels from one to the other, and yet the first is the cause of the second.

Divisions Hinayana, Mahayana and Theravada

There are conflicting view about the divisions/sects in Buddhism. This is because each division along with their different schools of thought
promote their own sect as actual Buddhism. Nevertheless, few precise differences can be ascertained

After Buddhas demise ( Mahaparinirman ), the Buddhist order split into two groups.

1. Hinayana ( lesser vehicle ) they interpreted Buddhas teaching literally and strictly,emphasizingon strict personalmeditation and the
monastic path to Enlightenment.

2. Mahayana ( greater vehicle ) they interpreted Buddhas teaching logically and liberally trying to understand the true meaning of
Buddhas teachings.

But why were these called lesser and greater vehicles ?

The word vehicle is used here to describe the Buddhas teachings, since the ultimate purpose of the teachings is to carry people from the
shore of this impure world to the other shore of enlightenment. A great vehicle is like a large ship that can carry many people over the
ocean. A lesser vehicle is like a little boat that can carry only a few people across a river.

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So Mahayana, which promises spiritual liberation to both monks and ordinary people is called greater vehicle because it can help a large
number of people in attaining enlightenment. On the other hand, Hinayana which calls for strict discipline cannot be practiced by ordinary
people can only carry fewer people towards enlightenment.

It is to be noted that here lesser and greater are not to be understood in terms of inferior and superior though rival schools do this name
calling.

Ok, but what about Theravada ? Isnt same as Hinayana ? The answer is no. Theravada is also called southern Buddhism as it was the
form that developed in souther part of the Indian subcontinent, primarliy Sri Lanka. Quoting from Urbandhadharma We must not confuse
Hinayana with Theravada because the terms are not synonymous. Theravada Buddhism went to Sri Lanka during the 3rd Century B.C. when
there was no Mahayana at all. Hinayana sects developed in India and had an existence independent from the form of Buddhism existing in
Sri Lanka.

Bodhisattva

A BODHISATTVA IS an ordinary person who takes up a course in his or her life that moves in the direction of buddha. Youre a bodhisattva,
Im a bodhisattva; actually, anyone who directs their attention, their life, to practicing the way of life of a buddha is a bodhisattva. The
Mahayana has conceived them as having renounced the ultimate state out of pure compassion towards all beings, and can therefore refers
to anyone en route. In non-Mahayana Buddhism, it usually refers either to Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, or to the historical Buddha
Gautama prior to his enlightenment.

The four major events

Stupa, wheels, bodhi tree, horses and lotus. Do these remind you of anything ? These are prominent in Buddhist art and architecture.
Actually they resemble four major events of Buddhas life.

1. The great renunciation (Mahabhinishkramana) Buddha leaving his home, family and kingdom in search of truth. This is symbolised by a
horse.

2. Enlightenment (Nirvana) Buddha attaining enlightenment under the tree in Bodh Gaya. This is symbolised by a bodhi tree.

3. Dhammachakraparivartan This was Buddha giving his first sermon in Deer Park close to Varanasi. This is symbolised by a wheel.

4. Mahaparinirvana Buddhas death. This is symbolised by a stupa. Essentially, stupa is a mound.

Ok, but what is the lotus for ? Some scholars add a fifth event Buddhas birth which is symbolised by a lotus. Also to be noted is that
before the Mathura school of art, Buddha was never represented in human form.

Mudras in Buddhism

The various hand gestures of Buddha are called mudras. Different gestures signify different meanings. UPSC asked about bhumisparsha
mudra in 2012. However preparing all mudras would be a time consuming task. Nevertheless, you can have a look at the various mudras
along with their meanings here.

Buddhist Literary Texts Tripitakas

Tripitakas ( three baskets ) comprises the three main categories of texts that make up the Buddhist canon
1. Vinaya-pitaka contains the rules of communal life for monks and nuns
2. Sutta-pitaka collection of sermons of the Buddha
3. Abhidhamma-pitaka contains interpretations and analyses of Buddhist concept

Buddhist Councils

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Two other councils were held, but they do not seem to be important from exam point of view. Ending the post with a quote from Buddha
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by
being shared.

Please read these two important articles about UPSC prelims preparation

1. How UPSC asks current affairs in GS Prelims

2. How to practice prelims MCQs for UPSC

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Prelims MCQs Quiz 31 : Current Affairs In our previous post we How UPSC asks current affairs in GS Prelims? Current Affairs (CA) is
learned "How UPSC asks current affairs in GS Prelims". We gave some sample an important segment in the prelims exam. Nevertheless, UPSC has it's own
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This entry was posted on January 30, 2015

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Sarita5monthsago

Very important questions on GAUTAMA BUDDHA- Questions from previous year exam papers

seemore

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sherkhanayearago
regardingzamindarirevenuesystemtherearetwostatements
1.10/11thwastobepaidtostate
2.revennuetobepaidwasfixed

couldyoupleaseclarifyhowtheybothareusedtorefertopermanentrevenuesystem
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Bhuvan>sherkhanayearago
Itmeansrevenuewhichwastobesubmittedtothestatewasfixed.CornwallistookthismeasurethinkingthatZamindarswouldstriveforimproving
qualityoftheirlands.Problemwasinfixingoftaxwhichwascalculatedonbasisofareaoffieldallocatedtoapeasant.This89%forstateand11%for
Zamindarwasdivisionofthis"fixed"taxandnottheyearlyproduce.
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bigbossayearago
amazingggggg
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Abhi2yearsago
Thankyou
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Buggi2yearsago
trulyitisNice,Yes,plzwriteonenvironment,geographytoo
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sonu2yearsago
verycomprehensive.pleasewriteongeographyandenvironmenttopics.
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