Funday Times

The spread of Buddhism

Buddha statue from Mathura

Sometime in the 6th century BC, India witnessed great religious unrest. In order to retain their positions, the Brahmins advocated the performance of elaborate rituals and ceremonies. Because of their Vedic knowledge, none of the other castes could challenge their authority. The shudras were considered untouchables and could not acquire Vedic knowledge or participate in religious ceremonies. Upanishads written during this period, propagated the idea of getting freedom from the cycle of life and death through good deeds rather than rituals. Hermits and ascetics preached the doctrine of salvation through leading honest lives. Buddhism and Jainism denounced the Vedic rituals and meaningless ceremonies.

Early life of the Buddha
The founder of Buddhism, the Buddha was Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in 564 BC in Lumbini, then in India and now in Nepal. He was a prince of the Sakya clan. He was the son of King Suddhodhana of Kapilasena and Queen Mahamaya. According to legend, the night before he was born, his mother had an interesting dream. Hindu priests said the dream meant she would have a son who would become either a ruler or a great teacher. Siddhartha’s father was always worried that his son might leave home to become a wandering monk. He sought to shelter him from the hardships of the world and provided his son with every luxury and comfort.

The turning point in Siddhartha’s life came when he was 29 years old. One day, when he was out with his chariot driver, Channa, he saw a bent old man. He asked Channa what had happened to the man. Channa explained that he was old and that all men grow old. The prince was greatly troubled by this sight. Another day, again with his chariot driver, he saw a sick man. Channa explained, as before, that all men are subject to sickness. On a third occasion the prince saw a dead body and Channa explained that all men die.

Finally, Siddhartha saw a monk with a shaved head. The man had a peaceful look on his face, even though there was suffering around him. After seeing the monk, Siddhartha decided to give up his life as a prince and became a wandering monk as well. He wanted to discover how the monk was able to look so peaceful when he was surrounded by misery.

Enlightenment
Siddhartha left home in search of teachers to instruct him in the way of truth. He traveled to several villages, including one where he was joined by five other monks.
Here, Siddhartha’s real struggle for truth began. He went without eating for long periods of time and he meditated. He soon realized that such self punishment could not lead him to the truth, and changed his ways. His companions were disappointed at his change and they left him.

Finally, Siddhartha experienced a spiritual awakening known as the‘enlightenment’. He became free from suffering. He reached enlightenment while he sat meditating at the base of a tree in Bodh Gaya, in the state of Bihar. In this way Siddhartha became the Buddha, which means ‘enlightened one’, when he was 35 years old.

After his enlightenment, the Buddha decided to share his knowledge with others. In a sermon at Benares the Buddha set forth his beliefs. There is a middle way of life between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. To pursue this middle way, one must recognize the four Noble Truths. The first Nobel Truth is that life is full of suffering. The second is that all suffering is caused by selfish desire. The third Noble Truth is that there is freedom – nirvana- for humans from all this. The fourth Nobel Truth is the way to this liberation by following the Nobel Eightfold Path.

The five monks who had left the Buddha became his first disciples. They became the first members of the Buddhist order, or Sangha. Soon, other disciples joined the Sangha. The Buddha sent them out into the world to spread his message of peace, compassion and wisdom. The Buddha himself set out traveling converting many people on the way.

Buddhism has three main parts. These are called Triratna or ‘the three jewels’. They are: the Buddha or the teacher; the dhamma or the teaching; and sangha or the community of believers.

The Buddha and his new teaching became so popular that monasteries were built for him and his sangha in almost all important cities in the valley of the Ganges River. The number of his followers increased rapidly. The Buddha was very caring in his attitude towards his disciples. He took care of the sick himself, saying that all humans are equal. He also said that poverty was a cause for crime.

At the age of 80, the Buddha, with a group of monks set out on his last journey. As usual, he passed through cities, towns and villages, teaching the people on his way and stopping wherever he wished. Eventually, the Buddha arrived at Kusinara or present day Kasia in India. There he lay down. He told the monks to continue their work with dedication. With these words he passed away. His body was cremated at Kusinara.

Divisions and spreading
In India for the first 200 years after the Buddha’s death, Buddhism was the local religion. When King Asoka converted to Buddhism in the 3rd century BC, he used his resources to spread the religion as far south as Ceylon and as far north as Kashmir. Buddhism has been moving, growing and changing ever since.

Many years after Lord Buddha’s death two major groups appeared among his followers. The first group followed the way of the Elders, also called Hinayana. This form of Buddhism is also known as Theravada Buddhism. Hinayana Buddhism spread into Sri Lanka about 260 – 250 BC and then into Burma. Many people in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia belong to this group.

The other group is called Mahayana. This form of Buddhism is popular in Mongolia, Tibet, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Nepal. Beginning about AD 150, trade between India, China and the Roman Empire brought Indian people and ideas into China. Buddhism traveled overland from India to China as Mahayana monks rode with trraders’ caravans. In the 4th and 5th centuries, Buddhism became the dominant faith in China, reeaching a peak in the 7th century under the Tang dynasty. In 520 AD, an Indian teacher , Bodhidharma,, reached China and taught his own latest development – Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism comes from Mahayana Buddhism. It was in this form that Buddhism spread to Japan from the 6th century.

The Theravada Buddhists concentrate on freeing themselves through improving their own lives. Mahayan Buddhists believe they can achieve enlightenment through a life of good work for others. Whereas Hinduism and later Islam almost replaced Buddhism in India, its birthplace, Buddhism remained strong in China, Sri Lanka, Burma (now Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.

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