Jainism and Buddhism.pdf

Theme 3: Mahavira and Buddha-Great Preachers Jainism and Buddhism THE GREAT PREACHERS aFL JAINISM: VARDHAMANA MAHAVIRA The religion of the Early Vedic period, based on nature worship...

Theme 3: Mahavira and Buddha-Great Preachers Jainism and Buddhism THE GREAT PREACHERS aFL JAINISM: VARDHAMANA MAHAVIRA The religion of the Early Vedic period, based on nature worship, was simple and easy to Early Life follow. By the end of the Later Vedic period, however, religion became complex and Vardhamana Mahavira is regarded as the difficult. Many evil customs crept into society most important teacher of Jainism. Mahavira Was the twenty-fourth and the last tirthankara MP in the name of religion. Costly sacrifices, Superstitions and elaborate and meaningless (teacher) of the Jains. He was born in 540 BCE in rituals destroyed the simplicity and appeal Kundagram near Vaishali. He was a kshatriya of the original religion. The Vedic texts were prince but he gave up his life of luxury and the age of 30, he left home in written in Sanskrit, which the common comfort. At and became an ascetic. search of truth people could not understand. The brahmanas explained the texts in a manner that increased their own power, wealth and status. The rites and rituals introduced by them led to the exploitation of the common people. Religion became expensive and oppre_sive. The caste system became rigid. The lower castes, especially the shudras, were increasingly isolated and persecuted. They were denied the right to study the religious scriptures and were not even allowed to recite Sanskrit hymns. Astatue of Vardhamana Mahavira in one of the caves in Ellora, near Aurangabad T'wogreatpreachers-Vardhamana Mahavira and Gautama Buddha-were born at this Search for Truth time (6th century BCE). Both started reform movements as a reaction to the evil practices Mahavira wandered from place to place in search of truth. After about 12 years of History prevailing in society in the name of religion. penance and meditation, he gained spiritual Iheir teachings led to the emergence of two knowledge. Mahavira became a jina, i.e. religious sects-Jainism and Buddhism. conqueror of self. His philosophy is known as Jainism and his followers are called Jains. 59  and Ajatashatru, included Bimbisara After his death, Jainis Teachings of Mahavira rulers of Magadha. sects was divided into two -Digambaras:and Ahimsa Svetambaras. The Digambaras s (sky clad) did Ahimsa or non-violence is the first great not wear any clothes andIfollowedItheorigina teaching of Mahavira. He preached that no teachings of Mahavira. The Svetambaras one should harm any living creature, not even (white clad) wore white clothes and did insects and plants. believe in hard penance. 1he Jain monk who lived and worked in the monasteries Sacrifices, Yagnas and Rituals established by Mahavira helped to spread Mahavira did not accept the Vedas and Jainism to different parts of the country opposed all forms of religious rites and rituals. They preached in Prakrit, the language of the common people. Caste System Several kings adopted Jainism as their state Mahavira believed that all people are equal religion. Jain art, architecture and literaturp and did not believe in dividing people into flourished under their patronage. The different castes. Dilwara Temple in Mount Abu (Rajasthan) is a fine specimen of Jain architecture. The God religious literature of the Jains is found Mahavira did not believe in the existence of in the Purvas and the Angas. Jainism stl God. has a large following among the trading classes in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and Karma and Rebirth Tamil Nadu. A person's soul is reborn again and again because ofhis/her karma (actions). The highest goal of a person's life was to attain moksha, i.e. freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth. Moksha could be achieved by following the triratna (three jewels) of Jainism. The three jewels are (0)right knowledge (i),right belief and (ii)right conduct, which includes the practice of ahimsa and hard penance. Discuss Discuss the important differences between the principles of Jainism and the religion of the Later Vedic period. History Subsects of Jainism The Dilwara When Mahavira died at the age of 72, he had Temple Mount. Abu, with itss in intricate a large number of followers. His followers carvings and beautiful sculptures, is afine specimen9f Jain architecture. 60  BUDDHISM::GAUTAMA BUDDHA EarlyLife GAhartha, later known as Gautama Buddha, was born in Lumbini near Kapilavastu in 567 BCE. Siddhartha was a kshatriya prince, surrounded by the luxuries and pleasures af roval life. He was married to a beautiful princess, Yashodhara, and had a son named Rabul. Ahappy family life and the luxuries The pipal tree in Gaya (also known as the Bodhitree), is of the palace failed to satisfy him. He was where Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment. restless and detached. place preaching his simple message. He died in Kushinagar at the age of 80. By this time, Search for Truth there were thousands of people who had embraced Buddhism. LThe 'four great sights' proved to be the turning point in Siddhartha's life. It is believed Teachings of Buddha that once, while he was on an outing in his chariot, he saw an old man, a sick man and a Buddha's religious philosophy is called dead man. These three sights saddened and Buddhism. It is called the middle path disturbed him greatly. Then he saw an ascetic because it avoids the extreme austerity of who looked calm and serene,unaffected by the Jainism, as well as the extremes of ritualistic Sorrow and misery around him.) Siddhartha Hinduism. The main principles of Buddhism7 decided to renounce all worldly ties and go are contained in the four noble truths and the out in search of answers to the mysteries of eightfold path or ashtangika marga, life and death. One night, at the age of 29, whle his son and wife were asleep, he quietly (The Four Noble Truths / slipped out of the house, breaking all worldly " The world is full of suffering. ties. He became an ascetic " The cause of suffering is human desire. For 6years, Siddhartha wandered from place to place in search of truth. One day, he sat Suffering can be ended by overcoming desires. own under a pipal tree in Bodh Gaya and " Desires can be overcome and freedom began to meditate. On the forty-ninth day. from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth true light dawned on him. He became the buddha, the enlightened one. He had at last can be achieved by nirvana. The eightfold found the cause of human suffering and knew path leads to nirvaná. how to History overcome it. CThe Eightfold Path From Gaya, Buddha went to the Deer Park Right belief Sarnath and preached his 'first sermon'. For the next 45 years, he moved from place to Right thought 61  " Right speech God Right action CBuddha was silent on the existence of Right means of livelihood He stressed moral values such as Right effort non-violence, obedience and honesn resped Right memory elders, and kindness to all living beings. Right meditation Spread ofBuddhism Right Buddha preached in Pali, which was eas belief Right Right understood by the comnon people. T rmeditation simplicity of his teachíngs and the of equality greatly appealed to theprinip: thought peD especially to the traders. Buddhism sprea Right mernory Eightfold Path Right speech rapidly in India and other foreign countria such as Chína, Japan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Nend and Tibet. He established monasteries and Right effort Right an order of monks called the sangha. Thes Right action monasteries becane the centres of educatirr means of livelihood and learning. Buddhism was spread far and wide by monks and nuns. Royal patronage o kings like Ashoka and the establishment Ahimsa Buddhist universities like Nalanda were the Buddhapreached ahimsa or non-violence. He other important reasons for the rapid sprezd condemned animal sacrifice. of Buddhism. Karma People's actions will decide their destiny. Good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished. Nírvana A person's ultimate goal in life is to attain nirvana, i.e. escape from the cycle of birth and death. This state of bliss can be achieved by Ruins of the Nalanda University. which used to be aseat) following the eightfold path. Buddhist learning Buddhism, like Jainism, was divided into HistoryCaste System two sects--Hinayana and Mahayana. The 252 Buddha strongly condemned the caste system Hinayana Buddhists considered Buddha reverte' and preached that all people are equal. preacher. The Mahayana Buddhists to ritualism and worshipped Buddha as god 62  DId YouKnow? A COMPARATIVE STUDY Bvddha'sfollowers couldljoin the sangha, BETWEEN JAINISM AND ahich was the community of Buddhists who became nonks and strictly followed Buddha's BUDDHISM teachings. The sangha spread the teachings of Buddhato many kingdoms. The monks spoke Similarities Pali, thelanguage of the common people, and Mahavira and Buddha both started their lved inviharas or monasteries. reform movements as areaction to the evil Buddhism inspired artists and architects to practices that were prevalent in society in the achieve great heights of cultural excellence. name of religion. The Upanishads were the source of their ideas. Their basic concepts and thelped in the development of Buddhist ideas were the same: literature. The religious literature of the Buddhists is contained in the Tripitakas and " The world is fullof misery. the Jatakas. A person is born again and again because of his/her karma. The highest goal of a person's life was to attain moksha or freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth. They rejected the absolute authority of the Vedas. They ignored the existence of God and opposed all religious rites and rituals. The principle of equality was emphasized by both. Astone relief carving from the Kushan period showing They upheld moral and ethical values and Buddha seated under the Bodhi tree and being worshipped by his disciples andfollowers the concept of ahimsa (non-violence). They preached in the language of the Decline of Buddhism common people. Buddhism gradually declined in India for the " Both religions were patronized by the tollowing reasons: Mauryan rulers. "Hinduism was reformed and purified. Differences *The Gupta kings patronized Hinduism. India was invaded by the Huns who " While Buddha was the founder of destroyed Buddhist viharas. Buddhism, Jainism was not founded by Mahavira. He was the 24th and the last Buddhi sm was nearly wiped outoutside but it found from India, India tirthankara (teacher) of the Jains. Histor wide acceptance dhd continues to be the main religion of " Jainism follows the path of extreme mil ions of people in South-east Asia, Tibet, austerity and physical suffering that China and Japan. includes death by starvation. Buddhism 63  follows a middle path that rejects severe The Buddhists do not agree with he lan Penance and physical self-torture. view that inanimate objects ike stong The Jains practise an extreme form of wood, etc. have life. ahimsa that forbids the killing of plants, TP Thinkand Answer insects and even germs. The Buddhist Concept is limited to non-violence towards Mention any two teachings of Buddha or Mahavira that should beefollowedto make our human beings and animals only. world a better place. Values and Life Skills Mahatma Gandhi ple of non-violence is very important in Indian society. Greatleaders like believed in this principle. What was the role played by Buddha and Mahavira in popularizing the principle of non-violence? Birth of Mahavira Present day BCE 1 CE 500 1000 1500 2000 2000 1500 1000 500 Birth of Buddha Rise of other Caste system had become very rigid. Religion became complex, expensive and oppressive. religions He was the last tirthankara and the most important teacher of Jainism. He became a Jina Vardhamana Mahavira and his philosophy is known as Jainism. JAINISM BUDDHISM AND Jainism teaches ahimsa, does not believe in rituals, the caste system and in the existente of God. It believes that a person's soul is reborn because of his/her karma. Moksha could be attained by following the triratna. Jainism Svetambaras and Digambaras are the two sects of Jainism. His religioUs policy is called Buddhism. Gautama Buddha The four great truths' proved to be aturning point in Buddha's life. He left his family a all worldly pleasures to go in search of the truth. He attained enliahtenment in Both Gaye under a pipal tree. Teachings of Buddhism include the four noble truths and the eiahtfold path. Buddnis doe qoal.It believes sin ahimsa and karma. It believes that nivana is every person's ultimate not believe in the caste system. History Buddhism Mahayana and Hinayana are the two sects of Buddhisn, Buddhism spread to many countries. Sanghas and maonasteries were established for monks Several Buddnis. universities like Nalanda were established. 64  Important Words Trthankaras were the religious teachers of Jainism who preached before Mahavira the original teachings of Mahavira. self The Svetambaras were Jain monks who wore white ina means conqueror of the clothes and did not believe in hard penance. Ahimsa means non-violence Both Jainism and preached this principle. Buddhism Purvas and Angas are the religious literature of the Jains. Karma meanssthat people's actions decide their destiny Ashtangika marga means the eightfold path. Moksha means freedom from the cycle of birth and death. f Nirvana means freedom from the cycle of birth and death. The Digambaras were a sect of Jainism. The word means Sangha was the order of the Buddhist monks. cy clad. They did not wear any clothes and followed Tripitakas and Jatakas are Buddhist religious texts. Exercises A Fillinthe blanks. 1. Many CUstoms crept into Hindu society by the end of the Epic Age. 2. TheOAS_ were denied the right to study religious texts. 3 In the 6th century BCE two great religious reformers, aLLAn and were born. 4 Two famous followers of Jainism were Bimliso andiahat 5. Jainism was divided into two sects, the iAmband the&9ana9cs 6. The religious literature of the Buddhists is contained in theiDolACand 7. Buddhism was divided into two sects maaland MAnwAn B Match the following. A 1. moksha {a) Mount Abu 2. triratna (b) Jain sect 3. Svetambara (c) Buddhist sect 4. Dilwara Temple (d) highest goalof a person's life 5. Mahayana e) three jewels of Jainism Histor C Choose the correct answer. 2. Mahavira preached in Pali/Prakrit/Sanskrit. 2. The Purvas and the Angas arethe religious literature of the Jains/ Buddhists/Hindus. 65  bohiree 3 Buddha preached pipal/banyan/mango tree. 4. Buddha achieved enlightenment in thea Deer Park in Sarnath/Mount Abu/Bodh Gaya. his first sermon under 5. Buddhism was preached in Sanskrit/Pali/Prakrit. State whether the following are true or false. 1 The brahmanas were very popular amongthe common people. " 2. Mahavira was the last tirthankara of the Jains. 3. Mahavira believed in the existence of a Supreme Go0. 4 Buddha established an order of monks called the sangha. ) 5: bUddhism is the main religion of millions of people in South-east Asia, Tibet, China and Japan. E Answer the following questions in one or two words/sentences. 1 How did the rigid caste system in the Later Vedic period affect the shudras? 2) Namé the twenty-fourth andthelast tirthankara of the Jains.Os "lchanaro 3" Mention any one difference between the Diganmbaras and the Svetambaras. Man 4. Inwhich parts of India is Jainism still popular? 5. Where did Gautama Buddha achieve enlightenment? 6. Why is Buddhism referred to as the 'middle path'? 7:) What do you understand by the term 'eightfold path' of Buddhism? 8. Name the two Buddhist sects. Answer the following questions briefly. 2.)By the end ofthe Epic Age, many evil practices had crept into society in the name of religion. Explain. 2 Mention the main teachings of Mahavira. 3. Explain briefly the Jain principles of (a) ahimsa and (b) karma and rebirth. 4) What were the 'four great sights' that proved to be aturning point in Gautama Buddha's life? 5. Briefly explain the following events in Buddha's life: (a) Renunciation Buddn ) Enlightenment 6.) State the four noble truths of Buddhism. What were Buddha's viewson the existence of God' 7. Why and how did Buddhism spread so rapidly in India and abroad? 8. What were the reasons for thedecline of Buddhism in India? Picture study This is an artwork showing a religious reformer who was born in Lumbini in the 6th century BCE. 1. ldentify the religious reformer. 2. Name the religion he founded. 3. Why did histeachings appeal to the people? 4. Name another contemporary religious reformer and the religion he founded. History G. Mention any three similarities in the teachings of these two religious reformers. 66  Do and Learn Use yourimagination 1. f Buddha visited India today, would he be happy or sad? Give any five reasonsfor your answer. 2. Imagine you are a member of an international peacekeeping organization. Meno TF any four Buddhist principles that you would adopt to prevent war between nations and restore peace and harmony in today's world. Projectwork 1. Collect information and pictures and make a scrapbook on the following topics: (a) The four great sights' (b) Principles of Jainism and Buddhism SI Arts Education A Enact the story of Buddha's renunciation, enlightenment and first sermon. 3 Read stories on the lives of Gautama Buddha and Mahavira and share them in class. TP Visit a Jain temple or a Buddhist monastery, Write a letter to a friend describing your 4. visit and sharing the knowledge that you have gained from this visit. s Visit Ajanta, Ellora or Karle caves and record your observations on Buddhist (a) art and (b) architecture. Make a PowerPoint presentation in class. S Computer Studies Histo 67 TP ONE DAY. ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A Go0SE WHO HAD FE ATHERS OF GOLD Ma, is there anything to eat The Golden Goose I am sorryl There is nothing at home. I will qo out and bring JA something for us to eat M A Jataka Tale The THEIR TROULES MADE THE GOOSE THIS PATTERN CONTINUED FOR SOMF per SAD. IT DECIDED TO LEAVE ONE OF ITS Ma, look what I TIME EVERY TIME THE TWO WERE IN GOLDEN FEATHERS FOR THEM. foundl Someone NEED. THE GOOSE LEFT THEM A FEATHER for left us a gift! the Thi iror bri This is pure goldl 1 pro can sell this and buy food for us. the Th COI lar Th Our troubles me are over! NEXT TIME THE GOOSE CAME TO ONCE ALL THE FEATHERS HAD BEEN PLUCKED OUT, pla OVER TIME. THE MOTHER BECAME THEY FREED THE GOOSE. AS IT FLEW AWAY, THE po THEIR HOUSE, THE MOTHER AND GREEDY. DAUGHTER CAPTURED IT AND GOLDEN FEATHERS TURNED INTO ORDINARY ma PLUCKED ALL ITS FEATHERS. FEATHERS. Ea You both became The goose is keeping greedy. Now, I am m the rest of the feathers never qoing to come from us. It should give ar us all off them. back. or 1. th ja b them No, we need P alland you have to History help me! But, why Ma? We have more h than enough now. 68