History of Buddhism The Buddha Siddhattha Gotama (Pali) was born in Lumbini in northern India in about the fifth or sixth century BCE. At the age of 29 he left his wealthy and privileged background in search of enlightenment. After six years of searching he won enlightenment under the Bodhi-tree at Bodh Gaya. Soon after this he delivered his first sermon, the essence of which was the four noble truths. He spent the next forty-five years teaching and, in the process, attracted a large communal following known as the Sangha. He died at the age of eighty. The First Council This meeting of the Sangha was held in Rajagaha a few months after the Buddhas passing away (parinibbana). Its purpose was to come to a consensus on his teachings. The monk Ananda recited the Buddhas discourses or Suttas and the monk Upali recited the rules for the monks, the Vinaya. For several centuries after this, the Suttas and Vinaya were passed down orally from monk to monk. It was not until the first century BCE that the Buddhas teachings were finally written down. The Second Council This took place in Vesali about a hundred years after the Buddhas parinibbana to settle a dispute that had arisen about the nature of the arahant (or Buddhist saint) and monastic discipline. This resulted in a schism between the Mahasanghika majority (Great Assembly), largely situated in eastern India, and the Sthavira minority (the Elders), largely situated in the west. The former saw the Buddha as more of a transcendent figure, the latter perceived him as a unique human being, but a human being nonetheless. The Mahasanghikas wished to reinterpret the monastic discipline, whereas the Sthaviras wished to preserve it as it was. The Third Council - Asoka the Great (272-236) Two hundred years after the Buddhas death saw the emergence of the first Buddhist Emperor in the 3rd century BCE. His name was Asoka (pronounced Ashoka) Mauraya and he ruled the Magadhan empire. When he first came to power he was more concerned with expanding his empire than with the teachings of the Buddha. However, after seeing the carnage of one particular conflict with the neighboring state of Kalinga - which he had instigated - he turned to Buddhism. From then on he proceeded to turn his empire into what would become the first Buddhist state. He forbade hunting, encouraged pilgrimage and urged his people to live virtuous lives. This he did by having rocks and pillars inscribed with religious exhortations. For example: Respect for mother and father is good, generosity to friends, acquaintances, relatives, Brahmans and ascetics is good, not killing living beings is good, moderation in spending and moderation in saving is good. Purportedly, Asoka became concerned that there were many monks who were falling short of the holy life as it should be lived. Accordingly, a Third Council was called in Pataliputra with the consequence that many bogus monks were excluded from the Sangha. He also sent his son, Mahinda, to Sri Lanka who succeeded in converting the Sri Lankan king. Before long, Buddhism became the state religion of Sri Lanka. The Fourth Council During the first century BCE, a Fourth Council was held in the Sri Lanka. In the Aloka Cave near the village of Matale, the Buddhas teachings - which up until then had been passed down orally - were written down on palm leaves. This body of writing was collected in three baskets and is known as the Tipitaka or Pali Canon. It consists of the Vinaya Pitaka (the rules for the monks and nuns); the Sutta Pitaka (the Buddhas discourses); and the Abhidhamma Pitaka (a a philosophical and psychological systemization of the Buddhas teachings).
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 04:52:39 +0000
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