60-second revision
- Buddha: born Lumbini, enlightened at Bodh Gaya, first sermon at Sarnath, died at Kushinagar.
- Buddhist canon (Tripitaka) is in Pali: Vinaya, Sutta and Abhidhamma Pitakas.
- Councils: Rajagriha (Ajatashatru), Vaishali (Kalashoka), Pataliputra (Ashoka), Kashmir (Kanishka).
- After the fourth council Buddhism divided into Hinayana and Mahayana.
- Mahavira was the 24th tirthankara; Parshvanatha the 23rd; Rishabhanatha the first.
- Mahavira added brahmacharya to Parshvanatha's four vows; he died at Pavapuri.
- Jain canon finally codified at Valabhi (Gujarat) in the 5th century CE; Jain texts are in Prakrit (Ardhamagadhi).
- Gommateshwara (Bahubali) statue at Shravanabelagola: built c. 983 CE by Chamundaraya, a Western Ganga minister.
Why new religions arose
In the 6th and 5th centuries BCE the middle Ganga plain saw the rise of kingdoms (the sixteen mahajanapadas), towns, trade and coined money. Many wandering teachers (shramanas) questioned costly Vedic sacrifices and the claims of the priests. Of these movements, Buddhism and Jainism lasted. Both rejected the authority of the Vedas, preached non-violence and used the people's language rather than Sanskrit.
Gautama Buddha
| Event | Place | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | Lumbini (Nepal) | Siddhartha of the Shakya clan; father Suddhodana, mother Mahamaya; traditional date c. 563 BCE |
| Great Renunciation | Kapilavastu | Left home at 29 (Mahabhinishkramana) |
| Enlightenment | Bodh Gaya (Bihar) | Under a pipal (bodhi) tree on the Niranjana river |
| First sermon | Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh) | Dharmachakra Pravartana, "turning the wheel of dharma" |
| Death | Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh) | Mahaparinirvana, at about 80 |
The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths: life involves suffering (dukkha); suffering has a cause, craving; it can end; and the way to end it is the Eightfold Path. The path — right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration — is a middle way between luxury and harsh austerity. The goal is nirvana. He denied neither karma nor rebirth, but rejected a permanent soul and the authority of the Vedas.
Buddhist councils
| Council | Place | Patron | Presided by / result |
|---|---|---|---|
| First (c. 5th century BCE) | Rajagriha | Ajatashatru | Mahakassapa; Sutta and Vinaya compiled |
| Second | Vaishali | Kalashoka | Disputes over monastic rules; first split (Sthaviras and Mahasanghikas) |
| Third (c. 250 BCE) | Pataliputra | Ashoka | Moggaliputta Tissa; Abhidhamma added; missions abroad |
| Fourth (1st–2nd century CE) | Kashmir (Kundalvana) | Kanishka | Vasumitra, with Ashvaghosha; split into Hinayana and Mahayana |
Hinayana (Theravada) keeps the older Pali tradition and sees the Buddha as a teacher; it spread to Sri Lanka and South-East Asia. Mahayana worships the Buddha and bodhisattvas, uses images, writes in Sanskrit and spread to Central Asia, China and Japan. Vajrayana, with rituals and mantras, grew later in eastern India and Tibet. The Jataka tales describe the Buddha's earlier births; Ashvaghosha wrote the Buddhacharita.
Mahavira and Jainism
Jains believe in 24 tirthankaras ("ford-makers"). Rishabhanatha was the first, Parshvanatha the 23rd and Vardhamana Mahavira the 24th. Mahavira was born at Kundagrama near Vaishali to Siddhartha, a Jnatrika chief, and Trishala, a Lichchhavi princess. He attained kaivalya (supreme knowledge) at 42 near Jrimbhikagrama under a sal tree, and died at Pavapuri at 72. He was called Jina, "conqueror", which gave the faith its name.
- Triratna (three jewels): right faith, right knowledge, right conduct.
- Five great vows: ahimsa, satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha (non-possession) and brahmacharya — the last added by Mahavira.
- Anekantavada and syadvada: truth has many sides, so every statement holds only "in some way".
- Extreme non-violence led Jains to avoid farming and turn to trade.
Jain councils and sects
During a famine in Magadha, Bhadrabahu led a group of monks south to Karnataka — Jain tradition says Chandragupta Maurya went with him and died at Shravanabelagola. Those who stayed in the north under Sthulabhadra held the first council at Pataliputra and began wearing white robes. This led to the two sects: Digambaras ("sky-clad", the stricter group) and Shvetambaras ("white-clad"). The canon (the Agamas, in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit) was finally codified at Valabhi in Gujarat in the 5th century CE.
| Point | Buddhism | Jainism |
|---|---|---|
| Founder / last teacher | Gautama Buddha | Mahavira (24th tirthankara) |
| Language of canon | Pali | Ardhamagadhi Prakrit |
| Path | Middle way; Eightfold Path | Severe austerity; five vows |
| Soul | No permanent soul | Every living thing has a soul (jiva) |
| Sects | Hinayana, Mahayana | Digambara, Shvetambara |
Jain art includes the Dilwara temples at Mount Abu and the 57-foot Gommateshwara (Bahubali) monolith at Shravanabelagola, carved around 983 CE for Chamundaraya, a Western Ganga minister.
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