Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

RELIGIONS

SCRIPTURES

THE THREE REFUGES ( TISARANA ) Buddham saranam gacchami: (I go to the Buddha as my refuge.) Dhammam saranam gacchami : (I go to the Doctrine [Teaching] as my refuge.) Sangham saranam gacchami: (I go to the Order [of monks and nuns] as my refuge)

* There are two main schools or sects of Buddhism, the Theravada and the Mahayana. The sacred scriptures of the Thervadins are in Pali. The Mahayana scriptures were originally in Sanskrit. The Pali canon is, however, gener- ally accepted as authentic. * The scriptures are referred to as Tripitaka or the "Three Baskets". They are : 1) Vinaya Pitaka (Rules of conduct of the Buddhist order) 2) Sutta Pitaka (Discourses of the Buddha). This is divided into five groups or Nikayas: Digha Nikaya (long dis- courses), Majjhima Nikaya, (middle-length) Samyutta Nikaya, (grouped or connected) collections of discourses, Anguttara Nikaya, (graduated) a collection of discourses arranged according to the number of topics treated in each discourse, and Khuddaka Nikaya. (minor). The Khuddaka includes, among other things, the Dhammapada (Way of Truth, the most famous of all Theravada scriptures), a summary of the Buddha's universal teachings, Sutta Nipata, Udana, Itivuttaka, Thera-gatha (Psalms of the Brethren), Theri-gatha (Psalms of the sisters) and the Jataka stories, histories of the previous lives of the Buddha as a Bodhi- sattva, a being destined to become a Buddha. 3) Abhidhamma Pitaka, a collection of works on Buddhist psychology and philosophy. * The Pali scriptures were committed to writing for the first time on palm leaves in Sri Lanka (29 B.C.) under the pa- tronage of King Vattagamani Abhaya. _ CODE OF ETHICS * Buddhism has a code of ethics - the Panca-sila (Five Precepts or vows) for the lay devotee ( Upasaka, fem: Upasika ) which is expanded into the Dasasila for novice monks and nuns. The Five Precepts Panca-sila are : * I undertake the rule of training to refrain from killing or injury to living things * I undertake the rule of training to refrain from taking that which is not given. * I undertake the rule of training to refrain from exces- sive sensuality. * I undertake the rule of training to refrain from false and harmful speech. * I undertake the rule of training to refrain from drinks and drugs which fuddle the mind and reduce mindful- ness. Monks have to abide by the following five additional precepts: 1. To refrain from eating after mid-day. 2. To refrain from attending performances of dancing, music and theatricals. 3. To refrain from using garlands, cosmetics and jewel- lery. 4. To refrain from using high and wide beds. 5. To refrain from accepting money. The Vinaya Pitaka lays down 227 rules for monks.

THE SANGHAS

* The Sangha (Order of the Bhiksus) founded by the Buddha still exists in Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. * A Bhikku (monk) being the torch-bearer of the Dhamma, acts as a friend, philosopher and guide of the laity. * The higher ordination of a Bhiksu is Upasampada. * The first Council (Sangiti) was held at Rajagriha, immedi- ately after the Maha-Parinirvana of the Buddha. Ananda, the life-long companion attendant of the Buddha, recited the Sutta Pitaka, and Abhidhamma, the Buddha's discourses on the doctrine and philosophy while Upali recited the Vinaya Pitaka, the rules of the order as he had heard the Buddha give them : * The second Council was held 100 years (386 B.C.) later at Vaisali where differences arose over some points of monas- tic discipline. The order broke into two sections - the orthodox Theravadins - supporters of the Doctrines of the Elders and Mahasanghikas i.e. members of the Great Com- munity. Out of the Mahasanghika there developed the Ma- hayana or Great Vehicle. * The third Council was convened in 253 B.C. by Emperor Ashoka at Patna (Pataliputra) where the scriptures were further edited (It was Ashoka who, through his son Mahen- dra (Mahindra), converted Ceylon (Lanka) to Buddhism. * The fourth Council was convened by Emperor Kanishka. The commentary on the Sutta-Pitaka (100,000 slokas), The Vinayavibhasa, a commentary on the Vinaya (100,000 slokas) and The Abhidharma-Vibhasa (100,000 slokas) were composed. * Due to differences over the interpretations of the Buddha's teachings, two schools - the Theravadins (Sthaviravadins) and Mahasanghikas came into being 100 years after the Buddha's death. * The Mahasanghikas became the Mahayana School in the first century A.D. The Mahayanists gave prominence to the Bodhisattva ideal and emphasised the liberation of all the sentient beings rather than the salvation of an individual. * The Hinayana (Theravada) school believed that the Buddha THE FOUR COUNCILS THE SECTS

possessed a more ultimate Dharma body ( dharmakaya ). The Mahayanist's emphasis on the Bodhisattva theory led to the emergence of th e Yogacara school of thought, in which not only imaginary beings but exponents or leaders were also deified as Bodhisattvas.