Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

encyclopedia

RELIGIONS

Vajrayana

(Vehicle of the Thunderbolt or

Tantrik

Bud-

dhism). Its followers believed that release could be best

obtained by acquiring magical power which they called

Vajra,

thunderbolt or diamond.

The three major types of Buddhism today are :

Theravada

(Hinayana) (Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri

Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Nepal,

Singapore and Vietnam);

Mahayana

(China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vi-

etnam and certain communities in Indonesia, India, Malay-

sia, the Philippines, Nepal and Singapore);

Vajrayana

(Bhutan, Mongolia to some extent, Tibet and

certain communities in India and Nepal).

Note : In 1981 when the Indian population was 665,000,000

the Buddhists numbered 4,700,000. 94% follow the Thera-

vada tradition and remaining 6% are

Mahayanists

living in

the Himalayas.

HOLY PLACES

The holy places (

ashtama-hasthanas

) are: Lumbini in Ne-

pal (birthplace of the Buddha), Bodh Gaya (enlighten-

ment),

Sarnath

(first

preaching)

and

Kusinagar

(

Mahaparinirvana

of the Buddha).

TEMPLES

Shrines at Lumbini, Bodh Gaya (Mahabodhi Temple),

Sarnath (Dhamekh Stupa)

DECLINE OF

BUDDHISM

Buddhism enjoyed a long existence in India. Around 186

B.C. the Sunga dynasty rejected Buddhism in favour of a new

form of Hinduism. Monasteries with large endowments did not

maintain their contacts with the laity and so were isolated. The

resurgence of Hinduism with philosophical modes of thought

and the Bhakti movement was another cause. From the 6th Cen-

tury onwards, foreign invasions destroyed many of the Buddhist

shrines and their community. By the 13th Century, Muslims had

created an empire and converted many Buddhists to Islam. There

has been an increase in the number of Buddhists, particularly in

Maharashtra, in recent years as a result of conversions from the

Scheduled Castes. The inspiration for this came from Dr. B. R.

Ambedkar who embraced Buddhism.

SACRED

DAYS

The four sacred days

(Upasotha)

in a month (new moon,

full moon and the two quarter moon days) are observed as

days of intense practice including meditation. The devout

follow the eight precepts (asthanga sila), abstain from

worldly pleasures, visit viharas and offer Dana to the

Bhiksus.

Vaisht ha Purnima

Buddha Purnima

or Buddha Jayanti

(full moon day of

Vaishaka

which falls usually in May) is

the most sacred and important festival. This day is thrice

blessed as Lord Buddha was born, attained enlightenment

and entered into

Maha-parinirvana.

In the Mahayana Buddhist countries (China, Japan, Korea,

and Vietnam) the Birth is commemorated on April 8, the

enlightenment on December 8 and the Death or

Mahapar-

inirvana

on February 15 of the modern calendar.

MEDITATION

In Buddhism there are two kinds of meditation :

Samatha-bhavana:

Samata

is the development of one-

pointedness of mind and concentration.

Samadhi

is the concentrated, peaceful, still and unshaken

state of mind.

Vipassana-bhavana

Vipassana

is the intuitive insight

into the nature of things and leads to the realization of

nibbana

(enlightenment).

Divine abodes/sublime states (

Brahmavihars

)

Boundless States /Illimitables (

appamanna

)

Metta

: Loving kindness (direct enemy hatred, indirect

enemy affection)

ii.

Karuna :

Compassion (direct enemy cruelty, indirect enemy

passionate grief)

iii.

Mudita :

Sympathetic joy (direct enemy jealousy, indirect

enemy exhilaration)

iv.

Upekkha

: Equanimity (direct enemy attachment and aver-

sion, indirect enemy callousness)

Meditation on Breathing

(Anapana Sati)

Meditation on the breath can be used to develop

samadhi

and

vipassana.

Insight-development (

Vipassana

)

Meditation in Daily Life

(Bhavana)

QUOTES

Let him be strenuous, upright and sincere, without pride, (easily)

contented and joyous; let him not be submerged by things of the world;

let himnot take upon himself the burden of riches; let his

senses be

controlled; let him be wise but not puffed-up, and let him

notdesire

possessions even for his family.

Let him do nothing that is mean or that the wise would reprove.

May all beings be happy,

May they be joyous and live in safety,

All living beings, whether weak or strong,

In high or middle or low realms of existence

Small or great, visible or invisible, near or far,

Born or to be born, May all beings be happy.

Even as a mother at the risk of her life watches over and protects her

only child, so with a boundless mind should one cherish all living

things, suffusing love over the entire world, above, Below and all

around without limit. So let him cultivate an infinite goodwill toward

the whole world.

Standing or walking, sitting or lying down, during all his waking hours

let him cherish the thought that this way of living is the best in the

world. Abandoning vain discussion, having a clear vision free from

sense appetites, he who is made perfect will never again know rebirth.

— The Discourse on Loving Kindness.

(Metta Sutta,

Sutta Pitcikaj

translation by H.J. Russell-Williams.

Handa dani bhikkhave amantayami vo: Vayadhamma sankhara,

appamadena sampadetha

Verily, I say unto you now, O monks: All things are perishable;

work out your deliverance with earnestness.

(Buddha's last words)

■ (Wg. Cdr. S.R.)