Religions-02
Sunday, December 19, 2010
, Posted by lanka matha at 12:04 PM
India in the past had been fertile ground for the intellectuals seeking and studying different types of religious beliefs, views and theories. It is said that during the time of the Budda, there prevailed 62 varieties of religious beliefs. Most look to the ascetics life striving to attain the highest in this life itself , state facilities were provided for them to lead their separate religious lives and propagate their beliefs. Many a young man very often of the highest strata of society became their followers. Some of these believed in ancient materialisation where only the individual is important and death seems to be the end of everything . This was known as Carvaka vada after the name of its founder Some took to ascetic life and followed one of the two extremes Kamasukhaltikanuyoga self indulgence in sensual pleasures or Attakilamathanuyoga self mortification , to seek deliverance from ills of this life, Buddha discarded both and fllowed the Majjhima Patipada or the Middle path and with super human effort , with his intuitive knowledge attained the supreme enlightenment.
Thus, a unique religion – Buddhism unparallel in history came into being with Gautama the Budda as its founder. Born and bred in lap of luxury, being heir to the father’s throne, married to a beautiful wife and at the very day of the birth of his lovely baby, this young prince Siddhartha renounced the lay life to search for the highest truth and save mankind from eternal misery. He went after prominent religious teachers of the day as Alarakalama, Uddaka Rama Putta and before long mastered the doctrines revealed by them. He realised that those Holy people could not go beyond a certain spiritual development. He was thus resolved to find the ultimate truth alone unaided but by stupendous effort and supreme knowledge to attain the noble state of perfection or the Buddha hood and the cycle of existence by seeking the incomparable peace, Nibbana. He ultimately realised the four noble truths which is the foundation for Buddahs teachings, sufferings, cause of suffering, cessation of suffering and the path leading to the cessation of suffering, that is the middle path or the majjhima patipada which is eightfold.
-Right understanding
-Right thought
-Right speech
-Right action
-Right livelihood
-Right effort
-Right mindfulness
-Right concentration
Buddha Dhamma, the doctrine expounded by Sakya Munu the Supreme human being surpasses all other faiths and spread far and wide due the work of his disciples who flocked round him to hear the noble truth. Buddhas 1st sermon was expounded to the five ascetics who were closely associated with the Buddha for six years at the Deer Park in isipatana near Benras. The first serman Dhammacakka – wheel of righteousness consist of the four noble truths in details and all its entirely on of the five. First to realise the Truth was the Eldest, Kodanna and he the four others became arahats before long, When there were sixty arahats, the Buddha funded the order of the Sangha/ Bhikkus, the most democratic community of the day. Almost all of these were of the highest strata of the society rich and well educated but the order of the Sangha was open to all virtuous ones, high or low, rich or poor. The Buddha sent the first sixty Arahats all over India to propagate the doctrine he established for the good and happiness of many..
Budda is the most compassionate and the greatest teacher lived on the earth for he loved and treated all alike. His love and kindness was same to his son Rahula and also to the ferrous elephant Nalagiri and the fearful Angulimala. Buddha showed to the others the futility of offering sacrifices and depending on any external power to help and guide them. He revealed to the world the important of self-exertion to fulfil ones objectives and he is a fine example for attaining the supreme Enlightenment this way.
“Poet Tagore call him the Greatest Man ever born” Asoka the greatest monarch to rule India in the (3 BC) was fundamental in spreading this noble faith not only within his vast empire but also to the countries far and wide; consequently Lanka too benefited by this noble gesture. Buddhism had been introduced into Ceylon during the reign on King Devanampiyatissa in the 18th year of Asoka’s reign and 286 years after the Parinibbana of the Buddha. Thera Mahinda is said to be the son of King Asoka, the Buddhist missionary which arrived in Lanka and met the Sinhala king at Missaka Pabbata later know as Mihintale on the full moon day Poson, a day of a national festival in Lanka. The king leaving his retinue behind had gone deer hunting and met the Thera and ultimate results of the enthusiasm shown by a mighty contemporary king to disseminate Buddha – dhamma in the Buddhism and some entered the order the ladies with Princess Anula (wife of the Kings younger brother Mahanago) at the helm wanted to enter the order.
Sanghamitta enhanced Buddhism in Sri Lanka by establishing the order of nuns
As it was not possible for the Thera Mahinda to admit women to the order his sister Thera Sanghamitta was invited to come to Ceylon and also to bring a branch of the sacred Bo Tree under which the Buddha became enlightened. Then within a short period the order of Nuns too was established in Sri Lanka. Sacred Bo sapling was planted amidst much pomp pageantry at the park Mahameghavama in Anuradhapura., ancient capital of Lanka. Families who arrived in Sri Lanka with the Thera Sangahmitta were entrusted with the task of protecting the Bo Tree and to perform various services to the sacred object with religious fervour.
One reason why Buddhism spread so soon may be to a number of reasons the first of which is that the Lankan King must have welcomed the missionary send such a powerful monarch in the sub continent and accepted the faith sent through Thera Mahinda. There would not have been an organised religious at the time in Lanka and Buddhism did not prevent people worshipping local deities or from nature worship and nay other practices. The great Elder must have found it easy to convey the message of the Buddha as the language spoken by the islanders was much similar to his own. Main occupation of the people being agriculture, they had sufficient leisure to engage in religious pursuits. Elder Mahinda not only brought Buddha – Dhamma to Sri Lanka but also the culture of his mainland. Lankans not only received an organised religion authorised by a supreme being but also through his teachings became more disciplined. The observance of the Buddhist precepts by the laity made them more compassionate and undertaking towards their fellow – beings and became more humane towards the animals and all living beings. Petty feuds, tribal clashes became rare. Virtues such as morality and liberality were observed and highly recognised. People became content with minimum necessities of life.
As the Art of writing was introduced and the Buddhism Scriptures, the Tripitaka which consisted of Vinaya – rules for Bhikkus, Sutta – discourses of the Buddha and Abhidhamma – Higher Doctrine pertaining to Buddhism. Philosophy – was brought from India and was handed down orally till it was committed to writing during the reign of King Valagamba (1 BC at Aluvihara near Matale).
Literature, architecture, sculpture, painting etc. made great strides before long. Number of Dagobas, Monasteries, Image houses, Uposatha Halle etc. Out of brick and stone appeared with the patronage of the Sinhala rulers. The most famous ancient Viharas of Anuradhapura were Mahavihara (by D’ Tissa), Abhayagiri Viharas (by Valagamba), Jetavanaramaya (by Mahasena) and Tissamaharamaya in Magama (.. Mahaviraya became world-renowned owing to its literacy activity important centre of Theravada Buddhism.
During the supremacy of the great dynasties of India such as Manuryas, Guptasa both Buddhism and Hinduism flourished with state patronage. Despite the compilation of the true doctrine of the Buddha by 1000 learned Bhikkus headed by the Thera Moggaliputta Tissa at the third council, dissident Bhikkus formed into defecting sect as opposed to the orthodox Theravada Buddhism. They differed not only on Vinaya rules but also with the passion of the Buddha.
Buddha did not advise his followers to emulate him and became Buddha and work for the release of others. Aim of the Mahayanists was to to follow the career of Buddha Himself; to become Bodhisattva cult became more prominent. Mahayanism first came into proper during the (1 AD in India and the Kings like Kanishka of the Kushan empire (1 AD, Satavahara Kings and later Harsha ( 7 AD patronised this sect. There were several Mahayana scholars in south India who came to Lanka at different times and influenced the dissident Bhikkus here to follow Mahayanism. Great Buddhist teacher Nagarjana of the (2 AD of South India seems to be the traditional founder of Mahayanism when India was later overpowered by the Muslim invaders both Buddhism and Hinduism went into decline and Buddhism altogether disappeared from India, its birth place.
In Ceylon Theravada doctrine flourished with its main centre at Mahavihara in Anuradhapura. Sinhala kings Vijayabahu I and Parakramabahu I seems to have been the two of its main bonefactors. In Ceylon too, order pf the Sangha was divided firstly during the time of kings Vattagamini Abhya and later with the arrival of the followers of different sects from India, a number of different sects were formed here too, some Sinhala kings like Mahasen favoured the dissidents and brought many a hardship on the Theravada Bhikkus at Mahavihara prohibiting even the supply of alms to the Sanhga therein.
Thus there were two main branches of Buddhism, Theravada – orthodox Buddhism, the renowned centre of which was Mahaviharaya at Anuradhapura and Sri Lanka is held in high esteem as the nucleons of the Theravada Buddhism up to today. Mahayana Buddhism spread from India to Gandhana, Afghanistan, Persia, China and Japan to the East.
It was with the spread of Mahayana Buddhism, that a vast amount of statues of Buddahs, Bodisatva, gods and goddesses were erected. Thus this branch of Buddhism had given a great impetus to the development of art, architecture, sculpture and painting especially in the world renowned famous Buddhist centres in NW India as Gandhara and the region of Taxila, Gaudhana art is held in high esteem throughout the world and during the time of Kushan rulers Gandhara art developed and far eastern countries like China was greatly influenced by it. Gandhara art it self was influenced by Indian, Greek, roman etc.
Latest findings by a Japanese scholar is that the earliest use of oil in painting Buddha images goes back to about the 7AD founding Bamian valley in Afganistan where 1500 years old two colossal Buddha statues were dynamited by some Islamic extremists of the Taliban regime ignoring world wide protest.
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