Definition

by Cristian Violatti
published on 20 May 2014 Maya Giving Birth to the Buddha ()
Buddhism is one of the most important Asian spiritual
traditions. During its roughly 2.5 millennia of history, Buddhism has
shown a flexible approach, adapting itself to different conditions and
local ideas while maintaining its core teachings. As a result of its
wide geographical expansion, coupled with its tolerant spirit,
Buddhism today encompasses a number of different traditions,
beliefs, and practices.
During the last decades, Buddhism has also gained a significant
presence outside Asia. With the number of adherents estimated to
be almost 400 million people, Buddhism in our day has expanded
worldwide, and it is no longer culturally specific. For many centuries,
this tradition has been a powerful force in Asia, which has touched
nearly every aspect of the eastern world: arts, morals, lore,
mythology, social institutions, etc. Today, Buddhism influences these
same areas outside of Asia, as well.
ORIGIN & EARLY DEVELOPMENT
The origin of Buddhism points to one man, Siddhartha
Gautama, the historical Buddha, who was born in Lumbini (in
present-day Nepal) during the 5th century BCE. Rather than the
founder of a new religion, Siddhartha Gautama was the founder and
leader of a sect of wanderer ascetics (Sramanas), one of many sects
that existed at that time all over India. This sect came to be known
as Sangha to distinguish it from other similar communities.
The Sramanas movement, which originated in the culture of
world renunciation that emerged in India from about the 7th
century BCE, was the common origin of many religious and
philosophical traditions in India, including the Charvaka school,
Buddhism, and its sister religion, Jainism. The Sramanas were
renunciants who rejected the Vedic teachings, which was the
traditional religious order in India, and renounced conventional
society.
Siddhartha Gautama lived during a time of profound social
changes in India. The authority of the Vedic religion was being
challenged by a number of new religious and philosophical views.
This religion had been developed by a nomadic society roughly a
millennium before Siddharthas time, and it gradually gained
hegemony over most of north India, especially in the Gangetic plain.
But things were different in the 5th BCE, as society was no longer
nomadic: agrarian settlements had replaced the old nomad caravans
and evolved into villages, then into towns and finally into cities.
Under the new urban context, a considerable sector of Indian
society was no longer satisfied with the old Vedic faith. Siddhartha
Gautama was one of the many critics of the religious establishment.
IN SOME RELIGIONS, SIN IS THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN SUFFERING.
IN BUDDHISM THERE IS NO SIN; THE ROOT CAUSE OF HUMAN
SUFFERING IS AVIDY IGNORANCE.
After Siddhartha Gautama passed away, the community he
founded slowly evolved into a religion-like movement and the
teachings of Siddhartha became the basis of Buddhism. The
historical evidence suggests that Buddhism had a humble beginning.
Apparently, it was a relatively minor tradition in India, and some
scholars have proposed that the impact of the Buddha in his own
day was relatively limited due to the scarcity of written documents,
inscriptions, and archaeological evidence from that time.
By the 3rd century BCE, the picture we have of Buddhism is very
different. The Mauryan Indian emperor Ashoka the Great (304232
BCE), who ruled from 268 to 232 BCE, turned Buddhism into the
state religion of India. He provided a favourable social and political
climate for the acceptance of Buddhist ideas, encouraged Buddhist
missionary activity, and even generated among Buddhist monks
certain expectations of patronage and influence on the machinery of
political decision making. Archaeological evidence for Buddhism
between the death of the Buddha and the time of Ashoka is scarce;
after the time of Ashoka it is abundant.

SCHISM: FRACTURE OF BUDDHISM & ORIGIN OF THE

DIFFERENT BUDDHIST SCHOOLS
There are many stories about disagreements among the
Buddha's disciples during his lifetime and also accounts about
disputes among his followers during the First Buddhist Council held
soon after the Buddhas death, suggesting that dissent was present
in the Buddhist community from an early stage. After the death of
the Buddha, those who followed his teachings had formed settled
communities in different locations. Language differences, doctrinal
disagreements, the influence of non-Buddhist schools, loyalties to
specific teachers, and the absence of a recognized overall authority
or unifying organizational structure are just some examples of
factors that contributed to sectarian fragmentation.
About a century after the death of Buddha, during the Second
Buddhist Council, we find the first major schism ever recorded in
Buddhism: The Mahasanghika school. Many different schools of
Buddhism had developed at that time. Buddhist tradition speaks
about 18 schools of early Buddhism, although we know that there
were more than that, probably around 25. A Buddhist school named
Sthaviravada (in Sanskrit school of the elders) was the most
powerful of the early schools of Buddhism. Traditionally, it is held
that the Mahasanghika school came into existence as a result of a
dispute over monastic practice. They also seem to have emphasized
the supramundane nature of the Buddha, so they were accused of
preaching that the Buddha had the attributes of a god. As a result of
the conflict over monastic discipline, coupled with their controversial
views on the nature of the Buddha, the Mahasanghikas were
expelled, thus forming two separate Buddhist lines: the Sthaviravada
and the Mahasanghika.
Siddhartha Gautama, the Historical Buddha
During the course of several centuries, both the Sthaviravada
and the Mahasanghika schools underwent many transformations,
originating different schools. The Theravada school, which still lives
in our day, emerged from the Sthaviravada line, and is the dominant
form of Buddhism in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, and
Thailand. The Mahasanghika school eventually disappeared as an
ordination tradition.
During the 1st century CE, while the oldest Buddhist groups
were growing in south and south-east Asia, a new Buddhist school
named Mahayana (Great Vehicle) originated in northern India. This
school had a more adaptable approach and was open to doctrinal
innovations. Mahayama Buddhism is today the dominant form of
Buddhism in Nepal, Tibet, China, Japan, Mongolia, Korea, and
Vietnam.
BUDDHIST EXPANSION ACROSS SOUTHERN ASIA
During the time of Ashokas reign, trade routes were opened
through southern India. Some of the merchants using these roads
were Buddhists who took their religion with them. Buddhist monks
also used these roads for missionary activity. Buddhism entered Sri
Lanka during this time. A Buddhist chronicle known as the
Mahavamsa claims that the ruler of Sri Lanka, Devanampiya Tissa,
was converted to Buddhism by Mahinda, Ashokas son, who was a
Buddhist missionary, and Buddhism became associated with Sri
Lankas kingship: The tight relationship between the Buddhist
community and Lankans rulers was sustained for more than two
millennia until the dethroning of the last Lankan king by the British
in 1815 CE.
After reaching Sri Lanka, Buddhism crossed the sea into
Myanmar (Burma): Despite the fact that some Burmese accounts say
that the Buddha himself converted the inhabitants of Lower and
Upper Myanmar, historical evidence suggests otherwise. Buddhism
co-existed in Myanmar with other traditions such as Brahmanism
and various locals animists cults. The records of a Chinese Buddhist
pilgrim named Xuanzang (Hsan-tsang, 602-664 CE) state that in the
ancient city of Pyu (the capital of the Kingdom of Sri Ksetra, present
day Myanmar), a number of early Buddhist schools were active.
After Myanmar, Buddhism travelled into Cambodia, Thailand,
Vietnam, and Laos, around 200 CE. The presence of Buddhism in
Indonesia and the Malay peninsula is supported by archaeological
records from about the 5th century CE.
The Spread of Buddhism
While Buddhism was flourishing all over the rest of Asia, its
importance in India gradually diminished. Two important factors
contributed to this process: a number of Muslim invasions, and the
advancement of Hinduism, which incorporated the Buddha as part
of the pantheon of endless gods; he came to be regarded as one of
the many manifestations of the god Vishnu. In the end, the Buddha
was swallowed up by the realm of Hindu gods, his importance
diminished, and in the very land where it was born, Buddhism
dwindled to be practiced by very few.
BUDDHIST EXPANSION ACROSS CENTRAL & EAST ASIA
Buddhism entered China during the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220
CE): The first Buddhist missionaries accompanied merchant caravans
that travelled using the Silk Road, probably during the 1st century
BCE. The majority of these missionaries belonged to the Mahayana
school.

The initial stage of Buddhism is China was not very promising.

Chinese culture had a long-established intellectual and religious
tradition and a strong sense of cultural superiority that did not help
the reception of Buddhist ideas. Many of the Buddhist ways were
considered alien by the Chinese and even contrary to the Confucian
ideals that dominated the ruling aristocracy. The monastic order
received a serious set of critiques: It was considered unproductive
and therefore was seen as placing an unnecessary economic burden
on the population, and the independence from secular authority
emphasized by the monks was seen as an attempt to undermine the
traditional authority of the emperor.
Despite its difficult beginning, Buddhism managed to build a
solid presence in China towards the fall of the Han dynasty on 220
CE, and its growth accelerated during the time of disunion and
political chaos that dominated China during the Six Dynasties period
(220-589 CE). The collapse of the imperial order made many Chinese
skeptical about the Confucian ideologies and more open to foreign
ideas. Also, the universal spirit of Buddhist teachings made it
attractive to many non-Chinese ruler in the north who were looking
to legitimate political power. Eventually, Buddhism in China grew
strong, deeply influencing virtually every aspect of its culture.

From China, Buddhism entered Korea in 372 CE, during the

reign of King Sosurim, the ruler of the Kingdom of Koguryo, or so it is
stated in official records. There is archaeological evidence that
suggests that Buddhism was known in Korea from an earlier time.
The official introduction of Buddhism in Tibet (according to
Tibetan records) took place during the reign of the first Tibetan
emperor Srong btsan sgam po (Songtsen gampo, 617-649/650 CE),
although we know that the proto-Tibetan people had been in touch
with Buddhism from an earlier time, through Buddhist merchants
and missionaries. Buddhism grew powerful in Tibet, absorbing the
local pre-Buddhist Tibetan religions. Caught between China and
India, Tibet received monks from both sides and tension between
Chinese and Indian Buddhist practice and ideology turned out to be
inevitable. From 792 to 794 CE a number of debates were held in the
Bsam yas monastery between Chinese and Indian Buddhists. The
debate was decided in favour of the Indians: Buddhists translations
from Chinese sources were abandoned and the Indian Buddhist
influence became predominant.
KEY BUDDHIST CONCEPTS
 The Buddha was not concerned with satisfying human curiosity
related to metaphysical speculations. Topics like the existence of
god, the afterlife, or creation stories were ignored by him. During the
centuries, Buddhism has evolved into different branches, and many
of them have incorporated a number of diverse metaphysical
systems, deities, astrology and other elements that the Buddha did
not consider. In spite of this diversity, Buddhism has a relative unity
and stability in its moral code.
The most important teaching of the Buddha is known as The
Four Noble Truths, which is shared with varying adjustments by all
Buddhist schools. In general, the Four Noble Truths are explained as
follows:
The First Noble Truth is generally translated as all life is
suffering, which can be easily understood when it comes to painful
situations like death, illness, abuse, poverty, and so forth. But
suffering also may arise from good things because nothing is
permanent, everything is changing, and whatever gives us happiness
will sooner or later come to an end. It seems that all pleasures are
temporary and the more we enjoy them, the more we will miss
them when they end. Nothing lasts forever, is one of the insights
of the Buddha.
 The cause of suffering is desire. Suffering comes from desire,
also referred as thirst or greed. Our desires will always exceed our
resources and leave us unhappy and unsatisfied. All suffering
originates in desire, but not all desire generates suffering. Only
selfish desire generates suffering: desire directed to the advantage
of the part rather than to the good of the whole.
By stopping desire, suffering also stops. The idea is not to get
too attached to material goods, places, ideas, or even people. Non-
attachment to anything is the main idea behind the third noble
truth. It means that since all changes if our attachment is too strong,
we will inevitably suffer at some point. After all, we will all get old,
decay, and die; this is a natural cycle, and there is nothing wrong
with it. The problem comes when, by attaching too much, we do not
accept the changes.
By following The Eightfold Path, desire stops. The Eightfold
Path is composed of: right views, right intentions, right speech, right
action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right
concentration.
In some religions, sin is the origin of human suffering. In
Buddhism there is no sin; the root cause of human suffering is avidy
ignorance. In the entrance area of some Buddhist monasteries,
sometimes the images of four scary-looking deities are displayed,
the four protectors whose purpose is to scare away the ignorance of
those who enter.
Buddhism does not require faith or belief. If faith can be
understood as believing something which is unsupported by
evidence, and ignorance is overcome by understanding, then faith is
not enough to overcome ignorance and therefore suffering. And
belief, as understood by other religions, is not necessary in
Buddhism:
The question of belief arises when there is no seeing - seeing
in every sense of the word. The moment you see, the question of
belief disappears. If I tell you that I have a gem hidden in the folded
palm of my hand, the question of belief arises because you do not
see it yourself. But if I unclench my fist and show you the gem, then
you see it for yourself, and the question of belief does not arise. So
the phrase in ancient Buddhist texts reads 'Realizing, as one sees a
gem in the palm'
(Rahula W., p.9)
In its most basic form, Buddhism does not include the concept
of a god. The existence of god is neither confirmed, nor denied; it is
a non-theistic system. The Buddha is seen as an extraordinary man,
not a deity. Some Buddhist schools have incorporated supernatural
entities into their traditions, but even in these cases, the role of
human choice and responsibility remains supreme, far above the
deeds of the supernatural.
In some Chinese and Japanese Buddhist monasteries, they go
even further by performing a curious exercise: The monks are
requested to think that the Buddha did not even existed. There is a
good reason for this: the core of Buddhism is not the Buddha, but his
teachings or dharma. It is said that those who wish to understand
Buddhism and are interested in the Buddha are as mistaken as a
person who wishes to study mathematics by studying the life of
Pythagoras or Newton. By imagining the Buddha never existed, they
avoid focusing on the idol so that they can embrace the ideal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cristian Violatti
CRISTIAN VIOLATTI
Cristian Violatti is a freelance writer, currently studying
Archaeology at the University of Leicester, England. He is a regular
contributor and one of the editors of Ancient History Encyclopedia.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Borges, J, Siete noches (Fondo de Cultura Econmica,
2014).
2. Buswell, R, Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Macmillan Library
Reference, 2013).
3. Buswell, R, The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism
(Princeton University Press, 2013).
4. Durant, W, Our oriental heritage; (Simon & Schuster, 1963).
5. Reese, W, Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion (Humanity
Books, 1996).
6. Walpola, R, What Buddha Taught (Buddist Cultural Centre,
1996).
7. Wilkinson, P, Eyewitness Companions (Dorling Kindersley
Publishers Ltd, 2008).
LEGAL NOTICE
Written by Cristian Violatti, published on 20 May 2014 under
the following license: Creative Commons: Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak,
and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit
the author and license their new creations under the identical terms.

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