Jainism And Buddhism

JAINISM AND VARDHAMANA

MAHAVIRA
 The doctrine of Jains were preached by saints or acharyas called
Tirthankaras. Twenty-three tirthankaras preceded Mahavira. The
first tirthankara was Rishabhadev and twenty-third and systematic.
That is why he is considered as the founder of the Jainism. was
Parshvanath.
 Mahavira was the last tirthankara. He made Jainism very popular
Mahavira was born in Kundargrama near Vaishali in Bihar in the 6th
century BC. His father was chief of Kshatriya clan and his mother
Trishala belonged to a royal family.
 He was married to Yashoda .This was done in order to divert his
mind from asceticism. At the age of thirty, after death of his parents,
Mahavira renounced the world and roamed about as a saint. His
followers came to be known as Jinas or Jains-i.e., those who have
conquered desires.
CAUSES FOR THE RISE OF JAINISM AND BUDDHISM

 The following factors favored the rise and growth

of Jainism and Buddhism:
 Reactions against Ritualism
 Corruption in Religion
 Rigid caste system
 Difficult language
 Political situation
 Agricultural Economy
 Parshvanath

Mahavira

Rishabhadev
 PREACHINGS OF MAHAVIRA

 After becoming the Jina, Mahavira spent his life

in preaching. He gave his first sermon at Mount
Vipul situated in Rajagriha, capital of Magadha.
He was now the Kevalin (all-knowing) or Lord
Mahavira.
 He preached at various centres like Avanti,
Kosala, Anga, Mithila, Champa, Videha and
Vaishali. Lord Mahavira attained salvation at the
age of 72 at Pavapuri in Bihar. At the time of his
death, he had about 14,000 followers.
 TEACHINGS OF JAINISM

• The Five vows:-

i. Ahimsa (non-violence)
ii. Asateya (non-stealing)
iii. Satya (truth)
iv. Aparigraha (non-possession)
v. Bramhacharya ( practicing Chasity)
o According to Mahavira violence is of three kinds:-
a. Physical violence
b. Harsh Language
c. Mental Violence
 THE NINE TRUTHS

The Nine Truths are:-

1. Jiva (living things)
2. Ajiva (non-living things)
3. Punya ( results of good deeds)
4. Pap (sin)
5. Ashrav (good deeds)
6. Sanvar (hindrances in the way of Karma)
7. Bandha (Bondage)
8. Nirjara (destruction of the karmas)
9. Moksha (salvation).
 THE THREE JEWELS AND
KARMA THEORY
The Three jewels:-
1. Right View (Samyak Darshana) - Having the right perception and seeking the
truth while avoiding preconceptions that get in the way of seeing things clearly.
2. Right Knowledge (Samyak Gyana) - Having the right knowledge of Jain
principles.
3. Right Conduct (Samyak Charitra) - Applying Jain principles to your life.

Karma theory:- The Jains believed in the Karma Theory of Hinduism

and that one should be responsible for one’s own Karma or Actions.
 EQUALITY, ETERNAL SOUL,
SALVATION & BELIEVE IN
PENANCE

Equality:- Mahavira laid stress on equality between men and women as

well as men and men. He preached universal brotherhood.

Eternal Soul:- Mahavira believed in the immortality of the souls.

Salvation:- Like Hindus, Jains believed in Moksha(Salvation) or freedom
from the cycle of births and rebirths.

Belief in penance:- Jains believed in penance. To die of starvation

was considered a virtue.
 DIVISION INTO TWO SECTS

During the time when Bhadrabahu took Jainism to Karnataka,

there arose differences between him and Stulabhadra. As a result
Jains were divided into 2 sects.
Digambaras:- followed Bhadrabahu. They were sky clad and
believed that clothes were an attachment to worldly plesures.they
kept long fast and difficult lif.
Shvethambaras:- followed Stulabhadra.They wore with clothe and
covered their mouths with a white cloth as they believed that this
would not kill the germs. They fasted but did not believe in
extreme penance.
 DECLINE OF JAINISM

Once a major religion, Jainism declined due to a number of factors, including

proselytizing by other religious groups, persecution, withdrawal of royal
patronage, sectarian fragmentation and the absence of central
leadership. Since the time of Mahavira, Jainism faced rivalry
with Buddhism and the various Hindu sects. The Jains suffered isolated
violent persecutions by these groups, but the main factor responsible for the
decline of their religion was the success of Hindu reformist
movements. Around the 7th century, Shaivism saw considerable growth at the
expense of Jainism due to the efforts of the Shaivite poets
like Sambhandar and Appar. Around the 8th century CE, the Hindu
philosophers Kumarila Bhatta and Adi Shankara tried to restore the orthodox
Vedic religion.
 THE EARLY LIFE OF
BUDDHA
Siddhartha was brought up by his mother's younger
sister, Maha Pajapati. By tradition, he is said to have been
destined by birth to the life of a prince, and had three
palaces built for him. His father is said to be King
Suddhodana. He shielded him from religious teachings and
from knowledge of human suffering.
When he reached the age of 16, his father reputedly
arranged his marriage to a cousin of the same age
named Yashodara. According to the traditional account, she
gave birth to a son, named Rahula. Siddhartha is said to
have spent 29 years as a prince in Kapilavastu.
 ENLIGHTENMENT

Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to
hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen
an old man. When his charioteer Channa explained to him that all people grew
old, the prince went on further trips beyond the palace. On these he
encountered a diseased man, a corpse, and an ascetic. These depressed him.
He initially strove to overcome aging, sickness, and death by living the life of
an ascetic. Accompanied by Channa and riding his horse Kanthaka, Gautama
quit his palace for the life of a mendicant. Gautama initially went
to Rajagaha. Siddhartha and a group of five companions led
by Kaundinya had set out to take their austerities even further. They tried to
find enlightenment through deprivation of worldly goods, including food.
After nearly starving himself to death by restricting his food intake to around
a leaf or nut per day, he collapsed in a river while bathing and almost
drowned. Siddhartha was rescued by a village girl named Sujata and she gave
him some milk after which Siddhartha got back some energy. He attained a
concentrated and focused state that was blissful and refreshing.he then
attained enlightenment uder the Bodh gaya tree and came to be known as
Gautama Budhha.
Gautama Budhha
Suddhodhan and
Koliyan princess
with kid Gautama
Buddha
buddha and yashodhara
 DIVISION OF SECTS

Buddhism is divided into two main religious groups Mahayana

Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism. These two religious groups
both share a lot of similarities. But have a few differences. One of
the differences is that Mahayana Buddhists believe that The
Buddha is a God but Hinayana Buddhists believe that The
Buddha was an ordinary Human.
Mahayana Buddhists all help others to reach Nirvana before they
do because they think it is better to help other people reach
Nirvana than to reach Nirvana for yourself.
However, Hinayana Buddhists think that reaching Nirvana is
the ultimate goal of all Buddhists and that you should gain
Nirvana for yourself.
 BUDDHISM TEXTS

Buddhist scriptures and other texts exist in great

variety. Different schools of Buddhism place varying
levels of value on learning the various texts. Some
schools venerate certain texts as religious objects in
themselves, while others take a more scholastic
approach. Buddhist scriptures are mainly written in Pali
, Tibetan , Mongolian and Chinese. Some texts still
exist in Sanskrit and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit
Ex:- Ashoka Pillar.
Even the national emblem of India was created during
this period.
Ashoka Pillar
 BUDDHISM TODAY

By the late Middle Ages, Buddhism had become virtually extinct

in India, although it continued to exist in surrounding
countries. It is now again gaining strength worldwide. China
and India are now starting to fund Buddhist shrines in various
Asian countries as they compete for influence in the region.
The Dalit Buddhist movement in India also practices Theravada
or Hinayana Buddhism
East Asian forms of Mahayana Buddhism use Chinese scriptures
are dominant in most of China,
Japan, Korea, Taiwan,Singapore and Vietnam .
Tibetan Buddhism is found in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia,
areas of India, China, and Russia.
 By,
Vyasa
Group of
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