Buddhism — The Middle Path to Enlightenment
563–483 BC (Gautama Buddha) | UPSC GS Paper I
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Life of Gautama Buddha — Key Events
| Event | Details |
|---|
| Birth | 563 BC at Lumbini (now Nepal's Terai) on Vaisakh Purnima; mother Mahamaya, father Suddhodana (Shakya clan chief) |
| Clan & Title | Shakya clan; name Siddhartha; also known as Shakyamuni (sage of Shakyas) |
| Prophecy | Asita (sage) predicted: will be either a universal emperor or a great spiritual teacher |
| Great Renunciation | Age 29; left family after witnessing 4 sights: (1) Old man, (2) Sick man, (3) Corpse, (4) Wandering monk (Samana) |
| Asceticism | 6 years of extreme fasting and meditation with teachers Alara Kalama and Udraka Ramaputra; rejected extreme asceticism |
| Enlightenment | Age 35 (528 BC?); under a Peepal tree (Bodhi Tree) at Bodh Gaya (Uruvela), Bihar; attained Nirvana; became Buddha (Awakened One) |
| First Sermon | At Deer Park (Mrigadava/Isipatana), Sarnath near Varanasi; to 5 disciples (Panchavargiya); called Dhammachakrapavattana (Turning of the Wheel of Dhamma) |
| Teaching period | 45 years of teaching across NE India; founded the Sangha (community of monks/nuns) |
| Death | 483 BC at Kushinagar (Kushinara), UP; aged 80; cause: Sukaramaddava (pork/mushrooms cooked by Cunda); this is Mahaparinirvana |
🧠 Mnemonic — Key Places in Buddha's Life
"Lumbini → Bodh Gaya → Sarnath → Kushinagar"
Birth → Enlightenment → First Sermon → Death
"Lets Buddha Somehow KnocK" — Lumbini, Bodh Gaya (B), Sarnath (S), Kushinagar (K)
Buddhist Teachings — The Dhamma
Four Noble Truths (Chatur Arya Satya)
1. Dukkha (Suffering) — Life is full of suffering/dissatisfaction
2. Samudaya (Origin) — Desire/craving (Tanha) is the cause of suffering
3. Nirodha (Cessation) — Suffering can be ended by eliminating desire
4. Magga (Path) — The Eightfold Path leads to end of suffering
🧠 Mnemonic: "Dukh Samuday Nirodh Maarg" — Trouble has a Source, its Removal needs the Path
Noble Eightfold Path (Astangika Marga)
| # | Path Element | Category | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Samma Ditthi (Right View) | Wisdom (Prajna) | Understanding the Four Noble Truths; seeing reality clearly |
| 2 | Samma Sankappa (Right Intention) | Wisdom | Cultivating right thoughts: renunciation, goodwill, compassion |
| 3 | Samma Vaca (Right Speech) | Morality (Sila) | No lying, divisive speech, harsh words, or idle chatter |
| 4 | Samma Kammanta (Right Action) | Morality | No killing, stealing, or sexual misconduct |
| 5 | Samma Ajiva (Right Livelihood) | Morality | Earn living without harm to others; no weapons trade, slave trade, etc. |
| 6 | Samma Vayama (Right Effort) | Meditation (Samadhi) | Effort to prevent or abandon unwholesome states |
| 7 | Samma Sati (Right Mindfulness) | Meditation | Mindful awareness of body, feelings, mind, and phenomena |
| 8 | Samma Samadhi (Right Concentration) | Meditation | Single-pointed mental concentration; the jhana states |
🧠 Mnemonic — 8 Fold Path by category: "2 Wisdom + 3 Morality + 3 Meditation"
Wisdom: View + Intention | Morality: Speech + Action + Livelihood | Meditation: Effort + Mindfulness + Concentration
Three Jewels (Triratna)
→ Buddha — the Teacher (The Enlightened One)
→ Dhamma — the Teaching/Truth
→ Sangha — the Community of monks and nuns
The Buddhist greeting "Buddham Sharanam Gacchami" takes refuge in these Three Jewels.
Key Buddhist Concepts
| Concept (Pali) | Meaning |
|---|
| Nirvana | Liberation from the cycle of rebirth; extinguishing of desire; NOT a place but a state |
| Karma | Every action has consequences; determines rebirth |
| Samsara | Cycle of birth, death, rebirth; driven by karma |
| Anatta (Anatman) | No permanent self/soul — key difference from Jainism and Hinduism |
| Anicca | Impermanence — everything is constantly changing |
| Dukkha | Suffering or dissatisfaction — pervades all existence |
| Pratityasamutpada | Dependent origination — nothing exists independently; everything arises due to conditions |
| Tanha | Craving/thirst — root cause of suffering |
| Bodhi | Enlightenment/Awakening; becoming a Buddha |
Buddhist Councils — Complete Reference
| Council | Year | Place | Patron King | Presided by | Result / Significance |
|---|
| 1st | 483 BC | Rajagriha (Sattapani Cave) | Ajatashatru (Haryanka, Magadha) | Mahakassapa | Compiled Sutta Pitaka (by Ananda) & Vinaya Pitaka (by Upali); Buddhist teachings preserved in oral form |
| 2nd | 383 BC | Vaishali | Kalasoka (Kakavarnin) | Sabbakami | Dispute over 10 rules of monastic practice; led to first major schism — Sthaviravadin vs Mahasanghika |
| 3rd | 250 BC | Pataliputra | Ashoka (Mauryan) | Moggaliputta Tissa | Compiled Abhidhamma Pitaka; codified Theravada orthodoxy; sent missionaries to 9 regions including Sri Lanka |
| 4th | 1st cent AD (~72 AD) | Kundalavana (Kashmir) | Kanishka (Kushana) | Vasumitra (President), Ashvaghosa (Deputy) | Compiled commentaries in Sanskrit; resulted in Mahayana/Hinayana formal split; organized Buddhist texts |
🧠 Mnemonic — Buddhist Councils: R V P K (Raja Vaishali Patna Kashmir)
1st Rajagriha → 2nd Vaishali → 3rd Pataliputra → 4th Kashmir (Kundalavana)
Buddhist Literature — Tripitaka & Key Texts
The Pali Canon (Tripitaka = Three Baskets)
| Pitaka | Sanskrit Term | Contains | Key Texts |
|---|
| Vinaya Pitaka | Rules Basket | Disciplinary rules for monks and nuns (Sangha discipline) | Compiled at 1st Council by Upali; contains Patimokkha (227 rules for monks) |
| Sutta Pitaka | Discourse Basket | Buddha's discourses, teachings, dialogues | Dhammapada (most famous — 423 verses), Jataka stories (547 stories of Buddha's past lives), Theragatha, Therigatha |
| Abhidhamma Pitaka | Higher Analysis Basket | Philosophical analysis and classification of doctrine | Compiled at 3rd Council; Kathavatthu by Moggaliputta Tissa |
Other Important Buddhist Texts
→ Milindapanho — dialogue between Greek king Menander (Milinda) and Buddhist monk Nagasena; in Pali
→ Buddhacharita — biography of Buddha by Ashvaghosa (Kanishka's court poet); in Sanskrit
→ Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa — Sri Lanka chronicles; important for Mauryan history (Ashoka's missions)
→ Mahavastu — Mahasanghika text; early Mahayana ideas
→ Lalitavistara — Mahayana biography of Buddha
→ Jatakas (part of Sutta Pitaka) — 547 stories of Buddha's previous lives; rich source of ancient Indian social and economic history
Buddhist Sects — Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana
| Aspect | Hinayana (Theravada) | Mahayana | Vajrayana |
|---|
| Meaning | Lesser Vehicle | Greater Vehicle | Diamond/Thunderbolt Vehicle |
| Goal | Individual Nirvana | Nirvana for all beings (bodhisattva ideal) | Liberation through tantric practices |
| Idol worship | No image of Buddha (use symbols) | Image/idol worship began | Complex iconography; deities |
| Language | Pali (original) | Sanskrit | Sanskrit + local Tibetan etc. |
| Spread to | Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, SE Asia | China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam | Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia |
| Notable kings | Ashoka (sent missionaries) | Kanishka (patron) | Tibetan kings, Pala kings |
| Origin | Original; 2nd Buddhist Council split | Formally emerged after 4th Council | 5th–10th century AD; Pala rulers patronized |
Buddhist Art & Architecture
| Type | Description | Key Examples |
|---|
| Stupa | Hemispherical dome over Buddha's relics or ashes; topped by harmika and chatravali umbrella | Sanchi Stupa (Ashoka; Shunga toranas), Bharhut, Amaravati, Nalanda, Sarnath |
| Chaitya | Prayer hall / assembly hall; often rock-cut; apsidal shape with stupa at end | Karle Chaitya (Maharashtra), Bedsa, Ajanta Chaitya halls |
| Vihara | Monastic residence/living quarters for monks | Nalanda, Vikramashila; most Ajanta caves are viharas |
| Gandhara School | NW India; Greco-Roman influence; wavy hair on Buddha; folds in clothing; realistic | Bamiyan Buddhas (Afghanistan), NW Pakistan sites; grey schist stone |
| Mathura School | Indigenous; red sandstone; spiritual expression; meditating Buddha; first images of Jain Tirthankaras too | Mathura (UP); Kanishka's headless statue found here |
| Amaravati School | AP; white marble; dynamic swirling style; many narrative scenes; Satavahana period | Amaravati, Nagarjunakonda; limestone panels |
| Ajanta Caves | 30 Buddhist caves; paintings (Jataka scenes) + sculptures; cave 16–17 are best paintings | Paintings on cave walls using mineral pigments; 2nd cent BC to 6th cent AD |
| Ellora Caves | Buddhist section (12 caves); Vishvakarma Chaitya (Cave 10) most famous | Cut from 5th–7th century AD; multiple religions at same site |
⭐ Sanchi Stupa — UPSC Favourite
→ Built by Ashoka; later expanded by Shungas (added stone toranas/gateways)
→ 4 ornate gateways (Toranas) with carvings of Jataka stories
→ No human image of Buddha — depicted symbolically (footprint, umbrella, Bodhi tree, wheel)
→ UNESCO World Heritage Site (1989)
Quick Revision — Exam Essentials
✅ Must-Know for Prelims
→ Buddha born: Lumbini, Nepal (563 BC)
→ Enlightenment: Bodh Gaya (528 BC), under Peepal/Bodhi tree
→ 1st Sermon: Sarnath (Deer Park) — Dhammachakrapavattana
→ Death: Kushinagar, UP (483 BC) — Mahaparinirvana
→ 1st Buddhist Council: Rajagriha, 483 BC, Ajatashatru's reign
→ 3rd Council: Pataliputra, 250 BC, Ashoka's reign; Moggaliputta Tissa
→ 4th Council: Kashmir, Kanishka; Mahayana-Hinayana split
→ Language: Pali (Buddhist canon language)
→ No permanent soul: Anatta — key contrast with Hinduism, Jainism
→ Dhammapada = in Sutta Pitaka; most famous Buddhist text
→ Jatakas = Buddha's previous lives; in Sutta Pitaka
→ Idol worship started in Buddhism? Mahayana period (not early Hinayana)
→ Milindapanho: Greek king Menander/Milinda ↔ monk Nagasena
