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Buddhism

తెలుగులో వివరణ

The Mahajanapadas, Buddhism and Jainism · Part 2 / 3 · Fact-checked on 8 November 2026 · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

Why new religions arose in the sixth century BCE; the life of the Buddha and the places and symbols linked with it; the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and the ideas of impermanence, no-self and nirvana; the sangha and the Tripitaka; the four Buddhist councils; Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana; the spread across Asia; and why Buddhism declined in India and what it left behind.

Each idea is explained first in Telugu (తెలుగు), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Telugu and revise it in English.

మొదటి భాగంలో పదహారు మహాజనపదాలు, మగధ ఎదుగుదల చూశాం. అదే కాలంలో గంగా మైదానంలో చాలా మంది గురువులు ఊరూరా తిరుగుతూ 'మనిషి ఎందుకు బాధపడతాడు, పుట్టుక-చావుల చక్రం నుంచి ఎలా బయటపడాలి?' అని వాదించేవారు — ఒక పెద్ద సంతలో ఎవరి దుకాణం వాళ్లది అన్నట్టు. వారిలో ఇద్దరు, గౌతమ బుద్ధుడు, వర్ధమాన మహావీరుడు, నేటికీ బతికి ఉన్న సంప్రదాయాలు స్థాపించారు. ఈ భాగం బౌద్ధం గురించి; జైనం మూడో భాగంలో. (→ English: Buddhism · Jainism · हिन्दी: बौद्ध धर्म · जैन धर्म)

In exam EnglishPart 1 showed the sixteen Mahajanapadas, the new towns and the rise of Magadha. The same centuries were also a time of restless religious questioning in the middle Ganga plain. Dozens of teachers walked from town to town, arguing about why people suffer and how they might escape the round of birth and death. Two of these teachers founded traditions that are alive today: Gautama the Buddha and Vardhamana Mahavira. This part follows Buddhism in India from its origins to its decline. Jainism and the other schools of the age come in part 3.

ఎందుకు ఒక్కసారిగా ఇన్ని కొత్త దారులు? యజ్ఞం ఖరీదైపోయింది, పూజారే చేయాలి, జంతుబలులు ఉండేవి. వరి పొలాలు దున్నే ఎద్దులు రైతుకు ప్రాణం — వాటిని బలి ఇవ్వడం అతనికి నష్టమే. వర్ణం వ్యవస్థలో బ్రాహ్మణులు పైన; రాజ్యాలు నడిపే క్షత్రియులకు ఇది నచ్చలేదు — బుద్ధుడు, మహావీరుడు ఇద్దరూ క్షత్రియులే. డబ్బున్న వ్యాపారులకు 'ప్రవర్తనే గొప్పతనం' అనే బోధ నచ్చింది. ఉపనిషత్తు ఆలోచనాపరులు ముందే ప్రశ్నించారు. ఇల్లు వదిలి, వేదాలను ఒప్పుకోకుండా, సొంత ప్రయత్నంతో ముక్తి వెతికే శ్రమణులే ఈ కొత్త మతాలకు మూలం. (→ English: yajna · varna · Upanishad · shramana · हिन्दी: यज्ञ · वर्ण · उपनिषद · श्रमण)

In exam EnglishWhy did so many new paths appear at once? By the Later Vedic period, worship had come to centre on long and costly yajna rituals that only Brahmana priests could perform and only the wealthy could afford, and many of them involved killing animals. In the new rice economy, cattle pulled the plough, so farmers had little reason to welcome their slaughter at sacrifices. The varna order had hardened, placing Brahmanas at the top; Kshatriyas, who now ran powerful states, resented this claim, and both the Buddha and Mahavira were Kshatriyas. Merchants and moneylenders in the growing towns had wealth but modest ritual rank, and they were drawn to teachings that judged people by conduct. The Upanishad thinkers had already questioned ritual. Above all there was the shramana stream: wandering ascetics who left home, did not accept the authority of the Vedas, and sought freedom from rebirth through their own effort. Buddhism and Jainism grew out of this stream.

సిద్ధార్థుడు శాక్య వంశంలో, ఇప్పటి నేపాల్‌లోని లుంబిని తోటలో పుట్టాడు; తండ్రి శుద్ధోదనుడు, తల్లి మహామాయ. ముసలివాడు, రోగి, శవం, ప్రశాంత సన్యాసి — ఈ నాలుగు దృశ్యాలు చూశాక 'సుఖాలు దుఃఖం తీర్చవు' అనుకుని 29 ఏళ్లకు ఇల్లు వదిలాడు: అదే మహాభినిష్క్రమణం. మంచి బంగారు పంజరంలో ఉన్న పక్షి ఎగిరిపోయినట్టు. తీవ్ర ఉపవాసం దాదాపు ప్రాణం తీసింది, దాన్ని వదిలేశాడు. 35 ఏళ్లకు బోధగయలో రావిచెట్టు కింద జ్ఞానోదయం పొంది 'బుద్ధుడు' — మేల్కొన్నవాడు — అయ్యాడు. (→ English: Lumbini · Bodh Gaya · great departure (mahabhinishkramana) · हिन्दी: लुंबिनी · बोधगया · महाभिनिष्क्रमण)

In exam EnglishSiddhartha, of the Gautama gotra, was born into the Shakya clan, a gana-sangha whose chief town was Kapilavastu in the Himalayan foothills. His birthplace was the garden of Lumbini, now in Nepal; his father was Shuddhodana and his mother Mahamaya. Tradition dates his life to 563–483 BCE, though many historians now place his death roughly a century later. Buddhist tradition says that the sight of an old man, a sick man, a corpse and a calm ascetic convinced him that comfort could not end suffering, and at twenty-nine he left home, an event called the mahabhinishkramana, the great departure. Six years of seeking followed, including extreme fasting that nearly killed him and that he finally gave up. At thirty-five, meditating under a pipal tree at Bodh Gaya beside the Niranjana river, he attained enlightenment and became the Buddha, 'the awakened one'.

సారనాథ్‌లోని జింకల వనంలో, ఒకప్పుడు తనతో ఉపవాసం చేసిన ఐదుగురు సహచరులకు బుద్ధుడు మొదటి ఉపదేశం ఇచ్చాడు — ధర్మచక్రం తిరగడం మొదలైంది, బండి చక్రం మొదటిసారి కదిలినట్టు. 45 ఏళ్లు మగధ, కోసలలో తిరిగి బోధించాడు; బింబిసారుడు, ప్రసేనజిత్తు గౌరవించారు; అనాథపిండికుడు జేతవనం ఇచ్చాడు. 80 ఏళ్లకు కుశీనగరంలో మహాపరినిర్వాణం; అస్థికలు స్తూపాలలో దాచారు. తొలి కళలో బుద్ధుని బొమ్మ లేదు, గుర్తులే ఉన్నాయి. (→ English: Sarnath · Kushinagar · mahaparinirvana · stupa · हिन्दी: सारनाथ · कुशीनगर · महापरिनिर्वाण · स्तूप)

In exam EnglishThe Buddha gave his first sermon in the deer park at Sarnath, near Varanasi, to five companions who had once fasted with him. Buddhists call it the dhammachakkapavattana, 'setting the wheel of the dharma in motion'. For about forty-five years after that he walked through Magadha and Kosala, teaching in the open. Kings Bimbisara of Magadha and Prasenajit of Kosala respected him, and the merchant Anathapindika gave the Jetavana grove at Shravasti for the monks. At eighty he died at Kushinagar, a town of the Mallas, an event called the mahaparinirvana; his ashes were shared among several peoples and placed in stupa mounds. Early Buddhist art did not show the Buddha in human form but through symbols linked with each great event of his life. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002.

Five great events of the Buddha's life, their places and their symbols in early art
Event	Place	Symbol
Birth	Lumbini (Nepal)	Lotus and bull
Great departure (mahabhinishkramana)	Kapilavastu	Horse
Enlightenment (bodhi)	Bodh Gaya	Bodhi tree
First sermon (dhammachakkapavattana)	Sarnath	Wheel
Death (mahaparinirvana)	Kushinagar	Stupa

బుద్ధుని బోధకు గుండె నాలుగు ఆర్య సత్యాలు: జీవితంలో దుఃఖం ఉంది; దానికి కారణం తృష్ణ (ఆశ, ఆరాటం); కారణం ఉంది కాబట్టి అది ఆగగలదు; ఆపే దారి అష్టాంగ మార్గం — సరైన దృష్టి, సంకల్పం, మాట, పని, జీవనోపాధి, ప్రయత్నం, స్మృతి, ఏకాగ్రత. వీణ తీగ చాలా వదులైతే శబ్దం రాదు, బాగా బిగిస్తే తెగుతుంది — మధ్యస్థంగా ఉంటేనే రాగం. అందుకే దీన్ని మధ్యమ మార్గం అన్నారు: భోగమూ కాదు, శరీరాన్ని హింసించడమూ కాదు. (→ English: Four Noble Truths · Eightfold Path · middle way · हिन्दी: चार आर्य सत्य · अष्टांगिक मार्ग · मध्यम मार्ग)

In exam EnglishThe core of the Buddha's message is the Four Noble Truths. First, life as we usually live it is marked by dukkha: suffering, frustration, the sense that nothing satisfies for long. Second, dukkha has a cause, tanha, a thirst or craving for pleasure, for possessions and for continued existence. Third, because it has a cause, it can be ended. Fourth, there is a way to end it, the Eightfold Path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. The steps are usually grouped under wisdom, ethical conduct and mental discipline. The Buddha called this the middle way because he had tried both extremes, a prince's life of pleasure and an ascetic's self-torture, and found that neither worked.

అన్నీ మారిపోయేవే (అనిత్యం); మార్పులేని శాశ్వత ఆత్మ లేదు (అనాత్మ) — మనిషి ఒక పారే నదిలాంటివాడు, నిన్నటి నీళ్లు ఈరోజు లేవు. కర్మ, పునర్జన్మను బుద్ధుడు ఒప్పుకున్నాడు, కానీ ఆశే చక్రాన్ని తిప్పుతుందన్నాడు. ఆశ ఆరిపోతే నిర్వాణం — నూనె అయిపోతే దీపం ఆరినట్టు. వేదాలు, బలులు అక్కర్లేదు; పుట్టుక కాదు, ప్రవర్తనే విలువ. ప్రజల భాషలో బోధించాడు. అనుచరుడు బుద్ధుడు, ధర్మం, సంఘం అనే మూడు రత్నాలను శరణు కోరతాడు. (→ English: anicca · anatta · nirvana · sangha · हिन्दी: अनित्य · अनात्म · निर्वाण · संघ)

In exam EnglishBehind these truths lie a few ideas that set Buddhism apart. Everything is anicca, impermanent: bodies, feelings, possessions and kingdoms all change and pass. There is anatta, no permanent and unchanging self; a person is a stream of changing physical and mental processes. This is a sharp break from the Upanishadic idea of an eternal atman. The Buddha accepted karma and rebirth, but taught that craving keeps the cycle turning, and that when craving is ended a person reaches nirvana, literally a 'blowing out', as a flame goes out when its fuel is gone. He did not rest his teaching on a creator god, rejected the authority of the Vedas and the value of sacrifice, and taught that a person's worth comes from conduct rather than birth. He spoke in the everyday language of the people rather than Sanskrit. A follower 'takes refuge' in the three jewels: the Buddha, the Dhamma (his teaching) and the sangha (the community of monks and nuns).

సంఘం అంటే గురువు చుట్టూ ఉన్న గుంపును శాశ్వత సంస్థగా మార్చడం — ఒక్క వ్యక్తి నడిపే దుకాణాన్ని సహకార సంఘంగా మార్చినట్టు. ఏ వర్ణం వారైనా భిక్షువు కావచ్చు; కానీ అప్పులవాళ్లు, బానిసలు, రాజు సైనికులు బాధ్యతల నుంచి విడుదల లేకుండా చేరలేరు. భిక్షువులు గుండు, సాదా వస్త్రం, భిక్షాన్నం, వర్షాకాలంలో ఒకేచోట. మహాప్రజాపతి గౌతమి మొదటి భిక్షుణి. ఉపాసకులు ఆహారం, ఆశ్రయం ఇచ్చారు. సంఘం సభలో చర్చించి ఒప్పందంతో నిర్ణయించేది. (→ English: sangha · bhikkhu · bhikkhuni · vihara · हिन्दी: संघ · भिक्षु · भिक्षुणी · विहार)

In exam EnglishThe sangha turned a teacher's circle into a lasting institution. Men of any varna could be ordained as bhikkhus, though the rules kept out people who could not freely leave their obligations, such as debtors, slaves and soldiers in royal service. Monks shaved their heads, wore simple robes, owned almost nothing, ate what they received on the begging round, and stayed in one place during the rainy season. After some hesitation the Buddha allowed an order of nuns, the bhikkhunis; his foster-mother Mahaprajapati Gotami is remembered as the first, and the Therigatha preserves verses by early nuns. Lay followers, men and women called upasakas and upasikas, supported the order with food, clothing and shelter. The sangha met in assemblies and settled matters by discussion and agreement, much like the gana-sanghas described in part 1.

బుద్ధుడు ఏమీ రాయలేదు; భిక్షువులు కంఠస్థం చేసి కలిసి పఠించారు — పెళ్లి పాటలు అమ్మమ్మల నోటి నుంచి నోటికి వచ్చినట్టు. ఆ మాటలు పాళీ భాషలో త్రిపిటకం (మూడు బుట్టలు) గా కూర్చారు: వినయ పిటకం — భిక్షువుల నియమాలు; సుత్త పిటకం — బుద్ధుని ప్రసంగాలు (అంగుత్తర నికాయ ఇందులోదే); అభిధమ్మ పిటకం — మనసు, పదార్థం విశ్లేషణ. జాతక కథలు బుద్ధుని పూర్వజన్మల కథలు, సుత్త పిటకంలోవి; సాంచీ, భర్హుత్ స్తూపాలపై చెక్కారు. (→ English: Tripitaka · Vinaya · Sutta · Abhidhamma · Jataka · हिन्दी: त्रिपिटक · विनय · सुत्त · अभिधम्म · जातक)

In exam EnglishThe Buddha wrote nothing; his words were memorised by monks and recited together. They were gathered into the Tripitaka, the 'three baskets', in the Pali language. The Vinaya Pitaka holds the rules of discipline for monks and nuns. The Sutta Pitaka holds the Buddha's discourses, arranged in five collections called nikayas, one of which is the Anguttara Nikaya with its list of sixteen Mahajanapadas. The Abhidhamma Pitaka offers a systematic analysis of mind and matter. According to the Sri Lankan tradition, the Pali canon was first written down on the island in the first century BCE. The Jatakas, more than five hundred stories of the Buddha's earlier lives as animals, merchants and kings, belong to the Sutta Pitaka and were carved on the railings of stupas such as Bharhut and Sanchi.

బోధ జ్ఞాపకంలో ఉండేది కాబట్టి, భిక్షువులు సంగీతులు (కలిసి పఠించడం) జరిపారు — ఊరి పెద్దలు కూర్చుని పాత లెక్కలు సరిచూసినట్టు. మొదటిది రాజగృహంలో, అజాతశత్రు కాలంలో, మహాకస్సపుడు అధ్యక్షుడు. రెండోది వైశాలిలో, కాలాశోకుడి కాలంలో — బంగారం, వెండి తీసుకోవచ్చా అనే గొడవతో స్థవిరవాదులు, మహాసాంఘికులుగా చీలిక. మూడోది పాటలీపుత్రంలో అశోకుడి కాలంలో, మొగ్గలిపుత్త తిస్స. నాలుగోది కశ్మీర్‌లో కనిష్కుడి కాలంలో, వసుమిత్రుడు, అశ్వఘోషుడు. (→ English: Buddhist councils (sangiti) · हिन्दी: बौद्ध संगीतियाँ)

In exam EnglishBecause the teaching lived in memory, monks met in councils, called sangitis or 'reciting together', to fix the canon and settle disputes. The first met at Rajagriha soon after the Buddha's death under King Ajatashatru, with Mahakassapa presiding; Ananda recited the discourses and Upali the rules of discipline. The second met at Vaishali about a century later under Kalashoka; a quarrel over monastic rules, such as whether monks could accept gold and silver, split the order into the Sthaviravadins, the 'elders', and the Mahasanghikas, the 'great community'. The third met at Pataliputra under Ashoka, with Moggaliputta Tissa presiding; it completed the Abhidhamma and was followed by missions sent to other lands. The fourth met in Kashmir under the Kushana king Kanishka in the first century CE, with Vasumitra presiding and Ashvaghosha as his deputy; its commentaries were composed in Sanskrit, and it is linked with the rise of the Mahayana.

The four Buddhist councils (dates follow the traditional chronology)
Council	Place and time	Patron	Presiding monk	Outcome
First	Rajagriha, soon after the Buddha's death (c. 483 BCE)	Ajatashatru	Mahakassapa	Sutta recited by Ananda, Vinaya by Upali
Second	Vaishali, c. 383 BCE	Kalashoka	Sabakami	Split into Sthaviravadins and Mahasanghikas
Third	Pataliputra, c. 250 BCE	Ashoka	Moggaliputta Tissa	Abhidhamma completed; missions sent abroad
Fourth	Kashmir, 1st century CE	Kanishka	Vasumitra (deputy Ashvaghosha)	Sanskrit commentaries; linked with the rise of Mahayana

థేరవాదం — 'పెద్దల సిద్ధాంతం': పాళీ గ్రంథాలు, సొంత సాధనతో నిర్వాణం పొందే అర్హతుడే ఆదర్శం; విమర్శకులు దీన్ని హీనయానం అన్నారు. మహాయానం — 'పెద్ద వాహనం': ఆదర్శం బోధిసత్వుడు, తానొక్కడే ఒడ్డు చేరకుండా పడవలో అందరినీ ఎక్కించుకునే నావికుడిలాంటివాడు. బుద్ధుని విగ్రహాల పూజ, సంస్కృతం, నాగార్జునుడు. వజ్రయానం — తూర్పు భారతంలో, మంత్రాలు, తాంత్రిక పూజలు, తారా దేవి. (→ English: Theravada · Mahayana · bodhisattva · Vajrayana · हिन्दी: थेरवाद · महायान · बोधिसत्व · वज्रयान)

In exam EnglishFrom these splits grew the main schools. Theravada, the 'doctrine of the elders', descends from the Sthaviravada line; it keeps the Pali canon and holds up the arhat, a monk who reaches nirvana through his own discipline, as the ideal. Its critics called it Hinayana, the 'lesser vehicle', a label its followers do not use. Mahayana, the 'great vehicle', took shape around the beginning of the Common Era and spread under the Kushanas. Its ideal is the bodhisattva, a being who could enter nirvana but stays in the world out of compassion to help others; Mahayana treated the Buddha as a divine saviour, worshipped him in images, wrote in Sanskrit, and produced thinkers such as Nagarjuna. Vajrayana, the 'thunderbolt vehicle', grew in eastern India from about the seventh century CE, adding mantras, tantric rites and goddesses such as Tara.

భిక్షువులు తిరగడానికే శిక్షణ పొందారు, వ్యాపారులు వారిని తమ బిడారులతో తీసుకెళ్లారు — విత్తనాలు గాలికి ఎగిరి దూరపు పొలాల్లో మొలిచినట్టు. అశోకుడు మహేంద్రుణ్ణి, సంఘమిత్రను శ్రీలంకకు పంపాడు; అక్కడి నుంచి థేరవాదం మయన్మార్, థాయ్‌లాండ్‌కు. మహాయానం పట్టు మార్గంలో చైనా, కొరియా, జపాన్‌కు; వజ్రయానం టిబెట్‌కు. భారతంలో మాత్రం క్షీణించింది: భక్తి ఉద్యమం ఆకర్షించింది, బుద్ధుణ్ణి విష్ణువు అవతారంగా చూశారు, మఠాలు ప్రజలకు దూరమయ్యాయి, రాజుల ఆదరణ పోయింది, దాడుల్లో నలంద, విక్రమశిల నాశనమయ్యాయి. (→ English: spread of Buddhism · decline · Nalanda · हिन्दी: बौद्ध धर्म का प्रसार · पतन · नालंदा)

In exam EnglishBuddhism travelled because monks were trained to wander and merchants carried them along trade routes. After the third council Ashoka sent his son Mahinda and, by tradition, his daughter Sanghamitta to Sri Lanka, which became the stronghold of Theravada and passed it on to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Mahayana moved along the Silk Road through Central Asia to China, and from there to Korea and Japan; Vajrayana reached Tibet from the eighth century. In India itself the faith slowly declined. Brahmanical religion revived and absorbed much of its appeal through bhakti, and the Buddha came to be counted as an avatar of Vishnu. Buddhism grew closer to its rivals by adopting Sanskrit, image worship and tantric rites. Rich monasteries drifted away from ordinary lay people, royal patrons turned elsewhere, and attacks around 1200 CE ruined great centres such as Nalanda and Vikramashila.

భారతంలో క్షీణించినా బౌద్ధం గొప్ప వారసత్వం వదిలింది: సాంచీ, భర్హుత్ స్తూపాలు, కార్లే, అజంతా గుహలు, నలంద విశ్వవిద్యాలయం. కరుణ, అహింస, పుట్టుకతో సంబంధం లేని సమానత్వం — ఇవి నిలిచిపోయాయి. ఇల్లు అమ్మేసినా ఆ ఇంట్లో నాటిన చెట్టు ఊరంతా నీడనిస్తున్నట్టు. మొత్తం: శ్రమణ ప్రశ్న → బుద్ధుని మధ్యమ మార్గం → సంఘం, త్రిపిటకం → నాలుగు సంగీతులు → మూడు యానాలు ఆసియా అంతటా → స్వదేశంలో క్షీణత. తర్వాతి భాగం జైనం. (→ English: stupa · chaitya · vihara · legacy of Buddhism · हिन्दी: स्तूप · चैत्य · विहार · बौद्ध धर्म की विरासत)

In exam EnglishYet Buddhism left India far richer than it found it. Its builders gave the country its first great monuments: the stupa at Sanchi and Bharhut, rock-cut chaitya halls and viharas at Karle and Ajanta, and monastic universities such as Nalanda, whose remains became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. It enriched Pali and Sanskrit literature, carried Indian ideas, scripts and art across Asia, and gave lasting weight to compassion, non-violence and the equal worth of people regardless of birth. To tie the part together: the Buddha's answer to suffering grew out of the shramana challenge to costly ritual; his four truths and eightfold path offered a middle way; the sangha and the Tripitaka preserved his teaching; the four councils fixed the canon and recorded its splits; Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana carried it across Asia; and changes inside and outside the faith explain its decline at home. Part 3 turns to Jainism, which shared the same roots but took a stricter path.

Exam traps

Keep the four places apart: born at Lumbini, enlightened at Bodh Gaya, first sermon at Sarnath, died at Kushinagar. Bodh Gaya is not where he first taught.
The third council (Pataliputra) had Ashoka as patron and Moggaliputta Tissa presiding; the fourth (Kashmir) had Kanishka as patron and Vasumitra presiding, with Ashvaghosha as deputy.
The Sthaviravada–Mahasanghika split came at the second council at Vaishali, not the first.
The Jatakas belong to the Sutta Pitaka, not the Vinaya Pitaka; the Vinaya is the rule book for monks and nuns.
Buddhism's three jewels are the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. 'Right faith, right knowledge, right conduct' are the three jewels of Jainism.
The Buddha denied a permanent self (anatta) but did accept karma and rebirth; nirvana ends the cycle by ending craving.
Mahayana: bodhisattva ideal, Buddha images, Sanskrit texts. Theravada: arhat ideal, Pali canon, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
UNESCO years: Mahabodhi Temple Complex, Bodh Gaya, 2002; Nalanda Mahavihara, 2016.

Recap

New religions arose against costly sacrifice and Brahmana privilege, with support from Kshatriyas, farmers and merchants, out of the shramana tradition.
Siddhartha of the Shakya clan: born at Lumbini, left home at 29, enlightened at Bodh Gaya at 35, first sermon at Sarnath, died at Kushinagar at 80.
Four Noble Truths: suffering, its cause (craving), its end, and the path to its end, the Eightfold Path or middle way.
Key ideas: impermanence, no permanent self, karma and rebirth, nirvana; the three jewels are Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.
The sangha admitted people of all varnas; Mahaprajapati Gotami was the first nun; lay followers supported the order.
Tripitaka in Pali: Vinaya (rules), Sutta (discourses, including the Jatakas), Abhidhamma (analysis).
Councils: Rajagriha (Ajatashatru), Vaishali (Kalashoka, first split), Pataliputra (Ashoka), Kashmir (Kanishka).
Theravada (Pali, arhat), Mahayana (Sanskrit, bodhisattva, images), Vajrayana (mantras, tantra, Tibet).
Decline in India: Brahmanical revival and bhakti, loss of distinctness and patronage, attacks on monasteries; legacy in stupas, viharas, Nalanda and Asian culture.

Practice questions

Q1. Where did the Buddha deliver his first sermon?

Bodh Gaya
Sarnath
Kushinagar
Lumbini

Show answer

Answer: B. Sarnath

Answer (b). The first sermon, the 'setting in motion of the wheel of the dharma', was given in the deer park at Sarnath near Varanasi. Bodh Gaya (a) is where he attained enlightenment, Kushinagar (c) is where he died, and Lumbini (d) is his birthplace.

Q2. Match List I (event in the Buddha's life) with List II (symbol in early Buddhist art):
List I: A. Birth B. Great departure C. Enlightenment D. Mahaparinirvana
List II: 1. Stupa 2. Horse 3. Bodhi tree 4. Lotus and bull
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1
A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4

Show answer

Answer: A. A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1

Answer (a). Birth is shown by the lotus and bull, the great departure by the horse he rode away on, enlightenment by the Bodhi tree, and his death by the stupa. Option (b) swaps birth with departure and enlightenment with death; option (c) gives the departure the Bodhi tree; option (d) gives birth the stupa.

Q3. Consider the following statements about the Fourth Buddhist Council:
1. It was held in Kashmir under the patronage of Kanishka.
2. It was presided over by Moggaliputta Tissa.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Answer (a). Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: Moggaliputta Tissa presided over the third council at Pataliputra under Ashoka; the fourth was presided over by Vasumitra, with Ashvaghosha as deputy. So (b) and (c) are wrong, and (d) is wrong because statement 1 is true.

Q4. Consider the following statements about the Tripitaka:
1. The Vinaya Pitaka contains the rules of discipline for monks and nuns.
2. The Abhidhamma Pitaka offers a systematic analysis of mind and matter.
3. The Jataka stories form part of the Vinaya Pitaka.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3

Show answer

Answer: A. 1 and 2 only

Answer (a). Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong: the Jatakas belong to the Sutta Pitaka, the basket of discourses. Options (b), (c) and (d) all include statement 3.

Q5. Which one of the following is NOT a step of the Buddha's Eightfold Path?

Right speech
Right livelihood
Right mindfulness
Right faith

Show answer

Answer: D. Right faith

Answer (d). Right faith is one of the three jewels of Jainism, together with right knowledge and right conduct; it is not in the Eightfold Path. Right speech (a), right livelihood (b) and right mindfulness (c) are all steps of the path, which also includes right view, resolve, action, effort and concentration.

Q6. With reference to Mahayana Buddhism, consider the following statements:
1. The bodhisattva, who delays his own nirvana to help others, is its central ideal.
2. Its texts were composed mainly in Pali.
3. It spread through Central Asia to China, Korea and Japan.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

1 and 2 only
1 and 3 only
2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3

Show answer

Answer: B. 1 and 3 only

Answer (b). Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong: Mahayana texts were written mainly in Sanskrit, while the Pali canon is kept by Theravada. Options (a), (c) and (d) all include statement 2.

Q7. Consider the following statements about the rise of new religious movements in the sixth century BCE:
1. Many Later Vedic sacrifices involved killing cattle that farmers needed for ploughing.
2. Both the Buddha and Mahavira were born into Brahmana families.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Answer (a). Statement 1 is correct and helps explain why farmers welcomed teachings against sacrifice. Statement 2 is wrong: both teachers were Kshatriyas, and Kshatriya resentment of Brahmana claims was one reason the new movements found support. So (b) and (c) are wrong, and (d) is wrong because statement 1 is true.

Q8. Consider the following statements:
1. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2. The Buddha's mahaparinirvana took place at Sarnath.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Answer (a). Statement 1 is correct: the complex was inscribed in 2002. Statement 2 is wrong: the Buddha died at Kushinagar; Sarnath is where he gave his first sermon. So (b) and (c) are wrong, and (d) is wrong because statement 1 is true.

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Sources

Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (Ministry of Culture): material on Buddhism, Jainism and the religious movements of the sixth century BCE — https://ccrtindia.gov.in
Archaeological Survey of India: site notes and excavation reports on Sarnath, Kushinagar, Vaishali, Sanchi and Nalanda — https://asi.nic.in
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (inscribed 2002); Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (inscribed 2016) — https://whc.unesco.org