A History of Buddhism Test - 2

The correct answer is Buddhism.

Key Points

• Tripitaka are the sacred books of the Buddhists.
• Tripitaka:
  • Vinay Pitaka consists of rules of monastic discipline for monks.
  • Sutta Pitaka is the collection of Buddha’s sermons.
  • Abhidhamma Pitaka is the philosophy of Buddha’s teachings.
  • Milindapanho (i.e. Questions of Milinda) is a dialogue between Milinda (identical with Indo-Greek ruler Menander) and Buddhist saint Nagasena.
  • Dipavamsha and Mahavamsha: The great chronicles of Sri Lanka.

Additional Information

• Buddhism is World's fourth-largest religion and its followers are known as Buddhists.
• The Buddhist traditions have the goal of overcoming suffering and attainment of Nirvana(Enlightenment).
• The Buddhist religion is attributed to the teachings of Gautama Buddha.

The correct answer is Vaishnavism.

Important Points

• Andal is a lady Alvar bhakti Saint.
  • Andal is the only female Alvar among the 12 Alvar saints of South India.
  • Her great creation among Tamil works like Thiruppavai and Nachiar Tirumozhi.
  • She is known for her unwavering devotion to Lord Vishnu.

The correct answer is Buddhism.

Key Points

• Jataka tales are works of literature that are about Gautam Buddha's previous births. 
• Buddhism: Buddhism is a faith that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama ("the Buddha") in 5th Century B.C.
• The Buddhism religion is based upon the teachings, life experience of its founder Siddhartha Gautam, born in circa 563 BCE.

Additional Information

• Lingayat: Lingayat also called Virashaiva, a member of a Hindu sect with a wide following in southern India that worships Shiva as the only deity.
• Shaivism: Shaivism is the branch of Hinduism that worships Shiva as the supreme deity. It is one of the major branches of Hinduism.
• Jainism: Jainism is a religion that emphasizes complete non - violence, and asceticism.
  • Followers of Jainism are called Jains.
  • J ainism came into prominence in the 6th century B.C, when Lord Mahavira propagated the religion. 
  • There were 24 great teachers, the last of whom was Lord Mahavira.
  • The first Tirthankara was Rishabnatha. 

The correct answer is Jainism.

Key Points

• With reference to the religious practices in India, the Anekantavada belongs to Jainism.

Additional Information

• Jainism
  • Anekantavada: Emphasises that the ultimate truth and reality is complex, and has multiple-aspects i.e theory of plurality.
  • It refers to the simultaneous acceptance of multiple, diverse, even contradictory viewpoints.
  • Syadvada: All judgments are conditional, holding good only in certain conditions, circumstances, or senses.
  • Syadavada literally means the ‘method of examining different probabilities’.
  • The basic difference between them is that Anekantavada is the knowledge of all differing but opposite attributes whereas Syadavada is a process of the relative description of a particular attribute of an object or an event.
  • It mainly aims at the attainment of liberation, for which no ritual is required.
• It can be attained through three principles called Three Jewels or Triratna i.e.
  • Right Faith (Samyakdarshana)
  • Right Knowledge (Samyakjnana)
  • Right Action (Samyakcharita)
• Five Doctrines of Jainism
  • Ahimsa: Non-injury to a living being
  • Satya: Do not speak a lie
  • Asteya: Do not steal
  • Aparigraha: Do not acquire property
  • Brahmacharya: Observe continence

Mahapariniravana deals with Death of Buddha.

• In Buddhism, parinirvana or Mahaparinirvana is commonly used to refer to nirvana-after-death, which occurs upon the death of someone who has attained nirvana during his or her lifetime.
• According to Buddhism, the person who dies after attaining nirvana ‘the remainder of life’ will be exhausted and, like all beings, such a person must die. But unlike other beings, who have not experienced ‘nirvaṇa’, he or she will not be reborn into some new life.

• Initially, the followers of Mahayana Buddhism used to worship Buddha in the form of some symbols associated with Buddhism.
• In due course of time, even the worship of his ideals is also noticed.

Some of the important symbols associated with Buddhism are

The correct answer is Buddha.

• Buddha

Key Points

• The Sanchi stupa is, of course, famous. Sanchi is unique in having the most perfect and well-preserved stupas, and Buddhist art and architecture pertaining to a period of about thirteen hundred years, from the third century BC to the twelfth century AD–almost covering the whole range of Buddhism. 
• The foundation of the great religious establishment of Sanchi was probably laid by Ashoka (c. 273–236 BC) when he built a stupa and erected a monolithic pillar here.
• It was enlarged to twice its original size, becoming a hemisphere of about 120 feet in diameter, in the 2^nd century BC, under the Sungas.
• Stone pillars depicting the life of Buddha are at Gaya, Sanchi, and Barhut.

Additional Information

• Four-lion capital is adopted from the Sarnath.
• Lion capital of Sarnath adopted as the National Emblem of India on 26th January 1950. 
• Buddhism: Buddha’s Life
  • Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in 563 BC, on the Vaishakha Purnima day at Lumbinivana in Kapilvastu in the Sakya Kshatriya clan.
  • At the age of 29, he renounced home, this was his Mahabhiniskramana.
  • At the age of 35, under a peepal tree at Uruvell (Bodh Gaya) on the bank of river Niranjana (modern name Falgu), he attained
    Nirvana.
  • Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath (deer park) to his five disciples.
    • This is known as Dharmachaka Pravartana (turning of the wheel of law).
  • He died at the age of 80 in 483 BC at Kushinagar.
    • ​ This is known as Mahaparinirvana.

The correct answer is Jainism.

Key Points

• The basic philosophy of the Jainas was already in existence in north India before the birth of Vardhamana, who came to be known as Mahavira in the sixth century BCE.
• According to Jaina tradition, Mahavira was preceded by 23 other teachers or tirthankaras – literally, those who guide men and women across the river of existence.
• The most important idea in Jainism is that the entire world is animated : even stones, rocks and water have life. (Asked in UPSC CAPF 2018)
• Non-injury to living beings, especially to humans, animals, plants and insects, is central to Jaina philosophy.
• The principle of ahimsa, emphasised within Jainism, has left its mark on Indian thinking as a whole.
• According to Jaina teachings, the cycle of birth and rebirth is shaped through karma.
  • Asceticism and penance are required to free oneself from the cycle of karma.
  • This can be achieved only by renouncing the world; therefore, monastic existence is a necessary condition of salvation.
  • Jaina monks and nuns took five vows :
    • To abstain from killing
    • Stealing 
    • Lying
    • To observe celibacy
    • To abstain from possessing property
• Jainism spread to many parts of India.
• Like the Buddhists, Jaina scholars produced a wealth of literature in a variety of languages – Prakrit, Sanskrit and Tamil.
• For centuries, manuscripts of these texts were carefully preserved in libraries attached to temples

Key Points

• Angāgama-text of Jains based on the discourse of Tirthankara
• 12 such text :

The correct answer is Ashvaghosh.

• Ashvaghosh is the poet who composed 'Buddhacharita', a biography of Buddha.

Key Points

• Ashvaghosha was a philosopher and poet who is considered India’s greatest poet before Kalidasa (5th century) and the father of Sanskrit drama.
• He popularized the style of Sanskrit poetry known as kavya.
• Ashvaghosha adorned the court of Kanishka.
• He was born in Saketa in northern India.
• Though Pali language literature was popular in Buddhism, Ashvaghosha wrote in Classical Sanskrit.
• Ashvaghosha spoke at length on Mahayana (Greater Vehicle) Buddhist doctrine at the fourth Buddhist council, which he helped organize.
• Buddhacharita written by Ashvaghosha is an epic on the life of the Buddha.
• He also wrote Saundarananda, with the theme of conversion of Nanda, Buddha's half-brother, so that he might reach salvation.
• He is also thought to be the author of the Sutralankara.

Additional Information

• Malti Madhav is one of the three major Sanskrit plays composed by Bhavabhuti.
• Vasumitra:
  • Vasumitra was a Buddhist monk of the Sarvastivada school who flourished in the 2nd century CE.
  • A native of Gandhara, he presided over the 4th Buddhist council in Kashmir, administered by Kanishka I.
  • He is credited as contributing to the Mahavibhasa.
  • Vasumitra is the eighth zen ancestor.
• Buddhist monk Nagarjuna
  • The arrival of the first-century monk Nagarjuna of the harmonious Satavahanas kings of the era at Sirpur.
  • The Satavahana rulers are said to have built a five-story Sangharam (palace) in Sirpur for the rest of Nagarjuna.

Kushinagar - A Buddhist Pilgrimage where God of peace and non-violence Buddha gave his last sermon and was cremated. A stupa was built at this place where his ashes were kept after his last rite.

Important Points

About Lord Buddha: 

• Lord Buddha was ordinary person names Siddhartha Gautama, whose profound insights inspired the world.
• He was born into the royal family of the Sakya clan who ruled from Kapilvastu, in Lumbini which is situated near the Indo-Nepal Border.
• At the age of 29, Gautama left home and rejected his life of riches, and embraced a lifestyle of asceticism or extreme self-discipline.
• After 49 consecutive days of meditation, Gautama attained Bodhi (enlightenment) under a pipal tree at Bodhgaya a village in Bihar.
• Buddha gave his first sermon in the village of Sarnath, near the city of Benares in UP.
  • This event is known as Dharma-Chakra-Pravartana (turning of the wheel of law).
• He died at the age of 80 in 483 BCE at a place called Kushinagara a town in UP.
  • The event is known as Mahaparinibban.

Thus, we can say that Lord Buddha died at Kushi Nagar.