History
Jainism, Buddhism and Religious Movements
Buddha and Buddhist Philosophy
Life of Gautama Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, Middle Path, anatta and pratityasamutpada, the Sangha, and Jainism vs Buddhism for CGPSC.
Prerequisites
- Religious Ferment of the 6th Century BCE — the background and the rival teachers
- Mahavira and Jain Philosophy — read first; this page ends with a comparison
- Mahajanapadas, Magadha and the Mauryan Empire — Bimbisara, Ajatashatru, Prasenajit and the gana-sanghas
The Hook: A Monastery Under a Shaiva King
Connect
At Sirpur in Mahasamund district, the excavated Anand Prabhu Kuti Vihar — a Buddhist monastery with cells around a courtyard and a seated Buddha — stands a short walk from Shiva temples and the brick Lakshman temple. Monks lived here more than a thousand years after the Buddha died, far from the Gangetic plain where he taught.
What did a Shakya prince from the foothills of the Himalayas teach that could travel to Dakshin Kosala — and then to Sri Lanka, China and Japan?
Why it matters: Prelims tests the life events and places, the symbols of those events, and the Four Noble Truths / Eightfold Path. Mains asks you to explain Buddhist philosophy, compare it with Jainism, and assess its relevance today.
Life of the Buddha (गौतम बुद्ध)
Dates: traditionally 563–483 BCE. Many historians now place his death about a century later (c. 400 BCE). Use the traditional dates in Prelims options and write “traditionally” in Mains.
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Name | Siddhartha, of the Gautama gotra; later Shakyamuni, Tathagata (“one who has thus gone”) |
| Birth | Lumbini, near Kapilavastu (today in Nepal) |
| Clan | Shakya — a gana-sangha (republican clan) |
| Father | Suddhodana, chief of the Shakyas |
| Mother | Mahamaya, a princess of the Koliya clan; she died seven days after his birth |
| Foster mother | Mahaprajapati Gautami, later the first Buddhist nun |
| Wife and son | Yashodhara; son Rahula |
| Four sights | An old man, a sick man, a corpse, an ascetic |
| Great Renunciation (Mahabhinishkramana) | At 29; left on his horse Kanthaka with the charioteer Channa |
| Teachers | Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta (meditation) |
| Austerities | About six years, given up as useless; accepted a bowl of rice-milk from Sujata — the Middle Path |
| Enlightenment (Sambodhi / Bodhi) | At 35, at Uruvela (Bodh Gaya), under a pipal (Bodhi) tree on the bank of the Niranjana (Neranjara) |
| First sermon (Dharmachakrapravartana, “turning the wheel of law”) | At Sarnath (Rishipatana, the Deer Park) near Varanasi, to five ascetics |
| Preaching | About 45 years, in Pali / Magadhi, the people’s language |
| Death (Mahaparinirvana) | At 80, at Kushinagar (Kushinara), capital of the Mallas, after a meal from Chunda the smith |
Patrons and places of the Buddha’s ministry
| Patron / place | Link |
|---|---|
| Bimbisara (Magadha) | Gifted the Venuvana (bamboo grove) at Rajagriha |
| Ajatashatru (Magadha) | Patron of the First Council at Rajagriha |
| Prasenajit (Kosala) | Contemporary and admirer |
| Anathapindika (merchant) | Bought Jetavana at Shravasti for the Sangha; the Buddha spent many rainy seasons there |
| Amrapali (Vaishali) | Courtesan who gifted a mango grove |
Symbols of the five great events
| Event | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Birth | Lotus and bull |
| Great Renunciation | Horse |
| Enlightenment | Bodhi tree |
| First sermon | Wheel (Dharmachakra) |
| Death (Parinirvana) | Stupa |
Early Buddhist art (Bharhut, Sanchi) showed the Buddha only through such symbols; human images of the Buddha came later, in the Gandhara and Mathura schools.
flowchart LR
A["Lumbini
Birth"] --> B["Bodh Gaya
Enlightenment at 35"]
B --> C["Sarnath
First sermon"]
C --> D["Kushinagar
Mahaparinirvana at 80"]These are the four principal pilgrimage sites; Shravasti, Rajgir, Vaishali and Sankasya are added to make the eight great places.
Buddhist Philosophy (बौद्ध दर्शन)
Four Noble Truths (चार आर्य सत्य)
| Truth | Pali | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dukkha | Life involves suffering and dissatisfaction |
| 2 | Samudaya | Suffering has a cause: craving (tanha / trishna) |
| 3 | Nirodha | Suffering can end — nirvana |
| 4 | Magga (Marga) | The way to end it: the Noble Eightfold Path |
The Noble Eightfold Path (अष्टांगिक मार्ग)
| Group | Steps |
|---|---|
| Prajna (wisdom) | 1. Right view · 2. Right resolve (intention) |
| Shila (ethical conduct) | 3. Right speech · 4. Right action · 5. Right livelihood |
| Samadhi (concentration) | 6. Right effort · 7. Right mindfulness · 8. Right concentration |
Key concepts
| Concept | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Madhyama Pratipada (मध्यम मार्ग) — Middle Path | Avoid both luxury and extreme self-mortification |
| Three marks of existence | Anicca (impermanence), Dukkha (suffering), Anatta (no permanent self) |
| Anatta (अनात्म) | There is no eternal soul; a person is a changing bundle of five aggregates (skandhas) |
| Pratityasamutpada (प्रतीत्यसमुत्पाद) | Dependent origination: everything arises from causes and conditions, in a chain of 12 links (nidanas) |
| Kshanikavada | Momentariness: nothing lasts beyond a moment — developed by later schools |
| Karma and rebirth | Accepted, but what is reborn is a stream of causes, not a soul |
| Nirvana (निर्वाण) | “Blowing out” of craving; freedom from rebirth. Attainable in this life |
| Silence on metaphysics | The Buddha left questions such as whether the world is eternal or whether God exists unanswered (avyakata) as not useful for ending suffering |
Three Jewels (त्रिरत्न) and lay ethics
- Triratna: Buddha (the teacher), Dhamma (the teaching), Sangha (the order). A follower “takes refuge” in all three.
- Panchashila (पंचशील) for lay followers — abstain from: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, intoxicants. (Do not confuse with the 1954 India–China Panchsheel.)
The Sangha (संघ)
- An order of monks (bhikkhus) and nuns (bhikkhunis) open to all castes.
- Women were admitted at Ananda’s request; Mahaprajapati Gautami was the first nun.
- Some categories — for example soldiers in service, debtors and slaves — needed release or permission before joining.
- Run on democratic lines borrowed from the gana-sanghas: decisions by assembly and vote; rules in the Vinaya Pitaka.
- Lay followers were upasakas and upasikas.
Why Buddhism Spread
- Simple, practical ethics in the people’s language (Pali), with no costly ritual.
- Open to all: rejected caste in the Sangha; admitted women.
- Organised Sangha that carried the message and preserved texts.
- Royal patronage: Bimbisara, Ajatashatru, then Ashoka (missions abroad), Kanishka, Harsha and the Palas.
- Trade routes and merchant support carried it to Central Asia, China and South-East Asia.
- Personality of the Buddha and the middle path’s moderate appeal.
The reasons for its decline in India are covered on the next page.
Jainism vs Buddhism
| Point | Jainism | Buddhism |
|---|---|---|
| Founder / reformer | Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara | Gautama Buddha |
| Background | Kshatriya, Jnatrika clan | Kshatriya, Shakya clan |
| Soul | Accepts jiva, even in plants and elements | Denies a permanent self (anatta) |
| Path | Extreme austerity and penance | Middle Path |
| Ahimsa | Absolute, extending to minute life | Emphasised, but moderate |
| Liberation | Kaivalya → moksha | Nirvana |
| Triratna | Right faith, knowledge, conduct | Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha |
| Canon language | Ardhamagadhi Prakrit | Pali (Theravada); Sanskrit (Mahayana) |
| Spread abroad | Stayed in India | Spread across Asia |
| Fate in India | Survived (strong lay community) | Declined in India by about the 13th century |
| Common ground | Both reject Vedic authority, sacrifice and caste privilege; both accept karma and rebirth; both preached in Prakrit; both shramana and nastika |
Memory Tricks
Buddha's numbers: 29 – 35 – 80
“29 left, 35 lit, 80 lifted” — renunciation at 29, enlightenment at 35, parinirvana at 80. Compare Mahavira’s 30 – 42 – 72.
Places: L-B-S-K
“Little Boys See Kings” — Lumbini (birth), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment), Sarnath (sermon), Kushinagar (death). The order of events never changes, so neither does the order of places.
Five event symbols
“Lotus Horse Tree Wheel Stupa” — birth, renunciation, enlightenment, first sermon, death. “Let Him Teach Wise Students.”
Eightfold Path in three bins: P-S-S
Prajna (view, resolve) → Shila (speech, action, livelihood) → Samadhi (effort, mindfulness, concentration). 2 + 3 + 3 = 8.
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Mahabhinishkramana — the Great Renunciation (29) | vs | Mahaparinirvana — death at Kushinagar (80) |
| Dharmachakrapravartana — first sermon, Sarnath | vs | Sambodhi — enlightenment, Bodh Gaya |
| Mahamaya — mother (Koliya) | vs | Mahaprajapati Gautami — foster mother, first nun |
| Alara Kalama, Uddaka Ramaputta — teachers | vs | Ananda (cousin, attendant), Upali (Vinaya expert), Mahakassapa (presided over the First Council) |
| Venuvana (Rajagriha, Bimbisara) | vs | Jetavana (Shravasti, Anathapindika) |
| Panchashila — five lay precepts | vs | Panchsheel — five principles of peaceful coexistence (India–China, 1954) |
| Anatta (Buddhism — no permanent self) | vs | Jiva (Jainism — souls everywhere) |
Common Mistakes
MCQ traps
- “The Buddha gave his first sermon at Bodh Gaya.” No — he was enlightened at Bodh Gaya and preached first at Sarnath.
- “The Buddha was born at Kapilavastu.” He was born at Lumbini, near Kapilavastu.
- “Mahamaya brought up the Buddha.” She died soon after his birth; Mahaprajapati Gautami raised him.
- “The Buddha preached in Sanskrit.” He preached in the people’s language (Pali/Magadhi). Sanskrit was adopted later by Mahayana writers.
- “Buddhism denies karma and rebirth.” It accepts both; it denies a permanent soul.
- “The Buddha declared that God does not exist.” He stayed silent on such questions as irrelevant to ending suffering.
Practice
All questions below are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.
Level 1: Foundation
- The Buddha delivered his first sermon at ______; the event is called ______.
- The second Noble Truth says that the cause of suffering is ______.
- “Right speech, right action and right livelihood” belong to the ______ group of the Eightfold Path.
Answers
- Sarnath (Deer Park, Rishipatana); Dharmachakrapravartana.
- Craving (tanha / trishna).
- Shila (ethical conduct).
Level 2: Prelims MCQs
Q1. Match List I (Event in the Buddha’s life) with List II (Symbol in early Buddhist art):
| List I | List II |
|---|---|
| A. Great Renunciation | 1. Stupa |
| B. Enlightenment | 2. Wheel |
| C. First sermon | 3. Horse |
| D. Mahaparinirvana | 4. Bodhi tree |
- (a) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
- (b) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
- (c) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1
- (d) A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
Answer and explanation
(c) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1. The horse recalls Kanthaka, on which Siddhartha left home; the Bodhi tree marks enlightenment; the wheel stands for turning the wheel of the Dhamma at Sarnath; the stupa holds relics after death. Birth is shown by the lotus and bull.
Q2. Consider the following statements:
- The Buddha was born at Lumbini into the Shakya clan.
- His mother Mahamaya belonged to the Koliya clan.
- He attained enlightenment at Sarnath.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
(a) 1 and 2 only. He attained enlightenment at Uruvela (Bodh Gaya) on the Niranjana. Sarnath is where he gave his first sermon.
Q3. The Buddhist doctrine that everything arises in dependence on causes and conditions is called:
- (a) Syadvada
- (b) Pratityasamutpada
- (c) Niyati
- (d) Anekantavada
Answer and explanation
(b) Pratityasamutpada (dependent origination), set out as a chain of twelve links. Syadvada and anekantavada are Jain doctrines; niyati is the Ajivika doctrine of fate.
Q4. Which of the following is a point of difference between Jainism and Buddhism?
- (a) Rejection of the authority of the Vedas
- (b) Belief in karma and rebirth
- (c) Belief in an eternal soul
- (d) Opposition to animal sacrifice
Answer and explanation
(c). Jainism holds that souls (jiva) exist in all living beings and even in the elements; Buddhism teaches anatta — no permanent self. The other three are shared by both.
Q5. The merchant Anathapindika is remembered for gifting to the Buddhist Sangha:
- (a) the Venuvana at Rajagriha
- (b) the Jetavana at Shravasti
- (c) a mango grove at Vaishali
- (d) the Deer Park at Sarnath
Answer and explanation
(b) Jetavana at Shravasti, bought, according to legend, by covering the ground with gold coins. The Venuvana was Bimbisara’s gift; the mango grove at Vaishali was Amrapali’s.
Level 3: Mains Answer Writing
Q1. (150–200 words) Explain the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. How relevant are they today?
Model answer outline
- Intro: The Buddha’s first sermon at Sarnath set out a diagnosis and a cure for suffering — the core of his teaching.
- Four Noble Truths: dukkha; samudaya (craving); nirodha (nirvana); magga (the path).
- Eightfold Path: prajna (right view, resolve), shila (speech, action, livelihood), samadhi (effort, mindfulness, concentration) — the Middle Path between luxury and self-torture.
- Relevance:
- Mindfulness and mental health.
- Right livelihood and business ethics.
- Moderation and sustainable consumption.
- Non-violence and conflict resolution.
- Rational, non-ritual ethics in a plural society.
- Chhattisgarh angle: Sirpur’s monasteries and the modern Buddhist centre at Dongargarh show the tradition’s continuing presence in the state.
- Conclusion: A practical ethic of self-discipline whose psychological insight remains modern.
Q2. (60 words) Distinguish between anatta in Buddhism and jiva in Jainism.
Model answer outline
- Jainism: countless eternal souls (jiva) exist, even in plants, water and earth; karma-matter binds them, and liberation frees the pure soul.
- Buddhism: no permanent self (anatta); a person is a changing bundle of five skandhas; what continues in rebirth is a causal stream.
- Common ground: both accept karma and rebirth and reject the Upanishadic identity of atman with Brahman.
Quick Revision Table
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates | Traditional 563–483 BCE |
| Birth | Lumbini near Kapilavastu; Shakya clan; Suddhodana and Mahamaya (Koliya) |
| Family | Wife Yashodhara; son Rahula; foster mother Mahaprajapati Gautami |
| Renunciation | At 29; horse Kanthaka; charioteer Channa |
| Teachers | Alara Kalama, Uddaka Ramaputta |
| Enlightenment | At 35; Bodh Gaya (Uruvela); pipal; Niranjana river |
| First sermon | Sarnath; Dharmachakrapravartana; five ascetics |
| Death | At 80; Kushinagar (Mallas); Mahaparinirvana |
| Symbols | Lotus/bull, horse, Bodhi tree, wheel, stupa |
| Four Noble Truths | Dukkha, samudaya, nirodha, magga |
| Eightfold Path | Prajna (2), shila (3), samadhi (3) |
| Key concepts | Middle Path; anicca, dukkha, anatta; pratityasamutpada; nirvana |
| Triratna | Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha |
| Patrons | Bimbisara (Venuvana), Anathapindika (Jetavana), Prasenajit, Amrapali |
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
- Life numbers 29 – 35 – 80; places Lumbini – Bodh Gaya – Sarnath – Kushinagar.
- The core is the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path (prajna, shila, samadhi) — the Middle Path.
- Buddhism accepts karma and rebirth but denies a permanent self (anatta); everything arises by dependent origination.
- The Sangha was open to all castes and to women, and ran on gana-sangha democratic procedure.
- Jainism and Buddhism share anti-Vedic, anti-ritual, ethical roots but differ on the soul, austerity and their fate in India.
What’s Next
- Buddhist Councils and Sects — the councils, the Tripitaka, Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana, spread and decline
- Indian Philosophy — Buddhist schools in Mains GS-IV
- Regional Dynasties — Sirpur’s Buddhist golden age under the Panduvanshis
- Indian Art, Literature and Culture — stupas, chaityas, viharas, Gandhara and Mathura art
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