The Therigatha : –
🔹 Therigatha unique Buddhist text, part of the Sutta Pitaka, is a collection of verses composed by bhikkhunis. It provides an insight into women’s social and spiritual experiences.
Followers of the Buddha : –
🔹 The Buddha’s followers came from many social groups. They included kings, wealthy men and gahapatis, and also humbler folk: workers, slaves and craftspeople. Once within the sangha, all were regarded as equal, having shed their earlier social identities on becoming bhikkhus and bhikkhunis.
🔹 The internal functioning of the sangha was based on the traditions of ganas and sanghas, where consensus was arrived at through discussions. If that failed, decisions were taken by a vote on the subject.
Reason why men and women joined the Sangha : –
🔹 During ancient times, men and women probably joined sanghas due to the following reasons:
🔸 Avoiding Worldly Pleasures They wanted to remain away from worldly pleasures.
🔸 Simple and Disciplined Life The life in sanghas was simple and disciplined. They could deeply study the Buddhist philosophy by staying in the sanghas.
🔸 Teachers of Dhamma Many people entered the sanghas to become teachers of dhamma. They went on to become theris or respected women who had attained liberation.
🔸 Equality among the Followers of Sanghas All were considered equal in sanghas. There were kings, wealthy men and gahapatis. There were also the humble folk such as the workers, the slaves and the craftsmen. Nobody could retain earlier social identity after becoming a bhikkhu or bhikkhunis.
🔸 Democratic set up of Sanghas The internal functioning of the sangha was democratic. It emphasised consensus through discussions. If there was no consensus, decision was taken on the basis of votes.
Rules for monks and nuns : –
🔹 These are some of the rules laid down in the Vinaya Pitaka:
🔹 When a new felt (blanket/rug) has been made by a bhikkhu, it is to be kept for (at least) six years. If after less than six years he should have another new felt (blanket/rug) made, regardless of whether or not he has disposed of the first, then – unless he has been authorised by the bhikkhus – it is to be forfeited and confessed.
🔹 In case a bhikkhu arriving at a family residence is presented with cakes or cooked grain-meal, he may accept two or three bowlfuls if he so desires. If he should accept more than that, it is to be confessed. Having accepted the two or three bowlfuls and having taken them from there, he is to share them among the bhikkhus. This is the proper course here.
🔹 Should any bhikkhu, having set out bedding in a lodging belonging to the sangha – or having had it set out – and then on departing neither put it away nor have it put away, or should he go without taking leave, it is to be confessed.
Places related to the life of Buddha : –
🔹 Buddhist literature describes places associated with Buddha’s life. These were:
- Lumbini where he was born.
- Bodh Gaya where he attained enlightenment.
- Sarnath where he gave his first sermon.
- Kusinagara where he attained nibbana.
Spread of Buddhism : –
🔹 Buddhism grew rapidly both during the lifetime of the Buddha and after his death.
🔹 People were dissatisfied with the prevailing religions and were confused by the social changes that were occurring.
🔹 Buddhism emphasized on the importance of conduct and values rather than claims of superiority based on birth.
🔹 The emphasis was laid on metta (fellow feeling) and karuna (compassion) especially for those who were young and weaker than oneself. These were ideas that drew men and women to Buddhism.
Chaitya : –
🔹 Chaitya may also have been derived from the word chita, meaning a funeral pyre, and by extension a funerary mound.
What is a stupa?
🔹 There were other places too that were regarded as sacred. This was because relics of the Buddha such as his bodily remains or objects used by him were buried there. These were mounds known as stupas. ( Sanskrit word meaning of stupas is heap)
Why were stupas built : –
🔹 The major purpose of the construction of the Stupas was to put the relics of the Buddha and other Buddhist monks. These sites turned into religious sites of Buddhism.
🔹 According to a Buddhist text known as the Ashokavadana, Asoka distributed portions of the Buddha’s relics to every important town and ordered the construction of stupas over them.
How were stupas built : –
🔹 Inscriptions found on the railings and pillars of stupas record donations made for building and decorating them. Some donations were made by kings such as the Satavahanas; others were made by guilds. Bhikkhus and bhikkhunis also contributed towards building these monuments.
The structure of the stupas : –
🔹 The initial structure of the Stupas was in the shape of semi-circular mound of earth which came to be known as anda.
🔹 Later this simple structure of the stupa evolved and become complex which balances round and square structures.
🔹 Above the structure of anda was another structure known as harmika. Harmika was a structure in the shape of the balcony that became the symbol of representation of the abode of God.
🔹 From the Harmika, a mast like structure arises which came to be known as the yashti. The yashti was surrounded by a chhatri or umbrella.
🔹 There was also the presence of railing around the mound. Its purpose was to separate the sacred space from the secular world.
Harmika : –
🔹 Harmika was a structure in the shape of the balcony that became the symbol of representation of the abode of God.
The early Stupas : –
🔹 The early stupas at Sanchi and Bharhut were plain except for the stone railings, which resembled a bamboo or wooden fence and the gateways which were richly carved and installed at the four cardinal points.
🔹 Later, the mound of the stupas came to be elaborately carved with niches and sculptures as at Amaravati and Shah-ji-ki Dheri in Peshawar (Pakistan).
Amaravati Stupa : –
🔹 The discovery of stupas also has a history. The Stupa of Amravati was discovered suddenly. In 1796, a local raja who wanted to build a temple stumbled upon the ruins of the stupa at Amaravati.
🔹 A British official named Colin Mackenzie visited the Amaravati site. He founded several pieces of sculpture and made detailed drawings of them but these reports were never published.
🔹 In 1854, Walter Elliot the commissioner of Gantur (Andhra Pradesh) also visited Amaravati site and collected several sculpture panels and took them away to Madras.
🔹 He also discovered the remains of the western gateway and came to the conclusion that the structure at Amaravati was one of the largest and most magnificent Buddhist stupas ever built.
Why was the stupa of Amravati destroyed?
🔹 1850s, some of the slabs from Amaravati had begun to be taken to different places:
- to the Asiatic Society of Bengal at Calcutta,
- to the India Office in Madras,
- some even to London.
🔹 It was not unusual to find these sculptures adorning the gardens of British administrators. In fact, any new official in the area continued to remove sculptures from the site on the grounds that earlier officials had done the same. Similarly the stupa of Amravati was gradually destroyed.
A person with a different point of view – H.H. Cole : –
🔹 One of the few men who had a different point of view was an archaeologist named H.H. Cole. He wrote:
- “It seems to me a suicidal and indefensible policy to allow the country to be looted of original works of ancient art.”
🔹 He believed that museums should have plaster-cast facsimiles of sculpture, whereas the originals should remain where they had been found.
🔹 Unfortunately, Cole did not succeed in convincing the authorities about Amaravati, although his plea for in situ preservation was adopted in the case of Sanchi.
Sanchi Stupa : –
🔹 The Sanchi Stupa, located in Madhya Pradesh, India, is a renowned Buddhist monument with a history dating back to the 3rd century BCE. Commissioned by Emperor Ashoka, it stands as one of the oldest stone structures in India.
Discovery of Sanchi Stupa : –
🔹 Sanchi Stupa was discovered in 1818, three of its four gateways were still standing, the fourth was lying on the spot where it had fallen and the mound was in good condition.
Taking the eastern gateway of Sanchi :-
🔹 In the 19th century, Europeans showed great interest in the stupa at Sanchi. French sought Shahjehan Begum’s permission to take away the eastern gateway, which was the best preserved, to be displayed in a museum in France.
🔹 Fortunately, they were satisfied with carefully prepared plaster-cast copies. Thus this original work remained at its place in Bhopal state.