History Of Buddhism
The Buddhism , it is a religion , a philosophy or practice often focuses on meditation , was founded by Siddhartha Gautama. He was born in approximately -556 of the Julian calendar in India and will spread more widely than two centuries later. This is one of the oldest religions still widely practiced today. Having expanded outside its home region, India's northeast, he touched at one time or another almost the entire Asian continent, enriched with elements from Asian cultures Central and Far East, Southeast Asia, Himalaya and Hellenistic. Despite initial contacts at the time of Greco-Buddhist , it was not until the nineteenth century that European scholars have begun to take serious interest. In XXI century , although the vast majority of Buddhists still live in Asia, they are found on every continent, whether Aboriginal or Asian emigration. Over time many schools have emerged. Buddhism today can be divided into three main streams: Theravada , Mahyna and Vajrayana.
Summary |
Chronology
See detailed timeline: History of Buddhist schools.
In India
From the time of Gautama
Background
Buddhism arose in the context of Vedic India: the Vedic books are highly respected. India is marked by a caste system.
Different teachers develop their vision of moksha , and have a means to achieve it.
Different notions of Hinduism will be revised in Buddhism, like the concept of reincarnation , in karma , the dhyanas , the status of gods like Brahma.
Buddhism considers various old school, born at the same time as him, which Jainism , one of these schools have survived today and Ajivika.
The Brahmjlastta lists various contemporary views of Buddhism.
Birth of Buddhism
The Buddhism was founded in India in the fifth century BC. AD
Siddhartha Gautama was for a father Shuddhodana King of Kapilavastu. He knows first palace life before starting to seek a solution to suffering.
The Buddha was influenced by the concepts of his time. He had to master the Brahmin Arada Kalama , but what he heard - dhyana master the seventh, the sphere of nothingness - does not seem enough. He went to Rajagrha and took as a mate Udraka Ramaputra , who taught him the eighth dhyana, the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. Again, the Buddha considered not to have found the path to nirvana.
For six years he practiced austerities meditators with five other ascetics. He almost died and decided to find another way, his friends thought he abandoned the practice.
The Buddha attained enlightenment, however, and was able to convince the five meditators of his achievement, saying the first sutra. Subsequently, he was able to convince very many people who joined the Sangha.
The Buddha wrote nothing himself, but he enunciated numerous speeches. At the time of his death, his teaching is already experiencing a great popularity, and the funeral of the Buddha will be the opportunity of sharing relics contained in stupas.
After the death of Gautama
The current Buddhist history before the time of Asoka is rather obscure. He seems to have occupied a minor role in the philosophical and religious landscape before the patronage of the great king which propelled the front of the stage. Three councils have taken place between the death of Gautama and the reign of Asoka, but information about them, well after the events are unreliable.
First Council
It took place at Rajagrha the fifth century BC. BC, shortly after the death of Buddha. It was the first opportunity to determine the canon bouddhdique the Tipitaka. And are written "three baskets":
- the Vinaya Pitaka , which includes the monastic rules;
- the Sutta Pitaka , which contains the speeches attributed to the Buddha;
- the Abhidhamma Pitaka , a significant amount of feedback.
According to the Buddhist approach, Ananda head restored the Sutta Pitaka, Upali enunciated the Vinaya Pitaka and Mahakashyapa restored the Abhidhamma. These codes are transmitted orally for centuries before being written down in Sri Lanka during the first century BC. AD.
Second Vatican Council
The council was held Vaisala to 367.
Third Council
The Council of Pataliputra raises questions. The texts are not mention the agreement on the dates (usually around 250 BC) or on events. In addition, sources of Mahayana does not mention it and forward the council's second Council of Kashmir (second century).
The third council was a moment of disagreement. It marked the creation of at least two groups: one group of "old", Sthavira which descend the Theravada current group and a "majority", the Mahasanghika , a supporter of reforms.
Another version gives rise to four groups to immediately subdivided then eighteen ancient schools.
Ashoka
Ashoka became emperor -268. After conducting a war against the Kalinda costing the lives of 100,000 men, he converted to Buddhism and made an edict engraved on a stone, -260. Ashoka spent a year with the community of monks and built many stupas.
This emperor was responsible for the wide spread of Buddhism Theravada in India and Asia.
Mahayana in India
The Great Vehicle appears around the first century AD.
Distribution
Buddhism has spread worldwide and has taken many faces.
India
King Asoka (274-236), by his conquests and his influence contributed to the spread of Buddhism to Kashmir , the Afghanistan , Ceylon and Burma. The Hellenism in contact with India is an influence of this religion, both artistic and intellectual (interviews of Menander with the monk Nagasena).
Because in this country so religious, the texts state that "all the Buddhas are born in India, preaching in India and reach Nirvana, the Buddha Sakyamuni is no exception. For many centuries (the fifth century to the seventh century AD), Buddhism will be popularized and transmitted in all regions of India. The sovereign also agree to support this religion, even against Hinduism. At that time, and in this climate of consensus, the art , the architecture , the painting , and all cultural activities in India will experience a unique glare .
In 1973 , India consists of only 0.6% of Buddhists, mostly in Bengal in the north.
Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia
Sri Lanka
Buddhism in Sri Lanka appears to -250 at Anuradhapura , following a mission sent by Emperor Asoka. A first monastery, the Mahavihara was built. The Theravada developed rapidly. In the first century AD were determined by written extensively Pali. In the fifth century. arrived in Sri Lanka, Buddhaghosa to collect and translate the comments. He wrote the Visuddhimagga , commentary by the most respected Theravada.
Mahayana and Vajrayana are still introduced to the island in the eighth century and will continue until the eleventh century. Buddhism weakened considerably following centuries as a result of invasions of Tamils, Hindus, Portuguese, Dutch and English. Theravada know today an undeniable revival, marked by a strong orthodoxy. One example is the monk Walpola Rahula.
Burma
A first contact between Burma and Buddhism in the reign of Emperor Ashoka.
Between Third and fifth centuries , Buddhism enters this country, in different forms.
After supporting the Vajrayana , King Anawrahta adopt Buddhism Theravada.
In 1091 , is built Pagan great temple by King Kyanzittha.
Shortly after 1260 , the Sangha broke into several groups. His harmony is restored in the late fourteenth century , under the orthodox Mahavihara.
Between 1868 and 1871 happens in a council for the preservation of the Pali Canon in Theravada Mandalay.
In 1956 takes place on the sixth council in honor of 2500 years of Buddha's parinirvana. The texts of the Pali Canon, existing in different versions, are revised and published in Burmese.
Thailand
Theravada Buddhism is in Thailand to the fifth century. It is developed here in the kingdom Mon to Dvaravati.
In the twelfth century , King Rama Kamheng the Kingdom of Sukhothai was converted to Theravada and invented the Thai writing. In the following century, King Lu Thai became a monk, since Thailand is Buddhism Theravada exclusively.
In 1782 , King Chao Phaya Cakkri convene a council to revise the Pali canon.
Cambodia
From the fifth century , the Cambodia adopts the Hinduism and the Mahayana Buddhism.
In the thirteenth century , King Jayavarman VII chooses the Mahayana and built the temples of Angkor Thom and the Bayon.
But gradually, Buddhism Theravada established.
Buddhism became a central institution of Cambodia, as the reign of King Prea Thomno Reachea.
The invasion of the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979 , however, made him suffer great damage.
Indonesia
The city-state of Sriwijaya (now Palembang ) in southern Sumatra was an important center of Mahayana Buddhist studies. The Chinese traveler and Buddhist monk Yi Jing , en route to the Buddhist university of Nalanda in South India, including stops in 673 and it finds the presence of thousands of fellow Jews came to study Sanskrit and the scriptures Buddhism. The Buddhist master Atisha (982-1054 AD) there came in 1011, with more than 100 followers, to become the disciple of the master Dharmarakshita (in Tibetan Serlingpa), with whom he remained 12 years. The decline of the power of Sriwijaya also means that of Buddhism in Sumatra.
In the center of the island of Java , a king of the dynasty Sailendra built in the eighth century temple of Borobudur , the largest stupa in the world. In Java, worship and the Buddhist clergy coexisted with their counterparts in Hinduism. In particular, the kings of Majapahit in East Java were considered the incarnation of both Buddha and Shiva. Buddhism gradually disappears with the rise of Java port Muslim principalities in the fifteenth century.
There are still a minority Buddhist in Indonesia, consisting mainly of Indonesians of Chinese descent who have adopted Buddhism as the regime Soeharto has made mandatory the reporting of belonging to one of the five recognized religions (Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism , Buddhism) but also of Javanese.
Malaysia
Around 1400, Parameswara , a prince Buddhist Palembang , fleeing Javanese domination, and fled to the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and founded Malacca. The conversion of the rulers of Malacca to Islam in the early fifteenth century is reflected by the disappearance of Buddhism from the peninsula.
Today, the Buddhist community of Malaysia is made up of Chinese.
Laos
Laos is emerging in the fourteenth century, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism co-exist. The marriage of a king with a Cambodian princess marked the beginning of the adoption of Theravada by the majority population.
Central Asia
The Greco-Buddhism is a syncretism between the culture Hellenistic and Buddhism which developed over nearly 800 years in Central Asia , the region corresponding to the current Afghanistan and Pakistan , between the fourth century BC. BC and the fifth century AD.
The Greco-Buddhism influenced the artistic development (and perhaps conceptual) of Buddhism, especially the branch Mahayana , before its expansion from the first century in Central Asia and northeast Asia, then China , in Korea and Japan.
China and Japan
Buddhism in China
In China, if the first texts were translated from the first century, the transmission will actually begin at the fourth century, after translating the works of Nagarjuna. China is the mainstream of Mahayana to the origin of Japanese schools and Buddhisms Korean and Vietnamese took off: Amidism , Chan / Zen , Tiantai / Tendai. Also in China that Kobo Daishi was initiated aware Shingon. The influence of Buddhism has continued to fluctuate according to the sovereign dynasties: rather favored by Mongol and Manchu , and fought rather by Ming. Like all religions, there has been strong opposition from Communist China until the late 1970s, before being readmitted into society, duly framed.
Buddhism in Japan
According to legend, the introduction of Buddhism in the Land of the Rising Sun took place in 552 , when a ruler of Korea sent to the ruler of Yamato a statue of Buddha gilt bronze Buddhist texts accompanied. In 592 , after power struggles with Shint , Buddhism was declared the state religion.
Japanese Buddhism has 12 major schools, which are classified according to their time of appearance:
During the Nara period , the birth of Buddhist schools Kucha (based on the Abhidharma-koca Vasubandhu) Jojitsu (based on satyasiddhi Harivarman-castrated), Ritsu (based on the observance of discipline "Vinaya" the small vehicle ) Hosso (Dharmalaksana "Vijnanavada") Sanron (on the 3 fundamental sastras School of emptiness "Madhyamika") Kegon (based on the Avatamsaka sutra ). The first four belong to the Indian tradition of Buddhism; Kusha follows quite clearly the tradition of the small vehicle ; Jojitsu part of a transition zone between small and large vehicle ; Hosso Sanron and, like that found its Kegon Serindia origins and China belong to the large vehicle.
During the Heian period , we witness the founding of two new revenue streams by monks in China: Tendai (Tien Tai, "sky terrace", the name of the place where born Chinese school Tiantai ), based on Saddharma pundarika Sutra or Lotus Sutra , following the trip Saich Kogyo Daishi , and the Shingon running Vajrayana founded by Kukai Kobo Daishi , who had visited China in 804 and brought the Vajrasekhara sutra he associated with Tantra Dainichi , Mahavairocanabhisambodhi Tantra as the basis for teaching.
The time Kamakura is the introduction of Zen from China from two schools: the Rinzai by the monk Eisai and Soto by Dogen. Two current inspired by the Amidism born Chinese, the Jodo Shu under the impetus of Honen and Jodo Shinshu by Shinran. At the same time develops a school named after its founder, Nichiren , who wishes to return to a practice focused solely on the Lotus Sutra , already popular in the Heian Tendai. Also at the same time, the Shugendo , lane mountain ascetics, the yamabushi, has a significant development.
For a complete picture, we must also mention a particular school of Zen , which was developed in Japan in the seventeenth century during the Edo period : the Obaku. It was founded by a renowned Chinese master Chan, Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen) and his disciple Muyan who fled China in the fall of the Ming to the Manchu. Obaku transcription is the name of Mount Huangbo in Fujian which was Yinyuan abbot, but also the name of the master of Linji (founder of the Rinzai) Huanbo Xiyun which it was installed. Practitioners of Obaku considered themselves followers of Linji, while including in their practice Amidism and elements from the Mi Zong, Chinese Esoteric Buddhism.
In recent years, Japan , inspired in this by the U.S. Constitution, has seen a significant development of new religious movements. Generally they can be classified into three categories: those inspired by Shinto as Mahikari or Tenrikyo, headed by a person inspired by a particular god or kami and Buddhist-inspired those based on the Lotus Sutra as Buddhism Reiyukai or the Soka Gakkai , those claiming esoteric Buddhism as Shinnyo-In. The syncretic blending various aspects gather around an iconic figure as was the case with Aum Shinrikyo. The situation is further complicated by the fact that larger schools, because of the lineage system, are themselves divided into a multitude of schools and currents, so it is currently more than 184,000 religious groups listed in Japan.
Nepal
Populations Nepalese origin Tibetan have since the fourteenth century adopted Buddhism Nyingma and Sakya.
Since the tenth century, the population of Newars developed a peculiar form of Buddhism, influenced by the Mahayana and Vajrayana. Monks Newari marry and adopt secular responsibilities. That Buddhism was a strong institution, but weakened today.
Since the invasion of Tibet by China in 1959 , many Tibetans fled to Nepal, including Kathmandu.
Tibet
The Buddhism was introduced to Tibet in 747 by the Indian master Padmasambhava giving birth to the school of Red Hats. Taking precedence over the shamanic traditions Bon , Buddhism became the state religion in the late eighth century. Buddhist monasteries are being developed. The conquering Mongols , masters already a part of China, obtained suzerainty over Tibet ( XII century - XVII century ). School of yellow caps (founded by Tsongkhapa ) increases its influence. It is here that the institution is constituted of Dalai Lama , religious and temporal leaders of Tibet. See the list of Dalai Lama and schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
West
If there are contacts who left traces artistic between Buddhism and the Greeks of Gandhara , this religion was long unknown in the West. However, experts believe that the legend of St. Josaphat is an adaptation of the Christian life of the Buddha Sakyamuni.
Sixteenth to the eighteenth century, the Jesuits are interested in this religion.
In the nineteenth appear in the West the first serious studies and translations. Philosophers like Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche are interested and inspired. This inspiration is still in the case of the first cause of confusion between the concept of emptiness in Buddhism and nothingness. In France, Alexandra David-Neel reveals the world of Tibetan lamas. In 1912 , she met the Dalai Lama.
Early twentieth century to the 1960s, studies are increasing. Gradually, the West emerging currents and native Western Buddhists, mostly lineage Zen and Tantric.
Buddhism today
Estimates of the number of Buddhists vary between 230 and 500 million, typically around 376 million.
There are now a number of movements in Asia and the West seeking to "modernize" Buddhism.
See also
- Comparison between Jainism and Buddhism
- Buddhism for a general appearance;
- Hinayana Buddhism , Buddhism old, and Theravada , the only contemporary school;
- Mahayana Buddhism ;
- Zen , Japanese Buddhism;
- Vajrayana Buddhism ;
- Tibetan Buddhism ;
- Buddhist Councils ;
- Notions of god and goddess in Buddhism ;
- List of Buddhist temples ;
- Personalities of Buddhism.
External Links
References
- a , b and c Encyclopedia of Religion, Gerhard J. Bellinger, ISBN 2-253-13111-3
- The sacred cow, Tarun Chopra ISBN 81-7234-041-9
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