Buddhism and Jainism

Buddhism and Jainism
Buddhism and Jainism are the two branches of the Shramana tradition that still exist today.
Jainism has been largely confined to India, while Buddhism has largely flourished in countries
outside of India. However the two traditions share notable similarities.
Overview
Buddhism separates itself from the Jain tradition by teaching an alternative to "extreme
asceticism". Buddhist scriptures record that during rince Siddhartha!s ascetic life "before the
great enlightenment# he undertoo$ many fasts, penances and austerities, the descriptions of
which are elsewhere found only in the Jain tradition "for example, the penance by five fires,
pluc$ing of hair, and the consumption of food using only one!s cupped hands#. %ltimately,
Buddha abandoned reliance upon these methods on his discovery of the &iddle 'ay "&agga#.
However, it is interesting to note that even under the Jain tradition, there exists a non(extreme
pathway, which is the path of the laymen with minor vows. Some Buddhist teachings, principles,
and terms used in Buddhism are identical to those of Jainism, but they may hold different or
variant meanings for each.
)lthough both Buddhists and Jains had nuns orders, Buddhist ali texts record Buddha saying
that a woman has the ability to obtain *irvana in the Buddha +hamma and ,inaya. Jain
traditions differ on the issue of female enlightenment, with the +igambara sect stating that
women are capable of spiritual progress but must be reborn male in order to attain final spiritual
liberation- and the Shvetambara sect maintaining that liberation "&o$sha# is attainable by both
males and females.
./0
1he issue of female enlightenment is, however, an academic one in the Jain
context since in the current universal age of corruption, &o$sha is nearly impossible for any soul
to attain.
'hile the Jain Sadhu and Sadhvi are referred to as the Sramans and Sramanis, the Shrava$ and
Shravi$a are the lay men and women "2rihastha#, respectively, who have not abandoned worldly
affairs, i.e., not having obtained "+i$sha", but are still following the religious guidelines, in the
given constraints. 1here are separate norms that have been prescribed for the Shrava$ and
Shravi$a under the Jain tradition.
'hether or not it was an influence of Jain culture and philosophy in ancient Bihar that gave rise
to Buddhism is unclear, but there are some stri$ing similarities between the two traditions, and
Buddhism may have adopted many of its ideas and traditions from pre(existing ones held by the
Jains. 1he Buddha *irvana calendar "with a 3ero point in 455 B67# may actually be significantly
older than the 8aliyuga calendar. )nd so, 9uite possibly, is the &ahavira *irvana calendar of the
Jains "with a 3ero point in 4:; B67#.
.:0
&ah<v=ra and Buddha were contemporaries. 1he ali 6anon does not record that the two
teachers ever met, though instances of &ahavira!s disciples 9uestioning 2autama Buddha are to
be found in various suttas. 1he Buddhists have always maintained that by the time Buddha and
&ahavira were alive, Jainism was already an entrenched faith and culture in the region. Buddhist
scriptures record philosophical dialogues between the wandering see$er Siddartha 2autama "who
was to become the Buddha# and Udaka Ramaputta, and the first of several teachers that young
Siddartha 2autama studied with before his enlightenment. Buddhist scriptures attest that some of
the first Buddhists were in fact Jains "Nirgranthas as they were then called, meaning "the
unbonded ones"# who "converted", but were encouraged by Buddha to maintain their Jain
identity and practises such as giving alms to Jain mon$s and nuns.
Buddhists recorded that &ahavira preached the "fourfold restraint" of the *irgrantha tradition>a
clear reference to the teachings of &ahavira!s predecessor ?ord arshva "@;;(;;; B67#,
traditionally the :Ard 1irthan$ara of Jainism (( who propounded the four vows of )hinsa
")himsa#, Satya "truth#, )parigraha "non(possessiveness#, and )steya "non(stealing#, which may
have been the template for the Bive recepts of Buddhism. )dditionally, the Buddhist Anguttara
Nikaya scripture 9uotes the independent philosopher urana 8ashyapa "the sixth century B67
founder of a now extinct order# as listing the *irgranthas as one of the six maCor classifications
of humanity. 1he ali texts mention the Buddha referring to the liberation of &ahavira "referred
to as *iggantha *ataputta# at ava.
Similarities and differences in Jain and Buddhist
terminology
The common terms in Buddhism and JainismD
Shramana
Samsara
*irvanaD "the definition is different in the two traditions#
)rhatD the term is used somewhat similarly.
+harma
Jina
)charya "chief of the orders#
Sutra "scriptures#
IndraESham$ra "chief of the gods#
The terms that are used with different meaningsD
udgala
Siddha
Common symbolsD
ratima, foot prints
Stupa
1he dharma(cha$ra
1he swasti$a
1he trirathna
1he ashta(mangalas
&inor devas
,egetarianism is re9uired for both mon$s and laity in Jainism. In Buddhism, the mon$s in 6hina,
Japan, 8orea and ,ietnam are vegetarian- however strict vegetarianism is not re9uired. By
monastic tradition, a mon$ should eat whatever is placed in his bowl when begging food. 1he
exceptions to not eat given meat were if the mon$ $new an animal was $illed especially for him
or he heard the animal being $illed.
Buddhist writings reflect that Jains had followers by the time Buddha lived. Suggesting close
correlations between the teachings of the Jains and Buddha, the Majjhima Nikaya relates
dialogues between Buddha and several members of the Nigantha "Jain# community, sometimes
resulting in the latter!s acceptance of Buddha as a teacher.
In many instances, both philosophies continue to share similar ra$rit terminology for important
themes and teachings but may differ significantly in interpretation and meaning. 1his method of
teaching adopted by the Buddha points to the pragmatic aspect of Buddha!s style of teaching
wherein the Buddha uses words and terms that are familiar to the audience instead of introducing
new and complex technical Cargon. In this way, Buddhism sought to appeal to a broad audience.
Jains consider Jainism to be an ancient religion and school of thought that predates Buddhism
since they have records of other Jinas. Buddhism too can claim great anti9uity as it records
several Buddhas predating Sa$yamuni Buddha in the "Buddhavamsa". Sa$yamuni also clearly
states that he is following the "tradition of the Buddhas",
"But it is the custom of my Buddha lineage. Several thousands of Buddhas have gone by
see$ing alms"
Both Buddha and &ahavira might have built upon the pre(existing meditative teachings in north(
eastern India at that time, which also explains some of the similarities in terminolgy.
1he last 1irthan$ara &ah<v=ra "4FF ( 4:; B6# was possibly a senior contemporary of the Buddha
whose philosophy, sometimes described as dynamism or vitalism, was a blend of the earlier Jain
teacher <rGvan<tha!s "@;;(;;; B6# order and the reforms instituted by &ahavira himself.
+ebates between Buddhists and Jains are recorded in Jain texts, and dialogues between Jains and
the Buddha are included in Buddhist texts. "See also the "Hrigins" section, above.#.
Indian Buddhist tradition categori3ed all non(buddhist schools of thought as "asanda" "asanda
means to throw a noose or pasha (( stemming from the doctrine that schools labelled as Pasanda
foster views percieved as wrong because they are seen as having a tendency towards binding and
ensnaring rather than freeing the mind#. 1he difference between the schools of thought are
outlined in the Saamannaphala Sutta of the +igha *i$aya.

Buddhism and Jainism

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Buddhism and Jainism

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Buddhism and Jainism

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Buddhism and Jainism

You might also like