HINAYANA BUDDHISM

LIFE OF BUDDHA

Gautam Buddha or Siddhartha was a contemporary of Lord Mahavira. His

father was Suddhona who was a Kshatriya and the King of Kapilavastu in the
Tarai region of the Indo- Nepal border. The exact date of his birth is not known
however, it is claimed that he was born around c. 567 BC. at Lumbini near
kapilavastu. His mother was Maya Devi who died after 7 days of his birth and
was brought up by his step mother Gautami. Because of this he was named
Gautama Siddhartha. Siddhartha had a spiritual bent of mind and a
philosophical thought with questions on human suffering, birth, disease, old age
and death from his early childhood. To divert his attention from such questions
his father married him to a beautiful princess Yashodhra when he was 19. They
had a son named Rahula, however, the worldly ties could not help him to lead a
family life.

THE GREAT RENUNCIATION

Siddhartha left the comforts and luxuries of royal life in search of the peace of
mind. Previously he was on a ride with his charioteer Channa where he
witnessed the four noble truths- an old man left by his relatives, a sick man
crying in pain, a dead man surrounded by wailing relatives, an ascetic who
looked peaceful, happy and calm. These four great signs discomforted him
greatly which finally led to the renunciation at the age of 29. After the
renunciation Siddhartha spent few years in the caves of Rajagriha, the capital
of Magadha. He followed severe penance which reduced him to a mere
skeleton. This did not give him any satisfaction and he realised that such
physical torture was of no ultimate use. He proceeded to Gaya and sat in
meditation under Banyan tree where in c. 530 BC, divine light dawned upon
him and he became The Buddha or the enlightened one. This site presently has
a big temple known as the Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya and the banyan tree
known as the Mahabodhi tree.

After attaining Buddhahood, he began preaching his knowledge. He delivered

his first sermon at Deer Park in Sarnath. After attaining Buddhahood , he
began preaching his knowledge. He delivered his first sermon at Deer Park in
Sarnath near Banaras. The event was called the Dharama Chakra Pravartan
meaning turning of the wheel of Law. After the first sermon, Buddha got his five
disciples which set up the Buddhist Sangha or order. Buddha taught his religion
for 45 years before he died at the age of 80 at Kushinagar in Nepal in c.487 BC.
This is referred to as the Mahaparinirvana. He was cremated and his remains
were distributed amongst his followers in holy cascades which were buried
under earthern mounds which later developed into the Stupas.

Teachings of Buddha

It can be divided into the 4 noble truths and the “Eight Fold Path” which leads
to Salvation or Nirvana.

FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

1. The world is full of suffering.

2. The cause of suffering is human desire.
3. The renunciation of desires is the path to Salvation.
4. Salvation can be achieved by the following the Eight Fold Path.

EIGHT FOLD PATH (MIDDLE PATH)

1. RIGHT BELIEF
2. RIGHT THOUGHT
3. RIGHT SPEECH
4. RIGHT ACTION
5. RIGHT MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD
6. RIGHT MEDITATION
7. RIGHT EFFORT
8. RIGHT MEMORY
This path is also described as the middle path which does not have elaborate
rituals as in Hinduism and severe penance of Jainism. Nirvana which is
achieved by the following the middle path gives one freedom from all sorts of
cravings which is the source of pain. He also stressed on Karma theory which is
the reflection of one’s actions in his past existence. Ahimsa meant no harm to
any living being. There should be equality of man and no faith in caste system.
He put emphasis on morality and no faith in yajnas, sacrifices and false rituals.
Buddha was however silent about the existence of God without formally denying
it. This does not mean that Buddha had no idea of a supreme force; he believed
that the whole universe was controlled by a Universal law which is named as
Dharma.

TEXTS OF BUDDHISM

Buddhism made valuable contribution to Indian Literature. After the

Mahaparinirvana of Buddha his followers met at a council at Rajagriha and
collected all the information and compiled them in Pali language into 3 sections
known as Tripitaka which means 3 baskets of knowledge and each basket
contained specific compiled teachings of Buddha from a specific field. The first
wasVinayapitika, the second was the Sutrapitika and the third Abhidam pitika.
The Vinayapitika contains the rules to be followed by the Buddhist disciples in a
monastery, the Sutrapitika contains the main religious discourse and teachings
of Buddha, and the third Abhidham pitika contains the philosophical principles
of Buddhism. Besides the tripitaka , the jataks were of great importance in
Buddhist literature. These were the stories related to the previous births of
Buddha .These were the religious books which also had a lot of importance for
the students of art history that provide ample study of social and religious
conditions at the time of Buddha.
Hinayna , Mahayana and Vajrayana

After the Mahaparinirvana Buddhism took a new turn. It split into two sects- the
Hinayana and the Mahayana. The term Hinayana means lesser vehicle of
salvation. It denotes the original and orthodox philosophy of Lord Buddha. The
Hinayana followers did not believe in idol worship and did not consider
Buddha as God. They believed in the Eight fold path laid down by the great
master who was their guide. Hinayana is also used as a synonym for Tharveda
(strict doctrine of Elders). It is mainly found in Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia,
and Thailand. It is often known as the southern Traditions of Buddhism. The
spread of Tharveda from India is from 500B.C to around 100A.D. Without the
Hinyana teachings there would be no way for practitioners to enter the
Dharma. This is the lower step. Hinyana is often regarded as the purest form of
Buddhism. In the beginning there were several sects of Hinayana Buddhism but
the only one that survives today and is common in Sri Lanka, Burma and South
East Asia is known as Stharveda. The Buddha is himself regarded as a Man, a
teacher and not a God. Thus images of Buddha are included in Hinayana
temples; he is potrayed simply as s symbol, or signpost to his teachings. There
is no divison in a Buddhist temple between an area of god and an area of man –
it is all domain of man.

Hinayana teaches reliance on self. They teach to rely on one’s own efforts and
conducts but not on miraculous boon of the almighty. They focus on the within
help and do not rely on external help. The fundamental teaching of Hinayana is
based on the sermon at Varanasi – the Four Holy Truths and Eight Fold Paths.
The Hinayana Scriptures also teach a passage which has become known as the
‘Chain of Dependent Organization’. But this was vague and ambiguous passage
which practically no one fully understands. But meaning of this passage is that
life is full of sorrows and sufferings. Life is transient and soulless. These
teachings stress the fact of suffering and that there is no divinity soul or spirit.
Hinayana thoughts convey that there is impermanence in this world and
everything is based on illusion, everything is constantly changing. The example
is given in context of Flame of lamp that how constantly it is changing in
fraction of time. The Hinayana is not metaphysical doctrine but a philosophical
doctrine. They believed that Universe exists but not created by any creator.
Buddha himself did not encourage speculation into metaphysics. He directed
man’s attention to their own world and the things that they could do to improve
their own existence. It is the philosophy of self-reliance that Hinayana preaches.
The refuge in the philosophy is expressed in Tri- Ratna (Three Jewels) which is
repeated as daily prayer in Hinayana Buddhism. Buddha was represented
through symbols:-

1. Stupa
2. Foot-Prints
3. Bodhi Tree
4. Empty Throne
5. Riderless Horse ( symbol of Renunciation)
6. Chatravati

STUPA – A stupa is a mound like or a hemispherical structure containing relic

that is used as a place of meditation. For example – Sanchi Stupa, the oldest
stone structure in India was commissioned by the emperor Ashoka in 3rd C BCE.

DIFFERENT PARTS OF STUPA

1. ENCLOSURE WALL
2. MEDHI – a pedestrian path for devotees to wave in homage to stupa.
3. TORANA- they were ceremonial gateways in front of wall.
4. ANDA – it is the hemispherical dome.
5. HARMIKA – the top of dome is ‘Harmika’- square balcony in decorative
form enclosing a pedestal.
6. CHATTRA SPIRE – a three tiered stone or wooden umbrella. It is an
altar of sacrifice.

FOOT-PRINTS (Buddhapada) –the foot-prints of Buddha are a thing of

veneration in all the Buddhist Countries. These highly schematized
footprints generally show all the toes to be at equal length. They often
bear a distinguishing mark – a Dharama chakra or wheel at the centre of
the sole. These imprints are especially respected in countries such as Sri
Lanka and Thailand where they are protected in special structure. The
Buddha’s footprints represented his presence as they are believed to be
the imprints where the Buddha actually touched the ground after attaining
Enlightenment. Often early Buddhist symbols also appear on the heels
and toes such as lotus,swastika and Tri-ratna (3 jewels). Some Buddha
foot-prints can be very large and detailed which displays sometime
distinctive marks -32,108,132 marks of Buddha in a check board pattern.

BODHI TREE- it is a tree of meditation under which Buddhaattains

enlightenment. It is a Banyan tree in Bodhgaya temple also known as
Mahbodhi tree. For ex- Bodhi tree of Kakamuni Buddha from Bharut
Stupa, Madhya Pardesh.

EMPTY THRONE – Buddha’s form not originally shown in images. For

centuries Buddha would be represented by an absence. Buddha shown
through a seat made of Kusa grass. Buddha is only represented through
Empty throne.
RIDERLESS HORSE (Symbol of Renunciation)- For ex-: on Sanchi
Stupa Gates.
 CHATTRA SPIRE- It is a triple Umbrella form. The Chattra derived
from umbrellas placed over the mound to protect it from the elements.
The three circular umbrellas like disks represent the three jewels or Tri-
Ratna of Buddhism which are the keys to a true understanding of faith.
a. Buddha
b. Dharma ( Buddhist teachings or religious laws)
c. Sangha (Monastic Community)

Mahayana means Greater vehicle of salvation. It was the combination of both

the orthodox Buddhism and the influence of Hinduism. The Mahayanas believed
Gautam Buddha to be God himself or his incarnation. They believed in rituals
and began the art of image making of Buddha and also the Bodhisattvas.
Nagarjuna was the first leader of the Mahyana sect; the language was Sanskrit
due to the influence of Hinduism and soon became very popular as the masses
could identify with the image or idol worship concept. The image of Buddha
was depicted in three important positions namely- The standing, The seated,
The reclining. The seated image originated from the yogi image in Indus Valley
Civilization often called Shiva Pashupati. The standing image was derived from
the images of the Yakshas/ Dwarpalas (guardian figures) of Hinduism. The
third i.e the reclining from which is - Mahaparinirvana is derived from the
image of Vishnu in the Anantsayan posture. Mahayana Buddhism were not
orthodox. They imported new elements and started worshipping Buddha as god.
They introduced the concept of Bodhisattavas and idol worshipping .
Mahayana was most famous in China, Japan and Korea. Buddha is shown in a
dress in which one side of shoulder is covered with curly hairs, ornaments etc.

After Andhara period, there was Indo-Greek period/ Gandhara School of art.
Many images of Buddha were created as Greek gods. But in the period of
Guptas which was termed as classical age of Indian Sculpture- the image of
Buddha was totally Indianized. For ex- Standing Buddha of Sarnath.

Mahayana Buddism looks on Bodhisattvas as beings of infinite compassion-

for they have reached the threshold of Nirvana. Mahayana is highly
philosophical and subtle and concers itself with questions. Mahayana recognises
weakness of the individual and offers help in salvation. They say Buddha was
physical expression of supreme physical being which exists in three states. The
body of Essence, the body of Bliss and the Created body. All living creatures
are part of the Body of Essence, which is eternal and universal, therefore, all
are one and for that matter all are Buddha.

VAJRAYANA - the third vehicle was a progression and a natural development

of Mahayanist philosophy. It was also the product of its time and much
influenced by the prevailing Hindu thought of the 4th and 5TH centuries A.D. This
introduced female deities into the Mahayana Buddhist. Vajaryana is usually
translated as Thunderbolt Vehicle, referring to the Vajra, a mythical weapon
which is also used a ritual implement. It includes practices that make use of
mantras, mudras, mandalas and the visualization of the deities and Buddha. It
developed in medieval India and spread to Tibet and East Asia.