Buddhist and Hindu Art quiz 1

Religions of the Orient

• Hinduism (India and Nepal)

• Jainism (India)

• Daoism (Chia and Taiwan)

• Confucianism (China, Taiwan, and Korea)

• Shinto (Japan)

• Buddhism (India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Kalmykia (Russia0 and Mongolia)

Ethnography of the Indian subcontinent

• Aboriginal layer (pre-6000 BCE)

• Elamo-Dravidian layer (6000-3000 BCE)

• Indo-European layer (3000-5000 BCE)

Elamo-Dravidian Layer

• today found in the southwestern portion of Iran (into Iraq), east to the mesopotamia

• Elamo-Dravidian people migrated east to the indus river

• People who brought into existence one of the seven great cradles in the ancient world

• migrated into persian gulf

1. Harappa

2. Mohenjo-Daro

• found in Pakistan and India

• Indus valley script is not fully deciphered

Indus Valley Civilization

• cities: well-paved passageways and windowless buildings (to keep out the heat) as well as good drainage and sanitary systems

• homes: multi-tiered, inner courtyard and each house having its own well

• most famous seal of IVC (2500-2400 BCE) of a god sitting in a meditative posture

  • what became yoga — Indus valley phase

  • animals and script dated — 2500-2400 BCE

• dancing damsel statuette seeking customers (lady of the evening) dated 2500 BCE

Indo-European (Aryan) layer

• people migrated from Ukrainian homeland towards Europe and northern India

• moved on a western trajectory and eastern to india

• once occupied europe and then became europeans

• 500 BCE

Comparison of Vedic (Hindu) yajna with Avestan (Zorostrian) yasna

• Avestan (Zoroastrian) yasna ceremony at a private residence

• wearing face mask while performing ritual

  • masks: worn when reciting the various type of chants

    • do not want to spit to go into the fire pit — sacred

• sacred fire at an ancient Zoroastrian fire-temple in Iran

  • survived in Iran

  • only two of these

  • fire has been burning for the past 3000 years continously

• a yasna ceremony at a Zorostrian fire temple in Inida

  • only the priest can enter — other people cannot enter

  • specific type of wood used as fuel for the fire

  • smells like a perfume factory

The eventual status of fire ceremonies in Hinduism and Zoroastrianism

• in both Vedic Hinduism and Avestan Zoroastrianism fire ceremonies were initially done outside under the open skies

• then, temporary canopies were built at the ritual site

• in Hinduism, fire ceremonies eventually became subordinated to worship of idols of gods in temples

• In Zoroastrianism, fire ceremonies eventually started to get conducted in permanent structures like the temples

• there has never been idol-worship in Zoroastrianism

The doctrine of the cycle of births and deaths (samsara)

• soul primal (soul is eternal) —> material desires —> selfish deeds —> accrual of karma —> death (death to rebirth to material desires)

  • said to be encombate in pride and ignorance (lack of spiritual perspective and life and lack of world)

  • soul then has material desires (materialistic in nature) 9clings to materialistic things in this world) (desires and clings)

  • compel the individual to have selfish deeds (karma)

  • Karma: deed or actions — done physically (do good or bad), mentally (think good or bad), verbally (speak good or bad)

  • death happens to the body

  • soul has to experience its consequences of its deeds — therefore, the individual needs to be reborn — deeds in one lifetime cannot be gone, and rebirth takes place

  • whole idea is to break this cycle

  • path to redemption

  • kept the soul in cycle of births and deaths

• soul primal (spiritual enlightenment) —> material desires —> selfish deeds —> accrual of karma —> death —> salvation

  • no attraction to materials

  • selfless deeds

  • to do good deeds for its own sake — not to expect rewards for one’s actions and do not accept them

  • you are in charge of your spirituals destiny

Jainism

• a south asian religion that is younger than Vedic Hinduism but slightly older than Buddhism

• comes from the Sanskirt verbal root “ji” meaning “to win” or “to conquer”

• the victory or conquest is moral in intent, to conquer the 6 vices that afflict man which are lust, anger, stinginess, greed, arrogance, and hatred

• 24 Jinas are said to be the Great Spiritual Masters who began the Jaina tradition

• according to academics, the first 22 Jinas are not historical but mythological people

• the 23rd Jina named Parsvanatha (817-738 BCE) was an actual historical person

• the 24th and last Jina named Vardhamana “Mahavira” (599-527 BCE) is considered by most academics to be the actual historical founder of Jainism

Names and Symbols of the 24 Jinas

• Rsabhanatha = bull

• Ajitanatha = elephant

• Sambhavanatha = horse

• Abhinandananatha = monkey

• Sumatinatha = goose

• Padmaprabha = lotus

• Suparsvanatha = svastika

• Candraprabha = crescent moon

• Puspadanta = crocodile

• Sitalanatha = tree

• Sreyamsanatha = rhino

• Vasupujya = buffalo

• Vimalanatha = boar

• Anantanatha = porcupine

• Dharmanatha = scepter

• Santinatha = deer

• Kunthunatha = goat

• Aranatha = fish

• Mallinatha = jar

• Suvratanatha = tortoise

• Naminatha = blue water lily

• Neminatha = conch

• Parsvanatha = snake

• Mahavira = lion

Rationales for Jainism’s rejection of God

• Jainism believes in the existence of gods who are just souls that through extraordinary spiritual merit have attained that status temporarily. Eventually, they too would have to get liberated from the cycle of births and deaths. the gods are not God

• God is an independent, sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, good super being. It is such a being that Jainism rejects

• the phenomena of the world such as suffering of all types, death, evil of all kinds, etc. goes against the very existence of such a being. The karmic law is sufficient to explain the existence of good and evil

Jaina doctrine of souls

• sould are of two types, ie, save from the cycle of births and deaths, and those still bound in the cycle of births and deaths

• the bound souls are of 4 types: gods, humans, animals, and demons

• all souls are just numerically different, but essentially alike

• in their worldly (samsaric) state, their essential identity is obscured by the respective differing karmic histories

• the twin forces of ignorance and karma obscure their pristine essences in varying degrees

• these twin forces are reckoned to be like mold and mildew sitting on the gold nuggets of the soul

• every soul possesses 4 opulence

  • infinite faith, infinite knowledge, infinite bliss, and infinite power

• these 4 opulences are obscured in varying degrees in each bound soul

Svastika: international symbol of the Jainism depicting the 4 types of bound souls

• main symbol of Jainism — 4 states

• the fundamental principle of Jain religion is it continues to uplift to soul from the vicious circle of Birth-Death and Rebirth in four states of lives. The dark dots at the four corners of the Svastika signifies each Gati: humans, gods, animals, and demons — only can get out of the human

Jaina doctrine of salvation

• a bound soul desirous of salvation needs to embark on a spiritual agenda that’ll help it do that

• 3 jewels:

  • right faith

  • right knowledge

  • right conduct

Right Faith

• the means that a bound souls needs to believe in the 24 spiritual masters (Jinas) and their teachings

Right Knowledge

• next step is to go to a qualified Jain senior monastic and properly learn about and understand the doctrines of Jainism

Right Conduct

• neither blind faith nor book knowledge can lead one to the right path

• the crown jewel of the 3 jewels is right conduct

• that is the only way to get rid of the karmic stain

• the other two are preparatory

Jain Holy Places

• Vaisali (Bihar State) = Birthplace of the 24th Jina

• Pava (Bihar State) = Death Place of the 24th Jina

• Mt. Parasnath (Jharkhand State) = death place of 20 Jinas [except 1st, 12th, 22nd, and 24th Jinas]

• Mt Girnar (Gujarat State) = temple dedicated to the 22nd Jina

• Mt Satrunjaya (Gujarat State) = Complex of 863 Jain temples

• Mt Abu (Rajasthan State) = temple dedicated to the 1st Jina

• Sravanabelagola (Karnataka State) = open-air shrine with a monolithic colossus image of 57 feet [built in 983 CE] of Bahubali the son of the 1st Jina. The image is anointed every 12 years in a major festival

• Kalzhagumalai (Tamilnadu State) = Temples dedicated to many Jinas

Jain rock carvings of Kalzhugumalai (Tamiland), India

• it is significant to note that the rock formations at the top of the hill remain unaltered, with the exception of their surfaces. In fact, one cannot easily separate the natural form of the boulder from its carvings

• in other words, the reliefs tend to enhance the natural shapes of the rocks rather than modify them. Though images are incised in horizontal registers, their depth of carving mimics the undulations of the rocks surface this differs greatly from serial images found on cave walls that are carved at roughly equal depths to heighten the illusion of a structural temple wall

• moreover, the images at Kalzhugumalai are presented in plain rectangular or square niches rather than the more elaborate architectural framework that is usually carved or painted around the niches of images in medieval Jain caves

• the boulders and their carvings at Kalzhugumalai.

Buddhism

Life of the Budda 563-483 BCE

• Artists are anonymous as an act of selflessness

• No painter history 

• Just art itself

• What is the message of the art

• √budh = ‘to awaken’ or ‘to enlighten’

• The term ‘buddha’ is a past participle meaning ‘awakened’ or ‘enlightened’

• Since the term is applied to a person as an honorific title by (initially) his disciples and later on his followers, the term was prefixed by the definite article ‘the’ and suffixed by the impersonal pronoun ‘one’

• Hence, the term ‘Buddha’ came to be translated as “The Awakened One” or “The Enlightened One”

Queen Mahamaya has a dream

• Never had any children, then one night she has a dream of a white elephant carrying a white lotus flower in its trunk slowly making its way towards her

• Elephants are a symbol of majesty, power, dignity

  • Filled with meaning in the asian context

• Becomes smaller and smaller in size

• Opens mouth and elephants goes inside her

• Then she becomes pregnant

• Gives birth and as a tradition she wanted to go to her parent’s house to give birth

• Mahamaya gives birth to a baby boy in Lumbini Gardens, Nepal

• Plenty of ladies in waiting – delivers child in park, a simple garden

• Holds on the tree, no labour pains, he emerges from the right side of the queen

• When the young child was born 7 lotuses popped up from the earth and the young child keeps its first 7 steps on those lotuses

• Can see the index finger of both of the hands – one pointing upward, one pointing downward

• Come into this world to bring you and teach you a transcendental teaching

• Young prince is signifying by his gesture

• Full moon day in the month of may = birthday

Eight astrologers/priests forecast the baby’s figure at the royal palace in Kapilavastu, Nepal

• To name the child and forecast the future of the child

• Naming ceremony of the child

• Born as a hindu – buddhism was not born yet

• 5 in one row

• 3 in another row

• 7 holding index and middle finger up

• Last one, the youngest, is just holding index finger up

• Know your son is destined for greatness

• Leader of men – all agreed on

• Leader of men in the military sense or spiritual sense

The sage Asita Devala comes to see the baby prince

• Named Siddhartha

• Sage was a recluse – type of person who lived like a hermit

• Sage comes unannounced at the palace – guards are in shock of why he came

• Wishes to see the child and hold it

• King delivers it to the sage’s arms

• cried profusely 

• Happy to see the birth of the baby – but then cries after because he is an old man and won’t see this prince become a great spiritual master and leader

• Not an ordinary child

• The queen develops post childbirth complications – she won’t survive

• Quick in thinking – summons her younger sister to her bedside and asks for two favors

  • Request to marry her husband and become queen

  • New born son will be partial offered and take care of him

• She passes away

Baby Siddhartha in meditation

• plows the land and sell the seeds to the farmers

• Sees the child go in a canopy and see him meditating

  • Tells the king and new queen that the child is special

  • Astrologers had spoken the truth of the child

Prince Siddhartha the great archer

• Learns various types of defense 

• A young man standing behind him – first cousin

• Born in the same exact year and time of prince Siddhartha

• He was exactly what the Buddha was not! 180º apart!

Master equestrian

Black stallion that no one can tame, but prince Siddhartha tames and gets the horse to commands the horse

The wounded bird incident involving princes Siddhartha and Devadatta

• Royal cousins playing in the garden

• Prince Devadatta sees a swan sitting upon a tree – slingshots the swan and the bird comes down in pain

• Prince Siddhartha is disgusted 

• Cousin doesn’t care – is royalty so hunting and fighting is part of their blood – how are they supposed to fight for their country

• Siddhartha is not one to fight, so he takes the bird and cares for it until it is back to life

• Sees a judge to decide who should get the bird

• Put the bird down and stand to the side

• Bird makes its way the prince siddhartha

• Judge doesn’t have to make any judgment

• The bird made the decision

• Life belongs to the person who tries to protect it, not stuff it out

• Beginning of Buddhist spiritual ethics!

Wedding of prince Siddhartha and princess Yasodhara in 547 BCE

• Happy blissful life

• He could ask for anything and his father would deliver anything for him

• Name before becoming the enlightened one

• Marries the princess of an england kingdom in 547 BCE

• Sacred fire – with his life that buddhism began

• Having been wedded, had every luxury from his parents, he was forbidden/restricted from going outside the royal palace because of the forecast that was given when he was born

• With caution in mind, they want to make sure the son was brought up in materialism

• Assigned a charateer – wants to see life outside the palace walls

  • “Master that is one thing i cannot do for you”

  • Forced to take him outside the palace walls

Four Passing Sights (sick person)

• Taken out in chariot outside the gates of the royal palace

• Sees somebody on the wayside, who is sick and uncared for

  • People avoid and ignore this person

• “Who is this person and why is he that way?”

• Not everybody is born into royalty, he is deeply unfortunate

• Homeless man, and sick – no one to take care of him

• This left a print of Prince Siddhartha’s heart

Four Passing Sights (aged person)

• Passed someone who can barely walk – needs a walking stick

• “Who is this and why is he that way?”

• If you are born into new fortune, you are allowed to get out of situations, but old age hits everybody equally

• Inevitable lot of all of us eventually

Four Passing Sights (funeral procession)

• Corpse is being carried out and relatives are crying

• This is the final march of all living creatures, human and non-human

• In-dear – will never see this person again

• People are in grief and sorrow

Four Passing Sights (a serene monk)

• Not like the other sights

• Stopped chariot

• “Who is this person? He seems so serene, so calm, together with himself” 

  • No cares, but a joy on his face that the prince cannot equal even with all the materials of being a prince

• Should of asked the question the other way around

  • He is a monk, he owns nothing – not even the clothes he is wearing

• In buddhist mythology – 3 negative sights, disgust for the material world, 4th sight is what creates a positive transformation

• Spiritual capitalist that takes him on the spiritual journey

The scene of the Great Renunciation in 534 BCE

• Wants to recreate the same happiness he saw with the monk

• Has a son with his wife

• Sees his wife one last time, and then he is ready to start his spiritual journey

Prince Siddhartha becomes the monk Gotama at the Banks of the Anoma river, Nepal

• Takes off all his ornaments – decked from top to bottom

  • Wore all garments he could

  • Gives it to her charioteer

• Wears the orange (saffron) colored robes – shared with hinduism and buddhism

  • Color of fire – instead of offering sacrificial elements to the fire, you are offering yourself symbolically into the fire – dead to this material world and oriented to the material world

The Teacher Alara Kalama

• Still does not have answers

• Goes to his teacher – Alara Kalama

• In hermitage 

• Does not see eye to eye with the teachings of his masters

• Thanks him for what he has learned from this teacher and moves on

The Teacher Uddaka Ramaputta

• Learns spiritual techniques, but does not see eye to eye with his teachings either

• Thanks teacher and moves on

Monk Gotama in meditation during the six years of spiritual quest (534-528 BCE)

• Practicing together, in a community

• He is the monk Gotama

• Skin and bones in terms of spiritual practices, which was meditation

Monk Gotama becomes the Buddha in Gaya (Bihar, India) in 528 BCE

• Sits in front of a tree with the full moon

• He emerges as the enlightened one – which is what Buddha means (lightened one)

• Located in the city of Gaya

• Spiritual awakening

The First Sermon at Sarnath (U.P. India) in 528 BCE

• Holiest land of Buddhism – born, then enlightenment, then Sarnath

• Hindu temple

• Gives first sermon at Sarnath (3 holiest place) to whoever will listen

  • Comes across 5 who will listen

• Talked about:

  • 3 lands of existence

  • ………………

  • 4 double troops

  • ………………

• The people become the first disciples of the Buddha

  • Mound – exact spot where he sat down – as it is today

    • Buddhist pilgrims wearing white garments

Two of Buddha’s greatest disciples Sariputta and Mahamoggallana who predeceased the Buddha

• First cousins to each other

• Very intelligent people

• If outlived the Buddha, they would have taken the rights and spirits 

• 484 BCE – died 6 months before Buddha

• Taken oath in youth

• Felt a calling to make them ponder about things of the world

  • Came together at the same time

• Spiritual teacher – not satisfied with those teachings

• Buddha was having his own disciples and own way of teaching

  • Buddha was making more sense to the cousins

• “Can you make us be your disciples? Can you let us into your discipleship?”

• Had to ask their prior master

  • Not grabbing people, but his whole point was the come with an understanding and having an understanding of being his disciple rather than him selecting his disciples

• Monastic disciples

Sanci Stupa (Madhya Pradesh, India) where the ashes of Sariputta and Mahamoggallana are enshrined

• Relic of a Buddhist saint or the Buddhist himself

• Personal remains, or their staff, or bowls

• Some type of spiritual relic is housed here

• This becomes the next out of 9 (4th) holiest places

Tavatimsa Heaven at Sankisa after teaching the Abhidharma to his mother

• Involves gods – mythology

• Goes to heaven where he sermons to his mother one of the most difficult teachings

• When he descends to earth, he was accompanied by all the gods

• Holding parasols in gesture of respect

• Holy place number 5

The Buddha and Queen Khema (wife of King Bimbisara) who was arrogant about her looks

• King Bimbisara ruled from 534-492 BCE

• Had principle Khema as his wife – self cautious of her looks/rude about it – good looking

• Refuses to step into the palace and build a hermitage on the ground

• The queen decides to visit him and as she is sitting there, and the Buddha is sermoning to her, he understands how arrogant and vain she was about something that is temporary

• Rarely made miracles, but once made them in this situation

• A time machine – tells Queen Khema that the two young maidens are better looking than you and younger than you

• He then points out how one will look like as an old person laying on the floor

• Then she realizes the temporariness of her beauty

The ordination of Upali the royal barber

• It seems to pinch royalty beyond the frontier of its birth

• These young men care about the Buddha and his accomplishments

• Handed over the kingdom to their administrators and want to be like the Buddha

• Period of probation to see if they are willing to stick with it

  • Undergo training with his monks

• Going through the probation period and when they were rulers of the land they had a royal barber (Upali) used to take care of their hairdressing needs

  • Employers are not longer employers

  • Hairdresser does not know what to do

• Wants to make this a lesson for the other men

• Purposefully makes the former employers of the barber behind and watch the ordination of previous employee

  • Master we came to you first

  • He is much more mature than you are

  • You need to complete your probation

• Anyone who is ordain first has priority

• Does not matter who you are in your previous story, now you are in a different ranking when joining

Sudatta (aka Anathapindaka) buying the Jetavana from Prince Jeta of Savatthi

• Place where many of the eminent disciples of the Buddha come from

• Sudatta has personalities

  • Of all wealthy man, he has filthy rich – money was not object for him

  • Good side to him 

  • Despite the fact he was vain, he was also generous

  • Would take care of the orphans

• Visits sister and brother in law

• They are busy ornamenting their house

  • He feels ignored

• Time out – do you realize i’m here

• Be seated, we will be with you momentarily

• I’m less important than somebody else?

• The Buddha is coming to this house with his monks – accepted invitation 

• Wants to see this more important person

• When the Buddha comes, he is struck by the charisma of the Buddha and taken in by his personality

• After lunch he hears the sermon of the Buddha

• I want to be your disciple, but ask me anything I can do for you 

  • Wants to keep money, but will do anything else

• Buddha smiles, and he was a prince and had everything

  • No need for this guys wealth because he gave it up

• Sudatta never takes no for an answer

• Look here, by the river side there is a piece of land where the monks go and meditate there

• Buy that piece of land

• Sudatta goes and finds out who that land belongs to

• Belongs to Prince Jeta

• Prince Jeta – i want to buy this land from you – see wonderful business opportunity

• You can have it, but make sure that the entire terf you want is covered in gold coins

  • No problem!

• Bags and bags of gold coins are being bagged and spreaded throughout the entire land

• Prince Jeta confronts Sudatta “you are really serious?”

• Yes I am

• Wants to give land to the Buddha – stop!!!

• Prince Jeta donates the land to the Buddha

The defeat and conversion of Mahakassapa

• A philosopher and debater who has never lost a debate with anybody

• Mahakassapa asked questions and Buddha defeats all his questions/debate

• Becomes one of the smartest disciples

Buddha refuses the opulent reception of King Bodhiraja of Kosambi

• White carpet welcome

• Buddha speaks to the king “take off this opulent white carpet welcome. Look at how we have come to accept lunch in this palace. We don’t even have shoes on!”

• He will not enter the palace until he removes the carpet because it is a sign of opulence

Ananda burgers Buddha to admit women into the Buddhist monastic order

• Many women want to be ordained as Buddhist nuns

• Was a male oriented group

• Ananda requests that there are so many women who wish to join the monastic order

• Buddha agrees to allow women

• Northeast asian buddhist there are more nuns than monks (today)

The Buddha’s aunt and step-mother becomes the head of the Buddhist order of nuns

Patacara (aka Rupavati, daughter of the Treasurer of Savatthi) takes refuge in the Buddha

• Story of one young lady (Rupavati), then named Patacara

• Daughter of the Treasurer of Savatthi

• In huge household, he employed many servants

• Good looking lass

• Her father had employed many men, who was a good looking man that becomes the servant of the household

• The girl is attracted to the young man and wants to marry him

• First meets in secret, then she finally tells her parents

• Her parents are beside themselves: “do you have any brains in you”

• Rich merchants, kings, and noble men that want her hand in marriage

• Stubborn and will not have it any other way, and marries the boy

• Fell in love with him and moves with him

  • Says goodbye to her luxurious 

• Set up in a town nearby

• The lady becomes pregnant

  • She wants mom and dad and wants the luxury

  • Wants to go back and have the delivery of her child there

  • Husband says no because her parents don’t like that they married

• She reaches her parents place and has the child there

• About 4 years down the road, the scenario happens again (becomes pregnant again and wants to go back)

• Her husband is smart an catches her half way

• Look for husband in bamboo grove – bitten by cobra and died

• Tell her

• And now she is pregnant, and has another child (5 year old son)

• Headed out to her parent’s house and has to cross a bridge, which broke down

  • River’s currents are good for adults, but not for children

• Puts newborn child on one side of the bank and goes to get the other child, but sees that an eagle swoops to get the newborn

• She screams, but the other child thinks she is calling for him and he goes out into the current, and then gets sweeped away from the current

• YIKES

• Goes back to her parent’s house, whole part is on fire – winds are bad

• She goes despite her warnings, people coming out are saying that their houses are gone and rest of family dies – 6 people died

• Does not know how to handle this grief

• Man takes garment off and covers her with it – Patacara means to cover with white garment, then gets nicknamed – needs counseling and goes to the Buddha to calm her down

• Patacara wrote many psalms – those set of psalms becomes part of the Buddha scriptures

Buddha urges the street-sweeper Sunita to come forward

• People who perform ordinary tasks, like street sweepers, versus the untouchable class

• As upper class people walked by, they ordinary people should not be seen 

  • Laws were rigid

• As the sweeper is doing his job, doing chores, he sees in a distance the Buddha and disciples

• Goes a hides behind a tree, so his shadow will not go on the path of him

• “Son, why are you hiding yourself?”

• “Master, you know what the rules are regulations are, so I made myself scarce”

• “In my tradition there are no class, so rigid social rules, you are as much as human being to me as anyone else”

Queen Mallika of Kosala serving food to the monks

• Mallika was a flower girl

• Her job was to go to the gardens in the city/tropical because the flowers are fragrant

• Gather fragrance flowers and send them to the merchant so the florist will decorate them

• Suddenly see Buddha

• Girls, are good buddhist, quickly pack their lunches and give them into the bowls

• The buddha smiles, by nightfall you should be a queen

• A flower girl becoming a queen

• Teenage girl becomes quiet and moves on

• Man sees Mallika, and asks who is your father and ask your hand in marriage and you will become my king

• Becomes queen

• As a mark of respect and devotion to Buddhism, she would invite Buddha’s monks where she would cook and offer it to the monks

• On one occasion, 7 monks visited her invitation, one of the kings counselor comes to tell the queen that there is something urgent to take care of

• Queen excuses herself and chooses one lady in waiting to serve the monks

• She gets “butterfingers” in her sense of nervousness

• Do not serve them in gold, silver, bronze, etc

• Dish falls on the floor

• Queen Mallika returns immediately and sees her lady in waiting with the broken bowl

• Mallika undergoes a fasting for 7 days

• Deprived 7 monks of their bowls

Maid Khujjuttara reporting back to Queen Samavati of Kosambi after hearing the Buddha’s sermon

• she had a hunched back maid, Khujjuttara

• As soon as the queen got up at sun rise, she had to fluff the room, air out the room, make the bed, burn incense, have flowers

• The queen had granted her chamber maids with a certain amount of money

• Queen is sitting there in her chambers and came back from her flower market

  • This time she is late

  • Basket full of flower on the floor

  • Khujjuttara gives the change back to the queen

  • Queen is acting surprised – you have never done this before

  • Wanted to give back change – wanted to see that she gave back the change physically in front of her

  • Wants to confess something:

    • Never used to put the money back, would steal the money

• Queen becomes curious

• More interested in why all of the sudden change in her

  • This time when she went to the flower market, there was a monk explaining the dynamics the law of karma

  • Stealing, and felt guilty

  • Who is this monk that caused the reformation?

• People refer to him as the Buddha – this is who was giving the sermon

• That’s why she was late because she wanted to hear the sermon

• New chore:

  • Listen to the sermon as long as the Buddha is in the flower market 

  • Summarize what the Buddha said in that day’s sermon

  • Did this 110 days

• Summarization of sermon “And thus he said”

The Buddha taking care of an aged diseased monk

• Buddha was a kind person

• There was an aged monk who could move from his bed due to having sores

• Other monks hesitated to serve him, so the Buddha served him

• Setting an example himself instead of getting angry at the other monks

• Fetch a pitcher of water and I will nurse his wounds personally

• Kind and compassionate

Visakha serving food to her Jain father-in-law named Migara, a wealthy merchant of Savatthi

• Wealthy individual (buddhist) and married into another wealthy family (Jainism)

• Served her father in law lunch and adhered to the religious practices of her in laws

• Whenever her father in law is eating, he will not serve the buddhist monks oms

• Telling the buddhist monk to go away when her father in law is eating

• Her father in law walks in not having had any lunch for that day, “why are you starving yourself?”

• “Sir, I drove away a buddhist monk and did not offer him any oms, meaning I have to starve myself for that day”

• He decides himself to become a Buddhist

• The entire household becomes Buddhist

The Buddha urging the Vedic Hindu priests not to sacrifice animals

• Animal sacrifice was the main ritual

• Selling animals, such as oxs, sheeps, and goats to be sacrifices

• The patron could buy one of these animals

• Buddha comes and confronts the chief priest who is selling these animals

• “What did these animals ever do you to you for you want to sacrifice them”

• The greatest sacrifice is self sacrifice, not to sacrifice something else

Serial killer Angulimala (aka Ahimsaka)

• He had through some unfortunate situation in his life turned to his life of a serial killer of joining a cult

• His fetish was to cut off the fingers of the corpse and wear the fingers around himself as a garland

• Wanting to kill the Buddha and take his fingers

• Spiritual charisma that Angulimala stops and puts the knife at the foot of the Buddha

The conversion of Angulimala

• Spiritual charisma that Angulimala stops and puts the knife at the foot of the Buddha

The Buddha tames the rogue elephant Nalagiri

• Elephant would come into villages in town from the forest regions and would run rampage in the gardens and groves of this or that particular village

• Townspeople running indoors

• Only people to not seem phased is the Buddha and one of his monks

• The elephant stops and kneels down and solutes him with his trunk

• Nothing more than a lap dog

• Got the vibes of the Buddha’s loving and kindness

• Loving to people and animals

Courtesan Ambapali refuses the monetary offer of the Lichhavi princes

• Choose her customers rather than the other way around

• One day she decides to call the buddha and his disciples for oms in her palace

• The buddha accepts – very non judgmental

• Ambapali never expected this, and was so excited that he would be coming

• Wanted to make sure her little palace is in tip-top shape, even though it is not required

• See her wealthy customers going her way to seek her services and she is going off in her own chariot to the marketplace because the Buddha is coming to her household

• Her son through one of the kings eventually becomes on the a buddhist monk

Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha at Kusinara (U.P. India) in 483 BCE

• The scene of the last sermon to Subhadda

• Wants to die in a town no one has heard of

• Two trees next to each other is where his bed was placed

• As he is about to deliver his last sermon and pass on, an old man trudges in and would like to sit close to him because he is hard of hearing

• “Why do you want special treatment?”

  • That is not a way to treat people

  • Let him sit next to me

• Final recipient of his sermon

Buddhism

First Council

• 483 BCE

• Rajagaha, Bihar State, India

• 500 delegates

• Re-chant and rehearse the teachings of the Buddha

•  Three monks:

  • Ananda (general sermons)

    • Everyone wanted to be chosen by the Buddha, but he saw a monk sitting by himself and chooses him (Ananda)

    • Must attend every sermon that you deliver, then he will only accept

    • At every sermon the Buddha delivers, Ananda was called by the delegates to rechant the didactic sermons of the Buddha to the best of his ability

  • Upali (monastic regulations)

    • Royal barber

    • Chosen by the 500 delegates to chant the Buddhist monastic code to the best of his ability

  • Mahakassapa (metaphysical sermons)

    • Great debater

    • Had to rechant the metaphysical sermons, which were the hardest

• Formation of the Buddhist scriptures

• In the rainy seasons, july-october, the Buddhist community decided to hold its first conference known as the First Council at Rajagaha

• 500 most learning brothers and sisters to become delegates to this first council

• Re-teach the lessons of the Buddha so they are not last

Scriptures-TIPITAKA

Sutta Pitaka

• Digha Nikaya (long sermons)

• Majjhima Nikaya (medium-length sermons)

• Samyutta Nikaya (connected sermons)

• Anguttara Mikaya (graded sermons)

  • In terms of length

• Khuddaka Nikaya (miscellaneous sermons)

  • Divided into three sections, but 5 categories

  • First 4 do not equal the Khuddaka Nikaya because it is just extra and does not fit into any other categories

Vinaya Pitaka

• Upali

Abhidharma Pitaka

• Mahakassapa

First Buddhist Council in 483 BCE

• 500 hundred delegates that met outside a cave in the capital city of Rajagaha

• Ananda, Mahakassapa (president of first council), Upali

• The new king did not know that the community of monks were meeting in his city in a cave

• He comes running and does not understand why they didn’t tell him because he would have built a pavilion for them

  • Buddhist monks do not ask for anything, others have to figure out what they need

• He starts to build a pavilion for them

• 8th place of buddhist pilgrimage

The Tipitakas being put into writing during the First Council

• Things were done is such detail

• This was not the only group! 100s of groups where a supervising scribe after the 500 delegates had ratified that days proceeding, they were immediately put into writing by the scribes

• Writing on palm leaf manuscripts

• Manuscripts would be put into boxes

  • Pitaka = boxes (tipitakas = three boxes – sutta, vinaya, abhidharma)

• Each of these groups

• Well organized with how the Buddha scriptures came to be formed

Second Council

• 386 BCE

• Vesali, Bihar State, India

  • Certain issues had cropped up in the buddhist community rather they should follow the rules and regulations to a tee or to have certain meditations and amendments can be made

• 700 delegates

• To dialog about the 15 points of dispute

  • 15 points came up

  • 10 were of the monastic code

  • 5 were of the doctrine issues

  • What came about was not very good of the second council

  • Buddhism split into two groups

  • Buddhism split into two groups – no relaxation and they must stay the exact same way (Theravada) – yes change the amendments and relaxations (Mahasanghika [meaning great group])

• Split of Buddhism into two factions

• Theravada (conservative group)

• Mahasanghika (liberal group)

  • contemporaries of the Buddha

  • Liberals were the majority (60-40)

9 holiest places of Buddhism

• Lumbini (Nepal) = birthplace of the Buddha

• Bodh-Gaya (Bihar, India) = enlightenment place of the Buddha

• Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh, India) = place of the first sermon by the Buddha

• Sankisa (Uttar Pradesh, India) = place where the Buddha descended from the Tusita Heaven

• Savatthi (Uttar Pradesh, India) = place where the Buddha spent 22 rainy season retreats

• Sanci (Madhya Pradesh, India) = place where the mortals remains of the two most important disciples of the Buddha (who predeceased him) lie enshrined

• Kusinagara (Uttar Pradesh, India) = place where the Buddha passed away

• Rajagaha (Bihra, India) = site of the First Buddhist Council

• Vesali (Bihar, India) = site of the Second Buddhist Council

Emperor Asoka (304-237 BCE) – what happened after the dramatic change

• Mauryan Empire

• Chandragupta Maurya (340-298 BCE)

• Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE)

  • The greeks had never known such a leader

  • Wanted to build an empire

  • Died young

  • Crossed Sparta, Athens, Turkey, etc

  • Iran and Iraq – not muslims, no christianity in BC

  • Greece and iran were enemies in the ancient world

  • Alexander captures iran and goes into afghanistan

  • No one has ever captured that much land in such a short amount of time

  • Romans could never go past Syria

  • He was even victorious against the Indians (northwest)

  • Every time he won a battle, he would ask his soldiers if they should move on

  • They thought he was the son of Zues, and said yes, move on

  • 326 BCE, successful against the Indians and asked to move on. But silence fell over

  • What’s wrong? – brought them too far, they want to go home

• Seleucus-I (358-281 BCE)

• Megasthanes (350-290 BCE)

• Bindusara (320-273 BCE)

• Battle of Kalinga 256 BCE

• Mogalliputta Tissa

• Conversion of Emperor Asoka

• Rutheless Prince Asoka (Chandasoka)

• Righteous Emperor Asoka (Dharmasoka)

• Emperor Asoka (reign: 273-237 BCE)