Jainism and Buddhism

The 6th century BCE witnessed an intellectual revolt against orthodox Later Vedic Brahminism driven by five major factors:

1. Expensive Ritualism & Sacrifices: Complex animal sacrifices (*Yajnas*) demanded heavy sacrificial fees (*Dakshina*) to priests, draining common householders.
2. Destruction of Cattle Wealth: The emerging agrarian economy of the Gangetic plain required bullocks for deep iron-ploughing. Sacrificing cattle depleted agricultural draught power.
3. Rigid Caste Discrimination: The hereditary *Varna* hierarchy subjected Shudras and Vaishyas to social degradation, denying them Vedic education.
4. Rise of the Merchant Class (Vaishyas): Expanding iron trade and coinage (*Punch-marked coins*) made traders wealthy, yet Brahmins treated them as inferior. Merchants eagerly supported new religions that rejected caste.
5. Language Barrier: Vedic scriptures were composed in archaic Sanskrit, inaccessible to the common populace. Mahavira and Buddha preached in the popular vernaculars: Prakrit (Ardhamagadhi) and Pali.

A. Vardhamana Mahavira (599 BCE – 527 BCE):

• Born at Kundagrama near Vaishali (Bihar) into a Kshatriya royal clan (Jnatrika clan).
• Renounced his princely palace at age $30$ to become an ascetic. For $12$ years, he practiced severe self-mortification and meditation.
• At age $42$, under a Sal tree on the bank of the river Rijupalika, he attained supreme omniscience: Kevala Jnana. He became known as Jina (the Conqueror) and Mahavira (the Great Hero).
• Passed away (*Moksha*) at age $72$ at Pavapuri near Rajgir.

B. Core Teachings of Jainism:

• Triratna (The Three Jewels) — Path to Liberation:
  1. Right Faith (Samyak Darshana)
  2. Right Knowledge (Samyak Jnana)
  3. Right Conduct (Samyak Charitra)
• Extreme Ahimsa (Non-violence): Total prohibition of injury to any living being, including insects and microscopic organisms. Monks sweep the ground while walking and wear face masks (*Muhapatti*).
• Rejection of Vedic Authority: Rejected the divine authority of the Vedas, animal sacrifices, and caste distinctions.
• Division of Jainism (c. 300 BCE):
  • Digambaras ("Sky-clad"): Led by Bhadrabahu; strictly orthodox; do not wear any clothes; believe women cannot achieve liberation without rebirth as a man.
  • Svetambaras ("White-clad"): Led by Sthalabahu; wear simple white robes; more liberal.

A. Siddhartha Gautama (563 BCE – 483 BCE):

• Born as Prince Siddhartha in the Shakya royal clan at Lumbini (near Kapilavastu, Nepal).
• The Four Great Sights: An Old Man, a Diseased Man, a Dead Corpse, and an Ascetic Hermit.
• The Great Renunciation (*Mahabhinishkramana*): Left his palace, wife Yashodhara, and son Rahula at age $29$ on his horse Kanthaka to seek the cure for human suffering.
• Enlightenment (*Nirvana*): After 6 years of meditation, attained supreme enlightenment at age $35$ under a Pipal tree (the Bodhi Tree) at Bodh Gaya (Bihar), becoming the Buddha.
• First Sermon (*Dharmachakra Pravartana*): Preached his first sermon ("Turning of the Wheel of Law") to his 5 ascetic disciples at the Deer Park in Sarnath near Varanasi.
• Mahaparinirvana: Passed away at age $80$ at Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh).

B. The Core Doctrines of Buddhism:

The Four Noble Truths (*Chatvari Arya Satyani*):

1. Dukkha: The world is full of suffering and sorrow.
2. Dukkha Samudaya: The cause of all suffering is **Desire / Craving (*Trishna*)**.
3. Dukkha Nirodha: Suffering can be conquered by overcoming and destroying desire.
4. Dukkha Nirodha Gamini Pratipada: The path to the cessation of desire is the Eightfold Path.

The Eightfold Path (*Ashtangika Marga* — The Middle Path):

Right View, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

The Middle Path (*Madhyama Pratipada*): Avoids both extreme sensual indulgence in luxury and extreme self-mortifying starvation.

C. Division into Hinayana and Mahayana (4th Council):

• Hinayana ("Lesser Vehicle"): Orthodox, strictly follows original teachings of Buddha as an enlightened human teacher; worships relics (Stupas); uses Pali language (Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand).
• Mahayana ("Greater Vehicle"): Liberal; worships Buddha as a God/Deity through idol worship; believes in Bodhisattvas; uses Sanskrit (Tibet, China, Japan).