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COURSE NAME: HUMAN VALUES & BUDDHIST ETHICS


COURSE CODE: SS-101
Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida.
UNIT-1: ORIGIN OF BUDDHISM
Dr. Manish Meshram, Assistant Professor, SBSC,
Email:manjushreedhihi@gmail.com, Mobile: 8860855578
Background of Idus Valley civilisation
The river Ganges and the river Sindu were the cradle of civilisation in India. In the third
millennium B.C. a highly developed civilisation became established, contemporary with the civilisations
of Egypt and Babylon. This was the dominant civilisation in India from 2,800 B.C. until at least 1,800
B.C. There is evidence of trading connections with Babylon, Egypt, Iraq and Iran. Excavations at
Mohenjodaro and Harappa have revealed well-developed cities, with evidence of careful town planning
with streets laid out on a grid system, brick-built buildings, drains, wells, watchtowers and street-lighting.
They were a literate people but up till now their script cannot be read. Their rulers may have been clergy
and there was a highly developed spiritual culture. There is evidence of the worship of natural
phenomena such as fire, trees and streams. There is a stone sculpture of what appears to be a man seated
in meditation. The presence of burial objects indicates a belief in the hereafter, and all bodies were placed
in a north/south direction with the head facing north.
According to most scholars, the original Indus Valley civilisation was abruptly (suddenly)
interrupted sometime between 1800 and 1500 BCE by an invasion(attack) of the Aryans (people from a
region somewhere in Eastern Europe). These were warriors and traders, as opposed to the original
population of farmers. After the middle of the second millennium BCE, Indian society became largely
dominated by Aryan values. Many of the Aryan principles still dominate "orthodox Indian philosophy"
and present-day Hinduism; such as the importance of the Vedic scriptures and the supremacy of the
Brahmic class (origins of the caste-system).
The Aryans came from the West and during a period of 1,000 years spread steadily Eastwards.
They had been nomads but they settled in the Indus Valley. They consisted of many, independent tribes,
ruled by kings, but they were united by a common language which was an early form of Sanskrit, known
as the Vedic language. They also had a common way of life and religion. The culture of ancient India
originated from the Aryan people of central Asia around 3,000 years ago, known as the Vedic period.
During the Vedic period, the Aryans defeated the native Indians, the Dravidians, and enslaved them. They
also established a caste system in which the status and occupation of a person were determined by birth.
The four castes were determined as follows:
1. Brahmans (the priests) - the highest caste responsible for religious rituals, prayers, and education.
They claimed that they were gods on earth.
2. Kshatriyas (royal families) - warriors to protect and govern the land. Educated by Brahmans, they
were constrained to obey Brahman's instructions.
3. Vaishyas (farmers, manufacturers and businessman) - controlled and protected by Kshatriyas.
4. Sudras (slaves) - Dravidians. Not treated as human beings, but can be traded as products. They
worked like cattles and horses.

The first three castes were of Aryan blood. Only the Brahmans were pure Aryan blood, and the other castes
were mixed. Sudras were not allowed to have Vedic religion.
A simplistic overview of the contrast between the Indus Valley and Aryan culture is given in below
table.

SEVEN - CHARACTERSTICS

INDUS VALLEY

A ARYANS

R RELIGIOUS PRACTICE

MEDITATION

S SACTRIFICE TO THE GOD

M MAIN PRACTITIONER

ASCETIC

PRIEST

P PURPOSE OF LIFE

LIBERATION

THIS LIFE, THEN HEAVEN

RENUSCIATION

REBIRTH AS HOUSEHOLDER

M MORAL BASED ON

KARMA

SOCIAL VALUE

S SOCIAL POSITION

EQUALILTY

CASTE (BRAHMANIC

FOCUS IN LIFE

ORIGIN OF WISDOM

OWN(MEDITATION EXPERIENCE
SCRIPTURES LIKE VEDAS

There was a large number of religious teachers who were men of considerable learning and
piety and who attracted bands of genuine and serious followers. We are told that altogether there were 62
different religious views. In particular, there were six teachers who were well known as Sramanas.They
were non-brahmanism who were turning to non-vedic literature and opposed to Brahmana.
1. Purana Kassapa. He was the Naturalist. Purana Kashyapa who denied both virtue and vice, and thus
all moral efficacy of human deeds(Karma). According to him, acts of will do not bear any fruit. Good
actions do not give rise to good results; neither do bad actions give rise to bad results.
2.Makkhali Gosala. Determinist Ajivika (in the strict sense followers of Makkhali Gosala contemporary and early friend of Mahavira) who denied sin and freedom of will, and rebirths are
destined without influence of human behaviour. His doctrine turned out to be one of predestination; there
is no cause or condition leading to the purification or defilement of beings, they are purified or defiled
without cause or condition.
3. Ajita Kesakambala. He was the Materialist like Lokayata or Carvaka (after one of the great teachers
of this school).Ajita Keshakambalin,who besides denying virtue, vice, and afterlife, resolved man's being
into material elements. They posed that this world extends only to the limits of possible sense experience
and denied the authority of the scriptures. Brhaspati was probably the founder of this school, which could
be called hedonistic. His teaching was one of materialism, which maintained that the person is identical

with his body. The breaking up of the body after death means the utter annihilation of the person, without
any principle of conscious continuity or moral effects of one's deeds.
4. Pakudha Kaccayana. He preached what we call an atomic theory. He recognised the existence of an
individual, permanent soul, but since that soul cannot be injured or destroyed, there is no basis for
morality and we need not be responsible for our actions.
5. Nigantha Nataputta, the founder of Jainism. He was the only teacher to accept the principle of
kamma, but his methods involved extremes of self-mortification as a means of attaining happiness.
6. Sajaya Belatthaputta. He was the Sceptics. Sanjaya Belathiputta turned out to be a sceptic, who
refused to give a direct answer to any question or make a definite statement about anything. He was said
to be as slippery as an eel, an "eel-wriggler". He refused to give a commitment to any particular point of
view in order to preserve peace of mind; knowledge was impossible. There was a king called Ajatasattu
who questioned all these men about their teachings, but did not find their views were satisfactory. He
observed that none of these six teachers had given him a satisfactory answer to the question he had put to
them. In all cases they had spoken about their views, but had failed to give him a direct reply to the
question he had raised. It was, he said, "just as if one asked about a mango would speak about a
breadfruit, or as if one asked about a breadfruit would speak about a mango."
The life of the Buddha
As a child, Siddhartha the Buddha, was troubled by some of the same thoughts that children
today have. They wonder about birth and death. They wonder why they get sick and why grandfather
died. They wonder why their wishes do not come true. Children also wonder about happiness and the
beauty in nature.
Because the Buddha knew what was in the hearts of children and human kind, he taught everyone how to
live a happy and peaceful life. Buddhism is not learning about strange beliefs from faraway lands. It is
about looking at and thinking about our own lives. It shows us how to understand ourselves and how to
cope with our daily problems.
Life in the Palace
Buddhism is one of the major religions in the world. It began around 2,500 years ago in India when
Siddhartha Gautama discovered how to bring happiness into the world. He was born around 563 BC, in
the small kingdom of Kapilavastu. His father was King Suddhodana and his mother was Queen Maya.
Soon after Prince Siddhartha was born, the wise men predicted that he would become a Buddha. When
the king heard this, he was deeply disturbed, for he wanted his son to become a mighty ruler. He told
Queen Maya, "I will make life in the palace so pleasant that our son will never want to leave."
At the age of sixteen, Prince Siddhartha married a beautiful princess, Yasodhara. The king built them
three palaces, one for each season, and lavished them with luxuries. They passed their days in enjoyment
and never thought about life outside the palace.

The Four Sights


Soon Siddhartha became disillusioned with the palace life and wanted to see the outside world. He made
four trips outside the palace and saw four things that changed his life. On the first three trips, he saw
sickness, old age and death. He asked himself, "How can I enjoy a life of pleasure when there is so much
suffering in the world?"
On his fourth trip, he saw a wandering monk who had given up everything he owned to seek an end to
suffering. "I shall be like him." Siddhartha thought.
Great Renunciation
Leaving his kingdom and loved ones behind, Siddhartha became a wandering monk. He cut off his hair to
show that he had renounced the worldly lifestyle and called himself Gautama. He wore ragged robes and
wandered from place to place. In his search for truth, he studied with the wisest teachers of his day. None
of them knew how to end suffering, so he continued the search on his own.
For six years he practiced severe asceticism thinking this would lead him to enlightenment. He sat in
meditation and ate only roots, leaves and fruit. At times he ate nothing. He could endure more hardships
than anyone else, but this did not take him anywhere. He thought, "Neither my life of luxury in the palace
nor my life as an ascetic in the forest is the way to freedom. Overdoing things can not lead to happiness. "
He began to eat nourishing food again and regained his strength.
Enlightenment
On a full-moon day in May, he sat under the Bodhi tree in deep meditation and said. "I will not leave this
spot until I find an end to suffering." During the night, he was visited by Mara, the evil one, who tried to
tempt him away from his virtuous path. First he sent his beautiful daughters to lure Gautama into
pleasure. Next he sent bolts of lightning, wind and heavy rain. Last he sent his demonic armies with
weapons and flaming rocks. One by one, Gautama met the armies and defeated them with his virtue.
As the struggle ended, he realized the cause of suffering and how to remove it. He had gained the most
supreme wisdom and understood things as they truly are. He became the Buddha, 'The Awakened One'.
From then on, he was called Shakyamuni Buddha.
There are Three Kinds of Wisdom (Knowledge)
1. The knowledge that the Buddha recollects His past lives,
2. The knowledge capable of seeing the decease and rebirth of beings, and
3. The knowledge capable of eradicating defilements

The Buddha Teaches

After his enlightenment, he went to the Deer Park near the holy city of Benares and shared his new
understanding with five holy men. They understood immediately and became his disciples. This marked
the beginning of the Buddhist community.
For the next forty-five years, the Buddha and his disciples went from place to place in India spreading the
Dharma, his teachings. Their compassion knew no bounds, they helped everyone along the way, beggars,
kings and slave girls. At night, they would sleep where they were; when hungry they would ask for a little
food.
Whenever the Buddha went, he won the hearts of the people because he dealt with their true feelings. He
advised them not to accept his words on blind faith, but to decide for themselves whether his teachings
are right or wrong, then follow them. He encouraged everyone to have compassion for each other and
develop their own virtue, "You should do your own work, for I can teach only the way."
He never became angry or impatient or spoke harshly to anyone, not even to those who opposed him. He
always taught in such a way that everyone could understand. Each person thought the Buddha was
speaking especially for him. The Buddha told his followers to help each other on the Way. Following is a
story of the Buddha living as an example to his disciples.
Once the Buddha and Ananda visited a monastery where a monk was suffering from a contagious
disease. The poor man lay in a mess with no one looking after him. The Buddha himself washed the sick
monk and placed him on a new bed. Afterwards, he admonished the other monks. "Monks, you have
neither mother nor father to look after you. If you do not look after each other, who will look after you?
Whoever serves the sick and suffering, serves me."
The Last Years
Shakyamuni Buddha passed away around 486 BC at the age of eighty. Although he has left the world, the
spirit of his kindness and compassion remains.
The Buddha realized that that he was not the first to become a Buddha. "There have been many Buddhas
before me and will be many Buddhas in the future," The Buddha recalled to his disciples. "All living
beings have the Buddha nature and can become Buddhas." For this reason, he taught the way to
Buddhahood.
The two main goals of Buddhism are getting to know ourselves and learning the Buddha's teachings. To
know who we are, we need to understand that we have two natures. One is called our ordinary nature,
which is made up of unpleasant feelings such as fear, anger, and jealousy. The other is our true nature, the
part of us that is pure, wise, and perfect. In Buddhism, it is called the Buddha nature. The only difference
between us and the Buddha is that we have not awakened to our true nature.
The Nine Special Qualities of the Buddha
Itipi so Bhagava Araham, Samma-Sambuddho, Vijja-Carana
Sampano, Sugato, Lokavidu, Anuttaro Purisa Dhamma

Sarathi, Sattha Deva-Manussanam, Buddho, Bhagava.


There are altogether nine important qualities of the Buddha. In Pali, the nine qualities are:
1. araham, 2. samma-sambuddho, 3. vijjacarana-sampanno, 4. sugato, 5. lokavidu, 6. anuttaro-purisadhammasarathi, 7. sattha-deva-manussanam, 8. buddho and 9. bhagava.
The qualities of the Buddha are infinite and all those infinite qualities are included in these nine.
That Blessed One is such since He is (1) Accomplished, (2) Perfectly Enlightened, (3) Endowed with
knowledge and Conduct or Practice, (4) Well-gone or Well- spoken, (5) the Knower of worlds, (6) the
Guide Unsurpassed of men to be tamed, (7) the Teacher of gods and men, (8) Enlightened, and (9)
Blessed.
(1) The Accomplished One (Arahan)
According to Visuddhimagga-Atthakatha, Arahan (Accomplished) has five definitions. The Blessed One
is accomplished for the following reasons: 1. because He is far away from all internal conflicts (Arahan),
2-3. because He destroyed the defilement -- enemies and all the wheels spokes (Ara-han), 4. because He
is worthy of requisites (Arahan), and 5. because He is devoid of secret evil-doing (A-rahan). (The
beginningless round of rebirths is called the wheel of the round of rebirths.)
(2) The Perfectly Enlightened One (Sammasambuddho)
The Lord Buddha is the Perfectly Enlightened One because He has known all things rightly by Himself.
In fact, He has of Himself known all the things, knowable things as knowable, comprehensible things as
comprehensible, removable things as removable, realizable things as realizable,and things that may be
developed as such.
(3) The Endowed One with Knowledge and Conduct ( Vijjacaranaasampanno)
The Lord Buddha is One who is endowed with three or eight kinds of knowledge and fifteen kinds of
conduct.
Vijja means (higher) knowledge and Carana, good conduct (practice) that guides to a noble disciple
and sends him towards the deathless.
There are Three Kinds of Knowledge 1. The knowledge that the Buddha recollects His past lives, 2.
The knowledge capable of seeing the decease and rebirth of beings, and 3. The knowledge capable of
eradicating defilements.
( 4) The Well-gone One or The Well-spoken One ( Sugata)
The term Sugata has two definitions: 1. One who has gone to the deathless, Nibbana and
2. One who speaks rightly, (It means that the Lord Buddha speaks only fitting speech in the fitting place).
(5) The Knower of the Worlds ( Lokavidu)

The Buddha is the Knower of Worlds because He has known the world in all ways.
There are Three Kinds of World: 1.The world of formations (Sankaraloka), 2. The world of beings
(Sattaloka), 3. The world of location (Okasaloka).
(6) The Incomparable Leader of men to be Tamed (Anuttaro purisadammasarathi)
The Buddha surpasses the whole world in the special qualities of virtue, concentration, understanding,
deliverance, and knowledge and vision of deliverance, so He is the Incomparable Leader (Master) of men
to be tamed.
(7) The Teacher of Celestial and Human Beings (Sattha devamanussanan)
It is usual for religious masters to seek advice or teaching from the deities or gods, but this would never
happen in the case of the Buddha. The deities are also beings caught in the round of rebirths because they
could not find the way out of it. The Buddha did not seek counsel from human beings either, and relied
solely on His knowledge of the Dhamma. On the other hand, deities and human beings merely come to
Him for counsel or advice and teaching, thus He is the teacher of them.
(8) The Enlightened One (Buddho)
The Lord has discovered the Four Noble Truths by Himself and awakened others to them, thus He is
enlightened. The Four Noble Truths that He has discovered are: (1) the truth of suffering,
(2) the truth of the cause of suffering,(3) the truth of the cessation of suffering, and
(4) the truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.
(9) The Blessed One (Bhagava)
The Buddha is endowed with the six things: (1) Lordship [Issariya], (2) Doctrine [Dhamma],
(3) Fame [Yasa], (4) Glory [Siri], (5) Wish [Kama], and (6) Endeavor [Payatta], Thus He is called the
Blessed One.
The Buddha's Daily Routine
The Buddha scheduled and performed His duties systematically. He was fully occupied with His religious
work the whole day, except when He was attending to His essential physical needs. His main concern
was to uplift the moral of the people. He was the Enlightened One, and He endeavored His best to
enlighten others. On several occasions, however, He delivered discourses that tend to worldly happiness.
His day was divided into five parts, namely,
1. The Forenoon-Session,
2. The Afternoon Session,
3. The First Watch of the night,
4. The Middle Watch of the night and
5. The Last Watch of the night.
The Forenoon Session
The Buddha uses His Divine Eye usually early in the morning to survey the world and see whom
He could help. If any person needs his assistance, He goes uninvited usually on foot. According to

circumstances, he might exercise His Psychic powers. The goal is to lead the person on the right path. He
went in search of the vicious and the impure. The virtuous and the pure came in search of Him. He
renders spiritual service to whomsoever needs it before going on his alms-round. He makes the almsround if He is not invited to any particular place, either alone or with the Bhikkhus. Before midday He
finishes His meal. Immediately after the meal, He delivers a short discourse to the people. He establishes
them in the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts. If the persons are spiritually matured, they are shown
the Path to enlightenment. At times He grants ordination if there are candidates for the Order. He then
retires to the monastery.
The Afternoon Session
After the noon meal, He takes a seat in the monastery when Bhikkhus assemble to listen to His
exposition of the Dhamma. Some get objects of meditation according to their temperaments and retire to
congenial places. Others pay their due respects to Him and retire to their chambers to spend the
afternoon. After exhorting His disciples, He himself retires to His private Perfumed Chamber to rest. If
He so desires, He lies on His right side and rests for a while with mindfulness. On rising He attains to the
Ecstasy of Great Compassion (Maha Karuna Samapatti) and surveys with His Divine Eye the world. The
survey is often for the Bhikkhus who retired to solitude for meditation, and others in order to give them
any spiritual advice that is needed. If the erring ones that need advice happen to be at a distance, He uses
His psychic powers to get there, advises them and then retires to His chamber.
Towards evening,
The lay followers flock to Him to hear the Dhamma. Perceiving their innate tendencies and their
temperaments with the Buddha-Eye, He preaches to them for about one hour. Each member of the
audience, though differently constituted, thinks that the Buddha's sermon is directed particularly to him.
Such was the Buddha's method of exposition of the Dhamma. As a rule the Buddha converts others
chiefly by expounding the Dhamma, for He appeals more to the intellect than to emotion.
The First Watch at Night
This period of the night extends from 6pm to 10pm. It is exclusively reserved for Bhikkhus.
During this period Bhikkhus get their doubts cleared, question the Buddha on the intricacies of the
Dhamma, obtain suitable objects of meditation, and hear the Dhamma from the Buddha.
The Middle Watch at Night
Late in the evening if He wishes, He takes a bath. This period extends from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
During this period Celestial Beings such as Devas and Brahmas, who are invisible to ordinary human
beings, approach the Buddha to question Him on the Dhamma. Such discourses and answers given to
their queries appear mostly in the Sanyutta Nikaya.
The Last Watch at Night
This period extends from 2am to 6am. The last watch is divided into three parts. The first part
(2:00 am to 3:15 am) is devoted to pacing up and down (Cankamana). This serves as a mild physical
exercise to Him.
During the second part (3:15 am to 4:30 am), mindfully He lies down on His right side. He spends the
last part (4:30 am to 6:00 am) in attaining to the Ecstasy of Great Compassion (Maha Karuna

Samapatti). At this early hour He radiates thoughts of Loving-Kindness towards all beings and surveys
the world with His Buddha-Eye to see whether He could be of service to any. If there be any worthy case,
He goes of His own accord and gives the necessary spiritual assistance.
His daily routine is occupied with religious activities. He rests only for a few hours a day in the afternoon
and at night. For one and a half hours in the noon and at dawn He pervades the whole world with
thoughts of Karuru (Compassion). He seeks His own food without inconveniencing any. He led a life of
voluntary poverty, begging His food from door to door, wandering from place to place for eight months
throughout the year. He tirelessly worked in the foregoing manner till His death in the eightieth year.
REFERENCE BOOKS:
Heritage of Buddhism by D.C.Ahir
Encyclopedia of Buddhism by R.K. Pruthi
Buddhism in India by D.C.Ahir
Buddha and his Dhamma(Hindi/English) by B.R.Ambedkar
Buddhcaharya(Hindi) by Rahul Sankruttayan
Bhagwat, N. K. The Dhammapada And The Buddha's Last Bequest. Taiwan: The Corporate Body of
the Buddha Educational Foundation.
7.
Buddhism: A Brief Introduction. Developing Virtue Secondary School.Burlingame, California:
Buddhist Translation Society, 1996.
8.
Buddhist Studies. Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore. Singapore: Pan Pacific
Publications Pte Ltd, 1984.
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