VI
BUDDHISM
1. We have described, very
shortly though, those schools of philosophy who take Vedas as their
guide. We are now entering upon another school‑one of the two, which have
discarded the Vedas and followed their own lines of thought. Buddhism
is one of them. A philosophy is not born in a day and therefore to say that
Buddha while sitting under the Bo tree was inspired as it were with the truths
which he afterwards circulated has no meaning. Truths are not reached in a
moment. Sciences and arts are not discovered in a day and therefore Buddha who
was a Hindu by birth and a follower of the Brahma faith must have been the
outcome of his time.
Six centuries before Christ,
India witnessed the commencement of a great revolution. The Brahmanical
religion had been practiced and proclaimed for centuries of years. The Gods of
the Rig‑Veda whom the ancient had invoked and worshipped lovingly and
fervently had come to be regarded as so many names and Indra and
Usha raised no distinct ideas and no grateful emotions. The simple
libations of the Som juice, which the old Rishi had offered to
their gods, had developed into cumbrous ceremonials, elaborate rites and utter
sacred prayers for the people. The people were taught to believe that they
earned merit by having these rites performed and prayers uttered by hired
priests.
It was Buddha who created a
reaction in such society.1
2. About 100 miles northeast
of the city of Benares was situated about 600 years before Christ a place
called Kpilavastu on the bank of the River Rohini. And two kindred clans ‑ the
Shakyas and Kolians‑lived on the opposite banks of that river. Kapilavastu was
the capital of the Shakyas who were then living in peace with the Kolians and
Shuddhodana the king of Shakyas had married two daughters of the king of
Kolians. Neither queen bore any child of Shuddodana for many years, and the
hope of leaving an heir to the principality of the Shakyas was well nigh
abandoned. At last however the elder queen promised her husband an heir and
according to ancient custom left for he father's house in order to be
confined. But before she reached the place she gave birth to a son in the
pleasant grove of Lumbini. The mother and child were carried back to
Kapilavastu where the mother died 7 days after leaving the child to be nursed
by his stepmother and maternal aunt, the younger queen.
The birth of Gautama is
naturally the subject of many legends, which have most remarkable resemblance
with the legends about the birth of Jesus Christ. The boy was named Siddhartha
but Gautama was his family name. He belonged to the Shakya tribe and is
therefore called Shakyasingh; and when he had proclaimed and preached a
reformed religion he was called Buddha or the awakened or enlightened.
Little is known of the early
life of young Gautama except that he was married to his cousin Yashodhara,
daughter of the king of Koli about the age of 18. It is said that Gautama
neglected the manly exercises which all Kshatryas of his age delighted in, and
that his relations complained of that. A day was accordingly fixed for the
trial of his skill and the young prince of the Shakyas proved his superiority
to his kinsmen.
Ten years after his marriage
Gautama resolved to quit his home and his wife for the study of philosophy and
religion. The story which is told of the young prince abandoning his home and
his position is well known. He must have for a long time pondered deeply and
sorrowfully on the sins and sufferings of humanity, he must have been struck
with the vanity of wealth and position. It is said that the sight of decrepit
old man, of a sick man, of decaying corpse and of dignified hermit led him to
form his resolution to quit home.
At this time a son was born to
him. It is said that the news was announced to him in a garden on the
riverside and the pensive young man only exclaimed: This is a new and strong
tie I shall have to break." That night he repaired to the threshold of his
wife's chamber - and there by the light of the flickering lamp, he gazed on a
scene of perfect bliss. His young wife lay surrounded by flowers and with one
hand on the infant's head. A yearning arose in his heart to take the babe in
his arms for the last time before relinquishing all earthly bliss. But this he
might not do. The mother might be awakened and the importunities of the fond
and loving soul might unnerve his heart and shake his resolution. Silently
then he tore himself away from that place. In that one eventful moment, in the
silent darkness of that night he renounced for ever his princely fame and more
than all this the affection of happy home, the love of a young wife and of a
tender infant now lying unconscious in sleep. He renounced all this and rode
away that night to become a poor student and homeless wanderer. His faithful
servant Channa asked to be allowed to stay with him and become an ascetic but
Gautama sent him back and repaired alone to Rajhagriha.
Rajgrha was the capital of
Bimbisara, the king of Magdhas and was situated in a valley surrounded by five
hills. Some Brahmin ascetics lived in the caves of this hill sufficiently far
from the town for studies and contemplation and yet sufficiently near to
obtain supplies. Gautama attached himself first to one Alara and then to
another Udraka and learned from them all that Hindu philosophy had to teach.
Not satisfied with this
learning Gautama wished to see if penances could bring superhuman insight and
power as they were reputed to do. He retired therefore to the jungle of
Uruvela near the site of the present temple of Buddha Gaya and for six year
attended by five disciples he gave himself up to the severest penance and
self‑mortification, but he could not obtain what he sought. At last one day he
fell down from sheer weakness and his disciples thought he was dead. But he
recovered and despairing of deriving any profit from penance he abandoned it.
His disciples who did not understand his object lost all respect for him when
he gave up his penances. They left him alone and went away to Banaras.
Left alone in the world,
Gautama wandered towards the banks of Niranjara, received his morning meal
from the hands of Sujata, a village daughter, and set himself down under the
Bo‑tree or the tree of wisdom. For a long time he sat in contemplation and
scenes of his past life came thronging into his mind. The learning he had
acquired had produced no results the penances he had undergone were vain, his
disciples had left him alone in the world. Would he now return to his loving
widowed wife, to his little child now a sweet boy of six years, to his
affectionate father and his loyal people? This was possible, but where would
be the satisfaction? What would become of the mission to which he had devoted
himself? Long he sat in contemplation and doubt, until the doubts cleared away
like mists in the morning and the daylight. Truth flashed before his eyes.
What was this truth which learning did not touch and penances did not impart?
He made no new discovery, he had acquired no new knowledge, but his pious
nature and his benevolent heart told him that a holy calm life and love
towards others were panacea for all evils. Self‑culture and universal love‑
this was his discovery, this is the essence of Buddhism.
The conflict in Gautam's mind,
which thus subsided in calm, is described in Buddhist writings by marvelous
incidents. Clouds and darkness prevailed the earth and oceans quaked, rivers
flowed back to their sources and peaks of lofty mountains rolled down.
Gautam's old teacher Alara was
dead and he therefore went to Benaras to proclaim the truth to his five former
disciples. On the way he met a man of the name of Upaka belonging to the
Ajivaka sect of ascetics who, looking at the composed and happy expression on
Gautam's face asked: " Your countenance, friend, is serene, your complexion is
pure and bright. In whose name, friend, have you retired from the world? Who
is your teacher and what doctrine do you profess?" To this Gautama replied
that he had no teacher, that he had obtained Nirvana by the extinction
of all passions and added: I go to the city of Kashi to beat the drum of the
immortal in the darkness of the world." Upaka did not understand him and
replied after a little conversation, "It may be so, friend," shook his head
and took another road and went away.
At Benaras, Gautama entered
the Deer Park Migdav in the cool of the evening and met his former
disciples. And he explained to them his new tenets:
"There are two extremes, O
Bhikkhus, which the man who has given up the world ought not to follow the
habitual practice, on the one hand, of those things whose attraction depends
upon the passion, and especially of sensuality, a low and pagan way,
unprofitable and fit only for the worldly‑minded, and the habitual practice,
on the other hand, of asceticism which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable.
There is a middle path, O Bhikkhus, avoiding these two extremes, discovered by
the Tathagat Buddha, a path which opens the eyes and bestows understanding,
which leads to peace of mind, to the higher wisdom, to full enlightenment, to
Nirvana.."
And he explained to them the
four truths concerning suffering, the cause of suffering, the destruction of
suffering, and the way, which leads to the destruction of suffering. And the
way was described to be eight folds. "This doctrine", Gautama said, "was not,
O Bhikkhus, among the doctrines handed down. In Benaras in the hermitage of
Migdav, the supreme wheel of the Empire of truth has been set rolling by
the Blessed One‑that wheel which not by any Saman. or
Brahman., not by any God, not by any Brahma or Mar,
not by any one in the universe can ever be turned back."
The five former disciples of
course were soon converted and were the first members of the order. Yasa, the
son of the rich banker of Benares was his first lay disciple and the story of
the conversion of this young man, nurtured in the lap of luxury and wealth, is
worth repeating. He had three palaces, one of winter, one for summer, one for
rainy season. One night he woke from sleep and found the female musicians
still sleeping in the room with their dress and musical instruments in
disorder. He became disgusted with what he saw and in moment of deep
thoughtfulness said, "Alas, what distress, Alas ! What danger." And he left
the house and went out. It was dawn and Gautama was walking up and down in
open air and heard the perplexed and sorrowful young man exclaiming these
worlds. He replied, "Here is no distress, Yasa. Here is no danger. Come here,
Yasa. Sit down. I will teach you the truth." And Yasa heard the truth from the
saintly teacher and became converted. Yasa's father, mother and wife all went
to Gautama and listened to the holy truth. Yasa became a personal follower of
Gautama, the other three remained his disciples.
