Short Notes on Buddhism

• Buddhism, the fourth greatest religion in the world, originated in India and it spread to neighbouring countries: like - Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Japan, China Vietnam and Thailand.
• Buddhism was founded by Gautama Buddh.

Birth	563 BC( According to some Historians)
Birth Place	Lumbini( Now in Nepal) near kapilvastu, the capital of the Shakyas
Real Name	Siddhartha
Father’s Name	Suddhodanana, elected chief of the Shakyas
Mother’s Name	Mahamaya
Step Mother	Prajapati Gautami
Wife	Yashodhara
Son	Rahul
Caste	Kshatriya
His Horse	Kantaka
Charioteer	Channa
Four Signs	Aged man, sick man , corpse , Mendicant
Teacher(Guru)	Asita was first Guru, Alana Kalama taught hi mediation and Upanishads
Great Going Forth	Mahabhiniskramana at the age of 29
Place of Enlightnment( Nirvana)	Beneath a Pipal tree in Gaya(Bodh Gaya) at Niranjana river at the age of 35
First Sermon	Dharmachakra pravartana , Sarnath near Varanasi
Death( Parinirvana)	Kushinagar, at Kasiya village in Deoria district of U.P at the age of 80 in 487 BC.

Buddhist Sects

• The Hinayana
• The Mahayana
• The Vajrayana

Buddhist Literatures

1.Vinaya Pitaka  - Rules of the order or Buddha's disciplinary code

2.Sutta Pitaka - Sermons on matter of doctrines and ethics, Buddha's teachings

3.Abhidhamma Pitaka - On metaphysics and philosophy.

Council	Time	Place	King	Chairmanship	Development
First	483 BC	Sattapani Cave ( Rajagriha, Bihar)	Ajatshatru	Mahakassapa	Vinay Pitaka compiled by Upali and Sutta Pitaka compiled by Ananda
Second	383 BC	Vaishali ( Bihar)	Kalashoka	Sabakami	Permanent split of the Buddhist order into Sthavirmadins and Mahasanghikas
Third	250 BC	Pataliputra (Bihar)	Ashoka	MoggaliputtaTissa	The third Pitak-Abhidhamma pitaka was compiled
Fourth	72 AD	Kundalvana (Kashmir)	Kanishka	Vasumitra	Division of Buddhism into the Mahayana and the Hinayana sects. Codification of Sarvastivadin doctrine as Mahavibhasa took place

The Doctrine of Buddha

• Four Great Truths (Aryasatya)
• The World is full of sorrow and misery.
• The cause of all pain and misery is desire
• Pain and misery can be ended by controlling the desire.
• Desire can be controlled by following the eight-fold path.

The Eight-Fold Path ( Ashtang Marga) Consists of :

• Right Faith
• Right Thought
• Right Action
• Right Means of Livelihood
• Right exertion of efforts
• Right Speech
• Right Remembrance
• Right Concentration or Meditation