Socio-Cultural Movement

 Topic: Factors for the rise of socio-cultural movements and significance of liberal ideas on socio-cultural awakening (Emergence of Buddhism religion

*Famous philosophers

Chinese Philosopher

-Confucious (Confucianism)    

-Lao Tzu (Taoism)

Greek Philosopher

Empedocles

Parmenides

Zoroaster  (Persian Philosopher)

Buddha and Mahavira (Indian Philosopher)

Factors for rise of socio-cultural movement: Emergence of Buddhism.

1. Change in the Nature of worship in Later Vedic Period

-rise of idol worship.

-prayers were replaced with rituals.

-practice of tapasya (penance)

-Concept of Dharma (duty), Karma (action) and moksha (salvation) developed.

2. Sacrifices

*Involved killing of animals on a large scale.

-Ashvamedha yajna (horse sacrificial ritual ceremony by the kings).

-Raja Suya yajna (ritual to mark coronation of king’s supreme). power)

-Vajapeya yajna (ritual performed to win the chariot races).

-Brahmins were considered as only learned one and perform yajna (rituals)

3. Rigid Caste system and Brahmanical Domination

Brahmins

Vaishyas

Kshatriyas

Shudras

*Distinction between the people.

4.Introduction of New Agriculture Economy

-Animal Sacrifices posed threat to the agriculture economy.

-Animals were needed for the agriculture development and survival supples.

6. Difficult language of Vedas

-Vedic scriptures were recited in Sanskrit and understood only by Brahmins.

-Prakit and Pali language was understood by the common people.

-Buddha and Mahavira taught in the common language.

6. Advent of liberal Thinkers (Buddha & Mahavira)

-introduced new ideas

-Liberal Thinking

-religious practices were simple and acceptable

-need not perform meaningless rites and rituals

-how to lead honest and truthful life

Life and Teachings of Lord Buddha

1. The Buddha’s Birth and Youth

-King Suddhodana (ཟས་གཙང།) from Sakya Clan and his mother was Queen Maya Devi (སྒྱུ་མ་ལྷ་མཛད།)

-Siddharth Gautama.

-He was born around 566 BC at Lumbini Garden in the kingdom of Kapilavastu, in Nepal.

-Brought up by foster mother Prajapati (སྐྱེ་དགུའི་བདག་མོ།)after the death of His biological mother.

-Married Yashodhara ( གྲགས་འཛིན་མ།), daughter of Supprabuddha (brother of Queen Maya and Prajapati) at the age of 16.

-Born Rahula (སྒྲ་ཅན་འཛིན།)

2. The Great Renunciation (Age of 19)

-For six years, Siddhartha wandered in the forest.

-He learned deep meditation from wise teachers, and practiced fasting and austerity with five yogis.

-Endured the most pain of all, but found no answers.

“I did not find peace in palace life. Nor did I find peace in an austere life. There must be a middle way.”

-Became enlightened under a Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya.

-He understood the cycle of birth and death and how to ease suffering. He saw his true nature and that of all living beings. This was the end of his spiritual quest.

3. Buddha’s First Sermon (35-80 years)

-Deer Park, Sarnath, Varanasi, UP.

1. Four Noble Truths

•       The truth of suffering

•       The truth of the origin of suffering

•       The truth of the cessation of suffering The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering

**Drukpa Tsezhi (in Bhutan)

 

 

 

                           

Eightfold Path (ལམ་བརྒྱད།)

 

4. Mahaparinirvana

-Kushinagar, U.P.

-Around  80 years in 487 B.C.E.

Last words of Buddha before his death, “Behold, O monks, this is my last advice to you. All component things in the world are changeable.”