Page 2 - Notes
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Ideas contained in the Upanishads generated a variety of questions about life
especially meaning of life and possibility of life after death and rebirth.
Lively discussions and debates took place in Kutagarashala, a hut where travelling
mendicants took shelter.
Thinkers like Mahavira and Buddha questioned the authority of the Vedas.
The Message of Mahavira:
According to Jainism, entire world is animated, i.e even stones, rocks and water
have life.
Non-injury to living beings is central to Jaina philosophy. According to Jainism, the
cycle of birth and rebirth is shaped through Karma.
To free oneself from the cycle of Karma, asceticism and penance are required.
Jaina monks and nuns took five vows. These are:
to abstain (to decide not to do something) from killing
to abstain from stealing
to abstain from lying
to observe celibacy (not married and not naring sex)
to abstain from possessing property.
Jainism spread to many parts of India. Jaina scholars produced a wealth of
literature in Prakrit, Sanskrit and Tamil languages.
The Buddha: The Enlightened Soul
Gautama Buddha was one of the most influential teachers of that time whose
message spread across the sub-continent, Central Asia to China, Korea, Japan,
Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia.
Siddhartha was the son of a chief of the Sakya clan. He was deeply shocked
when he saw an old man, a sick man and a corpse. He left the palace and set out
in search of his own truth.
After attaining enlightment, he came to be known as the Buddha or the
enlightened one.
For the rest of his life, he taught dhamma or the path of righteous living.
The Teachings of Buddha:
According to Buddhism, the w’orld is transient (anicca) and constantly changing
and it is also soulless (anatta). Within this transient world, sorrow (dukkha) is
intrinsic to human existence.
Buddha emphasised individual agency and righteous action as the means to
escape from the cycle of rebirth and attain self-realisation and nibbana.
Followers of the Buddha:
