Buddhism

This is based on Encyclopaedia Britannica articles. For more detail, please find Encyclopaedia Britanica on the web at www.eb.com. Very many thanks to Anthony Murphy for ediiting various sections.

Introduction

Life of Buddha

Message

Doctrines

Foundations

The foundations of Buddhism

The Cultural Context

Buddhism came into being in northeastern India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC, a period of great social change and intense religious activity. Most scholars in Europe, the United States, and India believe that the historical Buddha lived from about 563 to about 483 BC. while others, especially in Japan, believe that he lived from about 448 to 368 BC.

In northwestern India there were ascetics who tried to go beyond the Vedas (Hindu sacred scriptures). In the literature that grew out of this movement, the Upanishads, a new emphasis on renunciation and transcendental knowledge can be found. But northeastern India, which was less influenced by the Aryans who had developed the main tenets and practices of the Vedic Hindu faith, became the breeding ground of many heterodox sects.

Among the most important sects to arise at the time of the Buddha were the Ajivikas, who emphasized the rule of fate, and the Jainas, an ascetic movement stressing the need to free the soul from matter. Unlike early Buddhists, both the Ajivikas and Jainas believed in the permanence of the elements that constitute the universe, as well as the existence of the soul. Despite the bewildering variety of religious communities, many shared the same vocabulary and most were based on the practice of yoga.

In the centuries following the founder's death, Buddhism developed in two directions. One, usually called Theravada by its present-day adherents, remained relatively faithful to what it considered to be the true tradition of the Buddha's teachings. The other is called Mahayana, "the means of salvation available to a larger number of people," by its followers, who call the first Hinayana, "the means of salvation restricted to a smaller number of people" (or simply the greater and lesser vehicles).

For all the discussion on the two paths of salvation, the ethics remain fundamentally the same. The monastic organizations suffered the influence of diverse historical situations, but the basic structure remains intact. The Buddha, the original teacher, is always recognized as the revealer of Buddhist truth. In the later doctrines, his preaching is not just that given to his first disciples: he multiplies himself in numberless epiphanies--all manifestations of a single immutable reality--and he emphasizes the certainty of the void and the relativity of all appearances.

In spite of these vicissitudes, Buddhism did not negate its basic principles. Instead they were reinterpreted, rethought, and reformulated, bringing to life an immense literature.
Consequently, from the first sermon of the Buddha at Sarnath to the most recent derivations, there is an indisputable continuity--a development or metamorphosis around a central nucleus--by virtue of which Buddhism is differentiated from other religions.

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