The Buddha neither rejected nor accepted the existence of God because he was more concerned about, the actions of the individual in this world as well as in his previous birth. Nor did he talk about the existence of soul as well.
As the origin and ancestry of the Buddha are well known to all, no reference is nude to that aspect.
The Buddha delivered his first sermon, called Dharma Chakra Pravarthana or turning of the wheel of law, at Sarnath.
The fundamental teachings of the Buddha are contained in the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path (Astangamarga).
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The four noble truths are:
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(1) The world is full of suffering (Sarvam Dukham).
(2) All sufferings have a cause, and ‘Tanha’ or desire, ignorance and attachment are the cause of suffering (Dukha Samuday).
(3) The suffering can be avoided by destroying the cause (Dukha Nirodha) and
(4) Suffering can be ended by knowing and practising the right path (Dukha Nirodha Gamini Pratipala) and that right path is the eightfold path (Astangamarga).
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The Buddha’s eightfold path consists of:
(1) Knowing the right view, i.e., the world is full of sorrow because of desire and by ending desire, life can be liberated.
(2) Right aims, i.e., not to love the pleasures of life but to love humanity and to strive for the increase of happiness in others.
(3) Right speech, i.e., speaking truth alone.
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(4) Right action, i.e., doing action without selfish motive.
(5) Right livelihood, i.e., man should obtain his livelihood by right means only.
(6) Right effort, i.e., one should have control over his thoughts and should destroy desire and attachment.
(7) Right-mindedness, i.e., knowing the impermanence of the body, and
(8) Right concentration, i.e., observance of meditation that will unravel the truth.
Buddha named the practice of these principles as Majjhimamarg or the middle path.The Buddha laid great emphasis on the law of Karma. He taught that the present is determined by the actions of man in the past birth and the condition of a man in this life depends upon his earlier actions The Buddha’s teachings made it clear that we are born repeatedly to reap the fruits of Karma.
He propagated that if an individual does not commit sins he/she is not born again. The law of Karma is thus an essential element of his teachings. The Buddha preached that the ultimate goal in man’s life is Nirvana or freedom from rebirth. Nirvana is possible only when we rid ourselves of desires and thereby end suffering. Therefore, for the Buddha, the annihilation of desire is the core issue. Normal, simple and virtuous life in this world can lead to salvation, and not sacrifices and prayers.
The Buddha neither rejected nor accepted the existence of God because he was more concerned about, the actions of the individual in this world as well as in his previous birth. Nor did he talk about the existence of soul as well.
He gave more importance to the concept of love, which can be expressed by non-killing or non-injury or Ahimsa. He also denounced the two extremes – severe ascetism and excessive indulgence. He emphasized that there was no need for intermediaries between the individual and Nirvana or birthlessness. The Buddha rejected the animal offering as sacrifices. The preaching’s of the Buddha had been codified and brought out as collections or as Canon much later. These are the Buddhist canons, which are divided into three Pitakas.
They are:
(1) Sutta Pitaka
(2) Vinava Pitaka, and
(3) The Abhidamma Pitaka.
The Sutta Pitaka contains five ‘Nikayas’ or religious discourses. The fifth Nikaya consists of Jataka tales or stories about the previous births of the Buddha. The Vinaya Pitaka contains the rules of monastic discipline. The Abhidamma Pitaka contains the philosophical ideas of the Buddha. Buddhism became popular among different sections of the society even during the lifetime of the Buddha as well as after the demise. Buddhism received state patronage at the hands of Ashoka and Kanishka. Consequently, it spread to Central Asia, West Asia and Sri Lanka, China and Japan.
Buddhism became popular because:
(1) Its emphasis was on a moral code of conduct that offered easily practicable and acceptable solutions to the problems faced by mankind,
(2) The propagation of the ideal of social equality,
(3) Recognition accorded to merchants, artisans, courtesans and petty traders in the social hierarchy,
(4) Technique of teaching of the principles in common people’s language,
(5) Royal recognition and patronage, and
(6) The idea of a democratically constructed Sangha, that was open to all above the age of 15, except criminals, lepers and people suffering from infectious diseases.
In the beginning women were not admitted into Sangha but later due to the persuasion of his step-mother Mahaprajapati Gautami and disciple Ananda, the, Buddha permitted women to be admitted into the Sangha. After admission into the Sangha, all the monks have to shave their heads and wear saffron robes and lead an austere life preaching and practising the Buddhist principles of love, compassion and equality. They have to live by the alms collected from lay devotees.
Except in rainy season, during the rest of the year, they should be moving from place to place meditating and preaching the Buddhist doctrines. The members of Sangha should strictly follow the code of conduct prescribed; violation resulted in severe punishment.
Tradition records that after the death of the Buddha, the first Buddhist council was held in 483 BC in the Saptaparni cave near Rajagriha, which was presided over by Mahakassapa. Here, the two Pittakas – the Sutta and the Vinaya – were given shape. While Ananda led the group of Buddhist scholars who prepared the Sutta Pitaka, Upali led the group who prepared the text of Vinaya Pitaka.
Later a schism took place among the Buddhists, and in order to bring about a rapprochement, the second council was held at Vaishali in 383 BC. The council failed to achieve its objective and the Buddhists were divided into Sthaviravadins and Mahasanikas. The Sthaviravadins upheld the orthodox Vinaya Pitaka while the Mahasanghikas favoured new rules.
During the reign of Ashoka, the third Buddhist council was held at Pataliputra, wherein Mogaliputta Tissa presided over it. This council prepared the third Pitaka, i.e., Abhidamma Pitaka. This council attempted to set right the house of the Buddhists in order. During the reign of Kanishka, the fourth Buddhist council was held at Kashmir.
This council prepared three commentaries or Vibhasas of the three Pitakas. After this council, the Mahayana Buddhism developed. While the Hinayanists did not see the Buddha as God, the Mahayanists created the images of the Buddha and began to worship them. Thus by the 1st century AD, the Buddhists were divided into two different sects, Hinayana and Mahayana.