• The origins of Buddhism lie in ancient India.

• The religious landscape of the time was shaped by the

ideology of the Aryas, a nomadic group who travelled into
India around the beginning of the second millennium BCE.
• The teachings of the social group known as brahmanas are
found within texts such as the Ṛg Veda and Upaniṣads. These
contain teachings, philosophies and ritual guides.
• The Brahmanic tradition also introduced the caste system.
• There were also ascetic movements found within India which
had ideologies that did not necessarily agree with brahmanic
thought.
• The dates that the Buddha lived are not agreed upon, but
generally placed around 400-500 BCE.
• The Buddha appears in Buddhist literature under a
number of names. His name is given as Gautama (Pali:
Gotama). He is only referred to as the Buddha after his
enlightenment.
• He is also referred to as Śākyamuni Buddha, literally
meaning sage (muni) of the Śākya clan. It is believed that
he was born in what is now South Nepal.
• The Buddha has the 32 marks of a great man (Sanskrit:
mahāpuruṣa-lakṣaṇa/ Pali: mahāpuriṣa-lakkhaṇa)
• The life story of the Buddha is taken from a variety of sources such as
the Mahāvastu, Nidānakathā and Buddhacarita.
• Many aeons ago an ascetic called Sumedha encountered the Buddha
Dīpaṃkara and vowed to become a buddha himself, cultivating the
necessary qualities and becoming a bodhisattva.
• The Jātakas show the various kind deeds of the Bodhisattva before he
became the Buddha.
• When the previous buddha’s teaching had been lost the Bodhisattva
descended from Tuṣita into his mother’s womb. That night his mother
dreamt of a white elephant carrying a white lotus entering her womb.
• After 10 lunar months the Bodhisattva was born. He was delivered whilst
his mother was standing. As soon as he was born he took 7 steps and
declared, ‘I am chief in the world, I am the best in the world, I am first in
the world. This is my last birth. There will be no further rebirth.’
• Seven days after the birth his mother died and was reborn in Tuṣita.
• He was part of the Śākya clan in the kṣatryia family whose name was
Gautama. He was known as Siddhārtha.
• As he grew up he forgot his previous births, but predictions of his
greatness were made to his father. This was made apparent by the 32
marks that were found upon his body. It was predicted that he could
have one of two destinies: he could become a great ‘wheel turning’ king
(cakravartin/cakkavattin) or a buddha.
• His father wanted him to become a powerful king and so arranged that
his son should be provided with every pleasure and comfort and
sheltered from all things ugly and unpleasant so that he would not
renounce and become an ascetic.
• The Bodhisattva married Yaśodharā and had a child called Rāhula.
• The Bodhisattva rides with his charioteer and sees an old man, a sick
man, a corpse and an ascetic. Upon seeing this he decides to leave his
home and become an ascetic.
• The Bodhisattva spent the next 6 years practicing a number of ascetic
techniques such as meditation, gradually ending up practicing severe
austerities with five other ascetics where he became emaciated.
• Finding that these methods did not work he accepted an offering of food
and settled himself under a Bodhi tree, determining that he would not
move until he had attained complete awakening. Many gods gathered to
watch knowing that something important was happening.
• Māra appeared with his army and tried to distract the Bodhisattva from
his meditation with desire, fear, doubt, hunger and thirst, and tiredness.
He sent his beautiful daughters and great storms but the Bodhisattva
remained unmoved.
• When Māra asked the Bodhisattva what right he had to sit under the tree
the Bodhisattva responded and said that it was because of his many
aeons practicing the perfections. Māra then claimed that he had also
achieved this and his armies with vouch for him. The Bodhisattva
touches the ground and calls on the earth as his witness. On this action
the ground trembled and Māra was knocked from his elephant and his
armies ran away, signifying his defeat. The Buddha had attained
enlightenment.
• After his enlightenment the Buddha is believed to given his first
discourse on the topic of the Four Noble Truths, known in Pali as the
Dharmacakkappavattana Sutta.
• Suffering (duḥkha/dukkha): all that is unenlightened is marked by
this. Perhaps a more useful translation is ‘dis-ease’.
• Origin (samudaya): the origin of dukkha lies in craving (tṛṣṇā/
taṇhā). The unenlightened crave sensuals pleasures, things that
they do not have and the removal of things that they do not want.
The root of this lies in ignorance.
• Cessation (nirodha): the cessation of dukkha, will come through the
cessation of ignorant thought and action. In other words, the only
cure for dukkha is nirvāṇa/ nibbāna.
• Way (mārga/ magga): the path to enlightenment is outlined in in the
eightfold path.
• Saṃsāra is not a place, instead it is the type of existence
experienced by all unenlightened beings.
• Unenlightened beings are caught in perpetual cycle of life, death and
rebirth.
• Saṃsāric existence is conditioned by three marks: impermanence
(anitya/ anicca), not-Self (anātman/ anattā), and dis-ease
(duḥkha/dukkha).
• As there is no permanence there is no stability. Saṃsāric existence
is in a constant state of flux and change.
• The teaching of anātman outlines that there is nothing that has a
permanent Self, there is no underlying consciousness or sense of
person that is carried from life to life.
• There is no being that can be classed as immortal, even the gods
(devas) that are found in Buddhist thought will one day die.
• Karma or kamma can be translated as ‘action’.
• In the brahmanical society it was initially understood in terms of ritual
behaviour. If one performed a certain ritual action it would have a
specific result.
• Ideas concerning karma evolved and all actions were understood to
cause an effect. Actions performed by an individual would cause
some sort of effect on the individual in this life, or even in a later life.
• In Buddhist thought karma has a causative nature. The actions that
are intentionally performed by the individual will have a particular
karmic result. Well-intentioned good deeds will result in a pleasant
and favourable karmic result whilst malicious and hurtful misdeeds
will result in a poor and unfavourable karmic result.
• Karma does not always have immediate results, but can take many
lifetimes to have an effect.
• Nirvāṇa/nibbana, as with saṃsāra, is not a place. Instead it is a form
of existence which is free from the conditions of saṃsāra.
• Nirvāṇa is attained through seeing the world as it really is
(yathābhūtadarśana). One must have a complete understanding of
the nature of Dependent Origination, saṃsāra, and karma.
• Nirvāṇa is often described using negatives. This is to show that it is
not conditioned, there is no death, no rebirth, no karma.
• The Buddha had attained enlightenment during his lifetime, he did
not die nor did he vanish. Despite being enlightened he still had to
receive the results of previous karmic actions. It should be
remembered that one enlightened the Buddha was not producing
any karma.
• Upon death a person who has nirvāṇic existence is understood to
enter a state known as parinirvāṇa/ parinibbana.
• The development of various symbols representing aspects of
the Buddha's life (563 - 483 BCE) was the beginning of a
specifically Buddhist architecture.
• Traditional building styles would have been used but it was the
mode of decoration which began to set these buildings
apart. As support for the new religion increased so too did the
need
for buildings to accommodate the requirements of the
expanding monastic order. Although
common wood was still the mainstonework
medium and thewasskill to erect
quite
stone structures enclosing appreciable space had yet to be
developed.
Main types of architectural buildings :

•Stupa
•Viharas / Monastries
•Stambha

Buddhism rejected image worship , so represented Buddha by stupa , Bodhi

tree indicating enlightenment , wheel of law , Buddha ‘s footprints .
 STUPA
S
• A stupa (from Sanskrit: literally meaning "heap") is a mound-
like or hemispherical structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the
ashes of Buddhist monks, used by Buddhists as a place of meditation.
•Also known as ‘Relic Shrines’ . Stupa was planned like a Vedic Village.

•Spherical dome symbolized the infinite space of sky , adobe of God .

• Stupas were built of stones or bricks to commemorate
important events or mark important places associated with
Buddhism or to house important relics of Buddha. Ashok
Maurya who laid the foundation of this group of
monuments is said to have built 84,000 stupas, most of
which have perished.
• After many years of teaching Buddha died at the age of 80
.his body was cremated and ashes were divided in to eight
parts the ashes were then deposited in several special
mound –shaped monuments called Stupas
• Umbrella were often mounted at the top of stupa as a sign
of honor and respect. Also known as thupa ,thope, pagoda
,dagoba
Built for a variety of reasons, Buddhist stupas are classified based on form and
function into five types:
•Relic stupa, in which the relics or remains of the Buddha, his disciples and lay saints
are interred.
•Object stupa, in which the items interred are objects belonged to the Buddha or his
disciples such as a begging bowl or robe, or important Buddhist scriptures.
•Commemorative stupa, built to commemorate events in the lives of Buddha or his
disciples.
•Symbolic stupa, to symbolise aspects of Buddhist theology, for example,
Borobuddur is considered to be the symbol of "the Three Worlds (dhatu) and the
spiritual stages (bhumi) in a Mahayana bodhisattva's character."
•Votive stupa, constructed to commemorate visits or to gain spiritual benefits,
usually at the site of prominent stupas which are regularly visited.
The shape of the stupa represents the Buddha,
crowned and sitting in meditation posture on a
lion throne. His crown is the top of the spire; his
head is the square at the spire's base; his body
is the vase shape; his legs are the four steps of
the lower terrace; and the base is his throne."
Although not described in any Tibetan text on stupa symbolism, the stupa
may represent the five purified elements:
• The square base represents earth
• The hemispherical dome/vase represents water
• The conical spire represents fire
• The upper lotus parasol and the crescent moon represents air
• The sun and the dissolving point represents the element of space
 Dome is called ‘Anda’ or ‘Egg’ as it
contained the seed i.e. ‘relic of the
monk’ .

• Harmika: Top of dome is

(Heaven of 33 gods) , square balcony
‘Harmika’
in form enclosing a
decorative
pedestal.

•Chattra: A 3 tiered stone /

wooden umbrella chhatrayasti raised
over pedestal which was the vedic
alter of sacrifice and represented
the village shrine.
• Vedica: Stupa is enclosed with a
wooden / stone railing called vedica .

• Toranas : They were cermonial

gateways placed at cardial point
similar to Aryan village gates .

• Medhi : Medhi (predestrian Path) for

devotees to wave in homage to
stupa. Medhi was approached by
double staircase sopana .

• Brick work , surface of dome finished

of with a thick layer of lime water .
• Vihara is the Sanskrit term for a
Buddhist monastery. It originally
meant "a secluded place in which to
walk", and referred to "dwellings" or
"refugees" used by wandering monks
during the rainy season.
• The northern Indian state of Bihar
derives its name from the word
"vihara", probably due to the
abundance of Buddhist monasteries in
that area.
• Early type of Buddhist monastery
consisting of an open court
surrounded by open cells accessible
through an entrance porch.
• They are constructed with brick or excavated from rocks
are found in different parts of India. Usually built to a set
plan, they have a hall meant for congregational prayer
with a running verandah on three sides or an open
courtyard surrounded by a row of cells and a pillared
verandah in front. These cells served as dwelling places
for the monks. These monastic buildings built of bricks
were self-contained units and had a Chaitya hall or
Chaitya mandir attached to a stupa - the chief object of
worship.
• Some of the important Buddhist viharas are those at
Ajanta, Ellora. Nasik, Karle, Kanheri, Bagh and Badami
entrances.
Viharas, ajanta
caves
• Stambhas (pillars) were set up in the Buddhist sacred
places & along the highways. Emperor Ashoka made a
major contribution, setting up atleast thirty such pillars.

• A stambha consists of a circular column or shaft slightly

tapering towards the summit (monolithic). On top of this
shaft is the Persepolitan bell or the inverted lotus shaped
base. Above this is the abacus on top of which rests the
crowning sculpture. These three portions were carved out
of a single stone (monolithic).

• The stambhas erected during various periods have shown

a development in style & structure. Some fine examles
are the Basarh Bakhira (with lion capital), Laurya
Nandangarh in Champaran district of Nepal (with a seated
lion capital on an inverted lotus & carved abacus).
Sanchi

vaishali
lumbini