General Buddhism: Course 5 - Lesson 1 The history of Indian Buddhism

Universal Buddhist Studies

SRAMANA. Thich Thien Hoa

---

Fifth Course

History of Buddhism Spread,
10 Sects and the Universe Nhon Sanh

- o0o -

Lesson 1

History of Indian Buddhism.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.

A.-Open Topic

Longing for the absolute, despising the grandmother; wishing for the everlasting and permanent, abandonment of the impermanent transformation, the Vietnamese in particular and the Asian people in general have been trained for thousands of years in an ideological attitude. as above, should have underestimated history, a discipline that follows closely the impermanence of the transitions, whose purpose is to faithfully record what has been lost in the darkness of time. -gian.

This concept of contempt for history has brought us a great deal of harm. We have lost so many valuable lessons that our fathers bought at a very expensive price; we have lost a lot of contact with the past, lost our sympathy with the ancients, and are lost in the present because we don't know which path to follow and which way to follow. It is often true: a people of the past are not, it is difficult to have a future.

Particularly within the scope of our Buddhism, to find the right origin, try to trace the path of missionation of our fathers, rebuild the model of a glorious era of Buddhism, that are extremely difficult and tiring jobs.

But although tired, difficult-difficult, could not see the traces of old people that we now do not avoid, keep closed and closed eyes? The ancients despised history, on the contrary, we have to give it an important position. We can clearly see the origin, the development, the times of prosperity of a religion, we understand the true value of that religion. Especially if we are the ones with the mission to spread the teachings of Buddha-Da, then more than anyone else, we have to study the history of Buddhism to understand the prosperity and the causes of the successes and failures. of the propaganda of righteous Dharma across the five continents, in order to imitate the good deeds of the Dao, to abandon the bad and harmful to the Dao, so that the Buddha-Dharma will be propagated forever with time.

So first, let us return to our source, sequentially following in the footsteps of the mission, since the beginning of the new Shakyamuni Lord in India, gradually passing through China, China, and then to Vietnam -Nam, to finally have a general idea of ​​the state of Buddhism in the country and in the complex world today.

B.- Right Concentration

Buddhism In India

I.-  The Origin of Shakyamuni Buddha

1.- The dark social situation and complex ideology in India when Buddha was born

In terms of social injustice over 2,500 years ago, Indian society is probably one of the societies with the most unjust social and political regime. The people of India at that time were divided into many different classes, so they could be classified into the following main classes:

a) Brahmin (Brhmanes) includes the clergy, who hold the right to dominate the spirit, in charge of rituals and worship. They claim to be high-class people, born from the mouth of Brahman (Brahma) or Pham-Thien who holds the leadership of the national spirit, so they have the right to be revered and respected. the happiest life.

b) K-murder-Kastryas (Kastryas) is a noble family of kings, claiming to be born from the arms of Pham-Thien, on behalf of Pham-Thien holds the right to dominate the people.

c) Xaisyas (Vaisyas) are business owners who believe that they are born from corn to Pham-Thien, have the task of taking care the domestic economy (trading, planting, national income tax).

d) Thu-Da-La (Soudras) is a defender, his slave born from the heel of Pham-Thien, so the goal of making miserable life for the upper levels.

In addition to the four upper classes, there is also one of the most miserable people, the Baalah (Pariahs), like the barbaric people, considered to be marginalized in human society; on animal-like treatment, extremely humiliating, I-toothpick.

These five classes wore clothes of different colors. Each class lived according to the rules of the hereditary system, must not change careers or marry each other, and must not move to another place. According to Ba-la-Mon law, only three upper-class people have the right to read sutras and study the religion, while the two lower-level students will be slaves to the upper three classes forever.

Ba-la-Mon subjects enjoy the leisurely-lower how much, then the hordes of miserable people down below suffering, humiliating much. Social injustice is indescribable. There is no sympathetic bridge between people and people, a source of choking love, this class for the other class is the enemy, the more they can exploit it, the better.

In terms of religion, philosophy, ideology, the Indian society at that time also took place an extremely complex scene. On beliefs, the worshipers of fire are those who worship the mountain god, the river god, the worshiper of the wind god, the lightning god, the sun god. Regarding philosophy, those who believe that Pham-Thien is the basis of the universe, thousands of things, those who believe that the earth is the basis, those who believe that water is the basis, those who believe that wind is the basis ... must go further, from concrete to ideological, making theories: time commentary, space argument, direction-direction, advocacy of unity, duality, pluralism ... Consisting of one hundred different sects , always provoked.

In short, the Indian society at that time was a material society, groaning under the yoke of injustice, oppression, and spiritually spinning, going crazy in the streams. ideological ideas theory puppet-reng, ta-borrow. That society is longing for love and equality, expecting to be radiant in the light of wisdom.

In that situation, Shakyamuni Buddha appeared at the right time to save the sorrowful world.

2.-  Shakyamuni Buddha, the teacher of loving-kindness and compassion:

a) Christmas-Calendar Year.

As we said at the beginning, we Buddhists do not consider the historical issue to be important; yet another long time since the Buddha appeared until now, documents are lost, so there are many different theories about the Buddha's Christmas calendar.

Nevertheless, today, in order to be fully reunited in the world Buddhist calendar meeting in East-China in 1952, it was agreed that the second full moon of India (the full moon day of the fourth lunar month - Jésus Christ was born in 624 before the birth of Buddha Shakyamuni. Thus, up to this year (1964), the Christmas Buddha has been 2588 years (1964 + 624). But if we see the Buddha-calendar 2508 (counting to the 19-calendar-year calendar as 1964) it is because the International Buddhist Association took the Buddha's year of Nirvana as the first year of the era, not the year of birth (2588-80 years of Buddha's life = 2508).

b) Nationality and lineage.

At that time, the country of India consisted of many small states, when they drew into battle with each other like the Warring States of China. However, the Great War still brought back Magnesium (Magatha) like the Zhou Dynasty in China to the vassal countries. This country is the largest south of the Ganges River (Gange) as the center of all India. In northern India, near the foothills of the Himalayas (Now Népal country), there is a country called Ca-Pi-la-defense (Kapilavastu). The ruler of this country was the Pure-Pham-King (Sudhodana) of the Killingry (Kastrya) Kieu-Tat-la (Gotama) lineage, a great aristocrat in India. Ms. Hoang-Hau, the wife of King Tinh-Phan, Ma-Gia (Maha-maya), was 45 years old to get pregnant.

According to Indian custom, near the date of birth, Hoang-Hau returned to her parents' home, A-Nậu-Thích-Ca (Anucakya) in the Gou-Ly (Koli). One dawn, Hoang-Hac went out for a walk in the flower garden of Lam-Pi-ny (Lumbini) and gave birth to the Crown Prince-Prince there. The Crown Prince was named Siddharta (Siddharta) and according to Indian custom, he took his mother's surname Shakyamuni (Cakya). After being born Prince-Prince Tat-Da-7 days, Queen Ma-Gia weight. The queen's sister is Ma-Ha-Ba-Xa-Ba-De (Maha-Prajapati) in place of her adopted Thai-Prince Tat-Dat-Da until growing up.

Crown Prince Siddhartha, later, the Buddha Shakyamuni, the merciful and loving master of Buddhism.

c) Shape-and-substance

The appearance of Thai-Tu has more special features than ordinary people: He has thirty-two precious and eighty generals. So when watching his General, the Arahant (Asita) predicted that he would later become Buddha, master of all three, and lead the way for sentient beings to escape from the cycle of samsara.

In his childhood, his intelligent nature and his virtue of virtue clearly manifested. The wise-trained Taoist, the well-known Shells-being invited by the Tinh-Phan king to teach the Prince-Prince; and how soon Thai-Tzu has become a full-fledged writer, second to none.

At the same time as his talents, his virtues were also developed very quickly and deeply. His love is widespread, covering all things.

And also because of his intelligent nature, he sees clearly the false, impermanent nature of things, and infinite compassion, unable to sit still to see the groaning, suffering of life, His will never be at peace. Day and night, he always thinks of the method of saving sentient beings.

King Tinh-Sanskrit, in order to comfort his son, build up a magnificent palace, display all sorts of songs and dances surrounding the Crown Prince, and even married him a beautiful wife made her Da-Du-Da-La (Yosodhara) but Thai-Prince still can not stand the immense sadness of the world.

d) Renunciation. -19 years old nineteen years old (there is a place to say 29 years old) after leaving Tinh-Phan King a grandson La-Most-La (Lahula). giving up his life of glory, blossoming of blossoms, escaping from the imperial city, cutting his hair into the deep forest, hoping to be quiet in order to find a way to save sentient beings from suffering and bring them to the edge of enlightenment - maize forever-happy. Initially, he had to seek and study with the most famous religious men of India at that time, but then he realized that their truth and spiritual practice were not super-escape. From there, he went into hiding in the Snow-Son mountain range, having to cultivate on his own to find the liberation as he desired. During his six years of ascetic ascension, he had not yet obtained any satisfactory results, but at that time he had gone to the Gajasirsa mountain on the banks of the Ni-Lien-river. After bathing, he finished a bowl of milk porridge (crushed) of several female-female worshipers. Then he went under the tree Bat-la-la (Pippale, later people called the Bodhi tree means tree enlightenment, to celebrate the enlightenment of the Buddha under the tree). He meditated there and swore, saying:

"If we sit here and do not witness the result, then even though the flesh is broken, I will never stand up."

d) To attain enlightenment and to preach the sermon. Theory of the universe and the origin of its life and death. He became a Buddha with the name Buddha-Ca-Mau-Ni (Cakya Muni).

After becoming enlightened for a period of forty-nine years (There is a place of forty-five years) the Buddha traveled throughout the Ganges basin, bringing his supreme doctrine to sentient beings, regardless of old and young. , male and female, rich and poor, cowardly, color, race, intellectual or ignorant.

Thanks to his boundless compassion and immeasurable sacrifice, he taught the Dharma teachings on five hundred congregations, turned countless multitudes of births, and escaped from the delusion of suffering. And so Buddhism was founded in the world.

e) Buddha entered Nirvana.-In 554 years Before the West-calendar (as of 1964 ie: 1964 + 554 = 2508 years) Buddha is now 80 years old. Realizing that his vow was fulfilled, his fertility task was full, one day, the Buddha gave his reincarnated followers, gave thorough wills, and then left the world peacefully. , simply hooked between two cotton plants (Cala) outside the continent into Senta-la (Kusivagarâ),

In this way, an extremely wonderful life appeared and disappeared as a miraculous stream of light when marking three major stages in a very simple and meaningful way:

- Born next to a tree

-Head over a tree

-And die in the middle of two branches!

II.- History of Buddhist Propaganda In India

1.- Four periods of classic scripture practice. -Four months after the Buddha entered nirvana, Ma Ha Ca Lettuce (MaHa Kasypa) replaced the Buddhist monk who had summoned a conference of about 500 great disciples of the Buddha, in the city of Wang-Xa (Rajagrika) to recite the teachings that the Buddha taught. In this first conference, Mr. Ma Ha Ca Lettuce was exalted in the chair-chair; Ananda, a disciple who often followed the Buddha and listened to him for a long time, was sent to recite the teachings of the Buddha; And He Uu-Ba-Ly (Upali) is the disciple most disciplined and serious about the precepts, was sent out to chant the rules. This conference ended after seven months of work and 500 great disciples all recognized it as the true words of Buddha.

This congress is known as the "first episode".

b). The second episode-episode. -About one hundred years after Buddha's death, because of disagreements about gender, the monks split into two groups, meeting separately in Vaisaly and Andjji cities.

The Sangha group met in Vaixaly due to the summons of Elder Yasa at the age of 165, including 12,000 monks, but only 700 of them could vote. This meeting was convened under the chairmanship of Mr. Revala and in unison vote: “It is not advisable to change the wrong rules of the Buddha preached even though Lord Venerable-Ton had a teaching that if monks and nuns agree that both of Tathagata's rules are less important and cannot be maintained, they are allowed to repair them. ”

Meanwhile, the Sangha group in Vajji city, meeting under the chairmanship of Vajjiputra, agreed. In this second episode, the focus is only on resolving the rules. However, monks also divided into two distinct factions. The sect of Yasa summoned and kept the Buddha's precepts, then called the original sect (Théravadins) or upper-set.

Faculty by Vajjiputra changed the Buddha's ten laws, then called the Tien-Thu sect, or Dai-them (Mahasanghikas).

Since then, Buddhism has divided into two distinct factions and is the root for the twenty-later sects.

c). The third conclusion: More than two centuries after the Buddha's death (274 years before the Chinese calendar), Emperor Asok recalls the 1,000 heads of old Uyge-old Uyen-kin to marry. classics in the city of Pataliputra (ie Bihar and Patra today) under the chairperson of His Section-Kien-Lien Tu-De (Mogaliputta Tissa). After nine months of work, the conference was successful - the k61t-classical textbook - in addition, it was even adjusted to increase the morality of the monks, eliminating the male clergy, breaking the world, and the autism. .

d) Fourth episode-About 600 years after Buddha's death, that is, in the first century AD, King Ca-Ni-SAC-Ca (Kaniska) an Indian-Indian Do, having a guardianship not inferior to King Ashoka, has summoned 500 Bodhisattvas, 500 monks and 500 monks at the home-stay of a monk, at Ca-Cross-DiLa to gather the sutras- Dictionary under the chairperson of the two Sirs-Ton-Jia and The Huu.

This episode is called the fourth episode-episode.

Of the four aggregates, the first two periods do not need to be recorded, that is, just recite it, see what words the Buddha said, or consider what the meanings are right with the Dharma.

It was not until the third and fourth period that it was used for writing to transcribe into books. In this transcript, the monks divided into two factions: the male faction is written in Pali, and the northern faction is written in sanskrit.

2. South and North-mode equation Buddhism . -As mentioned above, because the sūtras are recorded in two languages: Pali and Sanskrit, Pali-speaking lands in Pali-classics are spread, and the peoples spoken in Sanskrit are classics by Pali propaganda, and the people of Sanskrit-speaking people, Sanskrit texts are recited. If Central India is used as a base, then the lands of South India and spread to the countries of Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Ai Lao, Cao-mien ... all follow the Pali canon, so also called South-Buddhism.

As for the lands of Central India, North India-India and spread to Nepal, Tibet, China, Vietnam, Cao-ly, Japan, etc., based on the Sanskrit scripture, and known as North-Buddhism.

South-North or North-South Buddhism all worship the same master-teacher Shakyamuni Buddha and all follow the weaknesses that Buddha taught. However, depending on the radical, psychological and cultural influences and the lives of people there are differences between the South and the North, the method of practice and the promotion of the teachings are singular and copper. The North-South largely goes towards the rampage, developing, free-form without regard for form. In the South, the former has a conservative personality, loyal to Theravada Buddhism, respecting the form. Therefore there are two sects: Hinayana Buddhism in the South and Mahayana Buddhism in the North.

3.-  The development of Mahayana and Theravada a. Here because we are still in the history of spreading Buddhism, we are not in a hurry to mention the difference between the Mahayana and Hinayana teachings. Let us put aside the problem and talk about how the two sects' development in India is.

The development of the Hinayana sects .- As we all know, the cause of Hinayana is divided into two sects, because in the second episode, on the issue of gender - The law has a place of disagreement, the new monks split into two sects: One sect consists of the elders called Venerable-sets; and one faction composed mostly of young monks, but very numerous, called Dai-them-set.

During the period of 100 years after the second set-up period, Dai-them-in turn divided into eight factions as follows:

-The most-theory-set

The first time divided into three sets -The-export-world-set

-Helpers

The second time we split one more set was Multi-Literature

The third time we split one more set is -Sony-fake

-Multi-set

The third time a division was another West-preliminary

Another set is: North-painted-set

So is from a main sect is Dai-them-set which in turn divided into eight branches (plus 9 sets). In the meantime, the Venerable-set originally lived peacefully in Mount Ca-Thap-di-la, but with time, also gradually divided, and finally including the following:

1. Theory-best-the-organic

2. Single-death suite

3. Dharma-upper set

Upper-Coordination-Set 4. Hien-position

5. Chief-minister

6. Honey-forest-paint set

7. Chemical-local

8. French-organ potty

9. Negative photonic

10.Pure-quality sets

In a nutshell, on the commercial side, from the basics (the Commercial Set) to the branches, including a total of 11 sets.

If the total of Commercial-Coordinate-set-up of the General Assembly, the Hinayana including a total of 20 sets.

b) The development of the Mahayana school.

Although the teachings of the Buddha include both Hinayana and Mahayana, but in the first four, five centuries of the Buddhist calendar, because of the roots of monks and Indian followers. more Hinayana, so the Hinayana sect is thriving. But from the first century AD, or sixth to the Buddhist calendar, Mahayana teachings began to flourish in northern India and gradually spread in the North.

The first merit whereby the Mahayana Buddhism flourished was that of His Holiness.

Mr. Ma-Minh, a native of North India, was born in the first century-West of the calendar, at first according to foreign desires, had a discourse, later because the argument was lost to Mr. H-Ton-False, so new Refuge under Buddhism. He himself is the author of the Mahayana, Mahayana Mahayana Mahayana Commentary, and thanks to the powerful protection of King Ca-Ni-Sac-Ca, He has revived and transmitted -a strong power of Mahayana teachings.

One hundred years later, following the career of Mr. Ma-Minh, Mr. Long-Tho lived in Pi-La-La (South India) with a very good Thien-Tu, who was a young man who was able to understand the sutras at a young age. of Bà-La-Môn, Phế-Ðà ..., mastering all the astronomy, geography, medicine, numerology. Initially, he followed Hinayana, after he studied the Mahayana teachings and made the commentaries of the Innate, the Twelve, Tri-degrees ... to destroy the evil, Chief Justice of Mahayana, and travel to foreign countries to subjugated goods. Mahayana thanks thus more and more radiant.

Following on from Mr. Long-Tho, there are two disciples, Mr. Long-Trí and Ðề-Bà, who have great merit in promoting Mahayana.

After the Buddha entered Nirvana more than 900 years, that is, about the fourth century AD, there were two brothers who were Infinite and First-born, born in North India, before following Brahmanism. , after the refuge under the Buddha.

Mr. Vo-before was his brother, enlightenment of Mahayana teachings first, and He The-Body initially studied the doctrine of Hinayana, after he was Mr. Vo-before-instructed to Mahayana. From then on, the two brothers actively promoted the meaning of the Mahayana Mahayana Duy-consciousness and made the ministries: Hien-Duong Thanh-doctrine, Photography-Dai-admit ... both of them advocated on Duy- formula, clearly the reason: "Three realms idealistic, all legal knowledge". Therefore, the doctrine of the two of them called Dharma-General Duy-learning-method, and they were considered as the ancestors of Dharma-General Duy-formula-learning.

Their influence continued to spread to the 10th century AD and made the Mahayana Buddhism in India flourish, and eclipsed the Hinayana teachings. .

4 - The decline of Buddhism in India - About 2000 years after Buddha's death, the Buddhism in India was lukewarm and almost no longer resonated. The cause of that decline can be attributed to the following three reasons:

a.-Dao Ba-La-Mon, before the time the Buddha appeared to be a single-religion religion in India. But since Buddhism was born and increasingly developed because of the spirit of compassion, equality and the bright light of the wisdom of the Brahmanical Dao, gradually losing its body and retreating. forever into the dark. But those religious leaders were not discouraged, on the one hand they were revising their doctrine, on the other hand, purifying their ranks and relying on the power of the government, gradually taking them back. old and very anti-Buddhist position.

b.-Islam-religion is a religion in Turkey-Turkey-United States (Turquie) when invading India by military force, used fierce tactics to destroy the Dharma Buddhism by beating towers, destroying temples, burning sutras, killing Buddhists. Therefore, Buddhism has almost no place in India anymore.

c.-The third reason is internal. If only for the two foreign-aforementioned reasons, Buddhism in India would not have been so easily exterminated so quickly. The decline of Buddhism in India was also the decline of the Sangha, the Buddhist monk lacked the schooling and the spirit of progress of the Indian Buddhist leadership at that time.

If the destruction on the outside does not have the indirect disruption on the inside, then Buddhism in India will not take place in the desolate ruin as we have seen in five centuries. before.

C.- Conclusion

The Buddha taught: there is birth, there is destruction, there is destruction. So after fifteen centuries of flourishing, Buddhism in India gradually decadent is also an ordinary thing. The law of impermanence governs all the things of this life.

And also due to the variable-translation law, one here is vacant, the other accretes, the diving wave in one place to flourish in another. Buddhism has moved from the center to the center a has moved from the center is India to spread, flourishing in other countries first around India, then to China and gradually spread throughout world. END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.23/1/2020.