Buddhism: Life of Gautama Buddha, Teachings, Sangha, Tripitaka, Stupas and Buddhist Sects

Buddhism began with the teachings of Gautama Buddha, who is remembered as the Enlightened One. The topic explains Buddha’s life, his enlightenment, his philosophy, the formation of Sangha, rules for monks and nuns, Buddhist stupas, symbols, motifs and the rise of Mahayana and Hinayana traditions.

Meaning of Buddha

The word Buddha means the Enlightened One.

The founder of Buddhism was Gautama Buddha. He was born in 563 BCE at Lumbini, in the Shakya Kshatriya clan of Kapilvastu.

Buddha is also known as Tathagat, which means one who attained the Truth.

Early Life of Gautama Buddha

• Gautama Buddha’s father was Suddhodhana.
• His mother was Mayadevi.
• His mother died while giving birth to him.
• He was brought up by Prajapati Gautami.
• At the age of 35, he attained Nirvana or supreme knowledge.
• He died in 483 BCE under a Sal tree at Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.
• His last teachings were heard by Ananda and Subhadra.

Five Great Events of Buddha’s Life and Their Symbols

Event	Symbol
Birth	Lotus and Bull
Great Renunciation / Mahabhinishkramana	Horse
Nirvana / Attainment of Supreme Knowledge	Bodhi Tree / Peepal Tree
First Sermon / Dhammachakrapravartana	Wheel
Death / Mahaparinirvana	Stupa

Buddha gave his first discourse at Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh.

Religious Background Before Buddhism

By the time Buddhism and Jainism came into existence, there were 64 sects or schools of thought in India.

Teachers travelled from place to place to explain their philosophy. These debates often took place in Kutagarashala, meaning a hut with a pointed roof, or in groves where travelling mendicants gathered.

Buddha’s Teachings

Buddha and other teachers taught orally through discussion and debate.

• None of Buddha’s speeches were written down during his lifetime.
• After Buddha’s death, his teachings were compiled by his disciples.
• This compilation happened at the council of elders or senior monks at Vaishali.
• Buddha’s teachings are known as Tripitaka, meaning three baskets.

Tripitaka: Three Baskets of Buddhist Teachings

Pitaka	Main Content
Sutta Pitaka	Compiled by Ananda; contains the teachings of Buddha
Vinaya Pitaka	Contains the monastic code; compiled by Upali
Abhidhamma Pitaka	Philosophical interpretation of the earlier two Pitakas

Other important historical texts include the Dipavamsa (‘Chronicle of the Island’) and Mahavamsa (‘Great Chronicle’)

• Dipavamsa means the chronicle of the island.
• Mahavamsa means the great chronicle.
• These contain regional histories of Buddhism and were compiled in new regions like Sri Lanka as Buddhism travelled from region to region.

Buddha’s Enlightenment

Three pivotal sights transformed Siddhartha’s outlook on life:

• He saw an old man.
• He saw a sick man.
• He saw a corpse.

These sights made him realise that decay and destruction of the human body were inevitable.

He also saw a homeless mendicant, who seemed to have accepted old age, disease and death, and had found peace.

Soon after this, Buddha left the palace and set out in search of truth.

Philosophy of Buddha

Buddha tried to convince people through reason and persuasion.

According to him:

• The world is transient, or Anicca.
• The world is constantly changing.
• The world is soulless, or Anatta, because nothing is permanent or eternal in it.
• In this changing world, sorrow, or Dukkha, is part of human existence.

Four Noble Truths of Buddha

The Four Noble Truths are called Chatvari Arya Satyani.

Noble Truth	Meaning
Dukkha	Life involves sorrow
Cause of sorrow	Desire, or Trishna, is the cause of sorrow
End of sorrow	If desires are conquered, sorrows can be removed
Path to end sorrow	Follow the Eightfold Path, or Ashtangamarga

Eightfold Path or Ashtangamarga

The only way to remove sorrow is to follow the Eightfold Path, also called Ashtangamarga.

The eight parts are:

• Proper Vision
• Right Aim
• Right Speech
• Proper Action
• Proper Livelihood
• Right Effort
• Correct Awareness
• Meditation

This path shows that Buddhism focused on moral conduct, mental discipline and self-effort.

Buddha’s View of Society

Buddha regarded the social world as the creation of human beings rather than divine origin.

He advised kings and gahapatis to be humane and ethical.

The Buddha emphasized:

• Individual agency
• Righteous action
• Escape from the cycle of rebirth
• Self-realisation
• Nibbana or Nirvana

Nibbana/Nirvana means extinguishing ego and desire. It also means the end of the cycle of suffering for those who renounced the world.

Buddha’s last words to his followers were:

“Be lamps unto yourselves as all of you must work out your own liberation.”

Sangha: Followers of Buddha

Sangha was the organization of monks who were disciples of Buddha and later became teachers of Dhamma.

The monks lived a simple life. They kept only a bowl to receive food once a day from the laity.

Because they lived on alms, they were known as Bhikkhus.

Women in the Sangha

Initially, only men were allowed into the Sangha. Later, women were also admitted.

Ananda, one of Buddha’s dearest disciples, persuaded him to allow women into the Sangha.

Buddha’s foster mother, Mahaprajapati Gotami, was the first woman to be ordained as a Bhikkhuni.

Many Bhikkhunis became teachers of Dhamma and later became Theris, meaning respected women who had attained liberation.

Social Base of Buddha’s Followers

Buddha’s followers came from different sections of society.

They included:

• Kings
• Wealthy men
• Gahapatis
• Workers
• Slaves
• Craftspeople

Once people entered the Sangha, they were regarded as equal. They left behind their earlier social identities after becoming Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis.

Internal Functioning of the Sangha

The internal functioning of the Sangha was based on the traditions of ganas and sanghas.

Decisions were made through discussion and consensus.

If consensus failed, decisions were taken by a vote.

This shows that the Sangha followed a collective method of decision-making.

Therigatha

Therigatha is part of the Sutta Pitaka.

It contains verses composed by Bhikkhunis.

The text deals with the social and spiritual experiences of women at that time.

A verse in the Therigatha details a conversation between Punna, a slave woman, and a Brahmin performing bathing rituals.

In the conversation, Punna questions the ritual of taking a bath every morning in extreme cold to reach heaven. She also suggests that the Brahmin should save his skin from the cold by not taking a dip in the water.

Rules for Monks and Nuns

The Vinaya Pitaka laid down rules for monks and nuns.

Key monastic regulations laid down in the Vinaya Pitaka include:

• If a Bhikkhu made a new felt blanket or rug, it had to be kept for at least six years.
• If he got another new blanket made before six years without permission, it had to be forfeited and confessed.
• If a Bhikkhu arrived at a family residence, he could accept only two or three bowlfuls of cooked grain meal.
• If he accepted more than that, it had to be confessed.
• After accepting two or three bowlfuls, he had to share them among the Bhikkhus.
• If a Bhikkhu used bedding in a Sangha lodging and left without putting it away, or without taking leave, it had to be confessed.

These rules show the disciplined and simple life expected from monks and nuns.

Why Buddhism Grew Rapidly

Buddhism grew rapidly during Buddha’s lifetime and after his death.

Two major reasons were:

• Many people were dissatisfied with existing religious practices.
• People were confused by the rapid social changes happening around them.

Buddhism placed emphasis on:

• Metta, meaning fellow feeling
• Karuna, meaning compassion

It gave more importance to compassion than claims of superiority based on birth.

Stupas in Buddhism

Stupas were mounds where the relics of Buddha were buried.

These relics included:

• Bodily remains of Buddha
• Objects used by Buddha

The tradition of building stupas may have been pre-Buddhist, but stupas became closely associated with Buddhism.

The Buddhist text Ashokavadana mentions that Ashoka distributed Buddha’s relics to every town and ordered the construction of stupas.

Prominent early stupas were at:

• Bharhut
• Sanchi
• Sarnath

Inscriptions on railings and pillars of stupas record donations made for building and decorating them.

Donations were made by:

• Kings
• Guilds
• Women
• Men

The guild of ivory workers financed part of one of the gateways at Sanchi.

Structure of the Stupa

The stupa began as a simple semi-circular mound of earth called Anda.

Later, it became a more complex structure.

Part of Stupa	Meaning / Function
Anda	Semi-circular mound
Harmika	Balcony-like structure representing the abode of gods
Yashti	Mast rising from the Harmika
Chhatri	Umbrella placed above the mast
Railing	Separated sacred space from the secular world
Gateway	Installed at four cardinal points

The early stupas at Sanchi and Bharhut were plain except for stone railings and richly carved gateways.

Worshippers entered through the eastern gateway and walked around the mound clockwise, keeping the mound on the right.

Symbols of Worship in Early Buddhism

Many early sculptors did not show Buddha in human form. Instead, they showed his presence through symbols.

Symbol	Meaning
Empty Seat	Meditation of Buddha
Stupa	Mahaparinibbana
Wheel	First sermon at Sarnath

Such sculptures cannot be understood literally only. Historians need to understand the traditions of the people who produced these works of art.

Shalabhanjika Motif

The Shalabhanjika image is mentioned in Sanskrit texts.

It represents a woman whose touch caused trees to flower and bear fruit.

This was regarded as an auspicious symbol and was integrated into the decoration of stupas.

The Shalabhanjika motif suggests that many people who turned to Buddhism enriched it with their own pre-Buddhist and non-Buddhist beliefs, practices and ideas.

Animal Motifs in Buddhist Art

Animal images were common in Buddhist art.

Commonly depicted animals in relief sculptures include:

• Elephants
• Horses
• Monkeys
• Cattle

Animal stories from the Jatakas are also depicted at Sanchi.

Animals were also used as symbols of human qualities. For example, the elephant symbolised strength and wisdom.

Motif of Mayadevi and Gajalakshmi

A recurring motif depicts a woman surrounded by lotuses and elephants.

The elephants appear to sprinkle water on her, as if performing Abhisheka or consecration.

Some historians identify this figure as Mayadevi, the mother of Buddha.

Others identify her as Gajalakshmi, the goddess of good fortune associated with elephants.

Devotees saw these sculptures as both Mayadevi and Gajalakshmi.

Serpent Motif

The serpent motif is found on several pillars.

James Fergusson, one of the earliest modern art historians, considered Sanchi to be a centre of tree and serpent worship.

He reached this conclusion by studying only the images on his own.

Mahayana Buddhism

Early Buddhist teachings gave great importance to self-effort in achieving Nibbana.

Buddha was regarded as a human being who attained enlightenment and Nibbana through his own efforts.

Later, the concept of Bodhisatta developed.

Bodhisattas were seen as deeply compassionate beings. They accumulated merit through their efforts, but instead of using it to attain Nibbana and abandon the world, they used it to help others.

The worship of images of Buddha and Bodhisattas became an important part of this tradition.

This ideology came to be known as Mahayana Buddhism.

Hinayana or Theravada

The older Buddhist tradition came to be known as Hinayana, meaning the lesser vehicle.

The followers who followed the path of old respected teachers were called Theras, or followers of Hinayana.

Buddhism: Quick Revision Table

Topic	Key Point
Meaning of Buddha	Enlightened One
Founder	Gautama Buddha
Birth	563 BCE, Lumbini
Clan	Shakya Kshatriya clan of Kapilvastu
Father	Suddhodhana
Mother	Mayadevi
Foster Mother	Prajapati Gautami
Enlightenment Age	35 years
Death	483 BCE, Kushinagar
First Sermon	Sarnath
Teachings	Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path
Main Texts	Tripitaka
Monastic Order	Sangha
Monks	Bhikkhus
Nuns	Bhikkhunis
First Bhikkhuni	Mahaprajapati Gotami
Women’s Text	Therigatha
Monastic Code	Vinaya Pitaka
Stupa	Mound containing Buddha’s relics
Mahayana	Worship of Buddha and Bodhisattas
Hinayana/Theravada	Older tradition of respected teachers

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