Expansion and Growth of Buddhism in Early India

Agnik Bhattacharya

 Abstract
In this article of mine I have tried to find the socio- political reasons behind the
growth of the Buddhism (a major and important religious and philosophical
belief), that rose to prominence in the 6th century BCE. Along with the socio-
political reasons the economic reasons did play a vital role behind the growth
and acceptance of Buddhism. The paper also revolves around the importance of
the Buddhist councils and the teachings of Lord Buddha which ultimately lead
to the expansion of Buddhism not only within India, but also outside the county
and even outside the Indian subcontinent.

I
The phenomenon that, originating in India, Buddhism, should except for a few
remaining in Bengal, Orissa and Assam, have given place to Hinduism, which
is now the dominant religion of the country. This is particularly strange in view
of the fact that Buddhism, as human force profoundly affected religious and
moral ideas of its time and acted as a catalyst factor in transforming existing
social conditions. Buddhism is a religion of kindness, humanity and equality.
Unlike the religion of the Vedas allowed animal sacrifice to please the gods,
Buddhism sets its face against such sacrifice; on the contrary, it waged a
merciless campaign against this practice. In this connection, it may legitimately
be asked how the Buddha preached the principle of ahimsa and kindness to
living animals, if he himself could eat meat and allow his followers to do so.
The explanation was simple, in a society where meat was commonly used as a
daily food; he and his followers had to depend upon public alms; so that if they
had refused to eat meat, they could have possibly starve to death. Another
special feature was that Buddhism denounced all claims to superiority on the
ground of birth as the Brahmins claimed. It denounced all social differences

1
 based on birth between man and man, and declared that it was karma alone that
determined the existence of an individual.

Another feature of great sociological significance in Buddhism was that it threw

open doors of organized religious life to both men and women. It is said that
Buddha in the beginning was unwilling to admit women in the Sangha but later
after several request made to him by Ananda( one of the main disciple of Lord
Buddha), he accepted the entry of women in the Sangha , and Mahaprjapati
Gautami(step- mother of Lord Buddha)was made the head of the Bhikhuni
Sangha. 1 The Buddha advised his followers to go from place to place,
preaching his teachers thoughts throughout the year except the rainy season.
The Buddha had asked his followers to impart his teachings to the people in the
most simple and lucid language, hence Pali was chosen as the language of
preaching .This appeal in a local dialect struck a sympathetic chord in the hearts
of the people, and they listened to the message of the Buddha, particularly as it
came to them through a band of selfless preachers who had travelled long
distances.2

II

Though Gautama Budhha belonged to an aristocratic family, his life and work
were those of a democrat. He served the interests of the masses and concerned
with their happiness. He travelled widely for 45years, preaching to them and
carry out his life’s mission, he founded the Sangha, the order of the Buddha
fraternity of monks and nuns. All the members of a Sangha in a parish were
required to be present at a formal meeting of the community. The leader of the
Sangha was generally elected from among the Theras or senior monks and he
respected by all. As Buddhist monks had no private property of their own, all
furniture or things in the monastery, for the use of the monks, belonged to the
whole community or the Sangha. In short, no official act of the Sangha was

1
Outside the Sangha, women like Sujata, Visakha and Samavati all achieved positions of eminence in different
spheres. Even courtseans like Amrapali were not denied to embrace the religious life.
2
(Singh, 2009)

2
 valid unless it was decided at a meeting where all members and visiting monks
in a parish were either present or could communicate their wished.

During his life time, the Buddha allowed things to be decided democratically by
the Sangha; and after his death, too, he did not want to restrict the freedom of
the Sangha by appointing his own successor. He wanted Dhamma and the
Vinaya to be its guides after his death and anything which was not authorized
by the Dhamma and Vinaya was to be rejected by the Sangha. In running its
affairs, the Sangha no doubt drew its inspirations from small oligarchies like
those of then Vaji or Licchavis of Vaisali and of the Mallas of Kushinara. The
liberal attitude shown by the Buddhists in knowing the doors wide open to all
who wished to participate in religious life seems to have general acceptance as
the Gita indicates. Thus many aspects of the Buddhists religion came to be
accepted to other religion and gradually no distinction remained. In course of
time, Buddhism was absorbed by the reformed religion of Hinduism.3

III

Buddhism arose and flourished in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, in the
kingdoms of Magadha and Kosala. The Buddha spent most of his time in
Bihar, and after his death the 3 councils were held successively of Rajgir,
Vaisali, and Pataliputra. It is held that heterodox sects arose as reaction to a
ritual ridden religion of the Vedic people. Bu the real key to the understanding
of the rise of new religious movements lies in certain significant developments
in the material life of the people. 4 The Buddhist emphasis on non- injury to
animals assumes a new significance in the context of the needs of new
agriculture. Pali canons do not stress so much the need for non- violence
towards men as towards animals. The earliest Buddhist text, the Sutta- nipata,
states that cattle should be protected because they are the givers of food, beauty

3
(ed. Bapat, 2009)
4
The Neolithic people of the east- aborigines and non- Aryans cultivated small patches of land in the upland
regions by burning the forest and then cutting the trees. They domesticated cattle not for dairy produce and
agriculture but for non-vegetarian food.

3
 and happiness.5 Some urban centres identified in the Pali text practiced trade by
the use of punch marked coins, which are stratigraphically ascribed to the fifth
century BCE and may have been appeared earlier. The Brahmana attitude
towards trade was not helpful; the earliest law books prescribe trade and
agriculture for the Vaisyas but assign them the third place in the society, the
first two places being reserved by the Brahmanas and Kshatriyas. The
inhabitants of Bihar, Magadha and Anga were held in contempt because they
traded in certain articles. In contrast to this the early Buddhist text records
several instances of sea voyages with a sense of approval. The liberal donations
of Anathapindaka and other lay merchant millionaires to the Buddha and his
order can be better appreciated if the Brahmanical attitude towards trade can be
kept in mind.6 An early book of the Buddhist canon, the Diggha Nikaya, states
that paying off debts, as it brings a sense of relief, and it does not worry a
person when he is eating or doing other things.

The use of iron weapons revolutionized the military equipment of the ruling
class and added to the political importance of warriors in contrast to the priests.
The conflict between the interests of Brahmanas and Kshatriyas is evident in
many texts, this partially explains the Kshatriya origin of Gautama and
Mahavira(important religious and philosophical figure in the Jain order). Both
the Buddhist and Brahmanical texts of the age of Buddha justify the royal share
of peasant’s produce on the ground that the king gives protection to the people.
The new agriculture, trade, and the advent of coins naturally enabled both rulers
and traders to accumulate wealth and gave rise to economic inequalities.

IV

During the first and second centuries after the Mahaparinirvana, Buddhism
could hardly be distinguished from other ascetic movements. It was evidently in
the Maurya period that Buddhism emerged as distinct religion with great
potentialities for expansion. At the time of the Second council, which was held
at Vaisali about 100 years after the nibbana of Lord Buddha, invitations were
5
(ed Sahu, 2006)
6
Trade also included the use of money, which led to money lending and usury. But the existing social order did not
favor lending at interest.

4
 sent to communities in distant places like Patheya, Avanti, Kausambi, Sankasya
and Kanauj. 7 Asoka’s patronage must have contributed to the spread of
Buddism not within the empire but to distant lands even in his lifetime. It was
after the Third Buddhist council held at Pataliputra , under the patronage of
Asoka that we find the religious belief spreading to distant lands outside the
country and even the subcontinent specially Ceylon( present day Srilanka).8

It was under the rule of Menander, where Buddhism became popular among
the Greeks mainly through trading relations and due to this a new form from of
Buddhist art flourished in regions of Punjab and other areas of northern India.
Kanishka’s reign is also a landmark in the history of Buddhism, traditions not
only presents him a great patron of the religion but also associates him with a
glory of Buddhist masters who shaped Buddhism in later times. It was in this
period that the Indo- Greek school of Buddhist art achieved its greatest
developments, Buddhist monks from India carried Buddhism to China and
Central Asia. A new form of Buddhism, the Mahayana, of far reaching
consequence, also came to be evolved at the same time. With the advent of the
Gupta dynasty, Buddhism received a new impetus and that can be clearly
visible from the paintings of Ajanta.9

From the middle of the 7th centuryCE, again we have a record giving a clear
picture of the Buddhism in India. Some of the great centers of Buddhism at that
period were Nalanda, and Valabhi but on the other hand under the Pala dynasty
places like Odantapuri, Vikramasila, and Somapuri and Vikramapura became
famous Buddhist study centres and from the 6th – 9th century eastern India
became the biggest place of Buddhist attraction of India.10

V
So , the lay Buddhists were left without any religious guidance, which made it
easier for them to be absorbed in the non- Buddhist community as there was
7
Ibid, pp.52-24
8
The rapid expansion of Buddhism during Asoka’s time in various parts of India resulted in the rise of the Buddhist
sects whose number is given as 18.
9
(Chakravarti, 2010)
10
Ibid, pp. 54-56

5
 little distinction left between the lives lead by the Buddhists and the non-
Buddhists. Undoubtedly the objective of the Buddha’s teachings was to secure
the salvation of the individual. Accustomed to the old ways of life some
individuals found it difficult to adjust themselves to the breakup of the old tribal
society caused by new material conditions which gave rise to social
inequalities. So whatever may have been the ultimate objective of Buddhism,
ordinary people, whose support really mattered to the new religion, were
certainly attracted towards it because of its successful response to the challenge
posed by social developments generated by the material conditions created by
the use of iron, plough agriculture, coins and by the rise of towns in eastern
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Indian Centre for Philosophical Research

Department of Philosophy

Jadavpur University

Kolkata, India

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