Buddhist scriptures

● The most important sources of Buddhism are the

Tripitakas written in the Pali language.

They are:
● Sutta Pitaka: It contains the collection of all the sermons
and teachings of the Buddha.
● The Sutta Pitaka was composed by Ananda.
● It is divided into five parts:

➢ Digha Nikaya - It describes the life teachings, death and

funeral of Mahatma Buddha.
➢ Anguttar Nikaya – 16 Mahajanapadas have been
described in this.
➢ Sayukta Nikaya - It is the first body with prose and poetry
styles.
➢ Majjhim Nikaya – In this, Mahatma Buddha has been
described as an ordinary human being and somewhere
as a deity with supernatural powers.
➢ Khuddak Nikaya – This Nikaya has been compiled in the
form of a short treatise.

● Vinaya Pitaka: It deals with the governing rules and

regulations relating to the Sangha and the monks. It was
composed by Upali. Mahavastu is the main text related to
Vinaya Pitaka.
● Abhidhamma Pitaka: It deals with the philosophy of
Buddhism. According to one belief, it was compiled during
the Third Buddhist Council during the reign of Ashoka.

Bodhisattva:
● The process of attaining Buddhahood is called
'Bodhisattva'.
● The concept of Bodhisattva was introduced by the
Mahayana school of Buddhism.
● Bodhisattva can be any human or animal.
The main bodhisattvas are:

➢ Avalokiteshvara - He is considered the most important

Bodhisattva, he is also known as Padmapani.
➢ Maitreya - He is called the future Bodhisattva, who is yet to
come into the world.
➢ Vajrapani - This is a comparatively tough Bodhisattva, who
holds Vajra in his hand like Indra Devta.
➢ Manjushri - The main function of these Bodhisattvas is to
provide stability to the intellect and discretion.

Buddhist literature

Milindapanho
● Literal meaning in Pali - Milind's question. It was written
around 100 BC.
● It contains a dialogue between the Indo-Greek king
Menander I or Milind of Bactria and the sage Nagasena,
where Milind asks the sage questions on Buddhism.

Buddhacarita
● It is an epic poem composed in Sanskrit by Ashvaghosha
(the court poet of Kanishka) in the early 2nd century AD.
● The Buddhacharita is called the 'Ramayana of the
Buddhists'.
● It is about the life of Buddha.

Mahavibhasa Sutra
● It was composed by Vasumitra.
● It is called 'Encyclopedia of Buddhism'.
Major Stupa

● The first description of the word Stupa is found in Rigveda.

● The literal meaning of stupa is- a pile of something.
● The stupa probably evolved from an earthen platform that
was built over the funeral pyre of the deceased or to keep
the selected ashes of the deceased.
● Later Buddhist followers adopted it in their Sangha system.
● In these stupas, the bones of Buddha or his main disciples
or objects related to them were kept, which later became
the main centers of worship and worship of Buddhists.

Sanchi stupa
● It is a hot spot for Buddhist places in India.
● It is situated at Sanchi in Raisen district of Madhya
Pradesh.
● The Great Stupa at Sanchi is the oldest stone structure
in India and was originally commissioned by the
emperor Ashoka, the Great in the 3rd century BCE.
● Sanchi stupa was discovered in 1818 after being
abandoned for 600 years.
● It was discovered in 1818 by General Taylor.
● Sanchi was included in the list of World Heritage Sites
by UNESCO in 1989.

Important parts of Sanchi Stupa

● Vedika, Medhi, Anda, Harmika, Chhatra and Sopan.
● Vedika was built to protect the stupa.
● The medhi was a platform on which the main part of the stupa
rests.
● The semi-circular part of the stupa is called Anda.
 ● The artwork made to protect the bones on the top of the stupa is
called Harmika.
● Chhatra is a symbol of religious symbol.
● A staircase has been made for climbing up and down the Medhi,
which is called Sopan.

Sarnath
● Sarnath is one of the famous Buddhist sites located in
Uttar Pradesh.
● Sarnath is located near the confluence of the Ganges and
the Varuna rivers.
● It was here that the Buddha gave his first sermon after
enlightenment, setting the wheel of the dharma (truth) in
motion.
● Dhamekh is One of the prominent Buddhist structures in
India, Stupa at Sarnath was constructed by the great
Mauryan king, Ashoka.

Kesariya Stupa
● Kesariya Stupa is located in Kesariya, Bihar, and dates back to
the 3rd century BCE.
● It's considered the largest stupa in India and one of the tallest
in the world.
● It is considered to be the 'world's largest Buddhist stupa'.
● Local people call the stupa "Devalaya" which means "house of
the gods".
● Its exploration began in 1814 under the leadership of Colonel
McKenzie.
● Later, by General Cunningham in 1861-62 and in 1998 by
archaeologist K.K. Muhammad had this site properly excavated.
● Originally the Kesariya Stupa is said to be from the era of
Emperor Ashoka (about 250 BC) because the remains of the
Ashoka Pillar were found there.
Reasons for the decline of buddhism
● Beginning of rituals and other rituals in Buddhism.
● Incorporation of Brahmanical activities in Buddhism.
● Adoption of Sanskrit as the language leaving Pali.
● The tendency of Buddhist monks to distance themselves
from ordinary citizens
● lack of political patronage.