Development of Buddhism in India

Hey everyone! Let's take a trip back in time to ancient India, the birthplace of Buddhism. In this chapter, we'll explore the amazing story of how Buddhism grew from the Buddha's first followers into different schools, and why it eventually faded away in the very land where it all began. It's a fascinating journey of growth, debate, and change!

Understanding this history helps us see why we have different types of Buddhism all over the world today. Don't worry if it sounds like a lot; we'll break it all down step-by-step. Let's get started!


1. Early Buddhism: The First 100 Years After the Buddha

So, what happened right after the Buddha passed into nirvana? His teachings didn't just stop! They were carried on by his community of followers, known as the Sangha.

The Early Sangha

Think of the first Sangha as a group of dedicated students who had just lost their master teacher. Their main goal was to preserve and practise his teachings (the Dharma) perfectly.

  • Lifestyle: The early monks and nuns lived a very simple life. They were wanderers who owned very few things, often just their robes and a begging bowl. They meditated and relied on the generosity of local people for food.
  • Core Doctrines: Their focus was on understanding and practising the core teachings they had learned directly from the Buddha, like the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, to achieve their own liberation (Nirvana).
  • Unity: In the beginning, the Sangha was relatively small and united. They gathered regularly to recite the teachings and the rules of conduct (the Vinaya) to make sure everyone remembered them correctly. This was the main purpose of the First Buddhist Council held shortly after the Buddha's death.
Key Takeaway

Early Buddhism was all about preserving the Buddha's original teachings. The Sangha was a unified community of monks and nuns living a simple, disciplined life, focused on achieving Nirvana by following the Dharma.


2. The Great Split: Schisms and Sectarian Buddhism

As the Sangha grew and spread across India, things started to get more complicated. Different groups in different places started to have slightly different ideas about the rules and teachings. This led to the first major split, or schism.

Analogy: Imagine you and your friends start a club with a set of rules. After 100 years, your great-grandchildren are now in the club. Some think the original rules are too strict for modern times and want to adapt them. Others believe the rules must be followed exactly as they were written. This disagreement could cause the club to split into two!

The Second Buddhist Council and the First Schism

About 100 years after the Buddha, a major meeting called the Second Buddhist Council was held. The main point of disagreement was about the Vinaya (the code of conduct for monks).

  • Some monks were practicing ten 'minor' points that others saw as being against the rules. For example, some monks were handling money, which was traditionally forbidden.
  • This debate led to a major split in the Sangha.

Two main groups emerged from this split:

1. The Sthaviras (School of the Elders):

  • They were the traditionalists. Their motto was, "Let's stick to the rules exactly as the Buddha taught them!"
  • They believed the rules were perfect and should not be changed.
  • They emphasised the ideal of the Arhat – a person who achieves their own enlightenment.

2. The Mahasanghikas (The Great Community):

  • They were the progressives or liberals. Their motto was, "The spirit of the rules is more important than the exact words. Let's be more flexible to help more people!"
  • They were more open to new interpretations and had a more relaxed view on some of the monastic rules.
  • Their ideas would later influence the development of Mahayana Buddhism.

This was the start of Sectarian Buddhism. After this first split, many more schools (or sects) began to form over the next few centuries, each with its own interpretation of the Dharma.

Key Takeaway

Disagreements over monastic rules (Vinaya) at the Second Buddhist Council caused the first schism in Buddhism, splitting the Sangha into the traditionalist Sthaviras and the more flexible Mahasanghikas. This marked the beginning of different Buddhist sects.


3. A New Path: The Rise of Mahayana Buddhism

From the ideas of the Mahasanghikas and other groups, a major new movement began to develop around the 1st century BCE. This was Mahayana Buddhism.

Mahayana literally means "The Great Vehicle".

Analogy: Think of it this way. The older schools were like a small, fast sports car designed to get one person (the monk or nun) to the finish line (Nirvana) as efficiently as possible. Mahayana Buddhism thought of itself as a huge bus (a "Great Vehicle") that could carry everyone—monks, nuns, and ordinary people—to enlightenment together.

The older schools were sometimes called "Hinayana" (The Lesser Vehicle) by Mahayana followers, but this term is considered disrespectful today. The main surviving school from the Sthavira line is known as Theravada Buddhism, which is widely practised in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Cambodia.

What was new about Mahayana Buddhism?

Mahayana introduced some very important new ideas and shifted the focus of Buddhist practice:

  • The Bodhisattva Ideal: This is the most important concept in Mahayana! An Arhat (the ideal in earlier schools) seeks their own enlightenment. A Bodhisattva is an enlightened being who postpones their own final nirvana out of great compassion (Karuna) to help all other sentient beings become enlightened first. They are like spiritual superheroes dedicated to saving everyone.
  • Greater Emphasis on Compassion: While compassion was always important, Mahayana made it a central pillar of its philosophy, equal in importance to wisdom (Prajna).
  • New Scriptures: Mahayana followers composed new texts, called Sutras, which they believed contained deeper teachings of the Buddha that were saved for a later time.
Did you know?

Mahayana Buddhism is the school of Buddhism that eventually spread north from India to places like China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The Buddhism most familiar in Hong Kong is a form of Mahayana Buddhism!

Key Takeaway

Mahayana Buddhism, the "Great Vehicle," arose with a new focus on compassion and the ideal of the Bodhisattva – an enlightened being who works to save all others. This was a major development that created a new path within Buddhism.


4. The Fading Light: The Decline and Disappearance of Buddhism in India

It might seem strange, but Buddhism, which was born in India and flourished there for over 1,500 years, eventually declined and almost completely disappeared from its homeland by the 13th century CE. Why did this happen?

It wasn't a single event, but a slow, gradual process with several complex causes. Don't fall for the common mistake of thinking it happened overnight!

Main Causes for the Decline:
  1. Resurgence of Hinduism: Hinduism underwent a major revival. Philosophers like Shankara reformed and strengthened Hindu thought. Hinduism also became more appealing to ordinary people and sometimes even absorbed Buddhist ideas. For example, some Hindus began to worship the Buddha as an incarnation (avatar) of their own god, Vishnu. This blurred the lines between the two religions and weakened Buddhism's unique identity.

  2. Loss of Royal Patronage: For centuries, Buddhist monasteries and universities thrived because powerful kings (like Ashoka) supported them with money and land. Over time, later dynasties (like the Gupta dynasty) began to favour Hinduism instead. Without this royal support, the large Buddhist institutions struggled to survive. (It's like a famous school losing its government funding and major donors).

  3. Internal Changes in the Sangha: Some of the large Buddhist monasteries became extremely wealthy and powerful. The monks became more involved in complex rituals and academic debates, which may have disconnected them from the everyday lives and concerns of ordinary people, who then turned to other religious traditions.

  4. Foreign Invasions: This was the final, devastating blow. From around the 5th century CE, invasions from Central Asia began to disrupt Northern India. The invasions by Turkic Muslims starting around the 12th century CE were particularly destructive. They destroyed the great Buddhist monasteries and universities, like Nalanda, which were the heart of Buddhist learning. With their centres of knowledge destroyed and monks scattered or killed, the organised structure of Buddhism in India could not recover.
Quick Review Box

The story of Buddhism in India: A timeline

Step 1: Early Buddhism -> A unified Sangha preserves the Buddha's teachings.
Step 2: Sectarianism -> The Sangha splits over rules, creating many different schools.
Step 3: Mahayana Rises -> A new "Great Vehicle" emerges with the Bodhisattva ideal.
Step 4: Decline & Disappearance -> A slow fade due to a mix of factors, ending with destructive invasions.

Key Takeaway

The decline of Buddhism in India was a gradual process caused by a combination of factors, including the revival of Hinduism, the loss of support from kings, internal institutional problems, and finally, the destruction of monasteries by foreign invaders.