BUDDHISM
- Rise of Buddhism and Jainism around the 6th century BCE in the Gangetic plains (Magadha–Kosala region), a period of the 16 Mahajanapadas and early urbanisation.
- Reaction against costly Vedic rituals, animal sacrifice and Brahmanical dominance of the varna order.
- Buddha’s contemporary: Mahavira (24th Tirthankara of Jainism).
- Royal patrons of Buddha: Bimbisara, Ajatashatru (Magadha) and Prasenjit (Kosala).
- Language of the teachings: Pali (a Prakrit form, close to Magadhi).
About GAUTAMA BUDDHA
| Detail | Fact |
| Original name | Siddhartha Gautama |
| Birth place | Lumbini (traditionally 563 BCE), in a Sal grove |
| Father | Suddhodana (head of the Shakya republic, capital Kapilavastu) |
| Clan | Shakya (hence Shakyamuni) |
| Mother | Mahamaya (Maya Devi), died a week after his birth; he was raised by her sister Mahapajapati Gotami |
| Wife | Yashodhara |
| Son | Rahula |
| Charioteer | Channa (his horse was Kanthaka) |
| Teachers (Gurus) | Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta |
| Other names | Tathagata, Sugata, Shakyamuni |
Note: 563 BCE (birth) and 483 BCE (Mahaparinirvana) are the traditional dates used in most exam books. Some modern historians place the Buddha a few decades later, but for SSC and RRB use 563 BCE / 483 BCE.
Major Events in the Life of Gautama Buddha
| Event | Place | Important Fact | Symbol |
| Birth (Janma) | Lumbini | Birthplace; marked by Ashoka’s Lumbini (Rummindei) pillar inscription | Lotus and Bull |
| Great Renunciation (Mahabhinishkraman) | Kapilavastu | Left home at the age of 29 years after the Four Sights | Horse |
| Enlightenment (Sambodhi) | Bodh Gaya | Attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree (peepal) at age 35 | Bodhi tree |
| First Sermon (Dharmachakra Pravartana) | Sarnath (Deer Park, Isipatana) | Turning of the Wheel of Dhamma, delivered to five ascetics | Wheel (Dharmachakra) |
| Mahaparinirvana | Kushinagar | Died at the age of 80 years | Stupa |
Four Sights that led to renunciation:
- An old man,
- A sick man,
- A dead body
- A wandering ascetic.
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS (Arya Satya)
The core teaching of Gautama Buddha is the Four Noble Truths (Arya Satya)
| Truth | Pali/Sanskrit | Meaning |
| 1 | Dukkha | Life involves suffering |
| 2 | Samudaya | The cause of suffering is desire (tanha) |
| 3 | Nirodha | Suffering can be ended |
| 4 | Marga | The path to end suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path |
THE EIGHTFOLD PATH (Ashtangika Marga)
The path of the Middle Way (Madhyama Pratipada), avoiding both extreme luxury and extreme self-torture. It is grouped into three parts:
TRIRATNA (Three Jewels) of Buddhism
- Buddha: the Enlightened One
- Dhamma: the Teachings / Doctrine
- Sangha: the Monastic Order
IMPORTANT BUDDHIST CONCEPTS
| Concept | Meaning |
| Dhamma / Dharma | Buddha’s teachings |
| Karma | Actions and their consequences |
| Nirvana | Freedom from suffering and the cycle of rebirth (final release at death is Parinirvana) |
| Ahimsa | Non-violence |
| Middle Path | Avoidance of extreme paths |
| Anatta / Anatman | Absence of a permanent and unchanging self |
| Anitya / Anicca | Everything is impermanent; nothing lasts forever |
| Pratityasamutpada | Dependent origination: phenomena arise through interconnected causes and conditions |
- Three Marks of Existence (Tilakkhana): Anicca (impermanence), Dukkha (suffering), Anatta (no-self).
- Buddhism does not accept the authority of the Vedas, the idea of an eternal soul (Atman) or the importance of rituals and sacrifice.
- Rebirth is accepted, but what is reborn is a stream of karma, not a permanent soul.
Some Important Persons in Gautam Buddha’s Life
| Person | Role / Why important |
| Ananda | Buddha’s cousin and close attendant; known for his excellent memory (recited the Sutta at the First Council) |
| Sariputta (Shariputra) | One of the two Chief Disciples; foremost in wisdom |
| Moggallana (Mahamaudgalyayan) | Second Chief Disciple; foremost in psychic powers |
| Mahakassapa (Mahakashyapa) | Principal disciple; associated with ascetic practices and the First Buddhist Council |
| Mahapajapati Gotami | Buddha’s foster mother; traditionally the first Bhikkhuni |
| Rahula | Buddha’s son; became a monk |
| Upali | Foremost in Vinaya (monastic discipline); recited Vinaya at the First Buddhist Council |
| Anuruddha | Buddha’s cousin; associated with the divine eye |
| Kondanna (Kaundinya) | One of the five ascetics; first to understand Buddha’s teaching after the First Sermon |
| Anathapindika | Wealthy lay patron; associated with Jetavana at Sravasti |
Other Important Names
- Devadatta (cousin who opposed the Buddha and tried to split the Sangha)
- Sujata (offered milk-rice before enlightenment)
- Angulimala (robber turned monk)
- Ambapali (courtesan of Vaishali who donated her mango grove)
- Visakha (woman lay patron at Sravasti).
BUDDHIST COUNCILS
| Council | Approx Date | Place | Patron / King | Presiding Monk | Main Issue / Outcome |
| 1st | 483 BCE | Rajgir (Rajagriha), Bihar | Ajatashatru | Mahakassapa | Compilation of the Vinaya Pitaka and Sutta Pitaka; held soon after Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana |
| 2nd | 383 BCE | Vaishali, Bihar | Kalashoka | Revata (some texts: Sabakami) | Dispute over 10 monastic practices; contributed to the first major division in the Sangha |
| 3rd | 250 BCE | Pataliputra, Bihar | Ashoka | Moggaliputta Tissa | Purification of the Sangha; Kathavatthu associated with the council; Buddhist missions sent to different regions |
| 4th | 1st–2nd century CE | Kundalvan, Kashmir | Kanishka | Vasumitra (Ashvaghosha traditionally associated) | Associated with the Sarvastivada tradition; Sanskrit became important in Buddhist scholastic literature; traditionally linked with the rise and spread of Mahayana |
Important Facts
- Five ascetics (Panchavargiya Bhikkhus) to whom the first sermon was given: Kondanna, Assaji, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama.
- Last meal at Kushinagar was offered by the blacksmith Chunda; the last disciple was Subhadda.
- Buddha Purnima (Vaishakha Purnima) marks his birth, enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana in tradition.
- First two councils were in Bihar under Magadhan kings; the fourth was the only one in Kashmir.
- The Buddhist Order split into Sthaviravada (Theravada) and Mahasanghika after the Second Council. Mahasanghika is regarded as a forerunner of Mahayana ideas.
- The Pali Tripitaka was first written down in Sri Lanka (about the 1st century BCE, under King Vattagamani).
BUDDHIST LITERATURE
| Text | Details |
| Tripitaka (Three Baskets) | Vinaya Pitaka (monastic rules), Sutta Pitaka (Buddha’s discourses; includes the Dhammapada and Jataka stories), Abhidhamma Pitaka (philosophy) |
| Jataka Tales | Stories of Buddha’s previous births (547 tales); depicted at Bharhut and Sanchi |
| Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa | Sri Lankan Pali chronicles |
| Milindapanha | Dialogue between King Menander (Milinda) and the monk Nagasena |
| Buddhacharita, Saundarananda | Sanskrit works of Ashvaghosha |
| Visuddhimagga | Work of Buddhaghosa |
| Madhyamaka Karika | Work of Nagarjuna |
SECTS AND SCHOOLS
| Feature | Hinayana (Theravada) | Mahayana | Vajrayana |
| Ideal | Arhat, individual salvation | Bodhisattva, salvation of all | Tantric practices, rituals and mantras |
| Buddha | Teacher; no idol worship in early phase | Treated as a god; idol worship | Emphasis on divine forces and Tara |
| Language | Pali | Sanskrit | Sanskrit, Tibetan |
| Spread | Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand | China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam | Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia |
- Philosophical schools: Madhyamika (Nagarjuna, Shunyavada), Yogachara / Vijnanavada (Asanga, Vasubandhu),
Vaibhashika and Sautrantika (Hinayana).
- Mahayana Bodhisattvas: Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, Maitreya (future Buddha).
- Mahayana arose in the Kushana period (Kanishka); Gandhara school of art produced the first Buddha images, along with
Mathura.
SPREAD AND PATRONAGE
| Ruler / Person | Contribution |
| Bimbisara, Ajatashatru | Early royal patrons of Buddha |
| Ashoka | Adopted Buddhism after the Kalinga War (261 BCE); held the Third Council; sent son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka; promoted Dhamma through edicts |
| Kanishka | Patron of the Fourth Council; Mahayana growth; Gandhara art |
| Harshavardhana | Patron of Nalanda; Kannauj assembly (643 CE) |
Chinese pilgrims: Fa-Hien (Chandragupta II, Gupta period), Hiuen Tsang (Harsha, studied at Nalanda), I-Tsing (7th century CE).
BUDDHIST SITES, ART AND ARCHITECTURE
| Category | Details |
| Four main pilgrimage sites | Lumbini (Nepal), Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh), Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh) |
| Stupas | Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh, Great Stupa), Bharhut (Madhya Pradesh), Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Dhamek (Sarnath) |
| Architecture | Stupa (relic mound), Chaitya (prayer hall), Vihara (monastery) |
| Rock-cut caves | Ajanta (paintings), Karle, Bhaja, parts of Ellora |
| Universities | Nalanda (Gupta period), Vikramashila (Dharmapala), Odantapuri, Takshashila |
| UNESCO sites | Mahabodhi Temple (Bodh Gaya), Sanchi, Ajanta, Nalanda Mahavihara, Lumbini (Nepal) |
The Lion Capital of Sarnath (Ashoka’s pillar) is India’s national emblem; the Dharmachakra is on the national flag.
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PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION
- Where did Gautama Buddha deliver his first sermon? (RRB NTPC(Graduate) 2024)
(a) Bodh Gaya (b) Sarnath (c) Lumbini (d) Kushinagar
Ans: b
- The Fourth Buddhist Council was held at Kundalvana during the reign of: (RRB NTPC (UG) 2023)
(a) Ashoka (b) Harsha (c) Kanishka (d) Ajatashatru
Ans: c
- Who presided over the First Buddhist Council? ( RRB NTPC (Graduate) 2025)
(a) Upali (b) Mahakassapa (c) Moggaliputta Tissa (d) Vasumitra
Ans: b
- According to Buddha, the cause of suffering is: (RRB ALP 2026)
(a) Karma (b) Ignorance of Vedas (c) Desire (d) Rebirth
Ans: c
- Siddhartha left home at the age of: (RRB NTPC (Graduate) 2021)
(a) 25 (b) 29 (c) 35 (d) 45
Ans: b
- The Third Buddhist Council was held at: (RRB ALP 2025)
(a) Rajgir (b) Vaishali (c) Pataliputra (d) Kashmir
Ans: c
- Who was the charioteer of Siddhartha? (RRB NTPC (UG) 2024)
(a) Channa (b) Ananda (c) Upali (d) Anuruddha
Ans: a
- The monk foremost in Vinaya who recited it at the First Council was: (RRB NTPC (Graduate) 2024)
(a) Ananda (b) Upali (c) Rahula (d) Anuruddha
Ans: b
- The Kathavatthu is associated with the: (RRB NTPC (UG) 2025)
(a) First Council (b) Second Council (c) Third Council (d) Fourth Council
Ans: c
- The Buddhist order first split after the: (RRB ALP 2025)
(a) First Council (b) Second Council (c) Third Council (d) Fourth Council
Ans: b
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