Buddhism and Jainism

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Buddha: founder of Buddhism
Mahāvīra: 24th Tirthankar of Jainism

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Buddhism
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Nirvāṇa
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Buddhism by country

Buddhism and Jainism are two

atta, anatta).[2][4]

History

Jainism is an ancient religion whose own historiography centres on its 24 guides or

Jataka Tales.[10]

Buddhist scriptures record that during Prince Siddhartha's ascetic life (before attaining enlightenment) he undertook many fasts, penances and austerities, the descriptions of which are elsewhere found only in the Jain tradition[

Majjhima Nikaya, the Buddha shares his experience:[11]

Thus far, Sāriputta, did I go in my penance? I went without clothes. I licked the food from my hands. I took no food that was brought or meant especially for me. I accepted no invitation to a meal.

The Jain text of

Kalpasutra confirms Mahavira's asceticism, whose life is a source of guidance on many of the ascetic practices in Jainism.[12] Such asceticism has been a hallmark of mendicant life in Jainism.[13] The Buddha tried it, but abandoned what he called the "extreme ascetic methods", teaching the Middle Way instead.[14]

  • Jain Ayagapatta, Kushana, Mathura
    Jain
    Kushana, Mathura
  • Buddha, Kushana, Mathura
    Buddha,
    Kushana, Mathura
  • Sahastrakoot (1008) Jinalaya, Bhadrakali in Itury
    Sahastrakoot (1008) Jinalaya, Bhadrakali in Itury
  • Multiple depictions of Buddha on a wall at Ajanta Caves
    Multiple depictions of Buddha on a wall at Ajanta Caves

Jainism in Buddhist Texts

Pāli Canon

The

Upāli —one of Gautama Buddha's foremost disciples— is said to have been a disciple of the Mahavira who became a disciple of the Buddha after losing a debate with him.[15]
The Buddhists have always maintained that by the time the Buddha and Mahavira were alive, Jainism was already an entrenched faith and culture in the region. According to the Pāli Canon, Gautama was aware of Mahavira's existence as well as the communities of Jain monastics

Buddhist texts refer to the Mahavira as Nigaṇṭha Jñātaputta.[16] Nigaṇṭha means "without knot, tie, or string" and Jñātaputta (son of Natas), referred to his clan of origin Jñāta or Naya (Prakrit).[17]

The five vows (non-violence,

Aṅguttaranikāya scripture quotes the independent philosopher Purana Kassapa
, a sixth-century BCE founder of a now-extinct order, as listing the "Nirgranthas" as one of the six major classifications of humanity.

Buddhist writings reflect that Jains had followers by the time the Buddha lived. Suggesting close correlations between the teachings of the Jains and the Buddha, the Majjhima Nikaya relates dialogues between the Buddha and several members of the "Nirgrantha community".[citation needed]

Indian Buddhist tradition categorized all non-Buddhist schools of thought as pāsaṇḍa "heresy" (pasanda means to throw a noose or pasha—stemming from the doctrine that schools labelled as Pasanda foster views perceived as wrong because they are seen as having a tendency towards binding and ensnaring rather than freeing the mind). The difference between the schools of thought are outlined.

Divyavadana

The ancient text Divyavadana (Ashokavadana is one of its sections) mention that in one instance, a non-Buddhist in Pundravardhana drew a picture showing the Buddha bowing at the feet of Mahavira. On complaint from a Buddhist devotee, Ashoka, the Maurya Emperor, issued an order to arrest him, and subsequently, another order to kill all the Ājīvikas in Pundravardhana. Around 18,000 Ājīvikas were executed as a result of this order.[18] Sometime later, another ascetic in Pataliputra drew a similar picture. Ashoka burnt him and his entire family alive in their house.[19] He also announced an award of one dinara (silver coin) to anyone who brought him the head of a Jain. According to Ashokavadana, as a result of this order, his own brother, Vitashoka, was mistaken for a heretic and killed by a cowherd. Their ministers advised that "this is an example of the suffering that is being inflicted even on those who are free from desire" and that he "should guarantee the security of all beings". After this, Ashoka stopped giving orders for executions.[18]

According to K. T. S. Sarao and Benimadhab Barua, stories of persecutions of rival sects by Ashoka appear to be a clear fabrication arising out of sectarian propaganda.[19][20][21]

Buddhist Texts in Jain Libraries

According to Padmanabh Jaini, Vasudhara Dharani, a Buddhist work was among the Jainas of Gujarat in 1960s, and a manuscript was copied in 1638 CE.[22] The Dharani was recited by non-Jain Brahmin priests in private Jain homes.

Shared terminology

The shared terms include

Shravaka (Householder in Jainism, Buddha's disciple in Buddhism), Jina (Tirthankara in Jainism, Buddha in Buddhism), Chaitya, Stupa, Pudgala (Matter in Jainism, soul in Buddhism) etc. Early Jainism used stupas, although the practice mostly (but not completely) was abandoned later.[23]

Similarities

  • Jain Stupa, Kankali Tila
    Jain Stupa, Kankali Tila
  • Buddhist stupa worship, Sanchi
    Buddhist stupa worship, Sanchi
  • Mahaveer - Nagamalai Puthukottai, Tamil Nadu, ardha-padmasana
    Mahaveer - Nagamalai Puthukottai, Tamil Nadu, ardha-padmasana
  • Buddha in Sarnath Museum in padmasana
    Buddha in Sarnath Museum in padmasana
  • Tirthankara Sravanabelgola, Kayotsarga sana
    Tirthankara Sravanabelgola, Kayotsarga sana
  • Buddha - Kushan Period, standing
    Buddha - Kushan Period, standing

In

Bharatavarsha, access to which could not be gained by ordinary human beings.[26]

Karakandu, a

Pratyekabuddha in both Jainism and Buddhism, is a rare personality that is shared between Jainism and Buddhism.[27] The Jain text Isibhasiyam mentions Vajjiyaputra, Mahakashyap and Sariputra among the rishis.[28]

The

bhikkhunis
and male and female laypersons, or śrāvakas and śrāvikas, who take limited vows.

Jain and Buddhist iconography can be similar. In north India, the sitting Jain and Buddhist images are in padmasana, whereas in South India both Jain and Buddhist images are in ardha-padmasana (also termed virasana in Sri Lanka). However the Jain images are always samadhi mudra, whereas the Buddha images can also be in bhumi-sparsha, dharam-chakra-pravartana and other mudras. The standing Jain images are always in khadgasana or kayotsarga asana.

Differences

  • Theravada Buddhist monk, Thailand
    Theravada
    Buddhist monk, Thailand
  • Digambara Jain monk, India
    Digambara Jain monk, India

Jainism has refined the non-violence (Ahimsa) doctrine to an extraordinary degree where it is an integral part of the Jain culture.

Shojin-ryori), Korea and Vietnam are vegetarian; however, vegetarianism is not required for lay Buddhists. In Theravada monastic tradition, a monk should eat whatever is placed in his bowl when receiving food.[citation needed
]

Although both Buddhists and Jain had orders of nuns, Buddhist Pali texts record the Buddha saying that a woman has the ability to obtain

Śvētāmbaras mention that liberation is attainable by both men and women.[32]

Jains believe in the existence of an eternal

anatta) instead.[34][35]

The Anekantavada doctrine is another key difference between Jainism and Buddhism. The Buddha taught the Middle Way, rejecting extremes of the answer "it is" or "it is not" to metaphysical questions. The Mahavira, in contrast, accepted both "it is" and "it is not", with "perhaps" qualification and with reconciliation.[36]

Jainism discourages monks and nuns from staying in one place for long, except for 4 months in the rainy season (

chaturmas). Thus, most Jain monks and nuns keep wandering, staying in a place for only a few days. Some Theravada Buddhist monks also observe vassa rules, but often they stay in one monastery.[2]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ISBN 0028657187
    ; p. 383
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1-136-98588-1
    .
  3. ^ Zimmer 1953, p. 266.
  4. ISBN 978-1-134-90352-8. Archived
    from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2017., Quote: "...Buddha's teaching that beings have no soul, no abiding essence. This 'no-soul doctrine' (anatta-vada) he expounded in his second sermon."
  5. ^ Dundas 2002, pp. 30–33.
  6. ^
    ISBN 0-86013-072-X
    .
  7. ^ Vicittasarabivamsa, U (1992). "Chapter IX: The chronicle of twenty-four Buddhas". In Ko Lay, U; Tin Lwin, U (eds.). The great chronicle of Buddhas, Volume One, Part Two (PDF) (1st ed.). Yangon, Myanmar: Ti=Ni Publishing Center. pp. 130–321. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  8. ^ Law, Bimala Churn, ed. (1938). "The lineage of the Buddhas". The Minor Anthologies of the Pali Canon: Buddhavaṃsa, the lineage of the Buddhas, and Cariyā-Piṭaka or the collection of ways of conduct (1st ed.). London: Milford.
  9. ^ Takin, MV, ed. (1969). "The lineage of the Buddhas". The Genealogy of the Buddhas (1st ed.). Bombay: Bombay University Publications.
  10. ^ Jataka Archived 8 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopœdia Britannica.
  11. ISBN 978-81-71418664
    . Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  12. ISBN 0-7007-1538-X
    . Note: ISBN refers to the UK:Routledge (2001) reprint of original text published in 1884
  13. ^ Jain & Upadhye 2000, p. 58.
  14. ^ Collins 2000, p. 204.
  15. ^ ""Majjhimanikāya – Upāli Sutta" (MN 56)". Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  16. ^ a b Sangave 2001, p. 21.
  17. ^ Zimmer 1953, p. 223.
  18. ^
    ISBN 978-81-208-0616-0. Archived
    from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  19. ^
    ISBN 978-1-152-74433-2
    . Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  20. ISBN 978-1-59884-078-0. Archived
    from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  21. ISBN 978-0-9844043-0-8. Archived
    from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  22. ^ Vasudhara dharani A Buddhist work in use among the Jainas of Gujarat, Padmanabh S Jaini, Mahavir Jain_Vidyalay Suvarna_Mahotsav Granth Part 1, 2002, p. 30-45.
  23. ^ Buddhism in the Shadow of Brahmanism, Johannes Bronkhorst, Brill, 2011, p. 132
  24. ^ Zimmer 1953, p. 474.
  25. ^ Sangave 2001, p. 139.
  26. ^ Patrick Olivelle 2006, p. 396.
  27. ^ [Ascetic Figures Before and in Early Buddhism: The Emergence of Gautama as the Buddha, Issue 30 of Religion and reason, ISSN 0080-0848, Martin G. Wiltshire, Walter de Gruyter, 1990p. 112]
  28. ^ "RISHI BHASHIT AND PRINCIPLES OF JAINISM By Dr. Sagar Mal Jain". Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  29. ^ Dundas 2002, pp. 176–177.
  30. ^ Winternitz 1993, pp. 408–409.
  31. ^ Sangave 1980, p. 260.
  32. ISBN 9780520068209. Archived
    from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
  33. ^ Sangave 2001, p. 140.
  34. ISBN 978-8120801585
    , page 63, Quote: "The Buddhist schools reject any Ātman concept. As we have already observed, this is the basic and ineradicable distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism".
  35. ISBN 978-0815336112
    , page 33
  36. ^ Matilal 1998, pp. 128–135.

Sources

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