Buddhism in Nepal
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Buddhism in Nepal started spreading since the reign of
It has not been possible to assign with certainty the year in which Prince Siddhartha, the birth name of the Shakyamuni Buddha, was born; it is usually placed at around 563 BCE.[6] In Nepal's hill and mountain regions Hinduism has absorbed Buddhist tenets to such an extent that in many cases they have shared deities as well as temples. For instance, the Muktinath Temple is sacred and a common house of worship for both Hindus and Buddhists.[7]
Buddhism is currently experiencing a decline in Nepal with latest census showing 8.21% of Nepal's population professing Buddhism, a decline of 2.5% from 2001. A surge of Christianity among native population may be the cause of this decline. [8]
Overview
In Nepal, the majority of people identify as Hindu. However, Buddhist influences are prevalent in most aspects of the
In traditional Nepalese Buddhism, there are nine special texts which are called the "Nine Dharma Jewels" (Navagrantha), and these are considered the nine books of Buddhism par excellence:
- Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
- Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra
- Ten Stages Sutra
- Samādhirāja Sūtra
- Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
- Lotus Sutra
- Tathāgataguhya Sūtra
- Lalitavistara Sūtra
- Golden Light Sutra
Among the Tibeto-Burman-speaking peoples,
Ethnic groups that live in central Nepal such as the
are also Buddhist. These ethnic groups have larger populations compared to their northern neighbours. They came under the influence of Hinduism due to their close contacts with the Hindu castes. In turn, many of them eventually adopted Hinduism and have been largely integrated into the caste system.The Kirati people, especially the Limbu and the Rai peoples, have also adopted Tibetan Buddhist practises from their Buddhist neighbours.
History
Buddha was born as Prince
Pre-Lichchavi Buddhism
Emperor
Buddhism during the Licchavi period (400-750 CE)
The Licchavi period saw the flourishing of both Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal. Excellent examples of Buddhist art of the period are the half-sunken Buddha in Pashupatinath, the sleeping Vishnu in Budhanilkantha, and the statue of Buddha and the various representations of Vishnu in Changu Narayan.
Another Buddhist text, the Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa, mentioned Manadeva as the King of Nepal Mandala. Researchers believe the Mulasarvastivadavinaya was written in the 2nd century CE, and that the Manjushriulakalpa was written during Manadeva's reign. The Swayambhu Purana, the ancient Buddhist Purana text, and a Licchavi inscription all mentioned Nepal Mandala.
Buddhist inscriptions and chronicles and Tibetan sources also record a few tantric Buddhist deities, namely
Religious tolerance and syncretism were stressed during the Licchavi period.
The worship of the Caitya and the Rath Jatra cart festival of
It is possible that this practice, in its earliest incarnation, was related to the worship of stones, which may have originated in the early, rival
Caitya worship was an important factor in bringing more of the proto-Newar tribal inhabitants into the Buddhist fold, as it was a
This festival was celebrated by hundreds or even thousands of people, who helped to construct and transport a huge, wheeled cart that bore the image of
Forty stone inscriptions made some mention of Buddhism throughout the Licchavi period. Most of the references are concerned with monasticism. However, almost nothing is known about the day-to-day life in the
The names of the fifteen Buddhist monasteries are known, and it is clear from the context in which some of these are named that they are among the most important religious sites of that time. It is not known for certain what schools of Buddhism were most prominent at the time. But the strongest early influences (aside from an even earlier probable substratum of Pali Buddhism) probably came from the
Inscriptional evidence also proves that there was a string of traditional methods of making religious gifts. These offerings were used for earning blessing and making merit, and women in the Buddhist community seem to have taken the lead in offering these gifts. Strikingly, parallel points within the Buddhist cave contain inscriptions of Maharashtra, which predated the Licchvi Nepal. The references in the Licchavi inscriptions to the Mahayana and Vajrayana will be mentioned below in connection with Buddhist art and notable Buddhist figures of the Licchavi period.
Buddhism during the Licchavi period (600-1200)
Buddhism during the Malla dynasty (1200–1769)
The Malla dynasty saw to the golden period of the syncretism of Hindu and Buddhist art forms by the
, flourished in this period.During the reign of Jayasthiti Malla, after implementation of Manawa dharmasastra, celibate monks were banned from practicing in Nepal.[citation needed] This gave way to the decelibate Newar Buddhism. Because of this, Theravada Buddhism was lost in Nepal only to be revitalized in the beginning of the 20th century.[10]
Buddhism during the Rana dynasty (1846–1951)
There is an incorrect assumption that, due to perceived similarity to tantric Hinduism, that Modern Newar Buddhism in Nepal has largely been absorbed into mainstream Hinduism. However, Newar Buddhism has retained a distinct identity, and nearly all practices, art forms and castes remain. In the north, people of Tibetan origin continued to be the much-unchanged practises of Tibetan Buddhism, especially in the case of the Nyimba of Northwest Nepal. On the other hand, the Thakali, who had traditionally played an important role in the Nepali society but yet retained Tibetan Buddhism, have begun to embrace Hinduism as well in the recent years.
It is significant to note that during the autocratic
Shah Dynasty (1951–2006)
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2021) |
After the overthrow of the Rana dynasty in 1951, Buddhism gradually developed in the country. Theravada Buddhists played a greatly significant role for the Buddhist revival campaign in modern Nepal since the 1920s. This revival movement has changed Buddhism from a religion of some ethnic groups and castes to going beyond the caste and ethnic religion in Nepal. Presently, there are three main Buddhist schools;
Tourism is an important factor for promoting Nepali Buddhism to the world. Every year, Kathmandu receives more than 10,000 travellers from all over the world just to visit the Boudha Boudhanath and the Swyambhu Maha Chaitya Swayambhunath stupas. These are remarkable and significant architectural sites, which are only found in Nepal. Apart from these two main monuments there are hundreds of Buddhist monuments in Kathmandu and in other cities of Nepal.
Republic of Nepal (2006-present)
Nepal officially became a secular state in 2006. All religions in Nepal now have equal opportunities to propagate according to their belief.[citation needed]
Demographics
According to the 2011 Census of Nepal, the adherents of Buddhism are as follows:[5] NEG denotes newly listed ethnic group, for which 2001 census figures are not available.
Ethnic Group | Buddhist Percentage
2001(%) |
Total Population
2011 |
Buddhist Percentage
2011 (%) |
Total Buddhist
2011 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tamang | 90.26% | 1,539,830 | 87.29% | 1,344,139 |
Magar | 28.48% | 1,887,733 | 18.04% | 340,608 |
Gurung | 69.03% | 522,641 | 62.72% | 327,813 |
Newar | 15.35% | 1,321,933 | 10.74% | 141,982 |
Sherpa | 92.83% | 112,946 | 98.34% | 111,068 |
Tharu | 1.95% | 1,737,470 | 3.27% | 56,949 |
Bhote | 59.40% | 13,397 | 98.33% | 13,173 |
Ghale | NEG | 22,881 | 50.05% | 11,451 |
Hyolmo | 98.45% | 10,752 | 91.32% | 9,819 |
Thakali | 65.01% | 13,215 | 68.07% | 8,995 |
Chhantyal | 64.2% | 11,810 | 0.00% | 0 |
Jirel | 87% | 5,774 | 0.00% | 0 |
Lepcha | 88.8% | 3,445 | 0.00% | 0 |
Other ethnic groups | 0.81% | 19,290,677 | 0.15% | 30,102 |
Total | 10.74% | 26,494,504 | 9.04% | 2,396,099 |
Between 2001 and 2011 census, the percentage of Buddhists have declined by 1.7%, from 10.74% to 9.04%. All major ethnic groups (except Sherpa, Bhote and Thakali) showed decline in percentage of Buddhists. It is interesting to note that in the 2011 census not a single Chhantyal, Jirel and Lepcha reported themselves as Buddhist. In the 2011 census, a total of 11,233 Chhantyal (95.1%) reported themselves as Hindu. Likewise, 4,604 Jirel (79.7%) and 2,907 Lepcha (84.4%) reported themselves as Bon religion followers. Of the Ghale group, which was added in the 2011 Census, more than 50% of them reported themselves as Buddhist followers.
Buddhism experiences further decline to 8.21% in its latest 2021 census, numbering around 2,394,549 followers (total 8.21%). This represents a decline of 0.79% from 2011's census and 2.5% from 2001's data. [15]
See also
- Dhammalok Mahasthavir
- Pragyananda Mahasthavir
- Kumar Kashyap Mahasthavir
- Aniruddha Mahathera
- Banishment of Buddhist monks from Nepal
- Dharmodaya
- Buddha Dharma wa Nepal Bhasa (magazine)
- Dharmaditya Dharmacharya
- Kindo Baha
- Pranidhipurna Mahavihar
- Newar Buddhism
- Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal
- List of monasteries in Nepal
- List of Mahaviharas of Newar Buddhism
- List of stupas in Nepal
References
- ^ Dutt, N. (1966). "Buddhism in Nepal" (PDF). Bulletin of Tibetology. 3 (2): 27–45. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
- ^ Smith, V. A. (1914). The Early History of India from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest Including the Invasion of Alexander the Great (Third ed.). London: Oxford University Press. pp. 168–169. Archived from the original on 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ UNESCO (2012). "Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha". UNESCO: World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2010-07-31. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
- ^ Dahal, Dilli Ram (2003). "Social Composition of the Population: Caste/Ethnicity and Religion in Nepal" (PDF). Population Monograph of Nepal 2003. 1. Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Government of Nepal: 104–106. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 7, 2014.
- ^ a b "Population Monograph of Nepal 2014 Volume II (Social Demography)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
- ISBN 81-206-0979-4.
- ^ Shastri, G. C (July 1968). "Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal" (PDF). Ancient Nepal: Journal of the Department of Archaeology. 4: 48–51. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2012.
- ^ "Christian missionaries target the birthplace of Buddha in Nepal". BBC News. 2023-01-14. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
- ^ a b [1] Archived October 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Theravada Buddhism in Modern Nepal". Lumbini Nepalese Buddha Dharma Society (UK). Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ^ "buddhistview.com". Archived from the original on 6 May 2003. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ "Dhammaduta: The Theravada Bhikkhu Sangha in Nepal". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ Dietrich, Angela (1996). "Buddhist Monks and Rana Rulers: A History of Persecution". Buddhist Himalaya: A Journal of Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- ^ "Boudddha Bhichhuharu" (PDF). Gorkhapatra. 3 September 1946. Retrieved 12 May 2013.[permanent dead link] Page 7.
- ^ Desk, NewsDrum. "Nepal's 81.19 per cent population is Hindu even as followers of Hinduism, Buddhism decline and Islam, Christians increase". www.newsdrum.in. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
Further reading
- Min Bahadur Shakya. "The Iconography of Nepalese Buddhism".
- ISBN 0-02-865718-7.
- Asiatic Society of Bengal – via Internet Archive.
- Gellner, DN (1989). "Hodgson's Blind Alley? On the So-called Schools of Nepalese Buddhism". Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. 12 (1): 7–20. Archived from the original on 2016-07-22.
- LeVine, Sarah; Gellner, David N. (2005). Rebuilding Buddhism: The Theravada Movement in Twentieth-Century Nepal. Harvard University Press.
- Bechert, Heinz; Hartmann, Jens-Uwe (1988). "Observations on the Reform of Buddhism in Nepal" (PDF). Journal of the Nepal Research Centre. 8: 1–30.
External links
- Holy Sites of Buddhism: Lumbini - Buddha's Birthplace
- Buddhism in Nepal
- Vajrayana Vipassyana - by Ācārya Mahayogi Dharma Vajra (Sridhar SJB Rana)
- Theravada Buddhism in Nepal -Bhikkhu Kondanya
- Nepal Vipassana Centers - S.N. Goenka
- Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Studies
- Buddhactivity Dharma Centres database