| Revision as of 02:46, 29 April 2006 editJohn Vandenberg (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users68,507 editsm →Survival of Buddhism in India: added links; fixed redlink to Chulamanipanma Vihare and Dharma Shasta← Previous edit | Revision as of 09:24, 9 May 2006 edit undo194.170.10.119 (talk) →Political and military developmentsNext edit → | ||
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| However, even though there was integration of ideas, the Buddhist ] was a separate world from the largely Hindu-based society. Buddhist monasteries were quite well-funded and life within was relatively easy. To avoid freeloading, many monasteries became very selective about whom they admitted, in some cases based on social class. This further cut off the sangha from Indian society. | However, even though there was integration of ideas, the Buddhist ] was a separate world from the largely Hindu-based society. Buddhist monasteries were quite well-funded and life within was relatively easy. To avoid freeloading, many monasteries became very selective about whom they admitted, in some cases based on social class. This further cut off the sangha from Indian society. | ||
| ==Political and |
==Political and Military Developments== | ||
| In the Indian sub-continent, ever since the 1st Century BC political opposition from the surrounding Hindu Kingdoms became severe and even in regions of Buddhist preponderance one often found the indian caste system in operation and the Buddhist rulers were gradually replaced by Hindu royals. After the end of the ]s the ] came to power and was hostile to Buddhism. By the 4th to 5th century Buddhism was already in decline in Northern India even though it saw a brief revival under the ]s in contrast to its countinuing spread eastwards in Central Asia. It countinued to prosper in ] under the buddhist Turki-]s. Buddhisms spread was driven by powerful monarchs who adopted and supported it, lacking political support it began to decline. | |||
| Indian Buddhism weakened in the ] following ] and early ] such as that of ]. Beyond the direct political effects, these invasions also impeded commercial ties to the west, weakening the merchant classes who tended to sponsor Buddhism . However, Buddhism would enjoy a strong revival under the ] in the northeast. Mahayana Buddhism flourished under the Palas, between the ] and the ]. However, after the defeat of the Palas by the Hindu Sena dynasty, Buddhism's position again began to erode. | |||
| Central Asian and North Western Indian Buddhism weakened in the ] following the ] invasion who followed their own religions such as ], ] Christianity and ]. Their King Mihirkula who ruled from 515 BC supressed Buddhism destroying monastaries as far as modern-day ] before his son reversed the policy. Subsequently the replacement of Buddhist royal lines with hindu royals and the rise od Rajput dynasties further pressured the official sanction of Buddhism. | |||
| Around ] CE, ], ] and the ] Muslims began major incursions into India through the traditional invasion routes of the northwest. ] (]-]) established a base in ] and raided nearby areas. Mahmud is remembered for the ferocity of his attacks on non-Muslim religions. In ], ], a Turkish commander, seized control of ], leaving defenseless the northeastern territories that were the heart of Buddhist India. Later that year, raiders under ], one of Qutb-ud-Din's generals, destroyed ], the great Buddhist library; this event was a major milestone in Indian Buddhism's suddenly precipitous decline. By the end of the ], following the Islamic conquest of the Buddhist strongholds in ] and ], Buddhists ceased to be a significant presence in India. | |||
| When ] led the invasion of Sindh he actually found ready help among the Buddhists in his campaign against their Hindu overlord the Raja ]. Beyond the direct political effects, these invasions also impeded commercial ties to the west, weakening the merchant classes who tended to sponsor Buddhism . | |||
| By the 10th century ] defeated the Hindu-]s effectively removing Hindu influence and ending Buddhist self-governance across Central Asia and the ]. He demolished numerous monastaries alongside temples during his raid across north-western India but left those within his domains and ] alone even as ] recorded Buddha as a prophet. | |||
| In 1215 ] conquered ] and ravaged the land indiscriminately, in 1227 after his death his conquest was divided and ] established the ] and his son ] made Buddhism the state religion. He was succeeded by his brother than his son ] in 1295 who changed the state religion to ] and after his reign and the splitting of the Chagatai Khanate little mention of ] can be found in Afghanistan and central asia. | |||
| Buddhism remained dominant in Northern India during the latter part of the 1st millennium, however it was under constant attack by the rising ]s dynasties, as well a revival of Brahmins who aimed at ideologically reintegrating Buddhists into the caste structure by incorporating Buddha into the Hindu pantheon as an ] of ]. Under the Buddhist ] Buddhism once again saw a revival across Northern India. Mahayana Buddhism flourished under the Palas, between the ] and the ] before it collapsed under assault from the Hindu ]. In ] Muhammad Khilji, one of ]'s generals, destroyed monastaries fortified by the ] armies such as ], and sacked the great Buddhist university of ] in 1193; his march across Northern India was a major milestone in Indian Buddhism's suddenly precipitous decline as he devasted the last vestiges of Buddhist political prowess by laying waste their fortified monastaries sending Buddhism into terminal decline. | |||
| After the ] invasions of Islamic lands across Central Asia, many ]s also found themselves fleeing towards India and around the environs of ]. Here their influence, caste attitudes towards Buddhists, previous familiarity with converting Buddhists, a lack of Buddhist political power, ]'s revival movements such as ] and the rise of the syncretic ], all contributed to a significant realignment of beliefs relegating Buddhism in India to the peripheries. | |||
| ==Assimilation, conversion, and destruction== | ==Assimilation, conversion, and destruction== | ||
Revision as of 09:24, 9 May 2006
Buddhism was initially established in India and it flourished there during the early phases of its history. After more than 1500 years, the decline of Buddhism in India, caused by several factors, would lead to the virtual extinction of Indian Buddhism by the beginning of the 13th century.
Integration with life in India
Following the reign of King Ashoka (273-232 BCE), Buddhism had prospered quite well throughout India. Up to the 9th century CE, Indian followers numbered in the hundreds of millions. However, Hinduism was strongly ingrained in the minds of the common people, and to this day continues to be the foundation for many customs and daily activities. Buddhism did not have this level of integration, maintaining a separate identity from secular life. Indians, for the most part, included Buddhism as part of Hinduism when it came to the Buddha and various figures of veneration. Shakyamuni Buddha was often revered as one of the gods, and eventually came to be interpreted as a manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu.
However, even though there was integration of ideas, the Buddhist sangha was a separate world from the largely Hindu-based society. Buddhist monasteries were quite well-funded and life within was relatively easy. To avoid freeloading, many monasteries became very selective about whom they admitted, in some cases based on social class. This further cut off the sangha from Indian society.
Political and Military Developments
In the Indian sub-continent, ever since the 1st Century BC political opposition from the surrounding Hindu Kingdoms became severe and even in regions of Buddhist preponderance one often found the indian caste system in operation and the Buddhist rulers were gradually replaced by Hindu royals. After the end of the Mauryans the Sunga dynasty came to power and was hostile to Buddhism. By the 4th to 5th century Buddhism was already in decline in Northern India even though it saw a brief revival under the Guptas in contrast to its countinuing spread eastwards in Central Asia. It countinued to prosper in Gandhara under the buddhist Turki-Shahis. Buddhisms spread was driven by powerful monarchs who adopted and supported it, lacking political support it began to decline.
Central Asian and North Western Indian Buddhism weakened in the 6th century following the White Hun invasion who followed their own religions such as Tengri, Nestorian Christianity and Manichean. Their King Mihirkula who ruled from 515 BC supressed Buddhism destroying monastaries as far as modern-day Allahabad before his son reversed the policy. Subsequently the replacement of Buddhist royal lines with hindu royals and the rise od Rajput dynasties further pressured the official sanction of Buddhism.
When Muhammad bin Qasim led the invasion of Sindh he actually found ready help among the Buddhists in his campaign against their Hindu overlord the Raja Dahir. Beyond the direct political effects, these invasions also impeded commercial ties to the west, weakening the merchant classes who tended to sponsor Buddhism .
By the 10th century Mahmud of Ghazni defeated the Hindu-Shahis effectively removing Hindu influence and ending Buddhist self-governance across Central Asia and the Punjab region. He demolished numerous monastaries alongside temples during his raid across north-western India but left those within his domains and Afghanistan alone even as al-Biruni recorded Buddha as a prophet.
In 1215 Genghis Khan conquered Afghanistan and ravaged the land indiscriminately, in 1227 after his death his conquest was divided and Chagatai established the Chagatai Khanate and his son Argun made Buddhism the state religion. He was succeeded by his brother than his son Ghazan in 1295 who changed the state religion to Islam and after his reign and the splitting of the Chagatai Khanate little mention of Buddhism can be found in Afghanistan and central asia.
Buddhism remained dominant in Northern India during the latter part of the 1st millennium, however it was under constant attack by the rising Rajputs dynasties, as well a revival of Brahmins who aimed at ideologically reintegrating Buddhists into the caste structure by incorporating Buddha into the Hindu pantheon as an avatar of Vishnu. Under the Buddhist Pala dynasty Buddhism once again saw a revival across Northern India. Mahayana Buddhism flourished under the Palas, between the 8th and the 12th century before it collapsed under assault from the Hindu Sena dynasty. In 1200 Muhammad Khilji, one of Qutb-ud-Din's generals, destroyed monastaries fortified by the Sena armies such as Vikramshila, and sacked the great Buddhist university of Nalanda in 1193; his march across Northern India was a major milestone in Indian Buddhism's suddenly precipitous decline as he devasted the last vestiges of Buddhist political prowess by laying waste their fortified monastaries sending Buddhism into terminal decline.
After the Mongol invasions of Islamic lands across Central Asia, many Sufis also found themselves fleeing towards India and around the environs of Bengal. Here their influence, caste attitudes towards Buddhists, previous familiarity with converting Buddhists, a lack of Buddhist political power, Hinduism's revival movements such as Advaita and the rise of the syncretic bhakti movement, all contributed to a significant realignment of beliefs relegating Buddhism in India to the peripheries.
Assimilation, conversion, and destruction
While the exact cause of the decline of Buddhism in India is disputed, it is known that the mingling of Hindu and Buddhist societies in India and the rise of Hindu Vedanta movements began to compete against Buddhism. Many believe that Hinduism's adaptation to Buddhism resulted in Buddhism's rapid decline. Particularly important were Hinduism's revival movements such as Advaita Vedanta and the Bhakti movement, both of which showed the influence of Buddhist thought. Some scholars believe that the influence of Bhakti was synergistic with aggressive Muslim actions, in that Bhakti made conversion to Hinduism a more comfortable alternative for oppressed Buddhists.
When Islam arrived in India, it sought conversion from, not assimilation to or integration with, the already present religions. However, because Hinduism was so integral to the character of the Indian people, Islam could not uproot it entirely, even in its lasting impression on converts to Islam. Moreover, the new Muslim rulers left in place the Brahmin-controlled caste system that reinforced Hindu social norms . However, the destruction of many monasteries and stupas resulted in the Buddhist order being almost entirely eradicated, because most of the tradition was kept up by monks, not lay-people.
At the beginning of the modern era, Buddhism was very nearly extinct in mainstream Indian society. Some tribal peoples living in the territory of modern India did continue to practice Buddhism. In Bengal, the Bauls still practice a syncretic form of Hinduism that was strongly influenced by Buddhism. There is also evidence of small communities of Indian Theravada Buddhists existing continuously in Bengal in the area of Chittagong up to the present . Buddhism continued to prosper in the nearby countries of Nepal, Tibet and Burma, as well as in more distant locations, such as China and Japan.
Survival of Buddhism in India
Buddhism started to decline in India gradually after about 5th century. However it continued to have a significant presence in several regions.
Buddhist institutions flourished in eastern India right until the Turkish invasion. It still survives among the Barua, a community of Bengali/Magadh descent that migrated to Chittagong region. Indian Buddhism also survives among Newars of Nepal.
In Orissa, Mahima Dharma, a derivative of Buddhism, survived until 18th century.
The Kayasthas, a community of scribes in North India, had been a supporter of Buddhism since the early period. They continued to support Buddhism until about 12th-13th century in some regions.
It survived in Kashmir valley until 13-14th century, perhaps slightly longer in the nearby Swat Valley. In Ladakh region, adjacent to Kashmir valley, Tibetan Buddhism survives. Tibetan Buddhism must have been popular in Kashmir at one time, as we learn from Rajatarangini of Kalhana.
In Tamilnadu and Kerala, Buddhism survived until 15-16th century. At Nagapattinam, in Tamil Nadu, Buddhist idols were cast and inscribed until this time, and the ruins of the Chulamanipanma Vihare stood until they were destroyed by the Jesuits in 1867. In south in some pockets, it may have survived even longer. The worship of Dharma Shasta may be a relic of Buddhism in Kerala.
Revival
main article: Neo-Buddhism
In recent times, Buddhism has seen a revival in India, partially because of the more liberal laws concerning religion, and also because of the presence of Tibetan Buddhists. Additionally, many people who had felt oppression from the caste system in various parts of India turned to Buddhism, led initially by B. R. Ambedkar in 1956, due to its casteless, more liberal nature.
See also
- History of Buddhism
- History of India
- Buddhism in Kashmir
- Religion in India
- Islamic invasion of India
External links
- Koenraad Elst on allegations of "Hindu iconoclasm": Pushyamitra, Bodh-Gaya, Harsha of Kashmir, ,