12 chap 4

Thinkers Beliefs and Buildings

rajsuya ashvamedha sacrifices, meaning of life, life after death were being debated, nature or existence of ultimate reality

my interview: Buddhism by birth status

Budhhas story, some claim miraculous, some claim he used persuasion

• women whos child died, he explains anicca (transient) and anatta (soulless), dukhkha is intrinsic- follow path of moderation to severe penance and self indulgence
• existence of God irrelevant
• social world creation of people not divine
• humane and ethical behavior, individual effort over norms
• individual agency righteous action means to escape from cycle of rebirth and attain nibbana

sangha organised like gana sanghas, dhamma, bhikkus, everyone equal there which drew people. Metta (fellow feeling), karuna (compassion)

pitakas compiled at vesali, vinay: rules for monks, sutta: budha teachings, abhidhamma: philosophical matters

Chaityas : associated with budhhas life - Lumbini, bodh gaya, sarnath, kushinagara
Stupas: relics buried, mounds, prebudhhist tradition perhaps, Ashokavadana mentions it, made from donations like ivory workers financed gateeays of sanchi. Harmika (balcony) over Anda, from harmika a yashthi (mast) surmounted by a chhatri. People walked clockwise around it.

Amravati Stupa 1796 broken, Elliot marbles,
Sanchi 1818 preserved more, still gate was to be taken away by French vs British

Symbols

Tree signifies enlightenment
empty seat: meditation of budhha
stupa: mahaparinibbana
wheel: first sermon at sarnath

Shalabhanjika caused trees to bear fruit, or was just decoration
Elephants signifies strength and wisdom
Gajalakhshmi or Maya

human to savior, image worship of bodhhisattas
hinayana similar to theravada

Purana stories
shaivism, love devotion bhakti: save world whenever threatened by disorder
vaishnavism: later unified tradition,

Temples

Garbhagriha, sikhara
Hollowed out caves of huge rocks

Sculptures were seen as inferior until they found familiar indo-greek styles in Peshawar and taxila

kutagarshala debates

dipavamsa: Sri lanka

fatalists (ajivikas believed in predetermined) vs materialists (lokayatas)

uttaradhyana sutta: jaina
main jain idea: entire world is animated, non injury ahimsa, asceticism and penance (through renouncing the world) to free oneself from cycle of karma
abstain from killing
stealing
lying
to observe celibacy
abstain from possessing property