DEVIATION FROM APARIGRAHA LED TO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BUDDHISM FROM INDIA

DEVIATION FROM APARIGRAHA LED TO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BUDDHISM FROM INDIA



ANKUR BARUA, M.A. BASILIO


Buddhist Door, Tung Lin Kok Yuen, Hong Kong
Hong Kong, 2009



Communication Address of Corresponding Author:
Dr. ANKUR BARUA
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Salt Lake City, Sector-2,
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DEVIATION FROM APARIGRAHA LED TO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BUDDHISM FROM INDIA

Abstract

The sequence of events for the disappearance of Buddhism from India was initiated by the Buddhist monks and clergy when they had ignored the teachings of the Buddha and concentrated on accumulation of abundance of wealth in the monasteries. They had abandoned the community visits and concentrated on their own salvation instead of helping the common people and oppressed classes to end their sufferings. Subsequently, the Brahmins took advantage of this situation and deepened the rift between the common people and the Buddhist practitioners. They also manipulated the contemporary rulers to withdraw their support from Buddhism and help in reviving the existing Brahmanism.

Majority of the scholars often fail to realize the bitter truth that the Buddhists themselves were responsible for their own problems. Deviation from the Buddha’s teaching of observing aparigraha, or non-possession by the Buddhist monks and clergy was the first sign of decline of Buddhism in India.

Key words: Buddhism, Disappearance, Decline, Wealth.

DEVIATION FROM APARIGRAHA LED TO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BUDDHISM FROM INDIA

Introduction
Two factors were generally cited by the eminent scholars as the main reasons for the ultimate disappearance of Buddhism from India. The first one was the Vedic revival, which drove the religion out the country and this was followed by the invading hordes of the Prophet Mohammed, who razed the temples and slaughtered the remaining unresisting monks. But majority of the scholars often fail to realize the fact that the Buddhists themselves were the root cause of their own problems. Deviation from the Buddha’s teaching of observing aparigraha, or non-possession had weakened the centuries old foundation of the Buddhist society in India. Excess accumulation of wealth by the Buddhist monks and clergy was the first sign of decline of Buddhism in India.1,2,3,4


Sectarian and Internal Conflicts
It was found that the Buddhist clergy paid insufficient attention to its laity. Buddhist mendicants kept their distance from non-mendicants. So, the non-mendicants might not have felt particularly invested in Buddhism. As the venues, where the mendicants and non-mendicants intersected, gradually disappeared, the laity got distanced from the faith in Buddhism. The scholars of Buddhism had revealed that no manual for the conduct of the laity was produced until the 11th century A.D. Some scholars had also emphasized the decay and corruption within the Buddhist faith itself.1,2,3,4


Dispute over Wealth and Leaderships in Buddhist Monasteries
The Buddhist monasteries were described as repositories of great wealth which was accumulated through generous donations from the royal families and rich devotees in the community. As food and money was always available in the monastery, majority of the monks had adopted a rather easy-going and even indolent lifestyle. There were also disputes over money matters and leadership which led to great divide among many groups of Buddhist monks. The unity and harmony of many major monasteries were affected by these disputes. The sectarian splits between various Buddhists sects in subsequent years had finally weakened the foundation and administrative infrastructure of Buddhism in India. This was a consequence of a major deviation from the Buddha’s insistence on aparigraha, or non-possession. As the monks had ignored the instruction of the Buddha and became greedy for power and wealth, the monasteries got entrapped in controversies and the communities lost their faith in them.1,2,3,4


Abandonment of Community Visits by the Buddhist Monks
As there was abundance of wealth in their monasteries, majority of the Buddhist monks and clergy had often concentrated mainly on own salvation and rarely visited the community to reduce the suffering of the general population. Here, the Buddhist monks and clergy had missed out a very important message by the Buddha. When the Buddha had advised his disciples to visit the community every day and not to stay in a same place for more than three days, it was with a vision that had a far more impact in the society than mere begging for food. He wanted his disciples to meet as many common people as possible during their community visit and help them to overcome the sufferings.1,2,3,4

If it was only for gathering food and wealth, he could have arranged them for his disciple monks with ease by requesting the Kings and emperors, who were also his followers. The main idea behind sending the emissaries door to door was to build up a community network and develop a good rapport with the community so that majority of the population could reap the benefit from the teachings of the Buddha. He knew that once the community had accepted his disciples, they would develop faith in his teachings and would follow his advice to end suffering. One should not misinterpret the emphasis on building up a community network as an intention of the Buddha to become a ruler in future. This is because, as Prince Siddhartha, he had already given up his kingdom and everything in order to devote the rest of his life to end the suffering of all human beings. As the Buddha, his aim was to carry forward this mission further through his disciples by spreading the message of the four noble truths and the noble eightfold path in the community. So, the goal for his disciples was not to concentrate on one’s own salvation, but to help others to reduce the suffering in the community.1,2,3,4

The Buddhist monks in India, during the sixth century had deviated from this noble target and stopped visiting the community. As the community visit was rare by the monks, the general lay Buddhists felt neglected and isolated from the Buddhist monastery. This sense of insecurity made them suffer discrimination from the higher class of the Brahmin society and they gradually lost faith in Buddhism. The Buddhist monks did not visit the houses of the lower caste and the untouchables and as a result, they too did not get the opportunity to adopt Buddhism and gain status in the society. The shellfish nature of the Buddhist monks during that time had generated a sense of hatred and insecurity in the general population which had contributed significantly towards their loss of faith in Buddhism at a later date.4


Conclusions
If we analyze all the contributing factors and arrange them in a chronological order, we would realize that the major burden of responsibility rest with the Buddhist monks and clergy. All the problems started when they had ignored the teachings of the Buddha to observe aparigraha, or non-possession and instead, concentrated on accumulation of abundance of wealth in the monasteries. They were often engaged in disputes over money matters and leadership. This had also made them over-satisfied and lethargic. So, they abandoned the community visits and concentrated on their own salvation instead of helping the common people and oppressed classes to end their sufferings. As the community was ignored, the tight bonding between the lay devotees and the Buddhist monasteries became weak and finally broke loose.1,2,3,4

This restricted the spread of Buddhism in India and soon Buddhism started losing the general support from the community. Subsequently, the Brahmins took advantage of this situation and deepened the rift between the common people and the Buddhist practitioners that included the monks and clergy. The Brahmins also manipulated the contemporary rulers to withdraw their support from Buddhism and help in reviving the existing Brahmanism.1,2,3,4

But before the Buddhist monks and clergy point their fingers towards anyone else to share the responsibility, they should realize the bitter truth that they themselves were the root cause for the disappearance of Buddhism from India. Deviation from the Buddha’s teaching of observing aparigraha, or non-possession had made them all pay very dearly in the long run. This was the major mistake on their part which reconfirmed the fact that wealth was the root of all trouble.

References

1. Lal, V. 2004. Buddhism’s Disappearance from India [serial online]. [cited 2009 August 26]; [2 screens]. Available from: URL:
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Religions/paths/BuddhismDisappear.doc.

2. Jaini, P.S., Narain A.K., ed., 1980. The Disappearance of Buddhism and the Survival of Jainism: A Study in Contrast. Studies in History of Buddhism. Delhi: B.R. Publishing Company:181-91.

3. Ahir, D.C. 2005. Buddhism Declined in India: How and Why? Delhi: B.R. Publishing.

4. Barua, A., Basilio. M.A. . 2009. Contributing Factors for the Disappearance of Buddhism from India. Hong Kong: Buddhist Door, Tung Lin Kok Yuen [ebook].