He traveled extensively in the Gangetic plain in search of enlightenment and learned advanced meditation techniques. Eventually, under a Peepal tree in Bodhgaya, he attained the enlightenment and became Buddha- the awakened one.
After two months of his enlightenment, the Buddha decided to preach and impart knowledge to others. The first sermon of Buddha was held at the Deer Garden in Sarnath (near Varanasi). The Buddha called his teachings "the Middle Way" because it was midway between asceticism and indulgence. The "Four Noble Truths" propounded by lord Buddha were- all of life is suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; the end of desire leads to the end of suffering; and the means to end desire is a path of discipline and meditation. For the next 45 years till his parinirvana (passing away) in Kushinagar, Buddha traveled extensively all across northeast India, preaching and making large numbers of disciples and followers. He performed many miracles and made thousands of followers. By the time he reached the age of 80, he began to feel old and sick. He visited all of the monasteries he had founded and prepared to meet his end. He attained Parinirvana (freedom from the cycle of birth and death) in Kushinagar (near Varanasi in India) at the age of 80 in 483 BC on a full moon day, leaving behind a thriving monastic order and a dedicated lay community to continue his work. After the Buddha's death, his remains were placed in relic caskets within funerary mounds known as stupas, which constitute the focus of Buddhist monastic establishments and attract pilgrims from across the globe.
Growth of Buddhism in India
Initially, Buddhism remained one of the many small sects in India. But Buddhism in India statred flourishing when Emperor Asoka (ca. 270-232 BC) converted to Buddhism. He worked dedicately towards the spreading of Buddhism all over India and many neighbouring countries including Sri Lanka. The first four Buddhist councils were held in India at Rajgir, Vaishali, Patliputra (under the patronage of Emperor Ashoka) and Kashmir (under the patronage of King Kanishka). These councils helped in the rise and growth of Buddhism all across India and beyond. Around the 3rd century AD onwards, Buddhism spread to Burma or Myanmar, Cambodia, China and Indonesia. Buddhism went to Korea from china in the 4th century AD, to Japan from Korea in 522 AD, to Thailand from Burma in the 6th century AD and to Tibet in the early 8th century AD.
By the 7th century AD, having spread throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia, Buddhism probably had the largest followers in the world.
During 4th century BC to the 1st century AD, Buddhism in India was divided into various schools and sects on the basis of different renditions of the teachings of the Buddha. The Hinayana schools arose between the parinirvana or passing away of the Buddha and the end of the 1st century BC. Hinayana Buddhism was divided into eighteen sub-schools after the third council. It is believed that its doctrines are fundamentally based on the sutras taught by the Buddha. Hinayana mainly shows the path of individual salvation called the Pratimoksha. The periods from the 1st century AD to the 7th century AD saw the rise of Mahayana Buddhism with its two sub-schools, namely, Chitamattra or the Yogacharya and Madhyamaka. Mahayana schools developed particularly during the time of Asanga, Vasubandhu and Nagarjuna. After 7th century AD, a new but secretive form of Buddhism known as the Tantric Buddhism emerged in India and finally entered Tibet with the blessings of guru Padmasambhava with Marpa the great translator.
After the start of Muslim period in India and the rise of Brahmins, Buddhism started to decline in India. Between the 9th to 12th centuries AD, series of Muslim invasions took place on India and the invaders destructed the great north Indian Buddhist Monasteries and monastic universities like Nalanda (around 1200 AD) and killed many prominent monks. Buddhism was dealt a death blow in India from which it never recovered. After the 13th century AD, Buddhism became almost non-existence in India but it continued to grow and expand in neighboring countries. Today, Buddhism is the 5th largest religion of India but has less than 1% of the overall population of the country.
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