Buddhism began as an offspring of Hinduism in the country of India. It
is difficult to give an accurate historical account of the life of
Siddhartha Gautama since there are no original facts. Today most of the
life story is clouded in myths and legends. But history tells us
Buddhism began in India with the life of Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 560-480
B.C.), a prince from the small kingdom of Shakya located in the
foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. By the third century B.C., Buddhism
based on teachings of Buddha was being spread throughout South Asia
through the agency of the Mauryan Empire. By the seventh century A.D.,
having spread throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia, Buddhism probably
had the largest religious following in the world. Buddhism spread from
India across to Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Java, and Burma; but the basic
teachings of Buddha remain the same. Great architectural monuments and
temples have been built in honor of Buddha. But there are no specific
answer why Buddhism declined in the last half of the first millenium AD.
By the time the Muslims started conquering India in the twelfth century,
the number of monasteries had severely declined. Buddhism, which once
had spread across the face of India, was a vital force only in the areas
of its origins. Scholars believe that the monasteries became detached
from everyday life in India. After centuries of patronage, the
monasteries had amassed a wealth of endowments. Life inside the
monasteries was very good. So the monasteries became very selective in
admitting monks to the brotherhood.
In the twentieth century it has been spectacularly revived and there
are now over ten million Indian Buddhists. The vast majority of these
people are from castes formerly known as 'untouchable' who were involved
in the movement of conversion to Buddhism initiated in the 1950s. Most
of the Buddhists in India follow Theravada Buddhism, the "Doctrine
of the Elders," which traces its origin through Sri Lankan and
Burmese traditions to scriptures in the Pali language, a Sanskritic
dialect in eastern India. Although replete with miraculous events and
legends, these scriptures stress a more human Buddha and a democratic
path toward enlightenment for everyone. Ambedkar's plan for the
expanding Buddhist congregation in India visualized Buddhist monks and
nuns developing themselves through service to others. Convert
communities, by embracing Buddhism; have embarked on social
transformations, including a decline in alcoholism, a simplification of
marriage ceremonies and abolition of ruinous marriage expenses, a
greater emphasis on education, and a heightened sense of identity and
self-worth. The concept of Buddhism is a modern creation so surprisingly
in today's modern society also teachings of Buddhism are still that
relevant as earlier.
