HISTORY OF BUDDHISM | Buddhist Temples | Buddhist Temples India |

Buddhist Temples

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two millennia old religion. This religion influenced billions of people around the world. The teachings of Buddha are the main basis of Buddhism. To promote the teachings of this religion, Buddhist Sanghas were established and many rules were introduced for the followers of this religion. Some buildings like stupa, chaitya and vihara are typically used for the propagation and practice of Buddhism. These architectures were used by the monks and other followers for prayers and as residence.

Mahabodhi Temple:

This is very famous Buddhist temple erected at Bodh Gaya in Bihar state in India. Bodh Gaya is the place where Sidhartha Gautam attained enlightenment. Beside this temple there is a peepal tree erected called Bodhi tree.This is the same tree sitting under which Siddhartha had got the enlightenment. Emperor Ashoka takes the credit for making this temple. Since its construction Mahabodhi temple suffered destruction and restoration on many occasions. After the invasion of Muhammad Bin Qasim, many Hindu religious establishments were dismantled and Mahabodhi temple was also included in that rage. Though finally in 1880s under the guidance of Sir Alexander Cunningham, British Indian Government restored the temple. In June 2002, the Mahabodhi Temple was included as UNESCO World Heritage Site, specifically nominated for the international World heritage program.

Nalanda:

Nalanda is presently located 55 miles south east of Patna. It’s been an ancient Buddhist center for learning between 427 CE to 1197 CE. It has been called one of the first great universities in recorded history. Nalanda was also one of the firsts in residential universities. It had big dormitories and it could accommodate 10000 thousands students and 2000 teachers. It invited students from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Turkey, Persia and from other reasons around the world. This university was known to be an “architectural masterpiece” it was also marked by a lofty wall and one gate. In 1193 this university was attacked by Turkish invader Bakhtiyar Khilji who brought it to ruins. This incident is also seen as a milestone in the decline of Buddhism in India. Presently the plans of its revival are on with a rapid pace. Singapore, Japan and India have planned out to make a new university at that place.

Chaukhandi Stupa:

This important Buddhist stupa is located 13 kilometers from Sarnath, India. Stupas are the holy Buddhist places where the remains of Buddha or important Buddhist saints are buried. This stupa is thought to have been made at the place where Buddha had met his five disciples. It was made between 4th to 6th century CE under the rule of Guptas.

Dhamek Stupa:

This stupa is also built in Sarnath. This was constructed by emperor Ashoka in 249 BCE.This is built in the place where Budhha after getting enlightenment gave his first sermon to his disciples and set in the motion the Wheel of Dhamma (Dhammachakkapravartina).Dhamek stupa is the biggest structure in Saranath. It’s cylindrical in form, 43.6 meters high and 28 meters in diameter. It’s built solidly on bricks and stones.

Rumtek Monastery:

This Tibetan Buddhist monastery is also called Dharmachakra Centre and located in Sikkim, India. It was originally built by the 9th Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje in 1740. Rumtek played as the main seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage in Sikkim for some time. But when the 16th Karmapa arrived in Sikkim in 1959, having fled before the Chinese occupation of Tibet, it was not kept well. Despite being offered other sites, the Karmapa decided to rebuild Rumtek monastery. In his opinion, the site possessed many auspicious qualities and was surrounded by the most favorable attributes. For instance, flowing channels, mountains behind, a snow range in front, and a river below. Indian government and Sikkim royal family helped a lot to make the place a permanent abode for the Karmapa in exile.

Other Important Buddhist Temples in India Are as follows:

Sera Jey Monastry
Namdroling Monastery

The Three Jewels

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The ideals at the heart of Buddhism are collectively known as the Three Jewels, or the Three Treasures. These are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. It is by making these the central principles of one's life that one becomes a Buddhist.

The Buddha

The Buddha refers both to the historical Buddha and to the ideal of Buddhahood which is open to all.

The Dharma

The Dharma primarily means the teachings of the Buddha, or the truth he understood. Dharma has many meanings but most importantly it means the unmediated Truth (as experienced by the Enlightened mind) and Buddhist Teachings, the Truth as mediated by language and concepts. In the second sense Dharma is the teaching that was born when the Buddha first put his realisation into words and communicated it to others at Sarnath in Northern India. The occasion is traditionally referred to as `the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma' and the eight-spoked Dharma wheel is a common emblem of Buddhism.

As well as this Dharma, refers to the entire corpus of scriptures which are regarded as constituting the Buddhist canon. These include records of the Buddha's life (known as the Pali Canon), scriptures from a later date, and the written teachings of those people who have attained Enlightenment over the centuries. The whole canon is many hundred times as long as the Bible and it represents a literature of unparalleled riches. It includes works such as The Dhammapada, The Diamond Sutra, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Another meaning of Dharma is the practices which are outlined within the scriptures. Despite the wealth of its literature the essence of Buddhism is very simple: it is finding ways to transform oneself. It could be summed up as 'learning to do good; ceasing to do evil; purifying the heart' (as the Dhammapada says).

The Sangha

The third of the `Three Jewels' is the Sangha or the spiritual community. Buddhism is not an abstract philosophy or creed; it is a way of approaching life and therefore it only has any meaning when it is embodied in people. So Buddhists place great value on the fellowship of others who are treading the same path, and those who embody its goal. In the broadest sense the Sangha means all of the Buddhists in the world and all those of the past and of the future. In practice it particularly refers to other Buddhists with whom one is in effective contact.

Buddhism being a path, some people are further advanced along it than others, and particular respect is paid to the lineage of great teachers down the millennia. Beyond this, the ideals of Buddhism find their embodiment in archetypal figures known as Bodhisattvas. For example, Avalokitesvara is the embodiment of Compassion, and he is depicted with four, eight, or a thousand arms with which he seeks to help sentient beings; Manjusri is the embodiment of Wisdom and he is depicted carrying a sword with which he cuts through ignorance. Together the Bodhisattvas and the other Enlightened teachers are known as the Arya Sangha or community of the Noble Ones.

Buddhism

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What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path — a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.

Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator god, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or gender. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realise and utilise its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion.

There are around 350 million Buddhists and a growing number of them are Westerners. They follow many different forms of Buddhism, but all traditions are characterised by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and, usually, by the practice of meditation.

Buddhism started with the Buddha. The word ‘Buddha’ is a title, which means ‘one who is awake’ — in the sense of having ‘woken up to reality’. The Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal around 2,500 years ago. He did not claim to be a god or a prophet. He was a human being who became Enlightened, understanding life in the deepest way possible.

Siddhartha was born into the royal family of a small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese border. According to the traditional story he had a privileged upbringing, but was jolted out of his sheltered life on realising that life includes the harsh facts of old age, sickness, and death.

This prompted him to puzzle over the meaning of life. Eventually he felt impelled to leave his palace and follow the traditional Indian path of the wandering holy man, a seeker after Truth. He became very adept at meditation under various teachers, and then took up ascetic practices. This was based on the belief that one could free the spirit by denying the flesh. He practised austerities so determinedly that he almost starved to death.

But he still hadn’t solved the mystery of life and death. True understanding seemed as far away as ever.

So he abandoned this way and looked into his own heart and mind; he decided to trust his intuition and learn from direct experience. He sat down beneath a pipal tree and vowed to stay there until he’d gained Enlightenment. After 40 days, on the full moon in May, Siddhartha finally attained ultimate Freedom.

Buddhists believe he reached a state of being that goes beyond anything else in the world. If normal experience is based on conditions — upbringing, psychology, opinions, perceptions — Enlightenment is Unconditioned. A Buddha is free from greed, hatred and ignorance, and characterised by wisdom, compassion and freedom. Enlightenment brings insight into the deepest workings of life, and therefore into the cause of human suffering — the problem that had initially set him on his spiritual quest.

During the remaining 45 years of his life, the Buddha travelled through much of northern India, spreading his understanding. His teaching is known in the East as the Buddha-dharma or ‘teaching of the Enlightened One’. He reached people from all walks of life and many of his disciples gained Enlightenment. They, in turn, taught others and in this way an unbroken chain of teaching has continued, right down to the present day.

The Buddha was not a god and he made no claim to divinity. He was a human being who, through tremendous effort of heart and mind, transformed all limitations. He affirmed the potential of every being to reach Buddhahood. Buddhists see him as an ideal human being, and a guide who can lead us all towards Enlightenment.

What Does Buddhism Teach?

Soon after his Enlightenment the Buddha had a vision in which he saw the human race as a bed of lotus flowers. Some of the lotuses were still enmired in the mud, others were just emerging from it, and others again were on the point of blooming. In other words, all people had the ability to unfold their potential and some needed just a little help to do so. So the Buddha decided to teach, and all of the teachings of Buddhism may be seen as attempts to fulfil this vision — to help people grow towards Enlightenment.

Buddhism sees life as a process of constant change, and its practices aim to take advantage of this fact. It means that one can change for the better. The decisive factor in changing oneself is the mind, and Buddhism has developed many methods for working on the mind. Most importantly, Buddhists practise meditation, which is a way of developing more positive states of mind that are characterised by calm, concentration, awareness, and emotions such as friendliness. Using the awareness developed in meditation it is possible to have a fuller understanding of oneself, other people, and of life itself. Buddhists do not seek to ‘evangelise’ or coerce other people to adopt their religion, but they do seek to make its teachings available to whoever is interested, and people are free to take as much or as little as they feel ready for.

The Threefold Way

1 )Ethics

2)Meditation

3)Wisdom

Buddhist Temples India

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Since ancient past India has had an unbroken tradition of being the fountainhead of spiritual knowledge in the world. Great seers, masters and incarnations have been born here to spread the true knowledge from time to time. The Sanskrit word "Bodh" literally means knowledge. Buddha thus means "The one who has attained all knowledge". The cessation of conflicts at both the internal the external levels is possible only when one is armed with the right knowledge. Once the conflicts recede, peace blooms and one attains bliss.

There are four principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites where most of the buddhist temples and shrines are located. The most important of these are located primarily in the Ganges Valley of India.

* Bodh gaya - Bihar

This is where Prince Gautama attained enlightenment under the sacred Asvatta tree (Bodhi tree) and became known as Lord Budha. This is one of the four most sacred pilgrimage places for the Buddhists. The other three important places are his place of birth at Lumbini, Nepal; the site of his first lecture at Sarnath, near Varanasi; and the place where he left his body at Kushinagar, near Gorakhpur. Buddhists from all over the world have built temples here in Bodh Gaya. The Dalai Lama often spends time here. Tibetan pilgrims come here for the winter from Dharamshala. Bodh Gaya is located about 13 km from Gaya, 450 km west of Calcutta, and 90 km south of Patna.

Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh
Kaushambi, in Uttar Pradesh, was visited by Buddha in the 6th and 9th years after his enlightenment. He delivered several sermons here, elevating it to a center of learning for Buddhists. Today one can see the ruins of an Ashokan Pillar, an old fort and the Ghositaram Monastery. The archaeological excavations here have yielded a large number of sculptures and figurines, coins, punch-marked and cast coins and terra-cotta sculptures which show the reverence the city was held in by the devout, in times gone by. All these religious finds of historical and archaeological importance can be viewed at the Allahabad Museum.
Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh
Situated in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, 51 km off Gorakhpur. Is one of the principal centers of Buddhist pilgrimage is the place of Mahaparinrvana. The monument of Kushinagar are situated in three distinct comprising in the main site of the Nirvana Temple houses over 6meter long statue of the reclining Buddha The image was unearthed during the excavations in 1876.
Lumbini, Nepal - India Border
Located in the flat plains of South-Western Nepal and the foothills of Churia range is kind of holy sentiment to the millions of Buddhists all over the world-as do the Jerusalem to Christians and Mecca to Muslims. Lumbini is the place Lord Buddha -the apostle of peace and the light of Asia was born in 623 B. C.
Nalanda, Bihar
This contains the ruins of the world's oldest university. This was also a place where the Buddha and Mahavira stayed and preached. The remains of 11 monasteries and several Chaityas, built over a period of time, in red brick stone have been excavated, as well as a large stairway, a library, lecture halls, dormitories, cells, ovens and wells. Buildings were multi-storied and multi-tiered, built on massive terraces of solid brick, decorated with Buddhist and Hindu divinities and warriors, dancers, musicians, animals and birds.
Rajgir, Bihar
A sacred place for both the Buddhists and Jains. There is Gridhakuta, where the Buddha, converted a Magadhan King. Also worth visiting is Saptaparni Cave, where the first Buddhist council was held. The Pippala Stone House or Machan is a huge structure, with cells around it. At Maniyar Math is an old Jain Shrine. Then there is Venuvara, the bamboo grove, where the Buddha meditated. The Jivakamanana Monastery is of interest, since it was one of the Buddha's favourite retreat.
Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh
Situated 10 km from Varanasi is the site where Buddha delivered his first sermon to his five disciples, preaching the middle path for attaining 'Nirvana'. Realising the sanctity of the site, emperor Ashoka, in the 3rd century B.C. built some of the finest monuments and legacies.
Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh
Another of the most commonly visited places of Buddhist pilgrimage is Shravasti. It is here that the Buddha is said to have performed great miracles. One story tells of how on throwing down the seed of a mango, a great mango tree instantly arose. Another story tells of how the Buddha stood in the air, the lower part of his body engulfed in flames, with five hundred jets of water streaming from the top of his body.
Vaishali, Bihar
Vaishali was one of the Buddha's favourite resorts and he visited it on several occasions It was here that he had his famous encounter with the prostitute Ambapali, the incident is recounted in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta in The Long Discourses. Another discourse he delivered here is the long but interesting Mahasihanada Sutta from The Middle Length Discourses. According to the Mahayana tradition the famous Vimalakirtinedesa Sutra was preached here too.

Dhankar Monastery, Himachal Pradesh
The 'DHANKAR GOMPA' casts its subtle spell upon a person. Anyone, who visits it, finds himself unable to forget this place. It is about 25-km east of Kaza and serving eastern part of central Spiti. Dhankar is a big village and erstwhile capital of Spiti King. Dhankar means " a place in the mountains unreachable for strangers" and which is home to another monastery associated with the Great Translator, Rinchen Zanggpo.

Tabo Monastery, Himachal Pradesh
The rugged hills around Tabo house a tiny hamlet that is home to some 350 people. The Tabo monastery, also referred to as Tabo Chos-Khor- 'doctrinal circle' or 'doctrinal enclave' is a complex that holds nine temples, 23 chortens, a monks' chamber and an extension that houses the nuns' chamber

Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim
A 24-km drive from Gangtok, through the beautiful, bewitching countryside leads one to Rumtek. Rumtek, is the seat of the Karmapa Lama who heads the Kagyupa Sect of Buddhism. Tankhas (also spelt as Thangkas) and frescoes decorate the walls of this ancient monastery, now renovated. His holiness Gyalwa Karmapa was the 16th reincarnate. The style of the monastery, strictly traditional has been patterned on the lines of the Lamas series of Tibet.
Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh
Located on the foot of a hill-- Sanchi is just 46 kms Bhopal. It is more of a village than a town. Sanchi is a religious place with historical and Archaeological significance. Sanchi is a site for the numerous stupas which were built on a hill top. The place is related to Buddhism but not directly to the life of Buddha. It is more related to Ashoka than to Buddha. Ashoka built the first stupa and put up many pillars here. The crown of famous Ashoka pillars, with four lions standing back to back, has been adopted as the national emblem of India.
Ajanta & Ellora Caves, Maharashtra
These are the caves that the followers of Lord Buddha, embellished with architectural details with a skilful command of the hammer over the chisel, with sculpture of highest craftsmanship and above all, with the paintings of infinite charm. The entire course of the evolution of Buddhist architecture can be traced in Ajanta & Ellora Caves.

Himachal Pradesh
- Kye (Ki) Monastery
- Namgyal Monastery
- Lippa
- Guru Ghantal Monastery
- Tayul Gompa Monastery
- Khardong Monastery
- Thang Yug Gompa

Arunachal Pradesh
- Tawang Monastery

Bihar
- Bodhi Temple
- Maha Bodhi Temple

Sikkim
- Tashiding monastery
- Pemayangtse monastery
Jammu and Kashmir
- Hemis Monastery
- Chemrey Gompa
- Rhidzong
- Diskit & Hundur
- Lamayuru
- Shey
- Likkir
- Spitok
- Stongdey / Stongde Monastery
- Phyang
- The Shanti Stupa
- Pugthal / Phugtal
- Tikse

Orissa
- Hirapur
- Langudi
- Buddhist Relics Of Orissa
- Dhauli

HISTORY OF BUDDHISM

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At the age of twenty-nine Siddhartha Gautama, prince of a ruling house in Nepal, abandons the luxuries of home, and the affections of a wife and a young son, to become a wandering ascetic. He is following a pattern not uncommon in India at this time, when the rigidities of a priest-dominated Hinduism are causing many to seek a more personal religion. Only a few years previously, in a nearby district, a young man by the name of Vardhamana has done exactly the same - with lasting results in the form of Jainism. (The conventional dates for both men, revised by modern scholarship, have been a century earlier.)
Gautama differs from Vardhamana in one crucial respect. He discovers that asceticism is almost as unsatisfactory as luxury.
According to the traditional account (first written down in the 3rd century BC) Gautama follows an ascetic life for six years before deciding that a middle path between mortification and indulgence of the body will provide the best hope of achieving enlightenment.
He resolves to meditate, in moderate comfort, until he sees the light of truth. One evening he sits under a pipal tree at Buddh Gaya, a village in Bihar. By dawn he is literally buddha, an 'enlightened one'. Like any other religious leader he begins to gather disciples. He becomes known to his followers as the Buddha.

The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path: c.424 BC

Gautama preaches his first sermon at Sarnath, about 5 miles (8km) north of the sacred Hindu city of Varanasi. In this sermon, still a definitive text for all Buddhists, he proposes a path to enlightenment very different from the elaborate ceremonies and colourful myth attached to the Hindu deities.

Gautama's message is plain to the point of bluntness, at any rate when reduced to a simple list - as it usually is in primers on Buddhism. He states that enlightenment can be achieved by understanding Four Noble Truths; and that the pain of life, with which the Noble Truths are concerned, can be avoided by following an Eightfold Path.

The four Noble Truths are that pain is inextricably part of mankind's everyday life; that our cravings of all kinds are the cause of this pain; that the way off this treadmill is to free oneself of these cravings; and that this can be achieved by following the Eightfold Path.

The Path enjoins the Buddhist to a virtuous life by urging on him the 'right' course of action in eight contexts. Many of these are moral evils to be avoided (as in the Jewish Commandments). But the eighth step, 'Right Concentration', goes to the heart of the Buddhist ideal.

Right Concentration is described in Buddhist scripture as concentrating on a single object, so as to induce a special state of consciousness through deep meditation. In this way the Buddhist hopes to achieve complete purity of thought, leading ideally to nirvana.

Nirvana means 'blowing out', as of a flame. It is common to Hinduism and Jainism as well as Buddhism. But in the two older religions it leads to moksha, release from the cycle of rebirth, total extinction. In Buddhism it is a blissful transcendent state which can be achieved either in life or after death - and which is achieved by anyone who becomes Buddha.