Page 50 - SST Class 06

q Right knowledge One day, Siddhartha saw a very aged man, a very
q Right conduct
Jainism believes that the right conduct (character)
can be possessed by following the Panch
Mahavrita (or five great vows), which are :
1. Non-violence, by speech, deed or thought.
2. Speak the truth and renounce the false
conduct.
3. Non-stealing, that is, taking another's thing
without permission or payment is wrong.
4. Celibacy, that is, control over all senses.
5. Non-hoarding, that is, not collecting things
which are not necessary.
Jainism does not believe in the existence of God,
because the existence cannot be proved by
inference. The Jains worship the twenty-four
Tirthankaras as God.
Activity
Find out the names of any four religions :
1. _______________ 2. _______________
3. _______________ 4. _______________
Sacred Texts
The whole Jain literature is divided into two parts.
There were twenty-three Tirthankaras before
Mahavira. The literature up to the time of
Mahavira is called Purva , and the literature that
was created after his life is called Anga.
Mahavira’s teachings were passed by word of
mouth until they were written down. His
teachings are divided into two parts— Anga
Pravishta and Anga Bahya. The Anga Pravishta
comprises of the explanations given by Mahavira
on questions, while the Anga Bahya comprises of
the writings of the later followers.
RISE OF BUDDHISM
Gautam Buddha was the proponent of Buddhism.
His real name was Siddhartha. He was born in the
sixth century BC. He was the son of the Shakya
king at Lumbini (now in Nepal). He lived his
childhood in luxury and did not know any misery.
He was married and had a son.
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diseased person and a dead body being carried for
cremation by the bereaving family members.
These sights had profound effect on him and he
started to question himself what the true meaning
of life was. He wanted to eradicate these
sufferings from the world.
So, one night he slipped away from the palace
leaving behind his wife and son fast asleep. He
was 29 years of age then. He first went to
Rajgriha, the capital of Magadha and sought the
company of gurus, but he was not satisfied. He
undertook severest penance and austerity for six
long years, but he was not satisfied.
One night, when he was sitting under a pipal tree,
the enlightenment (or true knowledge) dawned on
him, and he came to be called the Buddha (the
enlightened one). The tree under which he
attained this is called the Bodhi Tree and it is
situated at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya
(Bihar).
From then on, the Buddha went from place to
place to spread his message of Dharma (or the
Law) for the rest of his life. He breathed his last in
circa 483 BC at Kushinagar.
Just Think!
Should these new religious thoughts or beliefs
come into existence?
Buddhism spread over a large
area. He had a large following
in the kingdoms of Magadha
and Koshala. His own father,
son, wife and other relatives
became his followers. With Lord Buddha
time, Buddhism became an
international religion. We can
find its traces in Sri Lanka,
Thailand, China, Cambodia,
Japan, Korea and other south-
east nations. Mahabodhi Temple
With time, Buddhism branched out into two sects:
1. The Mahayana (the greater vehicle) which
accepts the Buddha as a God and worships his
idols; and