IMPACT OF BUDDHISM ON HINDU CULTURE – Anthropology by K.V RAMESH

Introduction:

Buddhism which emerged as a challenge to the Brahmanical supremacy and caste inequality was very much promising in the beginning for it was able to get royal support of many kings. But it could not maintain its popularity for long. The craze for Buddhism slowly came to an end within the borders of India in due course. At the same time, it became more popular outside India. Even though hardly 0.80% of the people in India are Buddhists, the impact of Buddhism on Hinduism, on the Hindu society and on the Indian culture, in general, is very great. Here is a brief analysis of its impact on the Indian society.

Impact on socinl life :

(i) Buddhism laid the foundation for the Indianisation and Hinduisation of foreign ethnic groups. It was during the ascendancy of the Buddhistic rule or influence, a number of foreign ethnic groups such as Perisans, Sakas [Scythians], Kushans, Gujars, Parthians and others had flocked towards India and settled down in different places of India. The accommodative spirit of the Buddhism made them to retain their un-Hindu foreign names, customs, practices in brief, their culture. “Lather, when Buddhism decayed, these foreign settlers were quietly and completely absorbed into the mass of the Hindu population, their foreign origins having been forgotten during their long stay in India. Thus Buddhism, without at first intending it, contributed very largely to the synthesis which has produced modern Hindu society. Therefore the ethnic fabric of India became very complex and acquired a new configurational character.
(ii) Buddhism granted higher status to Vaisyas. The Vaisyas requested the Brahminical rulers to provide them higher status in Varna hierarchy which was denied by the Brahminic rulers. As the Vaisyas were economically sound and proved to be helpful for providing the required capital to the peasants, Buddha granted them a higher status. This was not palatable to the Brahminic rules of North.
(iii) Buddhism also tried to accommodate the agriculturists below the Vaisyas but as the agriculturists was constantly associated with agriculture and adhered to violence they were , not able to elevate their rank even though the rules concerned were sympathetically disposed off towards them. Since filling a lowly occupation, they could not elevate their position in social hierarchy.
(iv) Buddhism had its tremendous impact on low castes all over India. Buddhism influenced the lower castes to adopt more honourable occupation like agriculture than other types of work. At the same time the new religion preached that the lower castes can eat the meat of the dead ones but not the meat of the slaughtered animals. This was quite convincing to the lower castes and abstained from slaughtering animals. As they have become agriculturists they brought much of the land under cultivation and contributed to the agricultural prosperity in India. As other castes have acknowledged their contribution to agriculture and economy their status improved to some extent in society.
(v) Buddhism indirectly reduced the intensity of caste inequality. It is very often said that Buddhism rose as a challenge to the caste inequality and to assure social justice and equality. “ In a way, Buddhism and Jainism protested against some important characteristics of Hinduism like its- rigid formalism, tyrannical ritualism, value system based on hierarchy, supremacy of Brahmins, and religious orthodoxy”. Hence a large number of men and women belonging to different castes joined these new faiths. Buddhism declared that caste or Varna would not come into the way of persons seeking to obtain “Nirvana,” Had there not been that protest from Buddhism against the inequalities of Varna or caste system, the caste system would have reached a stage of social explosion long back. Buddhism, thus contributed to lessen the extremity of caste inequality.
(vi) As all the castes followed the same new religion they were bound by similar beliefs, sentiments and values. All these created a congenial atmosphere for uniting all castes in India. The sense of religious similarity and the acknowledgement of the supreme role of Dharma by all the caste groups created unity or consciousness of kind among all ethnic groups in India.

Impact on Economic life:

(i) Buddhism improved agricultural economy. The concept of Ahimsa popularised for the first time favoured agricultural activity which could support atleast ten times as many people per square mile as in pastoral economy in the same region.
(ii) Buddhism emphasised that cattle should be protected because “they are our friends just as parents and relatives”, and cultivation depended upon them. That cattle were indispensable for cultivation was recognised by Buddhism.
(iii) Buddhism even recommends to the kings to supply seeds to the peasants and cattle and suitable implements to those who were the subjects within a state. Since Buddhism showed a great awareness of the needs of contemporary agriculture it was acceptable to the village folk and directly influenced the village folk to support the urban centres.
(iv) Buddhism favoured increased trade with foreign lands and increased prosperity of merchants and craftsmen. All this gave rise to urbanisation.
(v) Buddhism favoured internal trade and the use of money which gave rise to moneylending. Unlike the Brahminism, Buddhism granted higher social status to the merchant class and craftsmen. Their higher social status coupled with higher economic status gave them an advantage in terms of trade activity in Indian society. Buddhism never condemned usuary. Infact there was intimate relationship between the Buddha and the traders or Sreshtis. The Buddha even advised the households to pay off the debts and did not allow the debtor to join the Buddhist religious order. In other words, Buddhism in contrast to Brahminism gave its support to usuary, which was symptomatic of the mercantile economy of the Gangetic Valley.

Impact on political life :

(i) Buddhism achieved political peace. The principle of Ahimsa (non-violence) when applied to politics led to useful as well as harmful results, “peace at any cost” and “compromise with invaders” had become the guiding principle of some rulers. It provided advantages to the people of India on one hand and to the invaders of India on the other. That means in both the instances it gave peace to the people of India but advantage to the enemies.
(ii) Buddhism established intimate contact with foreign countries and good international relations. Through Buddhism India maintained an intimate contact with foreign countries. Buddhism was “a universal movement, a force irrespective of country and caste, which the whole ancient East was free to accept. Indian monks and scholars carried Buddhism to foreign countries from the third century B.C. onwards, and thereafter the converts of these countries looked up to India as a holy land, the cradle of their faith, a pilgrimage to which was die crowing act of a pious householder’s life”.
(iii) Buddhism preached Dharma Vjjay rather than Digvijay. This preaching helped in promoting universal peace.
(iv) Buddhism fostered political oneness and cultivated national spirit. The people living in different parts of the country began to realise they belong to one religion and to one nation.
(v) Buddhism accommodated the interests of all agricultural castes in village political life Buddhism helped better political understanding developed within the villages and urban centres. Hitherto agriculturalists dominated the leadership. When the lower castes also became agriculturist and boosted up the production, the dominant caste recognised their contribution and had given them a place in the deliberations of village council especially those pertaining to agricultural problems.
(vi) Buddhism inculcated democratic spirit in conflict resolution. In Buddhistic Sanghas every dispute was settled by democratic means and methods. This has inculcated democratic spirit in the political life of Indians.

Impact on religious life:

(i) Buddhism introduced idol worship. As Jadunath Sarkar opined “Image-worship was most probably introduced into India by the Buddhists.” In order to commemorate the memories of the Buddha as a great master and preacher statues of the Buddha were produced and soon they came to be worshiped in as representations of the godhead. “Houses had to be built to shelter these sacred images and temples arose. Vedic Aryans had been content with offering sacrifices on altars in the open air, as was the case with the Aryans of ancient .
(ii) Buddhism provided an organisational base for Hinduism. The monastic system or the organisation of religious devotees in disciplined orders was another experiment made by Buddhism , It is true that the great sadhus and seers of Hinduism were only making lonely contemplation for they had no systematic monastic orders. Buddhism instituted the monastic orders which made the religious devotees to constitute a fraternity of monks, obeying a common head and living together under a common disciplinary rules. It is said that prior to the emergence of Buddhism, Hinduism did not have any well established organisational base. The Brahmin scholars, sadhus, sages and santas’ were practising Hinduism at their individual levels. The efforts of the Buddha and his disciples in establishing the Buddhist Sanghas, Buddhsit monastic orders, etc. impressed very much the people at the helm of affairs of Hinduism. As a result, they realised that it was necessary for them to have some sort of “Sangha” or “Sanghtan” for the preservation of their religion and to counteract the propaganda of the other religions. Perhaps, the Buddhist Sangha influenced Sri Adi Shankaracharya in founding the “mutts” known as “Shankar Mutts” in four corners of the nation. Buddhistic monasticism, we could say, lives in the order of Shankara’s monks. In course of time, the tradition of “mutt” became so popular that most of the major castes of India established their own tradition of the monastic order.
(iii) Buddhism gave a simple and a popular religion. Buddhism never gifted us a religion which is full of complications and un-intelligible rituals that could be performed only by a priestly class. “It deliberately set itself to appeal to the masses, and wonderfully succeded in winning their hearts by its simplicity, its emotional element, its easy ethical code, its use of the vernacular language in its scriptures, its popular method of teaching by means of parables, and its worship in congregation. It introduced a personal element into religion, in the form of a known human saviour in the place of the impersonal forces of nature to whom Vedic Aryans used to pray.”
(iv) Buddhism enriched the intellectual and spiritual life of the country. Of all the proselytising religious of the world, Buddhism seems to be the only religion that could spread its influence both within and outside the borders of India by virtue of its internal vitality and spiritual power. The importance of Buddhism in this context could be understood by comparing it with religions such as Christianity and Islam which often resorted to political, military and economic power to spread their faiths in India. Buddha’s love towards the entire humanity, his compassion towards all the living creatures, the emphasis he laid on nonviolence and peace, have all made Buddhism to acquire worldwide recognition. Buddhist monks also tried to attain the heights of spiritual life and worked sincerely to obtain for their religion positive support even at the hands of the intellectuals.
(v).Buddhism influenced Hindu philosophy, logic and Vedanta philosophy. Brahmin scholars acquired at the hands of the Buddhist Pandits a new approach towards philosophy, logical and Vedanta philosophy. Buddhism influenced Vedanta philosophy also. Both Buddhist and Vedanta philosophers assert the unreality of the world. This doctrine is not specifically stated but implied in the Upanishads. Buddhism made possible for the Hindu scholars to give new interpretations in the light of the Buddhist thought. It is said that Adi Shankarahcarya himself was influenced by the Buddhist “Madhyamilk Darshan.” Shankaracharya, no doubt, drew his inspiration from the Upanishads, but in explaining its negative aspect, that is, refutation of ideas he was surely inspired by Madhyamik philosophy.
(vi) Buddhism provided cultural contacts’ between India and other Asiatic countries. Many Buddhist scholars visited foreign lands to preach Buddhism. Kasyapa Matanga and Dharmaraksha went to China in the first century’ B.C. Santamkshila of Nalanda University went to Tibet. Kumaraghosha, A Bengali Buddhist went to Java in 782 A.D. Many foreign visitors and students came to India in search of knowledge. Thus, Buddhism provided opportunities for the spread of ancient Indian civilization in South-East Asia.

Impact on language and education:

(i) Buddhism encouraged development of regional languages. Contribution of Buddhism towards the development of the regional languages had been remarkable. The language of culture hitherto had been Sanskrit and the texts of the Bralmianical religion were in Sanskrit. Contrary to this, the Buddha preferred to preach his doctrines in the language of the common people. Buddhist texts came to be written in Pali. This helped the development of Pali language and literature. In the same way Mahavira preaches his tenets in Ardhamagadi a form of prakrit languages. This helped the development of Ardhamagadi dialect. In this way, Buddha and Mahavira laid the foundation fort the growth of vernacular literature. Further, due to the increasing popularity of Buddhism, Indians recognised the importance of the studies of Pali, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tibetan and Chinese for a full understanding of Buddhism. These have influenced writers in the modem Indian languages. They have either translated Buddhist works from the original or were inspired to write independent works that reflect Buddhist thought.
(ii) Buddhism provided plenty of literature on varied subjects. The Buddhist scholars produced vast literature on varied subjects. Vasubandhu wrote books on ethics, psychology, and metaphysics. Nagarjuna was an all-round scholar. He dealt with medicine, chemistry and philosophy. The Buddhist writers produced books in the spoken language of the people. Thus, languages other than Sanskrit began to acquire respectable position in the country.
(iii) Buddhism gave special importance to education. Buddha Viharas, Mutts or monastic orders also functioned as centres for spreading education. Buddhist monks were also great scholars. Indian kings who supported and patronised Buddhism also encouraged education. Universities such as Taxila of 7th century Nalanda of 4th century B.C. had earned a good name in the ancient world. Nalanda was, in fact, recognised as a Buddhist university. Another speciality of Buddhism was, it had extended educational opportunity for women from the very beginning. Further, Buddhism made education available for the lower sections of the Hindu society also.

Impact on art and architecture:

(i) Buddhism encouraged artistic activity. The greatest contribution of Buddhism to Indian culture is to be found in the realms of Indian art and architecture. It is said that the history of Indian art begins from tire Buddhist period. The Buddhist monasteries were not only great centers of learning but also flourishing centers of artistic activity.
(ii) Buddhism favoured special type of architecture in the form of stupas, viharas, chaityas and so on. The early Buddhist monuments chiefly found at Sanchi, Bharhut, Bodh Gaya, Amaravati and in other places contain stupas. Hie Buddhist art and architecture that include stupas, viharas, chaityas, pillars, carvings, paintings, etc. are found in various places of India, like Sanchi, Ajantha, Ellora, Naisk, Amaravthi, and so on.
(iii) Buddhism introduced the cult of Bodhisatva. Mahayanism influenced art in another manner. It defined Buddha and introduced the cult of Bodhisatva. The Mahayanists considered the Buddha “Avalokiteshwara” and prepared the images of the Buddha and worshiped him. The Hindu worship of images was very much influenced by Buddhism.

Impact on modern life :

Influence of Buddhism on modem life is very great. The world has come to realise the services done by the Buddha to the mankind. The “Panchasheela” which govern the policy of the Government of India is based on Buddhist teachings. Buddhism has always stood for universal peace and it will continue to do so even in the future. Those who seek universal peace must turn to Buddhism for a better support. Swami Vivekananda has very rightly called . him “The Light of Asia.” Japanese author Suzuki writes in his article: “if the fact is one and it there is something that differentiates it form the West, the differentiation must be sought in the thought that is embedded in Buddhism. But when the East as a unity is made to confront the West, Buddhism supplies the bond”
Conversion as an escape route from ritual degradation and caste oppression is not unknown to Indian history. Both Islam and Christianity grew largely through conversions from low castes. Conversion to Buddhism is distinct in several ways.

a. Buddhist conversions were episodic, but not systematic. This is due to the absence of missionary organisation systematically involved in proselytisation.
b. Buddhist conversions are largely single caste affair-like the Mahars in Maharashtra and Chamars in Uttar Pradesh etc.,
c. The converts have not joined an already established large body but are themselves building a new religious organisation.
d. The conversion is not simply a religious act but also a political move in that most neoBuddhists are also involved in a political party. The neo-Buddhists have a dual identity because they distinguished themselves from the old handful of Buddhists.
e. In none of the states the Buddhists constitute 7% to 13% of the population. Only in Maharashtra the Dalit Panthers have some political clout .
f.Buddhists do not identify themselves with any distinct language, culture or territory in India. They are usually encapsulated in the regional cultural mileu (nearly 50 lakhs of Buddhists (0.81) exists in India.

Conclusion :

It is significant to note that Buddhism which at one stage obtained royal patronage and support could not become popular in India. Its influence slowly faded away. It left India only to become popular outside its border that is, in Ceylon, Burma, Nepal, Tibet, China, Japan , Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and other Asian nations. Ram Swamp has expressed the view that Buddhism also made the same experiments which Hinduism had done. It could be spread to palaces wherein Hinduism was already introduced never destroyed anything to stamp its imprint. It blossomed in different places by accommodating itself with the regional peculiarities. It was not an imperialist instrument to exploit people and to make them accept slavery. Ram Swarup is of the opinion that Hinduism and Buddhism are intimately intertwined . He writes: …Buddha and Buddhism from an intimate part of Hindu consciousness. Buddha was a Hindu. Buddhism is Hindu in its origin and development, in its art and architecture, iconography, language, beliefs, psychology, names, nomenclature, religious vows and spiritual discipline Hinduism is not all Buddhism, but Buddhism forms part of the ethos which is essentially Hindu”‘*.
According to Jadunath Sarkar, “original Buddhism was only a new form of Hinduism’ and not a separate religion as such. As lie opined “in its origin, Buddhism was not avowedly a new creed, but an’appeal for holier in the bosom of the existing Hindu religion and society,”
He writes “As far as the original philosophy of Buddhism goes, there is, therefore, hardly any break of continuity between the Buddha and the Hindu sages who had preceded him. In the Jatakas, the Buddha says again and again that true piety consists not in the performance of rites or the repetition of set prayers, but in holy living and holy dying”. Buddhism, though has its own independent existence, according to Ram Swamp, it cannot remain a total stranger to Hinduism. He writes: u Buddha, his spiritual experiences and teachings formed part of a Hindu tradition. He belonged to Upanishadic heritage. He cannot be understood in any other sense. He himself clamined no originality.