Pre-Buddhistic Indian Philosophy

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About the Book Buddhism arose between 500-300 BCE, when Siddhartha Gautama, a young man from an aristocratic family, left behind his worldly comforts to seek spiritual enlightenment. Buddhism is based on an ancient Indian religious philosophy called Sramana. Several Sramana movements are known to have existed in India before the 6th century BCE. Sramana, meaning "seeker," was a tradition that began when new philosophical groups who believed in a more austere path to spiritual freedom, around 800-600 BCE. Sramana promoted spiritual concepts that became popular in all major Indian religions, such as saCsâra, the cycle of birth and death, and moksha, liberation from that cycle. The Sramanas renounced married and domestic life, and adopted an ascetic path one of severe self-discipline and abstention from all indulgence-in order to achieve spiritual liberation. SramaGa traditions (or its religious and moral practices) later gave rise to varying schools of Hinduism, as well as Yoga, Jainism, and Buddhism. The philosophy of Buddhism is the system of ideas intended to address the nature of existence and how humans should respond to it. It is a complex and multifaceted tradition and one of the oldest globally. Buddhism is a religious and philosophical system that originated in India and went worldwide. The present book throws abundant light upon a very obscure and highly important period of Indian thought. It is also a very useful study for ascertaining the immediate background of Buddhistic philosophy.

About The Author Rana Bahadur is an esteemed philosopher specializing in pre-Buddhistic Indian thought and philosophical traditions. His research examines the metaphysical foundations of early Indian philosophies, focusing on the integration of religious doctrines and philosophical discourses. Bahadur's publications include critical analyses of Vedic philosophy and the evolution of ethical frameworks in ancient Indian intellectual traditions.

Preface Buddhism arose between 500-300 BCE, when Siddhartha Gautama, a young man from an aristocratic family, left behind his worldly comforts to seek spiritual enlightenment. He became a teacher commonly known as the Buddha, meaning "the awakened one," and Buddhism spread to become a non-theistic religion that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs, and practices largely based on his teachings. Buddhism is based on an ancient Indian religious philosophy called Sramana. Several Sramana movements are known to have existed in India before the 6th century BCE. Sramana, meaning "seeker," was a tradition that began when new philosophical groups who believed in a more austere path to spiritual freedom, around 800-600 ВСЕ.

Introduction Sunga Empire, Pusyamitra Sunga: The Sunga dynasty (185- 73 BCE) was established in 185 BCE, about 50 years after Ashoka's death. After deposing King Brhadrata (last of the Mauryan rulers), military commander-in-chief Pusyamitra Sunga took the throne. An orthodox Brahmin, Sunga was allegedly hostile towards Buddhists and allegedly persecuted the Buddhist faith. He is recorded as having "destroyed monasteries and killed Monks" (Divyavadana, pp. 429-434): 84,000 Buddhist stupas which had been built by Ashoka were "destroyed" (R. Thaper), and 100 gold coins were offered for the head of each Buddhist monk (Indian Historical Quarterly Vol. XXII, p. 81 ff cited in Hars.407). A large number of Buddhist monasteries (viharas) were said to have been converted to Hindu temples, in such places as Nalanda, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, or Mathura.