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Abstract
The sequence of events for the disappearance of Buddhism from India was
initiated by the Buddhist monks and clergy when they had ignored the teachings
their own salvation instead of helping the common people and oppressed classes
situation and deepened the rift between the common people and the Buddhist
Majority of the scholars often fail to realize the bitter truth that the Buddhists
themselves were responsible for their own problems. Deviation from the
monks and clergy was the first sign of decline of Buddhism in India.
Introduction
Two factors were generally cited by the eminent scholars as the main reasons for
the ultimate disappearance of Buddhism from India. The first one was the Vedic
revival, which drove the religion out the country and this was followed by the
invading hordes of the Prophet Mohammed, who razed the temples and
slaughtered the remaining unresisting monks. But majority of the scholars often
fail to realize the fact that the Buddhists themselves were the root cause of their
It was found that the Buddhist clergy paid insufficient attention to its laity.
Buddhist mendicants kept their distance from non-mendicants. So, the non-
mendicants might not have felt particularly invested in Buddhism. As the venues,
had revealed that no manual for the conduct of the laity was produced until the
11th century A.D. Some scholars had also emphasized the decay and corruption
was accumulated through generous donations from the royal families and rich
devotees in the community. As food and money was always available in the
monastery, majority of the monks had adopted a rather easy-going and even
indolent lifestyle. There were also disputes over money matters and leadership
which led to great divide among many groups of Buddhist monks. The unity and
sectarian splits between various Buddhists sects in subsequent years had finally
Buddha and became greedy for power and wealth, the monasteries got
monks and clergy had often concentrated mainly on own salvation and rarely
visited the community to reduce the suffering of the general population. Here,
the Buddhist monks and clergy had missed out a very important message by the
Buddha. When the Buddha had advised his disciples to visit the community every
day and not to stay in a same place for more than three days, it was with a
vision that had a far more impact in the society than mere begging for food. He
wanted his disciples to meet as many common people as possible during their
If it was only for gathering food and wealth, he could have arranged them for his
disciple monks with ease by requesting the Kings and emperors, who were also
his followers. The main idea behind sending the emissaries door to door was to
build up a community network and develop a good rapport with the community
so that majority of the population could reap the benefit from the teachings of
the Buddha. He knew that once the community had accepted his disciples, they
would develop faith in his teachings and would follow his advice to end suffering.
Prince Siddhartha, he had already given up his kingdom and everything in order
to devote the rest of his life to end the suffering of all human beings. As the
by spreading the message of the four noble truths and the noble eightfold path
in the community. So, the goal for his disciples was not to concentrate on one’s
own salvation, but to help others to reduce the suffering in the community.1,2,3,4
The Buddhist monks in India, during the sixth century had deviated from this
noble target and stopped visiting the community. As the community visit was
rare by the monks, the general lay Buddhists felt neglected and isolated from the
from the higher class of the Brahmin society and they gradually lost faith in
Buddhism. The Buddhist monks did not visit the houses of the lower caste and
the untouchables and as a result, they too did not get the opportunity to adopt
Buddhism and gain status in the society. The shellfish nature of the Buddhist
monks during that time had generated a sense of hatred and insecurity in the
general population which had contributed significantly towards their loss of faith
Conclusions
order, we would realize that the major burden of responsibility rest with the
Buddhist monks and clergy. All the problems started when they had ignored the
were often engaged in disputes over money matters and leadership. This had
also made them over-satisfied and lethargic. So, they abandoned the community
visits and concentrated on their own salvation instead of helping the common
people and oppressed classes to end their sufferings. As the community was
ignored, the tight bonding between the lay devotees and the Buddhist
This restricted the spread of Buddhism in India and soon Buddhism started losing
the general support from the community. Subsequently, the Brahmins took
advantage of this situation and deepened the rift between the common people
and the Buddhist practitioners that included the monks and clergy. The Brahmins
But before the Buddhist monks and clergy point their fingers towards anyone
else to share the responsibility, they should realize the bitter truth that they
themselves were the root cause for the disappearance of Buddhism from India.
had made them all pay very dearly in the long run. This was the major mistake
on their part which reconfirmed the fact that wealth was the root of all trouble.
2. Jaini, P.S., Narain A.K., ed., 1980. The Disappearance of Buddhism and the
Survival of Jainism: A Study in Contrast. Studies in History of Buddhism.
Delhi: B.R. Publishing Company:181-91.
3. Ahir, D.C. 2005. Buddhism Declined in India: How and Why? Delhi: B.R.
Publishing.
4. Barua, A., Basilio. M.A. . 2009. Contributing Factors for the Disappearance of
Buddhism from India. Hong Kong: Buddhist Door, Tung Lin Kok Yuen
[ebook].