Page 53 - SST Class 06

are — right observation right determination, right g I will not eat making a slurping noise
speech, right action, right livelihood, right exer- g I will not eat licking the lips
cise, right memory and right mediation.
g I will not accept a water vessel with a hand
Buddhism consisted of three main elements — soiled by food
Buddha, Sangha and Dhamma. The devotees of
g I will not, in an inhabited area, throw away
Buddha could join the sangha or the formal
bowl-rinsing
religious order. A woman had to obtain the
Budhist Literature
permission of her husband to join the sangha.
Buddhist texts come in numerous varieties,
Similarly, slaves and servants had to seek the
however not all of them command the same kind
approval of their masters or landlords before
of respect from the Buddhist community. There
joining the sangha. The members of the sangha
are texts which are respected to an extent of
hailed from varied castes, communities and
being worshipped.
professions. They had to strictly follow Buddha's
teachings (dhamma). They lived on charity. At the same time, there are other texts that have
Hence, they were called bhikshus meaning comparatively less or even miniscule significance
‘beggars’ in Prakrit. for Buddhists.

Given below are some rules from Vinayapitaka, a The teaching of Buddism are mainly compiled in
Buddhist work which gives rules for the bhikshus. three book called tripitakas or pitakas. These
They had to follow these rules: are the Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka and
Abhidhamma Pitaka.
g I will receive alms and food with attention
focused on the bowl
g I will not look at mother’s bowl intent on
finding fault

g I will eat alms food methodically
g I will not speak with the mouth full of food
g I will not eat scattering rice about

g I will not eat sticking out the tongue
g I will not smacking the lips

DO YOU KNOW?
The earliest statues to be worshipped in India were
Gautama Buddha, Gandhara
probably those of the Buddha.
Buddhist Art and Architecture
The sangha spread the teachings of Buddha to many
kingdoms. The Buddist monks spoke to the people in Buddhist monuments and sculptures are found in
Pali, the language of the common masses. The many places. Stupas are hemisphrical mounds
religion also spread to Central Asia, East Asia and Sri built over sacred remians of Buddha or some
Lanka. monk.Theses could be a tooth, a nail or a hair.
In later times, Buddhism was divided into two sects- There is a small central chamber where the relic is
Hinayana (the lesser vehicle) and Mahayana (the kept inside a carved casket. Over that is the core
greater vehicle). of unburnt brick. The outer face is made of burnt

Social Science-6 53