Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c14.s2.t2: Non-Brāhmaṇical Sects

Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c14.s2.t2

Language: English

Non-Brāhmaṇical Sects

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It has already been mentioned that the six titthiyas chose Magadha and Vesālī as their fields of work. The number of paribbājakas wandering about within Magadha was also fairly large, and so the largest number of converts were made by Buddha from among the non-brāhmaṇas.

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Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta, the centre of whose activities was at Rājagaha, was the first non-brāhmanic religious teacher to feel the power of the religion preached by Buddha for within a very short time he saw that half of his following had been won over to Buddha’s side. It was Assaji, one of the first five disciples of Buddha, who commenced the missionary work by converting Sāriputta, the principal disciple of Sañjaya, to Buddhism, and Sāriputta in his turn followed him up until half of his quondam fellow disciples including Moggallāna embraced Buddhism. This event together with the previous conversions made by Buddha and his followers created in Magadha a sensation which evoked that Buddha converted 1000 Jaṭilas, 250 followers of Sañjaya, and the sons of distinguished Magadhan families, thereby making the families sonless and the wives husbandless, and there was no knowing who might be taken in next.¹

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¹ Vinaya, I, pp. 39-44.

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Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta was a formidable rival of Buddha, and as he was at work earlier than Buddha, he made a fair progress in the spread of his religion in Magadha and the neighbouring states. It appears from the accounts of conversions to Buddhism that Buddha could not win over to his side many followers of Nāṭaputta. But he stole a march upon Nāṭaputta by enlisting among his upāsakas Bimbisāra and Ajātasattu who had been lay-supporters of Nāṭaputta.²

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² The Jaina āgamas claim Bimbisāra and Ajātasattu as Jainas while the Buddhist piṭakas declare them as Buddhists. Neither the Jaina nor the Buddhist literature admits that they were supporters of the religions at different times or at the same time in different degrees. The facts of the lives of the two emperors, however, point to the inference that Bimbisāra supported Jainism when it appeared on the field but inclined decidedly towards Buddhism when it asserted itself

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There was at Kāḷasilā on the side of Isigili mountain in Rājagaha a large number of Jaina ascetics who were undergoing severe self-mortifications to eradicate their past sins and to attain mukti. Buddha failed to convince them of the inefficacies of such mortifications and of their faith being based on wrong views.¹ But this was not the case with Upāligahapati and Abhayarājakumāra.² Upāli was convinced that Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta was wrong in putting more stress on kāyakamma (= daṇḍa) than on manokamma while Abhayarājakumāra failed to establish that Buddha was lacking in anukampā (compassion) by citing the instance of Devadatta. Both became lay-devotees of Buddha. Dīghatapassī, the Jaina monk, though convinced like Upāli, did not change his faith.³ Asibandhakaputta, a gāmaṇi, was also convinced of Buddha’s viewpoint that killing, stealing and such other crimes do not always lead the sinners to hell as Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta teaches and that these sins can be counteracted by repentance and knowledge.⁴ A few other converts were made from among the followers of Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta at Vesālī and Kapilavatthu.⁵

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¹ Majjhima, I, p. 380.

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² Ibid., I, p. 395. See Barua, op. cit., p. 375.

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³ Ibid., I, p. 374.

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⁴ Samyutta, IV, pp. 317 ff.

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⁵ See Infra.

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There are no specific instances of converts having been made from among the followers of other non-brāhmanical teachers ex-as a rival of Jainism. Ajātasattu was a supporter of Devadatta who initiated a sect holding views similar to Jainism so far as its discipline was concerned. Abhayarājakumāra, a Jaina, expostulated with Buddha for condemning Devadatta. This shows that Devadatta had Jaina sympathies and Ajātasattu by supporting him shows the nature of his religious views. He, however, was converted to Buddhism a year before Buddha’s demise. (Infra, p. 156; Smith’s *Early History of India*, p. 33).

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cept that of Acela Kassapa. Upaka, an ājīvika, was impressed by the saintly appearance of Buddha, but did not accept him as his teacher. On several occasions, the doctrines of Pūraṇa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla, Pakudha Kaccāyana and Ajita Kesakambalin were discussed and criticised,¹ and on one occasion it is mentioned that if an ājīvika be a kammavādin, he would go to heaven.² It seems that these teachers had no following at the time of Buddha, and that their doctrines had mere academic interest and were not actually practised. Acela Kassapa is described as an aññatitthiya-pubba but it is not expressly mentioned as to which sect he belonged. He joined the order and became ultimately an arhat.³