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Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c14.s5.t2: Jainism

Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c14.s5.t2

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Jainism

v1.c14.s5.t2.1

When Buddha came among the Licchavis, Jainism had already run through a career of about 250 years from the time of Pārśvanātha and had among its adherents many of the Licchavis.

v1.c14.s5.t2.2

Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta, the reformer of Jainism, belonged to a distinguished family of the Nāṭa clan with wide influence in the land of the Licchavis. There are accounts of a few adherents of Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta either disputing with Buddha or coming into contact with him or his followers in the course of their missionary work. Saccaka, who as a disputant was held in high respect by the Licchavis, sustained a defeat in a religious disputation with Buddha. It is not clear whether he became a Buddhist convert as the result of the defeat.¹ Abhaya and Paṇḍitakumāraka enquired of Ānanda about the means of destruction of dukkha as pointed out by Buddha and were not satisfied with the answer.² On another occasion the former approached Buddha with the question whether ogha (flood of passions etc.) could be overcome either by moral purity or severe penance, to which Buddha replied in the negative and said that it was only by controlling mind, body and speech that a person could save himself from ogha.³

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¹ Majjhima, I, pp 236, 250.

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² Aṅguttara, I, pp. 220-222.

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³ Ibid., II, pp 200-202.

v1.c14.s5.t2.6

The most notable conversion made by Buddha among the Jaina laity was that of Sīha who was a military official of the Licchavis and had a great influence in the country. In spite of Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta’s dissuasion, he met Buddha, and impressed by his discourses on dāna, became an upāsaka. The weaning of Sīha from the Jaina faith gave a rude shock to Nāṭaputta’s followers who out of jealousy circulated the false report that Sīha had killed animals for feeding Buddha and the bhikkhus.¹

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¹ Mahāvagga, vi. 31. 12.

Cites (4)