パーリ学仏教文化学 (13) - 003Barua Dilip Kumar「The Causes of Decline of Buddhism in Indo-Bangladesh Sub-continent」

The

Causes

ofDecline ofBuddhism

in

Indo-Bangladesh

Sub-continent

Dilip

Kumar

Barua

Buddhism

from

itsvery introductionto the end of the

Pala

rule,

(12th

century

A.D.)

was a

living

force

on theIndo-Bangladeshsub-continent. From

thissub-continent thisreligion was spread

in

all most all_partsofgreater Asia.

But

this

is

the

irony

of

fate

thatthiswas lost

in

thesoilofits origin, Scholars

and

historians

widely

differ

with one another as toexactly what the causes of

the

decline

of Buddhism inthe Indo-Bangladeshsub-continent were. Tlo

determinethecauses thatresponsible

for

the

decline

ofBuddhism

is

themain

theme ofthis anicle.

In

fact,

various accounts of the

death

of

Buddhism

have

been

constructed by the scholars.

both

from

within Indiaand from outside, The

most

important

causes are: 1)T5ntrism;2)

Hostility

of non-Buddhist rulers;

3)Lossofroyal

_patronage;

4)Philosophicalopposition; 5)

Foundation

ofthe

BhikkhuniSafigha;6)Internalconflict

in

Safigha;

7)Lack of social impact;

and 8)Diedofold age. Ihavelistedtheseinwhat Isuggest are theirorder of

importance.

Let

us examine the

_possibility

ofthese causes.

l.

[I]Antrism:

The reason most

frequently

advanced by scholars(i) isthat Buddhism

declined

due

to the

infiltration

of Tantra

into

it.

Early

in

the Pala_period,

Mahayana Buddhism went through a comprehensive transformation caused

bytheinfluenceofTantric conceptions and Tantra

based

religious norms and

practices

and ramified intosuch

branches

as Mantrayana, Vajrayfina,

14 i<=.il. _.l.II.tsth/}ZfL{\:

may

be

explained as scriptures describingthe spells-mystical syllables and

mantras or _phrases,

formulas

and rites.The

_practice

ofmagico-religious rites

was

believed,

by adherents, toleadtosalvation or tosuperhuman _power,

The

most vicious aspect ofTantric Buddhism,

better

known as Vajray5nawas that

it

introduced

a ritualisticworship of femaleenergy or sakti and encouraged

sexual _practicesofevery descriptionas a means of

devotion

and as a kindof

physicalenactment of union with the

divine.

The

inevitable

result was

widespread corruption amongst ordinary

fo11owers

and also amongst the

bhikkhus and bhikkhunTs.(2)The addiction of

bhikkhu-bhikkhuni

to the

carnalised modes of

_practices

broughtabout the corruption in the Safigha

life.(3)

Moreover, the _priestsof these sects

kept

interpreting

Buddha's

doctrinesto theirconvenience. In addition, to make the easier the religion

they introducedmantra,mtidrn, tthjrapt, vija, marpdula,dZikinL _{.yogini,pis'aca}

and various other

deities

which took the

fbrm

ofBrahman-ism. As a result, in

the

face

of elevation ofBrahman-ism, Buddhism began towane. Moreover,

the worshippers were unable to

distinguish

between

Buddha

and

Visnu,

AvalokiteSvaraand

Siva,

and Taraand Parvati.<4>Besides,The _priestof the

Sahajayana,

intheirattempt to simplify the religion, _gotadrift

in

thestream

of adultery. The clergy _grew more and more ease lovingand sensual.They

ignored

the vana.varules totally.(5)The refbrmation was taken thus

fbr

that

therewas no virtual differencebetween

priests

and thecommon

devotees,

As

a result, some selfiseeking peopleavailed themselves of thisopportunity _;

they spent their

lives

in

luxury

and worldly

pleasure.

In

place

of seeking

Nirvjna,theutmost _goalof Buddhism as depictedbytheBuddha,itwas their

objective of _priesthoodtoseek worldly pleasureand comport. They had no

sincerity or

devotion

toreligion atall.

Due

totheinclusionofthese

impious

peopleintothe Safigha,the _qualityof the

Safigha

keptdeteriorating.As a

result, the devoteeslosttheirfaithinit.The

infiuence

of T5ntrismwas, in

Eliot'sviews, `powerfu1 and

disastrous.'

(6)Moreover,intheSenand _postSen

period, the BuddhistTantralostitsown characteristics, as the

Buddhist

The CausesofDeclin¢ of Buddhism inlndo-BangladeshSub-continent 15

period

inorder tomaintain theirvery existence

in

theirhomeIand,(7}As a

fact,

we findtheorigin ofvarious

Saiva-Buddhist

mixed cults

in

Eastern

India

like

the Kaula, Nfitha,Avadhata, Sahajiyaand

BAul.

The

_promotersand

successors of these mixed T5ntriccults were known as

Si(idhas

or

SZihoji,dichdi:yas

(whose

traditional_{number was eighty}

four).

From this,_we

can assume that Buddhism,

however,

after the PAIa_periodtook the

fbrm

of

popularcults, and thatit

did

not

die

out

but

changed, In

fact,

the

infiltration

ofmany

fo!k

believes

brought

about excessive _{popuiarization}

in

T5ntrism,

it

at the same time undermined

its

distinctiyeness,

which caused the religion

much cioser toHinduism,Using thisopportunity, theHindu Priestsindulged indesigningallout

_policy

tomerge Buddhism into

Hinduism.

They

_grasped some Buddhistideaand thoughts completely,

They

adopted the _generous

Buddhist

doctrines

of universal loveand compassion, avoidance of racial

discrimination,non-violence and

_peace,

love

fbrall creatures and attacked

thereligion with these weapons.(8)

Besides,

the Hindus assimilated Buddha

havingdeclaredhim as the

9'h

Incarnationof Visnu.(9)

Many(iO)

hold

that

Buddha beingestablished as the 9'hof

Visnu's

Incarnation,the religion

preached

by

him

Iost

all

its

claim oforiginality Moreover,theyadopted many

BuddhistTantricdeitiesas theirown. Indeed,as faras the Tfintric_practices

are concerned, thetwo religions _gotso much

intertwined

with each other and

became indistinguishable

_from

each other, As a result,

Buddhism

lost

its

individuality

and

justification

fbr

existence as a separate religion

distinct

fromBrahmanicalT5ntrism.The inevitableresult was the

_gradual

absorption

of the religion intothe main

body

of Hinduism.U])Hence, the declineof

Buddhism can beattributed totheunconscious

blending

ofthe two religions

together.Furthermore,Sahajiya,the later_phaseof TantricBuddhism, was a

movement thatrepresented a clear challenge to the monastic

life.(i2)

As a

result monastic activities _graduallywaned. As the monastic activities

disappeared,

the _priests

lost

_popular

contact and support, which expedited the

E6 iR- i).getatyJS(IL\

2. Hostilityof non-Buddhist rulers:

Opinions

also offered that Buddhism declined

due

to

hostility

of

non-Buddhistrulers. AfterthedeathofKing Asoka,Buddhism received a setback,

History_providesevidence thatthe

last

monarch of the Maurya dynasty,

Brihadrath

by

name was assassinated by a conspiracy

by

his

General

Pusyamitrain 185 B. C.,and occupied the throne and establish the Sufiga

dynasty,Ci3)

Scholars

likeVlA.Smith,(i`}Dr.D, K.Barua,(i5)Dr.Manikuntala

Haldar,C'6)Dr, Anukul Chandra Bandopadyaya(t7)and

Dinesh

Chandra

Sen(i8)describe

him

as a Buddhistoppressor. Taran5thfihas mentioned

Pusyamitraas a _greatadversary ofBuddhism. InTar5natha'saccount

has

it

thatPusyamitrainflictedserious repression on Buddhistmonks. He destroyed many Buddhiststupas, monasteries and declared1OODinansor _goldcoins

for

each cut-off head of Buddhistmonks.('9) Perhaps,the

Divyavadana

isthe

oldest sources tocontain accounts of Pusyamitra'soppression of Buddhists.

Inthat

book

it

is

mentioned thatPusyamitradestroyedKukkutar5ma vihara

of Pataliputtaand killedall the s5marperas of

Sakal.(20}

According to VIA.

Smith,"Pusyamitra

was not content with the_peacefu1revival of Hindu rites,

but

indulged

in a savage _persecutionof Buddhism."(2[)Though many

accounts brandedPusyamitraas a _greatadversary of

Buddhism,

they failed

to_giveany reason,

for

example, why hewas so hostiletowards Buddhism. It

is

known

thatPusyamitrawas an adept warrior and

Brahmin

by

cast. His

family

used to_performtheact ofpriest-hood under the Maurya emperor as a

chain of ancestral link.Duringthe Asokan _period,Buddhism erijoyed royal

patronageand

flourished

allover the India.TheBrahmins,perhaps,

did

not

see with theirown eyes the

flourishing

condition of

Buddhism,

system of

worship

deteriorating

of Brahmanic supremacy and _principleof equality of

King Asoka where a classes ofpeople

Chand51as

and Brahmins were equal

and eajoyed the same _privileges,Moreover,

he

thought thatthe Bhikkhus

were

plotting

against Regency,C22>Hence, he would have ups and

doing

to

TheCausesut'D-e.cli.n.eofBttddhism inlndoBangladeshSub-continent ₁₇

Pusyamitra's

oppression

did

not seriously check the spread of Buddhism,

which

befbre

the time of

Kaniska

had

_{extended northwards to Bactriaand}

Kasmir. So, Pusyamitra's oppression seems to

be

a

_political

and

local

problem,Anotherrulerwhose name comes next as an oppressor ofBuddhism

is

the

dauntless

Hun kingMihirkula

(500--520

A.D.),Thereare mentions of

Mihirkula's

anti-Buddhistic activities

in

Rajtarafigini_of

Kalhan,

in_the

traveloguesofChinese travelers and theMahfiyanatextMabjuSri-mUlakalpa.

Kalhan in

_his

_RajtarahgTni

compared Mihirkula_tothe `Angel

of

Death'

(yama

dUta).

His book also mentions

Mihirkula's

_patronage

_{of the}

Brahmanism and

bTanded

him(Mihirkula)as `Trikotihantra'-the kitler_of

three crores.(23)Hiuen-tsang(24} _{also mentions thatMihirkula}

_destroyed

₁₆₀₀

Buddhiststapas and monasteries,

killed

nine

hundred

thousand fbllowersof

the

faith,

_uprooted

Buddhist

Safigha,

destroyed

the

holy

begging

bowl

of

Buddha, and

he

keptdestruction_goingtillthe end of hislife.

Sung-yun,{2S>

another

Chines

_pilgrim,

_{who was sent on an oflicial mission to India}

_by

_an

empress of

Wei

dynasty,having

arrived

in

Gandhara inA.C. 520 _{saw the}

country

destroyed

by

the Huns, A seal of

Tbrmfina,

another

Hun

king,

discovered

intheruins ofthe Ghositaramavihara ofKausambi, indicatesthat

the_premisesofKausambi also

destroyed

by

theHuns.(26)V

_A.

_Smith<27)

_and Dr.Anukul

Chandra

Bandopadyaya(28)atso holdthatMihirkula_was

death

against

Buddhists.

But

_{no accounts gave any descriptionwhy he was so}

hostile

towards theBuddhists.Itseems thatthe

_Buddhists

and

the

Safigha

did

not co-operate with the

Huns,

a nomadic

_people

who came

from

central

Asian

steppes,while theBrahmins

_did

so. As a result, they regarded theBuddhists

as anti-society elements and thought them rebeliions.(29) That iswhy many

Buddhistslosttheirlivesintheirhands.As an oppressor of

Buddhism,

the

name of

SasEnka,

isalso worth special mention,

Sasanka

was an ardent

devotee

ofSaiva. Inhis_travelogue,

Hiuen-tsang

_{recorded various accounts of}

the _persecutionof Buddhism

by

Sasfinka.

For example, extermination of

Buddhism _{and expulsion of Buddhists}

_from

_{a monastery inKuSinagara,}

18 iC-V\raXJ(ilt\

Pat51iputta;cutting

dovvn

the

Bo-tree

at Bodh

Gaya,

destroying

its

roots

down

to the water, and

buming

what remained; attempt to remove an image of

Buddha and replace it

by

thatof Siva;and so on so fbrth.As a result of

his

sins,

he

contracted leprosyand suffered from the diseaseto

his

death.(30)

Maajugri-malakalpaalso

has

mentioned of

Sasanka's

oppression of the

Buddhism.(3i)

The

Chinese

pilgrim

Fa-hien(32)

extensively traveled over

India

in

the

5th

century and

in

theancient region of Tamraliptiof Bengal,

he

found

22 Safigh2ramas,

but

Hiuen-tsangC33)

in

7th

century

fbund

on

his

visit

1O

Safigharamas

at Timralipti.This

by

halfinthenumber ofSafigh5r5mas in

Tamralipti_provesthe

decline

which Buddhuism went trough.Scholars

like

V A.Smith,(34}

Sir

Charles

Eliot,(35)Dr.

Asha

Das,(36)Dr.Anukul Chandra Bandopadya,(]7)NiharrarljanRoy{38)and Dr.Manukuntala

Haldar(39)

hold

that

gasanka

was undoubtedly an enemy of

Buddhism

; he tremendously

harms

tothefaithand itmade thereligion ineffectual

in

the

Indo-Bangladesh

subcontinent. However,

Dr.

P.

C.

Bagchi,(40)R.

C.

Majumdar(4i)

and

Dr.

R.

C, Mitra{42)are

dubious

of theirauthenticity, which mentioned above and

they

have

commented that

_political

reasons were more responsible

fbr

the

oppression of Buddhistsby

gasanka

than religious fanaticism.

For,

the

condition ofBuddhism

in

Bengaland Bihar,as

depicted

by

the

Hiuen-tsang

does

not allow us to

believe

thatany serious

persecution

had

taken place

shortly

befbre

his

time, and Buddhism

in

the very capital of

Sasanka

in

Karnasuvarpa was

in

a

flourishing

state. Nevertheless,

Sasanka

was

branded

as an anti-Buddhist inmany

historical

documents

and there

is

no

doubt

that

Sasanka

was an ardent

hater

of Buddhistsof Northern Indiaand he

did

formidable

harm

to theirreligion, which rendered the religious community

much weaker out side the Bengal.Perhaps,theremay be threereasons that

caused

Sasanka's

hostilitytowards Buddhism. They are:

1)

During histime

Brahman-ism was thrivingvery well

in

the upper classes; and

it

is

theywho

ran the administration. Hence,the state turned

into

the

defender

oftheir

faith;

2) Harsvardhapa,who was the chiefpatronage of Buddhism and Buddhists also supported

him

well, was one of the

dead

enemies of

Sasanka.

This

TheCgys.es of Declineot'Buddhism inlndo-Bang]adeshSub-continent 19

obviously, aggravated

Sasanka's

hatred

for

Buddhists,Moreover,itislikely

thatthere were economic and _politicalreasons under the_guiseofthe religious

hatred,

for

Buddhists

_gained

enviable _predominance over trade and

commerce; and 3)The amelioration ofBuddhism and itsculture was not to

the

liking

ofthe Brahmanist

king.

Bhaskarvarman,_another Brahmanical

king

of Kamrupa also threatenedtheBuddhistmonks ofNalanda with a

behaviour

- v

similar to thatof

Sasfinka,

and with the destructionof thewhole monasteiy

unless Hiuen-tsang was

_peremptorily

dispatched_to

his

_{court.{43) The}

persecution

by

King Sudhanvan of Lljjayaniat the instigationof Kumari!

Bhatta

was mentioned

in

the

Sankara-Vij'aya.(")

Though Buddhism suffered

serious setback

from

non-Buddhist rulers after the

death

of King Asoka,

owing totheroyal

_patronage

of thePala

kings

it

was thrivingwell until the

end of the Pala rule. Scholars

laid

more stress on the

hostility

of the

Brahmanical

_Sen-Varman

kings,that

is,

between

about 1050and 1200,as the

factor

ofthe declineof Buddhism,

Dr.

N, K.Bhattasaliholds_that"the

_Varrnan

and the

Sens

were no

friends

of Buddhism."(45)From _the Nalanda _stone

inscription

of the l2'hcentury, we iearntthatthe Sompuri Mahavihfiraof

Bengal

was

burnt

by an army ofVafigala ledby kingJatavarman.(4b)Among

the

Sen

kings,

Vleillfisenvvas fiercestanti-Buddhist.(`7) `Dansagar'

has

it

that

the emergence of Vallasen

in

the Kliliera was

fbr

revival of the religion

(Hinduism)

and `for

chopping off the

legs

of the

Godless

Buddhists'.(`g)

NaliniDasguptahassaid

in

connection with Vallasen'shatredofBuddhism,

"he

not only

brought

down

disgrace

upon histhrone

by

cherishing and

expressing hatredand

in-toleration

of another religion butalso splitthespirit

ofBengal

into

many _pieces",C49)The cause ofthe

hostility

ofthe Brahmanical

kings

towards theBuddhistsisthatthey were anti-Vedas.(50) As aresult,their

oppression _putan end to the Buddhistegalitarianism and the _peoplewere

thrown

into

abject

distress.

During _this

_period,

Buddhists_{were not only}

down-trodden

by

the Brahmins

_but

also they began to

be

called by such

abusive terms as'pfisArpdi'

(heartless),

`nastika'(godless),

Dr.Asha

Das(5')

2o ,e-vsElz,utls(ita?#

destitution,

deprivation

and

disgrace,

theyledthe

life

of social out casts as atheists, which was the

direct

or

indirect

outcome of Vallasen, the

Brahmanical Sen

king.

Many Buddhistof this_periodconverted,

in

their

attempt to

fu1fi11

the demand of time,either toIslamor to Hinduism.Inthe

circumstances, the Buddhist

institutions

passed intothe

influence

of

Brahman-ism,C53)

Many

Buddhist

statues took on a

Hindu

identity,

Thisis

evidenced intheexcavation ofHindu statues along with Buddhisticone inthe

ruins of many monasteries

in

thesubcontinent. Dr.N. K. Bhattasali{54)

has

givenan excellent account how,inmany regions of Bengal, a _greatnumber

ofBuddhist statues came to

be

worshipped

by

theHindusas theirown

idols,

AccordingtoSirCharlesEliot,",.,

the same _processwent a step furtherin

many shrines which had not the same celebrity and effaced all tracesand

memory ofBuddhism".(55)

However,

fromabove discussion,

it

will not

be

an

exaggeratien to say that the Sen-Varman

hostility

playeda very crucial role

inbringingabout the

destruction

of Buddhism

in

Bengal.

Scholars

like

Dn

Anukul Chandra Bandopadyaya,<56)Satyendra Nath Tegor,<57)N.K,

Bhattasali,{S8)

ManikuntataHaldar,(59)

Sarat

Kumar Roy(60>regard theadvent

of Muslims to this subcontinent as one of the causes of the

decline

of

Buddhism.

Especially

when Buddhist

institutions

ofNalandfi, Vikramsiila,

Odantapuri

Mahaviharaand the

like

were destroyed

by

theoppression of the

Turkish

hero

Baktyarand hisarmy, this

led

the religion to the _pathof

extinction from thissubcontinent. Itisknown thatat theirattack, thousands

ofscholars and students staying inthose monasteries were

killed

and thevast

libraries

of these monasteries were

burnt.

In thisconnection V A. Smith

holds,"Great

quantitiesof _plunderwere obtained, and the slaughter of the

saven

headed

Brahmans,thatisto say the Buddhistmonks, was sothoroughly

completed, that when thevictor sought

for

some one capable of explaining

contents of the books

in

the librariesof the monasteries, not a livingman

could

be

found

who was able toread them."(6i)DuringMuslim

invasion,

not only Buddhists

but

also Hindus were subje ¢tto theiroppression.(62) From

The_Vauseset'DeclineefBuddhism inIndo-Bangladesh_{Sub-continent 21}

motto. Account ofthis can also

be

found

infabakat-i-Nasiri,

The

book

has

it

thatthe

_Sultan

(king)

_gaveorders to

burn

atlthemonasteries with

Ndptha

and

fire.

At thattime many monks fledtoNepal,Tibetand many other

distant

countries,

because

the

_Sultan

_gavethem two choices: conversion toIslamor

death,

(b3)_{The decline}

ofBuddhism was expedited bythe

Muslim

oppression,

fbrcedconversion toIslam,change of monasteries and stiipas intomosques

and mausoleums, and even transfbrmationofBuddhist

lore

into

Muslim _one

called the `Account

of

Makhdur

Saheb'.C64)Moreover,Buddhist

_practices

were confined within the monasteries, When these monasteries along with

libraries _{and resident monks}

_destroyed

_by

_{the Muslim}

_invaders,

_virtually Buddhism was

destroyed.

Inthisconnection

Sir

Charles

Eliot

hoids

_that"But whereas Hinduism was spread over thecountry, Buddhism was concentrated

in the

_great

monasteries and when thesewere destroyedthere remained

nothing outside them capable of withstanding either the violence of the

Muslims

or the assimilative

influence

_{ofthe Brahmans".(65)However,W.}

_T,

Wilkins(66)thinksthatthe

disciples

of Buddha were so ruthlessly _persecuted

thatall were either slain, exiled or made to change their

faith.

There

is

scarcely a case on record where a religious _persecutionwas so successfu11y

canied out as that

by

which

Buddhism

was drivenout ofIndia,

So,

it

can be

deduced

_from

the above

discussion

_thatthe

hostility

_{and oppression}

ofnon-Buddhist rulers of the subcontinent was one of the

factors

which were

responsible forthe

dying

out ofthe

faith.

3.

Loss

ofRoyal

Patronage:

Buddhism spread over the whole of Indiaand

beyond,

_owing to the

patronageof King Bimbisara,Asoka,

Kaniska,

Har$avardhanaand the

Pala

kings

as well asofthe many well-to-do persons,Afterthem, Buddhism

hardly

received any substantial amount ofpatronage

from

any royal

family,

Hence,

scholars

like

Dr.Anukulchandra_{Bandopadhyay,(67}}

_Dr,

_{P.C. Bagchi,(68}Dr.}

22 ,<- iJ･\ U,wtIS(ft\

Mamtazur Rahman farafdar,(72)N.

K.

Bhattasali(73)

and the likethinkthatthe

withdrawal of royal _patronagewas responsible forthe

decline

ofBuddhism.

Afterthe

P51a,

the

Sen-Varman

dynastiesascended the throne of Bengal

respectively. They were the

fo11owers

of

Brahman-ism

and upholders of

Brahmanicalsystem, Having ascended thethronethey

indulged

in

designing

ail out conspiracies towards the

Safigha

to vvipe out Buddhism

for

good.

Because,theBrahmins

did

not want toshare royal _patronageand unwilling

toshare any cultural influencewith Buddhistmonks.(74) Moreover,therewas

growinga

feeling

of enmity towards the

Buddhists

and theirreligion and at

work behind was the royal support.(7S) Furthermore,

it

was their motto to

dislodgingthe

Sahgha

firom

their_positionofrespect and influence.Hence,the

Brahmanical

dynasties

stopped allsorts of support thatthe

Safigha

eTijoyed

fora longtime. As a result, theBuddhistestablishment

began

todisappear

for

want of royal support. Itistruethatat thattime monasteries were not only

abodes of bhikkhus

but

also centres of all leaming's.

Such

kinds

of

monasteries, no

doubt,

need theroyal support

fbr

theirsmooth running. Due

to want of economical support the members of the

Safigha

had to face

hardshipto leadsuch a monastic life,which caused the existence of such

monastic

life

impossible.

Besides,

by

the royal

patronage

and

fevour

of the

Brahmanicalkingstheretook _placea renaissance

in

the observance of the

Saiva,

theVai$navaand theVedic-Puranicritual,which cast a wide

influence

on theminds ofthe _people.As a consequence, the influencewhich Buddhism

cast over400 _yearsof

Pala

rule, _graduallywaned owing tothe adversity and

oppression ofthe Brahmanicalkings.Inthisconnection R. C.Majumdar(76)

and ProfiUpendra Nath BhattacharyaC77)hold,Buddhistwas _pushed into

obscurity

by

the reawakening of Brahman-ism and

its

culture prompted

by

the royal _patronageofthe _period.Hence theabsence ofroyal support can be

regarded as one of the reasons of thedeclineof Buddhism. Moreover,after

the Ptilas,the Brahmanicalkingsconstituted a menace to the survival of

Buddhist

life.They were unlikely to_perpetuatethe social liberalism,which

TheCausesof DeclineofBuddhism inIndo-BangladeshSub-continent 23

created was one

in

which caste

differences

were emphasized and upheld,C78)

and inwhich a multitude of state othcials

flourished

at the expense of

both

the _peasantryand the merchants, The laterwere, traditionally,_prominent

supporters ofthe

Sahgha

and their

decline

in

theSen

_period

would

inevitably

have

had the effect ofdepressing the

Sahgha

life.

Furthermore,the cast

system

introduced

duringthis_periodplacedthe

Buddhists

in

a very

lowly

rang ofthe social ladderand

fbrced

them to

lead

a

life

ofdestitution. The most

active

force

behind

thiswas royal _patronageand the support of the

higher

casts of the society. As a result they had fa11enintoan adverse economic

condition, which reached

its

culmination

by

the

influx

of the

invading

Muslims

in

the i3thcentury. Due totheadverse economical condition

_general

peoplecould not support the

Sahgha

which resulted the existence of the

Safigha

impossible.

4.

Philosophical

opposition:

Scholars(79)

have

thought thattheemergence of some Hindu _preachers

and _phiiosophersinthesouthern Indiaand theiropposition against Buddhism

responsible

fbr

the extinction of

Buddhism

in

the sub-continent

When

Buddhism was beginningtoreplace

by

its

revolutionary thought and ideasthe

Vedic

and the

Upanisadic

doctrines,

and

drawing

to

itself

more and more

people,

theseHindu _preachersand

_philosophers

offered strong opposition to

Buddhism and they triedtheir

level

best

to bringabout revival of

Hinduism.

Infact,during

500

_years

between

7thand 12thcenturies, such Hindu scholars

and

_preachers

as Udyatkara,

Kumatila

Bhatra

Safikara

Acarya,

Udayana

Acfirya,

REmEnoja,

and B5caspati Misra _preached anti-Buddhistic

philosophical

doctrine

and established Hinduism on a strong

foundation,

These_{priestsprofessed}theVedasand the

Pur2nas

as authentic and exerted a

very wide

influence

over the

_people.(80)

This

infused

the

Hindu

community

with a new spirit.

For

thisreason, thecommon masses

_gradually

begantolose

24 , £- IJ_\thtyJS{lfL\

popularityof Buddhism.

5.

Bhikkhuni

Safigha:

Scholars(g[}are ofopinion thatthe declineofSathgha was originated in

the foundationof the Bhikkhuni Safighaduringthe

life

time of Buddha.

Buddha was strongly unwilling to includewomen inthe Sahgha. He also

uttered the caution at the

foundation

of the BhikkhunT

Safigha

that

it

will

reduce the

longevity

ofthe

Sathgha

by

500

_years.(82)

InCullavagga,(83)there are mentions of many strange crimes and atonement thereoC which testifies

to the significance of Buddha's

fbretelling.

When Buddha

began

the

ordination women fblkintothe religious order, He had to

be

made therules

rigid inorder to maintain the _purityof the Safigha,He ordered

Bhiklchu-Bhiklchurpisto

live

in

separate monasteries

just

in

thesame way as they had

toabide

by

different

sets of rule. However, some scholars holdthatthe

establishment ofthe BhiklthuniSafighaand theaccess of

females

to

it,

was a

great

leap

forwards

in

theway toattaining _progress.Thisarrangement was a

recognition to the fundamentalrights ofwomen, and their

living

condition

went through edification and

Buddha's

recognition brought about a

revolution intheir social and familylife,{84)However, inthe

beginning,

the

BhikkhuniSafighacomprised women

from

across thesocial strata,theywere

respectable women of holy nature. Though Buddha's foresightwas not

baselessor imagined.Immediatelyafter HisMahaparinirvana,thereset

in

the

trend of decay

in

the

life

of

Safigha.

In the first

phase

of thistrend,there

emerged a _group of monks called Ekjbhippdyi,

during

the

Asokan

_period.

They

hold

thatthe company of women isessential

fbr

the attainment of

nirvana.(8S) Dinesh Chandra

Sen

holds

that "the company of women isthe

chief obstacle to the attainment of the highest_goaland

hence,

Buddha

adopted rigid rules and regulations regarding Bhikkhu and Bhikkhuni.But

the

_{Ekdibh4zpdyies}

raised a mild _protestagainst the rigidity adopted by

TheCausesof DectineofBuddhism inlndo-BangladeshSub-continent 25

there can

be

no

harm

in

the mixing of men and women. Instead, the

interactioncan

be

ofa _greatersignificance and be

beneficial

toreligion,"(S6)

The Ekdibhmpdyreswere very

few

in

number; theirdoctrineand activities

received

little

_popular

support. Yet they

began

to_grow

in

number, their

activities spread

beyond

lndia

and

interpenetrated

intoTibetand occupied the

Safigharamas

there.(g7)Heretheywere renamed as BhairaviCtikra.

This

sect

completely ignoredthe _principlesof vanaya and

indulged

in

unbridled

lustfulness

and sensual _pleasure.

In

thisregard SharatKumar Roy<g8)says

thatthisnow the role of

_priesthood

of Buddhism

fe11

in

the hands of the

ignorant

fellow,

which

did

endless

harrn

to Buddhism.

Many

scholars(89)

think thatthethreesects ofMahayfina, namely Vajrayana,Kdlacakrayanaand

Sahajayanaexpedited the

infiltration

of these immoral

deed

in

thereligion.

As a result, thereemerged cormption

in

theSafighalife,which

brought

about

abrupt

decline

in

the_popularityofthe religion.

6.

Internal

conflict

in

Sangha:

Scholars(90)holdthatthe

internal

conflict intheSafighawas responsible

for

the

decline

ofBuddhism; ifnotina

direct

way. AftertheMah5parinibbana

of Buddha's the

Safigha

_got

dividedintothe sects: Sthavirvadaand

Mahasfifihika.

Withintwo

hundred

_yearsofthe Buddha's

Mahaparinibbfina,

theSafigha_gotsplit intomany more factions,which

in

a

direct

or an

indirect

way

influenced

tothe declineofthe

faith,

In

fact,

the leadersofthe

Sahgha,

after the MahaparinibbanaofBuddha became sole authority oftheir

_groups.

They

kept

interpreting

Buddha's

doctrines

totheirconvenience. As a result,

there crept

in

corruption and

deviation

into

the fundamentalsofthe religion

and the religion Iostitsoriginality and _purity.(9i)Hence, devoteesof the

26 ,<-v#thtuxlt\

7. Lackofsocialimpact:

Scholars(92)

offered the opinion thatthe

decline

of Buddhism was its

failure

tocast any

impact

on thesocial life.Infact,Buddha made effbrts to

establish the

Safigha

with a view to enhancing the

delight

and

happiness

of

all. Perhaps,thisiswhy there

is

no

indication

in

any

Buddhist

textsof the

foundation

ofany Safighaofthe

laity.

Consequently,

insuch social activities

as marriage,

birth

and

funeral

services etc. the

Buddhist

could not maintain

any separate or

distinct

identity

with

Hinduism.

From the 13thcentury on,

Buddhism

kept

_getting

merged with Hinduism

in

matters of social riteand

rituals, even inthe religious norms and

_practices,

which caused themerged

separate

identity

ofthe

Buddhist

community intoHindu community.

In

this

connection

Sir

Charles

Eliot

holds,

"It aimed not at fbundinga sect, butat

includingall theworld as

lay

believers

on easy terrn.This_principleworked

well so

long

as the

faith

was inthe ascendant

but

its

effect was

disastrous

when declinebegan. The

line

dividing

Buddhist

laymen

from ordinary

Hindus

became

less

and

less

marked:distinctive teachingwas

found

only

in

the monasteries: these

became

_poorlyrecruited and as they were

_gradually

desertedor destroyed

by

Mohammedans the religion of the Buddha

disappeared

from

his

native land."(93)So,failureto cast any

impact

on the

social lifeas a distinctcommunity can

be

regarded one of the factorsthat

expedited

the

decline

ofBuddhism.

8.

Died

ofold age:

Buddhism

in

Indian

subcontinent diedof old age isthe reason most

frequentlyadvanced

by

scholars

like

Edwards Conze,(94)R.C. Mitra(95)and

S.Radhakrishnan.(96)

Initsusual

fbrm

it

is

expressed as an analogy with the

human body.Bodies_grow old, wear _{out, and} die;and so didBuddhism. The

ideas

had

_grown

old _; they

had

outlived theirusefulness. Justas there

is

The Causes of Decline ofBuddhism inIndo-BangladeshSub-continent 27 isimplied)thereisnothing so feebleas an ideawhen itstime is

_past.

A variant

of thisanswer isthat `Buddhism had

served its

_purpose,

and there was

nothing more

left

for

it

to

do,'(97)

Itseems to

be

a no explanation. Becauseit

does

not explain,

fbr

example, why Buddhism diedofold age inIndiabutnot

inother societies.

Conclusion:

The

above

discussion

shows thatthere was not one _particularreason

responsible fbr the decline of

Buddhism

in

the Indo-Bangladesh

subcontinent. Therewere many factorsexpediting thedeclineof thereligion which once overwhelmed themainstream lifeof the subcontinent and which

established itselfoutside.

It

would

be

a risky assumption tothinkthatthere

was one single reason

for

the

decline

ofsuch a religion. Infact,several factors

can

be

tracedout as thereasons of the

decline

of Buddhism. Hence, the

fo11owing

conclusion are suggested:

1)

The

greaterpartofthe

decline

ofBuddhism toek _placeafter thePalarule

and before coming of the Muslims

due

to anti-Buddhist

_policy

of

Brahmanical

kings

and

Brahmins.

2) Tfintrismistobeconsidered one ofthe most crucial causes responsible for

the

decline

of Buddhism,

for

itwas Tantrismthat_gaverise tocorruption

in

the

faith,

and

helped

tomerge BuddliismintoHinduism.Though Tantrism

brought

about massive _{popularization}

in

Buddhism,

it

at the same time

undermined

its

distinctiveness.

Moreover,

the Sahajiya, the later developmentof TantricBuddhism, was a movement thatrepresented a clear

challenge to the monastic

life.

As a result, monastic activities _gradually

waned. As themonastic activities disappeared,the _priests

lost

_popularcontact

and support.

3) The

destruction

of the monasteries

by

the Muslim invaderswas _partly

responsible fbrthedeclineofBuddhism.

Monasteries

were the

life

centres of

28 ,t-V\thigkft#

exlstence.

4) Even more importantthan lossofroyal support. Buddhism declineddue

to

loss

ofpopular support.

In

fact,

the

loss

of economical support from the local_peopieby the

Safigha

is,Ithink,themajor cause thatexpedited the

decline

ofBuddhism

in

lndo-Bangladeshsubcontinent. For,hostilityof non-Buddhist rulers isnot

unknown inthe historyof Buddhism. For example, inSrilankaon certain

occasions when the

Safigha

was under theattack

from

a non-Buddhist

king

and

his

_queen,the_people

declared

theirsupport

for

theSafighaeven when the

latterhad

_been

turned out of theirchief monastery

by

the

king.

In

time the

weight of _popularopinion and the _practicalsupport which _peoplegave in

maintaining the Safigha

brought

about a reversal of _policyand the

re-instatement

of theSahgha to

its

fbrmer

_place

in

Sinhalesesociety.In thecase

of Indiaand Bangladesh, after the Palarule, Buddhistswere under a

depressed

section

due

to anti-Buddhist

Brahmanic

_policyand

fa11en

into

an

adverse economic condition, which reached itsculmination by the influxof

the

invading

Muslims. Loss of the

_popular

support

because

of economic

shortage

denied

totheSafighathechance ofbeing

_popularly

maintained, The

hostility

ofthe Brahmans towards theSafighawas thenable tocome

fuily

into

play.

The Brahmins were unlikely to come tothe rescue of the Bhikkhus

whose monasteries were being _plunderedby Muslim troops _; rather the

reverse. With the Safigha

disordered

and

dispersed,

_popular

cults

_gradually

took over, and

Buddhist

values were

ignored

and

fbrgotten.

As

a result,

Buddhism went

in

decline

in

theIndo-Bangladeshsubcontinent.

Notes

(O SirChartesEliotiHinduism and Buddhism.London 1968,vol. 2,_p,127;Lalmani

Joshi:StudiesinBuddhisticCultureinIndia.Dethi1967,p. 317f; Dr.Sukomal

Chaudhury:BangladesherBauddha Dharma O Sanskriti.Calcurta1380,p.2･.

(2) R,C.Mitra:DeclineofBuddhism inIndia.Santiniketan1954,_p.139:W. M. Theodore

The Causesot'DeclineofBuddhism inlndo-BangladeshSub-eontinent 29

(3)

Dr.Asha Das:BanglaSahityeBauddha Dharma O Sanskriti,Calcutta1375,_p.178,

(4) R. C, Mitra,op, cit., _p,309_; Dr. ManikuntalaHaldar_:Bauddha Dharmer Itihas,

Calcutta1996,p,335,

(5)

SunitiKumar Chattopayaya_(ed,):HaraprasadRacanavali.Calcutta1363,_p.424.

(6')SirCharlesE}iot,op. cit.,_p,127,

(7) Dr,Sukomal Chaudhuri:Contemporay Buddhism inBangladesh. Calcutta1982,_p.

I8,(g)

SatycndraNath fegor:Bauddha Dharma.Calcutta1923,_p,185,

(9}

Dr.Manikunta]aHaldar,op. cit.,p. 334.

(IQ)SatyendraNathfegor,op. cit,,_p,185fiLalmani Joshi,op, cit,,_p,317.

(ID

Dcbla Mitra:BuddhistMonuments.Calcutta1971,_p.19,

(12

MirceaEljade

_(ed.):

Thc EncyclopeiaofReligion. New Ybrk 1987,_p,377,

(]3)

V,A.Smith:EarlyHistoryoflndia. Oxfbrd1924,_p.209,fh,1.2,

(14

lbid.p.209.

(15)Dr.DipakKumar Barua: Vih2rasinAncientIndia.Ca]cutta1969,_p.223,

(IN Dr.Manikunta]aHaldar,op,¢it,.p,326.

Ql Dr.Anukul ChandraBandopadyaya:Buddha O Bauddhadharma.Calcuttal966, _p.

169.

(1si

Dinesh Chandra Sen:BrihatVanga.Calcutta1935,vol. 1,_p,204E

(19

A. Schiefher_(trans,): TEranatha.GeschichtedesBuddhism inIndia_an dem

tibetischen ubersetzt. St.Petersburg1869,_p.81.

tr))E.B.Cowell& R,A,Neil_{ed.>:Divyavadana. Cambridge 1886,_p.434,

tzD

VIA.Smith,op. cit, _p,213.

tz2)

Dr.AnukulChandraBandopadyaya, ep. cit.,_p.170.

e23)

SirAurelStein_(trans,):RajtarafiginiofKalhrpa, London 1900,_p.289f

CZtD

S.Beal

_(trans,):

Buddhist Recordsofthe Westem World. Delhi1995(reprint),_{yol. 1,}

p.171,

C25)

lbid.,pp.xv-xvL

QO LalmaniJoshi,op. cit,,p. 32l.

tz1 V,A,Smith.op. cit,,_p.337.

C28)

Dn Anukul ChandraBandopadyaya,op. cit.,_p.170.

e9

Ibid.,_p.170.

tK))S,Beal,op. cit. vol. 1,_p,210f;vol. 2,_pp.I18,121,

Bl)

CtlR.C.Mitra,op, cit,,_p,127.

30 7 £-u\(lltsJkft\

B3)

Ibid.,vol. 2,_p.42.

B`D

V,A,Smith,op. cit.,_p,360.

35)

SirCharlesEtiot.op, cit,,vot, 2,p.96.

tse

Dr.Asha Das:BanglaSahityeBauddhaDharrnaO Sanskriti.Calcutta1375,_p.8.

ts1

Dr,Anukul ChandraBandopadyaya,op. cit.,_p.I71.

Bg

NiharraajanRoy: BangalirItihas:Adiparva,Calcutta1402,p.375.

B9 Dn ManikuntalaHaldar,op. cit.,_p.328.

"40

R.C,Majumdar

_(ed.);

HistoryofBengal, Dhaka 1943,p,416.

ig1>

Ramesh ChandraMajumdar:Bangladesherltihas,Calcutta1352,_p.33.

ig2)

R,C,Mitra,op. eit.,_p.126.

ig3)

Dr.DipakKumar Barua,op. cit,_p.223.

e4zg

Ibid.p.223.

gS

N,K,Bhattasali:Iconographyof Buddhistand BrahmanicalSculpturesintheDacca

Musucm. Delhi 1972,p.11fi

ig(n

NiharrarijanRey,op. cit.,_p,236,EI,vol, xxi, p.97,

id"

Dr,SudhansuBimalBarua: RabindranathO BauddhaSanskriti,Calcutta1395,_p,10f

gsi Cf.Dr.SunandaBarua:BanglaSahityeBauddha Upakkhyan.Dhaka 1993,_p,73.

C49

NalininathDasgupta:BanglaiBauddha Dharma, Calcutta1355,_p.221.

C5CS

Dr.Asha Das,ep. cit.,_p,202.

tsD

Ibid.,202.

tspt

NiharraajanRoy,op. cit.,_p.419.

63)

NalininathDasgupta,op, cit,,_p.221fi

CS4)

N.K.Bhattasali,op. cit.,_pp.33-58.

6si SirCharlesEliot,op. cit.,_p.130.

tse

Dr.AnukulChandraBandopadyaya,op, cit.,_p.172.

6"

SatyendraNathTegor,op,cit.,p, 185,

tsS N,K,Bhattasali,op. cit.,_p.11,

tsst

Dr.ManikuntalaHaldar,op. cit.,_p.329.

fisuSaratKumar Roy:Bauddha Bharat.Calcutta1331,_p.212f

ts1)V A.Smith,op. cit.,_p,419f

ts2)

Dr.Asha Das, op, cit,,_p,304,

ts3)

CfiDr,ManikuntalaHaldar,op. cit,,_p.331,

ts4)

Dr.Asha Das, op. cit.,_p.304.

ts5)

SirCharlesEliot,op. cit.,_p.112tL

TheCausesofDecline ofBuddhism inIndo-BangladeshSub-continent 31

ts"nvts9)

aatel)(pt(731)(74(7Stretr1tratasi

oots1)mats3}wtts5)(ss(saauausoOl)en03)G)4)G}s)Oc9ts}7)

Dr,AnukulchandraBandopadhyay,op. cit,,_p,173.

R.C,Majumdar,ep, cit,,_p,418.

Binayendra Nath Chaudgury: Buddhist CentresinAncientIndia.Calcutta1969,p. 204.

NiharrabjanRoy,op, cit,,_p.543.

DipakKumar Barua,op. cit.,_p.222,

Anisuzzaman

(ed.):

BanglaSahityerItihas,Dhaka 1987,p.263.

N. K. Bhattasali,op, cit,,_p.11£

LalmaniJoshi,op. cit,,_pp,394-401.

NiharraajanRoy,op, cit,,_p,419.

Ramesh ChandraMajumdar,op. cit,,_p,19l.

UpendranathBhattacharya:Banglar BaulO BaulGan,Calcutta1368,p.244.

TrevorLing:BuddhistRevivalinlndia.New Ydrk 1980,p.41,

Dr.AnukulchandraBandopadhyay, op. cit.,_p.174;SirCharlesEliot,op. cit.,_p.207tTi,

SatyendraNath[lk_gor,op. cit.,_p.185£

Dr.Anukulchandra Bandopadhyay, ep, cit.,_p.174.

Dr.ManikuntalaHalsar,op, cit,,_p,338.

VinayaPitakarp,P.T,S.vol. 2,_pp,253-56.

Ibid.,p.376,

SharatKumar Roy,op, cit.,_p,207.

R.C.Mitra,op. cit, _p.139,

DineshChandraSen,ep, cit,_p,321.

SharatKumar Roy,op. cit.,_p.209,

Ibid,,_p,209,

SirCharlesEliot,op,cit.,_p,l27.

Dr.ManikuntataHaldar,op, cit.,_p,332£

Dr.Anukul ChandraBandopadyaya,op. cit,,_p.173.

G.C.Pande: StudiesintheOriginofBuddhism. Allahbad1957,_p.75.

SirCharlesEliot,op. cit.,_p.120.

Edward Conze:Buddhism:ItsEssenceand development.Oxfbrdl974,_pp,114-17,

R,C.Mitra,op. cit,,_pp,161-64.

S.Radhakrishnan:IndianPhilosophy.London 1958,vol. 1,_p,609.