Decline of Buddhism

The decline of Buddhism in India, the place of its origin, is a complex historical process that took place over several centuries. Several factors contributed to this decline. One significant factor was the revival of Hinduism, which incorporated elements of Buddhism and received royal patronage. Invasion by Muslim forces during the 12th century further eroded the presence of Buddhism in India.

Another key factor was the internal divisions within the Buddhist community that led to schisms and weakened the tradition. Economic and political changes also played a role, when trade routes shifted and patronage of monastic institutions declined.

While Buddhism declined in India, it continued to thrive in other parts of Asia, including Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, and Japan. In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in Buddhism in India, but its historical decline in its place of origin remains a complex historical phenomenon.

The Decline of Buddhism

Historical Events	Decline of Buddhism
The time	Twelfth century A.D
Revival	Brahmanism
Discarded non-violence	Rajputs
Huna King	Mihirakula

Introduction

It is almost impossible to present a coherent narrative of the near extinction of Buddhism in the plains of India. This is mainly due to the lack of archaeological evidence and the shocking lack of indigenous writings on the subject. Surprisingly, this issue has remained one of the most overlooked topics in India’s entire history. Apart from the history of the decline of Buddhism in India, other topics related to this decline are critically studied in this book. To understand the background of Buddhist decline in India, it may be necessary to consider the history of decline in different parts of the Indian subcontinent. However, due to the lack of primary information, only a basic outline can be drawn up.

Decline of Buddhism

Buddhism died out in India in the twelfth century AD Several factors were responsible for the decline of Buddhism in India.

Decline of the Buddhist Sanghas

An important cause of the decline and fall of Buddhism was the decline of the Buddhist sanghas. Sanghas have become centers of corruption. The discipline of Vinay Pitaka was violated. Viharas were dominated by peace-loving people. Monks and nuns began to live a life full of joy and well-being. Mahayanists and Hinayanists quarreled with each other. Internal conflict proved to be the undoing of Buddhism.

Revival of Brahmanism

The revival of Brahmanical Hinduism also served as a cause for the decline of Buddhism. The rites and rituals of Hinduism were simplified. It also incorporated the Buddhist principle of non-violence and accepted the Buddha as a Hindu incarnation. The Gupta rulers were great patrons of the Brahmanical religion and did much for it. Reformed Brahmanical Hinduism was able to reach people.

Division among Buddhists

Buddhism was divided into several groups such as “Hinayana Buddhism,” “Mahayana Buddhism,” “Vajrayana Buddhism,” “Tantrayana,” and “Sahajayana,” and eventually lost its originality.

Use of Sanskrit

Buddhist monks gave up Pali, the language of the common people. Buddha preached his teachings in Pali, which was the cause of the spread of Buddhism. But Buddhist monks adopted Sanskrit, the language of intellectuals that was rarely understood by ordinary people. So people rejected it.

Buddha worship

Mahayana Buddhists began to worship Gautam Buddha as a god. This image worship was a clear violation of Buddhist doctrines which were opposed to the critical rites and rituals of Brahmanical Hinduism. Due to the worship of images, Buddhism lost its importance as it led people to believe that Buddhism was influenced by Hinduism.

Loss of royal patronage

As time progressed, Buddhism lost the royal patronage it had received during Ashoka, Kaniska, and Harshavardhana. The royal patronage helped a lot in the spread of Buddhism. However, due to a lack of royal patronage, Buddhism ended.

Rise of the Rajputs

Most parts of northern India were ruled from the 8th to the 12th centuries by the Rajputs, who found great pleasure in fighting. They rejected the Buddhist principle of non-violence. They supported Hinduism, which was a warrior religion. Buddhist monks feared persecution and spillover from northern India. Buddhism has thus practically disappeared from northern India.

Muslim invasion

The Muslim invasion practically dealt the death blow to Buddhism in India. The wealth of Buddhist viharas attracted the attention of Muslim invaders. So the Buddhist viharas became the target of the Muslim invasion whose only intention was to plunder the wealth. Buddhist monks could not resist the Muslim attack. Many Buddhist monks were killed, some of them converted to Islam and others fled to Nepal and Tibet and took refuge there. Buddhism eventually died out in India, the land of its birth, although it flourished for centuries in countries outside of India.

Invasion of the Huns

The “Huna” invasion shook Buddhism. Hun chieftains like Toamana and Mihirakula were adamantly opposed to non-violence. They murdered Buddhists in the northwestern provinces of India. This terrified Buddhists in the region, who were forced to either abandon Buddhism or go into hiding. At that time, no one dared to share the Buddha’s teachings. As a result, Buddhism became impoverished and weakened.

Role of Hindu Preachers

Harsavardhan ousted the Brahmins from Kanauj’s religious council. Under the leadership of Kumarila Bhatta, these Brahmins fled to the Deccan. Brahmanism made a comeback under Bhatta’s leadership. Moreover, Adi Sankaracharya revived and deepened the origins of Hinduism. During his trip to India, he won over Buddhist experts in religious debates held in various places.

Reform in Hinduism

Buddhism seriously damaged the Brahmanical beliefs of Hindu origin. Hinduism, which was on the verge of extinction, began to reorganize itself. The origin of Hinduism is nowadays being simplified and made more attractive by doing away with the complex system of ceremonies and rituals. Hindus eventually accepted the Buddha as the incarnation of Hindu origins and the ideal of nonviolence. This contributed to the revival of the origins of Hinduism and its resurgence in popularity. The fragrance of the Buddhist flower was taken away because of this. The demise of Buddhism became inevitable.

Cracks in the Buddhist order

The internal divisions and conflicts of the Buddhist order prevented the rise of a new apostle. The earlier cases of Ananda, Sariputta, and Maudgalayana have become extremely rare. Buddhist passion and missionary zeal were lost forever. Due to the lack of strong preachers and reformers, Buddhism began to decline.

Socio-political changes and religious competition

The regionalization of India after the end of the Gupta Empire (320–650 CE) led to a loss of patronage and donations. The popular view of the decline of Buddhism in India is summarized in the classic work of A. L. Basham, argues that the main cause was the re-emergence of the ancient Hindu religion of “Hinduism”. Hinduism became more religious and focused on the worship of deities such as Shiva and Vishnu. Because Buddhism focused on monastic life, it was popular among the common people and left all public life and its rituals to the Hindu Brahmins.

Internal socio-economic dynamics

According to some scholars, such as Lars Vogelin, the decline of Buddhism can be related to economic reasons, where Buddhist monasteries received large land grants and shifted their emphasis to non-material activities. the self-isolation of the monasteries, the loss of internal discipline of the sangha, and the inability to effectively manage the land they owned. As support for Hinduism and Jainism grew, Buddhist monasteries also gradually lost control over land revenue.

Conclusion

Buddhism succumbed to the horrors of Brahmanism, with which it had initially fought. Buddhist monks were increasingly isolated from the lives of the general public. They abandoned Pali, the people’s language, in favor of Sanskrit, the language of intellectuals. They also practiced extensive idol worship and accepted material gifts from believers. The lives of the monks were rich with rich offerings and rich royal subsidies. By the seventh century AD, Buddhist monasteries had become hotbeds of corrupt activities, which the Buddha outlawed.

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