The End of the World as we know it, part two...

The Rise and Fall of Civilisations, part two

The End of the Vedic Age

The battle of Kurukshetra and the fall of the Yadu dynasty set the stage for a new era: the age of Kali. As the centuries passed, the peace brought about by settling military differences in the Valley of the Saraswati River led to a stagnant society. Peace and abundance, agricultural wealth and good harvests allowed that society to flourish for many years. But where once militaristic kings had ruled as despots, a new class of tyrants emerged. The clash between the warrior class or kshatriyas and the priestly class of Brahmanas had begun in ancient times. According to the legends of the Mahabharata, Parashuram had appeared as an avatar to war against despotic kings on behalf of the Brahmins. By the end of the Mahabharata period, the Brahmins are in ascension.

The Corruption of the Brahmins

Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely. Now that the priestly class of Brahmins had been exalted to the highest level of society, they too felt the influence of the age of iron. The Mahābhārata prophecies the corruption of the brahmin class in the words of Yudhisthira himself in his conversation with the Naga King Nahūṣa:

जतिरत्र महा-सर्प मनुश्य़त्वे महा-मते सङ्करात् सर्व-वर्णानां दुष्परीक्ष्य़ेति मे मतिः सर्वे सर्वास्व पत्य़ानि जनय़न्ति सदा नराः वाङ्घैथुनमथो जन्म मरणञ् च समन् नृणाम्

jatiratra mahā-sarpa manuśyatve mahā-mate saṅkarāt sarva-varṇānāṁ duṣparīkṣyeti me matiḥ sarve sarvāsva patyāni janayanti sadā narāḥ vāṅghaithunamatho janma maraṇañ ca saman nṛṇām

“O noble-minded and great serpent, it is very difficult to ascertain one's caste because of promiscuity among the four orders.  This is my opinion. Men belonging to all castes beget offspring among women of all the different castes. And among men of different caste the speech, sexual intercourse, birth, and death have become are common to all.” (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva 180.31-32)

Some time later Yudhisthira’s prophecy is echoed in the Padma Pūrana, an authoritative source on the ancient life of India. There we find the following observation about the influence of Kali-yuga:

ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वैशाः शूद्राः पाप- परायणाः

निजचारा-विहीनाश् च भविष्यन्ति कलौ हुगे

विप्रा वेद-विहीनाश् च प्रतिग्रह-परायणः

अत्यन्त-कामिनः क्रूरा भविष्यन्ति कलौ युगे

वेद-निन्दाकराश् चैव द्यूतचौर्य करास् तथा

विधवा-सङ्ग-लुब्धाश् च भविशन्ति कलौ द्विजाः

वृत्त्य्-अर्थं ब्राह्मणाः केचित् महाकपट- धर्मिणः

रक्ताम्बरा भविष्यन्ति जटिलाः श्मश्रुधारिणः

कलौ युगे भविषन्ति ब्राह्मणाः शूद्र-धर्मिण

brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśāḥ śūdrāḥ pāpa- parāyaṇāḥ

nijacārā-vihīnāś ca bhaviṣyanti kalau huge 

viprā veda-vihīnāś ca pratigraha-parāyaṇaḥ 

atyanta-kāminaḥ krūrā bhaviṣyanti kalau yuge 

veda-nindākarāś caiva dyūtacaurya karās tathā 

vidhavā-saṅga-lubdhāś ca bhaviśanti kalau dvijāḥ

vṛtty-arthaṁ brāhmaṇāḥ kecit mahākapaṭa- dharmiṇaḥ

raktāmbarā bhaviṣyanti jaṭilāḥ śmaśrudhāriṇaḥ 

kalau yuge bhaviṣanti brāhmaṇāḥ śūdra-dharmiṇa

“In Kali-yuga, all four varṇas are devoid of character and proper behavior and are addicted to sin. The brāhmaṇas are devoid of Vedic knowledge and sacrifice. Giving up the five sacrifices recommended in the Vedas and all brahminical behavior and consciousness, they engage in inferior activities. They collect charity to satisfy their unlimited appetite for sense enjoyment. The brāhmaṇas of Kali-yuga are characterized by the qualities of lust and cruelty.

Unholy in deed and thought, these so-called brahmaṇas  take pleasure in envy and malice. These professional thieves blaspheme the Vedas, drink liquor, and exploit women for sex, taking great pleasure in adultery and fornication. They accept extremely sinful means of maintaining their lives and, posing as swāmīs, dress in red cloth and wear long hair and beards.

In this way the wretched so-called brāhmaṇas of Kali-yuga

adopt the dharma of śūdras, that is, they become fourth-class men.”

The corruption of the Brahmin class paved the way for the entrance of a new philosophical and ethical world view: That of the Buddha. The Vedas prescribe sacrifice yajña and emphasize the need for sacrifice in order for human society to thrive.

यज्ञार्थात् कर्मणो न्यत्र

लोको यं कर्म-बन्धनः

तद्-अर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय

मुक्त-सङ्गः समाचर

yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra

loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ

tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya

mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara

Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage.

(Bhagavad Gita 3.9)

Sacrifice was an important part of Hindu live during the time of the brahmins after the Mahabharata Age. And yet, many members of the so-called brahmin class abused their authority.

As only the brahmins were experts in the rituals and ceremonies of sacrifice, the rituals became more and more elaborate. Animals were slaughtered in sacrifice. Brahmins demanded gold. After centuries of these abuses the people of India themselves, longtime followers of the varnashrama or caste system, became disgusted. A corrupt version of the caste system is still practiced in India today.

The despotic brahmin class, became increasingly intolerant of the lower castes, an intolerance which continues in India even today. They were exclusive in their rituals which were open only to Brahmins and the aristocracy. Liberation and ascention to heaven were denied to all but the higher castes. Their elitism and corruption gradually alienated the people of India. Ritual salvation was possible only through Sanskrit and ceremony and Sanskrit was the exclusive domain of the Brahmins and the noble class. Brahmins became rich. Gurus fought over who could accumulate more disciples for wealth and fame. Or as the Padma Purana says, “They collect charity to satisfy their unlimited appetite for sense enjoyment. The brāhmaṇas of Kali-yuga are characterized by the qualities of lust and cruelty. Unholy in deed and thought, these so-called brahmaṇas  take pleasure in envy and malice. These professional thieves blaspheme the Vedas, drink liquor, and exploit women for sex, taking great pleasure in adultery and fornication. They accept extremely sinful means of maintaining their lives and pose as swāmīs.”

As people became more and more disgusted with the corruption of brahmanism in India the path for alternatives became cleared. Members of the Vaishya and Shudra classes spoke against the injustices of the Hindu caste system and the overwhelming power of the priestly class of the Brahmins.

Modern Protest against abuses of "Caste System."

The Brahmin priests had become corrupt. They hardly believed in the rituals they practiced which had become merely a vehicle for money-making. because they performed animal sacrifices and practiced other Vedic rituals. Resentment of such rituals and continued anger about unbalanced social power prompted the development of new intellectual teachings and philosophies.

These new ideas tried to maintained the Hindu traditions and rituals. They tried to resolve philosophical differences on the basis of the Vedas without challenging the Vedic gods and beliefs. But since the Brahmins had a strangle-hold on the Sanskrit shastras, it was impossible to reform the system from within. Without breaking the brahmin’s monopoly on Vedic knowledge it was impossible to use the Vedas as a philosophical reference point.

It was time for a change. The intolerable dissension and sectarianism that had once intoxicated the Yadus with power now divided Vedic society. Only now, the brahmins were the despots who ruled with racism, religion, and ritual.

The Buddha

A new kind of truth-seeker emerged in the 6th Century who would lead a revolution against Brahminism.

Siddhartha Buddha

When a Shakya prince of Nepal, Siddharta, left royal luxury and worldly pleasure in search of truth his odyssey would led him through austerity, temptation, and meditation until he found enlightenment. The advent of Buddhism may be traced to this moment in 528 BC under the Bodhi tree at BodhGaya in present day Bihar, India, where Siddhartha was transformed by his enlightenment. From then on he was known as Gautama Buddha, the “Enlightened One.”

From the Bodhi Tree, Gautama Buddha wandered as a pilgrim of truth until he reached Benares, where he rejoined the men who had followed Him since before His enlightenment. At Deer Park in Sarnath, these men listened quietly as Lord Buddha revealed His first teachings to these five students who became His disciples.

Gautama Buddha, teaching his five disciples

In his teachings Gautama Buddha drew much from his own spontaneous realization, but also incorporated many truth from the Vedic wisdom traditions into his teachings. He called his new way the "Middle Path."

Buddha discovered what he called the “Four Noble Truths” or चत्वारि आर्यसत्यानि (catvāri āryasatyāni)

Buddha found that the truth may be discovered by examining the problem of suffering, or duhkha दुह्ख. By understanding the root causes of suffering and its solution one might get at the hidden truth of existence itself.

Principles of Buddhism: the 4 Noble Truths

The first noble truth is that suffering exists. This is unavoidable. Here, Buddha borrows from the analysis given by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. Speaking a thousand years before Buddha, Krishna explains the nature of the cornerstone of Buddha’s philosophy, the first noble truth about दुह्ख or suffering: He says जन्म-म्र्त्यु-जर-व्यधि-दुह्ख-दोसनुदर्सनम्, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam: “Wisdom means understanding the nature of suffering. Life is full of suffering in the form of birth, death, old age and disease. One who knows this understands the truth.”

Working on this basis, Buddha derives his first truth: “Life is painful.” The problem of a real truth-seeker then is to discover why we suffer and how we can transcend suffering and pain.

This may seem so simple as to hardly be a “noble truth.” Everyone knows that life is painful. And yet his point is still profound 2500 years later. One of the most transcendent problems at the moment is crime and violence based on the drugs trade. Narco-traffickers make billions of dollars on the big business of supplying heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine among other drugs to millions of addicts world-wide. All these drugs are merely different forms of anesthesia meant to make life less painful.

Buddha’s next truth tries to get to the heart of the matter. If there is pain and suffering, where does it come from? What is the cause of pain? Why do we suffer and how do we mitigate suffering? What is the origin, then of pain?

Men of science might allege that pain is an exclusively neurological phenomenon. But wait. Pain mitigation is a big business. If doctors could operate without anesthesia they would save millions of dollars on medical expenses and avoid the problem of patients becoming addicted to pain medication. Alternative methods of pain alleviation--hypnosis, acupuncture, placebos--have proven clinically effective. What was the analysis given by Buddha?

Buddha concludes that pain is based on desire. As long as we want something, we suffer when we can’t get it. I remember standing in front of a department store in New York one Christmas, enjoying the quiet snowfall. The shop window was decorated with a Christmas tree with presents, stockings hung gaily around a fake fireplace. I had a nostalgic moment remembering the joys of childhood. When suddenly the glass doors opened. A young mother was dragging a boy who had dug his heels into the snow. He was screaming and crying. There were no tears, but he was clearly in pain. He had seen a toy and his mother had refused to buy it for him. His pain was real. He was suffering. But what caused his suffering? Desire.

Christmas is supposed to be the time of year when more people commit suicide than at any other time. We are surrounded by images of happy families celebrating their love for one another; we see our own unhappy family and lament. Valentine’s day is the other holiday favored by suicides. We are surrounded by people in love and realize that our own life is barren and lonely. Wrought with desire for love we wish for death to end our suffering. Our own expectations and desire for happiness cause us a sense of loss and pain. So Buddha concludes that suffering is based on desire.

The third noble truth follows the second. By ending desire, we can end suffering. In a sense, this is a philosophy of negation. But it is a simple truth. Want itself is the enemy of peace. We do not satisfy want by getting, we satisfy want by not wanting. A rich man is not someone who has what he wants, but who wants what he has.

This third noble truth also follows the version of the ancient wisdom traditions of India, most notably found in the Bhagavad-Gita:

ध्ययतो विसयन् पुम्सह्

सन्गस् तेसुपजयते

सन्गत् सन्जयते कमह्

कमत् क्रोधो ऽभिजयते

dhyayato visayan pumsah

sangas tesupajayate

sangat sanjayate kamah

kamat krodho 'bhijayate

SYNONYMS

dhyayataḥ—while contemplating; viṣayān—sense objects; puṁsaḥ—of the person; saṅgaḥ—attachment; teṣu—in the sense objects; upajāyate—develops; saṅgāt—attachment; sañjāyate—develops; kāmaḥ—desire; kāmāt—from desire; krodhaḥ—anger; abhijāyate—becomes manifest.

TRANSLATION

While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.

Here, Buddha takes his analysis a step further. In his 4th Noble truth, he tries to find the essence of identity and the basis of desire. Where does desire come from? Buddha’s analysis finds that desire is based on Ego. The sense of “I am” gives birth to “I need” and “I want.” The appropriate means of ending suffering is to put an end to ego itself.

Where the Vedic version finds that ego is utlimately spiritual, Buddha considers the ego itself a kind of illusion. The Vedas teach that our attachment to the things of this world is based on a distorted perception of our true ego. Buddha finds that there is no true ego. Ego itself is an illusion. The dissolution of the ego is the final solution.

Buddhism and Modern Thought

This is the single-most essential departure from Vedic tradition. There is no soul. The soul does not exist. To speak of a soul is mere illusion. We are so egoistic that we are attached to the idea that the ego is eternal, where in point of fact ego itself is another snare. Ego is a mental construct, a survival mechanism. As an organism we tend toward self-preservation. Our lizard brain reacts against threats; our fear of death is a function of that lizard brain, processed by the pre-frontal cortex which intellectualizes that primordial fear as our ego. The ego creates a life of its own. One can see that Buddha’s views fit well with modern neurophysiology in important ways. Many scientists find that the soul or mind or ego is merely an evolutionary construct. Neurons collectively support the organism’s survival mechanism by knitting themselves into consciousness which in turn avoids disintegration by developing into “mind,” or “ego.” Everything dissolves at the time of death and so “mind,” or “ego,” is nothing but a helpful fiction.

Insofar as Buddha’s cogent analysis for ending suffering resolves into nihilism, it was fundamentally an explicit rejection of many elements of Brahmanism, including theism.

The Eightfold Path

Buddha did not represent himself as a god or a Christ-like figure. He posited that the Englightenment he had achieved could be gained through what has come to be known as the “eightfold path.”

By borrowing from sources such as the ancient wisdom traditions of India represented by the Bhagavad-Gita and using an existing Sanskrit vocabulary his disciples could understand, the Buddha created a school that would draw millions of Vedic Hindus away from the varnashram world-view and towards an entirely different way of behaving and believing.

The Eightfold Path of Buddhism, also called the Middle Path or Middle Way, is the system of following these eight divisions of the path to achieve spiritual enlightenment and cease suffering. Most of what we know of the Buddha's beliefs on Brahmanism is derived from the Pali Canon, a written record of his teachings compiled in 29 B.C., some 500 years after his advent. There one may find the essence of his teachings and an explanation of the Eightfold Path.

His 8 principles of living are as follows:

• Right understanding: Understanding that the Four Noble Truths are noble and true.

• Right thought: Determining and resolving to practice Buddhist faith.

• Right speech: Avoiding slander, gossip, lying, and all forms of untrue and abusive speech.

• Right conduct: Adhering to the idea of nonviolence (ahimsa), as well as refraining from any form of stealing or sexual impropriety.

• Right means of making a living: Not slaughtering animals or working at jobs that force you to cause violence others.

• Right mental attitude or effort: Avoiding negative thoughts and emotions, such as anger and jealousy.

• Right mindfulness: Having a clear sense of one’s mental state and bodily health and feelings.

• Right concentration: Using meditation to reach the highest level of enlightenment.

Buddha's Rejection of Brahminism and Vedic Traditions

Gautama found it important to share the wisdom of his truth-seeking with others and invited them to seek out the truth that he himself had found. He thought that it was unnecessary to worship any gods to attain enlightenment. He therefore rejected the authority of the brahmanas. If one could attain enlightenment by following the above principles what was the use of following rituals or going to temples?

While Buddha himself borrowed from the teachings of the Vedas, he rejected their authority. Just as one need no priests to attain enlightenment, books were also unnecessary. The Vedas, as founding texts of brahmanism, may have predated Gautama Buddha by 500 to 1,000 years, but while Brahmans held to the Vedas exclusively and dogmatically, the Pali Canon records the Buddha as all but dismissing the Vedas as mere hearsay. What need of any divine authority when divinity itself is merely another construct of the ego? The dissolution of ego requires no divine intervention. One need only follow the eight-fold path to understand the four noble truths and rid oneself forever of the illusion of reality.

Instead of taking authority at face value, the Buddha believed in seeking the truth personally, independently and rationally. A public oppressed by the arcane rituals of brahmanism began to accept his teachings. After his passing, his school was warmly accepted by a large number of people and came to be known as Buddhism.

Maharaja Ashoka and the Rise of Buddhism in the Asian Subcontinent

Ashoka Column at Vaishali, India

Brahmanism and Buddhism were rivals for the hearts and minds of the Indian people for many centuries and Buddhism might have been relegated to the dustbin of history as just another fad, had it not been for the intervention of Maharaja Ashoka.

King Ashoka was the grandson of the great Chandragupta who founded what is called the “Mauryan dynasty.” The son of Raja Bindusara, Maharaja Ashoka was crowned king in 268 B.C. He ruled until 233 B.C., according to the stone inscriptions, carved stelae, and huge pillars bearing his name and edicts found throughout the Indian subcontinent.

Ashoka ruled peacefully for almost a decade when he entered into a protracted war against the kingdom of Kalinga in modern-day Orissa. The war was costly. Ashoka was deeply moved by the slaughter and the horrors of war. Appalled by all the bloodshed, the young king renounced violence. Ashoka accepted Buddhist practice and began to promote its teachings.

He built huge shrines and monasteries throughout his kingdom. 

Maharaja Ashoka inscribed Buddhist teachings in stone for all to see and take heed. Ashokan missionaries took the message of the Buddha to faraway lands. The scribes among the Greeks and Egyptians record his ancient pleas for nonviolence and adherence to the eightfold path of Gautama.

Ashokan Missionaries set up an edict at Lauchiya Nandagarh, 244. BC

In time his son became a monk and brought the Buddhist school to Sri Lanka, where it is still the major line of thought. While Maharaja Ashoka himself propounded the eightfold path of Buddha he was tolerant of other religious points of view and did not make war on brahmanism. Thus Buddhism took root throughout the Asian subcontinent during his rule.