Mahayana Buddhism and Bhakti Movement

Introduction

The term “bhakti” symbolises passion or devotion for the divine. The motive of the Bhakti Movement was to emphasise the mystical union of the individual with God. Even though the main seeds of bhakti can be easily found in the Vedas, it was not stressed upon during the early period. The concept of devotion to God was developed in the 6th century BC, along with the wisdom of the unorthodox movements of Jainism and Buddhism.

Under Mahayana Buddhism, the Buddha began to be worshipped in his avalokita (gracious) form. The worship of Lord Vishnu also gained importance at the same time and was popularised to a large extent through the Gupta Kings.

Beginning of the Bhakti Movement

The Shaiva and Vaishnava devotional groups gave new expressions of devotion and emphasis through the Nayanars and Alvars of South India. According to tradition, there were 63 Nayanars and 12 Alvars. The period from the 8th to the 18th centuries was dedicated only to the Bhakti Movement, where some Muslim and Hindu saints evolved as the messiahs of Bhakti and taught people about transitioning life from normalcy to enlightenment through salvation.

Many scholars believe that the beginning of the Bhakti Movement was a reaction to the Rajput-Brahmin domination and feudal oppression.

• Some scholars believe that the rise of the movement was an effect of the socio-economic changes that occurred in the early mediaeval period
• During the 13th and 14th centuries, the demand for goods increased, which led to the migration of artisans in the cities
• The Bhakti Movement gained support from such types of classes of society since they were not satisfied with the low status that was given to them by the Brahmanical system
• Hence, they turned towards devotion, i.e., bhakti, since its only focus was equality

Although there is no one opinion about the beginning and origin of the Bhakti movement, there is an agreement over the fact that this movement was only based on the concepts of equality and devotional surrender to a personally-conceived supreme God.

Salient Features of the Bhakti Movement

• The Bhakti Movement was based on the principles of monotheism, and it criticised idol worship
• The Bhakti supporters believed in freedom from the cycle of life and death. The movement preached that salvation could only be attained through faith in God and by deep devotion
• They emphasised the importance of self-surrender to obtain the grace and bliss of God
• They also valued the significance of Gurus who acted as preceptors and guides

The Spread of Buddhism

Buddhists mainly focus on three traditions: the Mahayana or Northern tradition, the Vajrayana Tibetan tradition, and the Theravada or Southern tradition.

• Over the years, Buddhism began to spread southwards from the place of its origin in Northern India to Sri Lanka, Burma, Indo-China, Thailand, and many other Southeast Asian countries
• It was also spread northwards to Kashmir, Afghanistan, along with the silk road situated in the Himalayan kingdoms (Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim), Mongolia, Tibet, and many other parts of Central Asia
• It was a fortunate development as Buddhism died out in India after the Muslim incursions of the 11th century CE
• In later times, the spread of communism virtually destroyed Buddhism from some countries where it was strongly established, such as China, Tibet, Mongolia, and Vietnam
• Nowadays, Buddhism is attracting an increasing following in Europe and the Americas. In Asia, it is thriving in countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Japan, and Korea

Chinese Buddhist Pilgrims

• I-Qing, Xuan Zang, and Fa Xran were famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrims that visited India to explore the places associated with the life of the Buddha
• These Buddhist pilgrims also visited monasteries related to the Buddha
• They also left accounts of their entire journey
• In the account of their journey, they mentioned the dangers that they faced when they were on the way to the monasteries and the books they carried while visiting these places

Bodhisattvas

Bodhisattvas are those individuals who are on the path to becoming Buddhas and attaining salvation. In Sanskrit, the word Bodhisattva means “a person who intends to become a Buddha.” They are in one of the ten realms whose teachings are involved in Buddhism.

List of Bodhisattvas

Some of the most important Bodhisattvas are mentioned below.

Avalokiteshvara

• Avalokiteshvara is the Bodhisattva of compassion
• It is also called Guanyin which means “perceiver of all sounds
• It is depicted as a female who is holding a lotus in her hands
• It has been deeply described in the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra is the most important text of Mahayana Buddhism
• The Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva hears the cries and prayers of all and helps them by offering them the needed aid
• The Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva sculptures have a common Buddhist saying written on them. It can be translated as “The Buddha has explained the cause of all things that arise from a cause. He, the great monk, has also explained their cessation

 Maitreya

• Maitreya is the Bodhisattva who is of the future
• It is suspected that this Bodhisattva is not a Buddha and still resides in the Tusita Heaven. The Tusita Heaven is one of the popular realms of Buddhist cosmology
• A popular and famous representation of the Maitreya is the Laughing Buddha
• The Laughing Buddha is said to be the incarnation of Maitreya

Manjushri

• Manjushri is the Bodhisattva who is of wisdom
• It is one of the most significant and iconic figures under Mahayana Buddhism
• The study rooms, libraries, and meditation halls of Buddhist monasteries often contain images of Manjushri
• Manjushri is respected as one of the four greatest Bodhisattvas in Chinese Buddhism