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There were many great disciples of buddha like Sariputta and Ananda. these disciples helped spread buddhas teachings, and how they reached enlightenment is very fascinating. they always worked with compassion and wisdom to bring peace to the society. their teachings continue to inspire till todays times. now lets see,  The top 10 important disciples of the buddha. Buddha had 10 principal disciples, like they were the 10 important disciples of buddha. these were: 1. Ananda: Ananda was the first cousin of the buddha. he is considered in one of the 10 important disciples of buddha. And Anand was buddha’s favorite disciple. Ananda had a very good memory, and could remember things in detail and clearly than others. Ananda was a attendant of the buddha, that’s why he was there all the time with buddha, (Ananda’s conditions on buddha) because of this he had almost all the discourses given my buddha in his mind, which helped to become the key figure in first Buddhist council. Anand was also the person who requested buddha to start the bhikkhuni sangha when Mahāpajāpati Gotamī had asked buddha to include her in the sangha. 2. Sariputta:  Sariputta was born in an brhamin family, so he was already in the field of spiritualism. he came to know about buddha because of Assaji. Assaji explained Sariputa the dhamma in very short sentences which made him go to the buddha and take his teachings. he became fully enlightened person and also became the buddhas right hand. 3. Moggallāna: His birth name was kolita. he is considered as the second important disciple of buddha, first being the Sariputa. mogallana came in contact also because of Assaji. as Assaji told sariputa, here the sariputa and mogallana were good friends, and when he came to knew that he established himself in buddha’s sangha, he too came into buddha’s sangha and became the left hand of the buddha. it is said that mogallana was very good in psychic powers. Devadatta was a cousin of buddha, when he joined the bhikkhu sangha, he made some new rules in the sangha which were more extreme than the silas which were previously made, this created a break in bhikkhu sangha, and Devadatta took some of his disciples with him, mogallana had also gone with him, but to bring the other disciples back to the buddha. 4. Upāli: upali is also considered as one of top 10 chief disciples of buddha. when first buddhist council happened he was in charge of revising the Vinaya pitaka. upali was from a barber community. he had met buddha when he was still a child. he was very serious in the field of sprituality, he was a master in Vinayaka pitaka. 5. Mahākāśyapa: He was born in an brahman family. he used to follow a more disciplined life than others, like he didn’t even used to sleep in monsastaries but would sleep under the tree. when buddha and other disciples were invited for a feast in homes, kassapya would also avoid going for these invitations, he used to only go for alams. he lead by example and became an example for other disciples of buddha. mahakasyapa was the leader of the first buddhist council after the buddha’s maha pari nirvana. 6. Rahul: Rahul was the son of Sidharth, and the only son of Siddhartha. he had a deeper connection with the buddhas life than you can imagine. at the time of birth of rahula, buddha was ready to leave the household life, but as his son born, it became a obstacle in the path to find the answer that could lead one to end the cycle of samsara. that’s why he named his son as rahula, as obstacle, which means as obstacle. he became a monk at a very young age and became enlightened at the age of 18. 7. Subhuti: subhuti was born in an wealthy family. he was a relative of anathpindaka he understood the concept of emptiness very well. he became a monk after he heard the discourse of buddha in jetvana monastery. he became an arhant while practising loving-kindness. 8. Purna Maitrayaniputra: Purna Maitrayaniputra was born in Donavatthu which was near somewhere kapilvastu. he came from a family of nobles. it is said that purna maitrayaniputra’s mother Mantānī was sister of kondanna (one of the first five disciples of the buddha). he used to teach in a fantastic way, which one could understand. in the times of buddha, he really helped in spreading of the buddhas teachings. it is said that he became sotapana. he is also considered one of the top 10 important disciples of buddha. 9. Katyayana: katyayana is listed as one of the top 10 important disciple of buddha. katyayana was born in an brahman family. his father was appointed as a advisor for the king Candapradyota, ruler of the state of Avanti. his skin used to look like gold when he was born, so he was named by his parents as Kañcanamānava, which meant ‘young man with golden colored skin’. after his father death, katyayana became the advisor of the same king. the king Candapradyota requested katyayana and 6 others to go to the buddha and invite buddha to the avanti. all seven were preached by the buddha and became enlightened. 10. Anuruddha: Anuruddha was a cousin of buddha. so he was also exposed to the royal prestige’s. he became a fully enlightened being. he was thought by buddha directly and is considered as one of the top 10 most important disciples of the buddha. when buddha was on his brink of maha pari nibbana, anuruddha was also present there, consoling monks and lay people as buddha was going through the maha pari nibbana.   Buddha visiting his five old friends Image by Nomu420, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. lets learn about,  The first five disciples of the buddha, they are as follows: After realizing the enlightenment, Buddha thought others should also benefit from his wisdom and what he achieved, then he remembered his 5 …

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Best books on buddhism In 2024 Buddhism started around 500 BCE. If calculated, it dates back to 2500 years ago. Buddhism also known as art of life, it was founded by sidhartha. Also known as buddha Or Gautam buddha. This gautama before buddha is added as a respect to the buddha. His original name was sidhartha but as a respect because his aunts name was gauatama, she had raised sidhartha after her mothers death. When you will start to learn about buddhism, there will be alot of doubts and misconceptions in your mind about it like whether it is a religion? is it a philosophy? is it a art of life? is it based on science? is it beneficial?       In buddhas times, when buddha used to give sermons, large number of people used to come to listen to the buddha. Once a person came and said I want to know what is your dhamma, but tell me few words what is your dhamma (teaching). Buddha says to him in very little words of what buddhism teaches, in words of pali – ” sabba paapa saa aaakarangan, khusalasa uppa sam pada, sachit pariyod dapanan, yeta buddha na sasaana” In English it means – this will be the teachings of all the buddhas, whenever there will be buddha he teaching will only include this which is, Buddha says ” sabba paapa saa aaakaranan” which means refrain from doing all kinds of bad deeds or in different words unwholesome actions, those actions which harms self and all the other being, further he says “khusalassa upasampada” Which means do all kinds of good dead or in other words “wholesome actions”, and further buddha says ” Sachit pariyodapanan ” Which means purify your mind to the deepest level, “yeta buddha na sasanan” This is what buddha teaches. Buddhism’s goal is to come out of suffering. It’s will come to you in practical ways, in audios, in text, you will find it in which form you are trying to find it in. Main buddhas teachings are 4 noble truths and 8 fold noble paths The teachings are so valuable, it is also necessary that you have a pretty good knowledge about books and you might find your path and answers you have been looking for all your life. There are so many books on Buddhism, it can be overwhelming on where to start. But don’t worry, I am going to provide books which are both for beginners friendly and which are easy to understand, And when you will make decision on what books to read, listen to your instincts, listen to your heart, ask yourself where you are in life and what you need to know right now from Buddhism.  so here are some of the best books on Buddhism.   1. CLASSIC TEXTS FROM BUDDHISM   A. Tripitak. This book is also considered to be the most original texts of Buddhism, This book is divided into 3 divisions, 1st is vinaya pitaka, which contains rules for monks. 2nd sutta pitaka Or dhammapada, it contains all the discourses and sermons of the buddha, 3rd is abhi dhamma, it talks about metaphysics and around scriptures of the buddha. If you wish to read this book ask yourself from 3, which one first you want to read and you feel excited to read about and go foreword with it. I have linked them here. vinaya pitaka , Sutta pitaka , AbhiDhamma Pitaka  B. Dhammapada : The teachings of the buddha As I said earlier, this book contains all teachings of the buddha, his sermons, lessons, etc. there have various books of these which are available in the market, or you can order this from Amazon. This book is perfect for people who are just new to Buddhism and just wants to get some information on buddha. C. The heart sutra : mahayana Buddhist text. There are 3 branches of Buddhism. All three follow different paths to enlightenment. Maha means big/large. Yana means vehicle. This book is very popular in today’s time, fairly because it has a topic of emptiness. You can give it a go, it’s a very interesting book.   MODERN WORK ON BUDDHISM   A. “What the buddha thought” By walpola Rahula Walpola has tried to bring out the basic understanding concepts of Buddhism in this book so that it’s beginners friendly. He has tried to explain complex subjects into simple language. It’s a great read for beginners.   B. “The miracle of mindfulness” by thich nhat hanh This book is written by Zen master thich nhat hanh. He has given practical advices on mindfulness in this book, which is good for the beginners to see its effects on your life. He uses normal daily situations to turn those as opportunities for practicing mindfulness, it’s s very good book for reading and gaining knowledge for mindfulness.   C. “Buddhism beliefs” By Stephen. Buddhism beliefs is a fantastic work by Stephen. He writes in this book that Buddhism is not just merely a religion or a set of rules, but it’s a way of life, an art of life. Not a religion but a philosophy for people. This book will shock you and will make you think about your realities.   BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE BOOKS   A. “The Art of Happiness” By dalai Lama. Dalai lama shows practical steps in this book on how to be happy, the art of happiness. He shows how using compassion and empathy can make yourself happy. He has given various personal examples which can connect with the readers. It’s a fascinating book to read   B. “Zen mind, beginner’s mins” By shunryu This book is classic in Zen Buddhism practice. This book involves various Zen practices, it’s very valuable for the beginners, as it also has a concept of cultivation of beginners mind. It’s an fantastic book to read who are curious about Zen Buddhism and want to get into it.   C. “The heart of …

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10 best books on Buddhist philosophy In 2024 1. when things fall apart is a book written by pema Chodron.  it says wisdom of how to get out of those troubles which you feel you cannot get out of. this book shows from a Buddhist perspective of how to deal with pain , uncertainty , and fear. And making people realize to how to deal with these emotions and how to use them as a opportunity for growth. Chodron says to focus on generating compassion and open heartedness when faced when irritation. her message says of what to do when emotions take over you and how to become detached from things which makes you suffer and find peace. true happiness according to the book, it says true happiness is accepting the things as they are and not like the things you wish you want it. 2. The things you can only see when you slow down; how to be calm in a busy world. this book is written by haemin sunim. this book is a guide book, for people to find mindfulness and peace in the ever busy world we live in. the author says from his point of view and a view of the Korean Buddhist teacher where they show that slowing down and being more present in present helps to create more deeper connections with people and with yourself as well. the author has a straightforward nature and shows what are the real initials of loving your life, nature of working and spiritual aspect. it provides readers and encourages readers to develop calmness, compassion-full and being balance in the state of chaos. 3.why Buddhism is true by Robert wright. This book talks why human mind suffers. one of the important factors of Buddhism is mindfulness and impermanenc,  in this book he talks about meditation, importance of self awareness and how to do it, and talks about the illusion/delusion of self. that there is no self which exists. 4. The Art Of Happiness this book by Dalai lama and psychiatrist Howard both tells about the secret of living a happy life by using Tibet’s Buddhist practices with also including westerns psychology. it shows on the fact that the hart of being happy is not so out of our control but is a skill and can be developed through practice, by doing things in compassionate, kind and being mindful. Dalai lama teaches in this book on how to handle negative emotions, how to face challenges, and the art of happiness. it also teaches that way to happiness is always there and always there for anyone who tries for it. 5. the Dhammapada. This book contains the words of buddha on the path to enlightenment. this is one of the best books to have written in Buddhism according to me, the one who is writing this blog. this book contains stories and instances from buddha life, and fairly good info on practical techniques from Buddhism, lessons from Buddhism, this book will take you to the buddhas time period. will make you forget where you are and will make you immerse in it. you wont feel like stopping from reading. 6. peace is every step: the path of mindfulness in everyday life. this book shows on how to use mindfulness in daily life. this book is written by thich nhat hanh. this books tells you to be aware at all times of present moment while doing activities like walking, eating sitting, etc. he gives practical guidance on how to develop mindfulness in everyday life. being emotionally intelligent by being aware of your emotions, tension and people surrounding us. he says that wherever you are in life, you can achieve peace through simple steps. 7. buddhism without beliefs – by Stephen batchelor This book has taken merely a secular approach on Buddhism. this books has shown the philosophical part and practical things about Buddhism. he showed that how Buddhism is a way to live a ethical life and practical life. 8. what the buddha taught, by walpola rahula. This book teaches the fundamental aspects of Buddhism of what buddha taught. this books teaches about 4 noble truths, the eight fold paths , karma and nirvana. Rahul made sure to tell this that Buddhism in very practical, logical way  and liberation from misery. this is basically for beginners who are new to Buddhism and want to explore Buddhism. this book offers clear and simple explanations for a beginner to understand. 9. Siddhartha by Hermann hesse This book by Hesse is a timeless classic. this book tries to show the spiritual journey of self discovery on the path to enlightenment. this book is based on an Indian man, none other than Siddhartha. who had no interest in materialistic things or any other religious aspects of that time. in this book, buddhas life story has been written related to all the aspects the 4 things he saw which led him realize that life is suffering, his experience in learning in meditations from teachers, personal challenges. 10. think like a monk This book is filled with jay Shetty’s wisdom of words and how to have a monks mindset. his book is popular among todays generation as he have experience in  becoming a monk, he shares techniques on how to overcome negativity, release of stress and how to develop purpose. the techniques which he has learned from teachers.  he have broken down in practical steps. there are so many places, which can give you practical knowledge along with theoretical, which we conduct to take people to those Buddhist places.  you should know about samrat ashok, one of the greatest kings india witnessed.                                                                                            

Ashoka was also known as Ashoka the great. his full name according to the historical text is Ashoka Maurya. he was born around 304 – 232 BCE. was born in pataliputra which is modern day Patna. Patna comes in Bihar. pataliputra was a city in Magadha empire. he was the third ruler of the Maurya dynasty. his empire covered from present day Afghanistan in the west to the present day Bangladesh in the east. he was the son of the Bindusara. his land had a total range of 5 million square kilometers  the kulinga war was the major factor in his life which turned him away from violence to accepting Buddhism. the Kalinga took place in 262 BCE and ended in 261 BCE.  this war was fought with kalinga king. it was a independent kingdom in eastern region, which is located in the present day Odisha. it is taken into account that the battle happened in dhauli. The kalinga was is considered as one of the deadliest battles in the Indian history. its is estimated that nearly 250000 people died in the Kalinga war. many traditions say that Samrat Ashok was a cruel king before Buddhism. especially said by shri-Lankan and north Indian traditions. he was called by various names as the time went by.At first he was called as kamashoka, as first he spend years in pleasurable pursuits, and as time went on, he was called as Chand Ashoka as he did very evil acts, and as the time went on he was called as dhammahoka, after his conversion to Buddhism. when Kalinga war ended in 261 BCE, he saw that after the war many people lost their loved ones and suffering of people after the war, there he saw a monk who was unaffected by all the destruction of the war. this helped him to become curious about Buddhism and compassion.  it is also mentioned in some texts that he was already a buddhist follower before the kalinga war, it has shown that he had a gradual changes along the years, the main point was after the kalinga war. The Story of Rebellion at Taxila The city of Taxila was a famous city, in the maurya empire. it is located in present day Pakistan. Taxila in its time was known as major learn center in india, also known for its culture and trade. this story of rebellion goes this way – that peoples of Taxila were not happy with the officials of their city, for which they revolted heavily against their officials. When king Bindusara got to know about this problem, and to solve this he sent his son to solve the problem. his Ashoka, the legend of ashokavadana, also goes this way that the king gave Ashoka the army to go solve problem, but he didn’t gave any weapons. the Ashoka said that if he was a truly worthy of being king the weapons would follow up to their hands, and then gods came from heaven and gave guns to the Ashoka. when Ashoka reached there, the people of Taxila said to the Ashoka that they were not against the king Bindusara butthey were only against the local officials. As the story of gods is mythcal in this case, but it also shows that his father might be against him so that he could fail.  if you want to know about top 10 buddhist books you can visit this blog: https://ariyotours.com/top-10-buddhist-books/

Bakhtiyar Khilji is also known as ikhtiyar ad-Din Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji. Bakhtiyar Khilji was not a ruler but he worked under the Ghurid empire. he was the military general of the Ghurid empire. he was also the governor of the of the Ghurid empire. it means he had significant power on the regions he conquered, regions like Bengal and Bihar. the ghurid empire was run by the ruler Muhammad Ghori. Bakhtiyar belonged to the Khilji tribe and when he started to work in the empire, at first he was a minor military leader but as the time went on, he became main military general, as he was brave and strategic thinker. he attacked Bengal in 1203, specifically the sena dynasty. he captured the land of Nadia (modern day nabadwip). it was a surprise attack from the Bakhtiyar Khilji, which led to the down fall of the sena dynasty and then the Bakhtiyar Khilji became the first Muslim ruler. his attack on Nalanda university is one of the well known throughout the world. he destroyed Nalanda university as well as Vikramashila university in 1193. these universities belonged to the Buddhist studies, which was a learning center of the world. it had vast amount of library full of books. with his expansion in Bengal and bihar, he tried to establish more and tried to capture the land of assam but he faced defeat by Ahom kingdom. this defeat also attacked his image. he got defeated in assam, which led to the down fall of the Bakhtiyar Khilji. conflicts among themselves started to increase, his management of his empire weakened, ultimately seeing his downfall, he was killed by his own officer Ali mardan.  if you want to know more about khilji dynasty, you can visit: https://ariyotours.com/what-is-the-short-summary-of-khilji-dynasty/

question :how did alauddin khilji expand his empire? Answer : Alauddin Khilji was the nephew of the jalal-ud-din Khilji. he killed jalal-ud-din Khilji in 1296 AD. Alauddin Khilji Ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1296 to 1316 AD. he was one of the most notable rules in the Khilji dynasty. he had a good idea about the economy and government policies. he introduced new government policies like price control, regulated the marketing by making sure there was a stable source of income. he also made sure that taxes were collected effectively which in turn again helped his empire work constantly and contributed to his military campaigns. because of this the management of military was on rise and helped him win many battles. northern state: he expanded his empire in northern states and captured the MALWA and GUJRAT. here Gujrat was a good region because of its wealth and trade. In 1301, he had a war against Rajput kingdoms. he attacked Chittorgarh and got Chittorgarh under his control. southern state: he also expanded his empire in southern states of India like yadava kingdom of Devagiri (modern Maharashtra) in 1308 AD, he also captured hoysala empire in 1311 AD. it was a wealthy empire in Karnataka. he defeated Pandya kingdom in 1311 AD as well which comes in Tamil Nadu region. this is how he brought southern states under his empire. He made sure he is well protected by making sure that there were military in border. because of the Mongol invasions. he made such administrative decisions, which made sure that his current empires remain protected and safe and also helped him win more regions as well. Alauddin Khilji was smart enough to not give all the powers to his nobles and religious leaders. here nobles means high rank officials and military leaders of his army. he was strict with his leaders and nobles. he used tough methods to keep them under his control. he also married local families which helped him increase his influence. one of the proofs that his administration was well structured was that he was successful in defending against Mongol invasions. alauddin Khilji was a Muslim ruler but he still allowed other faith to be followed in his region, for example:- Hindus. which helped him by have no resistance in his rule of the empire. if you want to know what happened to Alauddin Khilji after Padmavati died you can visit this page: https://ariyotours.com/what-happened-to-alauddin-khilji-after-padmavati-died/

The Khilji dynasty is also known as Khalji dynasty. there were total three rules in Khilji dynasty. The Khilji dynasty was from 1290 to 1320 AD. 1. jalal-ud-din Khilji (1290 to 1296 AD)2. Alauddin Khilji (1296-1316 AD)3. Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah (1316 -1320 AD) 1.Khilji dynasty which was founded by jalal-ud-din Khilji in 1290 AD. he ruled on delhi sultanate from 1290 to 1296 AD. IN 1296 Jalal-ud-din Khilji was killed by Alauddin Khilji, Alauddin Khilji was his nephew. “Portrait of Sultan ‘Ala-ud-Din Khalji, Padshah of Delhi”Late 17th century, IndiaThe MET Museum Collection. Public Domain.Source link 2. Alauddin Khilji Was the most Notable rulers of the Khilji dynasty. Alauddin Khilji also appears in the padmavat poem written by Malik Muhammad jayasi. the poem was also about how Alauddin attacked on Chittor for queen Padmavati.  he introduced systems so that his empire ran smoothly and performed well. he made sure that tax was given by the people and collected effectively as possible so that his region worked smoothly. he won many lands by doing strategic attacks and won many southern areas of India including Gujrat. Alauddin Khilji was killed by his own son Qutb-ud-din Mubarak shah in 1316 AD. 3. Qutb-ud-din Mubarak shah ruled the dynasty from 1316 to 1320 AD. As said before, he was the son of Alauddin Khilji. compared to the previous both rules of Khilji dynasty, the dynasty ran by qutb-ud-din was the weakest. the government management and process were not effective and very poorly managed. there was a constant dis-agreement between the executives, nobles and officials and military leaders. which lead to poor management of the empire. his dynasty saw a decrease in power of the military which resulted in both internal and external threats. the Qutb-ud-din Mubarak shah was killed by his own general Ghazi Malik and from there on the Tughlaq dynasty began.  there was someone who had killed bakhtiyar khilji, you can visit this page for more info: https://ariyotours.com/who-killed-bakhtiyar-khilji/

question – What happened to alauddin Khilji after Padmavati died?Answer – after capturing the Chittorgarh, when he learned that queen padvati had done Jauhar, he was disappointed as his whole purpose of capturing the Chittorgarh was to achieve the queen Padmavati. Alauddin Khilji was the ruler of Khilji empire, he ruled on Delhi’s Muslim dynasty of India from 1296 to 1316 AD. alauddin Khilji expanded his empire by winning battles and taking lands, he conquered Gujrat and many in southern India. by using strategies he expanded his empire. he knew plenty about how to handle the economy. he introduced systems which helped to manage inflations which will not increase the price suddenly, and helped to decrease the corruption among officials. he handled his religion, by making good govt systems and also he made sure that taxes were collected as well so that his empire kept running smoothly. he contributed his work for making amazing things around Qutub minar, like alai Darwaja. According to the legend Alauddin Khilji was curious to see the queen Padmavati, according to the poem she was a queen of the place Chittorgarh and she was the wife of the king ratan Singh.he saw her in a reflection of a mirror, after this he asked the king to give the queen to him as a sign of the peace between them but it didn’t happened. after that he attacked on the Chittorgarh and captured it so that he could get the queen. but, before he could capture , the queen and all the other women  committed the Jauhar. Jauhar is when in the times of ancient India where Rajputs faced defeats, the women did Jauhar so that she couldn’t be enslaved. in order to save their honor women used to jump in a big fire. there were three rules in Khilji dynasty . as this end, i think you could be also interested in learning little about the glorious period of Nalanda university. 

Nalanda was considered as the symbol and a reason for the most glorious period in our Indian history. Nalanda university attracted students and scholars from all over the world like Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Shri Lanka, south east Asia, central Asia and Persia. Nalanda was also known as one of the first residential universities of the world. it was also known as learning center of the world. Nalanda university was at its peak from 5th century to 12th century CE.   Photo by Odantapuribs, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). link to license   Nalanda university dates back to lord buddha and Mahavira. it taught Mahayana Buddhism and Buddhist teachings was the central score of the Nalanda university to spread Buddhist philosophy. Nalanda also included other religious teachers teachings as well, like Jain Mahavira where teaching and religious activities of Jainism was common in Nalanda university. the Sariputra, one of the chief disciples of buddha was born near Nalanda area at the time of the 2500 centuries ago. Sariputra’s wisdom had a influence in the later parts of Nalanda university. Gupta period (approximately between 4th to 6th century CE ) was one of the reason for establishing Nalanda university. by the support of kumara Gupta I, Nalanda became the symbol of the learning center of the world. it had so many great teacher in nalanda university. Even Prime minister modi himself said that Nalanda is a ancient seat of learning. he also said that even if you can burn the books of Nalanda, but you cant burn the knowledge the Nalanda has given us.   Nalanda had great ranges of education given on various subjects. the subjects include – geometry, algebra, astronomy, medicine, buddhist philosophy and logic. some of the famous teachers were associated with Nalanda university, like 1. Xuanzang : he was a Chinese scholar who studied in Nalanda university in 7th century. he documented and stored the knowledge of Nalanda university, and even beautifully explained the Nalanda university at that time. 2. dhamakriti: he lived around 6 century CE. he was another great teacher of Nalanda university. he was a logician in Nalanda university. like this there were many scholar and teachers who used to come to Nalanda university, from all over the word. The Nalanda had a huge impact on east Asia. it helped spread Mahayana buddhism in across east Asia, like china, korea, Japan, Tibet. the knowledge in Nalanda was structured and and taught in a organized manner. the Nalanda was in work for a continuous 800 years. Jeffrey E. Garten, he is a dean of Yale school of management. he wrote in newyork times, that Nalanda was one of the first great universities in recorded history. it eas devoted to buddhist studies but it also trained students in fine arts, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, politics and the art of war. ( source: Jeffrey E. garten, new York times, December 9, 2006) The university was in its times, the architectural as well as environmentally a masterpiece. it had number of things – eight separate compounds, 10 temples, meditation halls, classrooms, lakes and parks. it had a 9 floor library where monks meticulously copied books so that they could have their own collections. you can reach this Nalanda site by various way, like by plane, or train. we as buddhist tours take people to the Nalanda university, including this to other sites where buddha used to travel. for more info you can visit on this website: https://ariyotours.com/buddhist-tour-packages-from-mumbai/ it also becomes more sacred because the birth of sariputra was born near Nalanda university. according to the buddhist philosopher Taranath, Ashoka worshipped the chaitya of sariputa and made a temple in his name. the Gupta empire flourished the growth of Nalanda university. the monasteries at the Nalanda university were the creation of Nalanda university.    

with which great religious teacher is nalanda associated?The great religious teacher of Nalanda university is Gautama the buddha. historical texts shows that both buddha and Mahavira visited the Nalanda university in 5th and 6th century.  Nalanda university dates back to the times of buddha and Mahavira (5th century to 6th century BCE).  its located in the modern day Bihar. it was founded by kamargupta I in around 5th century CE, (450 CE), Kamargypta I is also called as father of nalanda university. it is believed that there were 2000 teachers and more than ten thousand teachers.  buddha gave his one of the important teachings here in rajgir which is near to Nalanda, like  lotus sutra and prajnaparamita sutra. The first ever monastery gifted to buddha was by king bimbiasara in rajgir, that’s why this place holds strong in Buddhist followers. the first Buddhist council was initiated after the death of gautama the buddha around 483 BCE , and it was again in rajgir at saptaparni cave. it was a group of 500 arahant monks. in Nalanda university, many subjects were taught, like astronomy, medicine(ayurveda), grammar, metaphysics, logic, philosophy of language. it is also said that there were 30,000 Buddhist monks in Nalanda university. Many people ask, to which religion the nalanda belonged to, well based on information, its says that it belonged to buddhist religion.there are various instances that it showed that it belonged to Buddhism – 1. Archaeological Proofs:  numerous buddha statues has been found, There are many Buddhist deities have been found. 2. Chinese pilgrimage document: it shows that Chinese Buddhist monks like Xuanzang and Yijing, have documented and described their experience in Nalanda university.  3. Its Terminology : The name ”Nalanda Mahavira” when translated, its meaning is ”Great Buddhist Monastery”. this itself shows that it belonged to Buddhist religion.  Little INFO about the buddhist monks who described The Nalanda University:  1. XUANZANG : XUANZANG is a Chinese monk who had visited Nalanda university in 7th century. when he came and experienced the bliss of Nalanda university he documented and stored the knowledge he experience by writing in which he has described how Nalanda was a a Buddhist belonged university by showing Buddhist texts and teachings. he was one of the scholar students in nalanda university.  2. I-Tsing: Another monk who had visited the Nalanda university and confirmed it belonged to Buddhism by his texts. he was also a Chinese monk who lived around 6th to 7th century BCE. he is known for his travel in India to study about Buddhism.   3. ARCHELOGOGICAL EVIDENCE : discovery of Nalanda university has founded many thing from it. from the archeological evidence, we found the numerous stupas, monasteries and viharas that belonged to buddha. we got buddha statue and even of bodhisattvas. Image by Hideyuki Kamon, licensed under Creative commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 generic   Over the years there were many other religious teachers associated with Nalanda university, they are as follows: Image of Chandrakirti Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.    1. Chandra Kriti (600 – 650 C.E.) he was one of the significant person in Buddhist philosophy. he served as a teacher and a scholar in Nalanda university. one of the most prominent thing which he taught of Mahayana Buddhism is the concept of Madhyamaka which meant middle path and not going on extremes of both sides and another concept of madhyamaka was known as ”sunyata” or ”emptiness” 2.  silabhadra (lived between 6th and 7th century) he was a highly respected teacher in Nalanda university for teaching Buddhist philosophy. One of his famous Buddhist studies he taught was Yogacara also known as ‘mind-only’ school. it showed that everything we experience, is a construction of our mind. sidenote: in this context ‘school’ denotes tradition or system of thought within Buddhism. Cropped From Nagarjuna With 84 Mahasiddhas Via Himalayan Art Resources 3. Nagarjuna- lived between 2nd and 3rd century (150 – 250 CE ). he was a buddhist monk and Mahayana buddhist philosopher and is considered to one of the greatest thinkers in history of Asian continent. he taught a alot of various things. one of them was using the concept taught by buddha which is ”the dependent-origination law”, he used this law to explain how things in this universe came into being. he also contributed to the concept of sunyata (emptiness) and madhyama pratipad. one of the best disciples of Nagarjuna was, The Arya deva. he is known for his development in the field of madhyamaka, also known as the middle way. Arya deva helped to simplify the concept of sunyata which can be easily understood by the wider audience. 4. Buddhapalita  – Buddhapalita was a 5th century Buddhist teacher and a philosopher. he is mostly recognized for his notable commentary on mulamadhyamakavrtti (fundamental verses on the middle way), which means it was a central text of madhyamaka school of Nagarjuna’s, in simple words his commentary on Nagarjuna’s middle school which he though of Mahayana Buddhist teachings of sunyata. sunyata basically meant that everything this this universe was empty as showing the world was made on dependent-origination. Buddhapalita commented on this by making this complex teaching in simple way for people to understand. he taught people Nagarjuna’s teaching in simple manner so that they could understand. he said that Nagarjuna said that everything in this universe is dependent on something, and they don’t exist on their own. he proved this by using someone’s ideas and reaching to a conclusion which didn’t make any sense and seemed impossible. 5.  dharmakriti (600 – 660 CE) another great teacher in Nalanda university. dharmakriti was a logician and made huge contribution in buddhist epistemology and logic. he was good in pramana, which means whether the sources of the knowledge we acquire are tru or not and how to identify them whether they are true or not. dharmakriti refered as there are three primary sources of primary knowledge. a. perception – direct experience. it means you have experienced it directly and there is no need to ask from someone else. …

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