HUMA 1846 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Sacred Language, Asceticism
8 Nov 2016
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Huma 1846 lecture #7 (oct. 21st) (review) Some of this applies to jainism as well. 1) improvement of status of women buddhist nuns in particular. 2) anti-caste & more egalitarian unlike hindu raminism came from all sectors of society. 3) use of local languages sacred language of buddhism is pali they also use local languages (prakrit). 4) incorporated non-vedic, non brahmin ideas like rebirth, non injuring, non killing, etc. Founder was vardhamana mahavira (mahavira meaning great hero , he is given the title mahavira): he lived around 540-468 bce, not sure of the dates exactly. He was also like buddha, a prince (of magadha). He married a princess and had one daughter. Renounced the world when he was 30. Became head of a sect of followers called nirgranthas (this word means free from fetters /no attachments). Later they became known as jainas or jina.
