Popular Buddhism

This article analyses how Buddhism evolved from an austere philosophical path into a more popular religion. Early Buddhism, although propagated in various provincial dialects, insisted on renunciation and self‑discipline. It remained largely confined to monastic communities and the homes of a few wealthy patrons because it offered little scope for ritual or communal worship. The author divides the history into pre‑ and post‑Aśokan phases. In the pre‑Aśokan period the focus was on individual ethics and doctrinal teaching rather than devotion; householders such as Anāthapiṇḍika and Visākhā supported the saṅgha, but most lay people were spectators rather than participants. Even after Aśoka’s reign the new imperial patronage produced only minor changes. Rituals such as the Trisarana (three refuges) and uposatha ceremonies attracted some converts, yet Buddhism continued to emphasise the thrice‑repeated formula of taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha and the realisation of the Four Noble Truths. The article notes that prayer was absent and laymen were not allowed to perform monastic functions, illustrating the gulf between the saṅgha and ordinary people. From about the second century B.C. stories such as the Jātakas and Avadānas, which depicted the Buddha’s previous lives, were compiled. These narratives and the doctrine of pāramitās allowed lay followers to imagine themselves as bodhisattvas and thereby promised Buddhahood in a future life. Later Mahāyāna texts extended these ideas by prescribing the duties of householder‑bodhisattvas and emphasising lay virtues, though a clear code for lay followers emerged gradually. The article concludes that Buddhism was not a popular movement during the early centuries. Its popularity rose only when it adopted bodhisattva ideals, emphasised self‑sacrifice and compassion for all beings, and spread throughout India under imperial patronage.

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