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It has been advanced that the pervasive influence of Jain culture and philosophy in ancient Bihar gave rise to Buddhism.
The Buddhists always maintained that by the time Buddha and Mahavira were alive, Jainism was already an ancient and deeply entrenched faith and culture in the region. Buddhist scriptures record philosophical dialogs between the wandering seeker Buddha and Udaka Ramaputta, who appears to have been a Jain teacher (having taught a doctrine of eight types of karma). Early Buddhists posited the existence of 24 previous Buddhas (Buddhas who walked the earth prior to Siddhartha Gautama, as established in the Buddhist text Mahavanso 1:100:1 among others) many of whose names are identical to those of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras and other traditional Jain figures. Buddhist scriptures attest that some of the first Buddhists were in fact Jains (Nirgranthas as they were then called, meaning "the unbounded ones") who "converted", whom Buddha encouraged to maintain their Jain identity and practices such as giving alms to Jain monks and nuns. The famous ancient parable of the blind men and the elephant illustrates the Jain science of Anekantavada, and is found in the Buddhist Pali text called Udana. Like any other splinter group, writers of the ancient Pali texts clearly rejoiced in criticizing (and at times ridiculing) the Jains and celebrating the conversion of another Jain to Buddha's path. The texts show that Buddha vigorously appealed to the Nirgranthas that his path was nothing different from that with which they were already familiar, simply better.
The Buddhist formulation of the "Middle Way" may have been a post-Buddha response by the Buddhist monastic community to criticism by the Jains (as seen in Jain texts such as the Sutrakritanga Sutra and Acharanga Sutra) that the Buddhist Bhikkhus (mendicants) were lax and not living the rigorous life of a true ascetic or Shramana (Samana in Prakrit). In defining the Middle Way, Buddhist scholars branded their faith with a unique identity that distanced itself from Jain tradition by providing an alternative to "extreme asceticism" (i.e., Jainism) on one hand and Buddha's own princely hedonism on the other. In describing Buddha's six-years of spiritual searching after leaving his family, Buddhist scriptures from the early post-Buddha period detail certain fasts, penances and austerities which Buddha undertook whose descriptions are elsewhere found only in the Jain tradition (for example, the penance by five fires, plucking of hair, and the consumption of food using only one's cupped hands). To this day, many Buddhist teachings, principles and terms remain identical to Jain ones. In short, a large body of evidence suggests vividly that, in large measure, Buddhism is an offshoot of Jainism.
As earlier mentioned, Buddhist scriptures maintain that the creed of the Nirgranthas (Jainism) was already a large and well-established faith -- rather than a revolutionary or newly founded one -- during the time of Mahavira. Buddhists recorded that Mahavira preached the "four-fold restraint" of the Nirgrantha tradition -- a clear reference to the teachings of Mahavira's predecessor Lord Parshva (877-777 BC), traditionally the 23rd Tirthankara -- who propounded the four vows of Ahinsa (Ahimsa), Satya (truth), Aparigraha (non-possessiveness), and Asteya (non-stealing). Jain scriptures describe Mahavira himself as having been born to Jain parents (the nobles Siddharatha and Trishala of Kundagram). Additionally, the Buddhist Anguttara Nikaya scripture quotes the independent philosopher Purana Kashyapa (the sixth century BC founder of a now extinct order) as listing the Nirgranthas as one of the six major classifications of humanity -- an unlikely distinction for a brand new faith. Mah?v?ra and Buddha were, in fact, contemporaries, however there is no evidence of the teachers ever meeting. Robert S. Ellwood and Barbara A. McGraw comment, "Jainism was established in its historic form by Vardhamana, called Mahavira, an approximate contemporary of the Buddha in the fifth century B.C.E." (Many Peoples, Many Faiths: Women and Men in the World Religions, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999; page 110)
BUDDHA WAS ALSO JAIN MONK :-
Buddha embarked his spiritual journey as a Digamabara (Naked Monk):
Yes, This is the same Gautham Buddha of Sixth Century BC, who founded the religion Buddhism. It is interesting to know that he began his spiritual life (at the age of 29 years) as a Digambar muni (Naked Monk) with two teachers Alara and Uddaka (again both are Digambar munis) at Vaisali.
In the Buddhist scripture Majjima Nikaya, Buddha himself tells us about his ascetic life and its ordinances which are in conformity with the Jain muni's code of conduct. He says, "Thus far, SariPutta, did I go in my penance. I went without clothes. I licked my food from my hands. I took no food that was brought or meant especially for me. I accepted no invitation to a meal." (An extract from the interaction of Buddha with his chief disciple Sariputta)
Buddha's uncle was also a Digamabara (Naked Monk):
Attakatha of Anguttara Nikaya has reference to Boppa Sakya a resident of Kapilvastu who was the uncle of Buddha and who followed the religion of the Nigganathas i.e. Jains.
Buddha ends his 6 years of Digambara (Naked Monk) life:
One day, a peasant girl named Sujata saw starving naked monk Siddhartha (Buddha) and took pity on him. She begged him to eat some of her food. Siddhartha then realized that these extreme practices (as Digamabar muni) were leading him nowhere, that in fact it might be better to find some middle way between the extremes of the life of luxury and the life of self-mortification. So he ate, and drank, and bathed in the river.
After seeing this change in Siddhartha, Five naked monks who accompanied him earlier, decided to quit his company.
Budddha's intention was not to find a new religion:
It is extremely clear that Buddha was in search of a life which is free from sorrow. He never wanted to find a new religion. Initially he thought that the Digambar way of life is going to provide answers to his queries, but later he felt it as an extreme path of living. Thus he defined an intermediate path between the already existing "Jainism" and "Hinduism"
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what are the similarities and differences between jainism and buddhism?
