[Buddha-l] Decline of Buddhism in India

[Bob Zeuschner]

My area is not Indian Buddhism, but I remember learning about 4 causes 
for the decline of Buddhism in India after the 9th to 11th century.
I would deeply appreciate it if the Indian experts can share the latest 
thinking on these.

1) Hindu _bhakti_ was growing strong after 5th century and this gave a 
vitality to Hinduism that Buddhism lacked, and Buddhism became more 
_bhakti_ and thus indistinguishable from Hinduism on the popular level 
("folk religion," "little religion," etc.)

2) Socio-economic conditions where the rulers and wealthy landowners 
supported Hinduism instead of Buddhism.

3) Isolation of Buddhist monasteries from the popular religion (although 
I believe there are scholars who disagree with this).

4) Invasion of militant Islam which drove Buddhists into Tibet in the 
north, and S.E. Asia in the south.

Are there other important causes?
Are any on this list (besides [3]) doubtful?
Thanks.
Bob Zeuschner
Dept. of Philosophy

On 4/14/2012 1:29 PM, Dan Lusthaus wrote:
>> Cripes, it looks like we need a Buddhist Internet pornography site to
>> generate some converts and some quick money.
>
> I guess your theory is that someone accidentally turned up the thermostat
> throughout western and central asia and all the Buddhists simply evaporated
> one day. The purging of Bagdhadi Buddhists, the pogroms that purged them all
> the way to the Sind, that killed every living monk an nun in Vallabhi, etc.,
> etc., etc. that's all just scary propoganda by right wing historians.
>
> Enough revisionist whitewashing. I get it. You can't handle the truth.
>
> Fine. All the Buddhists in western and central asia, and India, just decided
> to move to China one day because there was plenty of rice and the dragons
> were friendlier. Right!
>
> Dan
>
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