Ageing: A Buddhist Perspective

Abstract

Gerontology is an academic branch, which studies the social, psychological and biological aspects of ageing. Gerontologists examine the adult behavior and discuss comprehensive capacities, perception, learning, abilities, problem solving, feelings, emotions, skills and social behavior of adult life. In Buddhism it is discussed as the concept of Jara (decaying). The Buddha explained it as one of the three characteristics which anicca describes impermanent as a result of which we can identify the decaying. In this study, my objective is to compare and contrast both Gerontology and the Buddhist perspective, with reference to the concept of Jara. The comparative method is applied using primary and secondary sources. I expect to discuss that the concept of Jara in Early Buddhism, five uppattibhavas in Indaka sutta of Sanyukta Nikaya (kalala, abbuda, pēsi, ghana and prasāka) and ten decades (dasaka) in the Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga). Apart from the aforementioned, the problems and the potentialities will also be discussed. In this study, my conclusion is that the concept of Gerontology in Buddhism is deeper and more spiritual than that of the western Gerontology. According to the Buddhist view ageing is not a problem.