UGC NET Buddhist, Jain, Gandhian & Peace Studies Syllabus 2025-26 — Complete Unit-wise Guide
☮️ UGC NET Buddhist, Jain, Gandhian & Peace Studies (Subject Code: 06) — Paper II covers Buddhist philosophy and literature, Jain philosophy, Gandhian thought, and Peace Studies. 100 MCQs | 200 marks | No negative marking.
This subject is unique among UGC NET papers in combining four distinct but interrelated philosophical and ethical traditions. Whether you come from a Religious Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, or History background, a focused 4–5 month preparation is sufficient to crack it. This guide covers the complete 2025–26 NTA syllabus unit by unit.
Exam Pattern
UGC NET Paper II Pattern| Parameter | Details |
|---|
| Subject Code | 06 |
| Paper | II (Subject-specific) |
| Total Questions | 100 MCQs |
| Total Marks | 200 |
| Duration | 3 hours (combined with Paper I) |
| Negative Marking | None |
| Mode | CBT |
Unit 1: Life and Teachings of the Buddha
- Life of the Buddha: Lumbini birth (c. 563 BCE), Kapilavastu upbringing, four sights, renunciation, six-year austerity, Bodhi Gaya enlightenment (Bodhi tree, Uruvela), Sarnath first sermon (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta — Deer Park, five ascetics), 45 years of ministry, Kushinagar Mahāparinirvāṇa.
- Four Noble Truths (Ariya Sacca): Dukkha (suffering/unsatisfactoriness), Samudāya (origin — craving/taṇhā), Nirodha (cessation), Magga (path — Noble Eightfold Path).
- Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration — grouped as sīla (ethical), samādhi (meditative), paññā (wisdom) trainings.
- Three Marks of Existence: Anicca (impermanence), Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), Anattā (non-self).
- Dependent Origination (Paṭicca-samuppāda): 12 nidānas — ignorance → formations → consciousness → mind-body → six senses → contact → feeling → craving → clinging → becoming → birth → aging-death.
- Nirvāṇa: Cessation of craving and suffering; two types — Sopadisesa (with remainder) and Anupadisesa (without remainder).
Key Buddhist Concepts| Concept | Pali Term | Meaning |
|---|
| Suffering | Dukkha | Unsatisfactoriness; three types: ordinary, impermanence, conditioned existence |
| Non-self | Anattā | No permanent, unchanging self |
| Impermanence | Anicca | All conditioned phenomena are transient |
| Nirvana | Nibbāna | Extinction of greed, hatred, delusion |
| Compassion | Karuṇā | Active concern for suffering beings |
| Loving-kindness | Mettā | Unconditional friendliness to all |
Unit 2: Buddhist Philosophy
- Schools of Buddhist Philosophy: Theravāda (Vibhajjavāda) — oldest school, Pali Canon; Sarvāstivāda — all dharmas exist in three times; Sautrāntika — only present dharmas exist; Yogācāra/Vijñānavāda (Vasubandhu, Asaṅga) — mind-only; Mādhyamaka (Nāgārjuna) — śūnyatā (emptiness); Zen/Chan; Tibetan (Vajrayāna).
- Nāgārjuna's Mādhyamaka: Mūlamadhyamakakārikā; śūnyatā — all phenomena empty of inherent existence; two truths (conventional and ultimate); pratītyasamutpāda as śūnyatā.
- Yogācāra: Vijñaptimātratā — everything is mere representation of consciousness; eight consciousnesses (ālaya-vijñāna as storehouse); trisvabhāva (three natures).
- Theory of Dharmās: Abhidharma analysis — dharmas as ultimate constituents; Theravāda vs. Sarvāstivāda classification; rūpa (form), citta (consciousness), cetasika (mental factors), nibbāna.
- Buddhist Epistemology: Dignāga and Dharmakīrti — pramāṇa theory; perception (pratyakṣa) and inference (anumāna); apoha theory (exclusion).
- Ethics: Five Precepts (pañcasīla); Bodhisattva ideal (Mahāyāna) — six perfections (pāramitās); ahiṃsā; karma and its fruits.
Unit 3: Buddhist Literature and History
- Pali Canon (Tipiṭaka): Vinaya Piṭaka (monastic rules — Pātimokkha), Sutta Piṭaka (discourses — five Nikāyas), Abhidhamma Piṭaka (philosophical analysis).
- Mahāyāna Sūtras: Prajñāpāramitā (Heart Sūtra, Diamond Sūtra), Lotus Sūtra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka), Vimalakīrti Sūtra, Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, Avatamsaka Sūtra.
- Buddhist Councils: First Council (Rājagṛha, 483 BCE — after Buddha's death, Ānanda & Upāli); Second Council (Vaiśālī, 383 BCE — Vinaya dispute); Third Council (Pāṭaliputra, 250 BCE — Aśoka, Moggaliputta Tissa); Fourth Council (Kashmir, 1st c. CE — Sarvāstivāda).
- Spread of Buddhism: Aśoka's role (Dhamma envoys, rock/pillar edicts); Mahinda and Saṅghamittā to Sri Lanka; Silk Road transmission to Central Asia and China; Nālandā University; Tibetan Buddhism (8th c. CE, Padmasambhava); modern revival — B.R. Ambedkar's conversion (1956, Nagpur, ~600,000 Dalits).
- Buddhist Sites in India: Bodh Gaya, Sarnath (Dhamek Stupa), Kushinagar, Lumbini (Nepal), Sanchi (Aśokan stupa), Ajanta caves (paintings), Ellora.
Unit 4: Jain Philosophy
- Tīrthaṅkaras: 24 Tīrthaṅkaras; Ṛṣabhadeva (first); Pārśvanātha (23rd — four vows: ahiṃsā, satya, asteya, aparigraha); Vardhamāna Mahāvīra (24th, 599–527 BCE, Vaiśālī) — added brahmacarya as fifth vow.
- Jain Metaphysics: Jīva (soul — conscious substance, infinite jīvas); Ajīva (non-soul — five categories: pudgala/matter, dharma/medium of motion, adharma/medium of rest, ākāśa/space, kāla/time); Anekāntavāda (many-sidedness of reality); Syādvāda (conditional predication — seven predicates/saptabhaṅgī); Nayavāda (partial standpoints).
- Ethics and Liberation: Ratnatraya (three jewels) — right faith (samyak darśana), right knowledge (samyak jñāna), right conduct (samyak cāritra); fourteen guṇasthānas (stages of spiritual development); mokṣa as siddha state (liberated soul).
- Karma Theory: Karma as subtle matter; eight types of karma; influx (āsrava), bondage (bandha), stoppage (saṃvara), shedding (nirjarā), liberation (mokṣa).
- Jain Sects: Digambara (sky-clad monks, reject Jain Āgamas as canonical) vs. Śvetāmbara (white-clad, accept Āgamas); Sthānakavāsī sub-sect.
- Jain Literature: Āgamas (12 Aṅgas — Śvetāmbara); Tattvārthasūtra (Umāsvāti) — authoritative for both sects; Samayasāra (Kundakunda).
Key Jain Philosophical Concepts| Concept | Jain Term | Brief Meaning |
|---|
| Non-violence | Ahiṃsā | Supreme principle — mental, verbal, physical |
| Non-absolutism | Anekāntavāda | Reality is many-sided; no single view is complete |
| Conditional predication | Syādvāda | Seven-fold qualification of every truth-claim |
| Soul | Jīva | Conscious substance; potentially omniscient |
| Non-possessiveness | Aparigraha | Freedom from attachment to material objects |
| Self-restraint | Saṃyama | Control of senses and passions |
Unit 5: Gandhian Philosophy — Satyāgraha and Non-violence
- Life of Gandhi: Born 2 October 1869, Porbandar; London law studies (1888–91); South Africa (1893–1915) — Phoenix Settlement, Tolstoy Farm, first Satyāgraha experiments; return to India (1915); Indian National Congress leadership; assassination (30 January 1948, Nathuram Godse).
- Satyāgraha: "Holding firmly to truth" — coined in South Africa (1906); different from passive resistance; three pillars: non-violence (ahiṃsā), truth (satya), self-suffering (tapasya); forms: non-cooperation, civil disobedience, hijrat (migration), fasting, hartals.
- Ahiṃsā (Non-violence): Both negative (refraining from harm) and positive (active love); extends to thought, word, deed; source in Jainism, Christianity (Sermon on the Mount), Tolstoy; the "greatest force at the disposal of mankind."
- Satya (Truth): "Truth is God" — later formulation (shifting from "God is Truth"); relative truth of individuals vs. absolute Truth (God/Brahman); non-violence as method to approach truth.
- Swaraj: Self-rule (political independence) and self-discipline/self-governance (inner freedom); Gram Swaraj — village self-sufficiency; Hind Swarāj (1909) — critique of modern civilisation, railways, lawyers, doctors.
- Major Movements: Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22); Civil Disobedience Movement/Salt March (Dandi, March 1930, 240 miles); Quit India Movement (August 1942 — "Do or Die"); Champaran Satyāgraha (1917, first in India); Kheda Satyāgraha (1918).
Unit 6: Gandhian Economic and Social Thought
- Trusteeship: The rich as trustees (not owners) of wealth; a non-violent alternative to capitalism and communism; redistribution without expropriation.
- Swadeshi and Khadi: Boycott of foreign goods; promotion of village industries; spinning wheel (charkha) as symbol of self-reliance and dignity of labour.
- Village Republic: Decentralised economy and polity; gram sabha as basic unit; self-sufficient villages; opposed to centralised industrialisation (influenced by Ruskin's Unto This Last and Thoreau's civil disobedience).
- Varnāśrama and Caste: Gandhi defended varnāśrama as division of function (not birth-based hierarchy); opposed untouchability (Harijan movement, 1932 — Poona Pact); contradictions with Ambedkar's annihilation of caste view.
- Women's Role: Women as moral exemplars of non-violence; participation in Salt March; emphasis on courage; criticism of purdah and child marriage.
- Influence and Critique: Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. (Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955), Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi; critique by Ambedkar (caste perpetuation), Bhagat Singh (armed resistance), Marxists (anti-industrialisation).
Unit 7: Peace Studies — Concepts and Theories
- Concept of Peace: Johan Galtung's distinction — negative peace (absence of direct/personal violence) vs. positive peace (absence of structural and cultural violence); peace as a process, not a condition.
- Violence Typology (Galtung): Direct violence (physical, verbal); structural violence (embedded in social systems — poverty, oppression, discrimination); cultural violence (norms, religion, ideology that legitimise direct/structural violence); violence triangle.
- Conflict Transformation: Conflict resolution vs. conflict transformation; Johan Galtung's TRANSCEND method; John Paul Lederach's peacebuilding; reconciliation; restorative justice.
- Arms Race and Disarmament: Nuclear deterrence theory; MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction); NPT; arms control treaties; peace dividend; disarmament education.
- Non-violent Action: Gene Sharp's 198 methods of non-violent action; three categories — protest/persuasion, non-cooperation, non-violent intervention; political jiu-jitsu; pillars of support theory.
- Peace Education: UNESCO's culture of peace (1999 Declaration); peace education curricula; conflict resolution in schools; Reardon's feminist peace pedagogy.
Peace Studies Theorists| Theorist | Key Contribution | Core Concept |
|---|
| Johan Galtung | Violence triangle; positive/negative peace | Structural and cultural violence |
| Gene Sharp | 198 non-violent methods | Pillars of support; political jiu-jitsu |
| John Paul Lederach | Peacebuilding; conflict transformation | Relational and structural transformation |
| Kenneth Boulding | Stable peace; WOMP | Zones of peace |
| Betty Reardon | Feminist peace education | Militarism-sexism link |
Unit 8: International Peace Architecture
- League of Nations (1920–46): Collective security; Covenant; failure cases (Abyssinia, Manchuria); absence of US.
- United Nations and Peace: Charter Chapter VI (peaceful settlement) and Chapter VII (enforcement action); UN Security Council; peacekeeping operations (PKOs) — 1st generation (monitoring), 2nd generation (multidimensional), 3rd generation (peace enforcement); R2P.
- Arms Control Regimes: NPT (1968); CTBT; Ottawa Treaty (landmines, 1997); CCM (cluster munitions, 2008); TPNW (2021); Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC); Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
- Regional Peace Mechanisms: OSCE (Helsinki Final Act 1975 — human dimension, CBMs); ASEAN Way (non-interference, consensus); African Union Peace & Security Council; SAARC (paralysed by India-Pakistan); Zones of Peace (ZOPFAN, SEANWFZ).
- Peacebuilding: UN Peacebuilding Commission (2005); DDR; SSR (security sector reform); transitional justice; truth and reconciliation commissions (TRC) — South Africa, Rwanda.
- Indian Contributions to Peace: Nehru's Panchsheel (1954); NAM; UN Peacekeeping (one of the largest troop contributors historically); Gandhi as inspiration for global non-violent movements.
Unit 9: Buddhism, Jainism, Gandhism — Comparative Perspectives
- Common Ground: All three traditions uphold ahiṃsā as the central ethical principle; emphasis on inner transformation; critique of violence, materialism, and social hierarchy.
- Differences on Metaphysics: Buddhism — no-self (anattā), impermanence; Jainism — eternal souls (jīvas), metaphysical pluralism; Gandhi — theistic (God = Truth), less systematic metaphysics.
- Karma and Liberation: Buddhism — karma as intentional action, liberation through wisdom and meditation; Jainism — karma as material substance, liberation through rigorous self-discipline; Gandhi — karma as duty/action (Gita influence), liberation through selfless service.
- Social Ethics: Buddhism — Middle Way, monastic sangha, engaged Buddhism (Thich Nhat Hanh); Jainism — strict non-violence, vegetarianism, asceticism; Gandhi — active engagement, political satyāgraha, constructive programme.
- Gender: Buddhism — Buddha admitted women to sangha (Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī); Jainism — debate on female liberation (Digambara: impossible; Śvetāmbara: possible); Gandhi — women as satyāgraha participants, but also idealised as self-sacrificing.
Unit 10: Contemporary Relevance and Applied Peace
- Engaged Buddhism: Thich Nhat Hanh — interbeing; social service; anti-Vietnam War activism; Sulak Sivaraksa — Thai socially engaged Buddhism; B.R. Ambedkar's "Navayana Buddhism" — social liberation through dharma.
- Environmental Peace (Eco-Buddhism/Eco-Jainism): Reverence for all life; Jain paryāvaran (ecology); Buddhist middle way applied to sustainability; Gandhi's trusteeship and environmental stewardship.
- Conflict Resolution in Practice: Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa); Northern Ireland peace process; Oslo Accords; Gandhi's communal harmony efforts (Bengal/Punjab, 1947).
- Digital Age and Non-violence: Online activism and digital satyāgraha; social media and Arab Spring; cyber-violence; peace journalism (Johan Galtung's model vs. war journalism).
- Contemporary Gandhian Movements: Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement (2011 — Jan Lokpal, India Against Corruption); Chipko Movement (Sunderlal Bahuguna — environment), Narmada Bachao Andolan (Medha Patkar); global non-violence day (2 October — UN recognition 2007).
Important Books
Standard Reference Books| Book | Author | Coverage |
|---|
| What the Buddha Taught | Walpola Rahula | Introduction to Theravāda Buddhism |
| Buddhist Philosophy: A Historical Analysis | David Kalupahana | Buddhist epistemology and metaphysics |
| Jaina Philosophy and Religion | Padmanabh Jaini | Jain metaphysics and ethics |
| The Philosophy of Non-violence | Vinit Haksar | Comparative non-violence theory |
| Hind Swaraj | M.K. Gandhi | Gandhi's critique of modern civilisation |
| An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth | M.K. Gandhi | Gandhi's life and philosophy |
| Introduction to Peace Studies | David Barash & Charles Webel | Comprehensive peace studies text |
| A History of Buddhist Thought | Edward Conze | Buddhist philosophy survey |
📚 Preparation Tip: Units 1–4 (Buddhist + Jain philosophy and history) account for ~50% of questions. Units 5–6 (Gandhism) give 20–25%. Units 7–10 (Peace Studies) give 25–30%. Read the Dhammapada, Tattvārthasūtra, and Hind Swaraj directly — short primary texts with high exam yield.
FAQs
Who can appear for UGC NET Buddhist, Jain, Gandhian & Peace Studies?
Candidates with MA/M.Phil. in Buddhist Studies, Jain Philosophy, Gandhian Studies, Peace Studies, Religious Studies, Philosophy, or History with 55% marks (50% for reserved categories) from a recognised university are eligible.
What are the most important topics?
Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path; Dependent Origination; Nāgārjuna's śūnyatā; Jain Anekāntavāda; Gandhi's Satyāgraha; Galtung's positive/negative peace; Gene Sharp's non-violent methods.
Is this subject easier than other UGC NET papers?
Relative to technical subjects, yes. The syllabus is mostly philosophical and historical rather than quantitative. With good reading habits and 4–5 months of preparation, a motivated candidate can score well.