Chapter 29: Jetavana Monastery｜Buddha’s Daily Life with the Sangha

For much of his forty-nine years of teaching, the Buddha resided at Jetavana Monastery in Sravasti. It became one of the earliest and most important Buddhist monasteries, central to the life of the sangha.

Origins of Jetavana

The monastery was funded by the wealthy merchant Anathapindada, who famously covered the land with gold coins to purchase it, while Prince Jeta donated the grove. Hence the name Jetavana Anathapindada’s Park.

Gandharan Depictions

In Gandharan reliefs, Jetavana is shown as grand pavilions or palatial halls, reflecting architectural ideals:

• Buddha preaching — seated at the center in the dharmachakra mudra, surrounded by disciples.
• Acts of donation — laypeople presenting food, robes, or alms, symbolizing support for the sangha.
• Rows of monks — orderly seated figures indicate the institutionalized community of monks.
• Garden setting — trees and floral motifs in the background remind viewers of the grove environment.

Unlike the dramatic miracles, depictions of Jetavana emphasize order and solemnity. The balance of composition—Buddha in the center, disciples around—mirrors the harmony of teaching and listening.

Jetavana represents the Buddha’s daily teaching life:

• It was a monastic center, symbolizing the structure of Buddhist community.
• It embodied the spirit of donation, showing the partnership between monks and lay followers.
• It was the stage for many of the Buddha’s key sermons recorded in the canon.

In Gandharan art, Jetavana is less about architecture and more about what it symbolized: the formation of a religious community rooted in Dharma and generosity.