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Is Buddhism Similar to Other Contemporary Teachings in India?

The Dharma realised by the Buddha was unheard of before.

IN His first sermon, the DHARMACAKKA SUTRA, the Buddha said that the Dharma which He preached was unheard of before. Knowledge of the Dharma which arose was clear to His vision, to His knowledge, to His wisdom, to His penetration, and to His Enlightenment.

Some people claim that the Buddha did not preach a new doctrine but merely reformed the old teaching which was existing in India. However, the Buddha was no mere reformer of Hinduism as some protagonists of this ancient creed make Him out to be. The Buddha’s way of life and doctrine were substantially different from the way of life and the religious beliefs that the people in India had. The Buddha lived, taught and died as a non-Vedic and non-Brahmanic religious Teacher. Nowhere did the Buddha acknowledge His indebtedness to the existing religious beliefs and practices. The Buddha considered Himself as initiating a rational spiritual method, as opening a new path.

That was the main reason why many other religious groups could not agree with Him. He was condemned, criticised and insulted by the most noted teachers and sects of the Vedic Brahmanic tradition. It was with the intention of destroying or absorbing the Buddha and His Teaching, that the Brahmans of the pre-Christian era went so far as to accept the Buddha as an Avatara or incarnation of their God. Yet some others despised Him as a vasalaka, a mundaka, a samanaka, a nastika and sudra. (These words were used in India during the Buddha’s time to insult a religious man who was not a Brahman).

There is no doubt that the Buddha reformed certain customs, religious duties, rites and ethics and ways of living prevalent at the time. The greatness of His character was like a pin-point that pricked the balloon of false beliefs and practices so that they could burst and reveal their emptiness.

But as far as the fundamental, philosophical and psychological teachings are concerned, it is groundless to say that the Buddha had copied ideas from any existing religion at that time. For instance, the idea of the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, Dependent Origination and Nirvana, were not known before His coming. Although the belief in karma and rebirth was very common, the Buddha gave quite logical and reasonable explanations to this belief and introduced it as natural law of cause and effect. Although the Buddha used these terms because they were familiar to His listeners, He gave them very original interpretations, quite different from the way the Brahmans understood them. Despite all these the Buddha did not ridicule any sincere existing religious belief or practice. He appreciated the value of Truth wherever He found it and He even gave a better explanation of their beliefs. That is why He once said that the Truth must be respected wherever it is found. On the other hand, however, He was never afraid to speak out against mythology and false claims.

<<Назад Глава 6. Буддизм и другие учения

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Редакция перевода от 01.07.2015 15:12