Buddha's Role as a Social Reformer

[TTCUSM]

Vanakkam Everyone,

Many of you are probably aware that it is quite common among anti-Hindu groups to praise Siddhartha Gautama (aka the Buddha) because he supposedly rejected the caste system. On page 308 (http://books.google.com/books?id=GW5Gx0HSXKUC&lpg=PA308&ots=QeT7EqRYAh&dq=buddha%20as%20a%20social%20reformer&pg=PA308#v=onepage&q&f=false) of A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India, Upinder Singh analyzes these claims from a critical perspective.

[Believer]

There is nothing new in this article.
What is the point of this post?

[PARAM]

Vanakkam Everyone,

Many of you are probably aware that it is quite common among anti-Hindu groups to praise Siddhartha Gautama (aka the Buddha) because he supposedly rejected the caste system. On page 308 (http://books.google.com/books?id=GW5Gx0HSXKUC&lpg=PA308&ots=QeT7EqRYAh&dq=buddha%20as%20a%20social%20reformer&pg=PA308#v=onepage&q&f=false) of A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India, Upinder Singh analyzes these claims from a critical perspective.


Buddha was not a social reformer, he was just lost his faith

[Sahasranama]

This article is also interesting:

http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/books/wiah/ch11.htm

[TTCUSM]

The following comes from pages 155-156 of The Earth and Its Peoples, Third Edition:


After 700 B.C.E. various forms of reaction against Brahmin power and privilege emerged. People who objected to the rigid hierarchy of classes and castes or the community’s demands on the individual could retreat to the forest. Despite the clearing of extensive tracts of land for agriculture, much of ancient India was covered with forest. Never very far from civilized areas, these wild places served as a refuge and symbolized freedom from societal constraints. Certain charismatic individuals who abandoned their town or village and moved to the forest attracted bands of followers. Calling into question the priests’ exclusive claims to wisdom and the necessity of Vedic chants and sacrifices, they offered an alternative path to salvation: the individual pursuit of insight into the nature of the self and the universe through physical and mental discipline (yoga), special dietary practices, and meditation. They taught that by distancing oneself from desire for the things of this world, one could achieve moksha, or “liberation.” This release from the cycle of reincarnations and union with the divine force that animates the universe sometimes was likened to “a deep, dreamless sleep.” The Upanishads—a collection of more than one hundred mystical dialogues between teachers and disciples—reflect this questioning of the foundations of Vedic religion.

The most serious threat to Vedic religion and to the prerogatives of the Brahmin priestly class came from two new religions that emerged around this time: Jainism and Buddhism.Apparently, the Yoga school of philosophy, the Upanishadic movement, Buddhism, and Jainism were all reactions to the Historical Vedic Religion.

[Sahasranama]

Apparently, you have not studied the upanishads.

[TTCUSM]

Apparently, you have not studied the upanishads.

So the Upanishadic movement wasn't a revolt against the Vedic religion?

[TatTvamAsi]

Apparently, the Yoga school of philosophy, the Upanishadic movement, Buddhism, and Jainism were all reactions to the Historical Vedic Religion.

You have just lost all credibility with that statement. :rolleyes:

[PARAM]

The following comes from pages 155-156 of The Earth and Its Peoples, Third Edition:

Apparently, the Yoga school of philosophy, the Upanishadic movement, Buddhism, and Jainism were all reactions to the Historical Vedic Religion.

Do you have any real knowledge of Upnishads ?

And do you found any proof of Brahminisation ?

[Shaan]

The following comes from pages 155-156 of The Earth and Its Peoples, Third Edition:

Apparently, the Yoga school of philosophy, the Upanishadic movement, Buddhism, and Jainism were all reactions to the Historical Vedic Religion.


Yog Sutra is one of 6 Shastras, then you write about upanishads, I am currently on the BrihadAranyakUpanishad, and all i can find is only vedic religion and no reaction, its the biggest and i am almost done :D

[PARAM]

No Upnishad is anti Vedas, anti hindu groups who praise Buddha, will never praise Upnishads.

[Kumar_Das]

You have just lost all credibility with that statement. :rolleyes:

Hey who knows? Maybe he is a "Semitic nationalist" who believes in Monotheism and this "monotheistic God" according to Semites (basically hovering sky fairy) is exclusively realized only by Semites and therefore all its(Semitic "God" 's) Prophets are Semitic.

And he thinks Vedas are a bunch of "polytheist" stuff while the Upanishads are "special" because they talk about Brahman which he thinks is inspired by his Semitic "God" and Brahman is his Semitic "God" but still the Upanishads are not quite the same standards of his Torah/Gospel/Quran bullshit from his sky fairy given to its loser "Prophets" (3 different religions that hate and kill each, like a bunch of little kids trying to claim the entire sandbox).

Maybe polytheist stuff Vedas are "Aryan" whereas Upanishad and those who spoke of Brahman are non-Aryan according to him as well.

I suspect he probably thinks Bhagavad Gita are "made up" and "not from God" and based from Upanishads.

Funny, because the same guy probably wouldn't see how the Quran could have been written by Muhammad by copying from Torah and Bible(which themselves are made up). When the Hadiths and traditional accounts have it that Muhammad would talk to people, and according to the subject of what he talked about, he would afterwards "suddenly" get verses "revealed" to him. Allah is some pu**y God that first reveals Torah, and then Pslams and then Gospels and then says they all got corrupted and finally reveals the Quran.

And we are the ones who have defective scriptures in our hands? LOL

"Upanishadic movement" revolt against "Vedic religion" LOL just LOL

[rcscwc]

Budha was no social or political reforms. He never rejected caste. Anything supporting from his teachings?

[rcscwc]

So the Upanishadic movement wasn't a revolt against the Vedic religion?
Definitely not.

[ShivaFan]

Namaste

The Ramayana series on ZeeTV is now over, and the new historical series that has taken it's slot is Buddha.

I find these very interesting, not that they are necessarily factual or strick to the scripture, but that they do seem to reflect popular culture and concepts of the common people in India and of Hinduism as well, the popular interpretations.

So I watched the first episode of Buddha, not to learn of the scriptural or historical figure, but to glimpse perhaps into the popular perception of Buddh in India. I have only seen the first episode, but the feel is Hindu, Buddha as a Hindu (which He was). This Buddha in no way reflects the "Chinese" Buddha, but even seems to of Saiva parents. Interesting in that some Vaishnava sects see Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu.

Om Namah Sivaya

[Sudas Paijavana]

Dear ShivaFan,

Have you heard about the new Mahabharata serial coming out soon? Are you looking forward to it?

[Jeffery D. Long]

Neither Buddha nor Mahavira "rejected caste." This is a common misconception. Buddha affirmed varna based on guna and in the Dhammapada repeatedly uses the term Brahmin to refer to a wise person, and there are Jain castes right up to the present day. The Upanishads are of course thoroughly Vedic and utilize the imagery of the Vedic yajna extensively to talk about the deeper dimensions of spiritual experience.