What
Buddhists Believe
Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera
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Is
Buddhism Similar to Other Contemporary Teachings in India?
The Dhamma realized by the Buddha was
unheard before.
The
Buddha said in His first sermon, the Dhammacakka Sutta, that the Dhamma
which He preached was unheard of before. Knowledge of the Dhamma 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 people had in
India. 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 religious method, as opening a new path.
In fact He had revolutionized the religious way of life in a dignified
manner.
That was the
main reason why many other religious groups could not agree with Him. He
was condemned, criticized 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).
There is no doubt that the
Buddha reformed certain customs, religious duties, rites and ethics and
ways of living. 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 and Nibbana, were not known before His coming. Although
the belief in kamma 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. Despite all these the Buddha did not
ridicule any sincere existing religious belief or practice. He appreciated
the value in many where he found Truth 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. However, He was never afraid to speak out
against hypocrisy and falsehood.
-ooOoo-
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Source: Buddhist
Study and Practice Group, http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/
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Layout: Chan Duc - Nguyen Thao
Update : 01-11-2002
