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The Tenuous Link

The Tenuous Link

Author: Vinod Kumar Shukla
Publication: The Observer of Business and Politics
Date: October 2, 2000

It is beyond the scope of history to deal with the doctrine, principle and practice which distinguishes Buddhism as a religion and a philosophy.  It may, however, be generally noted that Buddhism is very largely the outcome of the preexisting Bramhnical thought.

It was known as new order for the emphasis it laid on life as distinct from rites and rituals.  It is anticipated by some of the Upanishads which put knowledge of Atma as the sole and ultimate reality above Vedas and rituals.

Especially Sage Yajnavalkya insisted not merely on the ultimate oneness of man but also on the achivement of the oneness as self realisation of man as a progressive process, figured as a way through rebirth or transmigration.

Religion is a way of life, which is reflected in the nature, temperament and behaviour of the people of particular geographical areas.  Since time immemorial we were having faith in some kind of supernatural things.

The concept of organised religion is a historical thing but faith, beliefs, rituals are prehistoric concepts.  If we talk about religion, we will find many faiths of which most religions originated in India like Hinduism.  Buddhism, Jainism, Sikkhism which gets worldwide recognition.

Hinduism was not propounded by any body.  It was known as Sanatana - eternal, which has no beginning and no end.  This was later named as Hinduism.  The philosophy of Hinduism is basically influenced or dominated by rites and rituals.

Almost all religions along with Hinduism have their basic philosophy propounded by Upanishads.

According to a philosophy scholar, Bloomfield, recent research has proved that the root of the Hindu philosophy, including atheist Buddhism can be traced back to the Upanishads.

Though Buddhist scholars have sometimes refuted that Buddhism is a continuation of Upanisadik thoughts.  nevertheless contemporary researchers have shown roots of Buddhism in Upanishads.

Kumaril Bhatt has proved that tenents of Buddhist philosophy like Vijnanvad, Momentiness, Nirpekshavad, Karmavad, difference in Samvriti and Parmarth, ignorance has been accepted as cause for jara-maran (pain and decay).

Moksha (liberation) through Samyagayan has also been derived from these.

Oldenburg, Prof M G Ranade and other philosophers of the time also came out with the same conclusion.

The concept of Anatmavad is well derived from a hymn of Kathopnishad which goes like this: Yeyam Prete Vichitiksa manusye Astityake Nayamsteeti Chaike

In the same Upanishad this hymn, Swobhave matyarkayam yadantak ettsarvendriyanan jaryanti tejah, explains the Buddhist concept of momentiness and Sarvam Dukham.  The concept of Vijnanvad and Karmavad are derived from Aitreyaupanishad.

The concept of Punarmajanma (rebirth) which is extensively discussed in Upanishads is one of the major concept of the Buddhist philosophy also.

In fact, the concept of Bodhisatva which a person attains after certain process, has been explained in Buddhist literature as- by the beliefs that fourth and fifth incarnation of Buddha is yet to come.

The theory of Pratittasamutpad which gives theory of Dwadas Nidan is very much identical to the Upanishadik Brahma Chakra concept.

The Buddhist movement was started as a reformist movement.  There were several evils in the Sanatana religion of the time.  Sanskrit was the mode of communication of priest and that was not understood by the general people whose condition was at the worst.

So Buddhism and Jainism came out as a reaction to the Bramhanical religion.  Its teaching or mode of communication was Apabhramsa which gave accesses to the general people.

It also vehemently refuted rites and rituals and orthodoxy of the Brahmanical religion, and gave respite to the people.

During the very life time of Buddha its popularity was overwhelming but still there were many unanswered philosophical and epistimological questions.

Buddha himself had left many question unanswered and kept mum on many questions asked.

At this moment of time it has taken something from its precursor.  There were further development in Buddhism which led to a split as Hinyani and Mahayanis.

Buddhists tried to accept reality in different forms.  Hinyanis were realists and Mahayanies were idealists.  The idealist Mahayanis are totally influenced with the Upanishads.  Even they tried to interpret some unanswered questions following Upanishads.

Pure idealism is maintained in Upanishads at transcendental level.  They say that the existence of Bramhan is the only reality and the existence of the world is a superimposition of Bramhan.  World is indescribable at empirical level, as it is maya which is neither true nor false.

Hinayani Buddhists say this world is real as it looks because they do not believe in the existence of Bramhan.  They do not have any concept of Bramhan from where they can derive world and thus accept mundane facts.

Mahayani group with Yogachari were absolute idealists and Sunyawadins were almost on the paths of Upanishadic teachings as they worshipped Buddha as god and later on the concept of self (atman) cropped up in their philosophy where they also described the world as indescribable Swabhave Sunya.

A Buddhist scholar Dharmendra Kumar says "Since Upanishads are precursor of the Buddhism, the reflection of thought is inevitable.  But there are many more things in Buddhism which makes it fundamentally different from others.  The most important concept is of Bodhisatva.  The concept of Maya also gives it a different pedestal.  Upanishads tells us that we got to know things superimposed by Bramhana otherwise everything is maya not real while Buddhist say whatever we perceive are real but momentary."

A philosophy academician of Chandigarh University Vinod Srivastava says "The main stress of Buddhism is on Nirvana or liberation that is no way different to the Upanashadik concept of Moksha.  It is definitely unfair to say that they are exactly same but it is of course close to Upanishads especially later developments."

Not only this, many other Indian philosophical orders are close to Upanishads such as Mimansha, Vedandas, Jain and even Charvakas.
 


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