[world-vedic] Vedic Resources

August 5, 2000

Dear Members,

With respect to the message of Srinivasa Rao Sanagavarapu to Aikya concerning

modern speculations about Lord Buddha I'm pleased to inform you of the

following.

Lord Buddha is an avatara of Lord Visnu, who has been predicted to descent on

the earth in Kali Yuga about two thousand years earlier in Bhagavata Purana

which has been compiled 5,000 years ago. Modern scientists think Buddha

appeared 560 BC, however, his descent probably took place about 1,000-1,500

years earlier.

Since Lord Buddha was Godhead Himself, He knew exactly what He was doing. His

teachings were meant to stop the population from slaughtering cattle for

consumption, which they believed was sanctioned by Vedic literatures. In fact,

the Vedas had made a concession for those fools who would not be able to

abstain from meat eating by regulating their consumption with the injuntion to

eat meat only once a month, which must be goat only, and which should be first

offered to Goddess Kali. This injunction was meant to keep sinners directed

towards spiritual values somehow. However, the masses as usual had made from

the exception a rule and had started to slaughter animals to meet the needs of

their perverted senses.

Lord Buddha, who wanted to stop this behavior, had to preach nonviolence

(ahimsa) to the extreme, by which He also had to reject the authority of the

Vedic scriptures, which He did. In that sense Lord Buddha 'faught' the

Brahmins, since these scriptures are their property and teaching them is their

occupational duty. The consequence of this act of Lord Buddha was, that Lord

Buddha had to reject the existence of God altogether, since the knowledge of

God has been written down in Vedic scriptures. This is the purport about Lord

Buddha about the purpose of His descent, which can be found in Srimad

Bhagavatam by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, an acarya who is

directly in the line coming from Visnu.

The next quotation is from one of the most important books about bhagavat-tattva

and jiva-tattva written by Srila Sacidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura called

Jaiva-dharma. It says:

"At the time Sri Sankara appeared in India, there was a great need for a

gunavatara like him, an incarnation who presides over the qualities of material

nature. In India, the study of the Vedic scriptures and the practice of

varnasrama-dharma had become practically extinct due to the influence of the

nihilistic philosophy of the Buddhists. Nihilism, known as sunyavada, is

vehemently opposed to the conception of a personal God. Although it partially

accepts the principle of jivatma, the living being's identity as a conscious,

spiritual soul, it is an extrme example of anitya-dharma, impermament religion.

The brahmanas of that era had in effect all become Buddhists, abandoning the

Vedic dharma. Sankraracarya, the extraordinarily powerful incarnation of

Mahadeva, then appeared and re-established the respectability of the Vedic

scriptures, converting the sunyavada doctrine of nihilism into the brahmavada

doctrine of indistinct Brahman. This was an uncommon feat. The work of

Sankaracarya was relative to a particular period. He laid a foundation upon

which great acaryas like Sri Ramanujacarya and Sri Madhva erected the edifice

of pure Vaisnava dharma (the intrinsic quality of the living entity to be

eternally a servant of God, Sri Krsna)."

Vaisnava dasanudasi abhilasa,

Indira dasi

-

dean

vediculture

Saturday, August 05, 2000 5:11 PM

[world-vedic] Vedic Resources

Posted by Dharmapada:

Vedica Members,

I am going to pass along this post from the The Hindu Webring list because an

interesting point is made and because that URL at the bottom seems to be a

decent resource.

For what it's worth:

Aikya:It is the western historians who added that color to the Buddhism.

Theyclaimed that Siddhartha, a prince of Sakya clan and thus, a Kshatriya

foughtthe supremacy of the Brahmin priests. Probably, like Jesus, Buddha

neverthought that later his teachings woud form a religion named after him.The

Hinayana form of Buddhism still uses the earlier Pali texts. These Palitexts

are well preserved in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Buddhists follow theHinayana

tradition. The Dhammapada is available on the WEB, if one isinterested. The URL

is http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucgadkw/indology.html,INDOLOGY's home page.It is said

that Sanakara made Buddha as the ninth incarnation of LordVishnu. After the

ninth century A.D. Buddhism slowly started fading fromIndia and, probably,

practically vanished by the 12th century.Regards,Srinivasa Rao SanagavarapuThis

is an information resource and discussion group for people interested in the

World's Ancient Vedic Culture, with a focus on its historical, archeological

and scientific aspects. Also topics about India, Hinduism, God, and other

aspects of World Culture are welcome.

August 6, 2000

"

De: Indira dasi <indira (AT) scarlet (DOT) nl>Para:

vediculture <vediculture >Fecha: Sábado 5 de Agosto de

2000 1:32 PMAsunto: Re: [world-vedic] Vedic Resources

"Lord Budha appared in the familyh of High -grade Ksatrya king, but his

philosophy was no in accord with the vedic conclusion and therefore was reject.

Under the patronage of a hindu king, Maharaja Asoka (of Kashimira), the buddhist

religion was spread all over India and the adjoining countries. However, after

the apearence of the grat stalwart teacher Sankaracharya, this Biddhism was

driven out beyond the borders of India.

The buddhist or other religionist who do not care for revelad (vedic) scriptures

sometimes say that there are many devotees of Lord Budha who show devotional

service to Lord Budha, and who therefore should be considered devotees. In

answer to this argument, Rupa Goswami says that the follwers of Budha cannot be

accept as devotees. Although Lord Buddha es accpeted as an incarnation of Krsna,

the follwers of such incarnations are no very advanced in their knowledge of the

Vedas. To study the Vedas means to come to the conclusion of the supremacy of

the Personality of Godhead. Therefore any religious principle wich denies the

supremacy of the Personality of Godhead is not acceptd and is called

Atheism...Lord Buddha is accepted as an incarnaction of Krsna in the

Srimad-Bhagavatam, but in the same Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that Lord

Budha appeard in order to bewilder the atheistic class of men. Therefore his

philosophy is meant for bewildering the atheist and should no be accepted. If

someone asks, 'Why should Krsna propagate atheistic principles?' The answer is

that it was desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to end the violence

wich was then being codmitted in the name of the Vedas. The so-called

religionist were falsely using the Vedas to justify such violent acts as

meat-eating, and Lord Buddha came to lead the fallen people away from such a

false interpretastion of the Vedas. Also, for the atheists Lord Buddha preached

athiesm so that they would follow him and thus be tricked into devotional

service to Lord Buddha, or Krsna", ND, CAp. 7, pp.62. (The great Classic of

India) Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. New edition 1985.